The Heartland Spodes had a mini reunion this weekend. Two thirds of the original members showed up with new people being added to the list.
I arrived at the farm Friday night around 5:30, set up the trailer and settled in early for a good night sleep. As the sun came the next morning my son and I were on the bikes making a lap through the trees, hanging arrows and removing trees and other general trail maintenance. After a little time with the staple gun(200 arrows) and the chain saw, I called it good and headed back to camp.
Lorin arrived first, followed by bswift, who had mooched hid dads way nice motorhome. A little later okkxer and son(referred to as the fast kid on the 80), craig_enid's daughter arrived, she made the trip from college, (what a family they meet to ride bikes,) any way eventually craig_enid, wife and son arrive. mx547 and daughter arrived as well.
After my son and Criag_enid's son got through playing chicken on the bikes the day went pretty good. After giving small groups the nickle tour we began taking some loops through the woods.
Craig_enid's wife and kids rode in the open pasture as well as mx547's daughter and my sons.
Since it was my home turf I led the first loop through with bswift running sweep. The thing that impressed me was the fast kid on the 80, I mean he had a little trouble hanging with the big bikes speed wise but he handled some tough terrain on a small bike and it was only like his fourth time in the woods. One hill in particular that I remember was about 10 ft tall, rock stair steps every couple of feet. The kid came up with his front wheel in the air, rear wheel spinning, on the gas hard. All I could do was look and point.
The next few laps we switched the lead back and forth, letting different people have the fun of trying to navigate through the leaf covered trails. At one point bswift or mx547 were leading when craig_enid came out of nowhere on his KDX hard, flying by me and them taking the lead. I don't know anything but that between him going around and the others trying to hold off the charge I got a lot of roost. After a few laps the trials got in good shape and everyone seemed to be doing good, even in the tough technical parts. Saturday ended with the kids spending more time playing in the campfire than riding, me learning to respect the fast kid on the 80, craig_enids daughter smiling as she showed the battle wound she had on her leg when she found out what happened when you give a kx 80 to much gas in a creek bed, mx547 proving he's still faaaast.
Sunday morning started without craig_enid and family and okkxer and son as they had all headed home Saturday night. Sunday did find mike and son arriving, another kid on an 80, gosh those little bikes are fast. We made several trips through the trees, with me showing them all that the trails had to offer. They all survived quite nicely. There was the one vine that stopped bswift dead in his tracks. That's what he gets for going around Mike, just because his thumper had died.
We spent a little more time on the little section with jumps we call the motocross track. The mxers make it look real easy.
It's amazing that I couldn't rattle these guys, I mean I know every cheater...uh I mean alternative line on the place. I would rev the bike, bump their back wheels, pull up beside them in corners. They all handled it well, I mean bswift did stall the mamba once or twice, and lorin had trouble getting in a rhythm, but overall they handled the best I could throw at them.:)
I arrived at the farm Friday night around 5:30, set up the trailer and settled in early for a good night sleep. As the sun came the next morning my son and I were on the bikes making a lap through the trees, hanging arrows and removing trees and other general trail maintenance. After a little time with the staple gun(200 arrows) and the chain saw, I called it good and headed back to camp.
Lorin arrived first, followed by bswift, who had mooched hid dads way nice motorhome. A little later okkxer and son(referred to as the fast kid on the 80), craig_enid's daughter arrived, she made the trip from college, (what a family they meet to ride bikes,) any way eventually craig_enid, wife and son arrive. mx547 and daughter arrived as well.
After my son and Criag_enid's son got through playing chicken on the bikes the day went pretty good. After giving small groups the nickle tour we began taking some loops through the woods.
Craig_enid's wife and kids rode in the open pasture as well as mx547's daughter and my sons.
Since it was my home turf I led the first loop through with bswift running sweep. The thing that impressed me was the fast kid on the 80, I mean he had a little trouble hanging with the big bikes speed wise but he handled some tough terrain on a small bike and it was only like his fourth time in the woods. One hill in particular that I remember was about 10 ft tall, rock stair steps every couple of feet. The kid came up with his front wheel in the air, rear wheel spinning, on the gas hard. All I could do was look and point.
The next few laps we switched the lead back and forth, letting different people have the fun of trying to navigate through the leaf covered trails. At one point bswift or mx547 were leading when craig_enid came out of nowhere on his KDX hard, flying by me and them taking the lead. I don't know anything but that between him going around and the others trying to hold off the charge I got a lot of roost. After a few laps the trials got in good shape and everyone seemed to be doing good, even in the tough technical parts. Saturday ended with the kids spending more time playing in the campfire than riding, me learning to respect the fast kid on the 80, craig_enids daughter smiling as she showed the battle wound she had on her leg when she found out what happened when you give a kx 80 to much gas in a creek bed, mx547 proving he's still faaaast.
Sunday morning started without craig_enid and family and okkxer and son as they had all headed home Saturday night. Sunday did find mike and son arriving, another kid on an 80, gosh those little bikes are fast. We made several trips through the trees, with me showing them all that the trails had to offer. They all survived quite nicely. There was the one vine that stopped bswift dead in his tracks. That's what he gets for going around Mike, just because his thumper had died.
We spent a little more time on the little section with jumps we call the motocross track. The mxers make it look real easy.
It's amazing that I couldn't rattle these guys, I mean I know every cheater...uh I mean alternative line on the place. I would rev the bike, bump their back wheels, pull up beside them in corners. They all handled it well, I mean bswift did stall the mamba once or twice, and lorin had trouble getting in a rhythm, but overall they handled the best I could throw at them.:)
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