Missouri Adventure Part 2

[Bryan 1]

Man did I get a taste of Missouri riding today AGAIN!

I decided to pack up the bike early this morning and drive up to Finger Lakes State Park which is about 10 miles north of Columbia Mo. Darin told me that it was rumored to be a muddy area. But it hasn't rained here for about 1 week so I decided to give it a try.

I started out on the trail about 8:00 am this morning. It was sunny but hazy. Nice morning about 70 degrees. I rode some trails in the motocross area. A motocross area in Colorado consists of jumps and burmed turns. There was non of that here. Only hard packed clay with frog filled mud holes and ruts every 20 or 30 feet. I was having an OK time although I had NO idea where I was going.

After about 20 minutes of un-eventful riding (you were right Darin), I noticed it was so dark that I could only see with my headlights. IT WAS 8:30 AM IN THE MORNING. I shut off my engine and heard a major thunderstorm approaching. Time to head back to the truck. BUT WHERE IS THE TRUCK? ? ? ?

I had NO IDEA where I was. Suddenly, it started to MAJOR POUR! Do you know what happens to hard pack clay when it gets wet? Do you? DO YOU? IT TURNS INTO brown slime not unlike that my kids enjoyed at the Nichelodean Double Dare 2000 at Branson (except that was green). Easy hills are almost unridable in this wet clay. The front tire goes where it wants and washes out. I had to ride with both feet out as rudders in 1st gear.

The lightening storm was MAJOR wicked! Cloud to ground burts were hitting close. There was no time between the lightening and the thunder!

My normal thought in this situation was to stop and take cover in a ditch. But the trails were starting to run like streams. The puddles were becoming lakes as deep as my bike.

I went in circles for about 15 minutes trying to avoid some of the deeper puddles. When I finally realized I wasn't getting anywhere, I went through some deep ones and just started heading in a straight line in hopes of finding a road. I ditched the bike many times. I even got stuck in the bottom of a hole with hills on either side. It was too slick to get up and the mud was sliding down towards me on all sides. Finally I took a route off the trail using some roots as traction and made it out.

After about 45 minutes of intense lightening and rain, and riding through now was turning into a lake, I finally made it back to a road and had a 2 miles road ride back to the truck. This is when it started to hail! What next!

My truck was parked in a large high lot and the storm was getting more intense. I decided to get the bike loaded up asap and chance the lightening. Luckily I suceeded but only after hitting the ground a few times in fear of getting fried.

Man! What an adventure! In Colorado, the storms don't develop until the afternoon and you can see them coming. Here it is hazy so they sneak up on you.

Time to go back and ride Rampart/Woodland Park. Nice and fast in 2nd and 3rd gear and that good old dust.

To think I was cursing dusty trails just a few weeks ago.

Isn't it great to be alive?

?

Bryan...

[TW]

? :)Bryan excellent story, felt like I was there. I've experienced that kind of hardpack clay, it can't be classified as mud, because in mud you have a chance of some traction. Last Westmoreland Kansas hare scramble, called the race after two laps because a downpore and riders stuck all over the course on the third lap. Same type of slime.

[Guest Guest]

ha ha ha ha ?

I hope your ok Byan. That story was so funny. It was what us Missourian's call a gut-buster. he he

So you got to expierence real missouri weather eh?

Thats how it goes around here. 1 minute its a beautiful sunny day and 10 minutes later theres icicles hanging off the roof of your house.

What do you think about the humidity after the rain??? Sweet eh?

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Darin from Missouri 1999 WR400F

[Bryan 1]

Yeah, but I left out the funniest part. Once I returned to my truck I actually contemplated whether or not I should jump inside the truck all wet and muddy to avoid being struck by lightening or get the bike loaded up first.

It wasn't funny at the time, but I knew if I jumped in the truck I would totally soak the seats and my wife would bitch at me for getting the vehicle muddy even though I did so to save my ass. So I opted to put the bike on asap and risk getting zapped just to avoid a lecture.

BUT WHEN I GOT HOME I GOT THAT LECTURE ANYWAY!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ! ! ! !

I should have got zapped! That would show her!

?

Bryan...

[Guest Guest]

Sounds like a lose, lose situation. ?

I was looking at the radar today at work and I seen the huge cell that went through the columbia area.

But it was good of you to do the right thing and think of the bikes saftey first. Thats what I would have done.

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Darin from Missouri 1999 WR400F

[Kevin_in_New_Hampshire]

Ironically enough(??),

I would have saved the bike first too, Bryan.

Yesterday I was in the shower (no mind images please, fellas - not that I don't look good naked...At least that is what Playgirl told me! ?) and I had no hot water...how odd. THEN my smoke alarm went off. The thought crossed my mind my basement might be on fire (the no hot water part). The first thing I thought of was to save my bike. I park it in my (walkout) basement. I zipped downstairs, dripping wet to check it out A-OK!!

BTW Bryan,

I requested some info from you, sent to thumpertalk.com.

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99 WR, all YZ mods, de-octopused, OEM YZ tank and IMS seat, jetting by Clark/James, got forked by Pro Action, DSP airbox, PB Header, Stroker SX-1 SA, Thumper Rad Guards, Acerbis Hand Guards, WAITING IMPATIENTLY FOR MOAB, boning up on my sheep shearing skills!!

[Guest Guest]

Would you tell the bike to stop, drop, and roll, or throw a blanket over it?

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Darin from Missouri 1999 WR400F

[This message has been edited by milkman2544 (edited 08-05-2000).]

[Bryan 1]

Oh and one more thing. To make things suck even more, my GPS crapped out the day before so I didn't have it with me. Had it been with me and working, it would have shown that a paved road paralleled the place I was lost and was only about 1/4 mile away. It would have saved me about 1/2 hour of being lost and about 30 fewer lightening strikes.

I'm OK now though. I'm BACK IN DENVER BABY! YEAH!

Bryan...

[Guest Guest]

Sometimes it feels good to be in your native habitat dosent it?

So do you not have to worry about lightening strikes up in the mountains?

(I flunked Biology in HS ? )

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Darin from Missouri - 1999 WR 400F

[Mitch_from_Oz]

Hey Bryan old friend... Great story. Sure glad you made it. Afterall, if you got caught out and struck by lightning, I would have to fly all the way out toe Colarado to kick your butt.

Remember Elnino? Well, I rode all the way from San Diego to San Fran on a 1995 Triumph Speed Triple with race mods in a heavy storm. Yes, all the way!!!!! I had the wet weather gear on and all and was still soaked through.

The weather was so ad that HWY5 was closed off and only HWY 101 was available. There were several sections where traffic was backed up for 10 miles and the HWY was flooded, about 1 foot under water! Yes, I rode through it.... ?... Anyway, It kept raining and when I reached San lois Abispo, just before Gilroy on the way to San Fran I began to suffer from Hipothermia badly. i had the shivers and visibility became a problem as it was dark and the water spray from the cars was unbearable. My struggle continued and my only savior was riding at over 100mph the whole way. The adrenelin kept me awake. When I fianlly reached the apartment I spent 3 hours in a warm bath and was still shivering until Tuesday afternoon!.

So, I am glad you made it ok, really, as I am looking forward to seeing you.

So, tell me, did you suffer from cold weather or was it warm?

Talk to you soon.

Mitch

[Bryan 1]

Milky: Yes, lightening strikes are a VERY big danger in Colorado. But the mornings are ALWAYS nice so the storms don't roll in until afternoon. You can see them coming and can take steps to avoid them or plan around them.

Mitch: Wow! I'd LOVE to ride a speed triple. One of my top 3 bikes I'd like to get. Great adventure! When I was soaked I was warm. The Missouri climate is very humid so the temps stay warm when it rains. Unlike Colorado where it can go from 80 to 60 and wet very quickly and you freeze your butt off.

Bryan...

[Brian_in_Long_Beach]

Mitch,

Your story brought back memories...

In '95 I was in my last year at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (SLO). I drove to the Bay Area in that same damn storm for a presentation at TRW in Sunnyvale. 101 got closed due to flooding as well - we were in a car, I was driving and I was pretty nervous. I can't imagine riding that crap on a bike.

Hopefully, we get smarter as we age ?

Brian

[Guest Guest]

Bryan,

Now you know why I moved from Missouri to Arizona last year - I'll take the heat (for 3 months) and dust over the continuous humidity and rain any day!!!

I sold all my bikes long ago when I lived in St. Louis - minimum 2 hour drive to ride on public land. 15 Minutes here in AZ...

Did have a great time racing at an MX track in St. Peters, MO in high school though. The track was called Cycle World (10 minutes from my house - now closed). The track held a number of Trans Am's in the mid '70's and hosted the likes of Joel Robert, Roger Decoster, Brad Lackey, etc. I raced a 2 day MX National there. Guess what - it rained the entire two days of racing, got a 4th overall though, worth $72 for my efforts. Spent half of it a the robo car wash cleaning my CR125 Elsinore.

Paul in AZ

(From the YZ side)