> Xcursion Photo Album

Around 12:30 AM, while the sane people decided to turn in for the evening, the majority of us thought a night run sounded inviting.  We piled into our vehicles (some of us riding with others) and were off.  I must mention that this was my first (and potentially last) night run.  What started out as fun and frolic turned into concern as Aero Steve became seriously stuck on a very thick and very long tree inconveniently resting on the trail.  The guys tried everything to help him out, but to no avail.  Finally, they jacked up his solar yellow, 2002 XE as Caver and Matt secured the tree with a tow strap and backed up, pulling the tree out from under Aero Steve as others rolled it out of the way.  On a more serious note, Caver himself noticed that his driver’s side door and front quarter panel were a bit smashed up.  Although he’s not really certain “exactly what happened”, it looks as though he tangled with a tree at some point (kids, don’t try that at home).  We made it back to camp around 4:00 AM and hit the sack.

Between 9:30 and 10:00 Saturday morning, everyone began rolling out of their tents/trucks to eat a quick breakfast before we hit the trails.  We were only out a couple of hours before deciding we should make a run for gas and ice.  It was during this time that we met up with Belar and his girlfriend, Elsa and decided to take a lunch break.  We gathered alongside a gravel road, continuing our camaraderie as we ate our packed goodies.  Before long, however, the trails were calling…

In single file we began tackling rocks, mud, creeks, hills and valleys.  We went through the forest, taking in the narrow paths and unavoidable scratches as well as the power line trails with their often challenging, and always exciting, routes.  XKara was the first to get momentarily stuck in some mud, but it proved to be only a slight problem compared to what lie ahead.

We were all enjoying ourselves with Elroy guiding the way, when all of a sudden he came to an abrupt stop.  Apparently, our fearless leader blew his tire, removing it almost completely from the rim.  With the utilization of an air tank, Fletch, Sprince, Caver and Matt came to the rescue and had him up and running again in no time.  Elroy’s response to the incident, “I needed new tires anyway”.

Our relief was short lived, however, when a few feet later, Fletch attempted an unusually steep hill that sent him sliding backward and off the path, causing him to become high centered on a rather large and menacing rock.  Once again, Caver broke out the straps, pulling Fletch in a couple of different directions and finally over the obstruction and to the side, where he could comfortably turn around and drive back down the hill.  Whew!  Another potentially hazardous situation avoided.

By now it was around 5:00 and there were a couple of people that had to head out and so we bid them farewell and returned to camp.  Once back, we all began setting up for the night and determined that it would be a good idea to recreate “Chez X” before the impending weather broke.  No sooner did we get our house of tarp built and the rain hit.  As we all tried to comfortably fit under our makeshift shelter, Fletch pulled his grill nearby so that we could begin making dinner.  We sat in the mud for a couple of hours, shivering and wet until Trina and Tammy mentioned that they just might drive in to town and shell out some cash for a hotel room.  So, the majority of the Kansas clan packed up their belongings and headed for the nearest hotel while Scott, Elroy and I decided to head home to St. Louis.  XKara opted to stay and tough it out along with Caver, Matt and their girlfriends.  Call it separating the diehards from the wusses, but this wuss thought it felt pretty good to shower and sleep in her own bed.

Albeit cut short, the weekend was definitely fun and eventful.  It was a good opportunity to spend time with friends – both the old and the new.  As always, we look forward to doing it again soon!