Fox Valley/Sunset Ridge DRN Ride!!

[nikki]

Good time had by all!! Thanks, Wardy, for hosting the ride!

Last Thursday-Saturday we all got together in beautiful Illinois ( :silly: ) for some riding, camp fires, good food, and great fun!

The official attendee list ended up at:

BigLou, Mr Luckey, Rooster, Dave (Rooster's budy), SFC Crash (who made an early exit), Motometal, Jake (MM's buddy), Julius Pleazer, Lemming, SrKXrider, Eric (Sr's son), Jason (Eric's buddy), Anne Brooks, CRboy167, Combat767, Zoomer, Momma Zoomer, Luke & Sarah Zoomer, Red, and Me!


We had a great time and can't wait to do it again! The awesome group of people really made the ride... but then again, I say that after every DRN ride. This site rocks!! :thumb:


Now where are some pictures.... Lou? Eddie? JP?

 

[Rooster]

A great time for certain!

I got there about 9:30 thursday morning, to fingd Crash just getting his gear on, and Eddie already had been out for a loop and was sitting under the EZ-Up catching some shade. Big Lou was not far behind us, we passed him somewhere near Iowa City......:laugh:

We got unloaded, geared up and Eddie showed us around the place. We checked out the mini track, the flat track, some hill climbs and then hit the main mx track. At this time it was about half under water, but there was an alternate route through it, making it rideable.

Not long after, Wardy showed up to do some work on the track with the skid loader. He got rid of the water problems, which opened up both whoop sections. What a guy!! We didn't see much of him after that, as he had races at the other track coming up, and he had lots of work to do there.

We rode the track all thursday afternoon, to the point where I thought my arms were going to explode. Some time in the evening, the desire for a chair and a frosty one kicked in and we all headed in to camp. Crash was having a "bad karma" day, and decided he better head home early and get some things done on the homefront.

Throughout the evening thursday, the rest of the crew began to show up, as Eddie, Dave, Lou and I held the place down, and monitored the quality of the beverages.

Friday morning found us rolling out pretty early. Well, some of us anyway ;) and off we went. We had a great morning ride, but the weather was rolling in, and it was only a matter of time. A couple of us got weather reports from Iowa, warning us that misery was on it's way.... :think:

Then it began to rain/drizzle on us. At first only enough to make me go double check that truck tent door (i had a swimming pool in the truck at DW last year after that rain) and button up anything else that was out in the open. Slowly the rain got persistant enough we all decided to head back to camp and ride it out. For a while it seemed it would never stop, then all of a sudden it did.

With the lull in the rain, I decided to go check the track, having a hunch it may be just about "perfect" after some moisture like that. It was darn close! We spent a couple more hours on the track, then it started in raining again, this time late enough in the day to call it quits.

Friday nights festivities started off with some tri-tip marinated and chefed up by Eddie......darn good stuff!! We managed to find some fire wood that was dry enough to get started, and commenced to building the fire. This particular fire was a welcome one, as it was pretty wet, cold and miserable out there by this time. As usual, the campfire was a realease of pure madness, as the laughter erupted at a nearly predictable pace. I have no idea what time we finally shut down, but i know by the way I felt saturday morning, it was way too late!! :yeehaw:

I didn't make it to Walnut Saturday, so someone else will have to do that report. Sounds like they had a blast though.

When's the next ride??

 

[JuliusPleaser]

:thumb: Good times! I've never had so much fun in the rain. Wardy's place is pretty cool. I liked the track, but the woods were just a little greasy after two days of rain. I did 10 or 12 laps on the MX track, and then retired to the EZ-UP to hang out.

MrLuckey whipped up some tri-tip and burgers, and we all sat around and ate while the rain came down. I took a nap, and then got rousted by some of the crew. The nap worked wonders, and so did the bigass campfire that was going when I woke up. A few minutes of standing next to the fire and i was warm and dry. After a few cocktails, the campfire BS was flying thick and fast, and everybody was cracking me up. I finally hit the sack at 1 am or so, and 7 am came really early.

 

[nikki]

Walnut was great on Saturday - Rooster too bad you and Dave had to head out! JP, Lemming, the Zoomers, Motometal, Jake, BigLou, and Crboy167 all joined us at Walnut and the track was perfect after the rain! Plus the weather finally cooperated with upper 70's and sun!

It was my first time back to Walnut after my crash there in March - so I was happy to be back on track. I love that place! Wardy helped the Pistoles get the track going a few years ago and it's really a great place to ride. Everyone who came over had a blast - I think Motometal and his gang are thinking about going back this weekend for practice. Lemming was ready to stay and race Sunday - but kept blowing apart his silencer. And JP... is the xr 50 champion! Just ask him to see his plaque ;) Lemming, Red, and I got to play pit crew as JP entertained us on his way to victory on the cool mini track. He's got another thread going with a few pictures.

Where is Eddie - I wanna see that butt whip picture you got of me on Red's bike. And a HUGE thank you to chef Eddie for keeping our bellies full and happy!

 

[biglou]

What a great weekend! Got to see a couple folks that I don't get to see that often, and also got to hang out with some that I see fairly regularly. Arrived early Thursday and started burning up laps on the track. I love that little track. It has mini-sized jumps which are just perfect for me! I finally cleared the "start/finish" table this year, and had no trouble getting over the tiny double after the first whoop section. Also perfected a nice seat-bounce in the left-hand corner at the corner of the track after the straightaway section. Another milestone for me was carrying the front wheel into the second whoop, and over the last whoop as opposed to hitting them all. And, I had an impromptu race with 14 y/o Jason, and promptly waxed him on the start... Nevermind that my engine displacement was about 5.5 times what he had! :p

The food, provided by chef Eddie, and the trimmings, provided by everyone else, were second to none. I don't eat that good very often, and never like that at the track. From the tri-tip to the breakfast burritos to the monster burgers with a big, thick slice of vidalia onion on them, we ate like kings (and a queen).

The bombfires were another great time. Can't really discuss here what we said, mainly because we took an oath not to let out any of that information to the public, and this is a family site, after all...

Great seeing the Zoomers and SeniorKX again. Along with meeting JuniorKX (Eric) and his buddy Jason (The kid I waxed). Haven't seen Senior since DW01, so it had been a while.

Saturday saw the majority of us hit Sunset Ridge in Walnut, IL. I stopped off, as it was just north of I-80 and basically on my way home. No one thought I would show, and I really had no intentions of riding. I was unshowered, tired, a bit fatigued from all the driving, riding and eating and not much sleeping. I come to find out that JP, Nik and Lemming forged my name on the signup sheet, and were putting a sticker on my number plate (to identify my class), and unloading my bike. I was so totally out of "the zone", especially compared to the previous two days at Wardy's, that I just couldn't get into it. The track was incredible, but for once I just didn't feel comfortable out there. There were also lots of folks who were definitely not C-class riders out there. Either that or they grow'em extra fast in IL... I disappointed the group by pulling off and packing it in for the day, but still had some fun, and reiterated to myself to never ride when I'm not "feeling the love" as we say here in Mizzourah!

I didn't take too many pics this year, as I was busy riding both days, and as mentioned before, we had rain on the second day at Wardy's so I didn't want to risk getting the camera wet. Eddie is out of town on business right now, but he has a few action shots and hopefully he'll get them up as soon as he gets back. Here are a few that I took that are barely worth posting:

Hanging around the bombfire:

 

[biglou]

Bombfire part deux:

 

[biglou]

Red wrenching at Sunset on Saturday:

 

[motometal]

here's a pic

around the table we have zoomer (note the wet shirt...it was a wet day!), MrLuckey,  Rooster (taking a break from riding his quad),
then on the right side SRKX, Lemming, and Walt.  See that bag of Cheetos on the table?  I brought those.  Just wanted to take credit as deserverd.  They were the poofy kind too!

In the background it's blurry and we have Jake and BigLou and not sure who else.  Nikki and Red musta been waking up JP from his nap. 

more to report later.
 

 

[Zoomer]

As always, was a goooood time! Thanks for prepping the track Wardy :worship: Good seeing everybody again, and meeting Rooster,Combat, Dave, SeniorKX and Gang and Lemming. Did somebody get a picture of JP on his unicycle?? :laugh: Sun finally came out sat up at Pistoles! another good day (I was beat! :confused: )
MM , I think you should go put a number on that bike, and go out some sunday and kick some butt :yeehaw:
Great seeing Lou, Eddie,Nicki/Red JP, Motometal again. To bad Crash had to go before we got there :(

Till the next time

 

[Rooster]

Originally posted by motometal
Rooster (taking a break from riding his quad),

ahhhh hahahahahaaaa....did you say something? I thought i heard some sort of jibberish over there.......you got a cigarette i can bum?

:p

 

[Okiewan]

Glad you all had fun!
:( :(

 

[motometal]

that track at Sunset is awesome.  I like it because all but a few of the smaller jumps are very safe, because they are tabletops.  It's a long track (maybe 3 min. lap times?) so it's very easy to forget which jump is which at first, but no worries because they aren't "do or die" jumps.  Also, the track is very wide with sandy soil.  My CR (and me) got a good workout.  That 15 minutes seems like a long time on the track.  The last time out was the best, everything had dried out, and instead of waiting for everyone else to go, I went first (because everyone else just sat there and looked around) and it was really nice to not instantly be in traffic.  I get sorta freaked out when riding tight with other bikes.  Especially when Nikki passes me, and shoves a broom handle in the spokes of my front wheel on the way by :think:

Wardy's track was fun too, I really liked the supercross style bowl shaped turns.  I'm so used to crappy corners that I had to force myself to hold speed through the smooth-as-glass turns on  wardy's track.  The woods were nice as well, since most of us were on the track I spent time there, and then it rained.  Jake spent more time in the woods and really enjoyed the trails.  Next time...

As usual, the camp fires were awesome.  I never thought it was possible to get wet wood to burn so easilly using Red's leftover antifreeze/oil cocktail (with a bit of help from Mr. Petrol).  I still have a gash in my finger from handling the very thorny tree branches we burnt.  Regarding the campfire conversation, peanut butter will never be the same again.

Lest we not forget the 79 cent fireworks displays Jake and I set off, including the 18 shot whistling Battery, 12 of which hit me in the butt before I had a chance to "light fuse and get away" (maybe that's why they were so cheap).

 

[Combat767]

This was my first outing with some of the DRN crew. I had met Nikki and Red in Walnut early this spring, but met quite a few new DRN'ers this outing. Thanks Nikki for inviting me! :aj:

I made it down Friday morning about 10:30 unloaded and proceeded to the track. I agree with Motometal that those SX style bowl turns were quite a bit of fun. It wasn't long and I followed JP, Motometal, and someone else on a KTM 400 off on the trails in search of some hills to climb. I don't remember names very well, but it was interesting following a 4-stroke up a hill with a 125. The first hill almost had me, but I survived in one piece. We then motored over to the flat track area to make a few laps, and bounced back down the little SX track. Thanks Wardy for touching up the track for us. :thumb:

I'd also like to thank Eddie for the great burgers for lunch and the tri-tip steaks we had for evening chow! The cookies and those little chocolate clusters were the perfect topping to a perfect set of meals!! :thumb: :thumb:

I didn't camp Friday night, but it sounds like I should have hung around for the campfire. I'll have to make it a point to bring the tent and sleeping bag next time. :yeehaw:

It sounds like you all had a great evening and had a great day of riding at Walnut on Saturday. Walnut is a blast to ride!!!

I think I had a chance to talk with most everyone that was there. I heard quite a few interesting stories from Big Lou, Lemming, and JP about you all riding together over the years. I look forward to the next time I can make it to another ride!!

 

[Senior KX Rider]

I have a few pics to post when I get home and get them sized. A great time at Wardys. Good to see everyone again and to anybody that gets a chance to catch one of these get togethers....Don't miss it, they are always good.

 

[Jaybird]

And I missed steak tips too? Jeeez.

 

[Offroadr]

Sorry I did not make it guys. I had the May date planned but when it got bumped to June I knew I was out. We had a baby that week. Hope to make the next one!!

Wardy's is always a good time.

Hey Big Lou! That BBQ sauce kicks a$$! I got the very hot and its awesome.

I need to get hooked up with another bottle!

 

[motometal]

yes, those try-tips were "the stuff"!  Eddie, you aren't so bad after all!  No steak sause required.

This Bud's for you, mister portapooper cleaner outer guy, thank you for doing your thing Friday morning.  I hope you realize what a difference you make in our lives when you service that funny looking chair with the hole in the middle.  We'll give you the bonus points, ever though there was no magazine rack.

we parked next to carnage and CRboy167 (Rob?) at Sunset (walnut) and ended up riding in the same class as these guys.  Carnage had one of the few other 2 strokes on the track, with a quiet muffler, and it boggled my mind when I was behind him...lots of heavy roost hitting my goggles but I couldn't hear his engine at all.

Rob and Jake had some type of group soil sampling expedition the last time out, but evidently no harm done.  The "S" curve section got a bit hardpacked and slippery towards the end there.  Evidently Rob is moving down south soon so we won't get to ride with him much (except maybe dirtweek?)

On Saturday morning, I discovered "Lake Wenzel" in my tent, underneath the air mattress on the downhill side.  Then I notice the stitching was coming loose aroung the bottom of the tent.  Sadly, that was the last expedition for the 4-man Wenzel, soon to be replaced by a Sears special or whatever I can find.

 

[AnneBrooks]

Nikki, thanks for the invite!! Sorry Bob could not make it out. I had a good time, even though it rained pretty good. I rode the trails some and practiced on some of the hills. I also spent more time on the MX track in one outing than I ever have, but it was fun. I think I will stick to woods riding, however.

It was great meeting everyone--next time I will be more prepared now that I have experienced how you guys do things....Eddie, thanks for the food and tell GSR I missed her!

Thanks also to everyone who helped me unload and load my bike--JP, Lemming, Big Lou and I don't know the other guys name (sorry).

We also talked about doing a Buffalo ride one of these weekends, how does the weekend of July 12-13-14 sound?? If not that weekend, we are open to any others you guys may choose. Let me know and I will take care of the details.

Lemming---don't forget to email me the prices on the accessories you have for my bike!

 

[Rooster]

Anne - it was nice to meet you...and i am still LOL when JP used his majik button to start his WR and you said "that's not fair!!!"

Where exactly is Buffalo? Perhaps we should start a thread in the organized ride forum.

 

[AnneBrooks]

yes, we can do that. Buffalo is off I-80 west instead of east. About 10-15 minutes from Wardy's place. I just wanted to check out some dates with you guys before we made it official.

 

[jaction125]

:whiner: Bummer, I didn't know you guys were gonna hook up this weekend! :whiner: I'm still waiting for my first DRN ride.

Next time I'm in, as long as it's not the weekend of July 19-20. :think: Supposed "plans" made by silly GF, probably wants me to help someone move or somethin' :silly:

 

[MrLuckey]

Wow sorry everyone. I was out of town for a full week and didn't have a chance to do much of anything except work.

PICS HERE

 

[oldguy]

You all amke me just sick. All this talk about the fun you had (and yes I got the voicemail you made from the campfire). We just couldn't pull thekid out of school Friday with finals starting on Monday but any ride this summer we will do our best to be there.
Nothing like hanging out with this group to insure a great time

 

[motometal]

well, yes, it was fun.  A "spooky" sort of fun with the Unibomber lurking around (on his qua d), if you know what I mean.

 

[Rooster]

:moon:

Special delivery for mr. motometal :eek: