INT Rock Show

[Greasemonkey]

Just getting this started,just got home and think all body parts are still attached.Most fun I've had abusing myself in a long time."THANKS" Mike and Gene for putting on such a great ride.Hope everyone made it home as we were skirted by storms all weekend.

Sure there will be more later as soon as folks get there act together...

[Goat Trail Green]

Fantastic ride !!



So it began !

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Shock problems
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The view from devils back bone
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Goat trail anyone
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Yes that bridge is leaning
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Oooops


Mushroom Rock

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No Brakes





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I had a riot. It was greta to meet some new people and as always awesome to hang with old friends.
Thanks to everyone that showed up. Another Thanks for evryone who pitched in from fixing flats to food !!!! I hope you liked the caves and mushroom rock. It was some of the best riding I have done in a long time.

Mike Green

P.S. I WANT MY GOAT TRAIL PRIVILEGES BACK !!!!

[Krabill]

You guys suck.



Or maybe more appropriately . . . I need to get a real dirt bike


Looks like you had quite an adventure.

[Greasemonkey]

Man ,I tell you the Indian Nation Trail was a workout.All day to do 55mi...

Beleive everyone was wornout by lunch and we had to go back "on the same trail".Coming back seems to go smoother as no missed turns and everyone had there rock thing down,at least myself being a flatlander.Did I say rocks,the first say three miles was the hardest taking maybe 1-2 hours.Yea I figured this would be a long day.Gene kept looking at us expecting a mutiny.Best time I've had in awhile and there's 2 days left ,Yee-Haww !!!!

James,on Gene's xt600?? should get the prize of the day for keeping up with bikes with twice the suspension

[McLeod]

Can't wait to see more. Sounds like a killer trip so far.

[Tekisasu DR]

Oh, boy...
I think I missed something very important in my life...

Ken

[Greasemonkey]

Originally Posted by Texas Dr

Oh, boy...
I think I missed something very important in my life...

Ken

Hey Ken your bike may not have thought so

[bullfrog]

very cool pics...

[Goat Trail Green]

The INT trail.

First I really recommend you going with someone who has been on it before. The trail is in a National forest and can be really hard to follow. Many times you could end up on the horse trails. As you know from all the press, the last things we need is another group pointing a fingers at us riders and getting us kicked off the trail. Please try to stay on the trail. Ok off the soap box.
Here is a description of what the 1 section is like.

So
I did a superman on a wet log in 2nd gear at half throttle an hour into the trail... I flew about 6 feet over the handle bars, over a flat rock the size of a garbage can lid. The tip of it hit just below my chest protector and drug about 4 inches. LMAO I have a little rock (rug) burn if you will and a bruise. This trail was about 1.5 to 2 feet wide for the 1st 3-5 miles. It was entirley wet with rocks about the size of cantelope embedded in the mud the entire distance. Then there were rocks.These were about the size of diner plates or cooler lids mixed along the way. Of course the larger rocks were strategically placed between 2 trees that were about 3-4 feet apart. Most of these big rocks blocked the trail and formed a V where they over lapped. You would point the bike for the V hit it, then crack the throttle, bounce up, dodge left or right to miss the trees, of course doing all this in 2nd gear about 1/2 throttle so you would have momentum to be bouncing over the cantelope rocks. If you fell out of rythem you would know it real fast !! This is an out and back trail so you get to start with this and end with this.
Hopefully Scott will get his INT pics developed. i am not for sure how many he has of the trail..
Mike Green

[irondawg]

Rocks in the water crossings....rocks in the trail....rocks on the hills....rocks, rocks, rocks. And if rocks weren't enough, let's mix in a little rain, mud, and pine needles to make things EXTRA slippery....what a blast!!

Mike...you've got your goat trail privaleges back.

And I wish I could have run most of that stuff in second. Having my bike geared for desert and the he-man clutch springs didn't do me any favors. My left arm is twice as big as my right after this weekend.

Thanks to all for the routes, food, beer, and bench racing. Can't wait to go and do it again!!

[tx246]

Well, Mike called me up and said "Let's get a dualsport trip to Oklahoma together." The plan was to do a three day "event". I was to lead the group on Friday down the vaunted Indian Nations Trail out of Talahina and Mike was going to show us all the dirt in and around Clayton and Pickens. All we needed was riders. Turned out there were plenty of takers. Like all of these deals, some people had to drop out yet there were others that took their place.

I talked Captian James into coming up with me for this shindig. We go way back riding dirtbikes. His kids and my kids learned to ride together. He didnt have a street legal dirtbike but I did have a vintage 84 xt600 that he could ride. I was going to ride my new to me drz400s. The plan was to go up Thursday night but did not happen due to someone not doing their job at a car dealership 2 mos ago.

Its early (5:00am) when Capt James knocks on my door. We have an appointment in Oklahoma for 9:00am. So its throw the bikes on the truck and make our way north. We get to Talahina a little early and grab some breakfast on the way out to the State Park. Quite a few are already there. Some Ive ridden with before and some Ive never met. We all get the introductions done and gear up. There are seven takers on this portion of the weekend.

Mike gathers up the group and we do a little preride and I give them a preview of what was coming ahead. Im a little nervous as I am the only one who "knows" the trail and will be tourguide for the day. There has been lots of rain and I knew the water crossings might be epic. Ive never had a group this big and wanted to make sure everybody had a good time. The INT is an acquired taste. Either you love it or you hate it. It is that simple. One word that describes the INT is RELENTLESS. You have to be on your toes at all times or you will be on the ground pronto.

First mistake of the day was that I converted a track to a route on the Garmin software. It had too many waypoints and was truncated. For those not in GPSpeak that means it was incomplete. There are lots of intersections on the INT and its easy to get off track. Navigation is, or should I say lack of navigation is the heart of any adventure ride. Either way we hit the trail head and I had a company of calvary following their scout through the woods. I told them the first couple of miles are the toughest. I must of said that 20 times. It was a wet log at 45degrees that got ScottH. He bounced off the ground but came out ok. Off we went to cross many logs and some pretty fun water crossings. I really hope somebody got some pictures as I left my digital on the workbench right beside the chainlube.

Finally, the first gear rock fest was over and it was on to the second act. I missed a turn or two but finally we got through the hard navigation part and the true flavor of the trail was beginning to show itself. We had a bike and body or two that got a little warm on the first part but now the miles were adding up. Its here that I have to do a little background on Capt James and him on the XT. Im 5'8 and weigh 180. He is 6"3 235. I have done the INT on the XT. Not flying mind you but I have done it. Bikes made in 1984 have a little less suspension than the new stuff. It is a comfy bike for me but I bottom it out a bit. When James sits on it, half of that 8 inch travel is gone until he gets off it. That skid plate went to work immediatley but it wasnt too long before it tried to give up. The front strap broke and some helpful types on quads donated a bungee to hold the thing up. The lack of suspension adds up to the big get off for the weekend. He hit the only spot of mud on the trail and bottomed on a g out of sorts. Capt James tackles a tree and leaves a big dent in the ground. Shaken but not broken, he remounts and we ride on. Did I tell ya that we are AA riders? Thats Advil followed by asprin.

The last 5 miles of the INT are mucho fun and we are all blasting and having a good time. Through here there are no navigational decisions, so I sent everybody ahead of me and rode sweep. I like riding in the back to watch riding technique. Lots of uphill and downhill. Im really liking the DRZ as this is the first time Ive had it offroad. The motor makes it easy to dial in power and the suspension is pretty good. Im faster on my CR but it is much easier to ride the DRZ. We finish with a big water crossing at Billy Creek and head into town for food for bikes and bodies.

Capt James eats lunch and decides that the get off has left him in enough pain for the day and opts out for the pavement back. He grins at me and says "there are two more days of riding, right?" You see, he has run the INT before and knows how much it can drain you. He was showered and drinking a beer or two before we made it across the first water crossing. As Greasemonkey said, the trip back always seems smoother and faster. Navigation is mostly right on and everybody is familiar with the terrain. The wet ground made for no dust which is great with a bunch of riders. On the way back, I tried to ride sweep. The others took turns up front blazing trail. At the last break we are all feeling pretty good but I know its the last 3.5 miles that finally kick your butt. Remember those tough miles in the beginning? Theeerree baaack. Nobody waved this and we soldiered on to the end.


Bikes on trailers and in pickup beds, we move on over to our new digs. That would be Clayton State Park. Tents set up and clothes changed, we head into town for Simple Simons pizza. I dont know what everybody else thought but James and I got our moneys worth. We reccomend the the large supreme pizza and calzone deal for 14.99. It was easily two days worth of tasty italian as we ate dinner, lunch, and another snack on it. At Clayton, we pick up Thumper as he was already there with his spiffy DRZ and equally spiffy wife Brenda and pup Reno. We sit around after dinner for a bit but most of us retired early due to the long days ride.


Saturday morning has ScottH on the griddle making some flapjacks and Thumper on the Coleman with the sausage and eggs for breakfast burritos. I was all . Another rider shows up and that would be CeeBee. He burned up I45 on a Friday night to get there.

The plan for the day was to turn guide duties to Mike and he was going to lead the group to Pickens and back with a free set of sidetrips thrown in. We gas up and head out on one of the parks ATV trails. Its then that I realize something is not right with the bike. The fork feels like something is loose, then it feels like the steering head bearing is gone and finally I feel the shock topping out way too quickly. We pulled over and I confirmed a rear shock with no compression/rebound controll. Instead of tearing up a 300 dollar shock shaft, I pulled out 10 miles in.

It was still early, and I had a tool box at the truck. On top of that, they wouldnt be back until 6:00 or so. Time to whip out the "what the heck" and do a field strip of my ailing shock. Man, that DRZ has a bunch of crap that connects the subframe to the rest of the bike in the form of wiring harness. The CR is a 4 bolt one carb boot affair. After a lengthy subframe disconnect, I pulled out the shock that damped no more. I pulled it down and it had lost fluid to the point that enough air had created the lack of shock action. I needed compressed air to pop the bladder out so off to town I went. Asking for some Silkolene 5wt and 140psi of nitrogen was not an option so I had to settle for chevron dextron ATF and some really oily/wet compressed air. In the end, it all worked. I knew it was temporary, but I would at least get to ride Sunday. The rebuild of the bike was an afternoon affair and I had good company. Brenda and Reno the pup! Thanks for the margaritas Brenda.

Saturday night found all riders in along with two that just couldnt stand it and made a last minute decision to come on up. That would of been Greengoose and Backspinin. The charcoal fired up and Mike put on the chef hat. Butterflied porkchop sandwiches quickly found their way from plates to mouths in about the time it takes to go from neutral to first gear. Fire burning bright and brownies and beers....what a combo. The BS flew as high as the flames. Sounds like they had a great ride. We jibber jabbered late into the night.

Sunday was the final day of the event and Mike had some good stuff planned. We all skipped breakfast as the previous two days left us a little slower to get up and get moving. We headed to town to find CeeBee who was nowhere to be found. While we were waiting at the gas station, I noticed the tire on the XT going down. Crap. A quick tire takedown was handled by Irondawg and a Greasemonkey provided tube was installed. The XT was quickly on her feet. Thanks guys. Everybody rounded up we headed off to Mikes offroad park called Green Acres. Some very cool terrain for sure. Those jeeps may be slow but they can go over some incredible stuff. CeeBee's bike must of been tired as it layed over on the ground and took a nap. Result was a very hard starting four stroke. A new plug got her running but something wasnt right. (later we found folded up vent hoses with fuel in them). Once we made the ridge, we picked up speed and splashed through countless puddles of varying depth and goo. We made the caves and that was a treat in itself. They were air conditioned and very scenic. A quick run up to Mushroom Rock was followed by school pictures.

By now it was getting late, and lots of folks had many hours to travel home. We hotfooted it down the mountain and back to the parking area. We shook hands and got people loaded up. Capt James and I headed back to the State Park and loaded up ourselves.

A great trip for sure. A big thanks to those who drove considerable distances to take us up on our offer. I hope it was worth it.

[Krabill]

If I could figure out how to carry enough fuel, it sounds like the INT would be fun on the trials bike

[Photojojo]

Great report. Wish I could have made it.

[McLeod]

I thought I was one of the few people who had ever heard of Billy Creek. We hunted and camped there every year when I was a kid. Tx246 can I get your Garmin track?

Excellent write up. Cant wait to see the pics.

[Goat Trail Green]

For a few of you have been Walters Mule Road. This is what it looks like now



Mike Green

[CeeBee]

Had a great time and Glad to have met everyone! Haven't been challenged like that in a long time. Every muscle in my body is sore but no damage!

Things that I learned are: Lower the front of the bike the same as the rear, make sure the vent line to carb. is always clear and the bike is running perfect - (this was no shake down run), put on a smaller gas tank, use your gym membership and bring along a defibrillator if you have to kick start your bike until the cows come home!

Thanks for the opportunity to ride with ya'll. After I fix the bike, workout and have some more seat time - I'll BE BACK -
Later, Chuck

[thumper]

Thanks Mike, Gene, and Scott for putting on a great ride. I missed day one [INT] and was okay with that. Seeings how this was my first time in the rocks on my DRZ and I've never ridden anything quite that rocky! I've heard of it, seen pics and vids, and gotta hand it to y'all for making it through and then running back again.

The next two days were great riding too. Especially getting off the beaten path on day two. Don't get me wrong here. The roads were some of the best and there wasn't any dust, but riding the uncertain trails really topped it off.

Our journey began with an over night stay in Kilgore.


We [Brenda and I] pushed on to Clayton, haggled over a couple of sites which somes guys had "dibs" on and finally settled on the best one [in the back, out of the traffic].

We unloaded and as I promised, took Brenda on an ATV ride. She had a blast, especially when we were rock crawling. The Polaris spent alot of time on three wheels and sometimes two.

Everywhere we looked the views were great.



James showed up and got moved in. The rest of the INT riders came in late and maybe a little weary.

Scott H and Scott gettin' ready for day two.


The river was high and moving pretty good, so we had to skip the bridge out crossing.



The rest of the day was fantastic and true offroad DSing.




Gene's shock discovery


I did notice that things weren't quite right with Chuck's WR also. That would really make it tough for him on day three. I'll be back soon.

[Tourmeister]

More pictures!!!

[thumper]

Day two ended a little early for me. I'd promised to return to camp with enough daylight for Brenda and another ride. The rest of the gang rolled in close to dark and Mike cooked up some grub.

Day three started out late. Seems Chuck had over slept, but the real hold up was a flat on the XT. Could of been any of us and I was surprised no one else had one. I know my DRZ's front tire took a brutal beating throughout the weekend. I was sure that it had to be flat after a couple of the up and downhills in the rocks. So John and Scott pitched in and helped make the best of the situation. This left John running out of time and he headed back to Austin. [BTW, I think I have your chair]

Now we're at the trailhead[?] of day three. A quick rider chat by Mike [good advice, don't wreck your day or mine]. "We'll start out easy and get harder as the day goes on". If you listened to Mike and truly heard what he was saying, there weren't any surprises except for his last statement. We plunked across a water crossing and turned up the steepiest, rockiest climb of the day. 100' up and my ''Flatlander'' [good term Scott] arms were giving out quick. I came bouncing around the first switchback and saw Chuck's bike cough and fall over dead. With no room to go around, I grabbed my front brake and started sliding back down. I mashed the rear and slid into a creavas. Then it was either jump off or tip over. I got off and was stuck. After using up the rest of my arms rocking and clutching my way out of my perdiciment, I walked it up a few feet closer to Chuck and rode out. Scott was riding sweep and I'm sure I heard him snickering back there. So now the WR is dead on the side of the hill. Everyone else eventually goes back down to investigate. They decide to push it up to a flat spot and work on reviving it. Mean time up comes a jeep caravan.


Some easy parts of this section.





Scott and Gene motoring up after fixing the WR




It did get smoother as we climbed up. On top it was amazingly flat. The mud bogs were a blast and except for the clay, I would've sworn we were in Houston.



Gene,Mike, and Matt anticipating a crash.


We made our way to the caves. The A/C felt great.





We backtracked to a crossroad were I peeled off [it was getting late and I needed to split my priorities]. Ceebee joined me on an easy ride back down. It was so well graded I could had driven my RV up there. I thought about this as I blapped past the steep climb at the trailhead. Mike did this right and the first road was the only meaningful way up that hill. Had I had the time, I would've rode that up and down until it became child's play.

This was a good one! Thanks for a great ride!

[Photojojo]

Originally Posted by billyji

For a few of you have been Walters Mule Road. This is what it looks like now



Mike Green

Why didn't you take a picture of the hard section?