Torch Family Day - July 21st, 2007

The word of the day was MUD!
Slippery, slimy, sticky, gooey, clog up your knobs, suck your boots off MUD!

TORCH riders have been getting quite used to dealing with rain and mud on recent rides, and this one was no exception. Crooked Creek received enough rain on Friday to turn the normally sandy, dry terrain into a 500 acre slip and slide. I think the Good Lord is telling us we have had too much easy riding and need more experience in the gnarly stuff.

In true TORCH fashion, everyone who showed up had a great attitude and made the best of it. The ATV's fared somewhat better than the bikes given the advantage of 4 wheels, but everyone I saw was having a great time and was covered in mud from head to toe. By the afternoon, things started to dry out, and several of the trails actually became tacky and a lot of fun to ride.

We even had some first time riders who braved the mud and water to get some seat time. As frustrating as this type of riding can be, I think all of the first time riders had a good time and hope they will give it another go when the weather improves. The hardest riding is behind you now!

TRIC (Trail Riders in Christ) and Crooked Creek sponsored a card chase and local area businesses provided cool prizes for the winning hands. The turnout was great and almost everyone made a run on the trails to collect cards, despite the mud and poor trail conditions.

During the awards ceremony, I saw a lot of happy riders walk away with some neat prizes. In fact, I would say that almost everyone who participated walked away with a prize.

Thanks be to God for giving us an injury free day, a beautiful day in beautiful country and the company of a great group of people to fellowship with.

Thanks to Crooked Creek, TRIC, the local business sponsors and especially to all of the riders who came out and made this a great day in spite of the muddy conditions.

We look forward to seeing more of you at future TORCH rides.

Below are some photos of the event courtesy of David Flowers.

Click a picture to see a larger view.