- Nov 24, 2000
- 4,784
- 103
No, not Kendall. This is little sister Kristin.
The spring GOAT (Green Country Oklahoma Adventure Tour) Rally was coming up. My 25 year-old daughter Kristin said she’d like to try it. I was surprised since for the last five or six years, she’s only been riding about once a year. This is a two-day ride of 400+ miles. We took the old race trailer and camped in it at Eagle Bluff Resort on the Illinois River. We showed up on Friday afternoon.
The ride organizer’s primary bike was broken down so he brought his Grom. Kristin stole it for a few laps around the campground.
Many began arriving that evening. This is Kristin with Sylvie. She’s a French woman, married to an English man, now living in Dallas. Coincidentally, Kristin lives in Dallas now too. I rode with Sylvie and her husband Gary at the Sooner Adventure Ride last year. She’s a good rider.
Saturday morning, the group met and rode out about 9:30.
We rode a relaxed pace, mostly just looking at the scenery.
I check this eagle’s nest every time I ride by. I finally got to see the birds.
The falls on Falls Branch.
The now-closed low water crossing on the Illinois.
This was Proctor School II.
A mossy slough.
The first of about a dozen low water crossings.
This bridge was closed. We could see tracks in the water where bikes had crossed but someone had pushed a bunch of tree trunks over the trail so it was impassable. We found a way to squeeze through the barricades.
A couple of Texans showed up while we were on top. Together, we were able to move the trees and they rode through the creek.
She got wet feet on this one.
We were way behind schedule and arrived at the Second Kick Motorcycle Museum in Grove at 4:00. They had just closed. The owner saw us and invited us in and gave us a private tour. They even offered to fix lunch for us (they have a deli inside.) We declined but I gave them a nice donation since they were so accommodating. With most of our group stopping there, they said it was their biggest day ever.
More water crossings. It’s been raining a lot here lately. The creeks were running and the river was up several feet.
This guy sucked water. They managed to get it running again though.
We made it back to camp about 7:00, fixed dinner over the fire, and made our visitation rounds. A total of 195 miles for the day.
Sunday, we got an early start instead of waiting for the group.
Kristin took a break about 80 miles in.
Elohim City, a commune/cult type community known for their anti-government views. McVeigh was rumored to have spent time there.
The bypassed Lee Creek Bridge.
A neat little roadside trickling waterfall.
This one was a little longer and had a curve to it. It looked a little green too. I told her to line up straight and try not to turn. She made it just fine.
By the lunch stop, I was at 102 miles. I’ve run out before at 93 miles while running a spirited pace.
The railroad spur at Marble City.
Jincy’s, formerly a general store, now a café. It was the set for the general store scenes in the original “Where the Red Fern Grows” movie.
Riding through the Cherokee Wildlife Management Area, Kristin hit this one a little too fast. She got soaked.
I let her ride my 450 the last few miles of the WMA. She loved it and handled it well.
The final low water crossing. This one was too swift and too deep. We turned around.
205 miles later, we were back at camp. I would’ve stayed another night but she had to get back for her Monday class. She did really good. I was proud of her and it was a lot of fun for me. I know that there won’t be many more of these days in the future, so I’m enjoying it while I can.
Oh yeah, a couple pics she took of me…
The spring GOAT (Green Country Oklahoma Adventure Tour) Rally was coming up. My 25 year-old daughter Kristin said she’d like to try it. I was surprised since for the last five or six years, she’s only been riding about once a year. This is a two-day ride of 400+ miles. We took the old race trailer and camped in it at Eagle Bluff Resort on the Illinois River. We showed up on Friday afternoon.
The ride organizer’s primary bike was broken down so he brought his Grom. Kristin stole it for a few laps around the campground.
Many began arriving that evening. This is Kristin with Sylvie. She’s a French woman, married to an English man, now living in Dallas. Coincidentally, Kristin lives in Dallas now too. I rode with Sylvie and her husband Gary at the Sooner Adventure Ride last year. She’s a good rider.
Saturday morning, the group met and rode out about 9:30.
We rode a relaxed pace, mostly just looking at the scenery.
I check this eagle’s nest every time I ride by. I finally got to see the birds.
The falls on Falls Branch.
The now-closed low water crossing on the Illinois.
This was Proctor School II.
A mossy slough.
The first of about a dozen low water crossings.
This bridge was closed. We could see tracks in the water where bikes had crossed but someone had pushed a bunch of tree trunks over the trail so it was impassable. We found a way to squeeze through the barricades.
A couple of Texans showed up while we were on top. Together, we were able to move the trees and they rode through the creek.
She got wet feet on this one.
We were way behind schedule and arrived at the Second Kick Motorcycle Museum in Grove at 4:00. They had just closed. The owner saw us and invited us in and gave us a private tour. They even offered to fix lunch for us (they have a deli inside.) We declined but I gave them a nice donation since they were so accommodating. With most of our group stopping there, they said it was their biggest day ever.
More water crossings. It’s been raining a lot here lately. The creeks were running and the river was up several feet.
This guy sucked water. They managed to get it running again though.
We made it back to camp about 7:00, fixed dinner over the fire, and made our visitation rounds. A total of 195 miles for the day.
Sunday, we got an early start instead of waiting for the group.
Kristin took a break about 80 miles in.
Elohim City, a commune/cult type community known for their anti-government views. McVeigh was rumored to have spent time there.
The bypassed Lee Creek Bridge.
A neat little roadside trickling waterfall.
This one was a little longer and had a curve to it. It looked a little green too. I told her to line up straight and try not to turn. She made it just fine.
By the lunch stop, I was at 102 miles. I’ve run out before at 93 miles while running a spirited pace.
The railroad spur at Marble City.
Jincy’s, formerly a general store, now a café. It was the set for the general store scenes in the original “Where the Red Fern Grows” movie.
Riding through the Cherokee Wildlife Management Area, Kristin hit this one a little too fast. She got soaked.
I let her ride my 450 the last few miles of the WMA. She loved it and handled it well.
The final low water crossing. This one was too swift and too deep. We turned around.
205 miles later, we were back at camp. I would’ve stayed another night but she had to get back for her Monday class. She did really good. I was proud of her and it was a lot of fun for me. I know that there won’t be many more of these days in the future, so I’m enjoying it while I can.
Oh yeah, a couple pics she took of me…
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