The Bus at Tahuya

Swamp Monster and MotoBum did it yet again and it was another flawless day at Tahuya. The conditions were perfect with tacky ground, no rain, and spring temperatures to die for.

The only "incidents" (not really worth mentioning) were 1) Swamp Monster initially forgot to pull the muffler plug out upon start up of his Gas Gas EC250 and 2) MotoBum forgot to turn the gas on while out on the trail on the Yamaha WR250F... not once, but twice.

A dude named Jared on a Yamaha YZ250 tagged along with the small crew coming out of the Elfendahl Pass Staging Area. He didn't want to get lost out in the wilds so asked to tag along. It's safe to say that within 30 minutes, he was both worn out and already worried about running out of gas. He peeled off to ride down Sand Hill Road, back to the gravel pit, and back to the main 'lot. That was the last that was seen of Jared.

The Bus. It was both an ideal and a destination. It was a fun target. It was an easy target. Especially considering that Swamp Monster had the location tagged in his GPS unit. MotoBum kept asking Swamp Monster "are we getting closer?" The answer was always "yes." But then when it finally was close, MotoBum didn't take the turn off and kept shredding Overland Trail.

In the end, The Bus was found again and ridden through several times, resulting in various Instagram posts and a GoPro video.

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#goal : to get to the bus. @motobum101 and I found the bus at #tahuya . It has changed from the last time we were there. (Link to video in bio.) As always the #gasgas #ec250 and #yamaha #wr250f ran #flawlessly .

A post shared by Scott (@sdcomins) on Apr 10, 2019 at 12:02am PDT

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#dirtbikes | #tahuya | #thebus | Yes, @sdcomins recorded multiple video passes of us riding through it. #documenthistorybeforeitdocumentsyou

A post shared by MotoBum (@motobum101) on Apr 9, 2019 at 11:42pm PDT

The Bus at Tahuya video:

Twice In One Month!

Swamp Monster and MotoBum actually hit the Tahuya trails twice in one month! On December 31, 2018, they put the year to bed with a good trail shred.

It's worth noting that Swamp Monster actually did shoot quite a bit of GoPro video... and none of it ended up being usable. #nexttime

MotoBum Rides the Ferry

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Rolling in as the #sunsets . @motobum101 and I #ripped around #tahuya today. 36 miles of trails. The @gasgasmotos #ec250 and #wr250f performed great!

A post shared by Scott (@sdcomins) on Jan 1, 2019 at 12:33am PST

Swamp Monster, MotoBum, and Tahuya (with vid)

Swamp Monster and MotoBum hit Tahuya on December, 2 2018. How long had it been? Who knows. It'd been way too long. But all the equipment fired up and worked flawlessly. The gear was still comfortable. And one of the best Tahuya dirt bike rides commenced. Just look at the golden pictures below as evidence. As per tradition, it ended with Mexican and Margaritas.

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Thank you friend for slinging #mud on #myback and putting a #smile on my face. -After being #coopedup for months the @gasgasmotos #ec250 performed flawlessly at #tahuya today.

A post shared by Scott (@sdcomins) on Dec 2, 2018 at 9:58pm PST

Tahuya April 2017

Ghostface KLR and MotoBum rode the Tahuya State Forest on Sunday, April 9, 2017. Riding after a series of rainstorms, it was a forgone conclusion that the ride was to be taken in the highlands only. Less than 10 minutes into the ride, MotoBum got stuck in deep water and mud, past both axles, thereby forcing the WR250F to stall* mid-swamp.

Later, MotoBum took a corner too high and let the front end wash out, spilling body directly down the trail with WR250F trapping said body. Luckily, Ghostface KLR was not far behind and saved the day by removing said motorcycle from MotoBum. Days later, the left body ribs and shoulder were still sore from said spill, but nothing seemed to be broken.

The subcrew encountered a stuffed Gorilla bungee corded to a tree. What?

Ghostface KLR decided that larger diameter grips are in order for future rides; his hands were pretty sore from hanging on to his high-powered death machine by the end of the ride.

*Yamaha WR250Fs of a certain era have a poor engine design where the rocker cover breather hose vents to just below the bottom frame rail; if venting is obstructed in any way, the engine will stall.

Last Day of Winter - Ride Video

Ride along with MotoBum chasing Ghostface KLR through the Tahuya State Forest on the last day of winter 2016 (03/19/16).

All video is played at normal speed and was shot with a GoPro Hero and an iPhone 6.

"Doing the Activity Right" music by Muscle Prodigy. Engine music by Yamaha's 5-valve 2002 WR250F.

Pure Bliss

Tahuya brought sun and blue skies with nice cool and damp conditions on a fine winter dirt ride.

Somehow more fun riding was had than even usual. MotoBum was laughing so much and so hard at one point of particularly flowing and twisty trail that he could barely see.

The after-ride had the the crew at Fiesta Mexican Restaurant in Silverdale, the Hood Canal Brewery in a remote light industrial complex, and Downpour Brewing in Kinston. What a party!

Pre-ride, Shotgun Ruthie practically pees her pants while thinking about all the gnar she is going to shed

MotoBum is able to stop laughing long enough to get a snap shot

Ghostface KLR shoots it up the back end

Church of Dirt by Three

Wednesday, December 30, 2015 -- Swamp Monster, Ghostface KLR, and MotoBum met at Tahuya for a sunny but cold dirt rip. Snow covered the ground from a few days prior, making some of the trails somewhat slippery while the subfreezing temperatures kept the dirt stiff and less forgiving than usual.

GFKLR ended up lowering his front tire pressure to compensate for the conditions after six near loss-of-front wipeouts. No other close calls were had... none particularly memorable anyway.

The last-of-2015 ride ended at El Huarache Azteca again where MotoBum drank the "Margarona," a margarita with a bottle of Corona tipped into it.

Baker, eh?

Ghostface KLR and Swamp Monster's Mexican Chihuahua, Pid

Glorius Sun and Snow at Tahuya

Swamp Monster's Instagram Post of the Day's Route

MotoBum's "Margarona"

Church of Dirt by Two

Sunday, December 13, 2015 -- Ghostface KLR and MotoBum hit Tahuya for some Church of Dirt action. The weather turned somewhat decent for the ride. Even though exhausted from a day of shredding, the ride continued past the sunset time of 4:18 PM, the earliest sun down at this latitude in 2015.

Recent fall storms made this ride one of the wettest in TDC history. MotoBum's WR250F choked out in the middle of a deep large "puddle," which forced a boot-soaking push out. The boots were so soaked that MotoBum actually took them off for a moment on the trail to wring out his socks.

After a $2 four-minute bike wash in Belfair, El Huarache Azteca in the booming metropolis of Silverdale took money in exchange for tacos and libations.

Ghostface KLR and a Setting Sun

Ghostface KLR and The Wand

2huya

Sunday, November 8, 2015 -- MotoBum, Ghostface KLR, and Shotgun Ruthie went to the tacky dirt at Tahuya. Not too far into the ride, Ruthie tried to total out her Kawasaki on a tree, but ended up only bending the front brake disc. She was fine. After limping that green bike to the 'lot, MotoBum and Ghostface KLR took off for an hour of go-go-go sliding and riding.

MotoBum found a driver's license was found lying on the trail and mailed it to some dude later in the week.

The bike-trashing celebration took place that night in Silverdale at a restaurant called "2 Margaritas." It was next to Chuck E. Cheese's in a strip mall. Yum. That experience rounded out two nights in a row of partying as one of Ghostface KLR's bands had played at Darrel's Tavern the night before.

MotoBum Thought About Adjusting the WR250F Chain Before This Ride 

The Gull at the Edmonds Ferry Was in Fine Form

Valentino Rossi Was With Us In Spirit That Night at 2 Margaritas

30mm

The MotoBum Yamaha WR250F "Ripper" got a 30mm rise for 1 1/8" bars courtesy of Tusk today. They are shiny and new.

The stuff dreams are made of come really, really, really, cheap from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC.

Upon installation of some fresh ProTaper pillowy-soft grips, I had to cut-off the Anti-Rip Tip (TM) ends. Dirt bikes were made for ripping. Anything that gets in the way of a good rip has to be cut off. So, a crisp X-Acto blade came to the rescue. Ripping has now been authorized.

Motorcycles are safe once safety wire has been applied.

The Ripper is ready to rip.

A Wet December

It was a wet, rainy December. We still took time to play in the mud at Tahuya. I had a bit of fun with the GoPros and captured a bit of it.

Goodbye WR and KLR2

They were good bikes. They have both been sold in the past few days (the KLR just minutes ago). I imagine it won't be long before the XT has been sold by us (again). What one bike can I get that will fill the void left by these three fine motos? I will give the first chance to a DRZ400S. We will see.

Ahh, the trusty WR is gone... what a great bike

E-rock's Yamaha XT225 thriller is on the auction block

E-rock's "KLR2" 2009 model with Action Packer... bye bye