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I keep some of my “bucket-List” stuff simple because then there is an actual possibility of them happening. So there is the Big B.L, (trip to Mars) and simple B.L. (everything else).
I really wanted to attend the Pine Barrens 500 this year and a few weeks earlier a friend reminded me that it was coming up. I also wanted to get an old ’91 xr250 that I bought back in July kinda in pieces (a lot of pieces were missing but ran) on the road and use it as well. Up until the day I actually left for Hammonton, NJ (ground zero for the 500) I was still working on the xr, installing a new rear tire and bolting on a rear rack that morning. I changed out the oil on the TW200 as well which I brought along as a “just-in-case” bike.
My target time to leave was 12:00 noon but reality set in and it was 5:00pm. Now pulling a trailer with 2 bikes instead of my usual 1 bike on a carrier I had to use a commercial route south to the GW Bridge which cost me 1 hour just to go 10 miles. Oh well, that sucked. The rest of the trip was fast super highway and I pulled into the Econolodge at exactly 8:00pm. Same time the first Riders Meeting was taking place, this one specific to GPS and tracks/routes.
Scott/Jersey Jeeper was there as part of the organizers team loading the routes onto whatever device would take them. Garmin was the most popular but not the only.
Rick/Top Predator was there from Maryland. He and I shared a room. My friend Robert from NJ had been there much earlier and had already settled into his room and also set up his home-made Toy Hauler/Party Cabin in the parking lot.
After the meeting ended we drove down the road a bit for dinner at a good diner.
Next morning we were greeted by a stunning red and orange sky. Morning Sun revealed all sorts of trailers, trucks, Toy Haulers, RV’s and a lot of bikes, all dual sports and/or converted dirt bikes with lights, horns and most importantly license plates. The smell of gas, oil and other lubricants hit the air as folks were tending to their bikes for last minute repairs and or tuning. I installed a handlebar 12V accessory switch so I could use my phone app to navigate.
There was a mandatory Riders meeting about the routes, emergency’s, etc. Then basically… you were on your own to take off whenever you wanted. There was no particular starting time but they did want you to start within the hour because they didn’t want anyone left in the wood (more like a jungle) 6-7 hours later.
I was originally going to use an app called “GPS Tracks” but Scott (who couldn’t ride with us Fri or Sat) suggested “Galileo” instead. In the end they were pretty similar.
I hooked up with a couple other TW riders that I met in the parking lot, Sparky & Ted. They had real GPS though Sparky had to turn his unit on by taking the battery out and banging it on his trailer to make it work. My kind of people. Decided we were going to ride with them until we got used to the apps on our phones. Taking off in a group of 8-9 riders Rick, Robert and I entered the first trail. Within 10 minutes we noticed folks coming back in the opposite direction giving the “you’re going the wrong way” signal. They (and we) had missed a turnoff. We waited for Sparky and Ted and the others but never saw them again. Guess they just powered through?
At certain points the route broke into a secondary trail marked in black with “BB” attached to it. This indicated a “Big Bike” route like a GS1200. It didn’t mean you couldn’t do the main route with a big bike, they were just letting you know you might enjoy it less. We hit miles and miles of the Super Sandy Section and I’m not really sure when this ended. Not fun but a challenge. I was the first one to lose it and go over when a nice hard-packed Jeep road suddenly because the Sahara. I was fine as was the bike but after that fall the xr was more difficult to start and that increased during the day. Something electrical had happened and my kick-only bike became a push-start only bike.
Robert and his '06 xt225
Rick and his Black Widow
The next 2 falls I had during the day were also in sand but at much slower “I’ve seen the light, Lord” speeds. At the end of the day I loaded the xr back on the trailer and used the TW the next 2 days.
Something was "squishy" in my boot but I really didn't want to look at it or tell the other guys at the time:
Wire cutters and electrical tape. Perhaps after dogs... man best friends:
This was a mostly dry day, easily avoidable waterholes, sand, sand, sand and at one point some real enduro trials way into the Pines. Extreme whoops developed over 50-60 year and some spots where is was difficult to even get your handlebars through. That was super fun. At a bit more than 40 miles which took us many hours, we headed for lunch (it was 3:30pm by then) at Lucille’s. Part of the food package with registration. Lots of bikes there and still coming in when we left so we were not way behind. Starting to get darker and colder with an impending storm on it’s way we rode 40 miles of pavement back to the motel. Scott met us and after snacks, beers and some Tito’s in Roberts Toy Hauler we headed to dinner at PIC-A-LILLI Inn in Shamong, NJ. We drove as it was cold and just starting to rain.
These fire-cut & enduro trails were insane!!
I really wanted to attend the Pine Barrens 500 this year and a few weeks earlier a friend reminded me that it was coming up. I also wanted to get an old ’91 xr250 that I bought back in July kinda in pieces (a lot of pieces were missing but ran) on the road and use it as well. Up until the day I actually left for Hammonton, NJ (ground zero for the 500) I was still working on the xr, installing a new rear tire and bolting on a rear rack that morning. I changed out the oil on the TW200 as well which I brought along as a “just-in-case” bike.
My target time to leave was 12:00 noon but reality set in and it was 5:00pm. Now pulling a trailer with 2 bikes instead of my usual 1 bike on a carrier I had to use a commercial route south to the GW Bridge which cost me 1 hour just to go 10 miles. Oh well, that sucked. The rest of the trip was fast super highway and I pulled into the Econolodge at exactly 8:00pm. Same time the first Riders Meeting was taking place, this one specific to GPS and tracks/routes.
Scott/Jersey Jeeper was there as part of the organizers team loading the routes onto whatever device would take them. Garmin was the most popular but not the only.
Rick/Top Predator was there from Maryland. He and I shared a room. My friend Robert from NJ had been there much earlier and had already settled into his room and also set up his home-made Toy Hauler/Party Cabin in the parking lot.
After the meeting ended we drove down the road a bit for dinner at a good diner.
Next morning we were greeted by a stunning red and orange sky. Morning Sun revealed all sorts of trailers, trucks, Toy Haulers, RV’s and a lot of bikes, all dual sports and/or converted dirt bikes with lights, horns and most importantly license plates. The smell of gas, oil and other lubricants hit the air as folks were tending to their bikes for last minute repairs and or tuning. I installed a handlebar 12V accessory switch so I could use my phone app to navigate.
There was a mandatory Riders meeting about the routes, emergency’s, etc. Then basically… you were on your own to take off whenever you wanted. There was no particular starting time but they did want you to start within the hour because they didn’t want anyone left in the wood (more like a jungle) 6-7 hours later.
I was originally going to use an app called “GPS Tracks” but Scott (who couldn’t ride with us Fri or Sat) suggested “Galileo” instead. In the end they were pretty similar.
I hooked up with a couple other TW riders that I met in the parking lot, Sparky & Ted. They had real GPS though Sparky had to turn his unit on by taking the battery out and banging it on his trailer to make it work. My kind of people. Decided we were going to ride with them until we got used to the apps on our phones. Taking off in a group of 8-9 riders Rick, Robert and I entered the first trail. Within 10 minutes we noticed folks coming back in the opposite direction giving the “you’re going the wrong way” signal. They (and we) had missed a turnoff. We waited for Sparky and Ted and the others but never saw them again. Guess they just powered through?
At certain points the route broke into a secondary trail marked in black with “BB” attached to it. This indicated a “Big Bike” route like a GS1200. It didn’t mean you couldn’t do the main route with a big bike, they were just letting you know you might enjoy it less. We hit miles and miles of the Super Sandy Section and I’m not really sure when this ended. Not fun but a challenge. I was the first one to lose it and go over when a nice hard-packed Jeep road suddenly because the Sahara. I was fine as was the bike but after that fall the xr was more difficult to start and that increased during the day. Something electrical had happened and my kick-only bike became a push-start only bike.
Robert and his '06 xt225
Rick and his Black Widow
The next 2 falls I had during the day were also in sand but at much slower “I’ve seen the light, Lord” speeds. At the end of the day I loaded the xr back on the trailer and used the TW the next 2 days.
Something was "squishy" in my boot but I really didn't want to look at it or tell the other guys at the time:
Wire cutters and electrical tape. Perhaps after dogs... man best friends:
This was a mostly dry day, easily avoidable waterholes, sand, sand, sand and at one point some real enduro trials way into the Pines. Extreme whoops developed over 50-60 year and some spots where is was difficult to even get your handlebars through. That was super fun. At a bit more than 40 miles which took us many hours, we headed for lunch (it was 3:30pm by then) at Lucille’s. Part of the food package with registration. Lots of bikes there and still coming in when we left so we were not way behind. Starting to get darker and colder with an impending storm on it’s way we rode 40 miles of pavement back to the motel. Scott met us and after snacks, beers and some Tito’s in Roberts Toy Hauler we headed to dinner at PIC-A-LILLI Inn in Shamong, NJ. We drove as it was cold and just starting to rain.
These fire-cut & enduro trails were insane!!