Okay... so where was I...
New bike... right.
So with the bike in hand and some new riding and camping gear as well, all that remains is to wait for Friday, pack the gear and bikes, and head to the park as fast as possible. Dad lets me off work about an hour early so I can get a jump on loading all the bikes on the trailer. It is a beautiful evening and not hot, which makes loading the bikes a LOT easier. Still, I don't normally have so many bikes on the trailer at one time and don't have all the tie down points sorted for the two 50s that go at the back of the trailer. I eventually get it sorted though and after a few hours we have everything ready to roll.
First trip with the new truck as well
All tucked in and ready to travel
We don't get away from Huntsville until nearly 7:00pm and then stop in College Station for some BBQ. By the time we finally get out to the park, it is around 9:30pm. We miss the sign the first time by but quickly get turned around and find the park. When we pull in Ralph greets us and we find a place to pitch the tents. Gary is already there with his family. Ralph and Gary lend a hand setting up the tents and in no time we are settled in for the evening. We get the kids to bed pretty quick so we can go hang out with Ralph and enjoy a nice evening under a full moon and thin fast moving clouds. It's been a long day though and before long we are heading to the tents for the night.
Morning rolls around painfully early. I wake around 7:30am to the sounds of other folks rustling around the area. I roll out to see a dull grey day with heavy clouds. But it is not raining... yet. Beth heads into Caldwell to look for breakfast while I unload the bikes and walk around to check out the park.
Our fleet - KTM 530 EXC, Honda XR80R, CRF 110, CRF50 and Yamaha TTR50E.
Playground for the little kids or those that just don't ride
The new Marmot Limelite 4 person tent
My 3 man tent on the left
The tents are great. I got them both on clearance at different times. They are incredibly easy and quick to setup and break down. Daniel and I share the 3P and the girls share the 4P. Lots of room inside and large vestibules on both sides of each tent.
Gary "bwdmax" and his setup
Our camp area, quite nice and had a picnic table.
By now some of the riders are starting to gear up and head for the track so I decide to walk over and check it out. Rachel goes with me.
Turn 1 looking from the start line
Somewhere back in the middle of the track after many many turns...
Rachel scoping out the terrain while Gary's wife power walks the track
Typical of the corners, clean and smooth. Some are tighter though.
Gary's daughter Emily, 10 years old on an XR50, been riding a few years
Ralph's daughter Hannah, almost 16 years old, second time ever riding a bike
Gary's son Colton, 12 years old I think, riding a CRF150
Emily again
Hannah
Colton is getting around the track pretty quick
And Gary is trying to keep up with him
Ralph gets the KLR out for some action
Emily again, steady and consistent
Gary
Colton does a great job of passing very carefully so as not to scare Emily
and then she gives chase...
Gary pretending to win the big race!
Hannah just cruising around getting a feel for things and having fun
While Daddy looks on...
Colton again
Runs a little wide but gathers it up nicely!
Another Daddy following his daughter
Colton wipes out pretty good and knocks the wind out of himself... He stands there for a few minutes gathering his wits but is fine.
Ralph
I love the focus in her eyes. I really should have zoomed in on her mask!
One of the several large but avoidable (for now) mud puddles on the track
Colton airs it out a bit as he gains some confidence
Slow and steady...
The climb to the finish line
They even have ducks in the pond!
After spending a while taking pictures I decide it is time to get our bikes ready. Beth should be back from town with Sarah and Daniel soon. However, as I head back over to the bikes, it starts to drizzle... and then actually rain...
We take shelter under a cover in front of the gameroom and wait it out for a while. After maybe 30 minutes or so it seems to let up and blow out. So I gear up Rachel and take her out to the track on her CRF50 that is outfitted with Moose Racing training wheels.
Rachel still doesn't ride by herself so I sit on the back of the bike and cover the controls. When we reach the track I just take over and let her ride along. It is now muddy enough that the training wheels are kicking mud up in the air if I get up any speed. The problem is that they are just as wide as the opening in my short sleeve shirt... Sure enough, mud goes right into my sleeves and falls down inside my shirt, collecting at the belt line
Despite a couple of good mud spots and a few steep hills, we eventually manage to complete a lap and head back for the pit area.
About this time Beth and the other kids return and they are ready to ride. Daniel's bike doesn't want to start at first, possibly because of the remote kill switch receiver box getting rain in it through a broken corner
I work on getting the other bikes started so Sarah and Beth can ride. This will be Sarah's maiden voyage on the new CRF 110 and Beth's first time back on a bike in probably eight years. She will be riding the XR80R. While I am doing other stuff Daniel manages to get his TTR50 running and is soon heading out to the track to do some laps. Sarah and Emily hook up and start riding together, but Sarah doesn't want to ride the track. She just wants to ride a big loop around the camping/pit area. Since there aren't many people here, that actually works pretty well because it is nice and level, so she can just focus on getting comfortable on the bike and getting her confidence back up to where it should be. Beth rides around for a bit, but I fail to get any pictures of it because I am still trying to ride with Rachel who wants to follow the other girls around the big loop.
Rachel has been improving, keeping her eyes where she wants to go and working on using part throttle instead of nothing or wide open. After a few laps of letting her do the controls we stop so I can get off. We're in a big open area so I have her just go in a long straight line, stop, turn around, and come back to me, then stop again, and repeat. I have her do this again several times and she's doing great. I then run to grab the camera.
Rachel's first time riding by herself!!
It starts sprinkling again so I park Rachel for a bit and we just hang out for a while.
Ralph brought hot dogs and marshmallows! A big hit with the kids
The wood pile for the fire pit
Ralph out on the track
The fire pit area
In between one of the waves of rain, Cagiva549 shows up with his son and grandson. They get the bikes unloaded and then hit the track. It is not too muddy yet. The rain is keeping dust down. So as long as the big mud puddles are avoided the track is still pretty good.
(Never got his name) The grandson of Dave "Cagiva549" on an XR70 - a new rider
And his Dad, whose name I also did not get
Dad chasing son - More Dad's could stand to do this with their sons
Missed the turn in the mud... easy to do!
Even Dad went a bit wide trying not to slide out and fall down
Ralph enjoying the mud
The kids take a break to eat some hot dogs and marshmallows.
Rachel's CRF50 is getting a work out today!
An XR80R belonging to a local kid, Andrew, who is 12 and races. He's quick!
The rain eases up again and Rachel still wants to ride. I decide to let her do the big loop around the camping area by herself and I ride alongside and behind her on the XR80R. Beth takes over the camera to get some shots of the action. While not actually raining, it is still drizzling pretty good and the ground is getting muddy. Rachel doesn't seem to mind in the slightest.
Another Daddy and Daughter riding together
Daniel falls in behind and follows us for several laps
Still getting the brake lever right in her head... and she does a great job when I yell "BRAKE!"
One happy little five year old girl!
Daniel normally likes mud, but I think he's starting to reach his limit today
Slow and Steady...
Covering the brake...
After eating, Sarah and Emily being doing their loops around the camping area again and now they are serious! They ride and ride, even when it rains. They occasionally stop, and are wet and muddy, but are soon right back out riding again. Sarah usually doesn't like the bike to do ANY kind of wiggling or squirming. She has convinced herself that she HATES sand because of her experiences in it, mostly wiggling and squirming. However, today that does not seem to phase her. She just stands up, looks ahead and gets on the gas! The funny thing is that earlier when I asked if she was going to ride she just gave me one of those bored pre-teen sighs... "I dunno... maybe... *sigh*" Having someone else to ride with has really inspired her to ride like never before!!
Yeah... she's having a blast!
Riding buddies, the best kind of buddies
Meanwhile Daniel has decided the track needs some attention...
After riding with Rachel a bit more I grab the XR80 and head for the track to catch up with Daniel and ride with him a while. He really enjoys riding together! So once again I pass off the camera to Beth.
It takes me a lap or so, but I eventually catch him
Sarah and Emily take a Marshmallow break...
That berm has my name all over it!!
FOCUSED!!
Daniel and I do three or four laps before calling it quits. He has a couple pretty good slide outs in some mud. He's not hurt but is getting tired and a little frustrated. The mud is several inches deep and wet in places and the bikes REALLY slide around and squirm in it. I am glad I am on the little XR80 instead of the KTM. I had it out here earlier and the front end really wants to push in the loose mud! The worn front and rear tires did not help!
It begins raining pretty good again, Colton presses on!!
During one of the heavier waves of rain, Uncle Mike, the owner of the track, has an awards ceremony of sorts. The kids all get medals and pose for pics. They seem to really enjoy this. Sarah keeps hers on for the rest of the day and night.
Sarah and Emily
Hannah, Daniel, Emily, Rachel and Sarah
That is Andrew, the local fast kid, on the left
Yours truly joins the motley crew
Colton in the back
After the medals are passed out, it starts raining pretty good again. Most everyone hangs out under the big cover and just visits. Not Sarah and Emily. They are right back out in the pouring rain knocking off lap after lap around the camping area, taking turns leading. Emily tries standing up when she sees how well it is working for Sarah, but the XR50 is just a bit small for her and it makes standing difficult. Still, she tries several times. It continues to just get soupier and soupier as they ride.
You can really see the rain coming down here!
It doesn't deter her in the slightest... my formerly fair weather rider!
Ralph is in the CMA, Christian Motorcyclists Association. They do a wonderful job of hosting the day.
FOCUSED!!
Confident!
Can you see her medal dangling?
Sometime in the afternoon it finally stopped raining for a bit and the water ran off the tent rain covers. Beth took advantage of the lull in the rain to break down camp and get everything packed. I started the long process of hosing off all the bikes. There is a nice concrete pad and water hose for just that purpose. After several more hours of hosing and packing, we finally have all the bikes back on the trailer and are ready to go. A few of the other people pulling RVs have to be towed out of the mud a few times before they can finally get moving and leave the park. We say our good byes and make it out without any issues, then head back to College Station for dinner and Fudruckers. Sarah and Rachel are in the truck with me and Sarah talks non-stop about how much fun it is to ride in the mud, how much she loves the new bike, how much fun it was to ride with Emily, how her and Emily kept riding in the rain even after "the big boys" stopped riding, and on and on and on... Even Rachel was chatting up a storm.
We get home later in the evening around 8:30-9:00pm and I start the process of unloading everything. The kids are still pretty hyped from the day of riding. They cannot wait to go back! Later as I am tucking Daniel into bed I ask if he had a good time and he assures me he did. I tell him to think how much fun the track would be if it were dry and his eyes light up with that wild enthusiasm only little kids can muster
I hug him and head to the girls room to find them wearing their medals in bed. They don't want to take them off. They're still talking...
I head back to check on the kids about fifteen minutes later and they are all sound asleep, something that is totally unusual for Sarah as she is a total night owl and usually up until midnight or later regardless of when she "goes to bed".
It was a lot of fun. It was great seeing all the parents having fun with their kids even with the nasty weather. The MX track is great for kids as it is not super technical or intimidating. A smaller track for the little kids would be nice, but Mike just doesn't have the room on his 13 acres. Had it been more crowded so that Sarah could not ride around the camping area, she might not have ridden at all. I am not sure why she wouldn't ride on the track, but maybe next time. Ralph did a great job of organizing and hosting the day and it is much appreciated. Like the kids, I can't wait to do it again!
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