Okay, So I finally have a bit of time to get my pics up with some commentary. Hope I can remember everything, I did hit my head a wee bit hard on the ground
So the idea is to leave Friday night to maximize the time spent in the truck when Sarah should be sleeping... As they say, the best laid plans... well, you know the rest. We head out with everyone loaded up, Will and Lauren, aka Dower and Alag, Will "Birdwh", Beth, myself and seven month old Sarah.
The best way to cross West Texas
A little blasphemy to torment all those Beemer purists out there
Beth and Sarah before Sarah's first big trip!
We stop off in Arlington to have dinner with Wasabi. He and Steve Strom will be heading out to join us tomorrow morning. About 10:30pm, we head West on I-20 towards Abilene. West Texas is a BIG and BORING place. Sarah doesn't sleep a wink but she's being pretty good so no biggie. To entertain ourselves, we set our minds to trying to figure out what the purpose is for all the blinking lights in the vast flatness. Sometime around midnight we stop in Amarillo because I am getting paged. Apparently the answering service has a hard time with the concept of me being out of town
Sarah is still awake. With the answering service properly reminded NOT to page me for the next week, we continue West. 3:00am... Sarah is still awake
Tomorrow will be interesting...
Somewhere in the wee hours, Dower takes over the driving so I can not sleep in the back seat. We're on track to reach Raton, NM., our destination by 9:00am, way too early to check in to the hotel. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, the sun starts to peek over the horizon, casting long fuzzy shadows across the barren landscape. Sarah has only been asleep for a short while, I have not slept at all. It turns out that all the blinking lights are the hubpoints of the big field irrigators that cirlce a center point. Still no clue why they have blinking lights on them :scratch
We reach Raton around 8:30-9:00am. We stop by the hotel on the off chance they might have some empty rooms and be willing to let us check in extra early. No dice. They were booked full last night and are shorthanded on the cleaning staff so it will be around 3:00-4:00pm before they are ready for us. Doh!! I ask the nice lady at the desk what there might be to do in town to entertain ourselves until later... She just laughs that depressing knowing laugh, uh oh. "Nothing. However, there is a car show of sorts in the park today..." What else is there to do?
Well, first we stop at a car wash. During Dower's driving stint, he managed to tag a skunk which promptly got kicked up and tossed into the trailer where it exploded all over the trailer... and my bike
He swears it was an accident
There are chunks of the poor thing all over the underside of the trailer and on my left fork an cylinder head. I pressure spray it like crazy and the chunks are gone, but the smell is still there. I hope this is not a foreshadowing of things to come for the week
We find our way to the "Car Show". It is basically a small street corner city park with a gazeebo in the center. Folks are parking on the grass in the shade. In direct sunlight it is a bit toasty. In the shade, the cool DRY breeze is heavenly. Combine that with a bench and snow cone and life is good. Sarah gets her first taste of grape! She loves it, so much so that she wants to wear it
Despite a serious lack of sleep last night, she seems quite happy and is enjoying being out among all the people. She is a serious people watcher.
The car show is basically any ol car that people drive up in and park in the grass. There are some nice old classics here and there mixed in with the pimped out lowered chevy S-10 truck
There are cars that just look like everyday run of the mill cars and perhaps the driver just thought the grass looked like a nice place to park. I've no clue if there is actually any kind of judging going on, and if so, what the criteria might be
After fifteen minutes of checking things out, we decide to wander up the street to a hole in the wall Honda dealership. It takes all of five minutes to check out the five new bikes in the shop and then we are bored. The lady at the hotel wasn't kidding when she said, "Nothing!" So we did the only thing we could do...
Notice whose eye's are WIDE open...
Bored to death, we decide to head back to the hotel, unload the bikes and get a jump on the riding. Lauren, Beth and Sarah plan on going shopping.
Myself and the two Will's decide to head West and check out the first part of the DS route for tomorrow. Of course, riding his Triumph Trophy 1200, Birdwh won't be going too far... We head west out of town and immediately get into the mountains. The road gets nice and twisty and we start climbing. My ears are popping as we clear 9000 feet. Man... I cannot describe how good it feels to be back out here on the bike!! I can't get enough of the crisp dry air, clear blue skies, fantastic roads and incredible scenery
A puff of dust catches my attention and snaps me back to the moment as we crest a small rise to find the DS part of the ride starting rather abruptly and in the face of a large earth mover
I brake HARD right up to the edge of the pavement, then relax and just ride it out into the loose dirt and gravel. I can hear the tires on Will's big Trophy chirping and squealing behind me... A quick mirror check shows him still upright with dust filling the air everywhere around us. We all come to a safe stop and Will decides it is time for him to head back and get busy scoping out a campsite at a local state park East of I-25. Will "Dower" and I decide to keep going and check out the dirt.
We head a few miles back into the mountains, hoping to find a river and a road that cuts North through the mountains into Colorado. What we find is a huge mine. After a wrong turn and some map checking, we get on the right road and start having fun. Unfortunately, we soon come to a locked gate with big signs threatening to carry away our firstborn child if we tresspass. There is no fence really and a wide opening beside the gate... Shameful to say, we decide to just go check it out and play innocent if anyone stops us.
A few miles back, the road is a blast! Tight turns and loose gravel seems the norm. The bike is sliding predictably and is holding it's track great. Then we see it... cabins, an office, and really expensive looking homes high upon the sides of the mountain. There is a fellow in what looks to be a company truck so I stop to chat with him. I ask if there is anyway for us to get permission to bring a small group through tomorrow if we promise to stay on the road. He very politely informs me that we should not even be back here unless we are invited guests of the ranch members, that there is no way in the world we will be allowed to bring a group through, and that we should turn around and head back the way we came.
I thank him and we get turned around. He has already taken off so we are riding a ways back but still in his dust. I round a sharp corner and spot him sitting up ahead stopped and watching his rearview mirror to make sure we are coming, hehe. Satisfied that we really are leaving, he turns off on a small side road and we give him a wave as we go by. We cut around the gate again and decide to head back to the hotel to see if we can check in yet. When we arrive, we find that everyone else has arrived as well: Wasabi, Steve Strom, Dyna Sport, and Klaus & Diane.
Will "Birdwh" Bird unloads the Trophy 1200
With everyone present, we decide to go get Mexican food in town. with all the cars in the parking lot, you'd think this is the best place in town. After eating there, I'm thinking it's more like it is the ONLY place in town... They would never stay in business here in Texas. Worn out and now full, thoughts of sleep are starting to could my mind. We head back to the hotel and call it a day. Sarah has been great all day and conks out pretty quick once we get back to the hotel room.
Sunday - The first day
Well as luck would have it, yesterday, as they were coming in, Klaus and Diane ran over something in the road on their K1200LT. Whatever it was, it took a good chunk out of their rear tire and busted up the rear turn lights. With no replacement tire available, they decide to limp the bike back to where they have their truck, try to get the bike fixed, and then join us later in the week in Montrose. We get the street riders sorted out and on their way: Birdwh on the Trophy, Dower on his F650GS Dakar and Alag on her Suzuki GS500. Then the DS riders head out: Myself on the R1150GS, Dyna Sport on his KTM 625(?), Wasabi and Steve Strom, both on Strom 1000's. Beth and Sarah take the truck and head for Canon City where we will all meet this evening.
With the preplanned DS route being impassable without risking being shot, we decide on an impromptu route over the Old Raton Pass to the North of town.
Looking South back towards town.
This road is fun, tight, rutted, and climbs pretty fast. Just thinking about a day full of riding roads like this in such an incredible setting has me all giddy like a six year old turned loose in a candy store. About the time I start to really relax and get into a groove, we find this...
Apparently, it has been closed for quite some time. Even if we could clear the boulder field and barbed wire, you can see in the pic above that the road no longer exists and is overgrown. We poke around a bit, check our maps, grumble and turn around. It looks like we have no choice but to slab it up I-25 at least as far as Trinidad before we can get on some fun roads. No point in wasting time fretting about it, so off we go. Dark clouds loom in the distance... hmmm... dirt and rain
We head West out of Trinidad on Hwy 12, part of the street route. Not too far out of town, we head North on a little paved road. Fearing we might not hit any dirt I start to second guess my route planning abilities. Then we come around the corner and the pavement vanishes... Oh yeah!
We run North on County Rd 31.9. The skies clear and rain becomes someone else's problem. It has obviously rained here recently because I am not tossing up my normal blinding cloud of dust for the guys behind me to enjoy
Traction is great. The smell of the clean air is very noticeable in stark contrast to the thick damp air back home in the muggy Piney woods of East Texas. Right now, in this place and in this moment, LIFE IS GOOD! The ride quickly becomes one of those where all the moments blend into one, no longer am I thinking in terms of discrete thoughts, just a flow of action and a sense of the present. The irony of these moments of stepping out of time is that time goes by real fast and the moments are brief.
We soon reach CR 42 and head back to the East for a while. The surface has become a coarser large gravel. It makes the font end of the bike wiggle and wander a bit. It is also kicking up a bit more dust and we get spaced out a little more so everyone can see. It's unaviodable and makes me worry because I can't keep track of the guys behind me. I make more frequent stops just to make sure no one has been lost.
Bill "Wasabi" Joye doing the Strom thing!
Steve "SteveStrom" Lentz enjoying his second day EVER riding off the pavement!!
CR 42 runs back to the East and eventually hits CR 46. This cuts right back to the West and starts up into the San Isabel National Forest.
This turns out to be a really fun road. It is quite rocky, narrow and steep.
I find this along the side of the road a ways down into the woods
Near the top, we pass through the Apishapa Arch on the way to the
Cordova Pass
We stop at the top for pics
Rain... what rain?
we head down off the pass and enjoy the descent down to the John B. Farley Memorial Wildflower Overlook. (someone merge these to make a pano, I suck at it!)
First shot on left
Last on right
I pester some other tourists, grandparents with a bored grandkid
Then we head for Cucharas Pass where the gravel ends and we dump back out onto Hwy 12. We stop up the road for lunch in Cuchara and who do we find relaxing out on the deck...?
Klaus and Diane, taking a slow ride back to La Veta where they left their truck
We join them and visit while waiting for our food. They had just finished when we arrived. This spot is kind of touristy looking and has a few little restaurants, from a pizza place, a hoity toity pricey place to the Dog Bar, appropriately named because of the HUGE Lab that wanders from table to table looking as pathetic as a dog can look
The wait staff is exceptionally cute, friendly and effecient. We get our food pretty quick. About the time we start to finish up, it starts to drizzle. Now where did all that blue sky get off to? :scratch Klaus and Diane are planning to head up to Denver to get the bike fixed. I try to talk them into coming to Canon City for the night. Their hotel room is already paid for and they can't cancel so late, so why not come out and at least get to see everyone and visit
They don't commit either way, we say our goodbyes, scratch the dog behind the ears and head out.
Hwy 12 Runs North down out of the mountains along the Cuchara River, past huge towering lava dikes, until we reach La Veta where we stop for gas. We hop on a few little backroads and then get on US 160 and head West a few miles before picking up the Old La Veta Pass. This is just a nice short run through some woods on the old road that US 160 replaced. In a few spots, there are still patches of the old asphalt where you can see the faded double yellow, but for the most part it is loose red gravel.
Looking Southwest
Mt. Mestas back to the Northeast
We get back on US 160 for a few minutes before heading due North on a bunch of gravel county roads. Things aren't real twisty now but that is cool because it lets us run a quicker pace. The GS is hooking up real good and feels great.
Somewhere between US 160 and Hwy 69
John's KTM 640
Da Pig
The School House of Rock! For sale too. Notice the nice new roof
Bill wayyy back there...
Bill coming up on Steve
And passing him
I've no clue what Steve is doing :scratch Here's John putting along as usual...
We pop out on Hwy 69 near Gardner and head West a short bit to pick up CR 634 and continue North. The sky is looking grey and ominous. There are some heavy showers visible in the distance, some the direction we are heading... So far nothing but a few drizzles for us, but I have to wonder if the street riders are getting so lucky? CR 634 starts out rather straight and dull but soon starts getting twisty! We climb and climb, getting up to almost 11,000 feet. So far the thin air has not affected me, but I have not been straining either.
The down side of the ride is pretty steep in places. As I approach a left hander after a decent straight, my brain screams that I am carrying too much speed and I start dragging the back brake, locking it mildly on and off. I'm up on the front of the bike as much as I can be riding the front brake. I just don't feel like I am slowing enough... the front locks and I start modulating the lever, locking and unlocking... over and over... The trees are coming up quick. I am telling myself to look into the corner but every time I take my eyes off the straight path, the bike starts sliding funny. Quite a dilemma! In all probability, the bike could have easily made the corner in the hands of someone more skilled. Instead, I came to a stop a few feet off the dge of the road, with a lot of little branches from a sapling poking me in the face. In my annoyance with the branches, I stop paying attention to my balance and before I know it, the bike just lays over to the right. I eject and let it go, laughing at my stupidity. Thank goodness this was not one of the many corners we have been seeing all day that have sheer drops instead of nice run offs
I get the bike upright, refired and underway. We soon reach Hwy 165 and turn South.
A pretty an not so steep section of our descent
We head down 165 a short bit and then cut East on 78 which soon becomes gravel. This is a great road that descends down into the tiny town of Beulah, a town that no doubt once bustled with activity but now clings to life in the fading glory of days past. We head up North creek Rd following a small valley until the road cuts West again and starts a steep climb back up to Hwy 165 a few miles North of where we came out the first time. Yes, we are going in cirlces and it is a blast
For the street riders, Hwy 165 between Hwy 96 and Colorado City (just shy of I-25), is a fantastic ride. Locally, the road is known as the Greenhorn Highway. This whole area is part of the San Isabel National Forest so there are parks, trails, and camping areas everywhere. The downside to that on the paved areas is a little more traffic, but on the dirt roads we have pretty much have the place to ourselves and it is wonderful! It is getting late int he day and we have one more section of dirt to ride. So we head North on 165 to 96 to find our next turn off.
Now one of the things that makes trip planning a hassle is wanting to explore new roads. I don't have enough time to do exploratory trips on my own and then another trip where I bring folks with me. So I have to make educated guesses about whether some roads are open to the public, do the exist at all, and do they go all the way through without dead ending. This is a real challenge because a LOT of time and gas can be wasted in backtracking. I consult as many maps as I can find, I look for a local name for roads in questions and search the net for references to these roads... and yet... there are those times...
The plan is to cut North on some little backroads, cutting up into some more National Forest areas, then following a creek down out of the mountains coming out just South of Canon City. Once again we are turned back by No Trespassing signs. "Private Property, Dead End, No Trespassing!" Yet the maps show this as a public county road...
I have recently read reports by other people riding in Colorado about locals erecting such signs to dicourage people from coming down the roads even though the signs were not legit. But how to know a legit sign from a nonlegit sign :scratch It is getting late in the afternoon and the weather is still looking iffy, so we decide to just hit the highway and make best time for the hotel in Canon City. Still... I hate leaving behind an unexplored road.
So we head back to the East on Hwy 96. As we pass the turn off for Hwy 165, we enter Rattlesnake Gulch. I don't know if it got that name because of unfriendly inhabitants of the slithering type, or because the road slithers and twists like a serpent for a few sinful miles! The massive rock walls on either side of the road rise sharply up into the dull grey sky, framing the curves like giant guardrails, ones that you would not want to hit! As we descend, the gulch opens up and a relatively flat plain lies before us, dry and barren. We follow 96 up to Hwy 67 and continue North to US 50. then we head West into Canon City to find the hotel and meet up with everyone else for dinner. Klaus and Diane have decided to join us!
Dinner is had at Pizza Madness, a local place with great brew and delicious pizza!!
Sarah gets her first taste of Lemon... and likes it!!
We can't get it away from her and she gums it to a pulp
We can't get this pizza away from Steve and he finishes all but a few pieces
Alag wondering what in the world Dower is talking about :scratch
Dyna Sport and Birdwh sampling a bit of the local brew
Stuffed with cheese and beer, we waddle our way back to the hotel, a painfully long walk. However, it does feel good to get the legs moving after a day on the bikes. Sleep comes on easily and all I dream of are curves, curves and more curves... and not of the feminine kind
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Must have been all the power bars and beef jerky... 
The next thing I recall is laying on my left side and seeing wheels up in the air just behind me in the corner of my vision, still moving towards me!! Fearing the bike might land on me I start scrambling away from it. Then it just stops... totally upside down and resting on the bars and luggage 
