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Finger Lakes State Park
Columbia, Missouri
6th of 13 in Open B
Finger Lakes plus Springtime equals Mud. Which is actually a welcome change from rocks, so after a
muddy practice lap I was actually excited to ride the slop. The course was pretty much the same as last
year, starting on the motocross track and heading into the woods through a section that was one solid rut.
After passing through the main checkpoint, the trail opened up and had some fast sections winding up and
around the old strip mine hills. On the first lap, there was a section on the other side of the overflow staging
area that was swampy and getting worse by the minute. I tried some "creative" alternate routes, and at one
point I decided to blast through some willow-type trees. Worked well until I noticed I was dragging about 10
of them along with me.
On the second lap I made a bonehead mistake that I should have known better. At Finger Lakes, the best
rule you can follow is that if there's standing water in the trail, stay the hell away from it. Some of the ruts are
incredibly deep, and I found an innocent-looking one, fairly narrow, but my front wheel fell down and
disappeared in the water. So there I sat, providing amusement for the 20 or so spectators standing around
in the woods. A course marshal finally came and helped me lift the bike out of the rut, a two-man job for a
motorcycle that was about 30 pounds heavier with mud. The only other place I got hung up was a nasty
section parallel to U.S. 63 that the ATV's had torn up badly. Again I received help, this time by another stuck
rider. Despite wasting some effort on mistakes, I did four laps but fell one spot out of trophy contention with
my 6th place finish. Had I not dropped my front wheel into the rut on lap 2, I probably would have trophied.
I did learn a valuable lesson after the race, but this time from someone else besides me. Helpful Hint
#2375: Remove your cooler from under your truck BEFORE loading your motorcycle(s). I got a good laugh
while helping lift up the truck parked next to mine, so the cooler could be pulled out from under the frame.
Sometime in the future I surely would have learned this lesson myself, so thanks guys.
April 8, 2001
Steelville, Missouri
4th of 15 in Open B (trophy)
Today's race was a reminder that the perils of our sport can reach anyone, whether it's a beginner or an
experienced racer. On the practice lap, one of the good guys of the MHSC, Everett Shinault, was seriously
injured after his throttle stuck and he suffered broken ribs and internal injuries. I do not know Everett
personally, but those who do say he is a smooth, careful racer and is a consistent top-5 finisher in the
Senior class. We hope to see Everett back on the trail very soon.
As for the race, conditions were just about perfect. The course was laid out similarly to previous years and
included such familiar obstacles as the 20-foot straight-down drop into a creek with a hairpin left turn at the
bottom, a jaunt through a manure pile (although I was disappointed that the manure level was considerably
lower than in previous years), and an off-camber trek up the side hill that is always wet no matter how dry the
rest of the course is. A new part of the course was a section of boulders that resembled an explosion of the
Statue of Liberty. Exact same color (only would you find this in Missouri).
At the first corner I was 5th or 6th and gained a position or two on the first lap, then settled in for what was a
fairly uneventful ride to the finish. For a change, I made just a few mistakes and did not dump the bike a
single time. Other than whacking a tree with my knee, I was free of bumps and bruises that are a common
part of my post-race aches and pains. The unseasonably warm weather began working on my body on lap
3, which fortunately was my last lap.
In terms of percentages, my 4th place finish (of 15 in Open B) was my best in a Missouri race. Had to be the
duct tape.
