Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Moose Lake ---Soo Line Pit---The riding was fun!
We parked in the shade and had our lunch on the trailer bed.
Ryan took a spill. Everyone fell down but no one was hurt.
Going up the side of the hill was new to all of us but we all did it and it was fun!
Mark had a struggle riding on the soft sandy surface. His bike is smaller and he is only 7 years old. I let him ride on my 175 Yamaha, he sat in front and held on to the handle bars. Sometimes I could hear him shout," No, No, No," but later he said, "that is not scary anymore!"
Josiah taking a break.
Downtown Moose Lake-- time to eat! This looked like a good place to satisfy our hunger and tell our stories.
Dirty faced trail blazer!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
This Marathon gas station was 8-9 miles from Chengwatana State Forest
We filled our gas cans and topped off our gas tanks before we headed to the trails.
If you are coming from 35w going south then you exit at number 175. Turn left onto CR-14/Beroun Crossing Rd go about 6 miles. Then turn right on Cty Rd 10 and head south for about 2 miles and then turn left onto Evergreen Rd.Next picture.Turn here
Now looking at the DNR directions they are saying from Pine City go 4 miles northeast on County Road 9, Then 9 miles east on County Road 10/Chengwatana Forest Road to parking lot. Well, I believe if my memory serves me that County Road 10 runs north and south and apparently it is also called Forest road by the looks of this sign. So then you need to look for a road that goes east. That road sign is pictured here. Turn east or right if you are coming from Pine City onto Evergreen Rd. The landmark is the 4 silos. Next picture.
Four silos--big farm --the landmark the locals use
You will be on Evergreen for a distance of a city block and the turn left onto Forest Road. That is pictured on the right.
Go down this road about 3-4 miles
This road is called "Chengwatana Forest Road" and it will lead you to Willard Munger State Trail. I do believe this road comes to a "Y" and you need to make a decision but I don't quite remember what I did. I think one direction had a "Chengwatana" sign and I went that way. You are so close by then you could go either way and drive the little bit back if you made a mistake-I think. You can drive till the road ends and the dirt bike trail begins. A sign will say, "Munger State Trail". Then the map you get online from the DNR should help to get you through the trails--I hope.I didn't get much chance to ride the trails because the skimpy directions from the DNR to just find the starting point were so unclear it cost us most of the day. We unloaded at the wrong spot, reloaded--that takes time, asked the locals who had trouble remembering and finally got there. The intention of this blog is to make it easier with better directions and some pictures to help.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Trip to Chengwatana State Forest--Loaded up!
We got our dirt bikes on the trailer and the truck and headed for the trails.
The bumpy road loosened the straps
I noticed the dirt bikes leaning over so we stopped and restrapped them down. I later learned what I had done wrong.
Wrong entrance
I thought this was the place to enter the Forest but I was wrong. This sign was broken down and hard to see. This trail was muddy and ended at a Y with a pond and large mud hole. My 7 year old had a rough time and finally fell down in the mud. We had to turn around. If it had been dry it would have been fun. The ATV guys we talked to said the Willard Munger State Trail was south of here and gave us directions.
Fine for ATV's
It looked good but got worse and worse. Certainly gave Mark a lot of practice in the mud --too much.
Time to rest after that ride.
The boys and I needed a lunch break. It was very warm and the shade and water cooled us off.
New location close to the Munger Trail
We parked here because we saw a trail lead out into the woods. It was a dead end. We had stopped too soon but it takes half hour to load up the bikes so we headed down the forest road. About a mile down we found the Munger Trail and that was fun---nice trail--dry too. I didn't plan ahead and had no way to carry my camera on the trail while riding---thus no trail pictures. My throttle cable broke in the first 30 min. of our ride so I had to squeeze and pull the cable to ride. Extremely difficult but I didn't want to cut the riding short for the boys.
Coach Jerry-----------Coach Jerry-------MSF Dirtbike
At my home we do the MSF dirtbike school. The class takes 4-6 hours and is for teaching safety and riding technique. Things you should have is an approved motorcycle helmet---safety goggles---sturdy riding pants,jeans are okay-----riding boots or work boots that go up around the ankle height,no tennis shoes----riding gloves or work gloves---- a chest protector is optional. Bring a bottle of water too. We ride rain or shine so a rain coat too if it looks like a possibility of rain. If your child is under 12 we need the parent or guardian to stay during the entire class. We need a parent to sign the waiver for all children under 18 years. Do that when you arrive at class.
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