Pensacola area riders

[XT Thumper]

Anyone interested in getting together to do some rides?
Just had in mind some simple meet/eat and ride on a SAT or Sunday type rides. A little street and as much dirt as we can find.

[Hatch]

You have found the Pensacola area riders thread ---

Originally Posted by Vico1

To all n00bs:

There are generally three types of riding offered on the PAR thread. Hope you enjoy the area riding as much as we all do…

1) ADV rides- slower paced (not slow but slower paced) rides through mostly Blackwater State Park and other area beyond. Bigger 650s 400s do well on these rides. For those wanting a good ride without running a race. Stops, pic opps, and eating are normally on the agenda. Rides are as long or short as folks want.
2) FASTBURN – This is phrase I coined a while back to refer to a much faster paced ride through the tightest trails/jeep roads we can find. Most rides are through Eglin so permits are required. High skill levels are not required but highly recommended. The rides are usually in the morning and are over in 3 to 4 hours.
3) Beasty Rides where the action is almost all street. Great rides through Fl, Al and beyond.

YOU MUST HAVE A TAGGED AND STREET LEGAL BIKE FOR ALL RIDES

Meeting Places

Blackwater State Park – Hutton Unit
30.686006
-86.876478
From Milton – East on HW90 to Hutton Store (about 9 miles from Milton bridge) and turn LEFT on to Deaton Bridge Rd (signs point to State Park and Canoe Rental). Go North 2 miles and Hutton Unit parking will be on the left.

Broxson Landing(Eglin Permit Required)
30.569447
-86.923423

From Pensacola – take I10 East and exit HW87 (Exit 37?) and go South until you cross the big bridge and then turn LEFT to boat ramp and ADV Parking Area.

From 98 – go to Navarre and North on HW87 and then just BEFORE big bridge turn off onto boat ramp area.


Timberlake Pond (Eglin Permit Required)

30 28 30.90 N
86 36 01 61 W
From Pensacola on 98 - Head East until you reach Mary Ester Cut Off. Big Four Lane just past Target. Stay on Mary Ester cut-off until it tees into Beal street. Take a LEFT and keep going about 5 miles. On the way you will pass Fair Grounds on left and Golf Course on Right. You are close. Keep going and look to left for Red Sign and parking area can be seen from road.
From I -10 - Exit I-10 South on 85 towards Niceville. Bear Right at 126 and go to Airport. Just before airport, Turn Right on 4 lane and then take Next (first) right onto one way - then join 4 lane and look for Second Paved Right. (First right is for bicycles) Look for sign Gravel parking area. Park toward the end.

Spec Pond (Eglin Permit Required)
30.698045
-86.389138

Get On I-10 and get off at Exit 70 (HW285) and then go SOUTH 3 miles and exit at Spec Pond on your LEFT (east side of road). You can see pond from road.

Originally Posted by skid=mark

PAR FF's, noobs, and lowly lurkers:

To all who may or may not give a shizz: My line of work brings me in contact with some interesting stuff occasionally. Some of you are probably already aware of some of these facts, but reading this today just reinforced for me:

a. why we are lucky as hell to be able to ride the sh-ite out of Eglin; b. why the rules are so particular about not cutting new trails--and staying on the existing "roads", etc.; and c. just what a rare jewel that stretch of real estate is... just IMHO:

"Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) is a major research, development, test and evaluation and training area for national defense. This important national asset covers a large expanse of land--724 square miles-- and includes control of 86,000 square miles of air space and water range in the Gulf of Mexico. Eglin is the largest forested military base in the world consisting of approximately 464, 000 acres in Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton Counties in northwest Florida.


The Base is considered to be one of the largest and most important public land holdings in the southeast United States. It contains an unique assemblages of plants and animals, including several species and subspecies found nowhere else. The terrain consists of rolling sand hill ridges dissected by numerous clear, cool perennial seepage streams which total approximately 600 miles and include some of the highest quality steephead creeks in the southeast.

The most prominent natural community type (78%) on Eglin is the sandhills with excessively drained sands which are generally strongly acidic and low in natural fertility and organic content. The xeric uplands sandhill association is dominated by an overstory of scattered longleaf pine with an understory of turkey oaks, bluejacks, sand post oaks and live oaks. Rare plant species include southern three-awned grass (Aristida simpliciflora), toothed savory (clamintha dentata), and pineland hoary pea (Tephrosia mohrii).

Much of this association has been affected by early naval stores, logging, and fire control practices which severely reduced the pine overstory and led to encroachment by sand pine and various scrub oaks.

Eglin is considered to be the largest intact sandhill ecosystem in the southeast and is thought to possess the largest contiguous old growth longleaf pine forest remaining in the world. Eglin's sandhill ecosystem supports the world's fourth largest population of red-cockaded woodpeckers, 95% of the entire range of the endangered Okaloosa darter, the only known population of the endangered lichen Cladonia perforata and , because of the soil structure, supports an extremely high diversity of rare herpetofauna.

In addition to the sandhill community, Eglin includes almost half of the currently recognized 83 natural communities in Florida, making the base a tremendously important area for preserving biodiversity. There are over 47 taxa of rare plants found on the base including two which are almost exclusively restricted to Eglin. The Base also contains 20 miles of pristine barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico which provides habitat for numerous rare species. Eglin's barrier island supports the largest intact population of beach mice in northwest Florida and 53% of the entire state's population of threatened snowy plover (a bird). In addition, Eglin's beaches provide nesting areas for loggerhead and green sea turtles and serve as an important rest area for neotropical migratory birds."

So basically, it would definitely behoove us to maintain the high standards that the ADV folks are known for out there (I am not kidding) by the authorities. I know several of us have had this conversation before, especially the more senior (in tenure in ADV) riders here...

[RearView]

Howdy there,

I'd be interested in some weekend riding. I'm based out on Innerarity Point. Just PM me with some more details. We can chat about getting together soon. Saturdays are best, because my girl works and it's hard to ignore her on her Sunday off. Do you know other riders in the area? I'm new here and could use some riding partners. Got a DR650 that needs a good workout. Let me know, bud.

RearView

[ineptizoid]

I'm in Pensacola--you wanna check out Blackwater this Saturday? Lotsa dirt roads to explore out there, not too far of a ride from Innerarity. I'll probably be heading out there Saturday mid-morning, will be glad to show you around.

[RearView]

Blackwater on Saturday sounds peachy. I have the day wide open. You pick a meeting spot and a time and I'll be there. Maybe since you suggested a ride you could contact XT and relay the plan. I am the worst organizer in this hemisphere so relying on my direction something will get botched up for sure. I'm not super familiar with the area, so an easy googleable landmark or some lat/long coordinates would assure my arrival at the correct location. Looking forward to not riding alone like always . I'll check the thread or just PM me.

[Hatch]

Damn that sounds like a good plan, Ive been wanting to explore blackwater forever!

Unfortunately, I will be in New Orleans playin a show on saturday. Though that will have its own benefits

Let us know how it goes, and the next time I'll be there!





oh an check yer pm's folks!

[ineptizoid]

RearView and I are planning a Blackwater ride this Saturday, meeting at 10AM at the Burger King in Milton (Hwy 90/Stewart St. intersection), y'all come on and ride with us!

[ineptizoid]

One of my local riding buddies said he'd try to join us on the ride tomorrow, and offered a spot on his trailer to anybody that doesn't want to burn up their knobbies on the trip out there. He'd be coming from west Pensacola, anybody wanna take him up on his offer?

[PorkChopExpress]

I am moving from San Diego to Pensacola this summer and I am debating if I should bring my KTM 950 Aventure or sell it.

[HonMudDog]

Gent's,
Looking for a ride this wknd, sorry did'nt make it last sat. Keep me in the loop on the exploration expeditions. HonMudDog2000@yahoo.com, just a rebel against lines/boundries.
Anyone interested in getting together to do some rides?
Just had in mind some simple meet/eat and ride on a SAT or Sunday type rides. A little street and as much dirt as we can find.[/quote]

[sallad]

I am going to go get my Eglin permit tomorrow, so I am going to go on a ride on some of the more major fire roads here in the future. Anyone car to join me? Probably on the 6th or 7th (Friday/sat)

[sallad]

come on.. the sand can't be everywhere... can it..?

[Hatch]

well im outta the running for tomorrow (technically today)

good luck on the scouting mission, and you new folks - get up with mug, inept, and/or rearview, as they know the area much better than I and they got the GPS stuff goin on
I just show up and follow the leader

+1 on knobbies, even on the more solid fire roads, youre gonna hate every soft spot you find with streeties, and theyll find em! as far as Im concerned, the gnarlier the terrain the better (but then again im workin with a bike thats about 230 soakin wet

Dr.Z - sounds like a crazy time, us lower alabamians mixin it up with the fellas from down south in some sugar sand, maybe yall can come show us how its done

mini - I would suggest hittin up the aforementioned folks for some "guided" ridin around the best stuff we got here

luke - damn dude.

[Hatch]

Originally Posted by Mugwest

Jer-- heard you guys are playing Handlebar soon-- gimme some data that i could just as easily get by looking up Handlebar's schedule

would like to see you play. Maybe we could get a dipshit ADV cheering-section in the house

EDIT: Nevermind-- Parabellum will be playing HB 6 June Friday (D-Day).

I'll be there-- will try to get some ADVers in on it

Haha, well about that... I actually resigned from the band, its been a good four years jammin with those dudes, but with college almost done and starting with the jackson guard, who needs me most on weekends, and needing to save money instead of blowing it all on drugs and alcohol in strange towns, I had to make the right choice for the future. anyone who says the life of a rockstar is enviable (sp?) has no idea. its a hard fuckin way to live, and you spend much more money than you make, and when you got as much shit goin on as I do right now, its hard to justify the sacrifice of time and money necessary to make a band successful. I do wish those guys the best, and ill be there at the show as well, its possible it may be a "last show" for me, we'll see. but definetly come out and check out the tunes, grab some brews and since yer with me all ADV ff's get the afterparty pass

sallad, pm me yer # an ill hit the ol dixieland with ya

anyone ridin tomorrow? ill probly be around and about

oh and btw, anyone know of a good part time job in the area? preferrably dayshifts mon - fri. the job that I thought was a sure thing has become quite the clusterfuck and im thinkin thats not somewhere I wanna waste my time anyways

[Hatch]

Originally Posted by Mugwest

I know i said i'd go to Jerry's ex-band gig this Fri night-- as of now i'd rather ride Saturday (early). Late-Friday gigs and lots of Saturday miles don't mix, right Jer?

thats for damn sure. when yer expelling bodily excrement from both ends at the same time in the middle of nowhere, I believe its nature's way of telling you you should probably be sleeping, not haulin ass through the woods

as for this saturday, I actually will be part of a wedding friday (open bar ) and all of us groomsmen will be headin to the show after the wedding to get mo' trashed, so I'll be in that situation again saturday. sooo, I will undoubtedly be in a bed/floor/back of someones truck/sleeping in someone's bushes on saturday.

good luck with the exploration of the east side, and if things dont end up as planned then Ive got yer # mug, and ill get up with ya.