Triple-Header Weekend!

When three events line up on the same weekend, most people would simply choose one - not me!

Since the stand-up jetski event "WaveDaze" typically begins on a Thursday, I decided I'd simply attend it for two days, then head back into town (and back out-of-town) for Saturday & Sunday.



My friend James decided to join me at VA Beach for the jetski event, despite the forecast predicting highs in the 50's. We left Richmond in the early AM and were unloading the Superjet onto the sand by 9am. A few hours on the beach and in the surf, absorbing as much sun as possible, were followed by a round of putt-putt at our regular spot.



The next day I got in a couple runs on the ski before packing it all up and heading west to Richmond.

That afternoon I swapped the ski for mountain & dirt bikes, departing relatively early the next day for The Blue Ridge School. I met my friend Chris at his property and joined him and another friend to preride a few stages of the Moonshiner's Enduro race.



That night we enjoyed a bonfire on Chris's property before settling in for the night. The next day I rose early and set out for Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington while the rest of that group had a day of enduro mountain biking ahead of them.

I arrived for the VCHSS harescramble just before 9am and was on the start line by 11am, anxious to see how the event would go since I hadn't been on the YZ since last year's race at the same venue - one that resulted in a banged up bike & body!

The bike must've been just as nervous as I was, stalling four times in the first lap. In a way, it was a good omen since I wasn't much worried about placing well after being delayed by probably three minutes after all the kickstarting. To my surprise, though, I reeled in my class of 22 riders over the next three laps, ending up in fourth place overall!



Most importantly, though, I survived the race without hitting the ground once. The bike looked nearly the same as it did when I started the race, except for a bit more mud adorning its plastics ;-)



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Skoolie Spray Foam Insulation

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Timberline Resort (Canaan Valley, WV)

Four years in a row we've chosen the Canaan Valley in West Virginia as our winter destination. This year's weather topped them all, though!

Rebecca and I broke up our drive by staying at her mother's in Winchester Thursday night, then finished the drive on Friday morning. When we woke, the snow was coming down, and it didn't stop! We checked into our VRBO and quickly changed into snow gear and headed to the resort. The flakes kept falling as I discovered there was no limit to the riding available in the woods.

We finished our riding for the day and headed back to the cabin to greet the rest of our crew as they arrived.



The snow continued through the night, leaving even more soft stuff for us to shred on Saturday. Each run we'd choose a slope, but I'd inevitably make a beeline for the trees, usually ending up one or two runs away from where we'd started.

By the afternoon, we were exhausted and looking forward to a soak in the hot tub, so we returned to the cabin to partake.



On our final day, the sun made its appearance. We enjoyed the warm rays after spending two grey days in the 9 degree weather bundled up tightly. Although the temperature was roughly the same, it was amazing what difference the bright sun on our faces made. That night we enjoyed one more session in the tub, a decadent feast for dinner, and an early retreat to bed after three long days on the slopes.

Monday morning arrived as we cleaned the house, packed the cars, and hit the road for Richmond. Another excellent stay at what has become our favorite "local" winter destination.



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Skoolie Wiring

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Skoolie Build: 2-year Review

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Dual-Sport Double-Header Weekend (Buena Vista, VA)

With a motorcycle camping trip planned for the same weekend as VCHSS's final race of the season, I scurried to combine the two events into one weekend. That meant that I'd have to figure out a way to carry a second motorcycle on my used-and-abused jetski trailer. I chose to build two plaftorms to orient the motos perpindicular to the trailer and had the rig fabricated by Friday afternoon.



My two friends Whit and Brian would leave Richmond on their dual-sports while I trailered mine to the VCHSS race at Oak Ridge Estate. Once there, I unloaded the KTM and rendezvoused with them at the entrance. From there we set off westward toward Buena Vista.



The fall colors were in full swing, as yellow and red leaves fell from the trees above and littered the gravel roads we were navigating. Along the way we encountered a couple of cyclists pedaling the same gravel road. As we stopped to snap photos they'd catch us, then we'd remount the motos and pass them, leap-frogging a few times along the way.



Once in Buena Vista, we grabbed lunch at JJ's Meat Shak. With full bellies we headed back into the National Forest to explore and find a campsite for the night.

We found a spot off a relatively unused, overgrown trail. Once we'd unloaded our bikes and set up tents & hammocks, we jumped back on the bikes to do more exploring with less weight. Eventually we came across a far better spot with an established fire ring and water nearby, so we decided to abandon our original spot for the new one. Just before dark we had reestablished our home for the night and a few minutes later had a fire started, further bolstered by a passerby in a shortbus that gifted us a bundle of predried wood!

The next morning we rose just before sunrise, struck camp and would have been on our way if my KTM had cooperated. Perhaps because of the cold air, it did not want to fire up. As we were positioned at the bottom of a hill, we decided to tow the KTM to the top and try bump-starting my bike. After two tries it worked, but the time we'd lost meant I'd have to forego breakfast with the guys and head directly to my race back at Oak Ridge Estate. By 9am I was at the site, switching gear and bikes before the 10:45am start.

At the start line I talked with my fellow racers for a few minutes before we set off for three 10 mile loops of the newly-cut trail. As usual, I was kickstarting while most of my class took off, but with a long section in the field, I was back with the group before entering the woods. The course was extremely fun - high speed with good grip and sight lines. During the first lap I picked off a few of my fellow racers, but a stall in traffic meant I'd have to repeat those passes again.

By the end of the lap I was back in 7th place. I gained a couple more spots, but stalled again and fell to the back of the pack. Probably in a but of a rush to catch my class, I clipped a tree, sending me into another for a violent stop.

After the wreck, I gathered myself from the ground and walked to the bike to find both radiators and plastics mangled after the fall. A course marshal came to my aid and guided me out of the woods so I could limp the bike back to the trailer without overheating it too badly.

Although it wasn't the ending I'd have liked, I'm glad to have walked away from the crash without any serious injuries. I'll have some time to repair the bike also, given that the next race won't be until the next season starts in March.



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VCHSS Pipsico Scout Reservation (Spring Grove, VA)

Start, start, START DAMNIT!!!

For whatever reason, my YZ was not in the mood to race. The usual start sequence is slowly kicking over the engine a few times to "prime the pump" then one or two kicks at top dead center and it's ready to roll. Not this time, though. With three people taking turns and a few slight sputters to give us hope, we must've kicked that damn thing 200 times!

Luckily, my friend Todd saved the day again, loaning me his KTM 250 XC-F for my race.

Although I did stall his non-Rekluse bike several times, I was able to adjust to the different bike and walk away in second place.

Now to figure out what's going on with my YZ...



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