While I was out on the USA trip, I met Chad Warner, from Columbus Ohio. I found out he puts on a rally in Southern Ohio in Wayne National Forest in September called Wailyn Wayne Weekend. This was to be 2nd year for it, so I felt since a motorcycle trip was involved, and even better, some offroading, I should go.

It took place Sept. 11th thru the 13th. The weather was great the first day, raining the second day, and just a little cooler the 3rd. Lori was there from California with her “Chateau to go” it made things a bit easier to bear when it rained.

I remember getting there and the excitement I had to go ride the trails. I met up with a few guys for lunch and 3 of us headed back on the trails. Most of them are not difficult, but I managed to snag a tree root sticking out of the side of a narrow path (about 2 inches) with the left side crash bar.

Here is what happens when you do that:

1. The bike stops in about 1.7 seconds from a speed of about 15-20mph.
2. Your body mysteriously shoots directly upwards, not forwards as Einsteins’ laws would have you believe, all while spinning you perpendicular to the path of travel, to about 6 feet or more above the ground, and bike below.
3. Gravity does take over eventually, and your head hits one side of the bank, your feet hit the other side, and your body conforms to the shape of the bike laying on it’s side beneath you.
4. your right foot hurts, and you have no idea why, and a slight case of whiplash starts to scare you a little, especially when waking up in the mornings after sleeping in a tent. I was not sure I would be able to move without causing permanent damage to my spine.
5. you cause about $7,500.00 in damage to the bike and your helmet.

I hung out for the rest of the day assessing my damage, realizing I could still ride home Sunday morning, and then accepting the days events and moving on to drinking, eating and just having fun. Sadly, the only riding I did after that was to go home at the end of the weekend. I was sad that I was unable to compete in a the trials course that Chad set up, especially because I had to skip the one in Billings, Montana for fear that if I broke the bike out there, my USA trip would have been cut short.

On Saturday, one of the guys I also met in Wyoming, Kyle rode with few people on the roads which were wet and covered in leaves and he ended up totaling his bike, so I didn’t feel too bad about my situation.

All said and done, I did have a fun time hanging out with all the riders, of which probably one third were out west just months earlier, like Sibley, Lori Payne, Tobin, Chad, Kyle, Kevin Shrader, and I few others I can’t remember at the moment.

I am looking forward to the next Wailyn Wayne Weekend next year!