As I mentioned earlier, we camped in the Webster Lake State Forest Camp ground. Rich, my bridge crossing/MCCCT riding buddy of the day, and I borrowed his brothers 3 room tent and had brought enough stuff to pretty much fill it to capacity!! It worked out just great because it rained again Saturday night and all our stuff was dry (I have spent MANY nights in tents while crossing our great country on my streetbike and I have NEVER stayed in one that for one reason or another did allow water in – this one NEVER leaked a drop!!!) Our neighbors (we were all sharing space on the sites) staying next to us had a baby and she was crying a little before the rain hit – as soon as the rain started its “pitter patter” she was out like a lite – of course so were we (perhaps tent camping in the rain is where that “sleeping like a baby” quote came from). Sunday morning broke with the sounds of a YZF getting its warm up (best alarm clock you ever heard)! Temp was around 40 (guessing) and a beautiful perfect wet riding day!! I made a soggy bread (we left the bread in the cooler over night and if you have ever done this you know that the bread works like a wick) triple decker chipped beef/sour cream potato chip/miracle whip sandwich (doesn’t everyone eat these?) for breakfast and washed the thing down with a good ol Faygo Rock an Rye! Got my visit in at the local out house (gotta love those starting lines – one little mens out house for all us riders – you’d have thought the DNR would have anticipated the morning rush and built a few more of them LOL). I went back to the tent, put on my ridin shorts/knee guards/gear while trying to shake off the cold! As soon as my chest protector slid on I was as PUMPED as I ever was back in the racing days! It really felt good to be back in the “competition mode” that I remembered from 60/70’s!
We rode over to the staging area (less than 5 minutes) and got signed up! I don’t know how many riders there were but I would guess between 30 and 50. Riders meeting took place with a explanation of just why we all had driven “up North”. We hadn’t been there 15 minutes and another really close riding buddy of mine showed up (Randy) so now Rich and I had a third hound to work with us! The Rabbit was introduced (Pat) and his assistant (Rick). Actually I am not sure about the “assistant role” as I had NEVER met a rabbit during past rabbit hunting experiences with an assistant – we always referred to these charectors as side runners and they usually produced nothing but trouble so I was very leery of this joker LOL!! The rabbit then left to do his evil work and Bob (I hope I get all the names here correct – if not I appoligize) released the riders/hounds. We were guests so he released us last.
The 3 of us waited till all the other guest riders left and then we took off. At the first intersection we found a flag at we discovered that 3 is the perfect group for rabbit hunting. Each one of us took a different path and the one who picked up the scent stayed at the scent while the others caught back up! This and our advanced riding techniques (LOL) quickly advanced our positions in the pack of hounds… What a riot! It was apparent from the get go that we were not messing with any ordinary hare – he was headed for the “B” loop and that proved to be good decision on his part. I have NEVER ridin a more fun loop – the rocky/sandy hills were beyond compare. Every time you even had a thought that you may be fiquring out what was coming around the next corner the terrain would change into something new! The layout of this loop is without question a woods riders dream come true! That goofy rabbit took every advantage of the terrain too – he would pull little rabbit tricks out of his hat just to create havoc for the hounds – things like putting the flags down in the weeds behind a bush (you were a great rabbit Pat).
Randy, Rich and I came out of the woods at one point into the most beautiful scenery imagineable. It was an overlook of miles of Northern Michigan wilderness. The sun was shining and the thrill of the ride was just over whelming! I broke into this area on the back wheel thru the small section of whoops that tied the two woods sections together! Randy was behind me and he told me later that he thought the picture he had in his mind of my KDX wheelying over the whoops with that scenery in the background is the stuff professional photographers get paid BIG money for – I guess you just had to have been there!
I only fell once during the whole ride. The 3 of us came to a huge downhill that was covered with hound dogs. Bikes were dropping like crazy and we were not immuned! We waited for a guy on a DR200 to pick his bike up and head down the hill. Rich followed him and I waited for a couple seconds to get some distance between us. I headed down the steep incline (I mean STEEP) and was doing just great until I realized that the hound on the DR had fallen in front of Rich and I couldn’t stop! I liad the bike down against the side of the grove and slid in under Riches bike – man those XR’s make good bumpers – nice guy eay…. No one was injured and we all regrouped at the bottom of the hill. Randy told me then that we had missed a checkpoint (this was also a Poker Run event) at the middle of the hill – I told you that assistant was a joker! I listened for other bikes coming and the hill was silent. I told Rich and Randy to go on ahead and that I would go back up the hill and pickup the check and catch back up with them. I got to the check point and there were other hounds there looking for the marker! We were all having a great time searching when on of the other hounds started laughing. He said he hadn’t realized it but he had layed his bike down right on top of the maker (there was NO where to park on the hill so the only thing you could do was lay it down). Goofy rabbit – tricks are for kids!
I took a mark for each of us and headed out. Caught the guys at the next intersection and we made it to the gas stop. The volunteers from MMC had set up in a gravel pit. They were the nicest people you could have ever met. They offered us Gatorade (water for me cause that stuff gives me the shakes) and one of the ladies even carried my gas can back to the truck for me – man I felt spoiled – what a great day with great people on a fabulous section of CCC ORV riding area – WE HAD IT ALL!
The area after the gas stop proved even more technical. Larry P., the guy who invited, STRONGLY advised me not to bring anyone with me that was a “newbie”. I found out right away why this was very important. This section was REALLY fun but very advanced.
We all to soon broke back into the staging area (we had been riding for about 4 hours but it seemed like ten minutes to me – I wanted to go back out but some others didn’t – (they know who they are!!) and the race was over. The rabbit had eluded all the hounds and made a successful escape. No one took the trophy home but we ALL had a great time! There were no injuries of the serious nature (hospital runs) and all the hounds found their way back so a sweep wasn’t necessary. The rabbit and the assistant went back to clean up there droppings and I wanted to go back with them but my buddies talked me into going out for dinner in Mackinaw instead (said they were sore – go fiqure)…
We were home in Muskegon by 10:30pm!
Thanks to all the people who volunteered their time for this outing. Thanks to Larry P. for the invite and for my riding buds willing to put up with another “howling” hound!! Also thanks to the Cycle Conservation Club for the development of these OUTSTANDING trails! Wow what a ride. I am without a doubt going backup there to ride out the rest of the loops!!
Get a chance go up there! You will be shocked!
Woodsy
We rode over to the staging area (less than 5 minutes) and got signed up! I don’t know how many riders there were but I would guess between 30 and 50. Riders meeting took place with a explanation of just why we all had driven “up North”. We hadn’t been there 15 minutes and another really close riding buddy of mine showed up (Randy) so now Rich and I had a third hound to work with us! The Rabbit was introduced (Pat) and his assistant (Rick). Actually I am not sure about the “assistant role” as I had NEVER met a rabbit during past rabbit hunting experiences with an assistant – we always referred to these charectors as side runners and they usually produced nothing but trouble so I was very leery of this joker LOL!! The rabbit then left to do his evil work and Bob (I hope I get all the names here correct – if not I appoligize) released the riders/hounds. We were guests so he released us last.
The 3 of us waited till all the other guest riders left and then we took off. At the first intersection we found a flag at we discovered that 3 is the perfect group for rabbit hunting. Each one of us took a different path and the one who picked up the scent stayed at the scent while the others caught back up! This and our advanced riding techniques (LOL) quickly advanced our positions in the pack of hounds… What a riot! It was apparent from the get go that we were not messing with any ordinary hare – he was headed for the “B” loop and that proved to be good decision on his part. I have NEVER ridin a more fun loop – the rocky/sandy hills were beyond compare. Every time you even had a thought that you may be fiquring out what was coming around the next corner the terrain would change into something new! The layout of this loop is without question a woods riders dream come true! That goofy rabbit took every advantage of the terrain too – he would pull little rabbit tricks out of his hat just to create havoc for the hounds – things like putting the flags down in the weeds behind a bush (you were a great rabbit Pat).
Randy, Rich and I came out of the woods at one point into the most beautiful scenery imagineable. It was an overlook of miles of Northern Michigan wilderness. The sun was shining and the thrill of the ride was just over whelming! I broke into this area on the back wheel thru the small section of whoops that tied the two woods sections together! Randy was behind me and he told me later that he thought the picture he had in his mind of my KDX wheelying over the whoops with that scenery in the background is the stuff professional photographers get paid BIG money for – I guess you just had to have been there!
I only fell once during the whole ride. The 3 of us came to a huge downhill that was covered with hound dogs. Bikes were dropping like crazy and we were not immuned! We waited for a guy on a DR200 to pick his bike up and head down the hill. Rich followed him and I waited for a couple seconds to get some distance between us. I headed down the steep incline (I mean STEEP) and was doing just great until I realized that the hound on the DR had fallen in front of Rich and I couldn’t stop! I liad the bike down against the side of the grove and slid in under Riches bike – man those XR’s make good bumpers – nice guy eay…. No one was injured and we all regrouped at the bottom of the hill. Randy told me then that we had missed a checkpoint (this was also a Poker Run event) at the middle of the hill – I told you that assistant was a joker! I listened for other bikes coming and the hill was silent. I told Rich and Randy to go on ahead and that I would go back up the hill and pickup the check and catch back up with them. I got to the check point and there were other hounds there looking for the marker! We were all having a great time searching when on of the other hounds started laughing. He said he hadn’t realized it but he had layed his bike down right on top of the maker (there was NO where to park on the hill so the only thing you could do was lay it down). Goofy rabbit – tricks are for kids!
I took a mark for each of us and headed out. Caught the guys at the next intersection and we made it to the gas stop. The volunteers from MMC had set up in a gravel pit. They were the nicest people you could have ever met. They offered us Gatorade (water for me cause that stuff gives me the shakes) and one of the ladies even carried my gas can back to the truck for me – man I felt spoiled – what a great day with great people on a fabulous section of CCC ORV riding area – WE HAD IT ALL!
The area after the gas stop proved even more technical. Larry P., the guy who invited, STRONGLY advised me not to bring anyone with me that was a “newbie”. I found out right away why this was very important. This section was REALLY fun but very advanced.
We all to soon broke back into the staging area (we had been riding for about 4 hours but it seemed like ten minutes to me – I wanted to go back out but some others didn’t – (they know who they are!!) and the race was over. The rabbit had eluded all the hounds and made a successful escape. No one took the trophy home but we ALL had a great time! There were no injuries of the serious nature (hospital runs) and all the hounds found their way back so a sweep wasn’t necessary. The rabbit and the assistant went back to clean up there droppings and I wanted to go back with them but my buddies talked me into going out for dinner in Mackinaw instead (said they were sore – go fiqure)…
We were home in Muskegon by 10:30pm!
Thanks to all the people who volunteered their time for this outing. Thanks to Larry P. for the invite and for my riding buds willing to put up with another “howling” hound!! Also thanks to the Cycle Conservation Club for the development of these OUTSTANDING trails! Wow what a ride. I am without a doubt going backup there to ride out the rest of the loops!!
Get a chance go up there! You will be shocked!
Woodsy