Pumpkin Run

Pumpkin Run
Apollo Motorcycle Club, New Smyrna Beach
October 28, 2017

Let me just say in advance that my son had a great time at the 2017 Pumpkin Run at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He and I attended our first ever Pumpkin Run at $50 a head, which is a night ride through a privately owned property containing mostly single track trails. The event caters to ATVs and Side-by-Sides...and "dirt bikes are welcome." I took the DR650 and my son took his TW200 after some of the Apollo members recommended this event to me earlier in the year at the Hooch Rally in North Georgia.

All I can say is I'm glad it's over.

My issues start with the fact that they let over 1,500 people onto a muddy cow pasture that at best could accommodate no more than 300-400. They just kept letting pickups and trailers in to the point that they had to park around the boundaries and lockdown everyone in the interior.

Then, all those vehicles...mostly ATVs and Side-by-Sides....jammed the 13 mile trail network to the point that no one could move. As if the volume of vehicles wasn't bad enough, many were unequipped for the rugged trail and either got stuck or broke. The night trail opened at around 7:30PM. At 10:30PM I threw up my hands waiting for the trail to open.

Not just me, many of the people were frustrated and just started running all over the entire site tearing it up into a ridiculous mud pit. On Sunday they had to bring in tractors to pull everyone out of the mud.

There was very little information to begin with on this particular event. Most of what I learned about it, I learned from Apollo Members that I met up at the Hooch in North Georgia. Those guys left Saturday afternoon.

I can't recommend this event for dual sport motorcyclists. While I was concerned about riding among many ATVs and UTVs, that wasn't a problem at all. The problem came down to one thing and one thing only. The volume of people and vehicles that Apollo allowed into the site overwhelmed both the facility and the trail...period. I won't go as far as suggesting ATVs and UTVs not attend because there are just too few good events for those guys these days. I think the Apollo group should cut the volume to 300 vehicles (which I still think is too many), double the length of the event and the rest of us should just wait until the Wild Bear Adventure Rally in December allowing the 4-wheel guys to have the site.