That's it Kiddies! Another Fun-Filled Season IS in the books! Somehow we all managed to enjoy all 4 Off-Road weather extremes (too cold, too hot, too dry, too wet
) as the FM calendar progressed.
C-dale was no exception.....
Knowing that the place got soaked for at least two days during the middle of the week, I was somewhat surprised when it was a 'Go' on Saturday nite..... since the place mudwise has about 4 different personalities depending on wind velocity and ambient temperature ( reminds me very much of a chunky Nebraska farm gal I met back in '91'
).
So I pick up Tank and his Kow, and it's off to the races we go. On the way up the Turnpike we decide that life is good for the crows and coyotes, who are feasting on the remains of a Kenworth-smoked-and-tenderized deer every 10 miles or so.
Hit the pits, and decide that since the chilly 25mph S. wind ain't going away, we should lay out a pit to position ourselves next to Shredders' house-on-wheels whenever he shows up, so he can be a wind block, worked out sweet!
When it comes time to get our gear on for our practice lap the wind hasn't backed off a lick ... the Navy/Air Force guys go hide in Shredders hauler to put their scoot-suits on, us Army guys each take sides of my pickup, and the one Coastie in the 700 club is wandering around eating bannanas 3/4 naked. I'm still trying to figure out how the 4 one-dollar bills wound up tucked into my riding shorts
.
Practice is an absolute greaseball, again I have borrowed OnTheRocks 200MXC for the race.... so now I get to remember how to ride a pipey 2stroke without a Rekluse, in the mud, which proves to be mostly 'varying degrees of slick and confused'.
The black dirt on the Northern half including the root forest is starting to tack up, but the gray/concrete slurry stuff on the tight South half could go either way.
(Would someone please... print up a T-shirt with a cool ' Don't Poke the Bear!" logo/design. Paul deserves one, don't forget the side-cutters, period!)
Line up on the 700 line for my Last Round with them... it has been a pleasure to have shared the same mud, dust, and blood with them for last 5 years, and I have made many Lifelong Friends there
(you know... the guys that will show at your funeral just to drink free beer) , but it's time to move back a row and open a spot for someone else.
Look behind me at the line I will join next Season, and see it is well stocked with reprobates, wards-o-the-court, lost souls, third cousins twice-removed, but mostly a 'test Class a few years ago' that has firmly settled into the Series and has no intention of going away as long as there are 45 year olds that still got some game left in em'.
Board drops.. and I whiff the puny lil" kickstarter again! It's Milford part 2! Get her going on the 2nd kick after clawing it out from under the tank but am less than amused with my own performance at this point.
Get on the back of the field when we hit the woods and am pleasantly surprised that the gray mud has tacked up pretty decent, first lap felt decent though the numb-throttle hand demonSOB hopped in about mile two.
The black mud on the North half has turned into velcro with the exception of all the exposed roots....which are now covered with Crisco! We're havin' fun now Baby!
Highlights...
I pulled over on lap 2 and let by what sounded like a parade lap of any A feature of the WoO Series go.... and there had to be 20 bikes in that mob, 8's 9's 10's, and the brand-new Mrs. Stretz was riding caboose on em.
While the view was inspiring
... I couldn't hang for more than a mile at their pace, in the 80's we called it a 'Conga line'.
Ever had a race where you and someone else in another class just flat-assed couldn't get away from each-other?
#89, Yamaha 4s, Jake Cates.... for three friggin' laps we took turns watching eachother screw up, or piggyback on a group pass, back and forth, over and over! We where both looking at eachother funny about the tenth time.
Also swapped around with WadeDawg and the younger Mr. Locke all afternoon, and both where excellent Sports about it.
About halfway thru the show a Godawful ROAR came from above and stayed there a bit.... I mean it rattled your friggin' teeth!
I'm thinking one of the buried UFOs' got a signal to launch and the flyash pile is gonna' need a major re-route...., but Shredders Wife Stacy told us after the show it was just two Billion dollars worth of invisible bombers doing a flyby.
Since it's currently a hot topic I will speak my mind...., passing was very polite all day, including many yelling out their class.
I heard a guy behind me late in the first lap yelling "C-Vet!" and though I wanted to yell back "So am I, Sweetpea!".... but my hands wanted no part of it, and let him by when it worked out for both of us.
I did try to let a late A classer by on a goofy, RH downhill and got all tippy-toed on a berm ridge. We got together and I somehow didn't wreck him on my trip to the ground, but I sure as hell scratched his plastic.
My fault, not his. And I did not see.... but felt him look back, before he hopped over the next drop, to see if I was getting back up
.
Dan, Landowners, The Lovely Ladies O' Scoring, Everyone that makes the PeeWees happen...., thanks....!
Talk to us!!
Whoop!
Tim
. He finally got her started and ended up having a fun time. 