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Posted by: Dragginbutt
How much land does one person need to create a decent riding area for the family to enjoy? 5 acres, 10, 50 what do you think?
Posted by: Dragginbutt
Thanks for the reply. The question came about from another thread where people were bitching about losing riding areas to development. Certainly the needs of a commercial riding area would be much more than an individual who just wants to have a place for his kids to putt around on. Which is my case.
I have 9 acres in Wisconsin that I intend to cut some trails on. With a few switchbacks, and altitude changes, I am hoping to make it interesting at least. Ultimately, the grandkids will ride there, but also I'd like to create a training center for novice riders to gain their certification training.
I want to concentrate on pure novice riders, mainly kids, so they can putt around in a safe environment. Not too challenging, but enough to be a confidence booster. Maybe even invite the families to ride in a non competative arena so they can practice their skills before they go out and tackle the world But NO speed demon stuff. Just a learning course.
A noble cause, but I already own the land. If I didn't live 1400 miles away from it, I'd be renting a D5 and start pushing dirt today.
There is nothing wrong with competition courses, but in this case I wanted to just work with the families who don't need to worry about racing at this point.
Posted by: Dragginbutt
I hear youon taxes up there. I was a little surprised myself when I saw my first year's bill. Considering what we pay back in Virginia, I thought it was a little high... but after thinking about it for a while. It is home... and it is where I want to live out my days. I can't ask for a more picturesque piece of land. I am the only parcel on the road. Everything else is crop land. I am way back in where it is quiet, and you can't see my land from the road. SO I am not worried about nosey neighbors checking it out when we are not there either. After living 16 years in Virginia, and working in that war zone they call DC... I am looking for a change of pace. Now if I could only win the lottery... I'd be pounding nails right now.
By the way, it is just outside of Kendall. About 15 miles SE of Tomah. I was born in Viroqua, and grew up on my Grandparent's farm not far from the piece.... The old homestead is gone now. Amish tore it down years ago. Sure have a lot of memories of small town living. Would love to get back to it...
We have been considering a move to Appleton lately too.
Posted by: Dragginbutt
DeeDawg, thanks for your service to our country. I retired from military service in 1996 so I know where you are coming from. Fact is I live near and shop regularly at Quantico.
In our case, property values have added to the costs. I guess we can't have it both ways. Although values rise, it is hard to take advantage of it without selling the land.
I can't imagine having that much land and not have enough for my needs. As I get older, I am only wanting a place for the grand kids to putt around on. I would be in heaven with that much land.
Posted by: Dragginbutt
You are blessed to have that much space to roam on. I hear you on the need for new scenery... but my purpose is much different than the average Joe. I have grandchildren that will be needing a place to putt around when they get old enough to ride and come visit Grandpa. On another note. I inted to use my area as a teaching ground for novice riders to learn on and practice on without subjecting them to the dangers of trail riding with others more experienced zooming about.
Too often, we have commented that there are not enough riding areas... what is even more scarce is a practice ground that lets junior riders "Learn" their skills in a safe environment. Important too, will be the training of the responsible adults ie parents. Too often we fail to concentrate on teaching THEM what to look for, and how to properly teach responsible riding to their kids once they are turned loose on the world. The minimum recommended rider training area used for our national rider training programs is 5 acres, so a little extra will be just about right.
The area will not be for expert riders to blast around on. Only for skill building. Plus I will open it up for parents to use so their kids can practice too. Nothing commercial, purely an old man wanting to give a little back to the industry I love.
Posted by: Dragginbutt
That would be great if you can swing it. I understand your need for more space. If you can afford it, that sounds like what you need. That is the great thing about this... even a small landowner like me can make use of anything. Our needs clearly do not meet your needs, but they meet ours. I get by liability wise because the insurance is covered by the training organization. For those of you interested, becoming an instructor has it's own benefits. One of them is that you can offer land owners a no liability option in return for them letting you use their land.
Small tracts can be great. It all depends on how it is all laid out....
Posted by: Dragginbutt
Check out ASI.
Posted by: Dragginbutt
Thanks Weez, I am glad you are still hanging around. Last time we talked, you were fed up with the locals and ready to sell out and move. I trust things have gotten better since then? Funny thing about greener grass, it loses it's sheen rapidly once you walk on it...
Posted by: Dragginbutt
Sorry Weez, I tried. I have been back there three times in the past year now. But I haven't had time for any enjoyment. My father has been ill, and this last trip a couple weeks ago had him in for open heart surgery. Looks like for the near future, we will be popping in and out as time and finances allow. It is hard to make time for anything when you live 1200 miles away... It is still on my list of things to do though...
I did manage to throw a line in with my youngest son last summer for his birthday locally though. We had a great day just the two of us sitting under a shade tree catching brim with every cast.. or should I say every worm.. We were feeding them pretty good there for a while....Until I switched to smaller hooks and started reeeling them little buggars in, Lots of fun for a kid, and his dad. Threw them all back. the fun is in watching the boy learn something, and just spending time with him with absolutely no worries or pressures. May do it again this year, only this time, I might consider taking his Mother with us, so she can lay out the picknic basket of goodies. Of course, eathing with worm guts all over your hands kind of makes it less appealing.. but that is all part of the experience right?
Then there is Mrs DB wanting to go south to see the grandson. been there 4 times this past year too. I actually managed to get my youngest out on a real race course, and managed to teach him some very important lessons in driving and racing a Gokart. Not your average junk Kart mind you. But bonafide racers.
He must have learned the lessons I was teaching real good, as he proceeded to use the same tricks on his brother in law, and dusted him big time. Here was a kid barely 11 playing with a 30 year old and passing him at will, backing off letting him repass, and then executing a perfect slide job like Big Daddy had just shown him... Yeah BABY, that kid is a chip off the old block. I had lapped them all twice... then stopped and got out to watch him school his older brother in law. It was incredible. The whole place stopped to watch him zip in and out and make a fool out of him... I was so proud... Ah the moments we cherish right? He was so excited, he didn't sleep all night. He kept taking out the score card with the lap times and showing them to his brother in law, who usually rides him like broke back pony... Shut him up pretty good.....
Posted by: Scooter86
9 acres should be plenty for that sort of thing. Depending on the layout of the land, you could really put a decent mx track on 2 acres, and that would include a bit of parking. A nice learners course could be contained within the same size, and actually, it would be good to have at least on smaller course where the riders are visible at all times to a parent or adult on the sidelines.
Posted by: weez440
thank you DB for wanting to give back to the atv community. there needs to be more ppl like you in our sport. and dee we got over 200 acres up by warroad we got trails on and i will let you ride them if you let me ride your 160 acres in fourtown
Posted by: weez440
yeah the locals will always make me upset but what ya gonna do i am just gonna keep riding. i been kinda staying out of this part of the forum cause i used to get to fired up as to what ppl are wanting to do to our sport that i love. and DB i thought you were coming up sometime to go fishing
Posted by: weez440
sorry to hear about your dad DB hope he is doing well, with all the advancements in medicine now it is unbelieveable what they can do. lol sounds like you been enjoying life other then that though and thats what life is all about. i guess me myself i am not much of a traveling person, 2 weeks ago i had to drive down through iowa illiniiois and indiana and i was about 35 miles away from louisville. i had to do this for work and i hated it. ppl in indiana have accents lol. they all kept asking me if i was from canada. still waiting for the snow to melt so i can get on my fourwheeler and tear around. been working on buying a house now for the last 4 months so that looks like it is gonna go through within the next 2 weeks so that is nice.
Posted by: weez440
hey dee you know how it is in beltrami they seen the public outcry and how upset it made the whole community to shut trails down there and they just shut them down anyways. you are right i said that a while ago we need to come up with some kind of club here but it seems like alot of ppl like to complain about it yet think it is someone elses place to do something. i would join atvam but i don't know what i think of a club sponsored by our state seems like it would be to easy for the state to control this club. i am planning on winning the lottery though and starting up a big club (i wish)
Posted by: weez440
lol i just can't get in the mood to travel i guess. i was told today to pack my bags again i gotta go back to iowa and almost to the missouri river and i have been kinda cranky since i found out. nothing against iowa the ppl there are very friendly it is just that if i wanna see endless miles of nothing i can go to north dakota lol. i am supposed to be back by friday though so that is good i can take my girlfriend out for her birthday thinking of a fancy restraunt. oh and i think thief river falls has an atv group but still waiting for roseau county to get one going, might be up to me
Posted by: weez440
i'm gonna take her to the brickhouse in roseau. never been there but heard the food is good. and well attached to that is the polaris experience center so i don't think i will be wearing anything that says cat on it cause they would probably cast me out i was thinking bout taking her to the black cat in thief river but that is more of a bar and grill and will probably get kinda rowdy by super time. and i will see if anything develops for an atv club then i will let you know.
Posted by: weez440
well took her to the brick house last night and the food was actually really good. i didn't get the steak cause it was like 15 dollars and we live on a cattle farm so i can cook steak whenever i want so i just got a bacon cheeseburger and fries and a beer and she got a burger fries and a pop and it came to like 20 dollars. it was a lil more on the spendy side but not to bad.
Posted by: weez440
yeah i didn't think it was to bad she was happy cause i got her a necklace and a 6 pack of her fruity drinks she likes. i am lucky cause it doesn't take much to make her happy i got myself a good woman.
Posted by: ss97
well for an MX type track as little as 5 acres would work....
for an XC loop you are probably looking at probably at least 10 acres....
We have a 1.5-mile MX track on about 8 acres........
and we have an XC loop that is 3.7 miles and it circles about 100 acres of land.......
it really all depends on what you want to do and how big you want to do it......
Posted by: Deeplaker60
The main problem with Wisconsin land is the @#* taxes. I've got 20 acres of unbuildable swamp and my taxes were $500 last year. I just got a notice that it's now been assessed at $46,000. That will probably double my taxes, which have already quadrupled in the past few years. I've got some nice trails with challenging mudholes, and five deer stands, but I'm retired and starting to wonder how long I can hold onto it.
If you price land in Wisconsin, you may be pleasantly surprised at how cheap it can be, but I just told you why.
Posted by: DeeDawg
I have 160 acres of woods in NW Mn. My taxes have doubled in the seven years I've had it, and for no reason that I can see. No road construction, no new schools. ect... As far as riding, 160 acres would get very small very quick.
Posted by: DeeDawg
I only allow relatives to ride and hunt on my place. Since it is only a couple miles from where my Dad was born and grew up, there are a lot of people that use it. I have insurance on it just in case, but I figure a relative is less likely to sue me than a non-relative. I can always make their Christmas dinner miserable the rest of their life...... It helps cut back on the trash and general destruction as well.
Posted by: DeeDawg
weez, let me know whats up with that. I have tons of relatives up there, and most ride wheelers. Maybe we need to organize some sort of politcal group?
Posted by: DeeDawg
I think there needs to be a new club; perhaps the combining all the clubs up there including Grygla, and any other club north of there. I know I would join for sure, and so would several of my relatives. I am interested in political issues; not which particle trail is open or closed on a given day or poker runs. I would join just so my dues would go to fighting the anti's.
And as far as traveling - I LOVE to travel. 52 countries and counting. I am going to Nambia on a safari in August. I fly into Johannesburg, South Africa, and will drive West from there.
DB - Minnesota is a great place for medical - the Mayo clinic is still the very best.
Posted by: DeeDawg
weez - I think it is up you. Let me know, as long as the club is politically active I'll pay my dues. I don't live up there, but I am still a resident.
What restaurant are you going to take her to? What used to be the best restaurant in TRF is now the "Eating Emporium" and it SUX.
Posted by: DeeDawg
The Black Cat is pretty much a bar & grill (pool tables, etc), but the food is good. I'll have to hit the Brick House next time I'm up... the Steak Knife in Grygla is pretty good, and a little more classy than the BC. I think there needs to be a good brew house up there somewhere.....
Posted by: DeeDawg
I wish I could take my wife out to eat for $20!!!! She would never let me get away with that on her birthday!!!! I'm lucky when I can take her to breakfast for $20!!!!!
Posted by: georged
Excellent question. I'd think much would depend on the type of riding desired, frequency of riding, type of land, proximity and attitude of neighbors.
Posted by: 2xSurvivr
Draggin, I applaud you for sharing with the have nots and the maybe-somedays. I hope to do the same, when I get some land. I picked up the sport this last summer to have something to do with my 17 yr old. Lack of places to ride, close enough to where we live, prompted me start asking friends with land if we could ride. People are pretty nervous, mostly about liability, I guess. Gotta respect that. So I guess the only thing to do is get something for ourselves, a lifelong dream that I'd almost given up on...until now.
Started looking in the fall, and settled on a 27 acre triangle with a creek running through it. Maybe 10 acres of it farmland that could continue to be leased out OR plowed around for some mudding and jumps and racing (what the boy wants). Back of the creek, enough land for a little bit of trail. Almost went for it. But the "little bit of trail" was the undoing. It would be okay for having people out and showing a newbie a good time, but it was clear it wouldn't be enough for us after riding it a while. We decided to look further.
I went back to an old thought: 40 acres of trees is enough to get secluded from the outside world. A friend that let us ride his property for a little this summer (until he got nervous) had such a quarter mile square. Nothing but trees. It was great. I decided this was the MINIMUM I would settle for. Now we're looking at a 75 acre plot (mostly trees), just trying to figure out to $wing it (always an issue). Should happen, I think it will be perfect for our family and friends. Just my two cents.
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Posted by: 2xSurvivr
>I get by liability wise because the insurance is covered by the training organization.
>For those of you interested, becoming an instructor has it's own benefits. One of them
>is that you can offer land owners a no liability option in return for them letting you use
>their land.
Draggin, I'm interested. What training organization do you instruct for? I thought about becoming a safety instructor and trying to promote the sport that way (and keep it safe). The liability issue is a major concern.
Posted by: jkane13
My family has about 230 acres in Wisconsin. We have trails all over it, and they get boring. I like to trail ride also, but not on the small trails. We like the Jackson and Clark county trails since they are tied together and make for a couple days of riding without seeing the same scenery.
200 acres isn't even enough for trail riding. If you just want to jump and splash, 10 acres might do, but it'd get boring after a couple months to me.
