I saw several of these on today's Sunday Pachaug rock pile ride - horse riders that look more than a little bit dykish.
Just got back from today's rock pile ride, and it was a good one.
Being the holiday weekend with Labor Day and all that, I expected there would be a much greater chance of meeting other trail users, and that guess was correct.
First, I went past a guy out there illegally on his ATV, and as I slowed to pass him (he was going in the opposite direction), he signaled that there were a few more riders coming up behind him.
I left the spot, and sure enough, there was a guy on a Honda CR-125R, a guy on a Suzuki DR-Z250, and one more illegal ATV rider.
Come to think of it, the guys on the motorcycles were probably out there illegally, too, because I don't think their bikes were registered, which is a Pachaug requirement.
The guys on the non-registered motorcycles don't bother me, and the illegal-no-matter-what ATVs there don't bother me too much, either, just as they show some common sense and don't ride like they own the place and show no regard for the possibility of traffic (me) coming the other way.
They did, so, no skin off my ass.
Hopefully, they're responsible through-and-through, unlike the yo-yos who got their piece of shit pickup truck stuck out in the middle of nowhere a few weeks back (I wrote about this in a post, so go dig it up, Lenny) and required that Pachaug personnel get involved to extract it from the trail.
This resulted in some Pachaug worker dude bulldozing a pile of dirt at one of the entrances for that section of trail.
I can easily still get into the spot, and I assume the pile of dirt is meant to keep assholes in street-going pickups who think they're in the Baja 1000 out of there.
After I saw the guys on the ATVs and bikes, I met a couple (a guy and girl) riding horses.
I was going much slower than normal in this spot, again thinking I'd see a holiday trail user.
Well, glad I was puttering along, and when I saw the pair of horses coming up the trail, I did what I've always been taught to do:
Pull over to the side of the trail and stop my engine.
The horsey couple seemed to appreciate the dirt bike rider (me) doing this, and the guy said something along the lines of, "I do say, old chap. No need to stop - just slowly ride past at a steady and slow speed."
I replied that I'd always been told to stop when i came upon horses so they wouldn't get spooked and get all squirrelly on the rider.
That's the down side of riding a horse:
It's an animal with it's own little pea brain in it's head, and if it gets scared, it might get all silly.
The girl was absolutely charmed by my courtesy and waved and thanked me for doing so.
This inclines me to think she's been there and done that as far as having to deal with a spooked horse that started freaking out at the sight and sound of a great dirt bike...a dirt bike like they should have been riding in the first place if you ask me.
But, oh well, not everybody is into dirt bikes, and some would rather be bored silly on a dumb horse.
No offense if you like horses. :)
I had a good rip down the pine-needled section I walked yesterday, and after exiting that section, it was a right turn down a paved road to get to the next piece of trail.
This is how it is in the Pachaug rock pile:
Trail, road, trail, road, etc.
Luckily, there's about 8 miles of road for my 40 mile loop, so that's not too much pavement to be bored on as it wears my knobby tires down.
But, that's one of the reasons you need a registered bike to ride the loop.
Anyway, as I rode this section of road, I saw yet another horse riding girl, and she looked pretty cute, too, and if she was a dyke, well, she's one of the better-looking ones on a horse.
Too bad I decided not to stop but just putter by slowly and as a steady pace on the opposite side of the road, just like the guy on the horse I'd met earlier recommended.
Well, guess that's not good advice because this girl's horse did get a bit spooky and was getting all nervous as I rode past, prancing about in an unpredictable manner.
Wish I'd a' come to a stop like I was taught, but, at least the girl stood on her horse, which I could see in my rear view mirror.
She probably thinks I'm another dirt bike riding asshole out to terrorize people.
Sorry, girlie.
How can I make it up to you? :)
Next person I met was my ol' pal the DEP officer, AKA one of the Pachaug tree cops.
These guys are basically the police for trail users out there, and while I don't hate them, I do wish they'd leave me the hell alone - if I need them, I'll call them.
Trust me.
Highly doubt I'd ever call on them, though, because I'm out there to ride, not to be stopped and have my bike inspected to see if it's registered, which is what the tree copper did.
Once Mr. DEP saw my license plate on my tail light gleaming in the sun, he patted my shoulder and said, "OK, dude. You're good to go. Let 'er rip!"
OK, he didn't say "dude" or "let 'er rip", but that was the idea.
Funny, because just before I stopped by the tree copper, I saw another trail user who was actually on a paved road at a 4-way intersection and riding a Yamaha YZ, another bike that's a good candidate for not being registered.
He was carrying a passenger, too (even though a YZ is a motocross bike without provisions for carrying a passenger), and seemed to be heading down the same road I was traveling toward the tree cop.
I wonder how he and his chick passenger made out.
Made out as far as being scrutinized by the copper, not wondering how they made out with their lips and hands, dammit. :)
The next couple I passed were on foot, and this was on the trail that goes past Maude's grave (look it up - it's been discussed by me in a past post, Lenny).
Non-eventful, as they just stepped off the side of the trail when they saw me coming, just like it's supposed to work:
You hear a motorized vehicle coming?
Get the fuck out of the way.
Thank you.
The next horse incident was with another dyke on a horse who seemed to be taking another horse out for a walk, like you see some people doing with their non-leashed dogs.
I saw the free-roaming horse first, and when I got a bit closer, it turned and ran in the opposite direction, just like the survival instincts in it's itty-bitty brain told it to.
I wondered if it was an escapee from a nearby horse coral on some rich bitch's back yard, but a moment later, I saw the head dyke sitting on her horse as the free-roaming horse trotted past her.
I got within about 150 feet of the dyke, stopped, shut my engine off, and yelled, "So, whadda' ya' want me to do? Stop or what?"
Luckily, she got the hint that I'd rather not sit there for three hours while she got her dyke kicks on her horse, and, she turned to go home while saying, "No, you're good. Thank you for stopping, and I'm turning off in just a minute."
What she meant was that she was (thank God) riding down the trail for a tiny bit, and then going down a way that I wouldn't be taking.
I sat there for about a minute or so, started my WR-250FY, and pinned it out of there.
Well, considering I usually meet zero other people out there, today was jam-packed with dykish horse activity.
Glad it was a good ride, and I plan on being out there again tomorrow afternoon.
I'll have to be on the watch out for more horse dykes and tree cops.
Now, time for a seriously yummy-tasting pizza.
-John
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