Adventures on Motorcycles

The Boys at the Track

2011-10-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

With Sean and Bryce owning a couple of nice little dirt bikes, they decided to head to the track. Of course, Sean is an Ex-Pro.....so Bryce was nothing but a student, learning a ton with his first track experience. There was some high flying (mainly by Sean) and there was a dropped bike (once by Bryce), but overall the boys had a blast!!!!Both boys are riding blue, Yamaha bikes.....but Sean wearing the Red and White and Bryce is wearing blue and white.

The Strom and A-Basin

2011-10-13T19:59:00.001-07:00

I needed a day to clear my head, so a ride was just what the doctor ordered. I left the house about 9:30am and returned at 5pm. With a couple of stops, including lunch and then a coffee, I ended up riding 315 miles.I wanted to loop around by A-Basin Ski Resort, as today was their opening day.

Moab Trip - Day #3

2011-10-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning found everyone sleeping hard. We were sore and beat-up from all the tough riding. This would be the day that Bryce and I would pack up and retrace our ride back to Joy's house.

Bryce and I slept in my little tent, but with the thick sleep pads, it was really nice. The overnight temps dropped into the low 60's.

Coffee was the go go juice that everyone was craving, as Matt whipped up some awesome breakfast burritos.

Before leaving town, Bryce and I found a bicycle shop to purchase an air pump. (We had two flats on the trip up and used Bill's pump.) At the shop, we discovered what they did with worn out tubes.

The ride back to Joy's totaled 132 miles.... a thrid of those miles were really really tough, back up Sheep Creek.

Arriving back at Joy's, we gave the girls a quick ride.

Moab Trip - Day #2, Riding the Rocks....

2011-10-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

After resting at the campground for a couple of hours, letting the heat of day pass..... we headed out for Slick Rock to ride Fins and Things. It was incredible riding. There were a few wrecked bikes because of either the deep sand or the steep rock climbs.... but generally a lot of very satisfied and worn out riders.

Once back at camp, Matt cooked up a buffet of a feast.... we had hotdogs, hamburgers and Salmon!!! We decided to changed his ADV handle from MAC to Chuckwagon!!!!!

Moab Trip - Day #2

2011-10-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Waking up in the light of day, we were able to take in the sights.... our decisions in the pitch black of night. At 11pm, after being on a bike for hours and hours.... we just wanted a shower and a bed.

The Shag Carpet and the fresh sheets in the Single-wide Trailer House, Motel.... were a welcome site. We just wanted a bed to fall in too, after a hot shower. We all agreed that it was the best $85 we had spent in years and years.

Karen owns the Motel, RV Park and the 141 Diner. She serves up an awesome breakfast. Bryce loved the HUGE bisquits and sausage gravy.

Then we headed out.... for the ride from Gateway to Moab. The sights were amazing and the riding was easy.... thank God, after the Sheep Creek descent.

Arriving in Moab, we were ready for a late lunch.... about 2pm.

Matt and Mark found us and led us out to the campsite.

Moab Trip - Day #1

2011-10-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

Bryce and I began planning a couple of months ago... planning for a trip to Moab. We wanted to make our first trip out there to ride the rocks. After a lot of planning, studying maps and the internet and asking on forums, we had a plan. We decided to trailer the bikes to Grand Junction, where we could leave the vehicles with Joy..... and then ride backcountry roads (hopefully mostly dirt) all the way to Moab. According to Google Maps, it would be about 100 miles on the button. Over the weeks of talking with friends and ADV'ers, four more friends signed up for the insanity. Terry and Bill, from Amarillo, would join us for the full trek from Grand Junction, and Matt and Mark would trailer the bikes all the way to Moab..... set up camp and ride the rocks with us.

Waking up at 5:30am and leaving the house at 6am, Bryce and I headed for Joy's house.

Once arriving in Grand Junction, we met up with Bill and Terry.... and led them up to Joy's house. Joy was a sport, posing for a pic on my bike with Bryce and I.

Before departing Joy's house, we gathered to study the maps, to get on the same page, before departing.

Joy lives in beautiful country. This is a pic, atop a mesa, looking down on the Glade Park area and out west toward Utah. If only our plans would have held up. Our first route, ended in a locked gate.... our second route ended with a gate going in to a ranch headquarters.... and our third route, ended with a ranch sitting at the gate, saying we couldn't enter or pass through. This was all very frustrating, as all these roads were county maintained and were supposed to be public access. We were polite and simply went around. The only problem was..... our 2.5 hour trip, turned into 8 hours.

A good portion of the riding was pretty easy, but we certainly hit some very tough areas..... particularly the steep climbs with big boulders.

And then we arrived at Sheep Creek. Endless Switchbacks, and crazy steeps grades and very rocky, bowling ball sized rocks led to.... yeah, adventure riding.

More Sheep Creek.

Several times, we had to pick up bikes. Here, I helped Bill up.... and turned around to take a pic of my bike.

Then the sun went down and it got interesting.

Our last two hours were spent, watching the country go by.... by the light of a motorcycle headlight. We arrived in Gateway at 10pm and decided to bag the trip for the day.

2011 Big Dog Ride - Day 3

2011-08-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning was a little lazy and started off slow. Even by 7:30 am, there were few riders up and moving. Call it old bones and tissue..... or whatever you want, but all the Dogs at the event were dealing with stiffness from the hard riding the day before.

By 9am Dr. Greg Frazier conducted the morning rider meeting and John from the Christian Motorcycle Association blessed us with a prayer for safety, protection and wisdom. Yep, that is me in the green camp hat.

Today I would lead the A Group Ride. I wanted some adventure and the experience of trails that I had not ridden, so I stepped up to lead. After gearing up, we departed Dillon, rode up through Montezuma, around and on top of Radical Hill. Then we dropped down to Webster Pass and exited the National Forest by way of the North Fork of the South Platte River. Finally we would do lunch and head back toward our base camp, over Georgia Pass.

Riding up the jeep trail to the top of Radical Hill.

On top of Radical Hill. Far in the background, the zig-zag road tops out at Webster Pass.

On top of Radical Hill, Terry encountered a sharp rock and "snake bit" his tube, causing a flat tire that had to be patched. That gave us about 45 minutes on top of the Hill to relax and take in the sights.

Radical Hill came by its name for honest reasons. This is nasty, steep, scary stuff.

I was able to ride my bike down, but guys on the bigger bikes had to walk their bikes down the really steep grades.

Click on this pic. I took this photo from Webster Pass, looking up on Radical Hill. On the large photo, you can see the road coming off the top.

Webster Pass.

For lunch, we stopped at the Coney Island Boardwalk. We laughed about Big Dogs..... eating at the Big Dog.

Above Georgia Pass, I broke off from the A Group and rode up Glacier Peak. Terry took this pic of me making the steep climb.

Back at the base camp in Dillon, Doc Frazier had the BBQ grills stoked and we celebrated our accomplishments with a grilled TBone Steak.

This year's Big Dog Ride was really different in regard to the attendees, but it was a good one and very rewarding, personally...... in regard to the passes and peaks that I was able to conquer. Great memories were made and friendships were grown.

2011 Big Dog Ride - Day 2

2011-08-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

Our morning started off early, as Terry and I awoke at 5:30am (to the breaking dawn light). We packed up our camp, left no trace and mounted the bikes for the ride in to BMW of Denver.

Arriving at the dealership (one of the founding sponsors of the event), I met old acquaintances from the past two years. The bikes were diverse, including the Harley that has been rebuilt to be a dirt bike.

After the rider meeting, we departed on our bikes, riding out of Denver and heading straight for the Rampart Range. This year the Group A and Group B rides would start out together. The A Group is the rough and tough riders that want the most abuse. Just the ticket for me.

We had to ride about 100 miles of dirt roads before we would reach any of the challenging stuff, but the scenery was outstanding.

This is where it got interesting. After a stop in Bailey, CO for gas and a restroom stop, the groups got split up because of a premature departure. I was one of the ones that were left behind. At that point, it was a game of catching up. Before I reached the A Group that was at the front, we came up to this sign and one of the B Group riders waiting on his bike. I asked him....which way did the A Riders go. He said....to Red Cone. I turned and looked at Terry and asked, "Are you up for this?" He said "yes" and off I led. As far as we knew, we were chasing about 5-6 top riders and we would have to ride hard and fast to catch them before the riding challenge got too tough.

Well, this was the result of the first mile. Terry gave up and turned around.... and in my hard-headedness, I picked up the bike and kept going. I was now solo, chasing the lead group up over Red Cone.

It didn't get any easier. Matter of fact, this was the hardest and toughest riding I have ever done in my life.

Once arriving at the top of Red Cone, nearly 13,000 feet..... there were no riders in sight. They must have beat me to the top and already headed down. Fact of the matter was, I was riding on bad information and chasing ghosts. The A Group actually took the Webster Pass route (much easier)..... and I ended up being the lone rider of Red Cone.

Once back at camp, I showered..... settled into my chair for a cold beer and began to cook the evening dinner. I treated all the fellas to smoked, pulled pork sandwiches..... Audra's Cole Slaw and Costco cookies. yum!

2011 Big Dog Ride - Day 1

2011-08-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

For the third year, I was invited back and attended the Big Dog Ride. This year was a special treat, as my close friend, Terry Davis, also received an invite and attended with me.

Click here for the Event Website

On Thursday evening, Terry and I left Colorado Springs in our Pickups, hauling the bikes up to Dillon, CO, the location for our basecamp. Normally, I always ride to the event, but this year I had to take my pickup and haul the food and cooking equipment, as I was responsible to provide the Friday evening dinner.

Once we arrived at the Dillon Inn, we parked our vehicles, unloaded the bikes, packed them up and departed. This was my third year to ride the Big Dog and my third bike. The Honda would prove to be the best yet.

The starting point of the 2011 Big Dog was BMW of Denver. Terry and I had decided to ride the bikes with our camping gear to a camp location as close to the Denver city limits as possible.

We ended up finding a spot on Rampart Range, just 30 miles from the BMW Motorcycle Dealership.

2011 Rocky Mountain Adventure Ride - Saturday

2011-08-14T04:43:00.001-07:00

After a good nights sleep, everyone was ready for another day of great riding. I had hoped to lay low and take my family on a ride, but a big collection of riders wanted me to lead again. Today Bryce and Sean (Cassi's boyfriend) would join us on our ride. Sean would be riding Audra's little Honda XR250.

Once again the morning would start off with the rider meeting.

Here's the group I led, with the help of Matt McCabe (orange bike on the right).

Here's a pic of me on my big Honda 650, talking to Sean and Bryce.

After about 3 hours of riding, the group tops out between Antora Peak and Windy Point, just over 12,000 feet elevation. Tyler and Bryce made it to the top of some very challenging climbs on their big VStroms. I am very proud of the boys riding skills.

Just below Antoro Peak, we encountered a gold and silver miner. He talked to Sean and Bryce about his successes. Apparently, the month before.... he hit a vein and collected just over 40 oz of gold. At $2k an ounce.....it was a quick $80,000.

And Sean was the recipient of the only flat tire of the day. Terry and Bryce lend their expertise in patching the tube.

At one point in the ride, we were completely lost and I took advice from this wild critter up in the woods. Thankfully, he knew the country like the back of his hand.

And once back at base camp, the food prep began for the famous, Ribeye Steak Dinner. Folks are always impressed that we hand cut the steaks.

Audra is exchanging some laughs with a couple other ladies. Probably something like.... Will these men we have married.... ever grow up!!!!

Some of the kitchen staff.

My buddies, Mark and Bernie, cooking up the flap-jacks.

And our grill masters!!!!!!

2011 Rocky Mountain Adventure Ride - Friday

2011-08-14T04:42:00.000-07:00

RMAR 2011 kicked off in Saguache, CO on the morning of August 5th with an introductory Rider Meeting. The event this year was a smashing success with nearly 130 riders and 150 attendees. They were treated to two breakfasts, three dinners and a lot of phenomenal riding.

Our host site was The Lodge about one mile south of Saguache (pronounced Sa-watch). The massive trees and green grass were a hit with the tent campers.

After the rider meeting, I led the "Big Bike Easy Ride". As you will see in the photos below.....it was all but easy. There was mud and challenging conditions, which you can witness in the photos to come. In this group photo, Audra is in the red jacket to the far left. Audra rode the whole day with me on my big VStrom.

My buddy, Terry Davis, navigating a mud hole.

Tyler attacking a mud hole, riding in excellent fashion. I am standing in the background, giving less experienced riders advice on how to ride a heavy bike through the pool of water and slippery mud.

A pic of Audra on the back of my bike enjoying the beautiful views.

After about 4 hours of hard riding, most of the fellas were completely exhausted.

Bryce and Aften helping to prepare the Friday night Fajita Feast.

Friday evening, Woody from Woody's Wheel Works, conducted an instructional clinic on fixing flats and straightened bent wheels.

Bryce's new toy.....

2011-07-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

After a year of wanting a single-track bike and a couple of months of Craigs List shopping, Bryce found a great deal on his new baby.

2001 Yamaha YZ426

A Rack for the XR650R

2011-07-23T05:46:00.000-07:00

My Honda is evolving.... When I purchased it, it was set up to be a pure dirt bike. Then I went to work:

* I added all the equipment for it to be street legal and paid the registration for a license plate.

* Then I added the Acerbis Desert Tank. With the 6.4 gallon capacity, the bike has the range to eclipse 300 miles. This will be nice when riding out west in the Utah Canyonlands and in Death Valley.

* Finally, I made a decision on a solution to carry my gear. I opted for a rach and bag system. I am very pleased and should be able to lightly pack for up to a week of motorcycle, backcountry camping.

2011 Mathis Family Reunion

2011-07-07T16:28:00.001-07:00

We found our way down to Angel Fire New Mexico for the 2011 Mathis Family Reunion.... My In-Laws. I hauled both Honda's down with the idea that Tyler and I could do a day of riding over at Sipapu to scout out the area, but the Carson National Forest Admin Boys.... moved access to Stage 3. That meant, no motor vehicle access.

So, the Honda's had a light workout. A couple of pavement runs and toodling around the rental property was the extent of our two-wheeled fun.

Father's Day Weekend...... Day Two of an Adventure Trip

2011-06-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

Day two revealed that we had a cool night. We awoke to a little ice on the bikes.

As I enjoyed a hot cup of coffee, the sun rose over the eastern ridge revealing a spectacular sight of steam coming off the pond with the rock formations in the background.

After riding away from camp, we found "The Gravel Pit", as it is called by the locals. It was a blast riding the bikes around the pit.

After riding for about an hour, on the loop that Duke had suggested, we arrived at the top of Aspen Ridge.

And here is where the trip got interesting. After resting and spending about 20 minutes on Aspen Ridge, I asked the boys to hike off the ridge with me to the West, about 100 yards to a group of rocks where we could sit and take in the Collegiate Range. After about 15 minutes, I caught a glimpse of a black object moving through the aspen trees, down and to our right. At first, I thought it was a big bull elk, but as it emerged...... it was obviously a very large Black Bear. Due to a tree concealing us, I sent the boys running up the hill to get Terry and Matt.

Terry's pic shows my proximity to the bear. I was only about 50 yards away.

The green line is the obscure, rough road that we traveled. The GPS spot is the location of our bikes. The red dot is the location where I was sitting. The yellow line is the traveling route of the bear. And the red line is my attempt to sneak up on the bear for a great photo. Unfortunately, once he entered the aspens, I didn't get a good photo.

Once we got back to camp, we packed up the bikes for the trip home. Notice how heavily loaded we are. My Suzuki VStrom got a new knick-name..... "Little Pepe", my pack mule!!!

Being low on gas and hungry, we rode in to Salida for fuel and a Hamburger.

On the ride home, I caught the boys on photo, giving each other a "fist bump"..... I suspect, in celebration for another successful Adventure Ride!

Father's Day Weekend...... Day One of an Adventure Trip

2011-06-19T07:12:00.000-07:00

Back a couple of months ago, I asked Audra for permission to escape to the mountains on my bike. Originally, I had planned a very challenging trip on my dirt bike….. but with the boys free to join me, we changed our plans. I invited my two good friends, Terry and Matt to join us.
After some research, I decided we would ride the Four Mile area, just east of Buena Vista, CO….. right in the middle of the state. This choice of geography was ideal for early season riding, as all the snow has melted from this area and there is a lot of great double and single track access.
We packed up and left one evening, arriving just after the sun set below the Collegiate Range. Fortunately, we were greeted with a full moon to aid in our visibility to set up camp.

The ride to 4-Mile.

The next morning we awoke to the campsite that Matt had chosen. It was nicely located next to a little pond and amazing rock formations.

By 9am the riding began. We challenged ourselves with the toughest riding of the weekend, attacking some aggressive double-track on our 500lb bikes. The boys have become outstanding riders and I am incredible proud of their skills that they have worked hard to hone.

After riding south for about three hours.... only covering about 20 miles, we arrived in Salida. Unbeknownst to us, this little town on the Upper Arkansas River was smack-dab in the middle of a four day River Festival. We enjoy a phenomenal lunch at the Boat House Restaurant and then headed to the “booth area” where Matt and Terry treated us all to a funnel cake.
Next we walked up the street to see a fellow ADV’er and his wife, Duke and Tami Sheppard. They own two stores, an Artisan Bead Shop and a TShirt Shop. Duke and I discussed the TShirts for RMAR and then asked him for riding suggestions. He sent us to Aspen Ridge, back toward our camping area.

Due to our quick pace of riding, we always have a couple of spills. On this trip, it seems that nearly everyone dropped their bikes at one time or another. In this pic, Tyler picked a great place to loose control..... except for a hidden rock in the deep sand. Tyler had a soft fall, buy his rear brake lever took a direct hit by the rock. After a bit of pulling and prying and bending, we had him ready to go.

Evening activities were fun. Unfortunately, the little pond did not have any fish..... but Terry was able to land a massive Salamander. The boys enjoyed a couple of Matt's firearms and a few games of marksmanship with Tyler's pellet pistol.

Audra's Second Day of Riding

2011-06-15T17:54:00.001-07:00

After Day One in the back yard.....Audra had some confidence and was ready to tackle bigger challenges. She hopped on the back of my 650 and Bryce rode her bike up the street to the High School. Then, it was "Jenny Bar the Door".....getting her to stop. She rode all around the parking lot, around the high school..... Shifting gears..... Going fast..... She was awesome!

While Audra was honing her skills, Bryce was messing around on my 650.

Audra's first ride on her bike!!!!!

2011-06-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

Spiffing up Audra's 250R

2011-06-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

The primary obective in all this work, was to make Audra's little Honda.... street legal. We also reworked her handlebars so that they are in a "more comfortable" riding position.

23rd Anniversary Ride

2011-06-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

Today Audra and I celebrate 23 years of marriage. How better to do that, than with a ride up to Woodland Park, beers at Bier Werks and Brisket Sandwiches at Phil's Pig Out BBQ.

Work'in on the VStroms

2011-06-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend the boys and I tore into our VStroms to "ready them" for the 2011 Adventure Riding Season.

We checked the valve clearances and basically went over the bikes in detail.

Sunday Riding the XR650R with other PIGS.....

2011-05-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

This post is just text..... just a story. After several weeks of hard work.... not having any recreational activity, I needed a break. Well, a break would have to take place after a hard days work on a Friday and then a full day of "School Board Retreat Work" on a Saturday.

Sunday arrived early, but I was eager to get out on my "new to me", Honda XR650R..... It would be a Pig Roast and Ride on the Ranpart Range with three other, Pig Riders...... The Big Red Pig is the nick-name of my bike..... my Honda XR650R..... the Baja Race Monster.

My Sunday morning started out at 7am.... with coffee and gearing up for my ride. Breakfast was shared with Audra...and then I headed out, on my 'street legal' dirt bike....for the 60 minute, highway ride up to Woodland Park. I was to meet a could of ADV'ers....for a tough ride in the woods and then a feast of BBQ'd Pork sandwiches.

It was a great day..... including a nasty spill by me..... (yeah, I over stepped my abilities)..... but it was awesome and a wonderful day of riding in the woods.

I am soooo pleased with my Honda. It has awesome power and it is still agile enough to throw around in the dirt.

I love it!!!!!!

Here is a little video.... if it stays posted. I am the 3rd rider......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjcZiSIzmSY&feature=player_embedded#at=16

Audra's First Bike!!!

2011-05-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

With Audra and I down in New Mexico for a long weekend, celebrating her graduation from Adams State with her Master's Degree.... the boys grabbed her bike, completely went through it and wrapped it up for her. It was certainly a surprise.....

Work on the XRR and a Ride

2011-04-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

Some more work occured on the XRR this week. I added the Tanker Brace to further support the massive, Saraha Gas Tank. I also added Rox Risers and a ProTaper Bar. Finally, I added some Adventure Foot Pegs.

Then I took her out for a spin in Rampart. It was a great day and I really enjoyed the ride....with my buddy, Mat.

Work on the XR

2011-04-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

With Audra out of town, up at Vail, for the State FLA Competitions (Future Business Leaders of American)....I took the opportunity to "live" in the garage for about 10 hours on Sunday. What did I do??? ......

Well, I dove in to this Honda I recently purchased. For peace of mind, I needed to make darn sure she was ready for the high country and wouldn't leave me stranded. The pressing concern was the, rear ProLink Suspension. I tore it completely down, inspecting to make sure it was in good working order and then re-lubed with some high grade Marine grease. I did some other things as well, including....adding my new Acerbis Sahara Gas Tank.

Texas Tour with the Boys

2011-04-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

With Bryce at Texas Bible Institute in Columbus, TX..... I was longing to ride with my boys. All Winter, I dreamed and planned for our first, spring ride. What would it be? Finally, I arrived on a plan. Tyler and I would trailer out VStroms from Colorado to my Mother's home in Brownwood, TX, where we would meet Bryce. For the past year, Bryce has had his VStrom at my Mom's.

We would get up early on a Friday morning....and ride to West Texas, enjoying the Davis Mountains and Big Bend.

But it would not happen.

Upon arriving at Brownwood, we checked the weather and decided to 'bag' our trip to West Texas. The weekend temperature forecast for Big Bend was north of 105 degrees!!! (really high for the first of April) So, we needed a plan "B".

A couple of weeks earlier, a fellow rider had posted a note to me about the TAR (Texas Adventure Ride). As serendipity would have it, the TAR was happening the very weekend we had scheduled our ride and would be based out of Junction, TX.... only a short, two hour ride south of Brownwood. We decided the Hill Country would be our destination for the weekend. (And a great decision it was, due to the Range Fires that sparked and burned out of control in West Texas all weekend.)

Leaving Mom's, we rode south.

The heat wave affected all of Texas, including the Hill Country. On Friday the temps were in the high 90's. When we stopped to rest, it was in the shade. Upon arriving in Junction, Sonic Drive-In Route 44 Iced Teas hit the spot.

For the weekend, we camped at the Upper Llano River State Park. This little park sits about 3 miles outside of Junction and was the perfect base camp for our weekend rides. Two afternoons, we stripped down to our gym shorts and hit the river. Usually, we floated in the cool water for a couple of hours during the heat of the day. Our campsite, was a 'walk in' location where we had some pretty good privacy and the place, mostly to ourselves. (The last night, a group of Girl Scouts invaded us to make it interesting.)

The Texas Adventure Riders are a great group of guys and fun to hang around. The Christian Motorcycle Association was represented and made their rounds, praying for everyone's safety. Honestly, I thought the state of Texas was 99.9% private property and there was no access to dirt riding. I was reeducated... Actually, there are hundreds of miles of "county access" roads all through the state. It was these roads that we explored and had a great time. One major riding education point for the boys and I was the cement water crossings in Texas. Oh my goodness these things are slick as greased owl poop. Once, both boys dropped their bikes.

Being close to Campwood, TX where the Burleson side of my family grew up, I was excited to show the boys some of their heritage. We rode through Campwood, but the hit was a trip to Vance, TX, where many of our kin are buried in the little cemetery there. Here is a pic of the boys with the headstone of their Great Grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Burleson (Mother's Parents).

On our final day, we rode north-east to Fredricksburg, TX, to enjoy some great German Food. The boys were enamored with the Blonde Beauty. All three of us order different Brat meals and shared. It was amazing!

After getting back to Mom's, eating dinner with my sister and her kids and crashing for the night.... Bryce headed back to TBI and Tyler and I left for Colorado. The trip was a good, quick one... except for the trailer tire flat that delayed us for 15 minutes. Thank God I had a spare!!!

The New Mexico sunset.

Good bye to Two..... Hello to One

2011-04-16T05:53:00.001-07:00

After a long winter of deliberation, I made a couple of tough choices. I decided to sell the BMW K1200LT and the Honda NX650. Both of these bikes were outstanding for me, but I realized I was just not a good fit for either bike. The LT is a long distance touring bike and that just isn't in the cards for Audra and I at this juncture in our lives. The NX is simply an amazing dual-sport, but it was going to take a ton of work to get it set up for my 6'4", 240 lb body. And it wasn't the 'Dirt Bike' I really wanted. I needed a bike that would tackle the light single track and high mountain adventure riding that I love to do.

So, I sold both bikes this spring.

After about a month of hard searching on Cycle Trader, Craigs List and EBay, I found the bike I was looking for. Staying a 'Honda Guy', I stumbled on a XR650R up in Denver that is in really good shape. The bike only needs about $500 of upgrades to make it "Happy" for me. I am really looking forward to getting this dude up in the woods and throw it around on the trails.

Facelift on Tyler's Strom

2011-04-16T05:48:00.001-07:00

For the past several months, Tyler has been working hard, paying back his loan (to Dad) for his own Suzuki VStrom. With his 19th birthday arriving, he is also nearing the end of his payments and had some cash in his pockets and some birthday presents to fully equip his bike.

It took him a couple of days in the garage to do all the work, but in the end... the bike really looks phenomenal.

He added Hand Guards, Engine Guards, Skid Plate, Center Stand, Luggage Racks and Handlebar Risers. He also had to replace the oil seals in his front forks.

Finally, he purchased some 'Truck Bed Liner Spray' and painted his cowling. The previous owner had dropped the bike a couple of times and the cowling was a little scratched up. Now.... it looks amazing!!!

A Day at PMI - Pueblo Motorsports Inc.....

2011-02-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

Katie had the day off from school (Teacher work day), so I invited her to go skiing. Unfortunately, she had saved all her time on Tuesday to finish a ton of homework.... so she couldn't go. That left me with a day to knock-off. I jumped on the bike at 9am and headed south for Pueblo. My riding friend Norm and his friend, Tim had planned a riding day at PMI. I had never gone, so I thought it would be a great introduction.... allowing me to scout the place out for future rides with Tyler and Bryce.

Late January Ride: Friday & Saturday

2011-01-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Amazing that the temps on the Front Range exceeded 60 degrees today, but that created an opportunity for a great day of riding. I had about four hours of office work this morning, but upon finishing.... Tyler and I mounted our bikes and blew away from the house for some errands and lunch.... and to meet Audra at Starbucks for a coffee after she got off work.

My poor VStrom has been sitting in the garage for the past 4 months, without a mile of riding. There was a weird sound coming from the engine area and I knew I had to fix it before I could ride the bike. I simply haven't had the time and the sound was, quiet honestly a mystery. I couldn't locate it. This morning, between business calls, Tyler and I tried to figure it out. After five minutes of investigation, it turned out to be a spacer washer that was loose and creating a terrible racket at about 5,500 rpm's.

Audra and I were originally going to ski on Saturday, but when the alarm went off at 5am..... We turned off the alarm, rolled over and went back to sleep. We were just too tired to get up early and make the trip. As everyone can imagine, I found a reason to "run some errands". Yep, "errands" always includes a motorcycle. Today the errands included a lot of local riding, with a quick stop by Sam's Club and Apex Power Sports. Mainly, I just rode. It was nice to toodle through Garden of the Gods and for the first time in many months, I increased my heart rate making a fast, peg scraping run up the canyon toward Woodland Park. Besides the curves, the other cars and a couple of cops kept it interesting.

The bikes ran great and it was wonderful to ride with Tyler. It created a desire in us to make a trip.

Day up on Rampart

2010-10-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

I had the afternoon off, so I did a quick ride up Mt. Herman....did some fire roads, a little single track (wish I would have had a lighter bike) and down Rampart Range Road into Garden of the Gods.

It was a great afternoon....and our days are counting down quickly till the riding will be over until spring.

Notice how much snow was on the Peak today.

Fall Leaf Ride

2010-10-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

For the 4th year in a row, Audra and I enjoyed a tour though Colorado on a motorcycle to witness the turning of the leaves. This year was a treat, as we "broke in" our K1200LT....BMW Touring Motorcycle, and we headed to the far western slope....around Ouray and Telluride.

The three maps below depict our three days of riding.

Enjoy the pics and don't miss the video at the end.

Day 1 of the journey. This spin of the wheels took us 11 hours and totaled 400 miles.
Day 2 was another long day, 300 miles and 8 hours. This circle revealed the best leaf colors of the whole trip.
And Day 3, was the ride home. Certainly, we still experienced wonderful views and sights, but this was the easy day of 275 miles.
Day 1, we rode from Falcon to Salida, where we enjoyed an awesome burger at Benson's Tavern and Beer Garden. We highly recommend this place!
After leaving Salida we headed south for the San Luis Valley, up to South Fork and up the canyon to Creede. This is what the country looks like outside of South Fork.
Telluride was a treat. You just can't beat the views.... unless you are in Ouray, and then it is a toss-up. Telluride is probably our favorite Colorado Mountain Town.
Somewhere south of Telluride.
Between Ridgeway and Telluride.
South of Telluride.
Another one south of Telluride.
Another one between Ridgeway and Telluride.
Between Creede and Lake City.
Heading in to Telluride.
Telluride.
Yet another one, south of Telluride.
Dolores, CO. This little town is between Telluride and Durango.
After a great lunch of BBQ in Durango, we headed north on Hwy 550 and rode by the Durango Mountain Resort, AKA..... Purgatory.
Between Durango and Ouray, we topped over three passes. Molas Pass is at 10,899 feet. The other two passes are Coal Bank Pass (10,640) and Red Mountain Pass at (11,018). The views were amazing.
Audra snapped this pic of me, taking in the sights on Molas Pass.
The road down to Silverton.
The Million Dollar Highway, down to Ouray.
Creede, CO. This is a neat little town, tucked into the Colorado Rockies.
Day 3, we awoke to a stunning blanket of snow on the mountains to the south of Montrose..... the mountains we rode a circle around on Day 2.
Day 3 for lunch, we stopped on the side of the road and enjoyed some 'left-over' pizza from the night before.
Our final stop was in Woodland Park, for a coffee. Pikes Peak is in the background.
Yeah, some of the roads are a little hairy, but you just can't beat the sights!!!! This is the road down to Silverton, CO.Another video showing the amazing colors in the San Juan Mountains!

Bryce to Texas for Bible School....TBI

2010-09-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

A real tearing of emotions.... Proud of my son, but torn with emotion that he will be a 1,000 miles away in Texas.

Bryce will be attending Texas Bible Institute for the next 9 months.

Bryce wanted to take his bike to Texas, store it with his "Mimi" (Grandmother), so that he could ride it on the weekends.

For 650 miles, we trailered the bike down, but the last 100 miles or so....Bryce wanted to ride his bike. So, we unloaded outside of Abilene and he rode it south of Brownwood.

30,000 miles on the VStrom!!!!

2010-09-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, while riding in Black Forest at this point.......

I rolled the VStrom over 30,000 miles. I purchased the bike new in August of 2007. In three years, I have accumulated more miles on my bike than on my 2007 Toyota 4Runner.

Denver Airport on a Bike....

2010-09-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I get to drive the round trip from Falcon to Denver International, about once a week. This week, I added a little spice for the first time. Yep, I rode the LT.

I know if freaks out a lot of riders, but for me.... there is a lot of enjoyment and fun, riding a bike at night. The fresh air and moon light are welcome after a business trip.

I left DIA at 9pm and the temps were an incredible.... 72 degrees. It was a phenomenal ride home!!!!!

Itty Bitty Motorcycle Trailer

2010-09-11T16:45:00.001-07:00

For the past couple of years, I have wanted a little trailer that was specifically designed for motorcycles. This year gave me the excuse to pull the trigger. Bryce is headed to Texas for school this year and he wanted to take his VStrom with him.

This little trailer is perfect for hauling a 600 lb bike....or a couple of dirt bikes on the outside rails. It will be great.

Sunday Ride: Gold Camp and Shelf

2010-09-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

Receiving a ride invite from Bob and Candy Garner, Audra and I confirmed without hesitation. We met at 10:30am in downtown Colorado Springs and promptly headed up Gold Camp Road to Cripple Creek. After lunch at Ralf's, we pointed the bikes down Shelf Road to Canyon City and home. It was good to ride and hang with Bob and Candy. They are good people!

Quick Trip to Texas

2010-08-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Taking a part of last weekend, I decided it was time for a visit to hang with Mom. I decided to ride the new bike down.

The visit was wonderful. It was good times with Mom. Great food, great conversation and Jim popped over for a visit as well.

The trip down was 779 miles and the trip back was 783 miles. Long, but fun days on a bike!

The ride down was a little tough. Fromn Amarillo to Brownwood, the temps were over 100 degrees. The hot spot was Post, TX, at 107 degrees.
The bikes temp registered 101 degrees in Abilene.

For most of a day, I worked around the property. Mom's road was washed out, so I used the tractor to fix the road and build up the 'water dump'.
The "four sixes" (6666) is a massive ranch in the Texas panhandle. Briefly I stopped for a rest at a roadside park, named after the ranch.

Really????? Hey kids....here is a playground.....but don't enter because of rattlesnakes!!!!! Only in Texas.

2010 Big Dog Ride

2010-08-16T05:49:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Big Dog Ride was yet another, epic event with fantastic scenery, great riding and the comraderie of an elite collection of gentlemen. For me, the 2010 ride (my second year) was another opportunity to get to know more of the invitees and truly enjoy their company.

This year, the host hotel was based out of Ridgway, CO, about 10 miles north of Ouray. This was a great location, as it allowed us easy access to all the San Juan's had to offer. For two days we bounced between Ouray, Lake City and Telluride. We tackled the challenges of Engineer Pass, Imogene Pass, Black Bear Pass, Cinnamon Pass, etc. At times the riding was easy, allowing everyone to "take in" the scenery and "soak up" the high mountain air and solitude. At other times, the riding was so technical and tough, every micro-second was spent concentrating on your line, as to avoid an "over the cliff", career-ending performance. (Notice in a couple of pics....spotters were in place to avoid such an accident!)

Enjoy the pics!

The Big Dog is an invitation ride that celebrated its 21st birthday this year. Still attending are several men that rode in the early days of the ride. Approximately 45 attended this year.
Riding out of Ouray on our first morning, we decided to tour "the hills" between Ouray and Lake City for our "warm-up day".
A pic of my Houston buddy, Chappy, on his BMW R100GS. Chappy rode well on a heavy, but very capable bike!
Everyone enjoying a rest after a strenous climb to the top.
Navigating some dirt twisties.
Summiting the top of Engineer Pass.
Heading back to Ridgway on day #1, we exited our dirt ride with an exciting dive down Mineral Gulch to Ouray.
Back at camp, our friends from Happy Trails cooked up some amazing Chicken in Dutch Ovens.
Early the next morning we found Hot Air Balloons taking off in the field next to our hotel.
Saturday would be the ride I had been anticipating for 6 months. The day would be a collect of "first's" for me. After leaving Ouray, we rode up the canyon toward Governor Basin.
Topping out at 13,114, we arrived at Imogene Pass. To date, this is the highest "dirt" pass I have attained. The views and scenery were truly, "top of the world".
At one point in the ride, three of us got separated from the larger group (the "A" Ride). We were tasked with a lot of fast, hard riding to catch up. (I suppose I could admit that our laziness in a coffee shop, mid-morning, put us behind and we had to ride hard and fast to catch up.
Some of the guys following me off of Imogene.
Another high mountain view.
Ophir Pass was one of the easiest, but I was able to check it off my list of accomplishment.
Sheep at 12,000 feet???? Yep, domestic sheep with sheep dogs and a single sheep herder was quiet the sight.
For the last five years, topping out on Black Bear Pass has been a dream of mine. I was a little intimidated to attempt on my heavier bike, but with the NX650..... I dove in. It was a tough ride, but certainly doable and a wonderful experience.

Descending off of Black Bear Pass to the west, we encountered the scariest spot on the trail. A very steep road of loose shale seems to fall off the mountain. In this picture, you can see riders off their bikes positioned as spotters on the edge of the cliff, next to Bridal Veil Falls. Down in the bottom of the canyon, you can see the town of Telluride. (Please click on this picture to enlarge to get the full view.)
Our spotters walking down from the loose shale switch-back.
Below the shale slope, we encounter the first of a dozen, very steep and sharp switch-backs.... headed to the bottom of the canyon. You can see that Bob is well clad in the proper, protective gear for this type of riding. We tend to fall down some times!
A better look, down at the "steps" and all the switchbacks.
Finally, we arrive in Telluride. After a late, 2pm lunch, we heaed back to Ridgway. That night, everyone feasted on T-Bone Steaks.... but I had to pack up and drive home early. It was a wonderful experience and the Big Dog will definitely be an annual event for me!!!

Video: Mineral Gulch

2010 RMAR - Rocky Mountain Adventure Rally

2010-08-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

About 9 months ago, I learned that WestFest (an adventure motorcycle rally that I have attended for the past three years), had been moved on the calendar. It now conflicted with Audra's birthday. So in an effort to not miss some fun, I called half a dozen riding friends to ask if they would be interested in doing our own event, where maybe 15-20 riders would show up. Long story short, 120 registered and turned our cozy, little outing into a major ADVRider Rally.

We met in South Fork, CO, (in between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs) on Thursday and enjoyed four days of outstanding food, riding and friendship.

Joining me was Bryce and Audra, along with Marcus, Jessica and my friend from Amarillo, Terry. (Tyler just got a new job and couldn't get time off....and Katie stayed at home with him.) We all shared a big cabin at the base camp.

So yeah....you can imagine the logics and prep to cook two breakfasts and two dinners for 120 people. It went very well and was a huge success.

Enjoy the pics.....

Bryce playing in the mud.

A pic of me leading a large riding group.
Jessica and Terry on their 6 hour ride through the mountains, while Marcus and I were playing on tough double track.
Marcus and I at 13,000 feet.

New bike in the Stable

2010-07-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Ever since Audra was able to enjoy a short ride on a big touring bike, we have both had a desire to get something more comfortable for longer rides.

Our opportunity surfaced lately, when a friend offered us a wonderful opportunity to purchase his BMW K1200LT. One test ride was all it took to fall in love.

Northern Colorado Motorcycle Adventure

2010-07-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Audra and I just got an itch to see some more of Colorado off the back of our bike. We planned a three trip of about 850 miles, looping through Glenwood Springs, Estes Park and back home.

Day 1, we rode from Falcon, to Woodland Park, to Fairplay, to Breckenridge, to Leadville and down to Glenwood Springs.

Day 2, we rode from Glenwood Springs, up the Colorado River Road, to Steamboat Springs, around to Granby and then over to Estes Park.

Day 3, we rode from Estes Park, back through Rocky Mountain National Park, down through Winter Park, to Idaho Springs, up to Mt. Evans, and down through Evergreen to home.

Enjoy the pics and the three videos.

Wilkerson Pass in between Woodland Park and Hartsel. In the background, you can see Pikes Peak. We are about 70 miles from the house.
Hoosier Pass in between Alma and Breckenridge.
Clinton Gulch Reservoir in between Cooper Mountain and Leadville.
Leadville, CO
Tennessee Pass and an abandoned mountain mining community, in between Leadville and Minturn.

Glenwood Canyon.
Nice little ranch on the Colorado River Road.
Back over the Continental Divide in between Walden and Granby.

Three pics of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Lake Granby.
Two pics of the ride up Mt. Evans. (You have to watch the third video!)

4th of July

2010-07-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

After three weeks of more business travel than I care to repeat and very little time with the family, we loaded up and headed for the backside of Pikes Peak for some camping and motorcycle riding. We are the perfect mix... three riders and three passengers.

Wye Campground off of Gold Camp Road.

Sunday morning on the 4th, we rode over to Woodland Park to experience a bit of their celebration. The ride over is about 30 miles, half dirt and half pavement.

Three Videos.

My Friend, Frank the German

2010-06-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

You might have seen on my Big Bend Trip entry, I posted a couple of pics of Frank. Frank is the German guy I met in Big Bend. Frank shipped his bike over to the states from Germany and is completing a 4 month ride around the US and Canada.

Frank was able to route through Colorado Springs, on his way back east..... staying with us for a night. It was awesome that Frank was able to meet Audra and the kids. The boys were in awe of his motorcycle trip around the US.

Saturday evening, we grilled Tenderloin and enjoyed all of Franks stories of his riding. Sunday morning was all about the World Cup.... as England was pitted against Germany. Starting at 7am, breakfast was cooked and we were engaged in the match, which started at 8am. As Frank said..... "this is a good day.... Germany won!"

A pic of Frank heading east, just after 10am.

The Honda NX650 is FINISHED!!!!

2010-06-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

The boys and I learned a lot, were very productive and had fun rebuilding this 22 year old treasure!!!! This bike is just awesome and I am thrilled to have it finished. This will be my Big Dog Ride this year.

Utah Canyon Lands, Day 3

2010-06-05T22:07:00.001-07:00

Another record day of riding for the boys. 525 miles today.

Day #3 found us up early, after a heavy nights sleep.

Starting the morning off with hot oatmeal.
Leaving Canyon Lands.
Tyler.
Bryce.
Terry.
Headed toward Cortez, CO.... we get a view of Ship Rock, NM.
Leaving Terry in Durango, where he rode Highway 550 to Albuquerque and then Interstate 40 to Amarillo. We headed west on highway 160, crossing the Continental Divide at Wolf Creek Pass.
Passing through one of the Avalanche Sheds.
Since it was Monday and Memorial Day, we stopped at a Memorial and snapped a photo of Red, White and Blue Motorcycles.
After 525 miles on Monday, we arrived home.

Utah Canyon Lands, Day 2

2010-06-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Day three was 11 hours of riding and 190 miles, with a big chunk of it..... Double Track Dirt.

Day #2 was our day to ride a lot of dirt and explore some canyons. We began our day, exploring the dirt road we had camped next to the night before.

After a couple of hours of riding into a deep canyon and hitting a dead end, we turned around and got back on some pavement.

After about thrity miles of tarmac, we turned south on to some more dirt road and double track.

Unfortunately, Terry Triumph Scrambler and its smaller gas tank didn't finish the ride. He ran out at the 190 mile mark. I towed him the remaining 30 miles to Hite, UT... where we filled up with gas.

After filling up with gas, the boys and I enjoyed a shower at the RV fresh water fill-up.

As the evening light was within 30 minutes of departing, we bailed off the highway, found a wonderful campsite and enjoyed some spaghetti and a lot of fun, fireside conversation.

Utah Canyon Lands, Day 1

2010-06-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

For the past year, I have been dreaming of riding the Canyon Lands of South-east Utah. A year ago, I didn't think it would be a trip my boys could join me with, because of their experience and their bikes. Well, their riding skills have grown and we were able to lay our hands on two more Suzuki DL650's... the VStrom. I was thrilled they could join me, as it ended up being a wonderful, father - son experience and memory.

Once I started making plans, I invited other family members and friends. The only rider to join us was Terry, my riding friend from Amarillo. This would be a Memorial Weekend to remember.

Saturday ended up being right at 430 miles.

Our trip started on Saturday morning, May 29th. The boys and I are packed up and ready to 'head out'. Today would be the biggest day of riding for the boys.

Running the canyon road, highway 50, in between Canyon City and Salida.

Topping out on Monarch Pass.

Lunch a the Sonic Drive Inn.

Riding by Blue Mesa Reservior.

Riding Old Highway 90 in between Montrose and the Utah state line. Yeah.... they call this dirt road, Highway 90.

Arriving in Utah.

Meeting up with Terry in Monticello, UT.

Riding up to our camping spot, we stop to look over at the Moab area.

Riding about a mile of very rough double track, we arrive in a wonderful area with a little creek and opening to pitch our tents. For the boys and I, it ended up being a 440 mile day... a mix of dirt roads and tarmac, a grand total of 11 hours of riding. Terry stayed each night in his one-man tent. The boys and I (and some of our gear), crashed in our 4-man tent.

First Ride of 2010 for Audra and I, 2-Up

2010-04-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Audra and I enjoyed our first motorcycle ride of the year, together... today. After the 12" of new snow on Friday, we decided to head south for lower elevations and warmer temps.

The next five pics are of "Skyline Drive", just outside of Canyon City, CO.

Rather than backtracking home, we decided to ride all the way around Pike's Peak, coming home through Woodland Park. It was a good decision in regard to views and the smell of Pine Trees for a couple of hours, but it did get a little chilly.

Work on the NX650 Continues....

2010-04-25T20:22:00.001-07:00

The work on the Honda NX650 continues.

New disc and front brake pads.

New rear brake pads for the drum brake.

We removed the smog pump (only required in CA), and installed the block-off plates.

The newly painted frame and swing arm with front and rear shocks installed.

Bryce and Tyler clearcoated the "new Blue Parts" and we mounted the engine.

Big Bend Trip, Day 6

2010-04-17T14:45:00.001-07:00

Today was not to be the final day of my trip, but it is. After watching the Weather Channel for some time last night, I have made the decision to head home on Friday, Day #6. Big time weather is on the way. I love riding my motorcycle, but there is no love for riding in the rain with cold temps and windchills below freezing. I'm headed home.

At 7:45 am, I drive away from Frank and the Holiday Inn, headed north.

My first stop is Roswell, NM to experience a little Alien activity and fill up with gas.

Hours later, I cross the state line, into Colorado.

It was a long day of riding, totaling 528 miles, with an arrival at 5:30pm. But, it turned out to be a very good plan. Saturday was a full day of 38-42 degree temps, with fog and drizzle all day long.

Big Bend Trip, Day 5

2010-04-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

After all the night time storms, I awoke in Alpine to a beautiful day. A pic of Alpine from the Sul Ross State University, High Rise Dorm parking lot.

After riding around Alpine and taking in the sights, I rode up to Fort Davis to meet the Miller's for lunch at Poco Mexico. It was great to see them, visit and enjoy some great Mexican Food.

Red Enchiladas, Tamale and Chili Renello.... good stuff!

After lunch with the Miller's, we were talking outside by the bike and to my great surprise, Frank came riding by. He had left Rio Grande Village early that morning riding up the River Road to Presidio and then on to Fort Davis. He just happen to come by the restaurant at the time we were standing outside. Frank changed his plans and rode with me for the rest of the day. The Miller's enjoyed a conversation with Frank while I filled up with gas, then we departed for New Mexico.

On the way north, we stopped at McDonald Observatory to take in the views.

North of Van Horn, we are headed for Guadalupe Peak.

Stopping at the Rest Stop at Guadalupe Peak, we made a hotel reservation for Carlsbad, NM. Two hours later we checked in to the hotel, got cleaned up and enjoyed a Chili Cheese Coney at the Sonic. I treated Frank to his first Onion Ring. He liked them.

Big Bend Trip, Day 4

2010-04-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Leaving Rio Grande Village on Wednesday morning, Frank and I rode to the Chisos Basin Lodge.

Enjoying the breakfast buffet, we loaded up on calories for a full day of riding. 20 miles down the road, Frank and I shook hands and parted. I wished him the best in his riding and vowed to stay in touch.

This cactus is one example of the desert being in full bloom. These flowers were a bright fuchsia.

Big Bend NP offers a lot of dirt road, dual sport riding that take you deep in the back parts.

Once I left the Park, I headed to Lajitas and then on to the River Road.

About 7 miles later, I found a 4x4 trail down to a dry river bed that led to the Rio Grande. This allowed me a bit of relaxation along the water's edge.

The Tipis up the River Road.

From a high spot on the road between Presidio and Marfa. Looking toward Alpine to the Northeast.

Once arriving in Marfa, I enjoyed a Chili Reno lunch.

Between Marfa and Alpine, the state of Texas has built an observatory..... to observe the mysterious Marfa Lights.

The "Four Peaked Mountain" is Twin Sisters. The old Lane Ranch 'took in' half that mountain.

Dinner with my high school basketball coach, Brent McWilliams.

Wednesday evening, my plan was to ride out to the old Lane Ranch and tent camp up in Ranger Canyon, but the thunderstorms in the area scared me off. I did ride up in the canyon and hung around for about 30 minutes, but returned to Alpine and bailed into a hotel room. This video shows the first few minutes when I first arrived in the canyon. Within 15 minutes, the wind was blowing extremely hard and the rain was just beginning. I got out of there just in time.

Big Bend Trip, Day 3

2010-04-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Packing up to leave with my mother watching on.

Tuesday morning found us huddled around the kitchen, enjoying Kolaches and coffee for breakfast, with some great conversation. Leaving Jacque and Fudd's home, I rode in to Midland to Academy Sports to purchase a fuel canister for my backpacking stove. (I purchased one, but bought the wrong one.... more on this story, later.)

Leaving Midland, I headed south to Rankin, TX. It is amazing to me that the little county roads in Texas are 75mph.

After all the miles in the Panhandle, it was very cool to see some mesas and canyons.

On my way down, I sent a text to Fudd, asking for a good place to eat lunch. He replied with.... Old House Cafe in Iraan, TX. I was amazed at the $7 Chicken Fried Steak. Took me back to my high school years of Football and Basketball trips and the meals we ate.

And the much awaited destination.... Big Bend National Park!!!!

10 miles into the Park, I came upon the awesome view of the Chisos Mountains.

I had originally planned to spend the night in Big Bend Ranch State Park, but I wanted to spend more time in the National Park. I chose the Rio Grande Village Campground for my overnight stay.

Camped next to me was a fellow from Germany (Frank), accomplishing a 6 month motorcycle tour of our "Contiguous 48". Frank and I quickly formed a friendship and even shared a spaghetti dinner, as we swapped stories of motorcycle trips and motorcycles. We even studied his maps and I gave him some great ride ideas that he had missed.

Big Bend Trip, Day 2

2010-04-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

After spending the night in Terry's yard, I hit the road for Palo Duro Canyon State Park (PDCSP).

The 16 mile loop of PDCSP is full of great twisties and phenomenal sights.

After leaving the State Park, I headed to Canyon, TX, for lunch and a pic of 47' tall, Tex Randall.

The Mexican Food at El Patio was pretty darn good.

Riding down through the Texas Panhandle, there are a lot of cotton fields to see.

After a couple of hours behind the handle bars, I need a little "pick me up", so I stopped for a rest and a little java.

Once arriving at my Sister and Brother-in-Law's home outside of Midland, TX, we enjoyed a lot of conversation and some great food. Here is a pic of my big Sis.... experiencing the VStrom.

Big Bend Trip, Day 1

2010-04-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

Last Summer, I was invited to attend the Big Dog Ride, a select group of Adventure Motorcycle Riders.... riding large bikes in the far reaches of the Colorado mountains. At that event, I met several men who had accomplished amazing things on motorcycles. There were guys that had circumnavigated the globe a couple of times and guys that had ridden from Alaska to the tip of South American and guys the had raced in the Baja 1000, etc. Stories were in abundance and I was in awe of the accomplishments. One of the stories that totally captivated me was a ride report about a trip to Copper Canyon, Mexico. I WAS IN!!!!!

Over the past 6 months, I studied maps and interviewed guys over lunch who had made the trip and I built a plan. Unfortunately, the Mexican Government can't control the drug trade and the gang activity, so after a couple of recent murders of American Citizens and my nephew who works for the FBI, telling me not to go.... Audra and I made the decision for me NOT TO GO to Mexico. So I went to plan "B".

Big Bend National Park

The planning took about a month. I wanted to make sure that I could experience both the new and the old. I wanted to explore new destinations and I wanted to revisit old memories.

Additionally, since I was tackling a 2,000+ mile trip, I needed to make sure the bike was "ship-shape" for the abuse that I would throw at it.

Sunday morning, April the 11th, I left for Amarillo and Palo Duro State Park, where I would spend my first night.

Look closely, but you can see Pike's Peak in my rear, view mirror.

As a part of my trip, I worked in some dirt riding. I found some county roads in southern Colorado that would prove to be fun riding and very remote. The dirt riding in Big Bend National Park was also excellent.

At the end of one of my dirt road adventures, I found this old, steel span bridge.

Never having viewed a good portion of the country in southern Colorado, I zig-zagged the road system and saw the sights, including a 20 mile segment of the Apache National Grasslands.

From the time I left the house, I was riding directly into a 15-30 mph headwind. That resistance did a number on my gas mileage and I was stuck just south of Branson, CO, with an empty tank. Fortunately, I found a very helpful Cowboy. (By the way, getting to Branson would have proven fruitless, as the little town does not have a gas pump!)

The gallon and a half out of the red plastic jug got me to Des Moines, NM. My tank holds about 5.65 gallons of fuel and I pumped in 5.5 gallons!

I arrive in Texas.

These storms passed over Palo Duro Canyon and Amarillo. Not only did they provide a beautiful Rainbow, but they also made for wonderful riding fragrances... the smell of rain in West Texas.

My plan was to spend the night in Palo Duro State Park in my tent, but I failed to adjust for an early closure on Sunday evening at 8pm. They are normally open until 10pm. Fortunate for me, I have a very good friend in Amarillo, Terry Davis, who kindly allowed me to throw a tent on his grass and share his home... including breakfast the next morning.

Projects

2010-04-05T20:19:00.001-07:00

This weekend the boys and I pulled the bikes out of the garage and cleaned off the winter dust from storage. Then we got busy with some project work. Bryce wanted to repaint his bike. Tyler and I wanted to completely tear down the NX650, repaint and rebuild. Here are some pics.

Bryce's bike being taken apart.
The painting has begun.
Nearly finished. One more weekend.

While Bryce was working on his paint job, Tyler and I were stripping down the NX650 for a complete rebuild.... including a new paint job, eventually.

Once we got the engine out, I tore into the top end to check the valve clearances and the timing chain and cam shaft.
Finally down to a bare frame.
Tearing into the suspension for a rebuild.

This job on the NX will take a while, but we are bound and determined to finished it in 4-5 weeks.

Spring Officially Arrived Today

2010-03-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

For the past three months, this has been the scene in my dark garage. The boys and I are soooo ready for some 2010 riding!!!

Broken Shift Lever

2009-12-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

The second week in December, we had a rare 57 degree day. The boys and I went in to town for a ride and lunch. On the way home, my shift lever.... simply broke. Good story, as I contacted VStroma and they are replacing it free of charge. Good Company to do business with.

Last 2-Up Ride of the Year

2009-11-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, we experienced some amazing weather. Weather nice enough for Audra and I to ride the bike up to 10k foot, Cripple Creek for a coffee. There was a lot of snow in places, but the air was fresh and crisp and it was great to high mountain O2.

This will probably be the last, 2-up ride of the year with winter falling on us hard.

Tyler's New Ride

2009-10-04T09:33:00.001-07:00

The deal was officially done and we have a new bike to replace the XL600. Tyler is in Hog Heaven with a bike that has electric start and a cowling to break the wind. This is a much better highway bike, but can still get to most places in the high mountains.

Fly, Buy and Ride

2009-10-04T07:27:00.001-07:00

After some haggling on the phone, the buyer agreed to my offer and was willing to wait a couple of weeks to take payment, allowing me to get to Salt Lake City. After a couple of days of selling Instructional Software with my Utah Rep, I swung by the sellers residence, purchased the bike, packed it up and headed east.

Riding down the interstate from SLC to Spanish Fork, the snow looked ominous on the Wasatch Range. I knew I was in for some chilly riding.

Half way up the pass, it started snowing. I had to pull over three times to clean the ice and snow off my face shield, allowing me to see the road.

And finally, I reach Soldier Summit. Of course you can't read the sign.... it is snow covered.

On the east side of the Wasatch, the country is big and lonely, with long straight roads.

Finally, I arrive in Colorado.

It was getting dark as I rode up to Troy and Joy's for an overnight stay. It was great seeing them, catching up and enjoying the girls.

Leaving Grand Junction the next morning in 30 degree temps. It would not get any warmer and my gear was worth its weight in gold!

It doesn't look cold, but it was quiet chilly on top of Monarch Pass.

Running the twisties on Hwy 50 in the Arkansas River Canyon, I am nearly home. The two-day trip ended up totaling 617 miles and was another great adventure.

2009 Colorado Leaf Tour, Day 2

2009-10-03T21:54:00.001-07:00

Day two started off in the chill of the morning, where we had to scrape the frost off the motorcycle seat and bundle-up.

In the Redstone area, there were mines that provided the basics to Pueblo for steel production. These are the Coking Ovens.

A detour through Marble was a must. This box canyon is truly beautiful.

A beaver lodge in the middle of a high mountain pond.

McClure Pass.

This is the first of many pics of the scenery and the changing colors....

Kebler Pass

Crested Butte

Taylor Reservoir was off in the background.

Cottonwood Pass and the fall colors that exist on Tundra above 12,000 feet.

Knight-Inler State Wildlife Area and also known as Badger Flats. Looking north toward Breckenridge.

Wilkerson Pass with Pikes Peak in the background.

Starbucks in Woodland Park, just before riding the final 30 minutes to the house.

The trip ended up totaling 565 miles over two days and we were treated to some amazing sights, colors and fragrances.

2009 Colorado Leaf Tour, Day 1

2009-10-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

In the midst of two kiddos in College and two in High School, with all their activities and needed support, Audra and I found time to get away for some time in the Colorado Mountains. Our Annual Leaf Ride, is a time of 'Recreation', where we get to breathe 10k feet Oxygen and smell the fragrances of the mountains.

This year, we could only escape for two days. For the past four years, Audra had wished for a night at the Redstone Inn....so I based the trip around a stop in Redstone, CO.

Leaving Falcon, we rode up to Woodland Park, up to Hwy 285, over to Breckenridge, back south to Leadville, over to Aspen and loop around to Redstone.

Once leaving Falcon and getting up to the mountains, we rode up to Hwy 285 and over Kenosha Pass.

After riding west on 285, we turned north to go through the tiny Colorado community of Como and then up over Boreas Pass.

Dropping down the west side of Boreas Pass Road, we round a corner to get a full view of the Breckenridge slopes.

Lunch in Frisco was enjoyed at the Boat Yard. This little bar and restaurant is a favorite for wild game, pizza and brews.

After leaving Summit County, we bent back to the southwest toward Leadville. This required a ride over Freemont Pass.

After leaving Leadville, we continue to head west.

Twin Lakes is a beautiful area, just east of the Collegiate Range.

Independence Pass was a crispy chill, but supplied profound views of the high mountains.

Heading down to Aspen, the road narrows to a single lane in several locations.

Parking the bike in Aspen, we quickly found a Starbucks to fuel up on Caffine.

Riding up the Crystal River Canyon.

And finally, after nearly 300 miles, we arrive in Redstone and the Redstone Inn.

2009-09-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

After getting the VStrom to Colorado, Bryce and I decided to ride up to Boulder (the back way through the mountains), so we could see Cassi and have lunch with her. At the last minute, my bud Norm asked to join us.

Sold the 2nd XL600 and working on a purchase....

2009-09-26T19:47:00.001-07:00

Well, I must admit that I am a little bummed. The Lane Boys owned two outstanding Honda's that would, no doubt, run another 10 years.....but other bikes were wanted. And....I understand that. But, the classic 1980's, Honda XL600's will always be memories in our minds that were very, very good!!!!

So, upon Bryce selling his XL600, Tyler and I decided to 'test the market'. We had purchased the 600 from Arizona for an absolute steal, so we thought we might be able to gather enough cash to purchase a little better bike, in regard to highway worthyness....and Dual-Sport fun.

One of our ADV acquaintances wanted the bike, so we loaded him up and shipped him off to Denver with an outstanding bike.

So....after a lot of time on Craigslist and Ebay and CycleTrader, we think we have found the bike. I hope this is the bike!!!!

Honda only imported the NX to America for two years, 1988 and 1989. It was actually far before its time, as Dual-Sport riding was only in the minds of a few. Finding a 21 year old bike in near mint condition is totally friggin awesome!!!!

So, I have business in Utah this coming week and I will do a fly and ride again. The bike is in Salt Lake City. After two days of sales calls, I will ride the bike to Troy and Joy's in Grand Junction and then do the second day, back to the house.

Fly, Buy and Ride....Houston to Colorado

2009-09-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

As you can see from a previous post, Bryce had sold his Honda in hopes of finding a VStrom. Thanks to ADV Flea Market, we found the bike he was looking for in Houston, Texas.

After a couple of weeks of waiting, I had business in Texas and did a fly and ride to pick up the bike and conduct business. Houston in the rear view mirror.

Upon arriving at Mom's, she was more than excellent in preparing a Country Fried Steak dinner, and cobler!!!!Brownwood, TX

Hill Country Roads. Leaving Mom's, hustling the bike up to the Panhandle where I would do business for a couple of days, I enjoyed some twisties.

One of the biggest ranches in America is the Four Sixes.

Texas does the best Road Side Parks. This one was amazing.

Trains along the highway.

Texas has a corner on the market of the modern Wind Generator. These things are all over the place.

Grain Silos.

822 miles on the odometer from Houston. It is a long way across Texas!!!

Entering Colorado.

Kim, CO

Kim is a tiny little place with a single store, kitchen and gas pump... Yeah, one gas pump.

There was a good Elk Hunt Story with this one.

Heading in to Colorado Springs.

And the final odometer read....

Bryce Sells his XL600

2009-09-05T22:50:00.001-07:00

In a matter of days, after shopping the Web extensively, Bryce made the decision to sell his Honda XL600. After listing the bike on CraigsList and several motorcycle forums, the bike sold in 5 short days for his asking price.

The buyer lives in Gunnison, Colorado so we agreed to meet him in Salida for the business transaction. That meant Bryce was priviledged to do one last ride on the bike, a 120 mile jaunt west. We left Falcon early this morning at 6:30am in heavy fog.

Once we headed west on Hwy 50, the fog lifted and we had a beautiful trip. I escorted him in the new Accent.

Riding the Canyon that the Arkansas River flows down is fun riding with all the twisties.

It was kinda sad to see the bike leave in the back of a pickup, as we had so many great memories with the 600. Oh well, time to make more memories on a new bike for Bryce. He is now saving for a VStrom....the same bike I have.

A Ride out of Boulder

2009-09-05T22:34:00.001-07:00

Friday afternoon found me riding the bike north to Boulder, to pick up Cassi for a ride up the St.Vrain Canyon, down the Peak to Peak Highway and back down Boulder Creek Canyon. It was great seeing my Cass!!!! I was very impressed that my college girl wanted to hang with Dad on a Friday night.

A view of Boulder, as I drop down into town.

I met Sis for a coffee at Starbucks and then we headed to her apartment to meet her roomies and then we departed for the ride.

In St.Vrain Canyon, we spotted some Big Horn Sheep.

Entering the Scenic Byway on the Peak to Peak Highway.

And the evening was capped off with dinner at the Black Forest Restaurant, a German restaurant in Nederland, CO. We dined on Jaegerschnitzel and Kasslerrippchen, with an Apple Strudel for dessert. It was really, really good!!

2009, 20th Anniversary Big Dog Ride

2009-08-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

It was a very proud moment for me several months ago to receive my invitation to the Big Dog Ride. The BIG DOG RIDE is a "Invitational Ride". It is neither a race nor a rally. It is an annual gathering of a fraternity of Adventure Bike aficionados, that mutually appreciate riding their motorcycles with like minded philosophers in the best environment for on and off-road riding in the world, the Rocky Mountains of North America.

Leaving Colorado Springs, I rode my Adventure Bike over to Buena Vista, Colorado... our base camp.

There is a reason it is called the toughest "big bike" ride on the planet, as we go places that 500lb bikes probably shouldn't go.

West Fest 2009 - Day #4

2009-08-06T23:12:00.001-07:00

(Scroll down to Day #1 and work your way up. Click on pics to get an enlarged view.)

The morning of day four found us breaking camp and packing up for the ride home. Joining us on the ride home is another riding friend, Kyle.

Just about loaded up.

Leaving the Arkansas River Valley.

Riding into Falcon.

West Fest 2009 - Day #3

2009-08-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

Day three at West Fest was much anticipated. This would be our biggest ride of the ADV Rally to total abot 175 miles with close to 140 miles of dirt riding to very hard high mountain trails. We would also conquer Tin Cup Pass, the toughest I have riden to date on my big Adventure Bike. The day would also feature a visit to Crested Butte for lunch and an attempt to climb all the way up Flag Mountain, unsuccessful on our big bikes. It was a great day of riding, 9am to just after 6pm.

Our morning started with a hearty pancake and bacon breakfast at the campground.

Leaving Buena Vista, we rode up the highway to Cottonwood Pass.

Looking down from Cottonwood Pass to the east, a pic of Bryce and Tyler.

Riding the dirt road hair-pin curves down the west side of Cottonwood.

After about an hour of riding west, we finally arrived at the area where we experienced a lot of great trail riding. This is all south of Flag Mountain.

The location where our quest to climb Flag Mountain ended. The road just got too rough for many of our big bikes.

Bryce, Tyler and Marcus, looking over Crested Butte. We spent about 90 minutes in CB for lunch and an attempt to liquid weld my shift lever back together, which I broken earlier in the day.

Leaving CB, we rode down the highway and up the canyon to Taylor Reservoir.

Riding further up the dirt roads, we finally arrived at Tin Cup for a rest before tackling Tin Cup Pass.

Heading up Tin Cup Pass, we found lots and lots of cattle at 11k-12k feet elevation, feasting on the high mountain grasses.

At about 11k feet, we arrived at the roughest part of the ride over TC Pass. Looking down the trail at Tyler. Off in the background, Marcus is practicing the splits.

Looking up the trail at Bryce.

The whole riding group, after achieving Tin Cup Pass.

The boys and I at the top of Tin Cup.

Once back at camp, we enjoyed the fun and festivities of a group dinner, door prize drawings (Tyler won a T-Shirt) and the infamous "De-Noob'ing" ceremony. Here you can see that Marcus and Tyler have already been "grilled" and now Bryce is getting his turn.

West Fest 2009 - Day #2

2009-08-06T13:20:00.001-07:00

Late on Thursday evening, Marcus arrived from Albuquerque. He drove his pickup with the KLR in the back and made it in about 6 hours. Our morning started off with some breakfast burritos, cooked up in my camping pans. From there, we geared up and headed for BV for a fill-up and dash to the 4-Mile area for some double track riding.

Gett'in ready to go!

Unfortunately, we didn't get far until our first challenge. Marcus' KLR died and Greg's Tiger got a flat, both within a quarter mile of one another. The tire was fixed quickly, but the KLR stayed sick. We got it restarted and for the next two hours, Marcus was able to ride on and off, but we finally gave up around lunch and headed to a bike shop. Over lunch the bike was rejetted for 9k feet elevation and after that, it ran like a champ! Little lesson here..... if you purchase a bike on the coast and then ride it to 10k feet elevation, assume you will have trouble.

The trail riding resumed and numerous water crossings added some spice.

Once the bike shop rejetted Marcus' KLR, we headed back to the 4-Mile area for a couple more hours of riding before we needed to retire to the campground.

In our Adventuring, we stumbled across this log cabin at about 10k feet in elevation. Hmmmm... must have made for some interesting winters back in the late 1800's! It was a great place to rest and relax for a bit.

The trail riding continued. 4-Mile is some of the best I have ever experienced.

Once the day ended, we rolled into camp with a nice view of a rainbow.

West Fest 2009 - Day #1

2009-08-06T12:30:00.001-07:00

In 2008, I stumbled across some information about an Adventure Motorcycle Rally in the Western US call ADV West Fest. I decided I had to do it. That long weekend in 2008 in Lake City, Colorado changed my life in terms of motorcycle riding and the fun involved with like-minded riders. I made a commitment that this would be my focus in terms of riding bikes and I would be returning.

2009 found the Colorado Lane's with three bikes and the ability for the boys to join me for WF09 in Buena Vista, Colorado. I signed us up! Matter of fact, I recruited hard for friends and family to join us. In the end, a couple of friends from the front range signed up, as well as a friend from Amarillo and my nephew from Albuquerque.

Terry from Amarillo, the boys and I are packed up and headed out.

Our first stop was at Ute Pass, about an hour from the house.

A good portion of the three hour trip to Buena Vista, involve some riding in the rain. No worries... a little rain never stops an Adventure Rider.

Arriving at base camp, we promptly set up our home for the next three days. I brought the big tent, as there would be five of us piling in.

The first night we enjoyed each others company and the boys dove into some cards. We hit the hay early, as we had a hard day of riding coming up.

Ouray Adventure Ride Day #3

2009-07-20T19:23:00.001-07:00

Click on the Map for a Full View of the Trip.

Day three in Ouray found us lazy, tired....not wanting to get in a hurry. I headed back out to main street for fresh coffee and a Rocky Mountain Breakfast Sandwich, which I brought back to Audra for breakfast in bed.

Finally, we packed up the bike and headed out of Ouray, riding up HWY 50, the Million Dollar Highway.

Ouray

The American Alps

One of the old mines in the area

Red Mountain Pass

The Famous Million Dollar Highway

Big Horn Sheep

The San Juans to the South

Black Canyon

Hay fields in the Paonia area

A rest and a coffee in Aspen

Independence Pass

Enjoying Mexican in Buena Vista

Wilkerson Pass

Rolled the bike over 20k miles on this trip

All said, it was an outstanding trip. In three days we totaled 915 miles on the bike and experienced some amazing sights. The highlights were Ouray, the Uncompahgre Wilderness and Black Canyon.

Ouray Adventure Ride Day #2

2009-07-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

After some delivery some hot coffee and fresh baked Croissants to Audra for breakfast in bed, Saturday morning found Mike and I riding up the Million Dollar Highway at 8am, hanging a left at Cork Screw Gulch.

Before hitting the rough stuff we stopped to look at the map and lower our air pressure.

Heading out

Heading far above 10k feet

This is why they call it Cork Screw

Stunning views and thin air!

Hurricane Pass

Cinnamon Pass

California Pass

Tundra

An Old Mine

Shelf Road

Lunch at Poker Alice's

Riding north toward Blue Mesa

Uncompahgre

High Mesa

Chimney Rock

Back toward Ouray

We finished the day off with Prime Rib, a draft and live mountain music. All told, it was 110 miles of riding that took just over 10 hours. The San Juans are amazing and we will continue to go back for more.

Ouray Adventure Ride Day #1

2009-07-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

For the past several months, Audra and I have been planning a Motorcyle Adventure Ride to Ouray, CO. On day #1 we rode from Colorado Springs to Ouray. Day #2 found me and a riding friend, tooling around the San Juans, while Audra took in all that Ouray had to offer. And Day #3 was the long loop home through Aspen.

For the scenic part of our ride on Day #1, we rode south from HWY 50 on Big Cinnamon Road, up over Owl Creek Pass and down into Ridgeway. It was about a 40 mile detour of nothing but dirt and moutain roads. This ride/drive is one of the prettiest in Colorado.

Benson's in Salida...Good Stuff!

Sweet Potato Fries!

Gas and a rest in Gunnison

Resting on the Big Cimmaron Road

Uncompahgre Wilderness

High Mesa

Owl Creek, 2-Up

Chimney Rock

And finally, we ride into Ouray for a steak dinner and a very cozy hotel room. By the end of the day we had riden 290 miles, with about 50 miles of Forest Roads.

4th of July Ride and Colorado Search and Rescue!!!

2009-07-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks, the boys and I have been planning a ride, with my friend, Matt. Our plans kicked off this morning, right on schedule. We started off with a great breakfast at Wade's Cafe in the Springs and then headed out for a ride on Rampart Range.

The boys following Matt and I on Acadmeny Blvd.

Unfortunately, we didn't get far, as Matt ran into electical problems with his GPS. After a short 30 minutes, we were back on the bikes and riding up Mt. Herman Road.

After about 5 miles on Mt. Herman Road, we passed a pickup on the side of the road. Just past the truck, we came upon a washout in the road and a woman standing on the edge. She was noticably upset and pointed down the hill... as her husband had just started down the hill..... Then I found the guy and the kid. A 19 year old....who had spent the night on the slope, heavily injured and in need of major help. The kid had crawled out of his Jeep and up the mountain about 100 feet, before he couldn't go any further.

There wasn't much left of the kids Jeep. The kid, 19 years old.... had driven up on Rampart to camp. We think he tried to get home in the dark, after a heavy rain and plundged down a wash-out.

A look up the washout where the kid and the vehicle fell. Yeah, we had to use the climbing ropes to get back up the slope.

Colorado Search and Rescue, hauling the kid up the slope.

A pic of the "mule train', as I called them. The bunch of Search and Rescue folks that pulled the kid up.

Finally, they get the kid to the top of the road. An ambulance ride down the road and then a helicopter ride to the hospital.

Once we did our duty.... we headed down the road on our ride. Here is a pic of Matt and the boys. You can see Pike's Peak in the background.

We had to cut our ride short, due to time, but we stopped for a sandwich.

Thank God for safety and security!!!!

Father/Son Ride - Phantom Canyon and Gold Camp Roads

2009-06-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

OH YEAH MAN....!!!!!....Ridin the Front Range!!!! Today, the boys and I rode down to Hwy 50 and came up Phantom Canyon Road to Victor and then back down Gold Camp, with some detours that added a little fun.

Phantom Canyon Road.

Just above Victor with Pike's Peak in the background.

Lunch next to a creek at 9k feet, a spur off of Gold Camp.

Using the tire irons to spread the PB&J on the tortilla!

On the way home down Gold Camp, we ran into rain, hail and wind. Unfortunately, Tyler's back tire went squirrely and he ended up in the bar ditch, only breaking his pride and a turn signal.

Alamosa through Westcliffe and 114

2009-06-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today I headed back to Alamosa for the third and final time in two weeks, to move Aurda back to The Springs. So I decided to keep it fun and creative, riding some roads I had not been on yet. By the end of the day, I logged 340 miles of great riding.

The ride through the Wet Mountains to Westcliffe is a fun one with plenty of tight twisties!

Before dropping into Westcliffe, there is a stunning view of the Sangre de Cristos.

I finally found some really good eating in Westcliffe at the Chile Bear. I highly recommend the Green Chile Chicken Fried Steak!!!!

After leaving Westcliffe, I rode Hwy 69 to Texas Creek and headed west on Hwy 50. After filling up with gas in Salida, I continued west on 50, climbing over Monarch Pass. This is where the rain started and I rode through it on and off, all the way to Alamosa.

Turning off of Hwy 50, at Parlin (about 12 miles from Gunnison), I rode a little dirt to get over to Hwy 114. This is exactly why I purchase an Adventure, Dual-Sport Bike. No road left unexplored!

The canyon views and twisties on Hwy 114 are really, really good and highly recommended. Even better is the fact that I only met about 6 vehicles in about 60 miles.

North Pass is another high one, above 10,000 feet that I can add to the list of topping over.