Wandering on Brown Mountain

Chad worked the Blazer so hard it almost overheated.  As insurance, he put on a very ratty spare because if we didn’t bring it, then we’d be sure to need it.

This was an interesting site on the interstate — tank top and very short shorts.

It turns out my XT wanted to snuggle with the DRZ in the trailer.  Jon and Brendan help out.

This was the scene in the parking lot.

Meet the cast of characters from left to right (not pictured is Jon) then meet them one at a time:

me, Chad, Shannon, Cris, Kim, Brendan (looking very tall), Justin, Nick, and David

Cris, the dual Beemer Brit

You see Cris unloading off the freshly made trailer and then all matched up in blue and white.

He was very prepared with his nice big tear offs and unscathed machine.

The ultimate motorcycle accessory was his old school Hornets colored fanny pack courtesy of the Missus.

Somehow Cris managed to get in a scuffle with the mountain.  Evidently he lost as Dr. David helps him out.

Nick, the stunting TAT king

You rarely see him without his helmet but I caught one!

Nick proves AGATT is the way to go!

David, Costco shopping, o-ring carrying Wanderer

Don’t confuse David as he’s riding the other KTM.  His over preparedness paid off for me as he fixed my rear brake.

However, he got mixed up and wore his Yamaha blue shirt like me even though he had a KTM.  Who does NOT own a gray 2008 FZ1 in this photo?

The guys with the fancy bikes have to do fancy work.  David shows off his new jewelry — one bad o-ring.

Jon, running off from the pack, peace man

Jon managed to always be going the opposite direction from the rest of the group.  He did manage to find a nice secluded place for lunch… so secluded we couldn’t find him!

Jon and Brendan gear up in the parking lot.

Brendan, our fearless leader and my favorite teacher

I borrowed his expertise in checking the air pressure.  Check out his handiwork on the Escape’s hitch.

From Brendan’s leading skills (and David’s sticker), we know Not all those who wander are lost…

…except maybe on Brown Mountain as Brendan consults the map.  Oopsie

Disguising himself as an amateur (although we all know he’s obviously an expert) Chad

Chad is on the trail and then taking a break.

Shannon, we knows who’s boss, the former banker

Justin and Kim, green machine riding dual sporting couple

Kim is a brave girlie for sure and a fellow SV rider

She’s showing off some gold bling on her ride

Justin has some serious luggage going on but still didn’t bring his lunch!

Yours truly with only one wreck for the day

I got my official Brown Mountain riding sticker.

I’m showing Cris my bag of spares which I need for times like the next photo — my single tumble of the day.

The four of us met up before the hill.

Cris is enjoying some XT time.

He took it up the hill to help me figure out what gear to be in.

If you watched the video, you saw the dune buggy in the background.  It was quite the large off road vehicle.

Some four wheelers were enjoying themselves until one needed a tow.

Bathroom accommodations were rather interesting.

On the way out, we met some very cool guys, Bill and Chris, who were big fans of Kevin of WickedThunder.com.  Bill told of how his family helped build Brown Mountain and he was very proud of his new TM.

Rod (Cidman) also made his way a little later than expected.  When his son returned from an unauthorized ride without supervision, Chad and I could only imagine the can of whoop a** that Rod was going to open.  Fortunately, all of the boys came home safely.

Enjoy some funny closing quotes.

I never thought I could handle Brown Mountain but I came, I conquered, and I left… before it had a chance to conquer me!  I didn’t ride very long and in that short time, I managed to get some arm pump.  Jon told me that holding on for dear life was unnecessary but that may have to be the next lesson.  I’m going to stay on the easy trails for a very long time and I’m perfectly fine with that.  As always, it was great times and a new and exciting experience!