SideXSide Action - November 2007 - (Page 50) S STORY & PHOTOS: CODY FLETCHER omewhere between the scenic mountain views, the down-home honestto-goodness hospitality, and the endless miles of riding possibility, it hit me: This is what off-road riding is all about. It is truly about absorbing everything that nature has to offer, but with the added bonus of experiencing it all with a group of people that you’ve either known your whole life or have just met on the trail. Off-roading is alive and well, my friends, and on my most recent trip out to the great outdoor state of Kentucky, I was re-introduced to the wholesome foundation of off-road riding. During the weekend of August 10th12th I had the opportunity to spend some time with the Harlan County Ridge Runners for their First Annual Side X Side Round-Up, in Evarts, KY. Now, most of the time it doesn’t take a lot to coax me away from my desk and into the seat of a Side X Side or ATV, but when the opportunity came to be part of a record-setting Side X Side parade for the If you run faster than Guiness Book of World your Records, I buddy, you’re ok. was already www.sidexsideaction.com packing my bags and on the next flight out of town. I flew into Tennessee Thursday afternoon and, after adjusting to the 3-hour time change and a 2 ½ hour drive in an “economy” car through Tennessee and into Kentucky, I arrived in Harlan County. I checked into the nearest and only hotel in close driving distance to the off-road park, the Holiday Inn Express. However, if you to drive to Evarts or Harlan, you could rent one of the many cabins in Evarts with full amenities and just minutes from the trail-head. If you’re bringing your own RV or want to get the full feel of the outdoors and pitch a tent, Evarts offers two separate campgrounds. From water and electricity hook-up sites to the “bring what you need” sites, there are plenty of accommodations for all types of off-roaders. Oh yeah, and did I mention that you can drive and ride your Side X Sides and ATVs throughout the whole city? Pardon my childlike fascination, but when you come from a state that limits everywhere you ride and would throw you in prison next to any given celebutant, just for driving down your street in an off-road vehicle, it’s a pretty cool feeling to pull up to the gas station to get gas in your Side X Side. Friday morning I drove the 12 minutes from Harlan to the staging and registration area for the Side X Side Round-Up and met up with Preston McClain (President of the HCRR) and Bill “Porkchop” Chapple (Secretary of the HCRR). After receiving my intro- Roundup ductory gift bag with a T-shirt, literature, and some very delicious chocolate brownies, I was introduced to Denny who then introduced me to my passenger seat in his brand new Polaris Ranger RZR. Since most of the folks weren’t going to be showing up for the weekend of fun until later in the day, I wanted to get a good feel of the Black Mountain Off-Road Adventure Park and all that it offered. I hopped in the passenger seat of the RZR and, with a group of three Side X Sides and three Quads, we were on our way to scope out a portion of the 40,000-acre park. The riding in Evarts is as easy or hard as you want to make it. With markers at the start of each trail labeled in green, red, or dark blue, it’s easy to distinguish which trails were for the novice and which trails were for the lock and loaded 4-wheel diff-locked extremist. We headed to some of the more scenic and popular spots in the park, as this was my first time to the park and I wanted to get a good feel of what people can see and do while riding there. Our first stop was the Rock Garden, where Jeeps, rock crawlers, and Side X Sides test their traction, suspension, and abilities against a dried out rocky wash that’s almost too perfect to be naturally made. After watching some of the Jeeps maneuver their way to the top of the Garden, we loaded back up in our Side X Sides and made our way to the “Coliseum.” The Coliseum is so named due to its large, bowl- 1st Annual Side X Side 50 http://www.sidexsideaction.com
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