2019-06-01_Motorcycle_Mojo_Magazine

(Darren Dugan) #1
MAY 2019 MOTORCYCLE MOJO 57

is perfect for families. The FVDRA


is all about regaining membership


and reviving the club and the entire


dirtbike-riding experience. An annual


membership is only $20 per family.


A Family Affair


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camping with the kids, I was thankful


that I was to be meeting my new friends


in the remote area. It was a little daunt-


ing to be doing it all on my own with


two little kids, so I drove slowly and


carefully and was happy to see familiar


faces as we rolled into camp. There was


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us tent dwellers enjoy a slightly more


glamorous camping experience), along


with maybe seven or eight more trucks


and trailers and various-sized campers


and tents. Dirt bikes were rolling in and


out of the area, and as soon as my kids


saw some others their age riding, they


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make new friends.


After we set up camp, the kids


dressed quickly into their riding gear


and spent the next few hours riding up


and down the camp access road over


and over again. I was introduced to


several FVDRA members and instantly


felt a part of the riding community.


I was amazed that in all my years of


riding, I had never gotten wind of the


existence of dirtbike camping.


For the next few days, we enjoyed


taking turns and riding in different


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who wanted to ride and their abilities.


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was able to ride a length of logging


road with both my kids. My daughter,


Kai, at six years old, had improved


her riding so much in just one day of


exploring around the campsite with


other kids that she was able to manage


an hour of adventurous riding up a


AS MY KIDS SAW SOME OTHERS THEIR AGE RIDING,


THEY FLUNG THE DOORS OPEN AND RAN OUTSIDE


TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS


logging road, through some little creeks


and up and down some decent hills, on


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(although quite sparse in areas due to


extensive logging), was stunning, and


the feeling of being able to share the


dirtbike riding experience with my


children was indescribable. My son,


Ashton, and I had a few higher-level


rides through trails that varied from tight


and technical single-track rides to wide


open trails alongside stunning hillsides.


Occasionally, I’d leave the two kids in the


care of willing adults back at camp and


enjoy an adult-paced rip around a few of


the more challenging trails.


Friends Helping Friends


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Ashton’s KTM 50, the family across the


camp from us generously let him ride


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family talking about wanting to teach


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to help him, and in only 30 minutes


he had joined the rest of the kids in


their parade of riding up and down the


length of the camp.


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members surprised the kids with a


scavenger hunt that had them cheering


and laughing and working as a team


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that earned them a loot bag full of


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a rib fest dinner one night, and traded


many stories about motorcycles and


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beer and roasted marshmallows. By the


end of the three days, we were dirty,


happy and tired, and had made many


new friends along the way.


Another Camping Location


As we were rolling away from camp, a


couple of the members sauntered over


and mentioned that they were heading


to a different camp in a month’s time.


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just experienced one of the most mem-


orable weekends ever with my kids,


I couldn’t possibly say no to another


opportunity for adventure, and so only


four weeks later I packed up the truck

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