You show up at a campground along the Black River in Lesterville, MO on Saturday for sign-in and a 7:30 riders' meeting. They have a large U-Haul truck where you throw your gear bag containing your sleeping bag, air mattress, change of clothes, etc. You sign in, get a nice hat, and find a group to join. They had 12 groups with #1 being the fastest and #12 the slowest. So you just pick the group you think you'll fit in with. I ended up in group #10 and was one of the 3 slowest out of the 10 riders--worked out really well. The ride leaders know the trails VERY well and spent a lot of time working to clear the single track in the weeks ahead of the event.
Out of about 120 riders or so, I only noticed one other Husky. There was of course the sea of orange. I saw more Yamaha's on this ride than any I've been on. Lots of Hondas, too. Most of the bikes were not true dualsport bikes. Most were 250 or 300cc 2-strokes with a tag. My 450 Husky was a big machine on this ride! I don't think I saw even one DRZ400. There were Suzuki dirt bikes, though. Oh, and about 20 dudes on old Bultacos took a hell of a beating.
8:00 AM kick-stands up and it is not long before you have 10 bikes laying on the side of a nasty, loose dirt hill climb! This gets the blood pumping so you are ready for the rest of the ride. Did I mention it was 90 degrees with zero wind and high humidity?
The trails were connected by forest road and included fantastic quad trails and mile after mile of single-track on both public and private lands. The MTRA has a lot of connections with land-owners in the area.As you finish a nasty trail section and dump back onto a forest road, there would be an MTRA truck and trailer with oranges, bananas, snack bars, ice water, tools, tubes, and a trailer to haul broken bikes. It was amazing. The entire route was flagged with ribbons and my ride leader was very good at keeping the group together.
As long as you could go about 45 miles on a tank, you were fine because both Sat & Sun, they had an "emergency gas" stop with 6 55gal barrels and an electric pump setup. ALL your gas is paid for with entry fee! You just show up with a full tank, then they buy your gas the whole 2 days.
Lunch & gas stop at Bixby, MO. At sign-in, you indicated what kind of sandwich you wanted. When you arrive in Bixby, your sandwich, chips, and fountain drinks are waiting for you in air-conditioned comfort.
At the end of day one, you wheel into the Viburnum High School parking lot where they lock up all the bikes for you. You set up "camp" in the gymnasium, shower in the locker rooms, then take a shuttle bus to the country club where you enjoy a prime-rib steak dinner with cheesecake desert. There is a pay bar that I'm sure did it's best business for the entire year. The waitresses probably made several hundred each in tips. There is a motel next to the gym where some stay--it fills up quickly. The gym was nice, though.
Sunday morning, breakfast at the restaurant next to the motel starts serving a buffet for us at 6am. All included in the ride fee! Groups take off when they want. Tons of great trail with several short-cuts for those who are too tired or with lesser skills. I ended up taking most of the short-cut options both days I'm ashamed to say. Nothing I saw was too technical for me, but that single-track KICKED MY BUTT. As I type this, I am more sore than from anything I've ever done. I have blisters across my palms on both hands. Walking down a flight of stairs hurts as my legs are fatigued. I had to save my energy when I could just to make it through the day. I am slightly relieved to say I was not alone--the short-cut rest stops were crowded with other wussies.
Lunch on Sunday was a burger & brat cookout provided by the local Boy Scouts at a very scenic camp in the Mark Twain National Forest along the Black River. When you finally arrive back at the campground in Lesterville, the truck with your gear is waiting for you. You load up, then go sit in the clear, cool water of the Black River and enjoy your favorite beverage.
It was a fantastic ride and I was blown away at the organization and cooperation with the local communities. Now that I've told you about this, don't think about doing it next year because they open registration Jan 1st and it's full in 2 days!