TRAILBLAZER BIKE RIDERS GET MOONED

Saturday January 10th Lisa, our beloved president, arranged an evening of bicycle riding into the woods. Not like the Blair Witch Project but there were stories of wild boar, snakes and bears but of course all stories. I mean when you are sitting around a roaring camp fire scary stories will come up. About twenty of us showed up between 4:30 and five at Hall Scott Management Area which is located near Bithlo.

While waiting for a few others to arrive, Bill went ahead and took a group of folks and rode off to tour the woods. When all had arrived we mounted our trusty steeds and off we peddled. It was a dirt road we peddled on and recently a bull dozer had been along to level the road except of course for the bull dozer tracks which were still there. The road was pretty solid except for two small areas of sugar sand. The ride to where we would all get together was two miles in. Starting our ride an hour before darkness gave us the opportunity to enjoy the scenery as we rode. It was really nice.

Getting to the camp site folks dropped their gear and we mounted up for a forest tour. Coming out from the camp site you could turn right or left so some went left and some right. After riding for a while I decided to turn back and Margo joined me. I suggested we go back and start the fire, my stomach was starting to rumble from hunger and this was to be a cook out. Arriving back at the camp site we saw that Sue and Dan had stayed behind and they had a fire going. We commented on the nice fire and was told that Sue, using two sticks, had got it going in no time while Dan had ventured into the woods to collect fire wood. Good job you two. When everyone had returned we placed our chairs around the fire pit.

Others felt the way I did with the rumbling stomachs, so we started breaking out the hot dogs and buns. Lisa had brought the ketchup, mustard and relish and Nichole brought some cooked peppers with onions. Hot dogs on the stick roasting over the open fire this taste would put the Chart House to shame. After filling our self's with one, two, three hot dogs we noticed that the moon was starting it's rise into the sky. Our camp site was surrounded by full oak trees so our vision of the moon was thru the branches.

After the dogs were consumed the marshmallows came out. Robert turned out to be the marshmallow chef and did a great job with his twisting technic. He also had a system, cook one eat it, cook another share with others, cook one eat it, cook another share and so on. Robert did call for help for someone to take the marshmallows from his hands but alas he kept on cooking. One thing he discovered was his marshmallows were fat free. Yea I know marshmallows, ball of spun sugar, fat free, how cool is that.

By this time the moon was above the trees and just as bright as the idiot on the highway behind you with their bright lights on but of course this was more pleasurable. As always when the TB's get together the conversations and stories are never ending. We started packing up around nine and Bill asked everyone to look around for any trash on the ground. After policing the area we again mounted our bikes for the full moon ride back to the automobiles. Sue mention to everyone that she had heard that this would be the fullest of full moons all year and let me tell you being in the woods with no street lights for miles this moon seemed to fill the whole sky. With a combination of the moon light and the white sandy rode it made the ride back go smoothly.

Arriving at the auto's we packed up, strapped our bikes to the racks and everyone said there good byes and off we headed home. Margo and I headed back to the Beach Line and had to head west for a few miles to the next exit where we did a 180 and got back on the Beach Line now headed east. While getting back on the road, of all the time we spent in the woods, we see a wild boar just off the road. Glad it was from inside the automobile and not while sitting in my chair by the fire. Lisa thank you for a beautiful night of bike riding and a great cook out. Trailblazers rock! 

Dorsey Thompson