R/R-TRIALS and Tribulations(long)

It's been raining for what seems like a month. Scratch that, it HAS been raining for a month. That,
coupled with the fact that my new job has cut my riding time in half. I used to be able to get to
the trails at least 2 times a week. But for the last month or so it just hasn't worked to my
advantage. After keeping my eye on the weather channel for weeks, just hoping for a few days of good
weather to dry out the trails that would coincide with my off time so I could hit it...

Midweek last week things started to look up! The educated guess by the forecastors was showing
promise for the upcoming weekend. Friday and Saturday were reserved for the drying process (Dauset
was closed all weekend as they shut em' down after rain, they even cancelled the first annual MID-GA
Mountainbike festival that was scheduled for the 8th and 9th) just to let the trails recover.
Windridge in Newnan was to be the destination this Sunday, and I was stoked! The bike is tuned, new
pedals installed, I was freakin ready. I made my way the 25 miles to Windridge through sleepy ol'
Newnan with it's 150+ year old homes looking as beautiful as ever! The sun was out, it was 65
degrees and climbing, and I was looking forward to getting into the woods.

As I was pulling off GA HWY 27 (a small 2 lane) onto Glover Pond Rd, (a slightly paved road that
turns into a dirt road about a half mile into the woods) the anticiaption starts to peak. What's
this? Am I actually giddy? yes, I believe I am. I feel an unforced smile creep across my mug.
This going to be fun. I didn't notice the extra arrows posted on the stop sign. I get down to
the driveway leading up into the farm and I notice a sign taped to the mailbox that said
"trails" I thought to myself "so, I know there are trails here" and start to make my way up the
steep ass driveway. The end of the trail comes out just past a lower pasture to my right, and
out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of what I thought was a fellow mtb'er. But this
dude's haulin ass!! After a double take, the flying kid is like a foot off my front bumper! It's
then that I notice that he's on a TRIALS motorcycle, and he jumped out onto the dirt driveway
right in front of me!! I slammed on the brakes, and came to a quick stop (I was only going about
5 mph entering the parking area) I look around the parking area and it's a sea of trailers,
trucks, people, and MOTORCYCLES! Oh Sh*t, they've rented the farm to a trials club from
Tennessee or something...I suppose as a private land owner, you can do whatever you please with
your land, and the owners obviously have this weekend! I made my way down to the house, and
inquired with the owner and he said that he indeed rent the farm for the weekend, said he does
it early every year, as it helps packs the trails down and also he adds a few trails a year, and
what could be better to cut new trail with than a hundred or so motorcycles running over them
over the course of a weekend? Not much I'd wager. on the way out I realize the sign posted on
the mailbox said TRIALS, not TRAILS, bonehead!

What rhe heck can I do now, There are no other places like Windridge on the west side of the state!
I'm screwed. Dejection set in. I was bumming hard! But I had an idea. I'd read a few trail reviews
over at MTBR of a place I had never been too, that was just a few more minutes west of where I was
at, so be it. Off to Macintosh Reserve, in nearby Carrol county.

I had read the directions only a few times off of mtbr. But what the heck! Contrary to popular myth,
the years of the beloved herb did not falter my memory whatsoever, and I drove right to the place! I
immediatly noticed something that sent shivers down my back! FOCKING HORSE TRAILERS! This does not
look good! As I made my way into the county run park, I began to see bike related signs, I started
to calm down a bit. After making my way to the ranger station near the edge of the Chattahoochee
river, I actually saw a few SUVS with some very muddy bikes racked up on the back! "O.k", I thought.
"This will be alright, besides I'm 60 miles from the house and Damnit I'm going to ride SOMEWHERE!"
I pay the 2 dollar non-county resident fee, get my trailmap from the rangers and unload my gear. I'm
off. I forgot about the equestrian trailers earlier. I remembered them on the first climb. The
trails were all but ruined!!!! Any place where the water from the surronding hills crossed the trail
was just totalled! The heavy horses absoultely have wrecked this trail!!! I press on. Trying not to
go off trail to avoid the muck, but just knowing that it wasn't all just mud! The Motoraptors did as
could as could expected when riding through such a letal mixture of mud and horse pucky. "Funny,
these things aren't slinging the mud right off like normal, I wonder why!" Gawd that was the worst
ride I have ever experienced. the horses were all gone, but I know they hadn't been for long, as the
sh*t was still steamin all over the place!! NASTY! Luckily the trails aren't that long, about 3
miles worth, running right down next to the Hooch! Which was worth it in itself! I saw 3 cottonmouth
snakes on the trial, one right next to my foot on a particulary focked up climb that was un-ridable
thanks to the horses, that scared the bejesus out of me!! BIG ASS mofo just slithered away. I also
came with in 2 foot of a not so frightend doe. I saw her as I was hitting a particulary fast area of
the trail, and she just non-chalantly stepped like a foot off the trail and watch me wiz by her.
Didn't phase her a bit.

ALL IN ALL, and all things considered. I had a decent ride, albeit a very, very dirty one! I won't
be recommending it to my buddies though. To much horse crap to deal with......

Dave (and how was your weekend?)

 

Dave W wrote:

. I made my way the 25
> miles to Windridge through sleepy ol' Newnan with it's 150+ year old homes looking as beautiful
> as ever!

I love the way that 'colonials' consider 150 years old really old for a house

> Dave (and how was your weekend?)

Good thanks - report is ^^^ somewhere.

 

On Tue, 11 Mar 2003 20:39:35 +0100, bomba <[email protected]> wrote:

>Dave W wrote:
>
>. I made my way the 25
>> miles to Windridge through sleepy ol' Newnan with it's 150+ year old homes looking as beautiful
>> as ever!
>
>I love the way that 'colonials' consider 150 years old really old for a house

Hey, I never said I thought they were old, just that they were that old

considering these are the same houses the union army (or confederate soldiers, depending on which
story you believe) left standing during the Civil war, they are pretty amazing. But If I lived in
a country with such a rich and lusterous history as the U.K. I'm sure I wouldn't think they were
that old....
>
>> Dave (and how was your weekend?)
>
>Good thanks - report is ^^^ somewhere.

Excellent.

DAve

 

"bomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Dave W wrote:
>
> . I made my way the 25
> > miles to Windridge through sleepy ol' Newnan with it's 150+ year old homes looking as beautiful
> > as ever!
>
> I love the way that 'colonials' consider 150 years old really old for a house

Yes. We had the good sense to tear down the really old, drafty, uncomfortable stuff...

Pete