Well we made it back...not all running but all returned....broke in the new Polaris 400m with no issues buddy's Kawaski wanted to mess with our minds, it has a noise from an unhooked speedometer cable that can play with your mind, especially way back off the main roads and ...well you'll see
Sunday loaded up, pulled out for the 5+hour trip, Stopped at local store to top off tanks...noticed gas on the ground at rear of truck...not good...leaking from buddy's Prairie 400, might be something fixable later??? offered to loan my Suzuki for the trip, nah it's all good. During various stops the leak stops...so someone (me) overfilled the tank and what we had was overflow. It's all good, proceed, get to Ashland, check in , permits purchased, truck/unloaded. We'll start with IR12 across the road from Ashland...nope closed, ok, we'll start with IR12 from Ashland to the trail head, then 18, to 14 and stop at 13/15 intersection. Decide to head back...getting late, time to eat. Deer sausage's on the grill
Monday-We watched the world go by until 11-12 before we even headed out..Left out of Ashland up the road to Skyland/Windmill Gap? hang a right and ended up on IR 15 headed to Pocahontas system. 15 to 19 cut off at 33 left on trail 85 and low and behold, we found a pond...one more off our to due list. Backtrack to 13 to next pond....up 60 to 64 right on trail 62 back to 16.....here is where I start to play with BobT tracks. We follow a track to Tolliver and on out to the road. QUESTION Anyone know what the building to the right at the road was back in it's day. Anyway, up the road towards Ashland, hang a right and off we go...head towards soggy bottom we guess, remember in other post how easy we get sidetracked....well we wonder around for a couple of hour before looking up a track "Hilltop to HM16" (thanks BobT again) so off we head to Hilltop. Played in some mud....then we face the hill climbs...now this is only our third trip and not all that comfortable going up hills, rode for years on flat ground. Needless to say we charged up the hills and made it out to the road...left on gravel right on paved hello Skyland down the road to Ashland....Suppertime...and check in on the third member of team..who had an arrival time of 1am. He made it in safe. He was to play tour guide for the trip to Welch...
Tuesday morning...Jimmy's Prairie has no leaks and even the cable has been quiet...the new Polaris is purring along getting use to automatic and single lever brake system...but hey it's all good. Off we go to get permit for the new man(Art) in the group, should have mentioned earlier this is the first trip involving the HM trails. WELCH heere we come..... Well loaded up and off to Hilltop around the trail to the strairsteps on down to pinnicale creek. Head towards the creek bear off to the left up the logging site, no one around, ease through to the haul road on We see it... Walmart, another item off the bucket list. Art makes comment to me while Jimmy goes and gets a picture of the Walmart we might be towing the Kaw back...the cable is starting to chirp. It is explained that it was just a cable...note to self..Jimmy's chirp sounded more like clanking/grinding, not sure of the location, me thinks to me self that noise is new. Noise is coming and going so off to Charlie Reed Junction and on to the Sterling Drive Inn, around of Carolina Burgers later and to the Prison..NOPE..path blocked men working so we decide to ease back to Ashland direction. We start up the trail, maybe a mile look back ...No Jimmy...stop, Art eases on he'll look back sooner or later and realize we are not there...cut off the ATV, nothing, start walking back down the hill around two bends there stands Jimmy and a quiet Prairie...rear end is slipping...remember those clanking noises...yeah like pots and pans now. Art returns. Gameplan Jimmy will limp downhill to road, I'll stay with him and we'll wait off the road at trail entrance, while Art returns to Ashland to retrieve the truck and trailer. It's all good...Coming down the hill Jimmy makes the comment this is the "ride of shame" my reply at least you're riding. Two hours or so waiting...talked to man who was doing some painting at the house at the trailhead he offered to give Jimmy a ride told thanks but Art was on the way. Art returns we load up wounded Prairie and back to Ashland. Get back and look at the offending Prairie, noticed the speedometer gear is loose, remove plug...let's say it looked like chocolate pudding with sparkles. Jimmy had debated on buying new Polaris when I got mine...so let the trash talk begin. His wife texts me telling me to convince him to stay and relax the last day or go and trade the Prairie in and salvage an afternoon ride...Jimmy laughs and takes all the ribbing in stride...his phrase about the noise...new it was bad hoping for the best and it's all good, not that far up the trail, we were near a town and the weather was nice...
CONT
Wednesday morning..Jimmy makes the comment as Art and I are laying out attack plans, I might be here when you get back or I might head home. Told him he could be back by noon with new ride easily, Jimmy just laughed it off.
Crew pulls up to cabin next door, ....later learned 14 hour overnight from Michigan. Art wants to go to Pineville...me whatever along for the ride. 9am off we go, Left out of Ashland past the Tolliver lake trail and then a left and well I was following Art. Up to a gap road along a ridge...wait, wait...the little white wood Church on the ridge Bearwallow? Barbara's? been here on first trip and part of second. The disadvantage to learning on your own, you don't know the names of sites....Off down the trail past teh community center, left deaded towards pinnacle creek...another left of the trail and look a mine shaft, or Art says a pass through tunnel...alright third item off bucket list, no Jimmy but now I know where to find this. Backtrack, down to wait wagon wheel? been this close to the tunnel/shaft..dang. oh well, you know the phrase, it's all good. So to the creeks throught the creeks, seems easier following someone who knows the way through...stop at waterworld/big hole come across two couples on Polaris' looking for the campground. Through the creek back on the trail to connector trail 20 to Pinncale Creek trail system. Along the trail, hey GPS says mouth of the spider, I must be somewhere it has a name and been tagged. We make it to the trailhead at Pineville. Get directions for gas (we had spare with us) Well we missed getting one of those right turns, but we backtrack and find the gas station downtown...all good. Back to the trails, we decide to take trail 10 to see some old mining equipment...we must have missed it...back to Tiny's, Must be somewhere it was marked on the GPS and up the road this time, back to the ridge road, on back to the stairsteps, down through Crumpler back to Ashland...92 miles one day...not my style but had fun...Jimmy was gone upon our return. On the way back we saw the following: 2 trucks and trailers from Ontario in Crumpler(8can-ams), man with pressed blue long sleevedress shirt and khackis with it looked to be dale papers riding in Ashland ATV park, his group looked to have new rides....bit overdressed..the groups started to roll in Wednesday night and Thursday AM. Our group from Michigan appeared to have been joined by more, as we leaving Thursday heard them say they were getting teady to do a carb job...so hope they made it to ride...We were going to get a short ride in but parking was going to be scarce after checkout, 36 more ATV's were arriving Thursday.....Had a blast, dusty but temps were perfect, three items off bucket list, loss one rider a day early but.........It's all good....Depdawg
Subject: April 7-11th 2013 
Thu Apr 04, 2013 7:01 pm
