Nyroc 5 Montana Mnt 02-21-09
Saturday 02-23-09 was going to be a big ride. I know there was over 24 riders but I lost track. Since this was a large group we were going to make it a scenic ride over the Mountain loop. This is a fairly long ride but not overly tough but absolutely gorgeous. We decided to split the group into 2 groups to try to keep the dust down a bit.
I was leading the 2nd group until we crossed the 60. Justin had an issue with his clutch plus he was wanting to get back early to head home to California so I took him back to the truck as Jeff took over leading. The group went on to a side trail around the mountain instead of the main road for a few miles. This trail is beautiful as it is overgrown in places and even passes an Indian ruin. There are also many creek crossings along the way.
Justin and I made a very fast run back to the truck. The 750 Brute Torque I was on handled great on the tight twisty trails. The bottom end on this machine is remarkable. I never felt out of shape except on a couple of corners that I came into too fast but you could hit the throttle and slide the machine sideways and power slide out of the corners nicely.
After helping Justin load up I jumped on the Polaris 850 XP and took off to meet up with the group. I have to say the power steering on the Polaris is outstanding. It is so plush you tend to go faster than you realize. I was pushing pretty hard and missed seeing a wash that had a turn at the bottom of it. I had no chance to slow down enough to make the corner. I thought this is going to hurt but the machine soaked up the bumps and I made it even thought I was slightly off course. It did however get me to slow down just a bit.
After crossing over the 60 I headed towards the Rogers Trough road. There were a few riders and Jeeps on the main road so I jumped in the wash and nailed it. The wash was a blast. It has quite a bit of water in it so I was having fun spraying water everywhere. There were a few times where I hit a big waterhole that sent me sideways that made it exciting. The Polaris has excellent water protection. Much better than previous models.
I know the other riders went to the left around the mountain but I thought they would still be ahead of me as they had about a 30 to 40 minute head start so as I came back to the road I headed to the top for Rogers Trough. I got to the top but nobody was there. I checked for tracks and didn’t see a ton of fresh ATV tracks so I thought they have not been this far yet. I back tracked about half way down the mountain and saw a few riders on a side hilltop. I went up to where they were as it was a good vantage point. I could see a big group of riders a couple of miles away and thought it was my group. I had a good time talking with the riders on the hill as I waited for the group to start moving. All of a sudden I could see a group coming from behind the mountain. I knew this had to be them. It took them awhile to get up to me but I saw Roy leading the way. After the 2nd group came by I went in behind them.
We went up and over the top which is about 72oo feet elevation with pine trees. There was just a bit of snow left in patches. It was a beautiful sunny day and you could see for miles from the top of the mountain.
After coming down the switchbacks we stopped for water. We decided to take a trail that goes over the middle of the mountains. At times this trail is a bit nasty but today it was on the mild side which was good for so many riders. It is a cool site seeing a line of quads and side x sides snaking along the narrow winding trail. We stopped at a wash to let everyone catch up. I lead us down the wash but after about 1 mile there was a stop sign right in the middle of the wash saying it was private property so we turned around and headed back to a side trail.
This trail came out at a coral next to the main wash. I thought it would have water like it does a mile to the north but it was dry. This took us to the main dirt road where we back tracked to the 60 on our way to camp.
There was one incident after passing the 60. I stopped to direct the riders onto the correct side trail back to camp. I stayed there quite awhile because I was waiting for Roy and Steve. Oh well, I knew they knew how to get back. As I arrived I heard Desert Dweller had a big gash in his chin. I went to see what happened. He said he was going to fast on the trail and didn’t see a dip. He hit so hard his head smashed into his handlebars. He wears an open face helmet so when he hit the break reservoir it split open his chin. It was a very nasty split. A friend of mine Jenny happened to be close by. She is a PA so I asked if she would take a look at it. She said he needed stitches right now and offered to take him to Florence. She is sooooo nice.
Amazingly they were back in about an hour. I guess they just made it as the clinic was going to close in 7 minutes. I took 9 stitches to close the gash. It actually made him look a little better…
All the excitement and now it was time to unveil the Pig. Jeff’s brother Mark and his friend Eric stayed at camp to keep an eye on the pig and turkey in the pit. Wow did that look good. After a few photos it was time for the carvers to take her apart. We had food galore as everyone brought a dish.
What a great time sitting around telling lies about the ride and making friends. After the food we had a huge bon fire. That is what happens when you put Zane in charge of the fire. He only knows one way to do things and that is full out.
Read MoreI was leading the 2nd group until we crossed the 60. Justin had an issue with his clutch plus he was wanting to get back early to head home to California so I took him back to the truck as Jeff took over leading. The group went on to a side trail around the mountain instead of the main road for a few miles. This trail is beautiful as it is overgrown in places and even passes an Indian ruin. There are also many creek crossings along the way.
Justin and I made a very fast run back to the truck. The 750 Brute Torque I was on handled great on the tight twisty trails. The bottom end on this machine is remarkable. I never felt out of shape except on a couple of corners that I came into too fast but you could hit the throttle and slide the machine sideways and power slide out of the corners nicely.
After helping Justin load up I jumped on the Polaris 850 XP and took off to meet up with the group. I have to say the power steering on the Polaris is outstanding. It is so plush you tend to go faster than you realize. I was pushing pretty hard and missed seeing a wash that had a turn at the bottom of it. I had no chance to slow down enough to make the corner. I thought this is going to hurt but the machine soaked up the bumps and I made it even thought I was slightly off course. It did however get me to slow down just a bit.
After crossing over the 60 I headed towards the Rogers Trough road. There were a few riders and Jeeps on the main road so I jumped in the wash and nailed it. The wash was a blast. It has quite a bit of water in it so I was having fun spraying water everywhere. There were a few times where I hit a big waterhole that sent me sideways that made it exciting. The Polaris has excellent water protection. Much better than previous models.
I know the other riders went to the left around the mountain but I thought they would still be ahead of me as they had about a 30 to 40 minute head start so as I came back to the road I headed to the top for Rogers Trough. I got to the top but nobody was there. I checked for tracks and didn’t see a ton of fresh ATV tracks so I thought they have not been this far yet. I back tracked about half way down the mountain and saw a few riders on a side hilltop. I went up to where they were as it was a good vantage point. I could see a big group of riders a couple of miles away and thought it was my group. I had a good time talking with the riders on the hill as I waited for the group to start moving. All of a sudden I could see a group coming from behind the mountain. I knew this had to be them. It took them awhile to get up to me but I saw Roy leading the way. After the 2nd group came by I went in behind them.
We went up and over the top which is about 72oo feet elevation with pine trees. There was just a bit of snow left in patches. It was a beautiful sunny day and you could see for miles from the top of the mountain.
After coming down the switchbacks we stopped for water. We decided to take a trail that goes over the middle of the mountains. At times this trail is a bit nasty but today it was on the mild side which was good for so many riders. It is a cool site seeing a line of quads and side x sides snaking along the narrow winding trail. We stopped at a wash to let everyone catch up. I lead us down the wash but after about 1 mile there was a stop sign right in the middle of the wash saying it was private property so we turned around and headed back to a side trail.
This trail came out at a coral next to the main wash. I thought it would have water like it does a mile to the north but it was dry. This took us to the main dirt road where we back tracked to the 60 on our way to camp.
There was one incident after passing the 60. I stopped to direct the riders onto the correct side trail back to camp. I stayed there quite awhile because I was waiting for Roy and Steve. Oh well, I knew they knew how to get back. As I arrived I heard Desert Dweller had a big gash in his chin. I went to see what happened. He said he was going to fast on the trail and didn’t see a dip. He hit so hard his head smashed into his handlebars. He wears an open face helmet so when he hit the break reservoir it split open his chin. It was a very nasty split. A friend of mine Jenny happened to be close by. She is a PA so I asked if she would take a look at it. She said he needed stitches right now and offered to take him to Florence. She is sooooo nice.
Amazingly they were back in about an hour. I guess they just made it as the clinic was going to close in 7 minutes. I took 9 stitches to close the gash. It actually made him look a little better…
All the excitement and now it was time to unveil the Pig. Jeff’s brother Mark and his friend Eric stayed at camp to keep an eye on the pig and turkey in the pit. Wow did that look good. After a few photos it was time for the carvers to take her apart. We had food galore as everyone brought a dish.
What a great time sitting around telling lies about the ride and making friends. After the food we had a huge bon fire. That is what happens when you put Zane in charge of the fire. He only knows one way to do things and that is full out.
