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Just a few shots from the Bend trip.
Thursday's first ride was through Pinto Canyon. Jerry had a route worked out and seven of us hit the trail. Interesting ride along the Rio Grande up to the trailhead.
Pinto Canyon is a mostly leisurely route with a fairly well maintained surface. Of coarse there are a few brief spots to focus one's attention but the scenery is classic Big Bend. Everyone made it just fine.
We passed by the Chinati Hot Springs and it was mighty tempting to make a quick detour for a good soak.
Coming off the trail into Ruidosa. First stop...the cantina.
Here's the old church that's being restored...one adobe brick at a time.
The house next door used some interesting building materials. Guess you use what you have. Bet it looks cool inside with the colors of light showing through.
After a little rest on the front porch of the cantina, folks pretty much took off in every direction. Headed back into Terlingua...
Our accommodations were a little rustic. Lesson #1: Don't let your roommate choose the motel based on price.
Nice setup with a fireplace in the room, too.
Great view of the neighborhood.
Parking lot never really got crowded either.
One of several interesting shrines along the way.
Back in town for gas...saw several of these high-tech pedal jobs pulled around. Much cool engineering went into these things.
Next Day....
Before daylight...meet with everyone over at Kosmic Kathy's and work out who's going where...
Today's mission: Old Ore Road.
Reportedly, one of the more challenging roads in the park and, I can attest, there are a few spots that do make it interesting. Jerry lead the group at a good pace and graciously put in several rest stops along the way in honor of us old folks.
Hardly got out of sight from the trailhead when the first bike got tired. Lots of loose angular rocks and places to dodge cactus and Saltillo daggers hanging out in the road.
This rider seemed pretty stunned from his fall until an important phone call came in. Yes, we're tinkering with our cell phone here...in the middle of the Chihuahaun desert...after busting our Chihuahuan butt...Astounding.
After threatening to feed the dude's phone to a lizard, we finally made it up the trail a ways. Very nice ride. Several more drops along the way but that's all just part of it.
Just about every low spot and creek bed was total sand or loose pea gravel. Some spots went on for quite a ways. Both take practice to navigate well. Here's part of the crew with outriggers deployed coming through a loose stretch.
Daily making it around a trail obstacle and through the hard stuff on his 250.
Good many hills to climb along the way...some steep and loose. Here's Daily, the youngest of our riders topping the crest of one after a long and sandy approach.
Jerry making it look easy.
We stopped for a side trip up a scenic canyon - Ernst Tinaja. Great place to park it in the shade of a cool rock and have some lunch...which I did.
After making a successful run, one of the crew goes wooking for wuv in all the wrong places. No hugs in this bunch today...
End of the line for Old Ore Road.
Day Three... Black Gap Road.
Of the trails in the Nat. park...this one should warrant some consideration beforehand.
Today's mission: Old Maverick Road to River Road West, though Black Gap and then run Old Ore Road backwards from south to north. Rather ambitious but very cool.
Different group today...only four of us. Ken, Troy, Vinny and yours truly.
Not many pictures to share today. This was a spirited dash through some challenging stuff. Not much camera time mixed in there. I won't repeat others in describing the talc pits, sand bogs or jumping down, over and around huge sharp angular rocks. Got to ride some stuff that was entirely new to me.
We finished the first part of our journey and had an outright blast doing it. Everyone took turns leading the group and all did a great job of making the experience a hoot while watching over the other riders. Awesome ride! Not one bike nap in the group.
The last leg of our loop was taking us up Old Ore. We were having a ball ripping it up about six miles in when Vinny's GASGAS just plain died. No spit, no sputter nor wheeze...it just quit. Not good.
Vinny and Troy started taking things apart to help diagnose what appeared to be a failed ignition system.
Ken offered to assist but took the opportunity to kick off his boots and catch a quick power nap. Shade was danged hard to come by and it was hot in the floor of that desert. You gotta like a guy who keeps his cool when things aren't good.
Justin had to stay in camp after his KTM threw a temper tantrum and kicked back on his foot. Vinny had left his truck keys with him so he could run around Terlingua. We planned to ride to a high spot and see if a phone might work to call Justin...fat chance of that happening way the heck out here. From where we were, I would never have expected to have a cell signal. I was wrong.
The desert is a strange place.
The cavalry came over the hill just in time. Justin drove Vinny's 4X4 to the south end of Old Ore. Rescue was soon at hand.
The shadows were long by then and we had a ways to ride. Never finished riding that Ore road backwards but that's OK.
There is, after all, always...
NEXT YEAR !
Thursday's first ride was through Pinto Canyon. Jerry had a route worked out and seven of us hit the trail. Interesting ride along the Rio Grande up to the trailhead.
Pinto Canyon is a mostly leisurely route with a fairly well maintained surface. Of coarse there are a few brief spots to focus one's attention but the scenery is classic Big Bend. Everyone made it just fine.
We passed by the Chinati Hot Springs and it was mighty tempting to make a quick detour for a good soak.
Coming off the trail into Ruidosa. First stop...the cantina.
Here's the old church that's being restored...one adobe brick at a time.
The house next door used some interesting building materials. Guess you use what you have. Bet it looks cool inside with the colors of light showing through.
After a little rest on the front porch of the cantina, folks pretty much took off in every direction. Headed back into Terlingua...
Our accommodations were a little rustic. Lesson #1: Don't let your roommate choose the motel based on price.
Nice setup with a fireplace in the room, too.
Great view of the neighborhood.
Parking lot never really got crowded either.
One of several interesting shrines along the way.
Back in town for gas...saw several of these high-tech pedal jobs pulled around. Much cool engineering went into these things.
Next Day....
Before daylight...meet with everyone over at Kosmic Kathy's and work out who's going where...
Today's mission: Old Ore Road.
Reportedly, one of the more challenging roads in the park and, I can attest, there are a few spots that do make it interesting. Jerry lead the group at a good pace and graciously put in several rest stops along the way in honor of us old folks.
Hardly got out of sight from the trailhead when the first bike got tired. Lots of loose angular rocks and places to dodge cactus and Saltillo daggers hanging out in the road.
This rider seemed pretty stunned from his fall until an important phone call came in. Yes, we're tinkering with our cell phone here...in the middle of the Chihuahaun desert...after busting our Chihuahuan butt...Astounding.
After threatening to feed the dude's phone to a lizard, we finally made it up the trail a ways. Very nice ride. Several more drops along the way but that's all just part of it.
Just about every low spot and creek bed was total sand or loose pea gravel. Some spots went on for quite a ways. Both take practice to navigate well. Here's part of the crew with outriggers deployed coming through a loose stretch.
Daily making it around a trail obstacle and through the hard stuff on his 250.
Good many hills to climb along the way...some steep and loose. Here's Daily, the youngest of our riders topping the crest of one after a long and sandy approach.
Jerry making it look easy.
We stopped for a side trip up a scenic canyon - Ernst Tinaja. Great place to park it in the shade of a cool rock and have some lunch...which I did.
After making a successful run, one of the crew goes wooking for wuv in all the wrong places. No hugs in this bunch today...
End of the line for Old Ore Road.
Day Three... Black Gap Road.
Of the trails in the Nat. park...this one should warrant some consideration beforehand.
Today's mission: Old Maverick Road to River Road West, though Black Gap and then run Old Ore Road backwards from south to north. Rather ambitious but very cool.
Different group today...only four of us. Ken, Troy, Vinny and yours truly.
Not many pictures to share today. This was a spirited dash through some challenging stuff. Not much camera time mixed in there. I won't repeat others in describing the talc pits, sand bogs or jumping down, over and around huge sharp angular rocks. Got to ride some stuff that was entirely new to me.
We finished the first part of our journey and had an outright blast doing it. Everyone took turns leading the group and all did a great job of making the experience a hoot while watching over the other riders. Awesome ride! Not one bike nap in the group.
The last leg of our loop was taking us up Old Ore. We were having a ball ripping it up about six miles in when Vinny's GASGAS just plain died. No spit, no sputter nor wheeze...it just quit. Not good.
Vinny and Troy started taking things apart to help diagnose what appeared to be a failed ignition system.
Ken offered to assist but took the opportunity to kick off his boots and catch a quick power nap. Shade was danged hard to come by and it was hot in the floor of that desert. You gotta like a guy who keeps his cool when things aren't good.
Justin had to stay in camp after his KTM threw a temper tantrum and kicked back on his foot. Vinny had left his truck keys with him so he could run around Terlingua. We planned to ride to a high spot and see if a phone might work to call Justin...fat chance of that happening way the heck out here. From where we were, I would never have expected to have a cell signal. I was wrong.
The desert is a strange place.
The cavalry came over the hill just in time. Justin drove Vinny's 4X4 to the south end of Old Ore. Rescue was soon at hand.
The shadows were long by then and we had a ways to ride. Never finished riding that Ore road backwards but that's OK.
There is, after all, always...
NEXT YEAR !
Cool pics dude!