DRN Support Team and Mods Invade Fox Valley Offroad!

[nikki]

Last Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday - a group of us met in lovely Wedron, IL, for the 3rd annual Mod and STM Fox Valley Offroad ride! Attendees included: Big Lou, Mr Luckey, SRKXRider, Eric, RV6Junkie, Rooster, Squeaky, Layton, DJJ, Me, Reddog, Offroadr, Service Honda Gregg (on AJ's bike), Oldguy, TheKid, Wolf, Hunter, WaltCMoto, Bob, Eric, Stephanie, Jaybird, Pokie, Crispy, and Wardy. The weather was AWESOME for mid July, and about 15-20 degrees cooler than normal with day temps in the 70's and night temps in the 50's. Perfect for the campfires - and we had an awesome fire Friday night.

The riding was fun for everyone with miles of trails (I actually went in the woods!), a SX style track, a cool kiddie track, and a dirt track oval. Hunter took the lil' Zoomers' place as the Energizer bunny as he probably put more miles on his XR50 than anyone else! Rooster and Offroadr were awesome breakfast chefs (you should see Rooster cut veggies and Offroadr's skillet!) and we had the best breakfast burritos ever (thanks, SRKX, for bringing the jalapenos). The brats and burgers and sweetcorn and beans were pretty awesome Friday night too! Lou - thanks for letting me ride lil' Timmy. Pokie and Crispy - too bad we didn't get to see you guys longer. Wolf, Hunter, Layton, DJJ - nice meeting you. Eddie - you're a closet MX rider I know it! Walt - nice seeing you and the crew again - better watch out for Bob, he's a cutie! Jay - Hope Patman liked his postcard and thanks for bringing the Tabasco samples. Rich, AJ, Aimee, D, Zoomers, Okie, Mully, Sarge, Anne/Bob Brooks, Jamie, Motometal, KelvinKDX, JP, TreeJumper, Natalie..... too bad you guys couldn't make it out! Wardy - thanks for hosting the ride again - we had a blast!

I love little DRN get togethers like this - have I mentioned this site ROCKS! :aj:

See you all at Dirtweek - 2 more months!!! :yeehaw:

I'll try to merge in ride report posts from the big Fox Valley/Wardy's Ride thread in the Support Team forum....... stay tuned!

 

[Pokie]

what a bummer Rich.... I was looking forward to seeing you there.... it's been a long time since our last ride at OT Nationals... which hasn't seen anyone ride this year. If you're helping OT in his move next weekend, I may see you there. I committed to flag a race at a local fairgrounds MX Saturday, but I'll be down Sunday for a few hours lending my "muscle"

I got to Wardy's around 10:30 Saturday in time to get about 3 sets of laps in on the MX track, in between the dustclouds generated by those playful folks on 4-wheel thingies. Old(water)guy was very busy taming those clouds..... Jaybird led me to the track then left me in the dust ...literally. Walt-CMoto and his two boys led me on a woods adventure: man, so many trees helter-skelter and deep ruts all over those narrow "single-tracks", although Walt claims those tracks are "wide". Hmmm, them hard-hats and bark-busters are indeed indispensable devices in this environment...it feels more perilous than a figure-eight track with trails going and coming everywhere and none are "one-way"...phew, what a traffic nightmare, dirtbike roulette, hehehe...

It was great to see all those hard-core DRNers ... finally met the mysterious Wolffie (WOlfgang von Cheeseland). Hanging with so many fellow-dirtbikers is worth my 3 hours of driving, even if only for 5 hours... it was a major re-charge for me and a marvelous pre-amble to Dirtweek ... only 9 1/2 weeks away! thanks guys for a marvelous day at Wardy's.

 

[Senior KX Rider]

Great to spend some time with the DRN crew. Conditions at Fox Valley were excellent, weather was great and you couldn't ask for better company. 2 1/2 days of riding, eating and bench racing :yeehaw: Got to see some new faces and it was great to see all the regulars again. I can hardly wait for Dirtweek

 

[biglou]

Let's see, I got rolling around 7:25 Wed evening after drenching myself in sweat loading the bikes and stuff into the back of the truck in 92 degree heat with 99.999% humidity. A short and uneventful 7.5 hrs and 500 miles later, I find myself parked under my favorite tree at "The Fox". I decided to sleep in the cab since it was still humid as heck and I didn't feel like unloading and setting up the truck tent in the dark. I don't normally sleep well in the cab, but for some reason, I closed my eyes and the next thing I know, it's daylight and someone is coming in the gate. Turns out to be Wardy's dad who is there to mow a bit. I think I know where Gerhard got that "talkative gene" now! ;) I unloaded the bed and headed into town for some breffast. After that, I set up camp and had a seat and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, I hear gravel crunching. It was DJJ pulling in around 1:00. We introduced ourselves, suited up and prepared to head for the track. The weather had turned from sunny and humid, to overcast, cooler and windy. Very windy! I had to hang on to the truck tent a couple times to keep it where it belonged. There was some lightning, but no rain. We hit the track and on about lap 3, it started to sprinkle. A couple more laps and we had ourselves a genuine downpour. Back to the camp to seek refuge under the ez-up. A few minutes later, Mr. Luckey arrives. I made the comment, "Looks like we picked up right where we left off last year", referring to the weather situation. We were confident things would get better, however. And boy did they. Lower to middle 70's and a nice northeasterly breeze! In July! It doesn't get much better than that. After a couple hours of rain, we got camp Luckey set up and decided to go see how the track was doing. Things couldn't have been better. While the road down to the track was still a bit greasy on top, the sandy track was moist and tacky. Absolutely perfect condition. Sometime later under the ez-ups, Ed pointed out that DJJ is Tony Eeds' long lost twin brother! Other than the accent, they were amazingly similar in almost every respect. I mean that in a good way! :)

After that, things are just a bit of a blur of riding, eating, meeting folks, etc. Rooster and Skweeks showed up next, followed by RV6 and then Senior and Eric. Nik and Red rolled in around 11 that night. Friday brought in Oldguy and The Kid (Who has doubled in size in the past year...) along with the one and only Wolfgang and his boy Hunter. Man, that kid can ride. You should see him on that little fiddy. He has killer form, and since the Zoomers couldn't be here this year, he took over the "Energizer Bunny" role. I think he woke Senior up at 5AM Saturday asking for coffee and if he could ride yet! lol Also arriving were Walt C and family. Walt's got another one of those amazing growing teenagers. Seems like Walt's two boys, Bob and Eric, were about the same size at DW a few months ago. Now Bob is the same size as Walt. Them youngins are growin' like weeds! Walt also brought along his daughter, Stephanie C Moto and her little zuki quad. She ran a close race with Hunter and Senior's Eric for the Energizer Bunny award. Layton showed up Thursday evening as well. Also showing up Friday was Gregg from Service Honda with AJ's bike, but no AJ. The triple clamp bolt on AJ's bike came off while Gregg was riding it that afternoon. Lucky for him things turned out well and the nut even stayed on the tank vent tube, so it was a quick fix. He waited till the end of the day to show because he knew I'd be tired and wouldn't be able to exact my revenge for him beating me at Nocona in April... Jaybird arrived just in time for Friday evening's festivities. Saturday morning brought us The Pokester and Crispy.

My bestest fuzzy memories from the extended weekend of riding:
Burning laps with Reddog while on the TTR and him on his factory Honda. It's amazing how far that little bike will fly with a fat man on it!
Burning laps with Red and Nik while on my 450. I know you think I don't notice, but I really do appreciate you guys pushing (or pulling) me.
Burning laps with The Kid. Well, getting burned by The Kid when he would lap me.
Laughing at/roosting Red and Roosta when they crashed in "My Favorite Corner" a couple times.
Not going down even once in "My Favorite Corner" this year! Woohoo!
Watching Nik clear the start/finish table on the TTR!
Riding so much that my little nancy hands turned to "handburger". It hurt bad, it really did. I cried. I had a little tear roll out of the corner of my eye once...
Doing a half-assed ragdoll down the end of the front straight for no apparent reason. Glad the soil is so soft there. Seems like every time Senior is watching me ride at Wardy's, I roll it. Hmmm...
Riding Red's factory Subway Honda 450. Holy crap is that suspension nice. I still can't get past how different the ergo's are on the CRF's, but man did that thing turn and soak up the whoops. It was unreal. Like a magic carpet.
Trying to keep pace with The Kid through said whoops. I think there was something wrong with my bike. Something stuck in the right grip or something...
Somebody said Wolfy looked like a miniature Pred, but I didn't see it. Still, it was funny, so we made fun of him relentlessly the whole time he was there. I think he cried a little...
Getting two showers in four days! Much better than the previous years. Thanks to Nik & Red and Old Loafer for those.
Speaking of, it was good to see Offloader again. It's been too long man.
Eating like a king. As always, Ed and Roosta and everyone else pitched in to make every meal an absolute feast. I don't eat nearly that well at home!

I think that's all. It's all I can remember right now, anyway. As always, so good to see everyone again. Some of you I see almost every month, others every two years. Regardless, the best times I've ever had seem to be sitting around a campfire with you guys, or rubbing plastic on the track with you.

 

[Jamir]

. Some of you I see almost every month, others every two years.

And oddly enough, the dude that lives right down the road, you see about once every three years.


Sounds like it was a great time. I wish I could have been there but with things in such a turmoil in my world right now, it just could not happen. I hope everyone made it home safe!

 

[Rooster]

Thanks Wardy!!!

We had a great time, the place was in excellent shape. I hope we managed to leave it like we found it.

As usual, the company, riding, food and campfires was the best. Lou covered everything pretty well up there :)

Come on DIRTWEEK!!

 

[Offroadr]

Good report Lou, what a blast! I had a great time and the muscles are still sore! It was great to see everyone again and meet a couple new faces. I had a great time riding in the woods with Layton, RV6Junkie, Wolf and Eddie.

I dont think I need to eat for a week! WOW did we chow! Who would of known that we would of a had a chef along! Rooster was a veggie chopping machine!

Thanks to Eddie for donating the truck and chain saw for the wood run. It was a helluva fire Saturday night.

Oh yea, the lounge chair was great Oldguy. Made for a nice smore building table :)

Lets see those pics!! Who has them posted!

 

[MrLuckey]

I got home a little after 8:00 Sat night. What a great time. Wolf, Layton and DJJ it was great meeting and riding with you guys. RV6, great meeting you again and getting to visit a little more. All great guys. DJJ (Doug) and I had an absolute blast chasing each other all over the place.

I'll try to post more later.

Awesome seeing everyone again :yeehaw:

Nikdog - I had your hard drive in my truck the whole time, noticed it on the ride home lol.

Wardy - THANK YOU

 

[Wolf]

Wow, that was a cool weekend. It was great to finally be able to put some faces with names.
That breakfast burrito was as big as a loaf of bread! No trouble for my big mouth though....
We got home Saturday afternoon, and the first thing Hunter said (after waking up and stumbling out of the truck) was, dad, can ride somemore today?
.....I think he likes to ride..... :ohmy:

Thanks Wardy for your hospitality, thanks to the chefs, who tirelessly(sp) kept food coming! Thanks for all the great advice and help on how to start a motorcycle :rotfl:
Thanks Dave for letting us crash in your rig...and as usual, thanks to my sponsors....Tylenol and Motrin

 

[CaptainObvious]

What a cool weekend...like a mini Dirtweek. No time for a full ride report right now....but if I didn't get a chance to ride your bike, I'll be sure to ride it at DW04 :)

 

[Wolf]

You mean to tell me you didn't ride ALL of them....twice?

 

[dirty~d~]

It sounds like you guys had a great weekend. Wish I could have been there.

 

[squeaky]

Wow! Wish I could've posted sooner...but I just started my new job yesterday.

What a BLAST! I love these small, intimate gatherings. Thank you SO MUCH Wardy, you ROCK!

Well I finally gave up my two-stroke fear this past weekend, and who woulda thunk that now I want a new bike?! Thanks Gary for letting me ride until I couldn't ride no mo on your KX125. I am convinced that I need a 125 now!

It was great to meet new people, and see the old ones again! See you guys at Dirtweek!!!

 

[Offroadr]

Rooster and Offroadr were awesome breakfast chefs (you should see Rooster cut veggies and Offroadr's skillet!) and we had the best breakfast burritos ever (thanks, SRKX, for bringing the jalapenos). The brats and burgers and sweetcorn and beans were pretty awesome Friday night too! !

Rooster..dude where's those pics?

 

[Rooster]

I'm up to my neck in aligators, as usual, I leave my post and all hell breaks loose. Here's a pic of us chef types with your monster skillet. :yikes:

Offroader, MrLuckey & Rooster

 

[Rooster]

Chow Time!

 

[Rooster]

More of the gang feeding face.

 

[Offroadr]

More of the gang feeding face.

Red is saying 'DOH, my plate is empty! '

 

[jaction125]

Dang, I missed this again. Even though I haven't met any of you guys in person yet, I'm upset I didn't get to go. Ahhh well, next year I suppose....

Thanks for the invite though, maybe next year my gf will let me go out and play!

 

[Treejumper]

Nice skillet! Glad all had a good time and the weather was nice. Next year i'll have to take Gary up on the ride out. ;)

 

[oldguy]

Red is saying 'DOH, my plate is empty! '

Actually I think Stephanie is thinking "Man that guy can sure eat I hope I am safe sitting this close"

 

[Papakeith]

this tread is worthless without pics!!!!
C'mon people. What were you thinking?! Starting a thread like this, and not one picture from the lot of you?

Sheesh!

signed- grumpy swamp yankee who lives too far away from the fun stuff :(

 

[Papakeith]

and no, three pics of people eating doesn't qualify!

signed -still grumpy in New England

 

[WaltCMoto]

What a great time. Thanks to Wardy and Fox Valley Off Road for letting us have our get-togethers at your place. :cool: Im not sure which I enjoy more, the riding, (which by the way was fantastic), or the people. Cant forget about the food either, WOW can these guys cook. :worship: The campfires Friday and Saturday were huge. In true DRN fashion, this was a family event with several kids in attendance. Hunter, Eric and Stephanie all put in some major seat time on the kids track.
An update on our quads condition: The bolt that derailed and ruined the chain was from our machine. It worked its way loose form its location within the chain housing and took out the chain. The good news is that a buddy of mine happened to have a piece of chain laying around that fit , so its back up and running now.
A must do event next year for sure!

 

[wardy]

glad you guys & gals had a good time. The weather was looking like a spoiler but worked well. Thanks for the "tip", also. I wish I could have been there more but duty calls ya know. Next time, lets set up a HS race on the weekend and see if Nikki really will race in the trees? next year Jay I will get rid of the rain rut so you can get some laps in :P.......anyway you guys are always welcome, heck maybe okie can find a road that makes it back up this way?
wardy