How NOT to take a girl on a date: The Reddish Knob Fiasco, and best ride report ever.

Skippii · August 16th, 2011, 02:52 AM

I've become a bit famous because of this ride.
For months, even a few years afterwards, I'd still occasionally get e-mails from strangers all over the country saying they'd been e-mailed a copy of it from their brother-in-law or something, and wanted to find out more, or say they knew the area, or just vent to me about their GPS.

I hope you enjoy it as much as they did.
Yes, it's long, but I promise it's worth it.

It's in PDF, read (or download) it here:

How NOT to take a girl on a date

There is a sequel to it as well, though it doesn't involve any Ninjas. I'll post that one as well.

caps · August 16th, 2011, 03:26 AM

that was awesome.

but seriously....
did you hit it?

Alex · August 16th, 2011, 06:23 AM

I remember reading that somewhere quite awhile back. Made me laugh then, made me laugh now.

oroboros · August 16th, 2011, 09:13 AM

Great story Skippii!

But what about your bike?

alex.s · August 16th, 2011, 11:07 AM

wow epic ride report. that melissa sounds like a keeper

spooph · August 16th, 2011, 11:49 AM

That's a fantastic story Skipii! Not sure I'd want to live the same, I generally prefer things to go a bit smoother, but hey, they do make great stories... Also, I tend to follow signs over anything else I think I might know when it comes to directions/maps/GPS, etc....

alex.s · August 16th, 2011, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caps

that was awesome.

but seriously....
did you hit it?

+1!

Gurk · August 16th, 2011, 01:00 PM

Hey man, awesome story. But to be honest, your conclusion was a bit unsatisfactory.

Exactly because you didn't mention anything about ....

THIS

Quote:

Originally Posted by caps

that was awesome.
but seriously....
did you hit it?

Snake · August 16th, 2011, 02:18 PM

Great ride report.

kaiserz · August 16th, 2011, 03:16 PM

Good story

csmith12 · August 16th, 2011, 03:20 PM

You need a tard bad.....

bdavison · August 16th, 2011, 06:30 PM

This reminds me of me and my buddies very first hiking trip when we were teenagers. So, I figure Ill put it up here so you can enjoy yet another crazy story in the woods.

Back when I lived in Pensacola, FL, there is a trail called Jackson Trail out in the Blackwater State Forest. Its 21 miles long. We figured it would be a good beginning hike. None of us had any experience hiking. So we went down to Brownsville Army/Navy store, and bought some surplus Alice packs, and gadgetry that we thought we would need.

We didnt know much about how to pack a pack or what to bring, so we pretty much packed everything but the kitchen sink. Our packs were in the 80lb range. Canned food, propane lanterns, rediculas sized tents and sleeping bags.

We started at Kerick lake, and started hiking. We figured we would do 10 miles on the first day, and the rest the second day. We knew there were lean to shelters half way down the trail, but we had never seen them before or knew exactly where they were.

As we were hiking, we lost the trail about 4 miles in, and heard a noise. We looked around, and up in a tree was a hunter, in full camo....looking at us like we were about to be dinner. We quickly got out of there, and relocated the trail.

We continued on, and crossed a road. And once again we lost the trail. It was starting to get dark, and we had no idea how far it was to the shelter. We were sure it wasnt too much farther and kept hiking. It got dark....REAL dark. All of a sudden, we walked right into the middle of a cemetary. A OLD cemetary. You have to picture this situation. We were in the middle of the woods, with absolutely no civilization anywhere around, at night, in a cemetary from the 1800's. We were completely exhausted, and decided to just camp out next to the cemetary.

We all joked around about camping so close to a cemetary, and joking around about ghosts and stuff. So we finally got the tents up and went to sleep. About 3am, we heard this HORRIBLE noise. A low growling snarling noise...

We all started peaking outside of the tent, and this 90 year old guy comes walking up with the biggest dog Ive ever seen. He looked right at us and said "Ya'll know yer treadin' on SAycred ground"...

OMG...Immediatly, we all started picturing some tragedy right out of deliverence. I was so waiting for the banjo music.

He finally just walked off into the woods...with his snarling dog right behind him. No flashlight or anything...FREAKY.

I dont think any of us slept a bit the rest of the night. It finally got daylight, and we packed up as quickly as possible and headed out immediatly. We went about 2 miles up the trail....and sure enough. There was the shelter. SOB.

So we decided to just relax, and spend the day and next night at the shelter. There was a campfire pit, so we figured we would turn it into a 3 day trip. We were so tired from lugging around those 80lb packs we needed a break. We decided to dump pretty much everything we werent absolutly going to need for the rest of the trail, to save some weight.

We goofed off pretty much for the entire day, just chillin out. It started getting dark again. My friend David pulls out this propane lantern....

Now you have to remember, none of us has EVER done this before. We didnt know the first thing about a propane lantern. So David turns the knob, strikes a match. It wont light. We dont know why. So he strikes another match...nothing. He strikes a third match, and KABOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM. The glass around the lantern explodes, and blows the top off the lantern.

It was a darn miracle none of us was seriously hurt.

Then it started to rain...not a little rain...but a torrential downpour. For 6 hours. Learned that you have to seam seal a tent, or it floods like a swimming pool. We all ran into the lean to. So here we are all huddled up in a lean to, in wet sleeping bags. Then the temp starts to drop....A LOT. 33 degrees, and wet. We were freezing, we noticed pine straw stuck up around the rafters....We decided to burn it for some warmth.....inside the lean to.....cause it was raining...

You know where this is going dont you? Lets just put it this way...if it wasnt for the pouring down rain, we were about 1 sec away from starting a forest fire, with a burning lean to. The rain put it all out and then stopped, and we packed up and took off QUICKLY.

The sun finally came up, after suffering moderate hypothermia combined with smoke inhalation..we just wanted to get the heck out of there. About mile 15, we were walking along a dirt road, and a ranger truck comes flying up. The ranger jumps out of the truck and yells "FREEZE, dont move". OH CRAP, we are so busted....

So this ranger is radioing the sheriff, saying I found them. We all kept saying it was an accident, and we just had to get out of there. He just told us to shut up and sit down.

An hour later, the sheriff shows up, and apparently, there is a juvi jail nearby. Three of the juviniles escaped, and took off into the woods...They thought for sure we, were them. Suspicions, along with our comments about wanting to get out of "there"....well you know how this looked.

The only thing that kept us from being carted off to juvi, was that one of them had a broken arm....none of us did.

We eventually finished the trail. We went back a while later. The glass shards from the exploded lantern were still there. We stuck one in the timbers of the lean to, and used a ball point pen to write our story on the wall.

I went back there 8 years later. The shard of glass is still stuck in the timbers, the story is still there. .....

And apparently we inspired others. The entire surface of the walls of the shelter are covered in stories from Boy Scout troops, hikers, and others. Its still there today. So if you are ever in Blackwater state park, go hike the Jackson trail, and put your story on the wall of the lean to.

Skippii · August 17th, 2011, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdavison

This reminds me of me and my buddies very first hiking trip when we were teenagers. So, I figure Ill put it up here so you can enjoy yet another crazy story in the woods.

Dude, that's awesome...but 80 freaking pounds??? That's like half what a Ninja weighs!

pugs24 · August 17th, 2011, 07:38 AM

Awesome story dude. Glad to see another JMU Duke Dog is on the forum. Gold and purple! Although I did hate the police cadets... Haha, just kidding.

bdavison · August 17th, 2011, 08:29 AM

Yeah, 80lbs. It was nuts. We were about 14 years old at the time. Even though that trip was completely insane...it sparked a lifetime hobby of hiking. Since then, Ive hiked all over the US, including completing the entire Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail. Ive since learned how to pack a pack...now Im using a 35 liter pack under 20lbs for a 4-5 day trip. That includes sleeping bag, thermarest, tent, food, clothing, cooking kit, alcohol stove, water purifier, and other items.

AznJoJo · August 17th, 2011, 08:56 AM

As soon as the story went to crossing the river I got icked out and just stopped reading. I'm soooo not into outdoors stuff, but I bet your story was really good. I'm sorry. =/

d16soda · August 17th, 2011, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AznJoJo

As soon as the story went to crossing the river I got icked out and just stopped reading. I'm soooo not into outdoors stuff, but I bet your story was really good. I'm sorry. =/

LOL.

good story bro,
did ya hit it???

GeneJunkie · August 17th, 2011, 11:07 AM

I'm a bit more curious as to what happened to your bike...

I can't believe you lifted the bike over fallen trees, what a wild story

AznJoJo · August 17th, 2011, 11:15 AM

Asshat, wear it proud. >=P

Quote:

Originally Posted by d16soda

LOL.

good story bro,
did ya hit it???

Felipe the Ant · August 17th, 2011, 11:47 AM

How was the clutch in the end?

zilaniz · August 17th, 2011, 12:19 PM

that is quite the experience haha, I would have gave up and turned around the within the first minute lol

Zombiphone · August 17th, 2011, 08:59 PM

Hahaha, wow. I wish I could say I've been on a date that epic. This makes me want to get more dirt riding in

d16soda · August 18th, 2011, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AznJoJo

Asshat, wear it proud. >=P

:P The LOL was more of a, "wow my girlfriend is the same way".

We need a more satisfactory conclusion skippi!

Skippii · August 20th, 2011, 10:56 PM

Okay, okay fine! Here's the second date with Melissa! No Ninjas on this one, but since you all seem equally interested in her as in Ninjas....

The Second Date!

August 16th, 2011, 02:52 AM	#1
Skippii Milkshake Drinker Name: Skippii Location: Richmond, Va Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Orange DRZ400-S, 2005 Ninja 250 & Custom Thundercunt Dirt Chopper Posts: A lot.	How NOT to take a girl on a date: The Reddish Knob Fiasco, and best ride report ever. I've become a bit famous because of this ride. For months, even a few years afterwards, I'd still occasionally get e-mails from strangers all over the country saying they'd been e-mailed a copy of it from their brother-in-law or something, and wanted to find out more, or say they knew the area, or just vent to me about their GPS. I hope you enjoy it as much as they did. Yes, it's long, but I promise it's worth it. It's in PDF, read (or download) it here: How NOT to take a girl on a date There is a sequel to it as well, though it doesn't involve any Ninjas. I'll post that one as well. __________________________________________________ "What a sweetheart."- ninja_sleeper to me

August 16th, 2011, 03:26 AM	#2
caps Sexy Beast Name: Mat Location: Tampa Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250R, 2006 ZX-14, 2012 Ducati Monster Posts: A lot.	that was awesome. but seriously.... did you hit it? __________________________________________________ 2010 Ninja 250 2006 Ninja ZX-14 ^Both Links

August 16th, 2011, 06:23 AM	#3
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	I remember reading that somewhere quite awhile back. Made me laugh then, made me laugh now. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

August 16th, 2011, 09:13 AM	#4
oroboros GDTRFB Name: Drew Location: SE PA Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250 - sold 2005 EX500R project Posts: 496	Great story Skippii! But what about your bike? __________________________________________________ I don't want a pickle Just want to ride on my motorsickle -Arlo Guthrie

August 16th, 2011, 11:07 AM	#5
alex.s wat Name: wat Location: tustin/long beach Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14	wow epic ride report. that melissa sounds like a keeper __________________________________________________

August 16th, 2011, 11:49 AM	#6
spooph ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Spooph Location: Golden, CO Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): '08 Ninja 250R Posts: A lot. MOTM - Oct '15	That's a fantastic story Skipii! Not sure I'd want to live the same, I generally prefer things to go a bit smoother, but hey, they do make great stories... Also, I tend to follow signs over anything else I think I might know when it comes to directions/maps/GPS, etc.... __________________________________________________ My therapist has 2 wheels and a seat. If you are ever in doubt to my tone, please refer to my avatar.

August 16th, 2011, 02:18 PM	#9
Snake ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Alexandria, Louisiana Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: Too much. MOTY - 2017, MOTM - Jan '19, Oct '16, May '14	Great ride report.

August 16th, 2011, 03:16 PM	#10
kaiserz There's a limit to s2pdty Name: A.D. Location: NoVa the burg Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 250r ninja (sold) Posts: A lot.	Good story

August 16th, 2011, 03:20 PM	#11
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	You need a tard bad..... __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

August 16th, 2011, 06:30 PM	#12
bdavison Wartown, USA Name: Bryan Location: Warner Robins, GA Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R SE, 2007 Ninja 650R, and assorted other bikes Posts: A lot.	This reminds me of me and my buddies very first hiking trip when we were teenagers. So, I figure Ill put it up here so you can enjoy yet another crazy story in the woods. Back when I lived in Pensacola, FL, there is a trail called Jackson Trail out in the Blackwater State Forest. Its 21 miles long. We figured it would be a good beginning hike. None of us had any experience hiking. So we went down to Brownsville Army/Navy store, and bought some surplus Alice packs, and gadgetry that we thought we would need. We didnt know much about how to pack a pack or what to bring, so we pretty much packed everything but the kitchen sink. Our packs were in the 80lb range. Canned food, propane lanterns, rediculas sized tents and sleeping bags. We started at Kerick lake, and started hiking. We figured we would do 10 miles on the first day, and the rest the second day. We knew there were lean to shelters half way down the trail, but we had never seen them before or knew exactly where they were. As we were hiking, we lost the trail about 4 miles in, and heard a noise. We looked around, and up in a tree was a hunter, in full camo....looking at us like we were about to be dinner. We quickly got out of there, and relocated the trail. We continued on, and crossed a road. And once again we lost the trail. It was starting to get dark, and we had no idea how far it was to the shelter. We were sure it wasnt too much farther and kept hiking. It got dark....REAL dark. All of a sudden, we walked right into the middle of a cemetary. A OLD cemetary. You have to picture this situation. We were in the middle of the woods, with absolutely no civilization anywhere around, at night, in a cemetary from the 1800's. We were completely exhausted, and decided to just camp out next to the cemetary. We all joked around about camping so close to a cemetary, and joking around about ghosts and stuff. So we finally got the tents up and went to sleep. About 3am, we heard this HORRIBLE noise. A low growling snarling noise... We all started peaking outside of the tent, and this 90 year old guy comes walking up with the biggest dog Ive ever seen. He looked right at us and said "Ya'll know yer treadin' on SAycred ground"... OMG...Immediatly, we all started picturing some tragedy right out of deliverence. I was so waiting for the banjo music. He finally just walked off into the woods...with his snarling dog right behind him. No flashlight or anything...FREAKY. I dont think any of us slept a bit the rest of the night. It finally got daylight, and we packed up as quickly as possible and headed out immediatly. We went about 2 miles up the trail....and sure enough. There was the shelter. SOB. So we decided to just relax, and spend the day and next night at the shelter. There was a campfire pit, so we figured we would turn it into a 3 day trip. We were so tired from lugging around those 80lb packs we needed a break. We decided to dump pretty much everything we werent absolutly going to need for the rest of the trail, to save some weight. We goofed off pretty much for the entire day, just chillin out. It started getting dark again. My friend David pulls out this propane lantern.... Now you have to remember, none of us has EVER done this before. We didnt know the first thing about a propane lantern. So David turns the knob, strikes a match. It wont light. We dont know why. So he strikes another match...nothing. He strikes a third match, and KABOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM. The glass around the lantern explodes, and blows the top off the lantern. It was a darn miracle none of us was seriously hurt. Then it started to rain...not a little rain...but a torrential downpour. For 6 hours. Learned that you have to seam seal a tent, or it floods like a swimming pool. We all ran into the lean to. So here we are all huddled up in a lean to, in wet sleeping bags. Then the temp starts to drop....A LOT. 33 degrees, and wet. We were freezing, we noticed pine straw stuck up around the rafters....We decided to burn it for some warmth.....inside the lean to.....cause it was raining... You know where this is going dont you? Lets just put it this way...if it wasnt for the pouring down rain, we were about 1 sec away from starting a forest fire, with a burning lean to. The rain put it all out and then stopped, and we packed up and took off QUICKLY. The sun finally came up, after suffering moderate hypothermia combined with smoke inhalation..we just wanted to get the heck out of there. About mile 15, we were walking along a dirt road, and a ranger truck comes flying up. The ranger jumps out of the truck and yells "FREEZE, dont move". OH CRAP, we are so busted.... So this ranger is radioing the sheriff, saying I found them. We all kept saying it was an accident, and we just had to get out of there. He just told us to shut up and sit down. An hour later, the sheriff shows up, and apparently, there is a juvi jail nearby. Three of the juviniles escaped, and took off into the woods...They thought for sure we, were them. Suspicions, along with our comments about wanting to get out of "there"....well you know how this looked. The only thing that kept us from being carted off to juvi, was that one of them had a broken arm....none of us did. We eventually finished the trail. We went back a while later. The glass shards from the exploded lantern were still there. We stuck one in the timbers of the lean to, and used a ball point pen to write our story on the wall. I went back there 8 years later. The shard of glass is still stuck in the timbers, the story is still there. ..... And apparently we inspired others. The entire surface of the walls of the shelter are covered in stories from Boy Scout troops, hikers, and others. Its still there today. So if you are ever in Blackwater state park, go hike the Jackson trail, and put your story on the wall of the lean to.

August 17th, 2011, 07:38 AM	#14
pugs24 ninjette.org member Name: Joey Location: Romeo, MI Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Posts: 45	Awesome story dude. Glad to see another JMU Duke Dog is on the forum. Gold and purple! Although I did hate the police cadets... Haha, just kidding.

August 17th, 2011, 08:29 AM	#15
bdavison Wartown, USA Name: Bryan Location: Warner Robins, GA Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R SE, 2007 Ninja 650R, and assorted other bikes Posts: A lot.	Yeah, 80lbs. It was nuts. We were about 14 years old at the time. Even though that trip was completely insane...it sparked a lifetime hobby of hiking. Since then, Ive hiked all over the US, including completing the entire Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail. Ive since learned how to pack a pack...now Im using a 35 liter pack under 20lbs for a 4-5 day trip. That includes sleeping bag, thermarest, tent, food, clothing, cooking kit, alcohol stove, water purifier, and other items.

August 17th, 2011, 08:56 AM	#16
AznJoJo ninjette.org Bunny Name: Jojo Location: San Diego Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): none, cuz i'm a loser. Posts: 687	As soon as the story went to crossing the river I got icked out and just stopped reading. I'm soooo not into outdoors stuff, but I bet your story was really good. I'm sorry. =/ __________________________________________________ (\_/) (o.0) c(")(") - baby bunny disapproves of creepy PM's...

August 17th, 2011, 11:07 AM	#18
GeneJunkie ninjette.org sage Name: Cindy Location: Wethersfield, CT Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250R Posts: 691	I'm a bit more curious as to what happened to your bike... I can't believe you lifted the bike over fallen trees, what a wild story

August 17th, 2011, 11:47 AM	#20
Felipe the Ant ninjette.org sage Name: . Location: . Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Ninja 250R SE GREEN! Posts: 562	How was the clutch in the end?

August 17th, 2011, 12:19 PM	#21
zilaniz ninjette.org member Name: Jeff Location: PA Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 08 R6 Posts: 224	that is quite the experience haha, I would have gave up and turned around the within the first minute lol

August 17th, 2011, 08:59 PM	#22
Zombiphone CVMA/AFM #72 Name: Tiffani Location: Los Angeles, Ca Join Date: Oct 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r (Racebike), 2015 FZ-07(Tourer), 2001 KX65(LOL bike) Posts: A lot.	Hahaha, wow. I wish I could say I've been on a date that epic. This makes me want to get more dirt riding in

August 20th, 2011, 10:56 PM	#24
Skippii Milkshake Drinker Name: Skippii Location: Richmond, Va Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Orange DRZ400-S, 2005 Ninja 250 & Custom Thundercunt Dirt Chopper Posts: A lot.	Okay, okay fine! Here's the second date with Melissa! No Ninjas on this one, but since you all seem equally interested in her as in Ninjas.... The Second Date! __________________________________________________ "What a sweetheart."- ninja_sleeper to me

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
New girl rider progress report!	jmisto	Riding Skills	18	August 7th, 2014 10:55 AM
[superbikeplanet.com] - Contract Girl: Repsol Signs 15-Year-Old Spanish Girl	Ninjette Newsbot	Motorcycling News	0	February 28th, 2012 01:40 PM
My longest ride (to date)	Lil_Green_Demon	Ride Reports	39	October 7th, 2011 02:12 PM
[motorcyclistonline] - Ride Like A Girl - Behind Bars	Ninjette Newsbot	Motorcycling News	0	April 11th, 2009 11:20 AM
Group Ride threads moved to Ride Reports forum after event date passes	Alex	Group Rides and Local Events	0	November 21st, 2008 10:08 AM