DS Camping Trip - aug 22-23rd

[mica]

I guess I wasn't paying attention earlier.

I don't have any desire to hit dirt roads and the like with my bike loaded up with gear. Doable but takes a lot of the fun out of it for me. It doesn't make sense to ride ALL day with gear strapped to your bike when your can ride 1/2 day with gear and 1/2 without.

My preference is head straight to camp, drop the gear and spend 3-4 hours hitting twisties and dirt roads with unladen bikes.

Not trying to change what you guy's are doing just saying, by 'my preference' I mean that's what I am going to do. I will meet you guy's at the campsite.

[Rut Row]

I guess I wasn't paying attention earlier.

I don't have any desire to hit dirt roads and the like with my bike loaded up with gear. Doable but takes a lot of the fun out of it for me. It doesn't make sense to ride ALL day with gear strapped to your bike when your can ride 1/2 day with gear and 1/2 without.

My preference is head straight to camp, drop the gear and spend 3-4 hours hitting twisties and dirt roads with unladen bikes.

Not trying to change what you guy's are doing just saying, by 'my preference' I mean that's what I am going to do. I will meet you guy's at the campsite.

when the dust settles (pun intended), I think we'll be closer to your concept than 11+ hours of gravel/dirt.

[code]

Me thinks we're all being too manly to say, ok, I give. Did 300+ miles of gravel and dirt, maybe a 1/4 of which was paved stuff inbetween without luggage last year with a friend from ne pa. down into western, md. It took every bit of the day, and upon getting home we were and out cold. Call me what you will... That was just 2 of us riding, so the ride was a pretty decent pace. While it would be cool to do something carrying all your crap, and camping like you would do on the TAT.. I think we were aiming for something a little more relaxed, or at least that's what I gathered by Ken's initial post when he came up with this to begin with. Something for larger bikes, a relaxing stroll, camping and shooting the shit around the camp fire with friends.

[Rut Row]

Me thinks we're all being too manly to say, ok, I give. Did 300+ miles of gravel and dirt, maybe a 1/4 of which was paved stuff inbetween without luggage last year with a friend from ne pa. down into western, md. It took every bit of the day, and upon getting home we were and out cold. Call me what you will... That was just 2 of us riding, so the ride was a pretty decent pace. While it would be cool to do something carrying all your crap, and camping like you would do on the TAT.. I think we were aiming for something a little more relaxed, or at least that's what I gathered by Ken's initial post when he came up with this to begin with. Something for larger bikes, a relaxing stroll, camping and shooting the shit around the camp fire with friends.

+1

I'm sensing two groups - the Manly Men who slug it out, eat bark and get to the campground late, and the DS Beer & Bull Girly men who ride directly there (maybe a few interesting roads thrown in), take the best camping spots, relax and drink all the cold beer leaving a few warm ones for the Manly Men who will be grateful for the food scraps and warm beer.

[hondahawkrider]

+1

I'm sensing two groups - the Manly Men who slug it out, eat bark and get to the campground late, and the DS Beer & Bull Girly men who ride directly there (maybe a few interesting roads thrown in), take the best camping spots, relax and drink all the cold beer leaving a few warm ones for the Manly Men who will be grateful for the food scraps and warm beer.

We can set this up any way everyone wants it..

However, I am not quite understanding why folks think we are going to laden down with tons of crap.. I am brining a hammock tent, a tiny shaving kit, and a change of some clothes (undergarments and shorts). It's one day away from home, it's not like we need to bring the kitchen sink or a change of shoes.. Pretty much everything should fit in a small bag that can be bungied to the back of a bike or a backpack (the tent being the big item). I know that some other with bigger bike - Ken/Joe - etc might have the capacity for more stuff, lord knows my ktm990 has hard bags and I can bring anything I might want or need.. That said, it's really not needed for this trip...

If you want to go off to the campground and set up - that's cool - we can set something up.. However, me personally I am not going to unpack - set up my stuff and leave it sitting there unattended while I go out and ride - but that's me.. The intent of the campsite is more a place to sleep - it wasn't to be a base camp.... However, if someone wants to go and babysit everyone's stuff - I am sure others will drop their stuff off and go back out riding, but it's not like GR where the ORV is RIGHT there (it's never a good idea to tear it up right near where you are camping, but that's just me)..

[hondahawkrider]

also - we are taking dirt roads here not an orv, rock garden, single track, or the TAT ... If my 990 didn't have street tires I might have considered it - but this is why I got the xr - to ride out and back - etc.. In any event nobody will be left behind in any event.. I honestly dont think there shouldn't be anything that someone couldn't handle on a Dualie of some type.. I wouldn't bring a sportbike - but I have seen em out at dolly sods ... It's a dual sport ride after all..

[code]

Long Run - off Hopkins Gap is a dirt road - more Dual Sport than Strom - not that Strom couldn't do it - Jknowledge used to take his vstrom 1000 all kinds of places. I have only ridden a small bit - but I am NOT taking my ktm990adventure on it - I would much rather brave it on the XR.

If I recall, that's part of route you came up with to get out there. Above you're saying that you wouldn't do it basically.....
Then see below.....

also - we are taking dirt roads here not an orv, rock garden, single track, or the TAT ... If my 990 didn't have street tires I might have considered it - but this is why I got the xr - to ride out and back - etc.. In any event nobody will be left behind in any event.. I honestly dont think there shouldn't be anything that someone couldn't handle on a Dualie of some type.. I wouldn't bring a sportbike - but I have seen em out at dolly sods ... It's a dual sport ride after all..

Not trampling your plan..just got a bit confused as to which those roads were...good or not so good strom roads. You know just as well as I, owning the 990 that there are places you pick and choose to take it. It's not that the strom can't handle it or that any bike for that matter "can't handle it". It's more along the lines of, this is "a" overnight with reservations already made vs. a leisure ride with no deadline of where we had to be to camp..I'd say sure and pitch tent where ever when I got tired.

I don't want to hold up the group because I'm pushing through stuff that on a smaller actual dual purpose I could haul ass through. There comes a fine line on the strom where the fun is and the fun ends. I believe we're trying to just keep options open so everyone has fun.

You can't make everyone happy. Which is partially why I think Ken mentioned in something like the 3rd page about possibly even breaking it into 2 groups.

You did a good route And I'm sure that there are people in the group that will be willing to join you on that route. I know a lot of effort went into you planning it as well.

That's my story (some of you will note..that's pretty much a story above..sry) and I'm stickin' to it.

[Rut Row]

You can't make everyone happy. Which is partially why I think Ken mentioned in something like the 3rd page about possibly even breaking it into 2 groups.

This is becoming WAY too much work.

Are we ADV posers who need a minute-by-minute agenda with markers 1,000 yards prior to any loose gravel on a paved road, detailed GPS routes and redundant GPS receivers in case one breaks down?

Or are we DAMN Riders who meet at Point A, ride in the general direction of Point B, camp, swill beer, fart, etc?

I'll meet y'all at Point of Rocks. Me 'n Code are having a nice peaceful ride to Seneca Shadows on pavement, some gravel roads, and frequent stops for old men with weak bladders.

We'll see you there and no promises that there will be any cold beer waiting - empty cans yes!

[Kath]

lmao Ken, you crack me up.

[AccidentalWheelie]

didnt know this was going to be a jerry springer episode ....i dont care what we do lets just do it (as a group maybe ,whole point of the forum) why dont you guys meet in the middle with a little fun off beaten path and gravel and road cruizing true dual sportish maybe?