Polaris RANGERs and RZRs take on wetter than normal conditions at Royal Blue

Guest Author | November 10, 2009 | 0 Comments

Royal Blue is known for its mud holes

By Randy Warren, PRC Director of Public Relations

Several times each year, a group of PRC members meet at Ride Royal Blue ATV Resort in Pioneer, Tennessee for a few days of riding, eating, and fellowship. This Halloween weekend, a handful of Ranger enthusiasts met once again to have some fun in the mud and natural beauty of the mountains of northeast Tennessee. Due to a season of above average rainfall totals, the riding was particularly wet, which made for some fun mud riding. It also made for very slippery conditions and areas in which the trails were largely washed out.

Special Edition 2010 Polaris RANGER Crew

While there are certainly other great riding areas in the Tennessee and Kentucky areas, the Ride Royal Blue provides a wide variety of trail types, ranging from the very easy to the very difficult and technical. In addition to the terrific trails, some of the vistas and sites are breathtaking. On Friday morning, we all rose before the dawn to watch the sunrise at the top of the Mountain. This was a lot of fun and a great time of fellowship with our riding group. After watching the sunrise, we rode back to camp for breakfast before heading back on the trails.

Later Friday morning, we found a great place to play in the mud for a while. We had mostly Polaris RZRs with us, but also a couple of Rangers, including a Special Edition 2010 Ranger Crew that yours truly was driving. To say that I was impressed is a gross understatement. I simply couldn’t believe that I was able to do nearly everything the RZRs were doing with that behemoth. We spent the remainder of Friday riding a variety of trails, including a ride to ‘Eagle’s Bluff’ where we were able to seemingly see forever. Eagle’s bluff over looks the City of LaFollette, TN.

A little mishap on the slippery trail

After Eagle’s Bluff, the group continued riding the countless trails at Ride Royal Blue. It was during this time that we found some of the more challenging trails of the weekend. Although no injuries occurred during our rides, we did have a couple of mishaps, including one tip-over and a complete rollover. The rollover occurred when Dan and Lynette Telek were leading the group of a relatively steep mountain trail and found it necessary to create a slight detour due to a severe washout situation on the trail. While leading the detour, and approaching re-entry onto the designated trail, Dan lost control at a slow rate of speed and their RZR rolled over onto its top. Thankfully, nobody was injured and we were able to extract Dan and Lynette from the machine. Other than a small dent to the rollcage, there was no damage to the RZR. Incidentally, their rollcage was built by Bill from Ranger ProLift in Michigan (way to go, Bill!).

We arrived back at Ride Royal Blue Resort in the late afternoon. Everyone got cleaned up and then we dined together on white chicken chili, regular chili, fresh bread and a variety of desserts. Its common for our PRC gatherings to organize group meals. This adds to the fellowship and provides an opportunity for all of us to re-visit the day’s riding.

Friday night it began raining hard and continued well into Saturday. As a result, we didn’t get out on the trails until the early afternoon. We were joined on Saturday by a few members of the local ATV Club, Royal Blue Rangers who guided the day’s ride. Whenever the Royal Blue Rangers lead our group, we are blessed with seeing new trails and sites. The waterfall was particularly spectacular. Saturday night we celebrated Halloween at the Resort and most of us started heading for home on Sunday morning.

About Royal Blue WMA

ATV riding is permitted on many trails within the Royal Blue WMA. Riding is permitted year-round. During deer hunting seasons in November and December, riders must wear 500 sq. inches of fluorescent orange visible on their front and backs. For riders who do not possess a valid hunting license and WMA hunting permit, a special use permit is required. The cost of the permit is $61 annually for Tennessee residents, or $12.50 per day for Tennessee residents. For non-residents, the cost is $191 annually or $30.50 per day. Maps of the area can be purchased from some local merchants.

About PRC Polaris RANGER Club

The PRC Polaris Ranger Club can be found on the web at: www.prcforum.com. PRC’s goal is to provide a family oriented, internet based forum where Polaris Ranger owners from all over the world can come together and conduct open and friendly dialog between it’s members regarding all aspects of owning a Polaris Ranger.

Ride Royal Blue ATV Resort

At the Ride Royal Blue ATV Resort and Campground, you will enjoy majestic mountainside beauty and miles of versatile trails and accommodations in the Cumberland Mountains of Campbell County, Tennessee. The resort offers picturesque cabins that combine rustic beauty with the comforts of home and spacious and well-equipped RV sites are great for getaways and long-term stays.