Trail riding actually began on what was then known as the Edmonds Farm in the early 60's.
    "Hey, aren't those 2 wheeled monsters supposed to be out on the road? Boy they are silly looking when they fall over and it takes two people to get them back on those funny looking tires with knobs."
    The Edmonds Farm soon became the areas "On Any Sunday" Motorcycle Mecca.
    "What's that dump truck got in it? Is it more of those funny looking motorcycles? How are they going to; Hey, they are dumping them off the truck. Ouch!! Now watch. I'll bet they don't all run. That means someone has to ride double. Think they can stay on?"
    As boys will be boys, they soon weren't content just to chase each other around the hills and woods of The Ridge. They soon began trying to climb seemingly impossible hills and even see who could jump the furthest off others.
    "What are they doing now? Do they think they can fly with two tires and no wings? Wait a minute, where did the front tire go on that one? There it is. It is going to go further down the hill than the bike. Ouch!! "
    Later in the 60's at The Ridge just trail riding evolved into competition events such as Hare Scrambles.
    "These guys are faster this Sunday. They're riding round and round on the same trail. Boy, these bikes are smaller. Who is that guy leading the pack? He's fast. Did I hear them call him Dick,...... Dick Mann? Those others are pretty fast too."
    Early in the 70's we started seeing another type of event utilize the land. The Scat Cat Enduros put on by the Three Rivers Trail Riders used Thunder Ridge and another local facility known as Unadilla Valley Sports Center. The club connected the two with various farms and roads until they had 100 miles of woods and roads with a variety of terrain for the racers to traverse.
    "Watch out!! I didn't realize that mud hole was so deep. Is that motorcycle standing by itself? Look at that guy pulling on the front wheel. Do you think he will get it out or is he going to get stuck too? "
    Sometime during the fun and the frolic and as trails became a normal part of the landscape and the woods, it was just the natural next step to name them.
    "What's that? Is that a sign they left there? What does it say? There's another one and another one." (Deacon's Dugout, Sugar Bush Run, Ridge Run, The Fork Trail, and Hemlock Hill)
    In the mid to late 70's another form of competition graced the hills of The Ridge. Again the catalyst was The Three Rivers Trail Riders motorcycle club. Trials competition brought a different type of rider. Endurance didn't play a part. It was balance and motorcycle control that mattered.
    "Wow, look at that rider. Can he go the whole length of that log without falling off? Hey look, a wheelie contest. I guess some people only need one wheel. Hey that doesn't look like all those other small, thin bikes. Do you think he can make it down that hollowed out log without crashing. Boy that rain made it slippery and it is quite a steep pitch. Lookout for the.... treeeee!!"
    In April 1975 The Ridge was ready for the first AMA sanctioned motocross event. The track was laid out and banners were hung showing the way around the corners and the natural hills and valleys of this almost virgin former farmland.
    "Oh no it's snowing. They are never going to be able to race tomorrow. I was so looking forward to seeing those crazy amateurs with those funny motorcycles they practice on. They called some of them motocross bikes. I wonder if we would have seen some of the ones with the headlights and taillights. Maybe they just take them off for this type of race."
    The first race was postponed for a month until early in May. The snow was gone, but boy did it rain.
    "Wow, look at the mud. It's almost like the track was plowed. There is no grass left, only deep mud. How do they tell who is who? Can they see their numbers? Hey look at all the cars and trucks that are stuck? That nice new gravel road has two pretty deep ruts in it. What a mess. Did you see that guy fall down. He slid further than his motorcycle. How did that truck get it's front wheels in so deep? Isn't it only a two wheel drive?"
    During the late 70's motocross (natural terrain European Style) grew quickly. Who remembers the classic tire to tire battles between John Gurga and Fred Vertucci (to name just one of many head to head competitions)? How about the Nessel's and the Rice Family to name a few? At the same time the grounds continued to be used for trail riding and even some motorcycle testing. John Taylor with his Ossa Motorcycles and even a new Bolger suspension were seen at the track on occasion.
    "Hey guys, those two speak a different language."
    "Yep, they are from Spain. They run the OSSA factory. What are they trying to do? Don't they know, they can't climb that hill. Nobody has been up that hill in a while."
    "Didn't you hear, they asked for the worst hill. Guess they want to see what their bikes will do?"
    "Didn't Jim tell them about that tree root that has been polished to a smooth slippery finish over time?"
    "He didn't make it. Did you hear the crash and then silence? Here he comes back, coasting down the hill."
    "Hey it looks like the other one is going to try. Here we go again. There's the crash. There's the silence. There he comes coasting down. Have they ever seen a hill like that with a trail that looks so inviting and yet so difficult? Hey, what's he saying? Did he say something about giant squirrels?"
   And then there were the days and weeks before some of the local Unadilla Pro Race week-ends when The Ridge saw a variety of Professional racers who looked for a place to test and set up their motorcycles in close proximity to the Professional race event. Names such as Bailey, Hannah, Emig, Dowd and Albertine used Thunder Ridge. And some of them won the next days race at Unadilla.
    After 20 years of racing the motocross track was moved away from the hills where it began and to the meadows next to those hills. "Boy this is neat. Now we can see the whole track from the hill next to it. We still can't see those crazy hare scramble riders while they are in the 4 mile section on the hill and in the upper woods but we can watch them as they get closer to the MX track."
   "Hey what are they putting up now? It's a new clubhouse. What are those games they are putting in there? Now the racers have something else to do between races and the night before. Wow, it looks like they are really having fun. The whole family is having fun"

Crow Hill Motor Sports Park  L.L.C

Route 202, West Rd Templeton, MA 978-897-1279

Crow Hill Motor Sports Park  L.L.C

Route 202, West Rd Templeton, MA 978-897-1279