- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
- Messages
- 51,675
- Reaction score
- 9,301
- Location
- Huntsville
- First Name
- Scott
- Last Name
- Friday
Now... where was I...?
Ah yes... cold... much grunting... an abundance of snoring... squeaking mattresses... more snoring... voices in my head... "SCOTT YOU UP IN THERE!?"...
Friday
I was thrilled to hear last night that the rider's "meeting" at Kathy's would be at 9:00am. I've always made it a policy on trips I've organized that we never start riding before 9:00am. I know there are those of you that think if you are not on the road before sun up that you are wasting time. Good for you Personally, I like to feel like I am on vacation and not still at work (never mind that I usually get up around 9:45am on regular workdays... ). Still, if I am riding much before 8:00am, the odds of me doing something stupid and potentially painful rise exponentially...
I roll out of my tent to be greeted by the glaring morning sun and cold air!
The moon hasn't even had a chance to go down before the sun intrudes...
Flashstrom and Lurker (Darren or Darien? )
Proof that Scott can rise before the sun...
After a little office work...
... I set to getting myself ready to ride. Most of the other tent city derelicts have already skipped out and headed to Kathy's. I check the time and see that I still have fifteen minutes to make the meeting. All but Dave... seems there is something amiss with his KTM
He mumbles something about no oil pressure... not gonna ride... taking a nap... He assures us that he will be fine for the day and not to worry about him.
Carl and Squeaky ready for action...
A last look at tent city before heading to the meeting
Others have made crazed plans to knock out marathon miles today. Fine. I'm not here to kill myself, just to have some fun. Besides, I need to leave something to explore for the next tip out here No matter, I roll into Kathy's a little before 9:00 to find quite a few people still hanging out, talking, eating, and trying to decide what they are going to do for the rest of the day. I NEED a coke...
A few of the crazies leaving the parking lot... DFW-Warrior and Calgary-Yogi
Some had already left, but more showed up after this pic...
It's like being at a beauty contest
A groovy Yammy V4 with sidecar... Venture Star?
More beauties...
Hungry riders consume breakfast sitting around the fire
It is a little unnerving to see a group of people congregating around your bike for unknown reasons... but it seems the serious business of figuring out where we are going riding is starting to take place
The bike was fine
For those of us that were not previously decided on what we are going to do, Richard conducts an informal ride meeting and Uncle passes out some maps.
The map looks like lots of squiggly roads, what the heck, I just decided what I'm doing for the day
It might look like Richard is preaching... I promise he wasn't
Richard is momentarily distracted from his pontifications by the sight of my beautiful KLR
The meeting concludes and bikes start to filter out of the parking lot in different directions. I plan to ride with Uncle and a few others. Uncle has a bit of business to attend and tells us to meet him at 10:00am at his place. Cool, I get time to mingle...
Richard and Connie enjoying breakfast
Voni and her husband. There is a reason I remember her...
It is getting a bit toasty now that the sun has crested the Chisos Mountains. I am layered up wayyy too much. Something will have to give. So I start shedding a few layers. With my arms up in the air and half naked, this woman clad in all red comes towards me with outstretched arms... uh.... Next thing I know I am getting a great hug I did not hear any cameras going off so what Beth hasn't seen won't hurt her I get my clothes situated and make the proper introduction, hehe. I still have more on than I'd like, so I decide to take my extra time and head back to camp to ditch the extra layers and then scoot over to Uncle's trailer to hook up with the others.
Across the street from Kathy's, a tribute to Burl Hughes, a driving force in past DS events out here, lost to cancer recently...
Back and camp, I shed my layers and find Dave still tinkering with the big nine-fiddy
Then I am off to Uncle's place... and this road continues to taunt me...
Uncle shows up moments later. Gary and John have joined us. We plan to head North and check out some of the Terlingua property that might be for sale We cross the highway, cut up through the old Terlingua Ghost town and then head out...
Into this... I think that is Uncle in the center of the shot.
Lots of ups and downs on this road
I pause for a moment to take it in. There is something about the start of a ride like this that needs to be savored. All the questions flood into my head. "Will I make it out of here?" "Will the bike make it out of here... in one piece?" "What will we see and what will the roads be like?" "What kind of adventure awaits us...?" "Can I catch up to them...?!"
Soon I am riding in the dust cloud from John and Gary. They let me pass and I set off after Uncle. Before long I am rounding the crest of the big hill in the pics above, a fairly rocky climb. I am reminded of my last big adventure in terrain like this... Lots of longggg climbs, sharp pointy things to fall on, and big rocks... The KLR faithfully chugs away. I pass Uncle. He's waiting for the rest of us. I just keep going until I reach the top and then stop to wait for the others.
John finishing the climb on his KLR with Gary bringing up the rear on his new XT 225
The view from the top
Uncle on his DR 650
Uncle resumes the lead and we wander over more hills and through numerous ravines. At each intersection, Uncle stops to point out where we are on his map. Thus far, all the roads on his map are showing on my GPS map. Soon we stop for a little off the bike break, at the local "Hilton".
Can you imagine living here...?
Only recently vacated, R.I.P. David
The view from inside... a bit drafty?
There is an outhouse a short distance away. I decide against using the facilities. After a nice break, we are back underway, winding down through a narrow ravine through some gravel and sand. Uncle has been setting a real nice pace. Keeping up is a non issue and I am not going so fast that I can't take a moment or two to glance about and absorb the scenery. There is just something about being out here that feels good. It is hard to explain. It is just a sense of contentedness. Perhaps it is the lack of all the daily distractions and demands on my time and attention that results in this feeling. More than that though, being here makes me put those things out of my mind so that they don't intrude here. On we ride...
John
Gary
Uncle is already a spec off in the blurry distance...
Time to play catch up again
Lots of ravines or arroyos like this out here. Bone dry now... but come a good rain...
Looks solid enough right...? Think again! LOTS of loose river gravel there
The road goes way down before coming back up!
Uncle leads the way...
Followed by John...
And then Gary.
Only now that all three have been gone a bit do we see Uncle climbing out the other side
[I shot some video here. However, my camera saves it as MOV files that are HUGE. I've not been able to figure out how to convert them to something smaller. Any suggestions? I am using Win2k, not XP or VISTA]
Gary checks out a BIG ditch...
John works on eroding a new big ditch
"yup...", "Uh huh... it's big alright...", "yup"...
Realizing it might take a few million years to reach his goal, John gives up...
Once again we set to rambling down the bumpy road. At each crest, the view opens up to BIG SKY, where the eye takes in as much of the horizon as it can. It is funny how so much blue sky can make huge mountains appear small in contrast The various ridges, hills, and mountains all seem to look alike. It would be VERY easy to get lost out here. Yet it seems every time that we stop, Uncle is busy pointing out the names of the various peaks, showing which direction this or that is in, and basically rubbing it in that he gets to ride out here a lot It is this that he claims has driven him to drink...
It's always steeper than it looks... really...
Here you can see in the upper left where the road crests the ridge
Once again Uncle leads the way...
Looking where we've come from...
And where we're going... Yeah... Uncle names most of the bumps on the horizon...
Happy riders
Happy bikes
After our break, we start a long descent, finally dropping down into a long creek bed. The ground is getting a bit softer here and there. I really have to watch for changes in the soil/surface. It does not take much, a small rock to deflect the tire, some sand to start the bike to squirming, me gawking at the scenery... Riding loose and relaxed seems to really help the bike just do its thing. The happy thumping of the KLR sends good vibes way down into my soul.
John heading down into the creek bed...
Followed by Gary
One can never have too many pictures of one's bike(s)
When we get down into the creek bed, we stop for another break.
Creek beds are about the only place to find shade during the midday sun. I take the opportunity to munch a few granola bars and some other chewy kind of nutty bar thingy. Just enough to keep the hunger away, give a little energy, and not make me sleepy and lethargic.
Uncle shares his local knowledge, no doubt learned from ancient rock carvings...
After picking all the crunchy nutty things out of my teeth and chugging some water, I remount the KLR and make ready to roll. Uncle mentions something about more loose stuff... eh... whatever I like the stuff. However, we soon leave that behind and are once again climbing up to the heights on another ridge. Somewhere along the road several large horned critters shoot across our path and up the steep hillside across the road. Mountain goats? Bighorn Sheep? I dunno, I am just glad Uncle did not hit them when they shot out of the weeds beside the road. They are soon wayyyy up the side of the hill and blend in with the surrounding scrub. About this time, another group of riders comes up behind us. They stop to visit with Unlce, but I go ahead and take off so I can get a little time riding out front, without the dust...
The view from atop the ridge... I think that is Hen Egg Mtn on the left... Hmmm... Okay...
After a fun descent we reach a dry creek bad... Terlingua Creek?
We stop for a break at the creek and the others catch up again
Gary having fun...
Once past the creek, the road runs across a flat open plan... well... mostly flat and mostly open... The road still wanders around small hills and through shallow washes. I am just sticking to Roger and I go where he goes... even off the road?! Now, I have always been told, stay on the roads when riding in the desert unless you want flat tires! Well... I figure Roger obviously knows something I don't so I place my faith in him and follow... A few yards from the road he cuts back to the right and loops around, then drops back out on the road. Hmmm.... I must have missed something... Shortly afterwards, we stop again and we are missing a few folks... uh oh...
If this were the full sized image, you'd see a downed bike back there were we went off the road
I'm still not getting the whole "Hen Egg" thing for this mountain... maybe Bat Dropping Mound or Cow Pie Peak...?
We wait a few minutes before another rider shows up to report. It seems there are some REAL nasty ruts on the section of road we bypassed. Albie "Hood Ornament" was on my tail during that stretch and he dutifully followed as well. John was apparently lingering behind and did not see us take the detour. He got into the ruts, got crossed up, and down he went. Some of you might remember from the ride reports on the big Mexican Recon ride last October that John had a nasty ankle break on that trip. Well... it is mostly better for this trip. He fell on that same side The ankle seems fine though and he is able to get the bike righted and to continue.
Lots of silt on this road... I love it... except for the dust part
The rest of the run back out to Hwy 118 is smooth and fun. The road is wider and apparently graded fairly regularly. We pick up the pace a bit and enjoy the cruise.
Hey STrider, you are the rock guru, what is up with these colors!?
Craggy peaks and towering bluffs (behind me )
When we reach pavement, John decides he is going to call it a day. It seems that he has also wrenched his back a bit when he fell. Rather than risk his luck and further injury, he takes the wise course. Gary offers to head back with him. Uncle, Albie, myself and Albie's friend (whose name totally eludes me ) decide we are going to head to Moon Valley.
Cruising South on 118
After a few miles of pavement, we turn off at one of the Terlingua gates and head East. The road starts out nice and rocky...
It soon turns to this
My last experience on this kind of stuff was on the KLR while HEAVILY loaded down with camping gear. Suffice to say... it was NOT fun. Oh sure, I can laugh about it now... At the time I was thinking heat stroke and heart attack!! Chalk that up to experience... Now though, the KLR happily glides along so long as I stay on the gas and keep my weight rearward. Of course, it helps if the guys in front of you don't stop unexpectedly!! I plow to a stop behind Albie and his bud, managing to keep the bike upright without pulling any muscles. As they pull away, I let them get a good lead on me this time.
The loose stuff eventually gives way to more of this...
A few more miles and we are once again in the deep loose pea gravel. And again, I let the others get a good lead on me so I can run a comfy pace. I come around a bend and spot the lead helmets over the tall brush, moving perpendicular to my path. Sure enough, what looks like a pretty sharp turn is ahead. I start gently easy off the throttle, careful not to let the front end plow and letting the engine braking slow the bike. As I enter the corner there is a bike and rider down in front of me taking up the whole road! I start telling myself out loud, "DON'T LOOK AT HIM!!" I often find that yelling at myself works wonders when trying not to do something stupid on the bikes It works this time and I manage to steer a course around the downed rider and come to a stop.
He's fine and so fast I can barely get the camera out in time!
It is not long before the landscape starts to take on a distinctively different look and feel. The scrub becomes more sparse, giving way to sporadic appearances of smooth grey sections, looking like ash from REALLY big fires.
The rock in the upper section of this formation looks like it was once magma...
And then the greys begin to dominate the landscape... we enter into Moon Valley
[And now I must take a caffeine break ]
Ah yes... cold... much grunting... an abundance of snoring... squeaking mattresses... more snoring... voices in my head... "SCOTT YOU UP IN THERE!?"...
Friday
I was thrilled to hear last night that the rider's "meeting" at Kathy's would be at 9:00am. I've always made it a policy on trips I've organized that we never start riding before 9:00am. I know there are those of you that think if you are not on the road before sun up that you are wasting time. Good for you Personally, I like to feel like I am on vacation and not still at work (never mind that I usually get up around 9:45am on regular workdays... ). Still, if I am riding much before 8:00am, the odds of me doing something stupid and potentially painful rise exponentially...
I roll out of my tent to be greeted by the glaring morning sun and cold air!
The moon hasn't even had a chance to go down before the sun intrudes...
Flashstrom and Lurker (Darren or Darien? )
Proof that Scott can rise before the sun...
After a little office work...
... I set to getting myself ready to ride. Most of the other tent city derelicts have already skipped out and headed to Kathy's. I check the time and see that I still have fifteen minutes to make the meeting. All but Dave... seems there is something amiss with his KTM
He mumbles something about no oil pressure... not gonna ride... taking a nap... He assures us that he will be fine for the day and not to worry about him.
Carl and Squeaky ready for action...
A last look at tent city before heading to the meeting
Others have made crazed plans to knock out marathon miles today. Fine. I'm not here to kill myself, just to have some fun. Besides, I need to leave something to explore for the next tip out here No matter, I roll into Kathy's a little before 9:00 to find quite a few people still hanging out, talking, eating, and trying to decide what they are going to do for the rest of the day. I NEED a coke...
A few of the crazies leaving the parking lot... DFW-Warrior and Calgary-Yogi
Some had already left, but more showed up after this pic...
It's like being at a beauty contest
A groovy Yammy V4 with sidecar... Venture Star?
More beauties...
Hungry riders consume breakfast sitting around the fire
It is a little unnerving to see a group of people congregating around your bike for unknown reasons... but it seems the serious business of figuring out where we are going riding is starting to take place
The bike was fine
For those of us that were not previously decided on what we are going to do, Richard conducts an informal ride meeting and Uncle passes out some maps.
The map looks like lots of squiggly roads, what the heck, I just decided what I'm doing for the day
It might look like Richard is preaching... I promise he wasn't
Richard is momentarily distracted from his pontifications by the sight of my beautiful KLR
The meeting concludes and bikes start to filter out of the parking lot in different directions. I plan to ride with Uncle and a few others. Uncle has a bit of business to attend and tells us to meet him at 10:00am at his place. Cool, I get time to mingle...
Richard and Connie enjoying breakfast
Voni and her husband. There is a reason I remember her...
It is getting a bit toasty now that the sun has crested the Chisos Mountains. I am layered up wayyy too much. Something will have to give. So I start shedding a few layers. With my arms up in the air and half naked, this woman clad in all red comes towards me with outstretched arms... uh.... Next thing I know I am getting a great hug I did not hear any cameras going off so what Beth hasn't seen won't hurt her I get my clothes situated and make the proper introduction, hehe. I still have more on than I'd like, so I decide to take my extra time and head back to camp to ditch the extra layers and then scoot over to Uncle's trailer to hook up with the others.
Across the street from Kathy's, a tribute to Burl Hughes, a driving force in past DS events out here, lost to cancer recently...
Back and camp, I shed my layers and find Dave still tinkering with the big nine-fiddy
Then I am off to Uncle's place... and this road continues to taunt me...
Uncle shows up moments later. Gary and John have joined us. We plan to head North and check out some of the Terlingua property that might be for sale We cross the highway, cut up through the old Terlingua Ghost town and then head out...
Into this... I think that is Uncle in the center of the shot.
Lots of ups and downs on this road
I pause for a moment to take it in. There is something about the start of a ride like this that needs to be savored. All the questions flood into my head. "Will I make it out of here?" "Will the bike make it out of here... in one piece?" "What will we see and what will the roads be like?" "What kind of adventure awaits us...?" "Can I catch up to them...?!"
Soon I am riding in the dust cloud from John and Gary. They let me pass and I set off after Uncle. Before long I am rounding the crest of the big hill in the pics above, a fairly rocky climb. I am reminded of my last big adventure in terrain like this... Lots of longggg climbs, sharp pointy things to fall on, and big rocks... The KLR faithfully chugs away. I pass Uncle. He's waiting for the rest of us. I just keep going until I reach the top and then stop to wait for the others.
John finishing the climb on his KLR with Gary bringing up the rear on his new XT 225
The view from the top
Uncle on his DR 650
Uncle resumes the lead and we wander over more hills and through numerous ravines. At each intersection, Uncle stops to point out where we are on his map. Thus far, all the roads on his map are showing on my GPS map. Soon we stop for a little off the bike break, at the local "Hilton".
Can you imagine living here...?
Only recently vacated, R.I.P. David
The view from inside... a bit drafty?
There is an outhouse a short distance away. I decide against using the facilities. After a nice break, we are back underway, winding down through a narrow ravine through some gravel and sand. Uncle has been setting a real nice pace. Keeping up is a non issue and I am not going so fast that I can't take a moment or two to glance about and absorb the scenery. There is just something about being out here that feels good. It is hard to explain. It is just a sense of contentedness. Perhaps it is the lack of all the daily distractions and demands on my time and attention that results in this feeling. More than that though, being here makes me put those things out of my mind so that they don't intrude here. On we ride...
John
Gary
Uncle is already a spec off in the blurry distance...
Time to play catch up again
Lots of ravines or arroyos like this out here. Bone dry now... but come a good rain...
Looks solid enough right...? Think again! LOTS of loose river gravel there
The road goes way down before coming back up!
Uncle leads the way...
Followed by John...
And then Gary.
Only now that all three have been gone a bit do we see Uncle climbing out the other side
[I shot some video here. However, my camera saves it as MOV files that are HUGE. I've not been able to figure out how to convert them to something smaller. Any suggestions? I am using Win2k, not XP or VISTA]
Gary checks out a BIG ditch...
John works on eroding a new big ditch
"yup...", "Uh huh... it's big alright...", "yup"...
Realizing it might take a few million years to reach his goal, John gives up...
Once again we set to rambling down the bumpy road. At each crest, the view opens up to BIG SKY, where the eye takes in as much of the horizon as it can. It is funny how so much blue sky can make huge mountains appear small in contrast The various ridges, hills, and mountains all seem to look alike. It would be VERY easy to get lost out here. Yet it seems every time that we stop, Uncle is busy pointing out the names of the various peaks, showing which direction this or that is in, and basically rubbing it in that he gets to ride out here a lot It is this that he claims has driven him to drink...
It's always steeper than it looks... really...
Here you can see in the upper left where the road crests the ridge
Once again Uncle leads the way...
Looking where we've come from...
And where we're going... Yeah... Uncle names most of the bumps on the horizon...
Happy riders
Happy bikes
After our break, we start a long descent, finally dropping down into a long creek bed. The ground is getting a bit softer here and there. I really have to watch for changes in the soil/surface. It does not take much, a small rock to deflect the tire, some sand to start the bike to squirming, me gawking at the scenery... Riding loose and relaxed seems to really help the bike just do its thing. The happy thumping of the KLR sends good vibes way down into my soul.
John heading down into the creek bed...
Followed by Gary
One can never have too many pictures of one's bike(s)
When we get down into the creek bed, we stop for another break.
Creek beds are about the only place to find shade during the midday sun. I take the opportunity to munch a few granola bars and some other chewy kind of nutty bar thingy. Just enough to keep the hunger away, give a little energy, and not make me sleepy and lethargic.
Uncle shares his local knowledge, no doubt learned from ancient rock carvings...
After picking all the crunchy nutty things out of my teeth and chugging some water, I remount the KLR and make ready to roll. Uncle mentions something about more loose stuff... eh... whatever I like the stuff. However, we soon leave that behind and are once again climbing up to the heights on another ridge. Somewhere along the road several large horned critters shoot across our path and up the steep hillside across the road. Mountain goats? Bighorn Sheep? I dunno, I am just glad Uncle did not hit them when they shot out of the weeds beside the road. They are soon wayyyy up the side of the hill and blend in with the surrounding scrub. About this time, another group of riders comes up behind us. They stop to visit with Unlce, but I go ahead and take off so I can get a little time riding out front, without the dust...
The view from atop the ridge... I think that is Hen Egg Mtn on the left... Hmmm... Okay...
After a fun descent we reach a dry creek bad... Terlingua Creek?
We stop for a break at the creek and the others catch up again
Gary having fun...
Once past the creek, the road runs across a flat open plan... well... mostly flat and mostly open... The road still wanders around small hills and through shallow washes. I am just sticking to Roger and I go where he goes... even off the road?! Now, I have always been told, stay on the roads when riding in the desert unless you want flat tires! Well... I figure Roger obviously knows something I don't so I place my faith in him and follow... A few yards from the road he cuts back to the right and loops around, then drops back out on the road. Hmmm.... I must have missed something... Shortly afterwards, we stop again and we are missing a few folks... uh oh...
If this were the full sized image, you'd see a downed bike back there were we went off the road
I'm still not getting the whole "Hen Egg" thing for this mountain... maybe Bat Dropping Mound or Cow Pie Peak...?
We wait a few minutes before another rider shows up to report. It seems there are some REAL nasty ruts on the section of road we bypassed. Albie "Hood Ornament" was on my tail during that stretch and he dutifully followed as well. John was apparently lingering behind and did not see us take the detour. He got into the ruts, got crossed up, and down he went. Some of you might remember from the ride reports on the big Mexican Recon ride last October that John had a nasty ankle break on that trip. Well... it is mostly better for this trip. He fell on that same side The ankle seems fine though and he is able to get the bike righted and to continue.
Lots of silt on this road... I love it... except for the dust part
The rest of the run back out to Hwy 118 is smooth and fun. The road is wider and apparently graded fairly regularly. We pick up the pace a bit and enjoy the cruise.
Hey STrider, you are the rock guru, what is up with these colors!?
Craggy peaks and towering bluffs (behind me )
When we reach pavement, John decides he is going to call it a day. It seems that he has also wrenched his back a bit when he fell. Rather than risk his luck and further injury, he takes the wise course. Gary offers to head back with him. Uncle, Albie, myself and Albie's friend (whose name totally eludes me ) decide we are going to head to Moon Valley.
Cruising South on 118
After a few miles of pavement, we turn off at one of the Terlingua gates and head East. The road starts out nice and rocky...
It soon turns to this
My last experience on this kind of stuff was on the KLR while HEAVILY loaded down with camping gear. Suffice to say... it was NOT fun. Oh sure, I can laugh about it now... At the time I was thinking heat stroke and heart attack!! Chalk that up to experience... Now though, the KLR happily glides along so long as I stay on the gas and keep my weight rearward. Of course, it helps if the guys in front of you don't stop unexpectedly!! I plow to a stop behind Albie and his bud, managing to keep the bike upright without pulling any muscles. As they pull away, I let them get a good lead on me this time.
The loose stuff eventually gives way to more of this...
A few more miles and we are once again in the deep loose pea gravel. And again, I let the others get a good lead on me so I can run a comfy pace. I come around a bend and spot the lead helmets over the tall brush, moving perpendicular to my path. Sure enough, what looks like a pretty sharp turn is ahead. I start gently easy off the throttle, careful not to let the front end plow and letting the engine braking slow the bike. As I enter the corner there is a bike and rider down in front of me taking up the whole road! I start telling myself out loud, "DON'T LOOK AT HIM!!" I often find that yelling at myself works wonders when trying not to do something stupid on the bikes It works this time and I manage to steer a course around the downed rider and come to a stop.
He's fine and so fast I can barely get the camera out in time!
It is not long before the landscape starts to take on a distinctively different look and feel. The scrub becomes more sparse, giving way to sporadic appearances of smooth grey sections, looking like ash from REALLY big fires.
The rock in the upper section of this formation looks like it was once magma...
And then the greys begin to dominate the landscape... we enter into Moon Valley
[And now I must take a caffeine break ]
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