Crashing with Bullits

Tuesday night Vernon Cycle shop ride from new Case parking area with nine 
riders hand selected from thousands of applicants.  These included GI Jane on 
the Silver Bullit, Joe Dirt on the Blue Bullit, Puke Master on the Root Fear 
Bullit, Splatt on the Black Beauty Bullit, along with Beast Master, PMD, 
Dennis (D-Nice?), Steve and Jeremy all wishing they had Bullits.

So Jane, PM, and Joe Dirt happen to all show up early for an unscheduled 
pre-ride.  Take off with 20 minutes to pre-ride, just missing the arrival of 
Splatt on his own pre-ride mission.  Up the carriage path, cross the blue and 
see a new trail on left before the yellow.  Follow this in and it quickly 
reconnects with existing trail from water towers.  Follow to re-route of old 
trail that PM had not seen before.  Complete with wide plank bridges over the 
wet spots.  Spy continuation of re-routed trail even though it is only 
flagged and not cut in.  Follow to existing trail and loop back to yellow 
trail.  Take yellow towards carriage path to techie spot.  Only Jane attempts 
and crashes on wheelie drop landing.  PM wishing for video camera to capture 
this rare moment.  Jane back up and is successful on round two.  Yellow up 
towards lookout, down to white for fast fun DH to pond, back to cars in time 
to grab lights and group up.

Get spare light for Beast Master and we are off.  Up carriage path to right 
on blue to intersection with white.  Take white which had been re-routed last 
year but PM had not seen yet.  Wher has he been?  PM likes wide bridge and 
twisty single track so look for it on a map soon.  Take right to go down 
Spring Street end of carriage path.  Joe Dirt, who is becoming Joe Huck after 
the Trumbull trip, figures out Jane is heading towards the pink trail and 
starts to complain.  Joe no like the pink??  New nickname - Joe No Pink?  
Jane setting high pace so JD can't complain and breathe at the same time.  PM 
on Janes heels noticing other trails he had not seen before.  Where has he 
been all year?  Quick re-group and continue on pink.  Jane sticks front wheel 
into rock and almost goes over the bars while going up-hill.  PM once again 
wishing for video camera - no luck.

Right off of pink onto yellow? past fireplace onto 1.625 foot drop PM claims 
to do.  Regroup on old jeep trail before heading towards junk car.  Much talk 
about rocks to huck off of on the way down DH.  Stop at junk car location but 
car is now gone!  PMD leads us out, past GSC turn-off, to hairpin left, Jane 
getting pressure from Splatt goes by, down to now dry stream to left onto 
fort trail.  Up fort past Smitty and two other riders, left onto Metavomit.  
Beast Master trys to skip out but is convinced to stay.  The fun is just 
beginning!

Metavomit to first steep rock on left.  Most if not all attempt and succeed.  
D-Nice makes it up but opts to not ride down.  Slides on his feet and makes 
nice cleat sparks as he does.  PMD tries multiple times, ultimatley makes it 
up clean.  Nice job.  Onto rock up, ramp off to small teeter-totter.  A few 
session the rock off riders right of the totter.  All up to try the chair 
stunt.  More success for all with PMD bailing at wood bridge with potty mouth 
to boot.  A team tries steep rock roll in above slug rock.  Jane has done 
before so goes first.  JD and Beast Master worried about logs at bottom of 
rock.  Jane assures them it is not an issue.  JD rolls it but hits rock on 
the way out and gets bucked into tree.  Beastmaster rolls partway and then 
wheelies at bottom cleanly.  JD try #2 is good and clean.  Onto off cambre 
slick rock section.  Rumor later surfaces somebody crashed and slid all the 
way to the bottom in the dark.  Who was it??  Keep rolling on Metavomit, 
cross stream with nice rock laying by forrest elves.  Next to tough up onto 
rock/tight tree to ramp or wheelie drop.  Steve makes it nice to ramp and 
comes down it at Mach 2, hits a small rock and gets ejected off trail at high 
speed.  JD thinks maybe 60 psi in tires is to blame.  Steve is up and OK so 
off we go.  More rocks and drops until we all reach the big flat rock up with 
wide log ramp off the back, just before the big teeter.  PMD says she can't 
see.  PM offers spare head lamp.  PM giving head to PMD?  PM says yes but 
keep HIV lights of of him while in the act.  Rest of group sessions the rock 
while swapping takes place.  Meanwhile some crazy animal sounds are heard in 
the woods.  Coyotes?  Mountain Lion??  Focker and his date?

Swapping almost over so we start ot head out.  Jane and Joe Dirt make it to 
the totter but hear bad mechanical noises in the back ground.  Turn back to 
see Steve has rendered his Sram rear der. junk.  Much debate over best way 
out.  PM says to head off through woods this or that way, being careful of 
wild animal noises, as fastest way.  Fastest way to what, have the search and 
rescue team out looking for you?  Convice Steve that Metavomit to left fork 
to right on red to left on blue is fastest way.  At the rate we are riding 
and sessioning walking may be faster anyway.  So we are off to quickly 
session the totter and continue on.  Pace faster now so Steve does not beat 
us out of the woods, we hope.

Everyone now taking turns being last and screwing up.  Onto red towards blue. 
 Notice Splatt's rear tire is low/flat.  He says it is just low but pumps it 
up and is ready to go.  Regroup on blue and head towards look out.  Make it 
to where blue hits green and go scout new drop - 5'+.  No takers in the dark. 
 Splatt sees new ramp to down that is in construction phase.  Will keep eye 
on progress.  Continue on blue with Beast Master claiming he will do the 6' 
on left after carriage path.  Jane wants to see it but BM says he was just 
talking shiznit when pressed.  Next time?  Onto the ledges with Steve doing 
the chainless race down the carriage path.  Right at re-route fork to tree 
across trail.  Most make it clean but PM gets attacked/speared/poked in the 
chest by angry Mt. Laurel tree/bush on other side and thrown to the ground.  
Gets up claiming to be OK.  Later examination shows loss of third nipple 
during the incident.  New nickname Pokey?

Re-group last time.  D-nice heads down the white solo while we wait for Pokey 
to dust himself off.  All together now and DH down to the pond.  Jane, 
followed by Splatt followed by Beast Master, then Joe Dirt and the rest of 
the nickname posse.  Splatt and Beast Master dicing it out claiming Jane is 
holding them up.  Jane just keeping it close together so he can hear who hits 
the hidden tree in the left hander mid way down.  Splatt ruins it by warning 
Beast Master.  But Beast master know it's there as he tried to ride through 
it last time and failed.  All make it through safe, down to the pond and back 
to the car.  Steve is already back waiting for us.

Rating?  Who knows.  It was a night ride filled with fun moments and some 
that were less so.  Nice weather, crazy animal noises, a few crashes, good 
fun for all.  It was swell.