Group Ride 9/10/2026

We arrived Thursday afternoon!

You know how it is—the closer the trip gets, the more excited you get, and then once the day finally arrives, you’re ready to go.

I’ve spent most of my riding at Hatfield-McCoy staying in Matewan at the Historic Matewan House. There’s just something about that place that clicks with me. It’s an awesome little town where time seems to slow down.

Once I was all settled in, I thought this year, instead of doing our usual unofficial “short ride” on Thursday, I’d just hang around Matewan and the bed and breakfast. Maybe sit in the living room, hang out on the front porch rockers, talk to everyone, and relax.

That was the plan anyway…

Next thing I know, a guy comes up and says, “Hey, I’m Terry, and this is my wife, Tina. We’ve been here since Monday. We’re from Indiana, saw your Indiana SxS event, and thought we’d ride with you.”

It’s always cool seeing a new member show up to ride with the group. At the same time, there’s always that little unknown on both sides.

For the new person, they’re probably wondering: What kind of trails do these guys ride? Where are we going? Do they keep a good pace? Are they slow? Do they stop every five minutes? What have I gotten myself into?

For me, I’m thinking: Hopefully they aren’t super slow, can keep pace with the group, enjoy long rides, and get along with everybody.

The challenging part is that what we ride really depends on the park. At one place, you might ride with us and think, “These guys do some easy trails with a little advanced stuff mixed in.” Then you go somewhere else with us and think, “Oh my God, am I riding with the same group?”

Over the years, I’ve actually learned to really enjoy both extremes.

Well, my plan of relaxing didn’t last long.

One minute I’m sitting around doing nothing, and the next Terry Lynch is asking me, “Where are we going to ride?”

“I’m not sure I’m even going to do a short ride this year.”

Terry Says: “Well, at least let’s drive around on the road, go to another town, and check something out.”

Hunter Says: “We’ll see.”

Then the next thing I know, Tammy is asking, “Hunter, where are we going?”

“Nowhere! I’m just hanging out I say!”

“That’s not what Pam is telling everybody out on the front porch.”

Hunter: SMH.

Then I start hearing people discussing watching the sunset and everything else.

So, I’m like… what the hell. Let’s go on a short ride near Gilbert, as Zach Top would say, “I know a place.”

Then Dave Hatfield reminds us that the weather isn’t exactly cooperating and we might not see much of a sunset. But hey, don’t let a few clouds take the sunshine out of your sunshine.

And we’re off!

We head toward the outlaw trails near Gilbert. As we’re getting closer, I realize there’s a ROAD CLOSED sign pretty close to where we need to get off the road for the trailhead.

Naturally, we pass the ROAD CLOSED sign. We’re in off-road vehicles, after all. Sometimes you can go places a car or full-size truck can’t.

Nope.

It’s really, really closed. Completely unpassable.

Looking up ahead, though, it appears they’ve built a brand-new road farther over. We start down it and see a sheriff’s SUV turn left while I continue straight down the new road.

Then it hits me. Wait a minute…

This new road isn’t on the map, but where that sheriff turned looks like it connects back toward the old road exactly where we need to go.

With a little hassle and exploring, we eventually make it to the trailhead.

Now we’re looking for wild horses.

I see horse poop several times, and Pam starts advising me on which piles are fresh and which aren’t. Apparently, she’s a professional horse-poop freshness inspector. 😂

Unfortunately, we never find the horses like we have prior rides in the area. They are there though, somewhere!

We take an old trail that I rode several years ago. It used to loop around through the pines and was a really fun trail, but this time it was just too overgrown. Eventually, we decided to turn around.

That’s how it goes sometimes.

By the time we got back out of there, it was time to head toward another trail that climbs to the top of the mountain, you know that place i know.

We cross several trails along the way and eventually come out onto a gravel road. Sitting there is the same sheriff we saw earlier, apparently watching over a gas or coal mine area.

No big deal. We wave and head right up the trail in front of that area toward the top of the mountain.

Once you get up there and can see for what feels like forever, it’s one of those moments that reminds you exactly why you keep coming back year after year.

We start debating whether the sun is going to drop below the clouds or if it has already set. Eventually, we catch a glimmer of orange on the horizon.

Turns out the area below the heavy clouds was just more thin clouds. It probably would have been an amazing sunset with clear skies, but at least we got some orange glowing through those thin clouds along the horizon.

Okay, time to leave.

In the dark. What could possibly go wrong?

To my amazement… absolutely nothing.

Of course, I couldn’t just take everyone straight back. After all, everybody else is following me, and they don’t know if we’re just taking a different way back. Right?

We head back down the trail and drop a few hundred feet to another flat area where wild horses are known to hang out.

Now we’re on a path less traveled, with bushes and trees rubbing both sides of the machines as we work our way through.

We see some deer, rabbits and a few other things, but amazingly, nothing crazy happens. Unless you count a coyote running out in front of us on the way back.

Nobody went too slow. Nobody got lost and had to be located over the radio. Nothing broke down. We just rolled back into Matewan, parked the machines, relaxed, and enjoyed each other’s company.

What a great first evening!

Oh, and that little Thursday evening “short ride”?

70 miles round trip.

Welcome, Terry & Tina, to Indiana SxS—where there’s always just a little more to go, and a “short ride” could be 30 miles…

or 70.

Nobody really knows. 😂

Track Log

Coming soon!