Ridin' With Texans 2-28-09

[crfjedi393]

This is one of those rides I’ll look back on for years to come. We ride year round here. However, we pick and choose our weekends in the winter. Sometimes February weather in North Texas/Southern Oklahoma.... well, it just sucks. But when friends are making a long drive, you just ride. It doesn’t really matter what the conditions are.
The weather.
Conditions were less than ideal with the wind chill well below freezing upon arrival. The wind was forecast to be 20-30 and I can guarantee it stayed closer to 30! Nocona is in the top 3 of my favorite tracks ever ridden. But that's probably because I’ve had so many rides there in perfect conditions. Today wasn’t one of them. The temps actually climbed near 50 by 3:00 or so but it was just plain nasty with the wind. However, the company of long-time riding buds made the trip one to remember and the conditions not quite so nasty.

The ride.
It was great to ride with Keeto again. His girlfriend fit in like she has been with us from the beginning. Just as sarcastic as the rest of us. Char and family were on a mission to ride Nocona and the weather wasn’t scaring them off. Had I not gotten late word that they were heading our way, I would have waited until a warmer tomorrow. But no way I was gonna miss riding with some of my favorite people in the world. (I’ll try to shorten this as much as possible.) Daniel and Char are obviously in better shape than the rest of us. I could ride with them and all was good. But I had to find places on the track to back it down a bit, conserve a little energy, find the smoother lines, and catch as much air as possible when flying with the wind. Relax my arms a bit. The wind was just STUPID and really kept us all on the conservative side. We got some serious practice on cornering. Well, maybe it was more playing. Inside, outside, trying to beat each other to a rut, maybe pushing just a bit. Char made me take the outside so many times it wasn’t even funny! But it is SOOO awesome to ride close with people you seriously trust. One bonus the nasty weather gave us was a very UN-crowded track. The last couple of hours we had the entire track to ourselves! I took a small soil sample early on and it looked like I would be the only one to crash today. Thankfully, Keeto’s girlfriend went down late in the day. Atta girl, Michelle. Thank you!
The bench racing.
My cheeks hurt from laughing so much. We discussed sooo many stories from our past. And, to tell you the truth, I’m not sure you can call some of it bench racing so much as smack talking.
The kids.
My kids are pretty much grown and have their own thing going so they weren’t with me. The 3 kiddos that were part of the group were well-mannered and never caused the least problem. They interacted perfectly well and I never heard a cross word. All smiles and laughter. Pretty cool stuff.
I only got a few pics. I’ll have to let the others share what they have. Probably won’t be tonight. I think they are partying at Keeto’s.
It was freakin’ COLD but at least the entrance sign gave a warm welcome.


Keeto and Char getting ready. Keeto is tying his bow tie.





Char on her site lap.





Keeto hanging it out.





Sidis ruled the day.



A couple of pics showing us with the track all to ourselves.

[schwen_108]

I LOVE it when I have a track all to myself!

sick picks Jedi

[char393]

The wind was gnarly! We had a great time though. It was well worth the trip. I'll try to get some pics posted tomorrow. That track is unbelievable, even on a windy day.

[yzernie]

That's it....I'm going to retire early and start my Moto-Retirement travels. To heck with the baseball Hall Of Fame, Mt. Rushmore and all of the other places I have wanted to go to for years....I wanna ride!!!

It's so cool to read of the gatherings of friends...Garrett would be proud.

[Keetoman393]

It was windy?

I had an absolute blast riding with Char, Daniel and Jedi again. This was my first "real" ride since my accident and it happened to be on one of my favorite tracks and with the three people that were there when I broke my ankle. These are good people!

It was a tad windy and cold but we had fun anyway. I finally got the feel of the bike and was getting comfortable towards the end of the day but my arm pump set in and I quit before having an accident. I had forgot how much fun Nocona was to ride! Railing the corners is a blast there as you just stick and gas it. Just don't let your front tire get out of the rut! The owner really impressed me as he kept spraying the track with water to keep the dust down as best he could and there were only a handful of us riding! There were a couple of spots that got a little too much water but we enjoyed the deep sandy loam when it dried up. Char, Daniel and Jedi really put in the laps and I really felt out of shape as I could do about two laps and my arms would get pumped. Not bad considering I hadn't really ridden in almost 2 years!

The track has changed a lot since I had last ridden it and there were a couple of jump faces that would really throw you! Jim would be happy with those! There was a new triple/triple in back but I made it a single, single, single, almost double(), single. I had watched Jedi do that double over and over and it wasn't really that bad. Char then followed Jedi over and the pressure was on me to try it, even though I hate jumping! The wind was at our backs and all it took was what I was lacking... nerve! I finally just decided to go for it that last lap I rode. I didn't have anyone to judge speed on but I wasn't off by much. I cased it but the landing wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but I was happy overall that I knew I was overcoming the demons that had been haunting me since my accident.

Thanks again for all the fun guys! We need to do it again when the weather is a little more tolerable!

I'll post pictures as soon as my camera battery recharges and I get them processed. My girlfriend took some good ones too but she is feeling a little under the weather at the moment. She was a real trooper as she wasn't feeling well last night but she single handedly cooked a feast for all of us that consisted of grilled shrimp, grilled peppers/tomatoes, grilled fresh pineapple slices, grilled lettuce and then some major league steaks! She also made some ribs in the slow cooker that cooked all day long and fell off the bone which made the perfect "appetizer/meal". I think Daniel ate half of the ribs and was looking for more! There were some offers to take her back with them that I had to counter in order to keep her! We then went to my shop when Michele's sister and brother-in-law got there and we had an indoor heater in there and thing we all laughed until we were crying! Really wished you could have made that, Jedi! The kids had taken over my living room and were playing Rock Band and they were having a blast! It was really cool to watch them singing, playing the drums and guitar!

Overall, this weekend will be forever etched in my mind as one of the best times I have had. What more could a person ask for? Good friends, good food, a beautiful girlfriend and some awesome kids thrown in with riding with some of my best friends on my favorite track. Thanks to everyone involved!

[crfjedi393]

Originally Posted by Keetoman393

and with the three people that were there when I broke my ankle. These are good people!

Well, two of us are anyway. Char may have been forced to go to the hospital with us this time since there was no one else for her to ride with.

[char393]

Originally Posted by crfjedi393

Well, two of us are anyway. Char may have been forced to go to the hospital with us this time since there was no one else for her to ride with.

Ouch. I'd post up a ride report, but I have to go cry into my pillow now.

[crfjedi393]

I just talked to Keeto. We ain't buyin' it.

[char393]

Originally Posted by crfjedi393

I just talked to Keeto. We ain't buyin' it.

Good thing, because I really just had to watch the SX main and make dinner.

Besides that, I would have gone to the hospital with ya'll, if Keeto hadn't taken up the whole freakin' backseat. Sheesh, just because his ankle was snapped like a green twig, didn't mean he had to be so inconsiderate!

And now...for the ride report....

We'd been watching the weather all week and the forecasted temps just kept dropping. That in itself wouldn't have been bad, if the wind forecast hadn't kept increasing. That being said, after talking it over, we decided to head up anyway. Keeto said he'd still ride with us...and Jedi too. It was slightly breezy and freakin' cold, but so worth the trip. This will definitely be one of those rides that I'll remember for the rest of my life and look back on with a smile.

I don't even know where to start. The wind really was strong, which meant I had no intention of getting off the ground. I figured it'd be a great day to work on corner speed. However, when I saw Jedi doubling out of the rhythm section, I knew I was going to have to give it a whirl by the end of the day. I went ahead and followed him over, and it was easier than I expected. Of course, it may have helped that I had a 25 mph tailwind. I really, really, no really, dislike riding in the wind... usually. I'll tell you though, yesterday I had a blast. I'm pretty sure I put a solid 2 hours and maybe more on my bike. I know I went through at least a tank and half of gas. And Daniel, well, he burned up at least 2 gallons. I know this because he ran out. He had so much fun riding, and he rode the little 144 really well. He has amazing endurance, he'll get out there and just go and go. And all that after not riding for the past 4 months while waiting for his insurance to start up. He's pretty sore tonight. I got to put in laps with everyone and like Jedi said, riding close with someone you trust is just way cool. I'm not sure it gets much better than that.

Holy cow, this is getting long. We laughed lots, we rode lots and we laughed some more. It was a great day, for sure. Michele is a great cook, I ate more last night than I have in a very long time. Thank goodness Michele gave me the recipe for the ribs. Holy geez, I think Daniel ate at least half the rack. The steak and shrimp were excellent, as was the company. Keeto, thanks for putting us up and putting up with us. You are an excellent host! We had a great time last night. Watching the kids play Rock Band was hilarious. And even more funny, was watching the adults play after a few beverages.

I could go on and on, but I won't. I'll just post the pics now. Hopefully they'll give you at least a glimpse into how much fun we had. It was awesome!

Keeto..


Woohoo...both tires off the ground and he's still upright!


Daniel and the 144 get along quite well.. ( I see my sensor has some dust on it. )


Jedi through the whoops...


Jedi and his mad corner skills.


Daniel through the whoops...

[Riptide369]

Glad to hear y'all had a good time and everyone walked away for the most part. Awsome Pic's

[char393]

more pics...

Daniel and the baby yz again...


Jedi


Daniel


Me


Jedi and I over the double


Proof that Jedi had the inside line at least once


And proof that sometimes he didn't.


And this is just to show how nice the dirt really is...

[char393]

Originally Posted by Riptide369

Glad to hear y'all had a good time and everyone walked away for the most part. Awsome Pic's

You have to make the trip, you'd love the track.

[Riptide369]

Thanks... Would love to go up there and ride with y'all the track looks very cool and like the sign says BEST DIRT IN TX

[crfjedi393]

That was some serious fun. Thanks for posting your pics.

[Freak]

wow, great pics all. Wish we had some dirt around here like that.

[DRGSin393]

Sounds like a great weekend guys, I can tell, I had a big smile on my face just reading your comments. Nothing better than good friends, good riding, good food and good times! How far away is that track from Splendora? Is it doable when we come down for the GMB?

[crfjedi393]

Originally Posted by DRGSin393

How far away is that track from Splendora? Is it doable when we come down for the GMB?

It's a good 4 1/2 hour drive, Doc. Only open on weekends unless you rent the track. It is truly an awesome place to ride but probably not doable unless we rented the track on Thursday or Friday.
Of course, I could be there either day.

[yzernie]

Wow, what a great thread!! Like Doc said, it is reading about times like these that make a grumpy ole man smile!!

[pragmatic393]

Talk about a great thread!!! I have a smile on my face as big as Texas!

[DRGSin393]

Originally Posted by crfjedi393

It's a good 4 1/2 hour drive, Doc. Only open on weekends unless you rent the track. It is truly an awesome place to ride but probably not doable unless we rented the track on Thursday or Friday.
Of course, I could be there either day.

Can we get ahold of them for a friday ride? At least see what itd cost to rent it out? Anyone have any connections with them?