At Exit # 14 in Pa. off of I-83 I stop for fuel & shortly there after , Chris joins me for the final leg of the interstate commute to Frackville, Pa.. Both of our rigs have made this SAME northward trex so many times , that it seems that they ALMOST steer themselves & don't even need the human input to stay the course & proceed up the mountains.
The time goes by fast as Chris & I chatter away on the two way radios & discuss today's upcoming ride & in what seems like no time at all , we are in Frackville, Pa. & feeding our faces at Granny's. Halfway way through breakfeast , Yorkie pops through the doorway & joins Chris & me for some good chow to sustain us through much of the day.
Once our bellies are full , we head across the parking lot to see WHO has decided to brave the hot & dusty conditions confronting us atver's today??????? Mike Yucha & Kevin Chandler from Owego , NY greet us with big smiles & by 8:00 am it's obvious that us FIVE is all that are willing to brave the harsh summer time conditions this Saturday. With such a small group , EXPLORATION is the key word of the day! OH BOY!!!!!
After brief discussion, we head EAST towards a set of NEW trails that I discovered a few years ago during a big snow storm & haven't had the chance to return to for one reason or another???? It's not long before five skilled riders are easing across the mountains , itching to see WHERE these new trails will eventually lead us & WHAT wonders will we discover along the way ??????
As expected the power lines are DUSTY & avoided whenever possible , but sometimes it's the ONLY way to get from point " A " to point " B " . Even with very modest speeds & with five riders the last guy is being subjected to more dust than he'd like, but spirits remain high & before too long we are rewarded with WHAT we were looking for! ALL NEW TRAILS !!!!!!!!!!! YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! As you can see by the photo BELOW , the view at times was BREATHTAKING!
Things only got better & BETTER as we discover an ENDLESS number of dense tight wooded trails that went up & down mountain after mountain & for the most part kept us out of the hot summer sun ! Every so often we had to exit these deep dark woods & subject ourselves to the HOT sun & DUST of the power lines to find the detour around some huge drop off or steep gulley. But for the most part of the day , we enjoyed the cool dust free environment & comfort of these deep dark , tightly wooded trails.
As the day wore on & fuel became an issue , we ventured down the mountain to the valley below & discovered that we had traveled across the mountains to the outer fringes of Tuscarora & Tamagua. BOY, were we out there! As we descended the mountain & picked our way up & down every local trail in an effort to get us closer & CLOSER to possible fuel , fate was on our side! By the time the Speedball's had picked their way down the mountain and hit the outskirts of Tamaqua , a local informed us that we were ONLY two blocks from fuel & COLD snacks! YAHOOOOOOOOOO!
As usual we eased SLOWLY & QUIETLY downtown & refueled & got snacks & cold drinks & returned to the mountains with NO PROBLEMS ! While resting & consuming our refreshments , Mike notices that Kevin's front ITP mag wheel is MISSING a lug nut & the others are LOOSE! NOT GOOD! :( All is not lost as a group of local contractors working on a house nearby are also atver's & are more than happy to help a fellow ORV fanatic! PHEWEEEEEEEEEEEE! They sure saved the day! LONG way back to Motel 6 in Frackville, Pa.
Refreshed , repaired & refueled it was time to head back across the mountains towards the Wendy's in Pottsville, Pa. for lunch .
The next few hours was spent finding a new way back across the mountains to get lunch at Wendy's in Pottsville, Pa. In the final push to Pottsville , we exit the deep dark woods & are cruising down a dusty power line , when Chris motions to a trail exiting to our left. Speedy slows the 400ex to investigate & BOOM ! WHAT IS GOING ON??????????????? Mike Yucha's Raptor has slammed into Speedy & his 400ex ! The 400EX is being pushed down the trail & becoming more & MORE sideways as the Bearclaws attempt to dig in & STOP the 400EX! IF they DO , Speedy is in TROUBLE!!!!! UGLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just as the 400EX is about to go OVER & dump Speedy's AARP A$$ on the dusty powerline , both quads STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My A$$ was sure puckered up!!!!!! As you can see by the photo below it was CLOSE!!!!!!!
Not long afterwards we cross the creek & head off to Wendy's for lunch ,Speeddy's naked butt hanging out & all ! LOL!
I was sure hungry & craving the comforts of AC , BUT the cool breeze up my butt meant that Speedy was NOT up to the dress code at Wendy's ! LOL! Bound & determined to feed my face & bask in the comforts of AC , Speedy enters Wendy's with his Pro Tec helmet held in a manner as to shield the public's eyes from the naked butt cheek of Speedy Racer ! LMAO! Food was great & AC BETTER! HE! HE!
With fuel tanks full & bellies bursting at the seams , we cross Rt # 61 & head across the mountains & head north, to finish the day off doing some hill climbing at the coal banks north of Frackville, Pa.
An hour or so later the guys have a BLAST buzzing up & down coal bank after coal bank ! More than one has to be rescued due to the coal banks being EXTREMELT SOFT & DRY !!!!!!!!!
Chris tests out his new mods on his 700 V-Twin Kawasaki 4x4 on the coal banks north of Frackville, Pa.
The rest of the day he excelled at DUNKING Mike & I with a tidal wave of murky water at every large mudhole! LOL! WHOOOOOOSH !!!!!! SPLASH!!!!!!!! BUT it felt GREAT in the HOT summer weather! HE! HE!
After letting the youngsters burn up the last of their youthful energy , it's time to call it a day & head back to Motel 6 for a HOT shower & a good nites rest! Got a group coming into town Sunday for a ride to the train tunnel in Hazelton, Pa. , so better rest this AARP atv body! By the time we rattle into the motel parking lot , more than a few Speedball's have a serious case of BABOON A$$ after almost 100 miles ! Speedy's naked butt feels even WORSE!!!!! LOL! After thanking everyone who braved the harsh summertime conditions , Speedy was off to soak his sore AARP A$$ & get some much needed ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ's !
Good-nite! Your AARP atv buddy!
SPEEDY RACER
