An Open Letter to all CCC Members
RE: Rites of Spring 2004
From: The Capitol Chapter, CCC
This will be the 16th Annual spring kick-off event for the Capitol Chapter, Cycle Conservation Club of Michigan.
The event will be hosted again this year at the Whiskey Creek Resort in Custer Michigan. Over the years, this event has grown to be one of the largest trail rides in the Midwest. And until somebody proves us different, we will lay claim to being the Largest Family Trail Ride on Earth!
Last year’s attendance broke the 900 mark for paid sign ups and that did not include the Novice riders sponsored by the Big Star Trail Riders or the few hundred kids that made the trek for the required kids training. (Training: If you are planning to have your child attend the training classes at this year’s event, please contact the CCC office and reserve your spot.) For those of you new to this event it will offer something for everyone in the family. The resort has a fully staffed restaurant with an ICE CREAM PARLOR! How many trail tours can say that? The resort also features a large pool, hot tub & sauna, a game room and a big screen TV area.
Because of the enormous size of this event, we must review a few rules and regulations, CCC and Capitol Chapter policies and Whiskey Creek rules. If we go into this event with 900+ riders plus a few hundred non-riders and Safety Training kids without reviewing these rules and having our members and guests adhere to them, we could very well loose the use of Whiskey Creek, the roads on the route, the Big ‘O’ Loop and any future Event Permits. Please read this letter, and take all postings at the event and any notices in the magazine, CCC website and TT ads very seriously. The future of this event depends on it!!!!
Rules:
Upon arrival you will stop at the sign up tent where you will need to decide if you will be camping or just signing in for Day Use. EVERYONE must sign in and pay the appropriate fees. Day Parking only (no use of pool or showers) is $4 per vehicle. A Day Use Fee of $6 per person will be charged for anyone wishing to park and have full use of all the facilities. Lastly, camping fees are $18 per night for the first 4 persons over 14yrs and $5 per person over 14yrs after that, per night. All registrants will be given a wristband that must be worn at all times when you are using the facilities.
Campfires will be allowed in the provided fire rings if the current fire danger allows and W/C owner Mark Todd agrees. PLEASE USE COMMON SENSE HERE!!!! If the spring is very dry do not build the towering inferno! While on Whiskey Creek property everyone will be expected to behave as guests. Mark and Mary are opening not only their resort, but also their property up to our event. We can not, and WILL NOT tolerate any abuse of this privilege.
NO RIDING will be allowed in the camping areas, fields and surrounding woods except to and from the trail ONLY! As everybody who has ridden the Big ‘O’ Loop or past Rites of Spring Trail Tours knows: much of that trail system uses several miles of county roads to connect sections of forest trail. The Big ‘O’ traverses four different counties. In past years we have obtained permits from those four counties and the Village of Baldwin to allow unlicensed motorcycles and riders on those sections of roads for the Rites of Spring.
We are being allowed the special PRIVILEGE of the Big ‘O’ Loop being opened to un-licensed two-wheeled cycles for Saturday and Sunday ONLY! NO ATV’s or UN-LICENSED CYCLES ARE ALLOWED ON THE ROUTE BEFORE OR AFTER THE EVENT. The U.S. Forest Service has informed us that this rule will be strictly enforced before and after the Saturday and Sunday of our event. Also, the road sections have been opened for un-licensed 2-wheeled motorcycles and riders signed up in the event ONLY! The U.S. Forest Service also has told us that this also will be strictly enforced. ANY and ALL 3 and 4 WHEEL ATV’s and un-licensed two-wheeled cycles without sound check inspection stickers and your TT entry receipt, (not signed up in the event) caught on the Big ‘O’ Saturday or Sunday, are subject to several hundred dollars in tickets, and possible confiscation of their ride. Our poor riding behavior on the Anthony Rd. short cut option last year has resulted in the elimination of the 20-mile loop this year. If we do not control this event and our behavior, we will not be allowed to continue.
This year the shortest option will be about 60 miles. Parents please consider this when you leave Whiskey Creek…..will your youngster be able to complete a sixty-mile loop?
All riders:
Please respect our local neighbors. We’ll be asking everybody to restrict their speeds on the county roads to 30 mph. This will help control the dust and the noise. Please keep to the right side of the roads, OFF THE SHOULDERS and ON the pavement so damage does not occur to the shoulders from 900 motorcycles. YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE TO LOCAL TRAFFIC LAWS. We are being required to have extra people on traffic control and we can GUARANTEE that the Sheriff, U.S. Forest Service, ORV Safety Patrol and Conservation Officers will be watching for violators and issuing tickets where needed, and the CCC and Capitol Chapter will be encouraging and assisting them to do so to said violators. WE MUST PROTECT FROM LOOSING OUR RIDE DUE TO A FEW CARELESS INDIVIDUALS. One more incident of loud or reckless riding on the road sections could cause the end of the Rites of Spring as we know it.
Sign up:
Event sign up will take place Friday night from 5pm to 8pm with a short riders’ meeting immediately following at 8pm at the Factory KTM Race Truck. This meeting will cover the latest riding rules and updates. Saturday morning will bring a short riders meeting at 8am prior to the start of sign up for those who missed Friday night. Sign up will run from 8am – 12 noon. Sunday sign up will run from 8-11am.
All riders must be CCC members, all bikes must have a USFS approved spark arrestor and all bikes must be capable of meeting the 94Db sound test and a Michigan ORV sticker. All children under the age of 16 must have taken the motorcycle safety training class to sign up and must have their training certificate with them any time they are riding. Michigan law states: “Children under the age of sixteen must be under direct adult supervision, the adult must be able to see them with the unaided eye, and be able to come to their assistance.” There will be a short kids loop on Whiskey Creek property. This loop is designed for the younger kids and beginners that are not able to ride the longer more challenging Big “O” Loop. We must make it clear that this loop is NOT a motocross practice track!!!! Any one caught riding in a reckless manor will be asked to leave. An adult rider MUST accompany all children on the loop. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Sponsors:
This year’s event is sponsored in part by Recreational Leisure and is the first ride in the 2004 Recreational Leisure Trail Ride Series; they will have their mobile showroom with them. Stop by for some hot deals. Also helping us out will be C&C Sports from Brighton, they have donated prizes and will be assisting us anyway they can. Lastly, and new to our Event will be the HUGE KTM Factory race rig of the 6 time National Enduro Champ Mike “Jr” Lafferty. The team will be hosting suspension set-up seminars and Chief Mechanic / Lansing Cycle – Enduro Engineering Owner Alan Randt will be available for Tech help and advise. They tell us that they will have some new KTM’S on board to drool over as well. Please stop by and see all of our sponsors and tell them how much you appreciate their support.
Thank you and see you at the Creek,
Phil Morrison
Capitol Chapter President,
Greg Yager,
CCC Board Member,
Capitol Chapter, ROS Event Permit Chairman
and
Wade The Impaler,
Capitol Chapter Rule Enforcement Chairman
