VCHSS - Pipsico

In an effort to finish up my Skoolie project (3+ years so far), I've sat out the majority of VCHSS races this season, only making it to three thus far.

I suppose I've been a bit lax on riding my mountain bike also, and I think those losses in physical stamina were on full display this weekend.

Although I did catch the 1st place rider near the end of the first lap (which was run as a "double-lap" as we circumvented the start/finish line initially), I was well-aware that my arms and legs were beginning to feel heavy.

I knew I'd need to stay alert most of the race, though, since the dry conditions meant deep silt were piling up, concealing hidden obstacles underneath. I typically attempt to stay seated during these races to conserve energy, but this course did not allow for that luxury.



For nearly the entire second lap, I attempted to pass Mike, the rider in first place. Eventually, we caught traffic which made the pass even more unlikely. I had made the choice to divert from Mike's line whenever he attempted to get around the traffic, in the hopes of passing him (whether or not that meant I got ahead of the traffic). At one of the hillclimbs he went left, so I chose to go right. That was a BIG mistake, as that option was clearly the long way through. I not only stayed behind the traffic, but slipped into third place as our other class competitor, Tim had caught us both.

I eventually made it back to the two of them, but then a root hidden under deep silt turned my wheel and sent me into a tree. I flew over the bars, smashing my thigh on the way over.

When I got off the ground I spent a moment just making sure my leg could hold weight before hopping back on the bike.

Not much of that lap was left, and my leg was throbbing, so I decided to simply finish out the race without another fall.



I stood most of the last lap, as bending my leg meant a possible cramp. That lap was when I realized just how out-of-shape I'd become. It was rather hard to stay in the upright stance, but I made it to the end without issue, finishing in third place about a minute and a half behind Tim, who'd overtaken Mike.

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Thomas, West Virginia

At this point, I believe I've outfitted my Ironton PWC Trailer into a total of five unique configurations. It can be adapted to carry:
  One Jet Ski
  One Jet Ski & One Bike
  One Motorcycle (parallel to wheels)
  Two Motorcyles (perpindicular to wheels)
  One Motorcycle & Two Bikes

The latest incarnation involved two adapters that I fabricated to allow mounting of (2) hitch-rack bike trays. The idea worked wonderfully - orienting the bikes just far enough away from the motorcyle to avoid contact, while preventing the overall width from growing.



The impetus for this new configuration was the trip that Rebecca and I were taking to our favorite destination in West Virginia - the tiny, quaint town of Thomas.

Rebecca found a tiny home through AirBnb just a few hundred yards north of the town's main strip. Although it's a planned community of vacation rentals placed relatively close to each other, it was still isolated enough to offer a feeling of solitude. The rentals are nestled just above the North Fork of the Blackwater River, with easy access to the Blackwater Canyon Trail.

We left Richmond after work on Thursday, staying with Rebecca's mother in Winchester to break up the drive. The next morning we finished the drive and arrived in Thomas around noon. After unpacking, we used the rail trail to reach the Thomas City Park trails. Although the perimeter trail (JR Davis trail) is only 2.6 miles, the clockwise direction that we ride it is absolutely grueling! It starts immediately with a steep, rocky, rooty climb into the moss and fern laden woods. We absolutely loved the ability to ride to the trail from our tiny house, and the distance was just enough to tucker-out our energetic boxer, Bianca.

That night we headed to Davis for dinner at The Billy. We were delighted to see the usual Bartender, Josh, when we entered. The last time we were there, he shared that they were actively seeking a buyer to take over the motel & bar, so we feared that new waitstaff might have replaced our favorites. Josh explained that they had in fact found buyers, but that they're still working out the details of transitioning. Whomever the new owners are, we certainly hope that they'll retain the current employees.

After a delicious meal, we headed back to our tiny home to snuggle on the large sectional sofa with the dogs before drifting off to sleep.

The next day, I explored the twisty roads on my KTM while Rebecca enjoyed a leisurely morning.



Once I returned, we discussed which mountain bike circuit to ride and eventually landed on an old, faithful favorite - Moon Hoodoo Rocks.



This is another ride which seems deceivingly easy when you notice its length of only 3.8 miles. Do not be fooled, however, as the technical climbing will make you earn every pedal stroke!



For this ride, we loaded up both dogs and parked along Camp 70 Road in Davis, not far from the National Youth Science Academy. We let our older dog, Ruprecht, take a swim in the nearby Yellow Creek then left him in the car with the A/C on while Bianca excitedly led us into the woods.

The rooty climb eventually led to the main attraction - a moonscape of rock with deep striations. The pace is slow, and each cut in the rock must be timed perfectly with the wheelbase of your bike. Just like JR Davis Trail, this track is extremely technical and will have you gasping for air the entire time, unless you're on four paws like Bianca.







At the end of our ride we pulled Ruprecht from his luxurious ice-palace of the Crosstrek and let the two dogs romp in the woods while I loaded the bikes onto the trailer.

That night we chose snacks and cheese plates over a full-blown dinner and took turns choosing soundtracks to dance to.

The next morning I took another ride around the area on the moto before picking up another round of coffees from TipTop.







We took our time with breakfast and were loaded up to head home just before the 11am check-out. We were relatively exhausted from the Saturday night shenanigans, so we made another stop for coffee at Drifter's Cafe in Wardensville. That last boost of caffeine proved sufficient as we enjoyed the scenic route home along Route 522.

And with that, another excellent trip to our favorite home-away-from-home was complete!

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Cape Lookout (North Carolina)

This year marked the largest group we've had join us for our annual trip to Cape Lookout National Seashore. After Rebecca and I endured the biting flies last season, we were a bit worried that the same fate might await us this year. Luckily, the wind was constant, and the horseflies were minimal.

An early ferry on Friday morning netted us a full day on the beach. Turtle nesting closures for the driveable section of beach near our cabin meant that we set two camps. One a short walk over the dunes with two canopies, and another just a short drive up the beach where the other three trucks setup.



Rebecca and I walked to the second camp after enjoying ours for a bit, and eventually Lindsay & Chris met us there also. Warren welcomed us with some delicious Tiki drinks and the group spent most of the afternoon there before heading to Warren & Summer's cabin for dinner.

On Saturday, our caravan of vehicles drove to the lighthouse and historic town.





After those attractions, Joey & Taylor continued their drive to the point while our vehicle played in the ocean for a bit before heading back to the house for a quick lunch. After some nutrition, I drove the Subaru to the encampment of Warren and Ryan's trucks where we broke out the boogie boards for a group session in the waves.

That night, Joey & Taylor handled dinner and Chris started us a fire on the beach. We discovered that the crabs make their appearance at night too!

On Sunday, Warren & Summer and Ryan & Tessa boarded the ferry to the mainland. After they were gone, the rest of us headed back to the beach for a third day in the sun & surf.



Later in the day, we experienced a light rain which calmed the wind and ushered in a more stagnant and oppressive heat. We decided to change our ferry the next day to an earlier departure since the cooperative weather seemed to be at an end.

Overall, though, the trip was a great success and I think everyone in our group of ten enjoyed themselves 😊



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Canaan Loop Road (Davis, WV)

A moto-camping trip with a dreary weather forecast of RAIN, RAIN, and MORE RAIN had my friend Whit and I second-guessing our plans. With the Canaan Mountain Bike Festival coinciding with our planned trip, we decided to load two more two-wheeled crafts onto the trailer & roof tray and head to Canaan Loop Road. We figured the rain would be less of a drag if we were on bicycles, and if the rain let up we'd still have the option of riding the motos.

To our surprise, the clouds rolled in and out, darkening the skies but never actually dropping on our heads!

On Saturday we took two trips from our campsite. The first was mainly gravel as we finished the rest of Canaan Loop Road.



Eventually, though, the gravel gave way to rock, decreasing from road-width to double-track.







Next, the deep, rock-strewn mud puddles appeared.





After that, the water crossings!









Once the Loop Road was complete, we returned to the campsite to spend some time cooling off in the North Fork Red Run with [my dog] Ruprecht.



A short break to change into dry socks and we were off again - this time with the asphalt twisties on our radar.



The roads surrounding Davis & Thomas are great. Our smiles increased at each warning sign, advising drivers that the maximum speed of the upcoming corner would be 20mph, 15mph, 10mph, and even 5mph!

The only downside was when the road decreased in width to require us to creep around any blind corners, knowing full well that many of the locals claim the entire width of the road.

On Sunday, we struck camp and headed into town where we met our friend Bryan for breakfast at Milo's. After fueling our bodies, we set off to ride some of the Camp 70 trails.



Although I couldn't convince them to attempt the Moon Hoodoo Rocks climb, we still had plenty of riding at our fingertips.



After a few soggy miles, we strapped the bikes back onto our rig and set home with the goal of returning Whit to his house as close to 5pm as possible.

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VCHSS Hamtown - Peninsula Classic (Windsor, VA)

After a successful test during the WATR trail day, I had high hopes for my Yamaha YZ250F for round five of the 2025 VCHSS harescramble series. During my last race, the bike shutoff during the last lap which dashed my hopes of a second-place finish. This time, though, the bike ran flawlessly!



This round always features a live-start, so getting off the line in the vicinity of my class was guaranteed. Although I entered the woods in 9th place (of ten riders), I decided to keep with my regular strategy of working methodically through the pack without rushing to make dicey passes.



This course, though, is extremely tight. This year, especially, as most of the track was newly cut. The organizers didn't do us any favors either - as saplings kept appearing in the middle of the course, causing the riders to slow to a snail's pace time and time again. It seemed that the only real opportunity for passing came in the open field sections, something I'm not especially fond of, since ANYONE can twist a throttle.

Despite the challenges, I was able to work to the front of my class and end the race in third place - a respectable finish I'm happy to achieve.



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Wild, Wonderful West Virginia!

For our planned Mother's Day retreat to West Virginia, Rebecca and I brought along mountain bikes and my KTM EXC-F 500. We left town on Thursday after work to stay at the Firefly Inn in Wardensville. The next day, Rebecca logged in for a day-long seminar. I was planning on doing some exploring on the KTM while she was tethered to the computer, but cold weather and rain kept me inside for the morning.

We checked out of the motel around 11:30am and Rebecca moved to the wifi connection at Drifter's Cafe. I walked our three dogs while she continued to attend the seminar and by 1:45pm we headed to our AirBnb near Lost River where she finished out the work day.

The rain let up and warmth moved in, so I did some light riding that afternoon before her mother, sister, brother, & sister-in-law arrived. During my ride, I stopped to take a photo and when I re-mounted the KTM the kickstand boss snapped off. Luckily, I had the handlebar in my hands, so the bike wasn't dropped. I was a bit perturbed by the break, a result of poor design in my opinion.



The next day I rode backroads around Lost River State Park before rendezvousing with the group at a new Bier Garden not far from our rental house. After food, we headed to Trout Pond Recreation area to hike around Rockcliff Lake.



Although my riding thus far (with supermoto wheels) was primarily on asphalt (with gravel sprinkled here and there), I decided to check out Squirrel Gap Road. It's a 12-mile stretch of gravel with some amazing views, which ends just outside of Wardensville. I leap-frogged with a gravel cyclist most of the way, stopping every so often to snap a photo while the rider caught up to me.



Once in Wardensville, I filled up with fuel then took Trout Run Road back.





The final day of our trip, Rebecca and I rode a short loop at Shenandoah River State Park to break up our drive home and give the dogs a chance to stretch their legs.





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Route 5 to VA Beach (via Jamestown Ferry)

A trip to VA Beach to celebrate my brother's bachelor weekend before being hitched gave me the opportunity for a ride along Route 5 and across the Jamestown Ferry instead of the normal slog through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. I even had time for a short detour along the Colonial National Historical Parkway before boarding the ferry.

On the way back, I tried out a couple detours along Route 5. One in particular ended at a closed gate on private land, but served as an opportunity for a moment to stretch my legs off the bike.



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