What's up everyone!?
(Marshal from Virginia here. I was mentioned in previous posts- thanks for the kind words!)
Ride Report- Around The Bend: 2021
About me: 24, from Virginia. Have ridden about since I was little (Dad... you rock!). I have ridden many a mountain trail in Virginia. Thus, my usual riding terrain is dense woods. Creek crossings. Fire roads. Once I became of age, I learned having a dirtbike with a 6spd and flimsy little plate is invaluable. Living in Corpus Christi currently.
Past couple bikes:
2007 RFS 450xcw (wish I never sold it)
KTM 625smc
Beta 500rs
Currently riding a 2010 KTM 990 (FI) I got a couple months ago. Previously a WA state bike that has won some races from what I've heard. Biggest bike I have had yet. Can tip toe on one side. Thats all I need baby! It's tuned, deleted, Rottweiler intake system, full Cyclops kit, dual Akros. If there's a 990 mod, this bike probably has it. Dyno'd at 115hp. It is one BAD machine. It wants to be ridden hard and fast. I love it. This was my first trip really ripping dirt on it. More on that later.
Getting there:
My schedule cleared up last minute. Knew I had to use the time for some riding and had kicked around Hill Country. Saw this event on Tuesday. Found a post by Peter stating he may have an open spot or two at his property- he was even nice enough to post his number. I texted him and he said I was good to go! Peter- without your generosity my trip wouldn't have happened. Thank you!
I had never been to Big Bend. I'm from Virginia and have been riding tight woods/sand since I was 5 or so. Wasn't sure what to expect so I bought all kinds of camp food, new gas cans, etc. Little did I know there would be gas and groceries readily available! Oh well, I packed. Prepped. Left Wednesday. Stayed a night in a hotel halfway and made it to the park midday Thursday.
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Turns out the only car in sight was a po-lice! He was cool and let me off with a warning. Either way, I blame the 34s for throwing my speedo off...
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Stopped in Marathon for a bite to eat!
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Stopped at an exhibit on the way in:
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Was the first to make it to Camp! Scott,
@MarkyMark , Bob, Peter S, Peter V, Dave and his friend who's name I am so embarrassed I can't remember.
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Don't remember if I hit the meet and greet solo or not... either way, my first "biker meet up." Was really cool being the only 990 rider there!
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That night, camp was set up and we all hangout in typical camp fashion. The guys were all welcoming to me (I didn't know a soul beforehand). A cold beer or two was shared and I believe we called it an early night. I ended up being a rekluse (pun intended) and camped in my camper shell while Bob, Mark, and Scott were in tents. I was super stoked to get up in the morning and ride!
Peter, Scott, Bob, Mark, and I set out Saturday morning. I wasn't familiar with the area and was "along for the ride" although I did have some GPS tracks. Peter led the way but had a bike issue, so he and Scott headed back to camp. Mark, Bob, and I were kindly invited into
@JT group. JT, thank you for allowing us to tag along. We all set out for Top of the World.
On the way: Mark's T7, Bob's TransAlp, my 990
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Arrival:
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On the way back:
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This ride was a very cool into to Big Bend! Although a bit slow at times due to group size and avg. skill. Speeds were often slow and Bob was in the red on temp, while my fan was on often. Thats ok though- thank you JT for your hosting the ride and for showing those in your group the fun of riding! My favorite part of this ride on Friday was the end, getting after it with a gentlemen on a 450 Yamaha.
Bob, Mark, and I stopped at the BBQ food truck on the way home. It was amazing! We hangout there and enjoyed the food and some glucose from those sodas. I asked Mark if he wanted to go swimming in the Rio Grande and he obliged! I was stoked. We got back to camp and hangout for a bit. Knowing I only had a couple days there, I wanted to keep riding. Mark and I set off for a "quick ride" to the Rio... ha! Lets just say I should've filled up my tanks.
I cleaned my dirty self up in the Rio and enjoyed the breathtaking sunset view. Mark and I hungout for a bit and relaxed
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He had been to Big Bend previously and mentioned we should go home via pavement on a pretty ride. I had to think about that decision for a long, long time...
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This ride was very memorable. Gorgeous, excellent pavement, and twisties! What's not to like? Anyway, he kept telling me about an overlook where we can catch the sunset. Boy was he right!!! We made it just in time. It was surreal. There were other folks there as well, watching in silence. I felt a bit bad knowing we were just blasting up the road with dual akros...
Just look at these pics. Unbelievable. Ended up getting back to camp with .5 gallons left. The tune deleted my fuel gauge! Makes things interesting
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Friday recap: FUN. Thanks for the ride
@MarkyMark!. 'Nuff said. PS- good riding Mark!!!
Going into Saturday, I didn't have a plan. I knew I wanted to ride with other groups, though. I met
@pilot815 who also came up from Corpus. He was on an XR650 and was riding with 2 father and son groups. They were all on smaller bikes. 6 total. I regret not remembering the names of these folks.
If I recall correctly, since we left on our trip from "behind the gas station" we rode East. Not sure what the trail is called. Again, lots of fun riding. There was 1 hillclimb that was a bit of work
Only pic I have from this trip, which is at the top of aforementioned Hill Climb:
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Honestly readers, I have no idea where this trail took us. All I know is that it came to an end. At this end, we were tailed by another group of riders. Tim on a 701, Edwin on a 530, and many others whose names are escaping me. Mostly mid sized bikes. This meet up is previously mentioned on this thread... I will see if I can edit this post and tag that some how.... again, I apologize. Lots of names to learn.
@pilot815 and the other guys were headed back for the day. Thus, I asked these kind fellows if I could tag along and join their group. Luckily, they said yes! (seems to be an awesome trend here...).
Not knocking the groups I had previously ridden with, but I believe I finally found my niche here with Tim and Edwin. They were the fastest riders I had ridden with this trip. I was immediately stoked when I saw Tim wheelie off in front of me. This was a good sign!!! Finally can haul some serious toosh. Besides, the 990 is happiest either with its front wheel in the air (if it allows you traction) or its rear sliding wide! We set off on, you guessed it, I don't know. LOL. I do know that it was pavement and then we were on another route to Top of the World. Many fast sections with Tim and Edwin finally allowed me the chance to push the 990 harder and it continued to blow me away!
A pic from when we made it to Top of the World. The guy with the awesome chops... I am blanking on your name. Nice guy and had a blast riding with ya! And then there is my new buddy Edwin! There are many not pictured but I believe there are some pics floating around? Tim probably took this pic!
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Anyway, we headed back. Brap..braaaap brap. We ended up on the Porch in Terlingua and shared a 6 pack. Listened to some fine music by a couple gentlemen on nothing but geetars and soul. Wind ended up picking up and a bike or two fell over. Soon became very dusty! Richard showed up toward the end of our visit and it was nice to meet you Richard! Thanks for the event!
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We set off back to camp, and I was offered a shower at one of their places and to head to the restaurant after. I got back to camp to grab some shower supplies and Bob was there. He mentioned he was heading out early and knew of a nice clean place to camp about 2hr away on the way home. I made a last minute decision to pack up and get out of the dust and head home since my riding was done for the trip, anyway. Thanks for inviting me Bob! He set off on his TransAlp and I met him a few hours later. I packed the truck and trailer up and stopped by to say bye to Tim, Edwin, and the guys.
What would I change if I could do it again?
1- Don't buy a whole bunch of camp food items beforehand
2- Get the 990 on some knobbies! Might give me at least hope for traction
That's it.
Notes on the 990: A great bike for the riding in Big Bend. If you are an aggressive rider, it wants to rip! You can go anywhere. Come with a knobby, I think. Loved the Anakee Wild front for being a dual purpose tire. I left the bags at home and never needed them. Will probably add a rotopax on an inner mount for the rear.
In close, I'd like to thank everyone for being so cool and inviting. Again, I did not know a soul prior to coming on this trip. Peter, thanks again for letting me stay at your place. To everyone at camp, I enjoyed your company! Thanks for reading!
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And yeah, @Monica shoutout for keeping it up all the way through, those aren't easy trails for new riders
