Just south of Chillicothe, Ohio sits a beautiful landscape of rolling hills and forests that are host to a few incredible hideaways that are like something out of a dirtbike lovers dreams. Imagine an old camp hideaway spot that has a full hare scrambles course laid out along with dirtbike jumps and multiple swimming spots to cool off in after ripping through the woods. This place does exist and it is called Camp Waterlow. Ran by the Cash family for years this camp is like stepping into an outdoor lover's paradise. They have transformed the land into a place where good old vintage style fun is the name of the game. So we were very excited to finally get to experience this magical place when we heard that our friend Ethan White was teaming up with them to put on an official hare scrambles race and campout. We showed up through a quite steep gravel path leading to the camp which would finally open up into this playground of off road fun riding past piles of old two stroke bikes huddled around taxidermy decorated campfire spots with rope swings and interesting structures built into the landscape of hills and cliffs that surround the dense forests lining the property. The top of the hills open up into a large wide open gathering area where the Cash family arranged one seriously impressive bonfire setup that would later in the night be host to a wild barrel race.


After setting up a camp spot ourselves we set out  to find our best spots for watching the race as the racers geared up and tuned up their bikes. The racing got pushed back a little due to the exhausting heat of the mid to upper 90's being too extreme to really have the racers and patrons enjoy the incredible track they laid out safely so they waited till around 6 and finally got the festivities underway. Michael Cash gave the signal and the racers lined up and began shredding the course spacing themselves out all throughout the surrounding woods.


It was pretty awesome to step back a sec and find yourself surrounded in every direction with the sounds of two stroke and four stroke machines ripping through the hills and trails. After a while you really felt like Camp Waterlow was a home away from home,  tapping into all sorts of memories growing up loving nature and motorcycles and this place was definitely the best of both worlds. We wandered the different paths as the riders gave it their all fighting against not only each other but the intense terrain and interesting obstacles and structures the Cash's set up to have the riders rip through. The racing went on into the evening and after the winners were announced everyone got ready for the barrel race bonfire and fireworks show.


Ethan got the crowd pumped up with a big lot of giveaway prizes from some of the sponsors including some great gear from ourselves Oldbikebarn.com and then some great stuff from the new Easyriders magazine. The barrel races got under way and the flames rose high into the night as vintage two strokes and mini bikes alike took a spin around the circle of fire. The crowds split off into a handful of other fun activities all around the camp hopping from campsite to campsite as the sound of kickstarting machines and fireworks could be heard in the distance for hours singing you to sleep.

In the morning when everyone finally arose to find their favorite swimming spot of choice we headed home not wanting to leave this amazing hideaway in the woods that anyone with an appreciation for outdoor fun and two wheeled adventure could surely appreciate. We want to thank the Cash Family, Ethan and all the other sponsors involved for making this weekend something to special to enjoy.

Words and photos by Mike Vandegriff