402 and Something New

No, not another new motorcycle, as I think I've done enough of that for now.
I actually went out to a new riding spot today (Saturday) with a couple I know from jerk and a few of their friends.
It was on some acreage of land around part of what is known as a "rail trail".
What's a rail trail?
It is an abandoned railroad bed with the tracks and wooden ties removed, leaving the trail meandering through the woods.
This trail is all that's left of the old railroad line without the steel rails and wooden ties, so that's where the name comes from.
Geddit?
Good.

The rail trail is the former New Haven railroad line going through the towns of Oneco and Sterling, and the land beside it that we rode on is privately owned by a friend of a friend of one of the people there today.
Works for me just as long as I don't get shot or arrested or fined for trespassing.
In actuality, it wasn't 100% new to me because one of my olden days riding buddies and I went out to this very same spot back around 1986 once or twice (twice, if I recall), but since the last time I was there was 26 years ago, it was the next best thing to a new spot.

How was it?
It was about how I thought it would be:
Short sections of wooded trails going around the hilly terrain with a sand pit thrown in for good measure.
That's how I remembered the place.
We didn't actually do a whole lot of riding in the 2-or-so hours we were out there (10 miles in total), but that was what I expected, as well, since me going riding with others I've never ridden with before means anything can happen.
So, I'm not disappointed about the low mileage for two hours at a riding spot considering I wasn't familiar with the lay of the land and didn't know where I was going to a great degree.
It wasn't my land to begin with and I was basically a guest there, and we all did a lot of resting and talking and making jokes.
That's OK.
If I lived there and had unlimited access to the place, I probably would spend time out there and get to know the lay of the land pretty well and put together some kind of a trail loop that's to my liking.
That would be fun.
Aaahhh, to have a spot for dirt bike riding where you live, anytime you feel like it right outside your front door.
To me, that's a form of heaven on Earth.
And, convenient.

The WR-250FP, by the way, performed very well and felt good.
When you get out of your usual riding spot and go someplace different, the potential is there that the bike which feels good at your old stomping ground may feel a bit funny at a new spot.
Today, the bike felt just fine and ran pretty strongly, I'm happy to say.
Out on the new-to-me trails, there were numerous hill climbs that loomed unexpectedly around sharp corners, and the bike pulled up them without trouble and made the ride go pretty smoothly.
I still have the Michelin AC10 rear tire mounted, and I'm glad because there was plenty of soft dirt out there that suits this tire.

The balance of the suspension was good, too.
I could feel that when riding across the open sand pit, the front fork was a little soft when backing off the throttle (due to the 5mm lower oil level to achieve a more supple fork action on the rocky Pachaug loop), but not enough to cause a major imbalance that would make the bike feel bad.
Minor, yet noticeable, and it was acceptable.

Here's more news that's about new:
Tomorrow, I'm meeting the same crew and going to another one of the crew's riding spots around the Putnam area.
Never been riding at this place, so it will be 100% new and uncharted by this guy.
I just hope I remain in good health and that no arrests are made.  ;)

-John