Going to the Turtle Farm

So here's the 'sitch. I wait all day long yesterday until I get off work so I can go ride. Like most of you reading this, I cherish my riding time. It was a beautiful day, sunny, 80ish - that is until I started heading toward the trails. The closer I got, the darker it got. Grrrrrrr.

I am not against riding in the rain. In fact, most of the riding I do is in the rain. It is sometimes so bad that I have been associated with some black magic and implicated in causing it to rain. Ok maybe that's exaggerating a little but you get the picture. Anyway I have been dying to get my Vassago Jabberwocky on some familiar trails to see what it would do and there's perhaps no trail on the face of the earth that is more familiar than the ones at Warriors Path State Park in Kingsport.

When I got there, there were a few people standing under the kiosk out of the rain. Damn the rain and full steam ahead, we're riding.



Disclaimer: I do not advocate riding trails that are sensative to wet riding. The trails at WPSP were designed to drain well and are generally very durable. Occasional wet riding does not hurt them. I would never ride a trail wet that could be permanently damaged by doing so.



Warriors is very rocky and rooty. It is a place that will bite you hard if you are a little lazy or not paying attention.

Warriors is also one of the biggest turtle refuges in the Southeast. I counted 7 yesterday (which averages 1 per mile) a buddy of mine found 5 in a single puddle the other day. For years there was one turtle that someone stuck a Mavic sticker on roaming around there. They mythical Mavic turtle hasn't been seen for awhile. Dunno if he died or if the sticker just came off. On most days it is hard to go there and not see one somewhere.

Anyway, the ride was great and further solidified my joy with my Jabberwocky. It handled the tight singletrack at Warriors like a champ. It climbs like a monkey on crack and sticks the turns like I am on rails. I had no trouble feeling confident stuffing this bike into rooty wet turns or going through some of the many rock gardens at WPSP.

That's my story anyway.