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By CJ Rena Johnson
Carolina Adventure
World: Where the Darkness Came Alive!
Links to Videos Below
Creek crossing
CAW's welcome center
Mud holes a plenty
Carolina Adventure World Staff and
Friends |
As Carolina Adventure World crossed the
threshold into the dark side, the woods, tracks,
trails, and service roads came alive with the
growls, moans, and groans of the dark riders and
their machines as they fought their way over
obstacles, up hills, through gullies, down
slopes, and through mud-- all challenges only
heightened by the darkness.
It was definitely quite an adventure. I now
understand why people love to night ride. I had
done it briefly before and never understood why
anyone would want to do it. It seemed dangerous
and scary with nothing but shadows and eeriness
around every turn. However, as darkness fell on
February 7 and I found myself a few miles from
camp, I began to fall myself, this time in love
with night riding. Now, I cannot wait until the
next time.
The place was on fire that night and in some
places, I mean literally. They had one of the
largest bonfires I had ever seen. Everyone
seemed to love it. Every time I went by, there
were riders surrounding it. They were talking,
laughing, and just enjoying themselves. As I
walked around, I heard them comparing machines
and racing stories. Some of them were discussing
trail conditions and where they wanted to ride
next. It was nice to see such a diverse group
with so much in common. There was music playing,
constant laughter, and folks just sitting back
taking it all in. At one point, I felt like I
was in the middle of a country music video.
I met quite a few of the CAW staff, and they are
all
friendly and nice. They were always very
helpful when I had questions about anything or
needed anything. They were always talking to the
different riders about the trails and all the
different amenities available onsite. One of the
first people you meet at CAW when you walk into
the Welcome Center is a sweet woman named
Tabitha. They sure picked the right person for
this job. I am sure you will enjoy meeting her
or Joe or Patrick or any of the CAW staff. I
even met one of the owners and had talked to her
and her little dog Ann for a few minutes before
she told me who she was. She and her husband
seem like very nice people.
Several members of the CAW crew were running
what they call their “ATV Friend Patrol.” They
were out on the trails taking people fuel,
digging out ATVs that were stuck, helping lost
riders and even picking up trash when needed.
Usually, night rides are on a “you are on your
own” policy, but it was nice to know that there
were people out there looking out for the riders
during this event.
The
trail system at Carolina Adventure World is
quite extensive as well. My test riders and I
tried to cover as many of the trails as we
could, but it is hard to cover 2,600 acres in
one night.
If you are looking for mud, you will find it on
the trails that go down through the
bottoms, or
you can head on over to one of the two intense
mud bogs that are challenging to any mudder out
there. If you want to leave the mud and head for
higher ground, there are plenty of trails for
that. My favorite for that is any of the blue
trails. If you are looking for hill climbs, you
can head out for Grizzly, Beacon, or Mammoth
hill areas. You can even go hit what the riders
call the rollercoaster on trail #12. There is
even an amazing rock crawling area down off
Trail #25 and for those of you who love to ride
power lines, you can do it legally at Carolina
Adventure World! There is something for everyone
including a junior motocross, an extensive Enduro cross, a cart track, a drag strip, and a
speed track.
They also have several different camping and
RV
areas, most with electrical and water. They have
a nice bathhouse, and a spray wash area for your
machines. They have a service center, and a
welcome center with a nice gift and supply shop,
food, drinks, and a concession stand. They even
have a
zip line for those people looking for a
little extra challenge in between riding!
Do you have family members who don’t ride ATVs
or don’t have one to ride? You can rent anything
from quads to golf carts or even mountain bikes
to ride on their extensive mountain biking trail
system. Do you hate hauling your machines back
and forth all the time? They have a very nice
and affordable storage area where you can keep
your machines safe and in the dry at the center,
so they are there and ready to ride when you
are.
So bring your whole family out for a day of fun
they will be talking about for a long time. They
are open every day from 8 AM to 5 PM in the
winter and until 6 PM the rest of the year.
They have many events scheduled this year and
are planning more all the time. They also host
group functions there that can be custom planned
to include anything or everything the center has
to offer, including camping, rental units,
guides, the zip line and everything you might
want or need to make it a great event for your
group. So give them a call at 803-482-3534 or go
to their website at
www.carolinaadventureworld.net/index.htm
for all the details including photos and videos
of the area.
Carolina Adventure World is very easy to find,
as it is right off of I-77 in SC at exit #46. It
is about 50 minutes south of Charlotte, NC and
about 30 minutes north of Columbia SC. You take
exit 46 and follow the signs to go about 2 miles
and it will be right there on your right. The
next All Night Ride will be the weekend of March
13th and 14th when they are hosting the first
race of the 2009 Championship Mud Racing season.
I hope to see you there!
As always: Decide now to have an awesome day!
Videos:
Day & Night
Riding |
Helmet Cam
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