Fabulous day @ the 500!

[BSWIFT]

What a great day.  Good friends, prime dirt, and plenty of fuel.  DWreck, OKKX'r, Craig_enid et. al., tdjok, and myself tore up some red Oklahoma dirt.  Tdjok has really improved when none of us were looking, he kept up with us and will soon be challenging for the lead on the trail. 
At first, we took a pretty moderate pace.  It was about 40 degrees when we started so everyone was wearing extra warm gear.  After the first loop, we all started peeling off layers of clothes.  I guess since we took a few pounds off   :laugh:  we started rippin' faster loops.  I filled my tank at least twice after we were riding so I'm guessing we did 50+ miles.  The 80 was spectacular as usual and tdjok pulled off the best save of the day.  Here is how it went down:
I was in the lead and took a line down an abandoned trail, it was used briefly this summer for the Golden Eagle Enduro but has had little traffic.  The trail was completely covered with leaves, no way to see puddles, rocks, roots, or logs.  I headed towards an uphill, the only thing visible was one rock, five feet from the bottom and not to much to negotiate.  I headed up.  About 2/3's the way up, I got a root, kicked the front wheel to one side but I was able to save it, got moving and made it to the top.  I looked back to see DWreck, his long legs sticking out like "out riggers", front wheel in the air and a roost of leaves.  For a second, I thought he had mounted a "leaf blower" turbo on his KX.;)  OKKX'r made it look easy, no sweat.  Then we hear the baby thumper, tdjok had made it past the rock and when we first got site of him, it appeared he wasn't satisfied with just climbing the hill, he was going after a tree on the right side.  Front wheel in the air, cartoon eyeballs plastered to the inside of his goggles, he got it shut down.  He's on a 40 degree incline, strewn with leaves that are hiding who knows what and he pulls off the "Save".  Nothing touched the ground but boots and tires.  Good job Terry! :thumb: 

All said and done, it was a great day of riding.  The 450 has gobs of power for anything and I was using it every chance I got.  I hope Santa brings me some new tires because the stock D's just don't cut it in the red dirt.  Thanks for the great day of riding. :)

 

[Senior KX Rider]

Sounds like fun Brian. It snowed here :(

 

[OKKX'er]

It's very entertaining following a YZ450 with 150 lb. rider through the woods. We may need to have one of those intervention confrontations as Brian is becoming a full-blown horsepower junkie. The trail went tight around a large tree with exposed roots so most riders slow, crank around the tree, then grab a handful, digging a hole(especially KX's). This hole holds water and so grows, it's now 8 feet long. Brian grabs a handful and uses the roots as a ramp over the water and still alive. Oh, he says Chuck Cooper does it that way.
Truly it was excellent, everyone rides at just the right pace, so besides riding ,you get to watch the guy in front of you, like a free video.

 

[craig_enid]

Twas a good day!
Scott (RL250), Dave(KLX250) and Alex(XR50, Scott's son) pulled in behind me and we got Alex on the trail to see how he would like it. Alex was very firm on what kind of trail he liked to ride on, and spent the day riding or not riding, whatever suited him at the time. I think he had a good time, and will be back for more.
We got Dave's KLX warmed up and did a short trail loop to see how it ran. This is Dave's first cycling experience, and did great. He took numerous soil samples, but never wanted to take the short trail back to camp.
Scott availed himself of the back-up KDX. I figured the RL would be fun around camp, but not so nice on a fast trail pace. He got real comfy on the trusty KDX, and was soon using parts of the power band that I seldom use! ;)
First group ride had me, Dave, VioletSP and Scott bringing up the rear behind Bswift, OKKXer, Dwreck and tdjok. Early on, I was sweeping and Dave had a major fuel leak develop. We stop and figure out it was a petcock problem that we could trail-fix enough to get back to camp. Lo and behold the KDX won't fire. It acts like a plug, and I realize the plugs and wrench are on the other KDX. Dave and I buddy ride back to camp and work on a better fix on his petcock. Scott shows up and I grab the gear to change the plug. We buddy back to the dead KDX and find Violet, just showing up at the bike. She had been sneaking backwards along the trail looking for her lost father. Quick plug change and it starts on the first kick. So the three of us do a medium loop, since we were out there, anyway.
Back to camp for pb and j sammies. Afterward, Violet, mary_enid and I do our first trail ride together. Previously, they were taking turns on the TTR. Mary likes the handling of the Reflex, and is happy with the bike.
Back to camp and Mary agrees to keep and eye on Alex, while Dave, Scott and I do a long loop. Scott and I would let Dave get a lead on us, then we would race-pace to catch up to him, pass him then stop at the next trail fork for a breather.
Back to camp and Mary, Violet and I head to the x-country track. I was following mary when we went through a rutted turn going into a creek crossing. Mary was in third, and carves through this rutted turn like a pro. She stops before dropping into the creek and shuts off the bike. I pull up next to her and recognize the look of 'I can't believe I'm still alive after that rut!' She said she was expecting last rites about half way through. We finish the loop and figure out how we will attack 'the rut'. With plan in mind we do a second loop with no problems.
Back to camp and Dwreck, tdjok and I do a last loop. Dwreck leads and sets a perfect pace, I'm running 100% just to stay close to him. At a fork, we take the tight side of the trail and I drop back to sweep. I'm just having a blast watching two guys wiggle through the trees, can't get any better than that!
My shift lever gets floppy and I get stuck in 3rd gear. I loose them but am able to make progress. I catch tdjok, who was poking along, waiting for me to see what the problem was. (Thanks Terry! Nothing worse than approaching dusk and nobody to look for you...) We catch Dwreck who was waiting for us and we decide to call it a day. Back to camp for loading and goodbyes.
Let's do it again, real soon!

 

[justql]

:whiner:

 

[DWreck]

It was a good ride. Thanks for putting it together Justin, thats why you are the Stillwater Trailriders Enduro Coordinator. :moon: Other than Craig breaking both KDX's and temporarily losing Anna it was a great ride and great day to ride. Justin, maybe your shoulder needed another week or two to heal anyway. We put in a bunch of miles of trails, my hands were really feeling it today as I tore around Cooperland on a CRF250. :yeehaw: I can hardly wait to do it again.

 

[BSWIFT]

Originally posted by Senior KX Rider
Sounds like fun Brian. It snowed here :(

I don't even want to think about the white stuff this early in Oklahoma. :scream:

 

[tdjok]

I believe a great time was had by all! Thanks BSWIFT, DWreck, OKKX'er and craig_enid for the fun riding. I'm not the fastest rider in the trees, but I bet I had the biggest smile. I learn more each time I get to ride with you guys. Let's do it again soon.