BRIMSTONE with HANK JR.

Loaded up and rolling at 5:00 am

Stopping off in Columbia, Ky for some home cooking..Southern Style Breakfast....

This should be a great weekend of off-roading in the North Cumberland Mountains.

Headed to Huntsville, Tenn. for the annual Wild Mountain Rampage at Brimstone ATV Park.

Little camping, little riding, little racing and even a little drinking....

Did I mention a little campfire activities or was that included with the little drinking comment....

Did a little Sweet Talking to Danika and she got us a nice level campsite in the Event Area....in walking distance to the Event Stage where the "One and Only" Hank Williams, Jr. will perform on Saturday Night...

It also helps to get there two days early.......

Campsite all set up and Christine has her Hog Snout Dust Mask, walking stick and brand new hiking boots....Looks like she is ready to do some serious trail riding.


Gonna get in a few miles today before this huge crowd shows up tomorrow.

This is expected to be the biggest event ever held at Brimstone.


Hot and dry here in the Tennessee hills.....

Made it in time for lunch on the ground....nothing like dining in the mountains.



Beautiful weather and quite peaceful on this Thursday afternoon....

Will try to get some Go-Pro videos edited and add them in later...

 Friday, September 16, 2016      

Headed up to the Vendor Area this morning to check out the New Stuff..

Vendors arriving and setting up their displays. Good time to stretch a leg and exercise a sore knee before heading back up into the trails.

Just one of the many Wild Rides here at the Wild Mountain Rampage...

Check out this 4-wheeler....

And back at the Wild Mountain Beauty Parlor Andrea and Alison are having their hair done.........Campground Style..


It was a verrrrry dusty ride on the trails today....we could use a little rain before the Rampage starts tomorrow.

These girls could hardly get the hair washed for laughing so much..

Rode into town of Huntsville, Tenn. today for some milk and ice.

This is the first year that State Police have allowed ATV's on Highway 63.

Several of the Trail Systems are trying to work an arrangement with the State to allow ATV's and OHVs to use state and county roads to link the trail systems.

Hopefully, the State will approve. There are four or five large trail systems that could be linked if this is allowed. Much like the "Hatfield and McCoy" systems in West Virginia.







Saturday, September 17, 2016

Click on the Video below for a tour of the Event Area campground........

 
Saturday around Noon as people are coming in to get a spot for the Hank Jr. concert later tonight.
This is expected to be the largest crowd ever at a Brimstone Rally.....

Jimmy and I were at the registration booth bright and early hoping to be first to leave on the Wild Mountain Rampage Race.
Several others had the same idea. We were sixth or seventh to leave out this morning. A cool, foggy morning for this cross country event.
The Moto-Cross rider on the 300 KTM "looked like" the guy to beat. We will just have to see if we can catch them. Drivers leave as they are signed up. The KTM was long gone by the time we were finished signing in.

The "Mad Hatter" was at Checkpoint #3 when we arrived. You got bonus points if he was at a checkpoint when you arrived, he moved from one to the other all day long.
He will play an interesting role later on in the finishing results.
We got the bonus points.....now it's off to catch the the rest of the drivers.

We passed two before the first checkpoint.....Jimmy lead all day while I ate his dust, but I passed him on a rough dirt road just before entering the county road back to the start/finish. He couldn't catch up so I finished fourth and Jimmy finished fifth. However, the first and second place drivers did not get their cards punched by the checkpoint official, they only got the "Mad Hatter" to punch their card so they actually were disqualified. Andrea rode with me and Alison rode with Jimmy......two brave girls. Christine DOES NOT like to go fast so she sat this one out. Lots of fun.

Back at the event area for the next event....the "Obstacle Course".

We are waiting for the drivers meeting and explanation of the course and direction to go...

Gonna be a fun afternoon....and a Hank Jr. concert tonight.

Drivers are walking the course with the official.
There is no practice and no pre-walking of the course just to be fair to all.

Very rough course, built at the last minute with a few bulldozers and backhoes..

Jimmy beat me by 2 seconds....I must have been tired from the morning ride. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Andrea and Alison messing around on the way to the concert. Christine and I had already parked the RZR in a good spot several hours before the concert expecting a record crowd. So we all walked up to the RZR with chairs for the show.

It was a good idea because it was so crowded we had to leave the RZR there until after midnight before we could get it back to the camp.

We are in the middle of a "Sea of SIDE X SIDES" ...all makes and models, only thing they have in common is they are all drunk or working on getting drunk...

Clip of Trail 95's Whoop-De-Doos...

TEST..Testing posts of Boat Tracks for next Island Trip

Prototype of a track made on I-Pad with Navionics Charts software.

Each leg will be posted for anyone interested in following along our journey.
Hopefully, much easier than trying to use Google Earth....we'll see.

Maybe even showing total track so far posted together on one picture to the right of the current Blog Post.

For now just check out some of the pics in the "Featured Post" next to this shot. This section will highlight some interesting past posts.       >>>>>>>>     >>>>>>>>    >>>>>>>

RIDIN' BIG MONTI...2016

July 2, 2016

It looks like Lonnie Spurling picked a beautiful day to invite "Chafton and Friends" over to his neck of the woods for some off-roading through the most beautiful scenery in the Kentucky-Tennessee hills.

Stopping off at our first point of interest at the "Old Hippie Cabin".
Built in the early 70's by some hippies from California. They constructed three cabins and a bathhouse with Pot as their primary crop.

The hippies were totally self-sufficient and lived in the backwoods where they avoided the Feds and Local Officers for several years. It now takes an off-road vehicle to get there but in their day they used a VW bus.

Lonnie is leading us thru more of these "Outlaw Trails"....none are marked (except for an occasional Posted sign)..

The locals know the trails well and ride them often. I think the signs are just a CYA notice to prevent law suits if someone gets hurt. The property is owned by logging companies.

Here we approach another rock bluff as we head up to the infamous "Table Top Rock".

Looks like Cathy is the only one brave enough to climb up on Table Top. These are unique rock formations at the edge of a 300 ft high rock cliff. The rock is shaped like a Ruffles Potato Chip.

Directly behind Cathy is a straight down 300 ft. drop. Easy does it Cathy.

Another neat spot at Table Top Rock is the Picture Frame....If you're game enough to slither out there you can get a very unique shot.

Notice there is NO path to the hole in the rock, just a precarious rock formation. A person needs to be part snake just to get to it.

If you slip, well, let's just say it would probably be your last Photo.

We chose to just park the RZR on the mountain top for our pose.



Annie really wasn't into rock climbing....

After a lengthy ride down to Pickett State Forest in Tennessee we stopped at Blue Lake for lunch.

Here Lonnie is telling more stories of the local lore.

Lonnie is "One Fine Feller".....they just don't come any nicer than this guy. He loves to ride these hills and enjoys showing the special spots to folks like us.

We would have never found some of these places without his knowledge and skills.

Lunch is always good on the trail, but even better when the weather cooperates.

We had low humidity, blue skies, not too hot and just the right amount of mud and dust to satisfy our off roading desires.

Looking forward to our next adventure at Windrock Park...The annual RZR Jam..Should be a lot of fun camping and riding.

This next stop was our favorite "Scenic Overlook"...The whole gang lined up for Lonnie to snap our picture with this beautiful rock bluff behind us. There are several of these Rock Beauties that can be seen from this point as we look South over a vast area of Tennessee.

With Alison screaming for dear life Jimmy tries to make it up the "Impossible Rut"....Lonnie knew what would happen and was ready with the camera.

No harm done, the RZR just leans against the mud bank and the left wheel points to the sky.

The boy will try anything.......guess he gets it honest.

Another great outing with my soul-mate....Christine keeps saying 70 is just too old to be doing this stuff..

I keep telling her to just hang on and enjoy the ride. She does great..........

We look forward to many, many more adventures on land and sea.
Follow along and I will try to keep you up to date.
Now I will try to post some videos from the GoPro but don't fuss if I screw it up..

Jimmy takes on this steep, slippery rock face we now call the "Big Monti".....The video does not do this slope justice. It is much steeper than it looks, almost enough to go "nose over" on the way down.

Well it's time to load um' up and head back to Bowling Green. But first Lonnie leads us down to the Hillbilly Car Wash to clean up the RZR's a little. We couldn't resist so we stayed and played in the creek for quite a while.

Memorial Day Weekend RZR Ride, 2016

A pair of Ace's gassing up at Pilot on our way to Cullman, Alabama to ride the trails in Stoney Lonesome OHV Park.

Meeting up with some friends who are already there.
Gonna cook up some Old Fashion Campsite meals, do a little riding and have a good time on this special day.
We all need to remember what this special day means and not forget that without the sacrifices of our Brave Servicemen these days might never have been possible.

Checking in at the Park Headquarters to get our passes and campsites.

Looks like a big crowd will be on hand today to watch the races and ride the trails.

It is extremely dusty so it will be a very dirty weekend, but hey, that's what we do.
OL' number 6Ky looks ready to go.

This park doesn't have as many acres as the Ky and Tn parks but they have done a nice job with their grounds.

Built a couple years ago with Federal Economic Development funds the County has put every effort into this place.

It is family friendly with well marked one-way trails. There is something for everyone here.

Unloaded and ready to cook up an evening dinner for the crew.

These rides won't stay clean long....

Mama Chafton has everything pre-prepared and ready to serve up.

Our fearless leaders Jimmy and Alison. They do the scouting and map reading to keep us all on track.

We will be riding all day and after dinner we have our permits to ride the trails tonight. Night riding is normally not allowed but this weekend was a special event.

Races start at 11:00 am, hope we can get a morning ride in and be back in time to watch the action.

Jimmy is looking for some EXTREME trails to test our abilities.

Yeah, that's right, the toughest trails on the property.

Look what we found.....This one is called "Who's Your Daddy"...
Let's go see what that is all about.

Well, I found "Who's Your Daddy"..

Now let's see if we can take it.

That Rock Wall don't look very big from here...

Well, I don't think so. Not with this little 800 RZR.....This is a job for a full grown "Rock Crawler"....
That rock ledge up ahead is about 10 feet tall and straight up.
I think we will back this puppy back down the hill and go play on "PowderPuff Hill".....

Here it is, "Powder Puff Hill".....

About 500 yards of loose rocks and it's uphill all the way.

Yes, we did make it to the top and nothing broke.
It amazes me where these damn RZR's will go if you take your time and be careful.

We had a successful fun-filled day and hopefully the night ride will go good as well.

I have the Go-Pro mounted and ready. We got lots of footage today but not sure if I can get that over to this blog page easily.

I don't have a lot of patience for techie stuff....and this damn Go-Pro is way to complicated.




May 29, 2016
Racing Pics and Videos from Stoney Lonesome Raceway

It all started when the girls wanted to race each other on the Track....

Alison had been "Trash Talking " at Andrea all day about how she was going to make Andrea "Eat her Dust"...

So when things on the track calmed down we took over.

Here Jimmy is suiting up Alison for the "Race of the Century"...
while I outfitted Andrea in my RZR.

Jimmy is lining up the girls for three laps of intense racing. Now mind you, Alison hardly ever drives the RZR. She had only one lap of practice to get familiar with the track.
This track is a "High-Speed" --"Very Dusty"--"In Your Face"---Speedway designed for Pro Events.

The track has several small jumps, two large jumps, one Table Top Jump that gets you lots of air, a one-lane bridge crossing with a dog leg, and several "Broad-sliding, High Burmed, Sweeping Turns.

Alison gets a head start by "Jumping The Gun"....She also takes a "short cut" in one of the turns.
She says she thought that was the track.....Right.
But nevertheless the race is officially ON........

Andrea is hard charging to catch up with Alison.....getting some serious AIR as she clears the Tabletop Jump on lap 2....
After eating lots of Alison's dust she is determined to catch her rival and show her the taillights.

Andrea pulls off the "Upset of the Day", taking Alison to the "Limits of Her Abilities" but not after a hard fought battle. Alison tried all the tricks of the trade that Jimmy had showed her (Jump Starts)--(Short Cuts)--(Dust Throwing) and a few others. These two Gals are up for anything.

Two "Hot and Dusty" rivals before the race starts.

They were Shaking to much to hold still for pictures after the race.......

"Cathy the Co-Pilot" was the only one that could hold still for pictures after the race was over......This gal is fear less.


These gals were screaming the whole way....what fun.







Race Day at Stoney Lonesome

The "Gang" just couldn't stand it.....they forced Jimmy and I to take on the "Stoney Lonesome Speedway" for some "Father-Son Competition".
After a heated start we are finally out front and making lots of dust. Jimmy is "Hammer Down" trying to catch the old Man.

Looks like Jimmy might be gaining as Jerry gets sideways off a berm.

But Jerry catches the slid and speeds to the finish line to take the win..

Wish we had some video of this one but Alison was still shaking too much for the camera and the video just didn't turn out, she got lots of shots of the sky.......You just should have been there....

My Co-Driver (Jonathan) and I are getting some AIR just as we cross the Finish Line in First Place. Jimmy is close behind but just couldn't overcome the dust.

Jonathan was a"Happy Racer" after co-piloting his first "MAJOR WIN at Stoney Lonesome" Raceway.

Jimmy after the race looks like he had a lot of fun this weekend. 

that's what it's all about.

Boating to the St. Pete Indy Car Race March 2016

The Admiral and First Mate are busy adjusting the Snubber line on the anchor as we prepare to spend the night on the hook just off Useppa Island.

As most everyone knows, it's been a cold and wet Jan. and Feb. in South Florida. A record setting 13.2 inches of rain in January plus cold front after cold front in February. But finally, we are out cruising the beautiful waters of SW Florida.

Heading up to St. Pete for the annual  Indy Car Grand Prix race in downtown St Pete.

The view from Mystic Lady as we arrive at Useppa.

Looking across the ICW at Cabbage Key. This little restaurant/bar is a hot spot for tourist and serve up a great "Cheeseburger in Paradise"..

Lots of history on this little Key, if ever down this way hop over and check it out.

Annie and Christine making their way through Historic Venice City Park. A gorgeous walk from the Downtown area to Venice Beach.
Lots of Historical Markers along the way for a great little history lesson.

Had lunch at Marker 4 Grill and the best Chocolate Chip Ice Cream ever at a downtown shop.

Heading back to the boat and off to St. Pete early in the morning.

Beautiful sunset at Venice Inlet Park.....lots of folks come here every day just for the view.
Great place for fishing from the jetty too.
Spring Breakers are out in force...

Smooth cruise up to St. Pete on the outside. The Gulf was calm and the skies clear.

Arrived at St. Pete early to beat the crowd that will be coming in this weekend for the big race.
We were lucky to get a good dockage along a face dock with easy access to everything.

Looking forward to a busy weekend of Indy Car Racing. Click link below for schedule of events.


http://www.gpstpete.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=226

Wednesday, March 9th

Doing a little sight seeing in Downtown St.Pete while we chill-out before the race weekend.

What a neat city this is....lots to do, lots to see, history, arts, waterfront dining, Grand Prix Racing, etc.

Last time we were here it was a Triathlon on one weekend and "The Taste of Pinellas" the next weekend.
Always a lot going on in St. Pete.

A shot of the Baywalk Area.....
can you believe this is the entrance to a parking garage...


Nothing like this where I come from...

Took Annie for a walk on the peninsula park overlooking Tampa Bay.
This is what is left of the "Inverted Pyramid" that stood on the pier site since 1973....
The City fathers have been trying to get this replaced since 2005. Probably took this long just to get a permit to tear it down.

We had dinner in one of the restaurants the last time we were here. It was in pretty bad shape but still active four years ago.

Friday, March 11

The Admiral is heading to the market.....
just a short walk from the marina to shops, markets, restaurants, etc.


Gotta get some Bud Lite cause Uncle David is coming to visit.


Looking forward to having David and Loretta onboard for a day or two while in St. Pete.

It's practice day at the St. Pete Grand Prix race. Lots of activities and vendors, and this is just Friday.

Glad I came today because the General Admission gets you anywhere you want to go today.

Toured the Paddock Area, watched a few laps from the main Grandstand, got up close and personal with some teams, great day....

Pit action during practice..All the big names doing their thing.

The Indy Car Series is not exactly my thing but, Hey....a race is a race.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Well, the day started out calm and quiet but it didn't last long.

Christine was preparing a nice dinner for my sister and brother-in-law who are coming to the boat for a couple days.
She needed an onion and started walking to the grocery....that's when the day took a turn for the worse.

She tripped on a broken sidewalk and landed flat on her face. EMT was called and she was taken to the hospital just an hour before our company arrived.

That changed our plans for the day but it could have been so much worse.

She had a big goose egg on her forehead (under her bangs), cut on her nose, cut under her chin, abrasions on her chin, cut inside her mouth from her tooth, bruised wrist, bruised and cut knee, etc.

She was a mess, the head injury was cause for concern so she would need  X-rays and an MRI

So she was hauled off by the Medical Team and left me to take care of Annie. She was left on the boat when I got the call.

Thank goodness David and Loretta were on their way. They would give me a ride to the hospital so I could be with Christine and be able to get back to the boat later.

Strange how things work out. We always tell people you're only one incident for a life change.

The good news, no broken bones. Just lots of sore spots.

Having Annie (her therapy dog) in her arms was enough to raise a smile while we wait for David to bring the van around to take us back to the boat.

We didn't get to do our planned afternoon but a quiet evening and nice dinner on the boat was just what the doctor ordered.

It has been so nice having David and Loretta here for an visit.

Maybe next time we can avoid the drama and take a cruise.

Uncle David just enjoying a peaceful evening on Mystic Lady.


Racing action tomorrow, should be a great day......weather is perfect so far.

The folks here at St. Pete Municipal Marina have been very friendly and helpful. It's always fun to come back to St. Pete.

Time to send the Stamps on their way. Packed up and headed over to Tampa to see Joseph.

Thankfully they were here to help me with Christine.

Hopefully, we can get together again before they head back home. We would like to do a boat cruise for a few days.

Safe travels you two.....

Sure enjoyed having you guys aboard "Mystic Lady".....

See ya again soon.







Sunday, March 13, 2016

It's race day at the St. Pete Grand Prix Indy Car race.

Just waiting for the leaders to come around for the first lap.

Really impressed with the effort the Indy Car Series puts forth to hold this event. You can't imagine the barriers, fences, banners, etc. they have to provide just for this event.

Huge problem though...they go out of their way to block the view for General Admission spectator.

This is about as good as it gets. Not my idea of a spectator friendly race.

I managed to get up on a concrete light pole base just to get this view.

They even hang banners on the fence in the corners so you can't see corner action from ground level.

It's gotta be all about the money. I think they want you to pay the big bucks and buy the Grandstand Ticket.

So in my professional opinion here is the best way to watch an Indy Car Grand Prix.

Go back to your boat and turn on the TV, grab a cold beer (or Jack Daniels) in my case , open the door so you can hear the engines and watch the action as if you were there.

Guess i'm just not comfortable with being on the wrong side of the fence.


Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Extremely foggy return trip to Ft. Myers. Never seen the horizon from the time we left St. Pete until entering Boca Grande Pass.

We had less than 1/8 mile visibility for most of the 10 hour trip.

Lots of instrument flight training paid off today.

The admiral and Annie had trouble staying awake with nothing to see for 10 hours.

Annie just napped but the Admiral just went from one area to another, she finally took a nap and left me to do the chores.

All in all it was an uneventful return trip but very tiring...

How's this for a view for 10 hours.

It wasn't as boring as you might think, dodging crab pots and watching for traffic on the radar kept me busy all day.

We made it safely back to Legacy Marina and started cleaning on Mystic Lady.