ATV Adventures: A tale of two trails at the Outlaw ATV Jamboree
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- A view of Vernal in the valley as we began to ride Asphalt Ridge at the Outlaw Jamboree.
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- Lynn R. Blamires tries to keep his hat on while riding the Musket Shot Trail.
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- Another hill to climb on Asphalt Ridge at the Outlaw Jamboree.
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- Lynn Blamires
The 2025 Outlaw Jamboree is over, but the memories linger of the tales of the trails I rode at this Vernal event. The weather was perfect, and the trails were ready for us – more ready for me than I was for them.
This jamboree has a lot of bang for your buck. The description of the breakfasts did not do them justice, and there were three of them, and they were big. When you all eat together, you feel the luv. Back to the trails – I would like to write about two of them – The Butch Cassidy and the Musket Shot.
The Butch Cassidy Trail
I thought the Butch Cassidy Trail was going to be about his history. It was, but only generally. It turns out that Vernal was a place of retreat for this old bandit and his gang. They would come here after a robbery to rest and relax. That had nothing to do with this trail – there was no resting or relaxing. The trail is on Asphalt Ridge, and either you are going straight up or straight down.
We lined up at the fairgrounds and rode out of town toward the ridge. Once there, we started to climb. Our first stop was at an overlook, which was quite impressive. We were above the valley where Vernal is situated. Then we began the real ride up and down Asphalt Ridge.
I was doing fine until I came near the top of one steep climb. I got a little too far off the trail and bogged down in some loose rock. I had to back down the trail a little to take a new line. It was at that point that I was glad I didn’t have bald tires.
This trail was not in the mountains, and it was a warm day. When we came to the place where we were to have lunch, there was no shade. Thankfully, the guide moved on and took us to a trailhead that had a bowery with tables and shade.
After lunch, the guide gave each rider a metal coin he had forged. It had the name of the jamboree on one side and the name of the trail and the year on the other. We finished a ride of about 35 miles by the time we got back to town.
The Musket Shot Trail
This was my last ride on the jamboree. It has the name for two reasons: it is a fast ride, and it was on this trail that the tombstone of Deputy Bill Redman is found. He was part of a posse chasing the bad guys.
The first part of the ride was not fast. We were gathering at the base of a sand hill, where we were encouraged to try to make it to the top. I didn’t try because I didn’t want to embarrass myself. However, from that point on, it was pedal to the metal and hang on to my hat because I had my windshield down.
We were warned of one spot on the trail that would stop us dead in our tracks. It was a mud pit where they had been pulling machines out that had tried to cross it the previous days of the jamboree. As I approached it, I could see the tracks of those who had gone around it, but as I surveyed the pit, it didn’t look so bad. It looked like it had dried up a little – not enough. I almost made it, then sank.
I felt as dumb as a rock, but with too much pride to ask for help. I put my Kawasaki Teryx in four-wheel drive, but that was not enough. Then I did something I had never done before – I locked the differential so that all four tires were pulling together. It was a new experience, because I hadn’t needed to do it before. I backed up a little and then drove right out of the pit. I was out, but now I couldn’t hide the fact that I had been in. My machine was a mess.
I like this ride because it fits my riding style – fast. I like to see a little bit of a lot of scenery, whereas others are happy with a lot of a little bit of scenery. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down, and put this jamboree on your calendar for next year.
Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com
