Let's get dirty...check here for rides.

[maxim_X]

I could be persuaded to battle that demon and try HVD again.

[typeone]

nice! come on out, pace will be mellow.

[Koffee]

Anyone know when Clough officially opens for 2016?

Thanks

[tls25rs]

Anyone know when Clough officially opens for 2016?

Thanks

The magic date every year is May 23rd.

http://www.nhatv.com/index.php?optio...=25&Itemid=161

[ZX-12R]

If you join MVTR, there are plenty of opportunities to ride it earlier in the name of maintenance.

[Koffee]

Thanks for the opening date. I'll check out MVTR as well.

[number9]

no sweat, ducatidr. trails were in great shape despite the rainy week.

Chris (number9), you're doing great, man. keep at it. i think that 300 suits you well. we didnt run into your fender/plate only rode half the lower loop again later on, stuck to the other side. but we did see another Pumpkin missing a rear fender. hahaa!

Thanks brother! I'm still having a ball. I've got a couple of pretty amazing bruises, but so far I'm really (really) enjoying myself.

I'm still slow, but I swear I'm way faster than the first time I ever rode a dirt bike -- which makes sense No worries on the fender, my new one should be here tomorrow. And I'll probably call the Rangers and see if they've stumbled upon it.

Right now I'm just trying to keep track of the basics. The more I keep my head up and look through the trail (and not down at obstacles!) the better I do. The more I stand up off the seat and let the suspension do the work, the better I do. And the more I give it throttle and let the bike power over obstacles, the better I do. At times it's a lot to keep track of, but I'm pretty pleased with the progress I'm making. Particularly as I just plain avoid the real nasty stuff lest I become discouraged and frustrated!

I should be out there on Friday (if I take a day off work) or Saturday. I really need some kind of a map so I can re-do the loop that we did, I don't think I could find most of those trails again if I had to...

[typeone]

Thanks brother! I'm still having a ball. I've got a couple of pretty amazing bruises, but so far I'm really (really) enjoying myself.

I'm still slow, but I swear I'm way faster than the first time I ever rode a dirt bike -- which makes sense No worries on the fender, my new one should be here tomorrow. And I'll probably call the Rangers and see if they've stumbled upon it.

Right now I'm just trying to keep track of the basics. The more I keep my head up and look through the trail (and not down at obstacles!) the better I do. The more I stand up off the seat and let the suspension do the work, the better I do. And the more I give it throttle and let the bike power over obstacles, the better I do. At times it's a lot to keep track of, but I'm pretty pleased with the progress I'm making. Particularly as I just plain avoid the real nasty stuff lest I become discouraged and frustrated!

I should be out there on Friday (if I take a day off work) or Saturday. I really need some kind of a map so I can re-do the loop that we did, I don't think I could find most of those trails again if I had to...

great attitude, it's all practice, your list of basics is spot on. the fact that you went for two of the tricky, rocky uphills and the slippery, long root section without flinching (or bitching) is telling. you'll be buzzin through that shit in no time.

on the map, i'll put something together for you, pretty easy to learn that loop once you've done it a few times.

i'm confirmed for Sat, can get there earlier to show you the full lower loop again. didn't seem like you guys (Fred ? on the Pumpkin tiddler) patched in some of the right-side lower we do, no tracks.

[typeone]

confirmed, 5/14 HVD, should roll in between 9 - 930.

[TripleTaco]

I think i'll be crashing this HVD party. Been meaning to get back there. Havent been since the Jack Frost event a couple years ago. See yous guys in the AM.

[number9]

great attitude, it's all practice, your list of basics is spot on. the fact that you went for two of the tricky, rocky uphills and the slippery, long root section without flinching (or bitching) is telling. you'll be buzzin through that shit in no time.

on the map, i'll put something together for you, pretty easy to learn that loop once you've done it a few times.

i'm confirmed for Sat, can get there earlier to show you the full lower loop again. didn't seem like you guys (Fred ? on the Pumpkin tiddler) patched in some of the right-side lower we do, no tracks.

Thanks man! The support means a lot. I don't have enough brains to be worried about whether or not something is too tough for me. I generally just try it, crash and get pissed off if I was in the right gear I would have gotten up that fucking hill...

confirmed, 5/14 HVD, should roll in between 9 - 930.

I should be there around 8:30-9. Will almost certainly ride on Sunday, too.

I think i'll be crashing this HVD party. Been meaning to get back there. Havent been since the Jack Frost event a couple years ago. See yous guys in the AM.

Sweet! Look forward to seeing you. What are you driving/riding?

[typeone]

I think i'll be crashing this HVD party. Been meaning to get back there. Havent been since the Jack Frost event a couple years ago. See yous guys in the AM.

sweet! we pretty much ride that same Jack Frost loop, it was too much fun to stop running it

Thanks man! The support means a lot. I don't have enough brains to be worried about whether or not something is too tough for me. I generally just try it, crash and get pissed off if I was in the right gear I would have gotten up that fucking hill...

I should be there around 8:30-9. Will almost certainly ride on Sunday, too.

you'll conquer it tomorrow, it's all momentum, not bad at all.

wish i could do a two'fer and hit Sun but have plans with the offspring. (yes, the band)

[TripleTaco]

Sweet! Look forward to seeing you. What are you driving/riding?

Silver tundra w/ white enclosed trailer.

[typeone]

great ride, dudes. I had enjoy.

[number9]

great ride, dudes. I had enjoy.

I am so fucking tired I can barely lift my arms. And I have an awesome new bruise, this one on the other leg compared to my existing bruises

Thanks again for the ride Clayton!

[typeone]

*Clinton

[number9]

*Clinton

Haha fuck, sorry dude

[ducatirdr]

I am so fucking tired I can barely lift my arms. And I have an awesome new bruise, this one on the other leg compared to my existing bruises

When you guys went back into the top I bailed. I was so tired at that point. Just moments before I dropped my bike twice. Once was one of those "I'm too tired to play" and I stepped off an let it fall over. Then when picking it up my foot slipped on a rock and I fell over and down it went again. Stick a fork in me, I'm cooked! The ride home was cramping claws for hands. I need to get out more and get more time in the dirty saddle. Still I had an awesome time. Looking forward to another time and place.

Tommy D

[typeone]

yeah, i lost my brains once we finished up top then went down to hit that back tech corner before looping lower one last time ... got a shitload of traction across the gnarly rooted entrance, lofted the front wheel a bit, ran out of skill and landed head first in a ditch to my right. I think that's the hardest I've hit my head in quite a while. hooray for neck braces!!

[number9]

I went out again today. Got there right at 8am and the farthest parking lot (right near the big gate) was already full with lots of Brazilians.

Ended up trying to do Clayton's loop.. and couldn't fucking find it Specifically, I couldn't find the section with the great big hill where I lost my number plate. Oh well!

I rode on my own for a couple of hours, left just after 11. Spent the last 30 minutes or so doing the little terrain park -- the one with the log jumps, log box and whoops. I got faster on the whoops - for me, a lot faster (comparatively!) - and it's kind of amazing how much easier it is when you give it as much throttle as you can handle and the bike just skips over. It's so much easier to go fast than slow...

Only one notable crash for me, went over the front bars after going up and down the big sandy hill. Was going over the whoops a little too fast; I saw another riding coming towards me and I grabbed too much front brake and over I went. Hooray for good gear!

One Brazilian guy wiped out some place else and the ambulance had to come get him. Broken arm and maybe a busted shoulder, I think.

[nhbubba]

Chip, Joel, & others have told me many times. You gotta click an upshift, lean back, and let'er rip on those whops. Weird at first. Pretty scary. But as you say, it just works. The whoops at Clough are all sandy like too. Upside is it is relatively soft impact when you fubar it. Downside is it feels like the front wanders all over the effing place.

I'm getting fired up to ride.

[typeone]

Ended up trying to do Clayton's loop.. and couldn't fucking find it Specifically, I couldn't find the section with the great big hill where I lost my number plate. Oh well!

*Clinton

i can send you a .GPX file for Google Earth if you want. can press play and see how we do the loop BUT, it's easy to get to that hill... down gravel railroad bed, take a right at the Mid-State trail entrance on right or your next right before the pond (it's not far down once on the gravel), follow trail but stay left when it forks, cross the stream, up the short steep hill, larger hill will be coming up after you're through the woods a bit.

[Petorius]

I got ~15 hours in the saddle this weekend, including most of the Pachaug enduro loop on Sunday. Things are starting to click, although my clutch control is god awful. I haven't yet sacked up and floated across whoops like I'm supposed to, but my dirt instincts are coming along to the point that throttling over the top seems like the natural and correct way to do it (I'm just scurred). I'm busy for the next five weekends, but hopefully fixing everything I broke yesterday and grabbing an MA sticker so I can get out with y'all at the end of June.

[number9]

*Clinton

i can send you a .GPX file for Google Earth if you want. can press play and see how we do the loop BUT, it's easy to get to that hill... down gravel railroad bed, take a right at the Mid-State trail entrance on right or your next right before the pond (it's not far down once on the gravel), follow trail but stay left when it forks, cross the stream, up the short steep hill, larger hill will be coming up after you're through the woods a bit.

Thanks! Yeah, the .gpx file would be a big help. I discovered some trails that I hadn't seen yesterday, it was a ball...

[number9]

Got it, thanks! Posting this here so other people can see it: what do you use to capture the route? And then get it into Google Earth?