Daytona Freeride (Daytona Beach, FL)

Back in September, before I'd even attended this year's Wave Daze in VA Beach, I decided to sign up for the Daytona Freeride event set for January 2022. Given the load of fun I had at last year's Wave Daze, I was understandably excited to attend an even larger event once the cold winter had settled upon us.



My wife was too busy at work to attend the event, so I decided to go solo. With that in mind, I decided to remove my passenger seat in order to fit the ski inside my Crosstrek instead of hauling the trailer. It worked great! With no more than a few inches to spare, the ski tucked into the hatchback and I set off to Daytona!



I arrived midday on Wednesday, visiting the site to get the lay of the land before heading to my campsite at the Nova Family Campground. I'd stay there until my reservation at Daytona Beach Club began on Friday.



On Thursday I made my way to the beachfront near the Hard Rock Hotel for the first day of riding. I set up camp and got a hand unloading my 650sx from the car.



Unfortunately, my ski was not running well. It had a complete lack of power, so I set out to diagnose the problem. By that afternoon I'd figured out that it was only firing on one cylinder. Too late in the day to continue digging into the ski, I decided to return to working on it the next morning.

Early on Friday morning I pulled the spark plug boots and decided to re-crimp a new end on one of the wires. It worked! I was delighted that such a simple fix was all the ski needed. By mid-morning I was in the water!

Between rides in the surf, I'd walk along the row of vehicles to see the other skis and engage with other riders. I also took to the skies with the drone, capturing some great footage of the more experienced riders throwing spins and flips in the turquoise ocean.



On Saturday morning there was a line of vehicles about five blocks long waiting to access the beach. Eventually the gates opened and we filed onto the sand, packing in what some agreed was the largest crowd at this event in years.



Each day I'd settle in with a new group of riders. We'd help each other launch, keep an eye out for one another in the water, and share stories once back on land.

My confidence must've been increasing, evidenced by the sprained ankle I suffered on Saturday. Although I couldn't pin it down to one particular jump or fall, I believe it was the result of coming down tail-heavy after a jump. I did take one more ride with the injury before eventually packing up at the end of the day.

Moments after leaving the high-adrenaline of the event I was hardly able to put any weight on that foot. That night I skipped the afterparty and chose to ice my ankle instead.



The next morning I hobbled my gear into the Subaru and set off for Savannah, GA where I stayed with a friend. Although I wasn't very mobile, it was great to catch up. My friend couldn't have been more hospitable - even sending me off the next morning with some homemade hotsauce and a "snack pack" for the road. By Monday afternoon I was pulling into Richmond, unloading gear and rinsing the salt water from my ski.

All in all, it was an amazing event and I'm excited to return in 2023!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Follow

Peters Mill Run (Edinburg, VA)

Knowing that I'd be driving to Winchester to celebrate Christmas with my wife's family, I scoured the internet for a possible place to ride the DRZ between there and Richmond.

What I found was an ATV/OHV area near Edinburg, VA called Peters Mill/Taskers Gap.



This trail system features 36 miles of rocky terrain. The section below Edinburg is mainly doubletrack (only wide enough for ATV's) while the section above is a full-width road with smaller chutes branching off from its main artery.



First, I explored the area below Edinburg. It was a great warmup for what lay ahead, with technical climbs and descents, while not letting myself wander too far from the starting point.

Next, I ventured to the area North of Edinburg. Although it was primarily a fireroad, I did eventually turn right onto Walters Gap Trail. This ascended to the Green Mountain Trail, which runs along the ridge of Green Mountain. Once I reached Opechee Peak, the trail descended back toward Peters Mill Run, where I could complete the circuit.





Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Follow

Aruba!

Long overdue for a return trip since our last in 2014, Rebecca and I joined my brother David and his girlfriend Lisa on the Saturday following Thanksgiving to fly to Aruba. By the afternoon, we were meeting my father and his wife on the beach!



I arranged two activities for our time in Aruba. The first was a kiteboarding lesson at Aruba Active Vacations.

Since I'd taken a lesson in North Carolina, I figured this time I'd be out of the water and possibly catching some air. Unfortunately, the wind wasn't blowing especially hard and I only managed to catch a strong enough gust to get me out of the water a couple of times. It was a little frustrating, but those things are simply up to chance I suppose.



Our second activity was one that the four of us could enjoy - renting UTV's to explore the island!

I made reservations with Arubiana to rent two side-by-side UTV'S for an eight hour period. The company was great at explaining the conservation areas to avoid, some highlights of the island to visit, and proper use of the machines. They even had an app which helped us navigate to areas of interest.

After a briefing, Rebecca and I headed back to La Cabana to get Dave & Lisa. Soon we were loaded up with groceries for our daylong excursion, heading on a clockwise tour of the perimiter. Despite the island's relatively small acreage, there is plenty to see. Even with several hours at our disposal, we had to choose some landmarks to skip in order to return the UTV's before close.

On our final day there, we again returned to the beach in front of our hotel. A few hours spent soaking up the sun and floating in the turquoise waters before heading to the airport to return to the reality of life on the mainland...



Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Follow

Bryce Bike Park (Basye, VA)

It's been a while since I've ridden at a bike park. After selling the DH bike, I've sort of shied away from the more punishing runs on my carbon fiber Enduro rig. Bryce, though, is one of the more tame parks near us, with generally smooth trails with less gnarly rock gardens than can be found at Snowshoe or other more race-inspired parks.

For this visit, I was also testing out my new GoPro MAX camera. I fitted a mount to it for tying a floaty (for its eventual use in the water). I'm glad I tested this, too, as the mount did show up in the footage and would need to be nixed.



Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Follow

Wave Daze (Virginia Beach, VA)

Since our inaugural trip to Wave Daze, I've been preparing my 650sx for another run at the surf of Virginia Beach.



Last year my time in the water was cut short due to a faulty bilge switch. This year, I bought another "waterproof" switch, disassembled it, filled with dielectric grease, then reassembled and glued into its housing. Finally, I coated the switch and its wires in a roofing "tar" and tested before the trip. This worked for a day, but eventually the salt water found a path into the switch and it stopped working.

After that, I wired a regular toggle, applied silicon caulk to the wires, then wrapped it in three layers of plastic bags. Believe it or not, THIS was the arrangement that worked best, allowing the ski to purge itself of seawater each time I submerged it.



Other than that, the ski ran wonderfully. The footholds I'd epoxied into the tray helped me keep my footing & balance in the choppy surf, and the engine rebuild & porting seemed to give the ski a bit more power. Probably most noticeable was the finger throttle - a huge improvement over the thumb lever which hampered my ability to get a strong hold on the bars.



For three days, I watched the other riders rip it up in the ocean, launching my ski a few times each day to ATTEMPT to hang with the more experienced guys. I wasn't throwing any tricks, but I could noticeably see the improvement in my balance each time I'd go out.



Most importantly was the warm welcome I felt from the more seasoned veterans. Each person I spoke to was happy to share stories of their experiences in the surf. Since I had my wife and four friends joining me, I didn't spend much time with the jet-skiers outside of the daily sessions on the beach, but I'm confident the comaraderie would have extended to the post-ride parties at the Quality Inn which hosted the event.



After each day of riding, I used my flush hose to clear the salt water from the engine and hull compartment. Each morning after, the ski would fire right up, so I was happily reassured that the previous day's flush had worked. To say that I was content with the ski's performance was an understatement. We all expect to be subjected to some level of mechanical frustration while thrashing these 2-stroke machines, but my 650sx performed wonderfully without issue!



The experience of riding in the surf is intense! Admittedly, my ski is still a but outdated and cumbersome, probably contributing to the fatigue that quickly sets in from holding up my stock handle pole.

Now that I've at least experienced the ride on my ski, I'm going to list it for sale and upgrade to something more current - hopefully a 2005 or newer Yamaha Superjet.







Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Follow

Longdale Furnace (Virginia)

If given the chance, and enough time, I usually like to pack as many activities into one weekend as possible. With the upcoming Labor Day weekend approaching, I loaded up the Crosstrek with bikes, a kayak, and the jet ski in tow. Our destination for the extended-weekend was Lake Moomaw, but my first stop along the way was the North Mountain Loop at Longdale Furnace.



The ride was arranged just the way I prefer - a long slog up a fire road to warm up the legs, followed by a ridgeline trail with sights off either side leading to a fast descent off the side on the way back to the car.

Given the rocky terrain, I believe this trail is more commonly used for hiking than mountain biking, and I did pass a few trail-users along the way. Otherwise, it was a relatively remote backcountry route.



Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Follow

Western VA Moto

The DRZ's first experience offroad was great! I swapped my spare set of wheels onto the bike and it thumped its way up the trails with ease!





Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Follow