My ATV Exploits

Wisconsin Public Trails / Parks

• Dyracuse Recreational Area - Rome, WI
• Suring, WI / "Dusty Trails"
• Kewaunee ATV Park (aka Riverview ATV Park) in Kewaunee, WI is 20 miles of ATV trails, hill climb, woods trails, and play area. This ATV park is a small oasis of public ATV fun in the middle of a large area of the Wisconsin map devoid of public ATV trails. The Kewaunee ATV Park is set on/near Kewaunee County Landfill property and is adjoined by private property.
• City of Fond du Lac OHV Park The Fond du Lac Community OHV Park has a MOTOCROSS style riding area for dirt bikes and ATV's, a PEE WEE area for beginner riders, asphalt parking lot and driveway, portable toilet facilities, fencing, etc.

ATV Dealers, etc.

• TA Motorsports - Francis Creek, WI
• Badger Cycle - Manitowoc, WI
• Anschutz Motorsports - Manitowoc

Ride Log

• Outing #12: Sunday, July 13th 2008 - Suring, WI

  Ben, Tanya, and I made the trip. The trails were in mint condition, relatively damp, and scarcely populated. Magically, the weather felt more like early fall than mid-July. We put on about twice the miles given the fast conditions. We made the halfway-gas station by 10:00am! We rode all the way back to the pipeline and followed a bunch of signs to Logan's Roadhouse(?) on Hwy 32(?) Ben had the worlds largest Philly Cheesesteak. Back to the truck for a topoff, and back out on the trails. Ben let me ride his new 700cc Yamaha for a bit. Grown-up sized ATV's rule. Note to self: Metal show the night before and 4 hours of sleep are not recommended in the future. I was wiped-out.

• Outing #11: Sunday, July 6th 2008 - Kewaunee, WI

  George Carlin(RIP) accompanied me to Kewaunee's Riverview ATV Park for the first real warm-weather workout. There were some rough areas due to trenches dug to let the rainwater run off of the trails and the "intense use" area. Since I usually get there early enough that I am the only person riding, I'm able to let the Yam strech out a little on the trails. I came up on a family of turkeys and waited for them to make their way into the tall grass before proceeding.

  Looks like they have built some new trails down by the creek between the parking area and the track. Lots of new rock and topsoil all over.

  I thought I could get away with not fixing the broken battery cable by just tightening the remaining metal really hard against the battery terminal. The first round on the track proved me wrong. We'll see if I get it fixed in time for next weeks Suring trip. (Sun. 7/13) If not, I'll just have to be ready to jam the screwdriver in the terminals again.

  I'm pretty sore so I must have been flooring it just enough.

• Outing #10: Sunday, June 22nd 2008 - Kewaunee, WI

  After several riding attempts getting stifled by rain, floods, and moving, Ian and I went over to Kewaunee's Riverview ATV Park for a few hours.

  System of a Down, Coal Chamber, and Pantera helped psych us up during the ride to the park. First we headed over to the relatively flat trail areas and the hill climb area. I pestered Ian quite a bit early on, repeatedly asking him if he was okay or if he was ready when we approached something potentially scary. His reply was "Yes. I'm ready for anything!" I guess Dad was more apprehensive than Ian!

  Ian decided he liked the hills and the big mud puddles the most. We even had a chance to watch a sport quad take the jumps over in the "intense use" area. Ian sat on my shoulders and we stood near the biggest jump, cheering whenever the guy caught air.

  We saw a family there with a little girl (probably around Ian's age) riding a 50cc ATV. Ian asked if his could be camo too. We'll see...

  >>>Ian's first ride Pictures<<<

• Outing #9: Saturday, February 2nd 2008 - Dunbar, WI

  The first snow ride(for me.) - Around 6:30AM, Ben, Trevor, Corey, Brett, and I departed the exit 152 park 'n ride. The weather hovered in the 20-30's and snowed lightly nearly all day. Thornton's Resort provided a place to park the truck and begin the ride. The Honda's were a bit sluggish to start, but we were off after some sparkplug swappage.

  Riding in snow is basically a (hopefully) controlled skid. I also quickly learned that momentarily leaving the sanctity of the groomed trail results in instant stop-n-bury.

  Snowmobiles...

  I developed a cramp in my throttle thumb early on. I had to alternate between pushing the throttle with heel of my hand and reaching across with my left hand in the straights. Eventually I just had to stop and let go of the bars periodically.

  At one point I had stopped and shut down the machine. Upon trying to restart it, no response. I thought the battery was dead. Brett quickly discovered that it was actually a broken battery cable. He jammed a screwdriver in to bridge the connection and I was able to start it back up. While not a show stopper, this ended up being a pain in the ass due to the number of times I killed the engine.

  For lunch, it was the North County Inn. Cheeseburger + fries + Mt. Dew + water.

  Out of gas... Trevor tows... Trevor out of gas... Ben, Brett, and Corey continued on to the truck to fetch Trevors gas can. Dark... Walking... Gas... No headlights... Loaded up the truck... The guess was 100 miles. Home by 9:30pm Overall, the first snow ride was a blast. Floating through corners, clear visibility, and twisty trail.

• Outing #8: Saturday, October 27th 2007 - Suring, WI

  The perfect ride! The entire trail system had been groomed within the past week, and a lot of rain had fallen since resulting in damp smooth trails. The rear-axle traction was a bit greasy in the corners at first, but as the day progressed and the trails began to dry out we could attack the corners as usual. The lack of dust and grit in the air allowed me to actually *see* the woods we were careening through. I did learn that bits of moist sand thrown into the air hurt more than dust clouds when they hit exposed skin. Doug's Yamaha was down to 2 bolt on the drive sprocket. By the end of the day, he managed to loose another. Another rider stopped and took a bolt from his atv and finagled it onto Doug's so he could get back to the truck. Around this time, I noticed that my motor was just sitting in the frame having snapped both of the top engine mounts. Oh well. At least it happened at the very end of the ride. With Stabil in the tank, the Warrior prepares for a long wait in the garage until the next ride opportunity (likely to involve snow)

  • >>> Suring 2007 Pictures<<<
• Outing #7: Sunday, September 16th 2007 - Kewaunee, WI

  Since I couldn't make it to Black River Falls with the usual suspects, I, Sevendust, and System Of A Down made our way to the Kewaunee County ATV Park by 6:30am. I was happy to see that many new trails have been blazed all over the park. The woods/creek area is nearly impassible by a 2WD ATV. I got stuck twice! I bet that area is tons o' fun on a utility quad. The hill climb area and surrounding trails have been re-grated and re-done. My favorite part was the completely redone "intense use area." New jumps, better jumps, and fewer short, abrupt jumps. I've gotten pretty comfortable with small scale jumps. I was consistently able to get into 4th gear on the approach for the first jump. I'm pretty sure I was catching 6 ft of air and landing maybe 15ft away. The jump was sloped with a very even approach that then tapered off for a long distance. Almost a table-top jump, but with no real "flat spot." I spent a lot of time on that jump.

  After about 4 hours of fun, my body was punished enough to head back to the trailer. About 5 minutes out of Kewaunee, I blew the passenger-side tire on the trailer. "F*CK" I think. I have no spare and it is Sunday, and I don't know much about the Kewaunee tire/service shop scene. A quick cell call to Amy resulted in a couple of leads. Before I called the first one, it occurred to me that the "donut/service tire" on the mini-van may be a similar width at least. I was in luck! The bolt pattern matched, so I gave it a try. I was happy to see that the lug wrench for the 2003 Chrysler did not fit on the old trailer lugs. Surprisingly, the ATV lug wrench fit perfectly. Metric!? Anyway, the 16 inch tire just fit where the 13 inch flat had once stood. So, I hop back into the driver seat to get started home again. Luckily, in my haste, I had left the ignition on and the fan was running the whole time while I changed the tire. The damned van wouldn't start. So, I moseyed over and asked a nearby homeowner for a jump start.(and some jumper cables which I of course did not have) So the guy drives his vehicle over, hooks up his cables to my terminals, while I jump in the driver seat. I tried to start it. The thing turned over after 2 starter wind-ups. I hopped out and said, "Thanks man!" He's standing there looking at me funny. "I haven't connected the cables to my car yet." Genius. We both muttered something about letting the battery sit for a few minutes was enough. What a day.

• Outing #6: Sunday, September 2nd 2007 - Dyracuse Recreational Park - Rome, WI In Attendance: Ben, Tanya, Trevor, Corey, me. A 2+ hour ride from home,Dyracuse was a blast. A supercross track (designed for dirt bikes) provided some jumping opportunities. Corey was able to make one of the doubles and land a tabletop jump. Everyone else took to riding over them individually. Since this part of the park was designed for dirt bikes, the ATV's were a bit unruly on the more abrupt jumps. The trails were fun since they were one-way and you didn't have to worry about someone coming at you. The motocross trail area was very soft/sandy which made for some tough going on the hills. The jumping was much more taxing on my body than trail riding. I hurt like it was the first time out all over again. Overall, I'd like to go back, but next time bring some food/drink and tailgate since there are no restaurants around. The drive was pretty long though making this a once or twice a year trip, too long for a spontaneous ride. Tanya got a few pictures on the supercross track.
  • >>>Dyracuse 2007 Pictures<<<
• Outing #5: Sunday, July 8th 2007 - Suring, WI In attendance: Ben, Jason, Kim, me. 5:30am departure from Manitowoc park-n-ride. Friday, I received my Canadian 1999 Yamaha Warrior tie rod in the mail and was able to figure out how the thing goes on. MyWar looks on. Chain oiled, tire pressurized, tank filled, clutch cableWD40'd. Lets ride. Early in the ride, I came up behind Ben who had just stopped on the trail. A medium sized snapping turtle had decided that the center of the trail would make an excellent place to sun himself.We set him over into the woods a bit so he wouldn't get run over by anybody. Kim was riding Jasons mom's utility ATV. The chain was very loose on it and a mid-ride repair was executed by the wood chip pile/jump. We got to "The Crossroads" @ 11:00am and they did not appear open. As Jason rode up to the gas station to fill up, they turned their lights on. Mmm... nachos. The ride back was sweltering. The pack up was even worse. Anyway, I need to bring a camera one of these rides.
• Outing #4: Sunday, June 10th 2007 - Suring, WI In attendance: Ben, Tanya, Brett, Trevor, Corey, Doug and myself. I rode with Trevor, Corey and Doug in the turbo-shifting Chevy hauling 3machines. Ben, Tanya, and Brett hauled the big trailer with the other 4rides. We made good time and made it up to Suring by 8:30am-9:00am to top off the tanks. Once everyone was unpacked, and geared up, we took off down the pipeline and began the bumpy ride north. The first 15-30minutes of the trail were pretty choppy, but smoothed out eventually. Within the first hour or two of riding, I came up on a 90 degree left turn with a basketball-size rock in the middle of the turn. I thought I had cleared it on the inside of the turn, but ended up hitting it with the right-front wheel. I recall lunging forward against the handlebars, but making it through the turn successfully. A short distance further up the trail, I noticed that had lost some steering control. I pulled over, shut down, and walked to the front of the machine. Until that point, I hadn't really correlated the rock hit with the weird steering. Upon seeing my right front wheel jut out at a 45 degree angle with the handlebars pointing straight, I saw the light. Luckily, Ben was just coming down the trail behind me. He stopped and assessed the damage.Since we were the last two in line, he rode ahead to have the rest of the group hold up. He had me ride slowly up the trail to a clearing where we could get under the ATV. He removed the tie rod and we were able to find a rock to hammer the tie rod straight enough to continue riding. Disaster averted! We continued on past the lunch stop to ride the twisty section of trail not far from there. Doug ran out of gas partway through, but was able to ride on reserve fuel back to the lunch-stop gas station. We stopped off the tanks, and walked over to "The Crossroads" restaurant/bar and ordered lunch. Note: Do NOT get the largest order of nachos unless you plan on sharing. They are huge. After lots of water, food, and BS'ing, we got back on and began the ride back to the trucks. Upon reaching the pipeline, we took a jaunt to the end of the pipeline to see if anyone was going to brave the water hazards. Apparently Doug tried hydroplaning his Yamaha last time and ended up flying over the handlebars into the mud. This time however, no one felt like getting drenched. Corey and Ben rode a short distance in until it was quickly apparent that the water was much deeper than the ATV's were tall. Lastly we packed up and headed back south to make Manitowoc by 6:00pm-ish.
• Outing #3: Some Sunday, 2007 - Kewaunee, WI In attendance: Me. Again, Pantera accompanied me for the 45 minute ride to Kewaunee. I spent a lot of time in the "intense use" area. There was a jump that I was hitting over and over getting used to being in the air. Every so often, I'd head over to the nearby river trail and run through the mud for fun. So at this point the machine and I are caked with heavy mud. I went back to jumping and got particularly brave at one point, hitting the jump faster than I should have. Mid-air I thought, "Well... This is about to hurt." I came down HARD with a slight pitch forward. I was thrown against the bars, but not to the point of launching me off the machine. I stopped, shut down, and took a breather (aka clean out my shorts) After gathering myself, I hopped back on and started for another part of the park. This is when I noticed my rear fenders were flapping erratically. Looking underneath, both support braces were broken. $38 for new ones from TA Motorsports in Francis Creek, WI. After looking more closely at the braces, it was apparent that they were already partially broken before the pants-filling jump.
• Outing #2: Some Sunday, 2007 - Kewaunee, WI In attendance: Me. Blasting Pantera on the ride up, I got there by 6:00am. I was the only rider (go figure 6am) and I had an awesome time riding the hill climb, bombing around down by the creeks, and generally getting muddy. I think my body is now used to the abuse as I hurt far less than I did the first time out.
• Outing #1: Some Sunday, 2007 - Suring, WI In attendance: Ben, Tanya, Trevor, Jason, and myself. Ouch. Intense leg, back, abdomen, arm, neck, pain. Blisters on my hands and sand permanently wedged *everywhere*. It was pretty much the most punishing fun I've ever had. Can't wait to go again.
• April 27th, 2007 Jason and I rode up to Seymour, WI to pick up the 2003 Yamaha Warrior (pictures 0, 1, 2, 3) for $2299.00 and haul it back to Kiel for the ride up to Suring the following Sunday. I rode it around Jasons lawn in the dark for a few laps. Later in the week, I went over and Jason helped me to adjust the clutch grab and the shifter position. We went to the neighbors sand pit and I floundered around for a while getting used to the machine.Finally we went over and rode the hayfield and caught some small air on the corner of the property.