How I learned to ride - old pic fest

[jqueen]

I've been here for a while now, and even pretty active, but I don't ever get around to doing these intros.. I was scanning in a bunch of old photos for my parents, and thought they could tell a decent story of how I learned to ride off-road. Or at least give me an excuse to post a bunch of pictures. There is one picture of an injury that shouldn't bother anybody, but it does show some blood.

If you have questions about any of the pics, ask away - I was there, after all.. These are all at the old Flying P motorcycle ranch in Weatherford or at Red River Motorcycle park near Muenster.

If you want to hijack and post your own pics, feel free.

[jqueen]

My dad taught me that if you have a heavy bike, you shouldn't let it fall down, even when you walk away (me and dad - and that really was my job, the old XR500 kickstand would sink right into the dirt):

[jqueen]

Sometimes the group may need a spotter (that guy at the bottom could do everything anybody else could do, but in his sleep if he wanted to, and you'd never know it if you didn't follow him):



Sometimes being the spotter is dangerous (dad is the spotter, the 3wheeler actually continued up on its own a few more feet, and he pushed it away on the way down so it wouldn't land on the rider. Unfortunately, his hand placement wasn't ideal.):

Day or two later (yes, you could see bone, no we did not cut the ride weekend short!):

[jqueen]

Everybody needs a little help getting started from time to time (brother and dad):


On the other hand, don't let your helper run off with your bike (me and dad again):

[jqueen]

My brother taught me you have to concentrate:



Dad taught me that you also have to commit. You won't make it up this hill slowly! (in case you're wondering, us kids at the top did not get up there the same way):

[jqueen]

Crashing style can be inherited. This picture pair is actually a bit deceiving, as my mother and my brother both rode off of cliffs (15 or so ft), while my father and I have both been through barbed wire fences...

Mom:


Me:

[jqueen]

If it starts and the engine runs, it can be ridden home. Mom dropped it off a cliff and rode it back, with the seat like that. It was the frame that was damaged, not the seat.





In the same spirit, bring tools (me, dad, and ?):

[jqueen]

Let your brother ride your brand new bike, even if it is your very first day with a clutch!

Me:

Me (look how excited my brother is - this ain't his bike!):

His turn:

[jqueen]

Sometimes a hill may be harder than it looks, so don't assume you can just fly past your brother and make him feel like an idiot... (I'm on the green)

[jqueen]

The 2-hour drive to Red River wasn't as much fun as one might think (in case we have any safety nazis, yes we had our belts on.. lap belts only in the back):

[jqueen]

Two wheelers are easier to turn around on the trail than 3wheelers:




No, really:

[jqueen]

And last but not least, practice makes perfect:

Brother on XR80:





Me on KDX80 - same spot as the 3wheeler above:





Me on dad's KDX200 several years later, at a different spot:




And my current ride. I like hills



Hope you enjoyed – I separated into multiple posts in case somebody replies with a quote – that way we don't repeat ALL the pictures.

[Tourmeister]

Absolutely awesome pictures!!

[Hemibee]

A couple of those locations sure looked familiar. Thanks for sharing.


Posting with Tapatalk for iPhone.

[KLR650]

Great pictures. Looks a lot like how I learned too. Growing up in Southern California, the deserts, Mojave, then Desert Victorville, Phelan........late 60s early 70s. and of course Indian Dunes Motocross park in Valencia.

Thanks for the memories and pictures!

[Desert Skies]

Except for newer model bikes, that brings back my schooling of riding the strip mines when I was a kid.

Awesome photos. Thanks for sharing.

[AustinJake]

Originally Posted by jqueen

Great pics, thanks for posting them, here's one of you to compare to the one above.

[Mudclod]

Cool stuff Queenie, Red River sure hasn't changed much over the years. You've got a great family!

[wanabeguru]

What a great set of pictures! Thank you for posting.

[greeneggs&ham]

Great memories for you I'm sure. I still have one of those Johnny O' jerseys. Back when we used to ride with open face helmets, boots and jeans. How did we ever survive? Good friendships, family and dirt.
Sam