Man what a great ride!! so it all started when I decided I wanted to ride in Clayton. OK for my birthday, catch was my birthday was on a Monday. I got one Taker, Krabill said he would like to ride, he had vacation days, so he took one.
It was decided pretty early on we would just go ride with no set route taking the off shoot trails and roads that were not on the map. Even sticking to the roads in Clayton can get you in trouble. Some of them were good, fast logging roads 20 years ago...not any more.
usually when we go to Clayton we stick to the logging roads with some of the more technical sections thrown in for good measure. This ride we were trying to stay off the fire roads and just see if we could get lost and not get hurt, yeah right.
We both ended up in Clayton at about the same time, even though he came from the north and I came from the south. We rode a little two track and logging roads heading out of Clayton State Park, which would serve as base camp for the birthday ride.
After a about an hour it was declared dinner time, so it was off to the Shell station for dinner. Don't laugh, it's pretty good. You can go to the grocery section pick out a steak, and they'll grill it for you for $2.00. The burgers are huge, and I've never eaten there without a local starting a conversation.
After dinner a camp fire was built, beer was drunk, and stories were told.
On to my birthday, it was rise and shine at about 7:00 A.M. A quick shower and we were off to the Shell station for breakfast.
We took off from breakfast, just picked a road and went. Soon the course of the day was to be determined. I had heard of the power line trail, and heard that it was pretty much un ridable. Well as we were riding down our first road I see power lines and trail that appears to go straight up after a good little section of downhill. A short discussion and Krabill points his tires down the trail and I follow...for a little while.
I run off the trail after getting bounced around by some good size rocks, then the bike stalls. Now about that. I was riding a new to me XR650R. If your familiar with that bike you know it's tall and a kick start only. If your familiar with me you know I'm short.
At the bottom of the hill I see what looks like a wall of rock with tire tracks sliding sideways up it. Krabill who made it to the bottom said he thought it was ridable, I'll have to find out another day since I declined to try it.
I declined to go forward twice on this trip and that's something I've never done. This one does not haunt me much, the other does.
Now to describe the roads. It was probably 85% two track type trail with loads of loose rocks the smallest of which was about softball size and then going up to basketball size. Any bigger than that and they were usually buried in the ground. More often than not at a 45 degree angle to the trail.
This is the van down by the river. It escapes me how they got it up here.
But krabill's gonna surf it down.
At one point we encounter a good climb, that goes, and goes, and gets rockier, and goes, and goes, and gets rockier, and goes, and gets rockier, well you get the point. As best I can tell we are about ¾ of the way up when it all falls apart. I hit a section that sends the bike astray, then I get it under control...sort of....then, hit a small tree that stops me in a bad spot for a short guy on a tall bike.
The bike goes down. Now when people talk about having a kick start only bike they usually say it's really not that bad kicking the bike. The normal replay is usually wait until it's flooded on an off camber rocky steep hill. I will say this, it sucks kicking that bike flooded on an off camber rocky steep hill.
I finally get it started and am off, the trail levels out, then around the corner it points back up. I commit the mother of all sins on a hill climb and stop. Now number two on my top three tips on how to ride a dual sport bike is if you feel scared or feel like your going to crash, give it more gas. If I would have followed my own advise it would have been ok. But I didn't, the bike tips, and the next 5 hours were spent trying to start the bike....well, maybe it wasn't quite 5 hours but when it's 95 degrees and the humidity about the same, it sure felt like it.
the filter drain was leaking gas from one of the times I dropped the bike, so I decided to take it out and dry it out a little.
I get the bike started and we went a little further up the trail where it looked like the trail just kept going up. So we picked a good level spot to rest, and scout out the trail ahead. I started to walk up the hill with Krabill, and said something about kicking his *** for making me go up this trail...wait never mind...I was in the lead when we made that fateful turn.
Anyway, I decided my efforts were best spent resting. Krabill returns saying the trail starts to go down just out of site. The GPS did not show the trail we were on, but it did show the K trail just ahead. This is where I made the worst mistake of the trip and it will haunt me for some time until I can reconcile it.
We were both short on water, and I had heard from several different sources that a portion of the K trail had been closed of by land owners. I decided that we should turn around and head down the hill and head back to Clayton to fill up the camel backs an eat lunch. My thinking was that it was possible that we would hit a gate, or the trail would not go through. We should have gone, and we will one day.
Pretty much more of the same on the way out. Loose rocks on top of loose rocks on top of half buried rocks, on top of more rocks. At one point I am feeling better and pass Krabill going downhill. I see the road that will take us out of the nightmare just ahead.
Remember those rocks protruding from the trail at a 45 degree angle? I'm looking at the road to freedom and I don't see one of these rocks. My front wheel sees it though and decides it just cute enough to kiss...well I went down...no real damage thanks to new SIDI Flexforce boots, and brand new, on it's first ride chest protector. I did get a pretty nasty bruise on my thigh though.
We get burgers and Dr. Pepper in Clayton. I'm to hot to eat so I throw out about half my burger. Now that I write this I probably should have gotten Gatorade instead of a caffeine and sugar laden beverage.
We both talk over lunch and decide to head to the spot on the K trail that we would have been spit out on to see if it was doable. More rocks, the loose kind, some climbing, and a few more rocks and we get to the spot that we would have come out on.
Now this is at best two track for the most part, and tough on bikes, but what do we see in the woods? A bus!! How in the world anybody got a bus to this spot is completely beyond me. The kids have found it though, made their mark and stripped the parts so now it sits being used for...uhmm...the enjoyment of others.
***You'll have to go to the
adventure rider thread to get the ADULTS ONLY pic that goes here***
We decide at this point to start heading back towards Clayton...more rocks...the loose kind. First we go up, then down, then up, then we get to a spot we were at earlier. We take the trail we took previously just backwards because we know it will get us out of here. It's a long four mile or so descent with a long climb of about the same distance once you get to the bottom. About halfway down I start to get a cramp in my bruised leg.
I make it to the bottom, and Krabill is just ahead. He does not see me stop though. I tried every position possible and the cramp will not go away. Remember what I said about the Gatorade? This was about the time it dawned on me.
I sat on the ground in many different positions trying to lessen the pain of the cramp. I tried walking it out, I tried laying down, finally I found a ledge to sit on that would let me prop my leg up on a root. I loosened my boot straps and it started to fade. It had been a good 10 minutes and there was no sign of Krabill coming back to check on me.
So I suited up and started to go. About this time here comes Krabill, I give the thumbs up,a get on my bike to start it. Did I mention that my cramped leg was my kicking leg? Well first kick and she fired right up.
Krabill had other plans though after riding up, then down a gnarly hill to save my life he let me know he was stopping in some choice words. Ok I'll rest a little longer, that's fine by me.
The rest trip up was like all the other trips of the day...more rocks...the loose kind all on top of loose rocks.
That pretty much does it, we hit the highway and Krabill wants to race, I oblige, it may have appeared I won, but Krabill and his KLR beat me all day down some of the toughest trails around Clayton. Thanks buddy, I will always remember what I did on my 36th. unlike any of my other birthdays.
Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! 
Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to register so that you can join the community and use the numerous features on the site. After registering, don't forget to post up an introduction!
JK...Show us the pic's
