Gregory rides in the Tour de Forest to benefit VFC

On a warm fall evening – when many are getting ready to cheer for their local football team or prepare to head out to dinner with that special someone, Landon Gregory was preparing for Tour De Forest with his father.  This entailed filling the gas tank for his dirt bike, a Suzuki DR 200, and packing food for the trip.  At 4:30 the next morning, they were off!

Sponsored by the Marienville Volunteer Fire Company, "the Tour-De-Forest is an ATV leisure ride through the scenic Allegheny National Forest on designated forest roads and trails that are not usually open to ATV traffic. This event is put together for ATV enthusiasts to have the opportunity to ride and experience different areas that are not normally open to ATVs.” As stated by https://www.marienville-fire.com

He and his father arrived at 8 am for breakfast at the pavilion, which hosted an all-you-can-eat for $6 for the event. Both then headed to registration at Marienville highschool for their 7-hour journey. A day pass was only $20! 

They set off on the dusty, gravel road and at midday stopped and refueled with some lunch they had packed the previous night. 

At approximately 2:30 pm, they hit their 100-mile mark but kept blazing through the trail as they thought the event didn’t end until 4. It turns out, it ended at 3! Park security stopped them on their ride and sent them back to the car to head home. 

While packing up from the day, the fatigue set in, so they stopped at Emelton’s truck stop to grab a bite to eat about halfway home. 

It’s no surprise that the team was absolutely exhausted when they got home, and in turn, resorted to a well-deserved relaxation. The next morning they got up bright and early to clean and detail the bikes for winter.  Talk about dedication!

At this point, Gregory had put about 220 miles on his bike and commented about the ride, “It was an amazing moment. So peaceful and beautiful.” The only issue was his boots were too big to get under the shifter, but he found the solution to his dilemma by using his heel. Other than the small issue, he had an amazing day!