At Exit # 14 off of I-83 in Pa. , I link up with Chris for the last 92 mile trex north on I-83 & I-81 & the beginning of yet another Great Adventure. The time goes by fast & ninety minutes later we are seated at Granny's fueling our bodies for another atv ride across the mountains of Pa.
After feeding our faces , we head across to the Motel 6 parking lot & find ALOT of happy smiling faces & anxious atv riders READY to begin today's quest. MORE new faces greet Speedy as I make my rounds to welcome each & every rider who has seen fit to join the Speedball's for today's ride. Nikki from the Eastern Shore has become one of the first lady's to venture out for a Saturday ride. She rides a new 700 V-Force , BUT does she have the skills to go where we go during the course of the day????? Guess we will find out????
Before too long fourteen riders blip their thumb throttles & in a cloud of dust we head off towards Shenandoah & points BEYOND! YEHAAAAAA! Eeveryone is full of beans & the sport quads wheelie every chance they get! Even Mr. AARP on his 400ex is feeling frisky & drops the hammer & sends the front end of the 400ex skyward at least a dozen times during the first mile. HE! HE!
With fourteen riders , DUST is already an issue & speed has to be curtailed to minumize the dust for the back markers. Regardless of this factor ,it doesn't take long for us to reach Shenandoah & it's vast array of coal banks. Our plan is to reach Treverton some time around noon, so after a few brief buzzes up & down a few coal banks , we head across the highway & set our sights on Mt. Carmel & it's maze of nice tight trails.
Once past the coal mines & in the comfort of the shady & moist & less dusty trails, the pace picks up & the FUN begins! OH! BOY! Just about the time things start to get exciting, twisting & turning & powersliding around each & every turn , we realize Tom is MISSING!!!!! WHERE is HE???????? WHEN is the last time anyone remembers seeing him ?????? After a few minutes wait , Chris & V-Force John head back to see IF they can find him or not???? Within a few minutes , V-Force John returns & says they found Tom ,BUT his quad is wrecked at the bottom of a huge coal bank in Shenandoah! NOT GOOD!
As we retreat towards Shenandoah, UGLY thoughts wander through this AARP brain , BUT hope & pray for the BEST ????? As we approach the scene of his quad's demise , it's a welcome site to see Tom mobile & even with a slight grin on his face! " WHEWEEEEEEEEEEE ! " " WHAT HAPPENED?????? " I ask .
Tom replies " I was following Chris around the top of the coal bank & looking upward at the same time & the left front wheel hit this huge wash out in the middle of the trail ! " , " Then my thumb hits the throttle & the Susuki just GOES UP & THEN DOWN & OVER the side , bouncing higher & HIGHER & harder & HARDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "
" I called for help , BUT NO ONE heard me ! " . He even said he hollered at me , but with so many noisy quads , it's hard to even hear myself sometimes! LOL!
