5:00 a.m......RZR loaded and ready for an all day drive to West Virginia.
Gonna do some" big hill" riding in the mountains.
Got the Toy Hauler loaded to the max. The General fits like a glove.
Annie says I don't care what time it is, you ain't going anywhere without me.
Lets get this truck rollin'....
Met up with Jimmy and Alison....first stop for gas somewhere in Tennessee.
The look on peoples face is priceless when they see these two identical rigs....
Both white GMC's pulling two identical Weekend Warrior toy haulers...
It was a long day but we made it to the Ashland ATV Resort/Campground in time for the welcoming cookout.
Meet and Greet...with your standard hillbilly gourmet menu of hot dogs and hamburgers.
Great host from Michigan are putting together this "Side X Side Jamboree"....
Thursday, June 14
Thought we would get a photo shot opportunity in before we get these buggies so dirty you can't see what color they are.
We rode from the campsite down to the Indian Ridge Trailhead....all part of the infamous "Hatfield and McCoy" trail system here in West Virginia..
Some of the best off-road trails in the country.
Left to right..
Kathy Key, her son Johnathon, Alison Chafton, Jimmy Chafton with Max, Christine in her Polaris General, and me with Annie.....Steve Key with the camera..
Just one of many trail stops along the way..
Taking time to smell the roses...as they say.
Notice the rock bluff in the background....The trails are lined with beautiful rock formations.
My little woman loves trail riding almost as much as dipping her toes in the Bahama Sand...
Well, Almost....
A shot of a view from the trail along Indian Ridge....
Some gorgeous scenery to be found in these mountains....
And we got three two more days of riding to do.
Another shot from the trail..
I had forgotten how breathtaking these hills are since it has been 5 years since I rode these mountains with Dave Crannell.....
Gonna ride some "Outlaw Trails" tomorrow with the "Side X Side Nation" group...should be a lot of fun,
Stay tuned...for pics and stories.
Friday, June 15
Big turnout for the Guided "Outlaw Ride" today.
...over 20 machines, all sizes, all flavors, and quite a mix of people.
Our guides are local boys that really know the area. Should get to see places that most Hatfield-McCoy riders don't see.
The drivers meeting reminded of some of the old motorcycle racing days.
Always a meeting before the race.
Explain the rules......None.
It's an Outlaw Ride....Most anything goes.
First rest stop on top of a mountain.
Women's bathroom to the Left..
Men's bathroom to the Right...
Pick a tree....
It's gonna be a long day...
Steve's Ranger collapsed a front wheel bearing going around the side of a mountain trail.
No one can move, we are on a very steep trial. So Jimmy jumps in a helps Steve change the bearing.
The guide actually carries parts with him. He had the bearing so Jimmy took the wheel, brakes, ball joints, and tie rods loose to remove the hub.
We need a press...
So the guide leading the group rides to the nearest shop, presses the race out and the new bearing in.
Jimmy and the onlookers have this machine ready to go in about an hour and a half...
Lets roll....
Annie says....I don't mind the delay.
She just took naps in between all the people stopping by to check out her seat.
She is one spoiled dog...but she loves to ride.
Everyone took a lunch break while the repairs were in progress. Not much wasted time so far.
These Outlaw trails takes us to places we really aren't supposed to be.
Here Jimmy and Alison are checking out this old abandoned coal mine.
Can you imagine riding a underground mini-train back into a mountain and mining coal all day...
This was our scheduled lunch stop but most everyone brought there own lunch so only a few actually ate here.
It was at Pinnacle Creek RV park..
a longer delay than the break down.
Ice Cream would be nice about now...but they didn't have any ice cream,,oh well.
Now it's time for some fun......
This is some very steep hills on the way to "Big Rock Lookout",
And as usual....Jimmy is the first to go up.
Pictures just don't do justice to this climb, but it was easier than it looked.
These machines will do the job...
And the climb just got bigger...
These trails lead up to "Big Rock" which is on top of the Wooded area.
If you make it up the trail you can walk (rather climb) up on Big Rock for a fabulous view of the mountains in the background
I took a 4 minute video of all the machines climbing these trails but don't know if I can get it on the blog.
What's next?
After coming off the mountain top we drop off into the valley below and these trails are unbelievably tight.
Christine is trying to take pictures while keeping the brush limbs from smacking her in the face,
This is actually a trail, look close and you will see the machine in front of us...barely.
We had miles of this stuff along with lots of mud holes..
Got this short video to load, I will work on the 4 minute version later.....
Saturday, June 16
Another day, another ride....
Today we take the Hatfield-McCoy trails over to a little town called Bramwell, West Virginia to eat lunch at a 50's Soda Shop/Cafe..
They welcome Dirty Ol' off-roaders.
In fact, they are making a pretty good living off this trail system. With the Coal Industry in shambles over here I'm sure we are a welcome site.
Patience wears thin while waiting for all the drivers to get lined up and ready in time.
With these Guided Rides it's a lot like herding cats.
I think we will stick to our "Do Your Own Thang" next time.
And Annie says.... Let's get this show on the road people.
Todays ride offered easy trails for some folks and hard trails for others.
Here we are waiting for the easy"green" trail riders to catch up and join us after 4 of us took the hard "'black"trails.
We waited about 20 minutes for them to catch up....our way was the fastest but the roughest...
Alison and Kathy are taking a little Girl Time while we wait for the Green Trail riders..
We made it over to Bramwell for lunch but we had to park in a City lot...too many machines for the cafe parking lot.
The Railroad Station is in the background....across Main Street.
The Corner Shop "as it is called" is down Main Street one block.
The place was packed, inside and out.
We went around to the back porch because of Annie and turned out to be the best place to be.
The food was great, service excellent (considering they were hit with so many riders at one time), and the Soda Shop Atmosphere was really cool.
Even had Malts........
Below is some Tidbits of Videos That Christine took while on some easy trials....She can't get good videos on the hard trails because her and Annie are hanging on for dear life......
Evidently the Speed stats go to 0 when you turn the key off......lesson # 1
Then he calls and says he blew a tire on his hauler....
He had it changed before we could catch up but he needed our air compressor to add some air to the spare....
Back on the Road Again.......
