First tunnel pic is sweeeeet! Would love to get in on one of these rides sometime. I've been dying to ride Centralia, I thought we'd have to do it out of Ashland, but you've proven otherwise! My son (14 yrs - YFZ 450) and I got our RAC permits in Jan., but have only ridden twice since (Just scratching the surface of St. Clair) .

@Kodiak450_06 - can ya PM me on that group ride e-mail list info?

@Slyder - do you ride right into ghost town Centralia and its burning stink?

 

right into a place where there was a town. Nothing there now but abandoned roads and there isn't much burning going on. A 5 chimney house is still there.
Here's a couple of pics from last year when we were there, one with the windmills in the back ground.

 

Nice pics. Yea it just kinda smolders in the south of town.



Those aren't chimneys on the Lokitis house, but brick structural supports for the house, necessary due to the ground caving in beneath the town.


The Government has been trying to get him to leave since the '80s - He won't budge. I think it's down to just 2 houses now. Weird feeling in that town.
Was this house still there this past weekend on your ride???

 

It was on the news 6 months ago that the last person is out so i believe he is out. It looked there wasnt anyone livin there when we went be sunday

 

That tunnel looks alot like the one near me in hunterdon/ warren county NJ border but not as long and less water in it. There is a quarry I rode at a bunch of times and train tracks that lead to two tunnels that are side by side and 1 mile long that go through the mountain. One of them is an active train tunnel for freight trains, the other was an older tunnel built in late 1800's and is no longer in use. It has 2-3ft of water in it at each entrance of the tunnel, it's really huge, evem though it is really huge, you cannot see through to the other end until you ride 1/2 was through it cause of the water causing fog in it. It was really awesome to ride through it, I lite some roman candles inside the center of the tunnel and 15 mins later when we rode back to the entrance, all the smoke from the fireworks was being pushed out from us riding through the tunnel. Tunnel was cold too! It was a hot summer day and soon as we got into the tunnel you needed a coat, thats how cool it was.

IDK, I noticed lately that my ATV has been acting up when I ride through water that is deeper then my 27" tires. It bogged out and actually stalled on me and was hard to get it started. I had to keep the choke on to keep it running and can only go in reverse cause it would stall out in forward. Finally after 5 mins, it went back to normal and all was fine. I did locate another tube that came off the carb which I snorkled up so that maybe it wont behave like that when I go through the mud pit in my woods again. I have yet to experiment if that quick fix solved the problem.

 

those can't be chimneys on that house, for one they do not go past the roof line and if they were chimneys, there would be alot of smoke damage on the homes exterior. I think someone was trying to design a unique look on their home.

 

actually they arent chimneys, we just call it the 5 chinmey house. They are supports from the ground giving way under the house from the mines

 

Can you ride into the mines?

 

Ok so whats the story with the town that burns? Sorry, haven;t had time to check my emails for the last month and saw your email slyder about the ride this past sunday, and I could of made it too! Wife was off from work Sunday and took the babies with her to visit a friend, oh well my loss. Looks like you had one hell of a great ride! 99 miles, thats awesome man! Whens the next time you guys planning on going to St Clair? I'd have to do it on a week day when wife is off from work, never bothered getting a 10 permit this year and didn't plan on either do to the arrival of twins. Would like to take that run with you guys that you just did Sunday.

 

Going to Trevorton on Monday.
The coal mines caught on fire from a dumpster in the 50's and been burning ever since. The whole town is evacuated now