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HispanicSlammer

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Blog Entries posted by HispanicSlammer

  1. HispanicSlammer
    Colorado Hwy 69 To Westcliff
    Colorado has been a bear this winter, snowing one day and sunny the next. Yesterday it was sunny - however not exactly warm in places. I decided to go for a ride to sort out my gear before I head out for the TexasMac ride in 3 weeks. Sort out my new video camera set up, and my new autocom sound system. Both were in need of refining and testing. I took of for Texas Creek up hwy 50 and had some lunch at the café (see my blog last month) good lunch. I was alone today and so I like I always am when I am alone I ride aimlessly, just going where ever on a whim. Today I decided to head to Westcliff and stop at a rather well photographed spot on hwy 69 - as seen from the photo above. This little section of road has appeared on the cover of many a motorcycle magazine. I just happen to know where it is so I took my own shot.
    Right off the bat my autocom is set up wrong, its always mic on, so I stop and fiddle with the vox control till it only comes on when I talk loudly. I can tell I wont be singing along to the latest songs cause - well I can here myself know and boy it wont go over the radio too well!~ HEH I tried the radar detector with it and it was just too noisy, I ordered a ground loop filter and a power smother from the Electrical Connection to hopefully get radar warnings without a whole lot of noisy interference. I turned it on in the areas I know are patrolled and turned it off the rest of the time. I got home and dug out a bit more Styrofoam from the ear wells cause the speakers just irritated my ears to no end, now the are snug but comfortable. I KNOW don't do that, but it wasn't much it was just a bit to make the speakers not stick out so far.
    Now on to the new video cameras setup, I added some more ram mount balls for more camera positions and tried out one from off my Givi rack its stable and it gives a right hand forward or backward shot from the rear of the bike. The new Sony hc-30 (new to me) camera with its lanc worked great, turning on the camera when I wanted it to be on and pausing it when it did not, and I rewired my camera switch (dual setup) to work with the new camera. I took some video of me riding sort of quick, well allot quicker than the cages on that road (perhaps I wont say how much)
    I stopped at the intersection at Mckenzi Junction to take a swig of water and noticed I have a blown fork seal, oil all over the fork tube. OH well it lasted 3 years and I really need to freshen up the fork oil anyway - so I stopped at the dealership on the way home and stocked up on fork oil and new seals. I guess I have some extra work to do.
    NEW VIDEO
    :media: The Road To Westcliff Video - this High Resolution video runs about 5 minutes and has a song from the movie soundtrack "Once" hope you like Irish folk! ( I am half Irish / Hispanic)
    youtube

    The Route
    [map=AARTsJqFvJdFZ77MhM8oiJNQs7U6Q7itbQ]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=2190822805370928413,38.405437,-105.584706&saddr=CO-69+%4038.405437,+-105.584706&daddr=38.144008,-105.324898&mra=mi&mrsp=1,0&sz=12&sll=38.163716,-105.301895&sspn=0.156293,0.374908&ie=UTF8&ll=38.256515,-105.534668&spn=0.624372,1.499634&t=p&z=10[/map]
  2. HispanicSlammer
    Surfing the Gravel
    The weather here in Colorado has been a complete mystery - snowing one day, sunny the next and 70 degrees out, the snow however is persistant and its not melting in the High country. Good news for the fire fighters out here but damn it sucks for riding. I know this happens every year but this year it seems to be hold out just a bit too much for my sanity, I want to ride man! So yesterday I decided to brave the cold and go out for a ride while the sun was out.
    I headed up Ute pass to do my local loop - pine loop! It was a mess, gravel piled up the lane medians and between lanes in the double lane highways, when I turned off on hwy 67 I noticed a Buell blasting by as I gassed up at the Loaf and Jug. I went behind him but he was gone - just a couple of slow poke Metric Crusers to pass and a bunch of cars. Heading down into the creek area where it gets twisty the road was way too unpredictable, the gravel would look clean but as soon as you rounded the turn it was strewn all over the lane after the apex. It was ticking me off to say the least. The county wont sweep it till the snow melts so it will be at least early to mid June before its good enough to burn a tire on. I held to to 50-70 depending on the conditions, then I slowed way down when I hit the tighter higher turns at Deckers, where the Platte River confluence is. I noticed a sherrif in a pickup carrying an atv pulling out behind me at the Deckers strip mall, well more of an old west type wooden decked thing, his atv had snow tracks on it, very cool. I thought I was going the speed limit and so I did not pay the sherrif any mind. At the end I wanted to take a picture so I stopped at the parking area at the Cheeseman Lake trail head at the bottom of Horse Power Hill.
    Mister Sherrif pulls in and starts hassling me about speeding? I say "what I wasnt speeding" then he says I was cause I was pulling away from the guy. I realize its pointless to argue with the Bald headed sheriff deputy and just let him be the boss - he starts in on me about the three speed limit signs I passed and asked me what they where, then he asks me what the speed limit is on Horsepower hill? I say its 55 - "NO" he says its 50mph! Geez come on I am not even on the damn thing yet I dont write that shit down for later reference! I remain smiling and in a decent mood since - well I am riding after all after a winter full of snow and cold wind, this is way better than not riding! I dont let the lecture get to me, he must see this and the fact that I am not being a prick, and I am not fighting his authority he decided to let me off with a warning! '
    Then I see off with a hand shake and he heads up Horsepower Hill to wait for me no doubt, so I say 'F' that and turn about to Deckers to go a different route, I decided to ride along the Platte and head to Sedalia via a dirt road thats about 3 miles long, whats the difference between a dirt road and the shit I am on anway? Gravel and dirt are the same thing! It was fun, riding along the river, all the fly fishermen were waving as I went by, there must have been 20 out there!

    Deckers road
    I was soon in Sedalia and making my way back to Colorado Springs via hwy 105 to Monument, its been a year since I was on this road, it was clean so I wicked it up to 80-90 and was having much more fun now that I was out of the gravel pit! Then I got a few tacos in Monument and headed home, I wasnt able to do Horsepower hill since the sherrif was watching - he did however make a good point, he said "this time of year 30 mph means 30mph with all the gravel on the roads" I agree! I just dont think I was speeding thats all! It seemed like I was crawling! So thanks officer for letting me off on this one! I hate being lectured to by the cops but if it saves lives its worth it, and he did after all let me go! I just know he was waiting at the top of HP hill though to get me!
    The route
    [map=AARTsJpyAl23K2ioD7XfYfT3ZHgKexnFPg]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=14425989079078246010,38.839050,-104.830150%3B6985301553826647655,39.305572,-105.198464%3B13904077250748869946,39.439400,-104.961530%3B8149489834544979123,39.292350,-104.966890%3B14378410351962145764,39.129960,-104.910300%3B229676682778073002,39.242780,-105.266002&saddr=I-25+N+%4038.839050,+-104.830150&daddr=CO-126%2FDeckers+Rd+%4039.242780,+-105.266002+to:CR-67%2FS+Platte+River+Rd+%4039.305572,+-105.198464+to:US-85+N+%4039.439400,+-104.961530+to:CR-105%2FS+Perry+Park+Rd+%4039.292350,+-104.966890+to:CR-105%2FS+Perry+Park+Rd+%4039.129960,+-104.910300+to:80906&mra=ps&mrcr=0,1&via=4,5&sll=39.244751,-105.262756&sspn=0.038487,0.093555&ie=UTF8&t=p&z=9[/map]
  3. HispanicSlammer
    This is an image of Aztec family raceway - its a privately owned dirt track (members only) for dirt bike enthusiasts and racers alike. Right next to the Aztec raceway the city of Colorado Springs is going to build, or already has built some wonderful single track for ohv use. Here is where the trouble begins, my buddy Dan is an avid dirt bike enthusiast, who is a bit cash strapped and is really exited about this new park the city is proposing. He cant afford the prices Aztec wants - and who would if your just a weekend trail rider looking for some place close and legal to ride - for free, or for a small day use fee. Aztec wants a down payment and monthly fees? Thats fine if you are a racer there but if your just looking to go for a ride on your day off its not cost effective?

    http://www.corralbluffs.com
    He has been talking non stop about his place ever since he read about it on thumper talk, and already the motorcycle crazy among us have been giving privately our own hard earned cash to make this park a reality. Now here is where it gets interesting. Dan is a college student and during class one day a librarian came to his class to "discuss" something with the class. She was going to talk about how she was opposing this new OHV park - about how it will destroy the natural beauty of Coral Canyon. OK WHAT??? So naturally Dan - being the engineering scientist type, lets her speak, and when she finishes her speech she asks the students if they have any questions. Of course Dan is the first to raise his hand.
    Being an engineering student he launches into a series of questions of a Socratic nature, designed to undermine her argument.
    1) Mame have you ever been to Coral Canyon - NO
    2) Are you aware that a dirt bike facility already exists next to the park? - NO
    3) Are you aware that a dump site exists just adjacent to the Park? - NO
    4) Why did you not complain when the county commissioners allowed the building of the dump site? - I had no idea it was there?
    5) Are you aware that there are already single track paths laid out by hikers and illegal dirt bikes, and mountain bikers - that the land has been used this way for years? NO
    6) Are you aware that our organization intends to clean up the random trash strewn around the property and that we are making an effort to shore up illegal single track with erosion barriers and signs to point out legal trails. - I knew that there were trails but not that the park was intended to fix them?
    7) Are you aware that 70% of the funding has been by private citizens not city government funded? NOT A SINGLE TAX DOLLAR WILL BE SPENT? = NO ANSWER
    The thing is he pretty much gutted her arguments and provided a solid foundation for why the park should be allowed. I for one welcome the park, its a great cold weather park and limited access place to ride in the winter when its too difficult to trail ride in the mountains, it is also close to the city and was targeted for urban development anyway! What is the problem lady?
    I guess if you want to ride you have to fight for it!
  4. HispanicSlammer
    Texas Creek
    Last Tuesday was the first ride of the year for me, the vfr shod with a new set of sprockets and chain, was rarin to go. I waited for my buddy Craig to show up patiently - my brand new visor, and freshly washed stich, I was ready to go as well. The sun was shining and blue - there was still snow in the hill sides and ice on the yellow strip in the shady parts of the canyon but it was warm enough to enjoy a ride. Our destination was a short trip over to Texas Creek Junction, where Texas Creek meets the Arkansas River and winds its way east.
    Highway 50 intersects Colorado in half and although it is considered southern Colorado it is most definitly the middle. The highway begins in Kansas but it doesnt get interesting until you get to Canon City where you find the Royal Gorge. Then it drops down into the Arkansas River Valley and it gets rather interesting for a good 40 miles to Salida, Texas Creek is roughly half way from Canon City to Salida and the last few miles before you get to Texas Creek is the absolute best part. The Canyon walls are high and the sweepers are fast and furious. Craig and I saw triple digit speed in some of the faster turns, its double lane in some parts so you can get around slow traffic rather easy. It was nice to heat up the tires once again on those great sweepers, I have balled up lots of tires on those turns in the past - usually in the hot summer sun its always hot there in summer.

    Texas Creek a Centry ago
    We had some lunch at this great cafe at the junction, we love to stop there for lunch and home made pie. I had a nice bbq sandwitch and I was admiring the historic pictures on the wall.

    The Destination Lunch at the Texas Creek Cafe

    Warning If your gonna be a turd go lay in the pasture

    The View From the window

    What it looked like a centry ago Trains were the rule of the day back then hauling silver ore from the mountains
    I found my groove much sooner this year than before, after my winter layoff (more winter on the way <_< ) a break from the winter doldrums was a welcome thing! I was expecting to be a bit rusty and slow but - nope not this year, it was like I never got off the bike at all. Perhaps it was because November wasnt that far away, but it sure seemed like an eternity. Man I love my bike
    Here is a satalite map of the best part - triple digit sweepers
    [map=AARTsJorJEljnPDCNQVk7LLwbqt8cMUbMg]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=7552852696277805325,38.445091,-105.525327&saddr=US-50+%4038.445091,+-105.525327&daddr=38.409213,-105.582905&mra=mi&mrsp=1,0&sz=13&sll=38.431404,-105.544109&sspn=0.075707,0.187111&ie=UTF8&ll=38.426429,-105.551319&spn=0.075713,0.187111&t=k&z=13[/map]
  5. HispanicSlammer
    The Big Piggy at the river crossing
    I missed my chance to go riding when it was warm, Saturday it was 70 degrees out, but I was tired from working the night shift and so thought I could take a nap for a few hours (or so) then get up and go out and enjoy the sunshine around noon. When I woke up it was already dark out and I missed the whole day! Then Sunday it snowed and was cold out, Monday was sunny but still cold. Tuesday it wasn't so cold but it wasn't as good as Saturday. I get 4 days off every other week cause I work a compressed 12 hour day shift/workweek. Or should I say 4 nights off cause I always end up sleeping most days off. Tuesday (today) I was gonna ride hell or high water. I just installed a new 200 watt stator from Ricks on the piggy so that I could use my gps with it - and not drain the little nicad battery pack that came with the Baja Lighting/street legal kit. I installed the last year and I tried using the 100w stock unit but the lights would cut out as soon as I plugged in the gps about 15 minutes into the ride.
    I got this thing all street legal, its still a race bike but its got dot dirt tires, turn signals, a speedo, crappy little mirror, and now I have a stator that can power up this light kit, and my gps at the same time.
    I took off for Pueblo, via Meridian road from my home in Colorado Springs, it felt like 60 outside and the wind was blowin fierce. Dust from the dry winter was getting in my eyes and I haven't ridden this XR650r for months I had to get used to it again. Seems I have to get used to it every time I ride it, I am not a dirt devil by any means. My route would take me along dirt roads mostly except through the city of Pueblo, then off down Lariat Loop road onto another Dirt road called Little Burnt Mill road. I stopped at "Burnt Mill" but did not see a mill anywhere? I supposed thats because it was burned up?? Duh eh! I found this road last year on my trip to Santa Fe, looking for a way to stay off the interstate mostly and enjoy some back road adventuring. It seems to be well traveled though - I passed lots of cars on the dirt part. There is a creek that runs along the length of it and ends up at a Reservoir called Saint Charles Reservoir, thats the name of the river too the Saint Charles River - though its barely a creek really.
    I really like the hilly bluffs around the southern side of this road, it got me out of the wind and the sunshine seemed to warm it up a bit. However when I reached Burnt Mill I found that it was much colder the higher up I got in elevation. Pueblo is about 4000 feet and Burnt Mill was about a thousand feet higher up. I live at 5200 feet so I was basically riding the bowl formed by the Arkansas River basin. Everything seems to flow into it from this area. It is always windy in Pueblo too because of this, the wind follows the same path as the water does.

    Little Burnt Mill Road Greenhorn Mountain in the background

    Little Burnt Mill Road I love the bluffs along this road and the old cottonwood trees.
    When I got to Burnt Mill I decided to keep on going and go get a burger in Colorado City, there is a burger joint along I-25 Called Max's its a very homey small town home grown restaurant, where most everybody seems to know each other. However since its off the interstate its always packed with the lunch crowd. I managed to find a small table by the window. The burger was just as good as I remembered, I do enjoy this place, and the owner, the staff, and the customers always seem to be the same as when I left them the last time.

    Max's Diner Colorado City
    After eating my burger I got back onto the bike and the temp dropped another 5 degrees so I unpacked my heated vest, thinking I would shut off the headlight and plug it into the battery charger wire. NOPE the gps died, the speedo died and no heat! I guess 200 watts is pushing it? I unplugged the vest and everything came back on again - the vest did warm me up though since it was 45 degrees out with the wind blowing 25 mph it seemed like 30F! I was feeling much more confident and took Burnt Mill road at a clip of 75-80 that is until I passed a cop on the paved section, a left turn and back onto the dirt part again and no sign of cops - I was back up to speed.

    Saint Charles River More like a stream than a river - this is at Burnt Mill
    THE MAP
    [map=AARTsJqsy-Wml_D8KxNwkqaChK_ZMM-3IA]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=11755780299001803584,38.777368,-104.777133%3B16171332272027393792,38.732540,-104.726979%3B7362721521074245626,38.564255,-104.608400%3B15580941568504734239,38.442820,-104.589546%3B2336215332259686766,38.346156,-104.697861%3B9429582127590062000,38.249760,-104.662010%3B9000269612217704604,38.182150,-104.679665%3B3944433312485290856,38.143896,-104.701113%3B10777289495694964411,38.051492,-104.794646%3B3030382981191587853,37.961130,-104.799980&saddr=S+US-85-87+%4038.777368,+-104.777133&daddr=S+US-85-87+%4038.732540,+-104.726979+to:S+Meridian+Rd+%4038.564255,+-104.608400+to:CR-501%2FOverton+Rd+%4038.442820,+-104.589546+to:38.42347,-104.610443+to:N+Purcell+Blvd+%4038.346156,+-104.697861+to:CO-45%2FS+Pueblo+Blvd+%4038.249760,+-104.662010+to:CR-230+%4038.182150,+-104.679665+to:CR-230+%4038.143896,+-104.701113+to:Waterbarrel+Rd+%4038.051492,+-104.794646+to:CO-165+%4037.961130,+-104.799980&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=4&sz=10&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8&dirflg=h&sll=38.449287,-104.69696&sspn=0.622712,1.496887&ie=UTF8&ll=38.414862,-104.916687&spn=1.246001,2.993774&t=p&z=9[/map]
    Looking at the terrain map you can get a sense of this bowl effect the Arkansas River vally forms, wind just pours down the valley into Pueblo
  6. HispanicSlammer
    Skaggs Springs Road
    This Little Diddy is a video from my trip to Laguna Seca with my buddy Dan. We hooked up with Veefer800canuke and his buddy Craig and made it a foursome. Craig's bike was not running so great and it was sucking up gas at an incredible rate, we stopped at the bridge on Skaggs Springs Road to regroup and figure out what to do about the gas situation. The Bridge is on the Eastern side where all the sweepers are, its a great road no doubt. This was the first time I have ever been on this road and I count it as one of the best ever. There is no music, no editing cuts, just the guys and 13 minutes of some of the best sweepers in the country.
    :media: Skaggs Springs Road In The Raw

    Skaggs Springs Road
    [map=AARTsJqbE3S5H69YYPQ6-qaInwlXLffH9Q]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=8891268118343789646,38.671307,-123.099337%3B5181230995183463954,38.713138,-123.005367%3B4688894796061070055,38.788817,-123.016589&saddr=Stewarts+Point+Skaggs+Springs+Rd+%4038.671307,+-123.099337&daddr=Stewarts+Point+Skaggs+Springs+Rd+%4038.713138,+-123.005367&mra=pr&sll=38.740963,-123.060951&sspn=0.150763,0.374222&ie=UTF8&om=0&ll=38.746051,-123.053741&spn=0.301504,0.748444&z=11[/map]
  7. HispanicSlammer
    video preview
    This is a video from 2006 I did with some guys from Sport Touring.Net - 6 guys from Northern Colorado, some very experienced riders and a couple no so experienced. The ride organizer is an MSF instructor in Loveland and he took us up into the foothills and ran us through the paces of the twists and turns of Stove Prairie road, this was the first and only time I have been on this road and for the most part I liked it very much. It is just a long trip to get to it for me, involving riding up into Denver and through it to get to Loveland its hardly worth it when there are so many other great roads around here. You really need to take an entire day for a trip up there. I enjoyed it - I new 3 of the guys from other rides and 3 others I did not know, 4 of us went on ahead a faster pace and 2 lagged behind, falling back at the first sign of tight twisters. I was keeping pace in the rear with the faster guys and took notice of where the two behind me fell behind.

    preview 2 passing another group

    video preview One bike stays with us a bit
    It got a bit confusing when we caught up to a large group of BMW riders and passed the lot of them, that is pretty much where I lost the other two riders behind me, not wanting to get left behind I stayed up with the faster guys. We rode the entire road and stopped at the end and waited for a good half an hour and decided to go back to the point where I remembered seeing them, there was no sign of either of them. So we went back another 5 minutes and decided they must have broke off and gone home, we remembered one of them saying they had to be back soon for domestic duties. So we turned around and completed our ride hoping to get a call on the cell phone when we able to get phone service again. (cell phones don't work in the foothills)
    :media: Stove Prairie Road High Resolution Video
    The video runs about 10 minutes 4 riders in our group and we passed a number of bmw riders along the way, music by Smashing Pumpkins. I may have posted this video last year but I could not find any refrence to it - it is one of my favorite rides I have done over the years. Once we stopped for lunch we called one of the guys who fell behind and he told us that the last guy (who I had never met before) overcooked a turn and went off the road, he was fine but his bike was damaged. We actually went right by them but since they were off in the tall grass we could not see them. Which is why we always ride with a sweeper so in case somthing like this happens there is somebody there to take care, they were able to get a tow truck out and haul the bike home in an hour. I was surprised we did not see them - If the new guy had not said he might turn back we would have scoured the area much deeper and found them - but since we thought he went ahead and left like said he might do we left it at that. Thank goodness for our sweeper!
    THE MAP
    [map=AARTsJqg2RTHcFKPQOmV2bS8nXJo1Zeoxg]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=13326196971030042725,40.466289,-105.206696%3B17919899042705951093,40.682830,-105.389260&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=CO-56%2FCR-27+%4040.466289,+-105.206696&daddr=40.603005,-105.343094+to:CO-14+%4040.682830,+-105.389260&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=11&via=1&sll=40.580063,-105.35408&sspn=0.301951,0.748444&ie=UTF8&ll=40.587885,-105.310822&spn=0.301915,0.748444&t=p&z=11&om=0[/map]
    low resolution you tube video

  8. HispanicSlammer

    Yosemite

    By HispanicSlammer,

    Tioga Pass New Video
    This is a part of the trip Dan and I made to California to go see the USMotoGP, we took a half day and visited the park. One of Americas National Treasures the place is definitly worth the time to visit once in your life, many more if your a true outdoors person. We started out in Lee Vining and made our way up Tioga Pass, where we entered on the east Gate at the top of the Pass. It is a national park so there was alot of traffic, I took over 3 hours of video and boiled it down to 12 minutes.
    :media: Yosemite National Park Video
    High resolution video wmv format 1mb/s sample and 12 minutes runtime, music by Foo Fighters, Cold Play, and the late great Johnny Cash
    The Map
    [map=AARTsJqwtAxDPukzS07Ix6SmJ3xAJVygmw]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=14239156040400631956,37.933710,-119.179250&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=Poole+Power+Plant+Rd+%4037.933710,+-119.179250&daddr=37.711529,-119.663086&mra=mi&mrsp=1,0&sz=11&sll=37.71859,-119.514771&sspn=0.242789,0.63858&ie=UTF8&ll=37.800019,-119.367828&spn=0.485041,1.277161&t=p&z=10&om=1[/map]

    Tioga Pass 6 sportbikes tore it up right before we did

    Tioga Pass

    Lembert Dome we did not stop

    Yosemite

    Yosemite

    Bridalveil falls closer
    LOW RESOLUTION YOU TUBE two parts


  9. HispanicSlammer

    Emory Pass

    By HispanicSlammer,

    video preview
    This is a video cut from the second part of the "Gila Monster" ride my two buddies and I took to the southern part of New Mexico last August. Emory Pass is part of hwy 152 and is situated smack in the middle of the Gila National Forest. We happened to be doing the road on a busy weekend, labor day weekend and found the road well traveled, I decided to take it easy passing while my buddy was a bit more furious when he passed. We ended up doing two passes that day. I love this road but for its remote location, its one of the best I have ever done.
    :media: Emory Pass Video
    The video is rather short, about 3 minutes featuring the music of James Cotton, blues man extraordinary - "Cut you loose". 1 mb/sec sample rate wmv format
    THE MAP
    [map=AARTsJrsAVA4vcdZ3NLQ4qJuamB-Tr_SkQ]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=2855967962099858914,32.905010,-107.751740&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=NM-152+%4032.905010,+-107.751740&daddr=32.892273,-107.829781&mra=mi&mrsp=1,0&sz=12&sll=32.88939,-107.692795&sspn=0.166923,0.374222&ie=UTF8&ll=32.90683,-107.789955&spn=0.083445,0.187111&t=p&z=13&om=1[/map]
    Photos from the trip

    The Gila Monster

    Scenic Overlook

    This is the Monster Tail

    Kingston NM

    White Coyote Cafe - T or C NM

    Reserve New Mexico

    Late Lunch in Silver City

    Vertical Profile from my GPS
    :media: Gila Monster - the first part - video
    :media: Gila Monster the trip the year before
    low res you tube

  10. HispanicSlammer
    Colorado Highway 92 a NEW VIDEO - riding with Motoman
    Riding Hwy 92 to the North rim of the Black Canyon is one of my favorite rides in Colorado. It is 30 miles of some of the best sweepers and scenery the Western Slope has to offer. I rode it 3 times this summer - this video below being one of the times. It was actually on the route we took (Motoman, Dan) and I took on our way to Laguna Seca this last July. Traversing Colorado on Highway 50 into Utah, Hwy 92 shoots off to the North West around Gunnison, we rode it and then turned around and did it again the other way then continued on west on Hwy 50 again. I was wary of my bike being so loaded down - fully dressed with Givi bags stuffed with riding goodies and a cooler inside full of drinks for the long hot road through the Nevada Desert. It was a bit wobbly and I wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to go the speed I normally go with all that stuff. Dan was equally as loaded down, only he had on a cumbersome backpack as well.
    The initial sprint north up the highway was a feeling out venture, and then we filmed the way back, being much more comfortable with the load on the bikes. We were able to lean it over with confidence in the tighter turns. I was beginning to feel good about the side bags and not noticing the extra weight so much. It wasn't until I was all the way in Monterey Bay - Cannery row that I got the sense of just how much weight I was carrying until I sat on MR. RC45 Larry had parked at out in front of Bubba Gump Shrimp on the Row. His bike felt like a feather!

    Dumbass cam
    THE MAP

    Full Size

    http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/videos/491/1236355822_hwy92.wmv.flv
    This video was supposed to be a test video to see how my double viosport camera setup would work. About a third of the way through there were a couple of riders taking our picture on one of the scenic turnouts. Then half way we had some wild company on the side of the road that raised the alarm a bit, you can see for yourself when you watch the video. I soldiered two camera wires into one and made a flip switch on my mini tankbag to change shots mid ride. I liked the way it came out - however since then the soldier has came apart, and I am working on a more rugged version. 72 MB wmv format - no sound, I shrink wrapped the mic on accident and it did not pick up much sound, so I added music, and worked some editing magic on the transitions. I hope you enjoy it.
  11. HispanicSlammer
    NEW VIDEO riding the sweepers with Motoman
    It is snowing here in Colorado and when the bike is stowed away for the winter months I turn to my dv tapes and start reliving the rides from the season past. This ride was part of my long trip to go see the US MotoGP with my friend Dan (Motoman) we where two days away from home, already we had 350 miles on the day and we had come to the turn off to the Flaming Gorge Uintas Scenic Byway. It had started to rain when we stopped in Manila UT, but we pressed on. Rain in the West is usually a sprinkle here a shower there. Not very often do we just get all day drenching, but it usually rains every day in summer somewhere.

    video preview
    :media: The Flaming Gorge Video High Resolution
    10 minutes wmv - Dan and I started up the pass up and over the plateau and back down to the bridge.
    The Map of the route
    [map=AARTsJraQnUrbLnpvhEPWjcvt66k6FYXfg]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=6571286530006078049,40.949402,-109.711592&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=UT-44+%4040.949402,+-109.711592&daddr=40.908583,-109.435501&mra=mi&mrsp=1,0&sz=12&sll=40.927003,-109.436531&sspn=0.11595,0.31929&ie=UTF8&ll=41.197257,-109.497986&spn=0.923778,2.554321&z=9&om=1[/map]
    Low Res YOUTUBE

    Some more pictures from the area


    Flaming Gorge area

    Steinaker State Park 5 miles west of Vernal UT

    vfr bathed in sunset

    Green River Reservoir Flaming Gorge

    Bridge at the Flaming Gorge
  12. HispanicSlammer
    Arapaho Peak Peak to Peak Highway w/ a new video
    Monday NOV 19th, yea thats right November its 72 degrees in the mountains and I was riding. Gotta save that for posterity, because tomorrow it is supposed to snow, and all this great riding weather will be gone. Back to cold days and tons of gravel in the corners. I was on the bike by 9am and heading up Ute pass, slowly since I wasn't sure what the roads would be like. It was like riding in summer, though I took all my cold weather gear and stowed it in the Givi trunk. I never needed it. It was like riding in the late afternoon all day cause the sun was so low in the sky, long shadows all day long. I gassed up in Woodland park after crawling up Ute Pass, I was soon on Deckers road heading west. I love this road but it sometimes scares me cause it was the scene of my first crash. So I always take it easy there, and it was a good thing, there was gravel in all the hard turns. Seems the Rednecks with dual wheels cant stay off the shoulder and they always kick gravel into the turns.
    Its always like that but today with the long shadows it was difficult to see so I took it slow, I was following a guy on a K1200S he was riding rather conservative - which was fine for a while, but once he saw me he waved me on by. It wasnt long before Horsepower hill was comming around the corner, where I would rev it up to top speed for the climb. Deckers road is really strange, its a fairly tight mountain road, and smack in the middle of it is a wide three lane highway that has been knicknamed Horsepower Hill by the locals. its a 5 mile climb up the mountain with fast sweepers all along the way, then up and over and back down the other side the fast sweepers continue. You can do the whole thing at triple digits if you have the nerve. Today I did and dropped mister Beemer in no time, at the top the road goes from 3 lanes back to 2 but the speed is the same and you end up in a curvy valley called "the bowl" you can really top it out there and then there is a long strait at the top of that that you can see for 2 miles. More top speed but I always slow down there - no more turns till you get to the bottom so whats the point? I didnt see the Beemer again till I stopped a half an hour later and he finally went by at Pine Junction. I had to get a drink of Red Bull to keep me alert. Working nights messes up my inner clock ya know.
    I tossed around hwy 285 for a bit, doing a nice back road called North Turkey Creek road and ended up in Morrison a half an hour later. I was stopped at the stop light pondering to turn left and head up Bear Creek Canyon or turn right and go into town. The light took for ever so I backed up a bit and headed into town - here I got the notion to do a loop up Golden Gate Canyon and back into Central City and do the Central City Parkway to I-70. It was only 1pm but I knew I only had a few more hours of daylight left to ride. I did end up doing Bear Creek Canyon 2 hours later after I finished the Denver loop, that was fun, lots of traffic as usual, but I had the tight parts to myself for a while. There was a guy riding an old Honda race bike, it looked like a small cc, not sure what year, it had dual shocks and it looked like a Cafe racer. He was riding slow so I passed him and waved as I went by and dissapeared into the next turn. Those skinny tires looked like mountain bike tires.
    GOLDEN GATE CANYON

    Video Preview
    :media: - Golden Gate Canyon Video
    I took my camera along not knowing what to film, I should have filmed Horsepower Hill cause I was really going fast on that, but instead I did half of Golden Gate Canyon. I started out going 7/10ths but upped it to 8 when I realized the road was good. You have to be careful this time of year. I stopped half way cause the bike was whobbling like it had a flat tire or somthing, I got off and looked at the tires and concluded the road was just bumpy like that. I then caught and passed the fella on the Norton a minute later - if you want to know. The video is the tight parts, no music just the V4, I cut out all the parts where I got stuck behind a car, or had to tiptoe through some slow gravel strewn road. 7 minutes long wmv format - I will upload it to youtube later if you dont like wmv movies.
    I saw about 20 bikes out and about - mostly Harleys and I waved at every one. There were lots of guys riding slow, but not me, I wanted to go go go. So I went alone today. I pretty much passed them all and waved at the ones going by. I only stopped for gas twice and once for a drink, the rest of the time I was rolling. I have done this double loop a number of times - it is really two loops combined, one out of Denver and one out of Colorado Springs and they intersect. Here are some map files below. It felt so good to be railing corners this late in the year!

  13. HispanicSlammer
    Pikes Peak
    It is not very common in November to find so many warm days to go riding, matter of fact you take what you can get! Usually its sunny but the temperatures range in the 40-50 range with snow and ice on the sides of the roads and gravel in all the corners. Yes it has already snowed in Colorado - once here in Colorado Springs. However we are having an Indian Summer and the temperatures have been an unbelievable 70 degrees out. So what do you do? You go riding of course.
    Sunday I decided to do a tour of Colorados famous Gold Belt tour, a three road loop of all the old Gold camp roads to the Cripple Creek Victor area. I asked my Boss he was free for a ride and he agreed to come along. Me on my XR650 and him on his DR350. The man stands a full foot above me at 6'8" and hes the most jolly happy man I know. Seems nothing fazes the guy, he recently was promoted at work and is moving to the other night shift so I wont be seeing him at work any time soon. So off we went up Gold Camp road to Victor, down Phantom Canyon - he wanted to see where I spent the night looking for Bigfoot, ha ha It wasnt so spooky, matter of fact he looks more like Bigfoot than anything I saw that day. Then we had some Mexican food for lunch in Canon City and then headed up Shelf road - Nate said he had never been on Shelf road so we went up it.

    Me and my XR650 south face of Pikes Peak in the back ground

    Riding with my boss This is Nate
    After we ate lunch we were climbing the 20% grade on Shelf road when my headlights all of a sudden stopped working, I pulled off as the sun was going down to fix it but I couldnt get them to work. So when we got back on pavement Nate lead so I could see what was going on in the dark. We stopped at a gas station and bungied some cheap flashlights to the fenders as makeshift headlights and tailights. Going down UTE pass we passed a couple of cops and I thought for sure I was toast but I made it all the way home with no insidents. Nate is more of a comuter on his bike than a weekend explorer like me, he said he really had a great time and he was glad for the dirt riding practice. He went from really going slow to keeping excellent pace with me - I am no dirt demon at all so it not a stretch to keep pace with me. He followed me home and we laughed about all the cops we passed - I guess they just couldnt see me with no lights on. It was dark and the temperature had dropped to 45 but who cares I was all pumped up on adrenelin from the thrill of the adventure.
    Gold Belt Tour Map
    [map=AARTsJrQVOhsknZuKjJBw8cWX8vrPlSGcg]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=7467263987749735846,38.765810,-104.813840%3B277796909954106813,38.724770,-105.021520%3B5534676680459063252,38.560716,-105.223531%3B6347464844011596467,38.447680,-105.205290%3B14943544766476927283,38.613150,-105.134450&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=Unknown+road+%4038.765810,+-104.813840&daddr=Gold+Camp+Rd+%4038.724770,+-105.021520+to:CR-9+%4038.560716,+-105.223531+to:Royal+Gorge+Blvd+%4038.447680,+-105.205290+to:CR-67%2FPhantom+Canyon+Rd+%4038.613150,+-105.134450+to:divide+co+to:Colorado+Springs,+El+Paso,+Colorado,+United+States&mra=pi&mrcr=2&via=1,2,4&sll=38.819381,-104.939346&sspn=0.239137,0.63858&ie=UTF8&cd=7&om=1&ll=38.733732,-105.010071&spn=1.206186,2.993774&t=p&z=9[/map]
    TWO DAYS LATER
    I couldnt beleive my luck yet another day of 70 degrees, where to this time - I wanted to ride the VFR this time, I hadent been on the viffer in over a month, lots of riding the XR but not the Viffer. Partly because my rear PPower was spanked all the way past the tread indicators. I had a slightly used rear in the shed, a take off from my trip to California this summer. It was just starting to show wear near the indicators and so I took it off before my trip to New Mexico and the Gila Monster, it was good enough to keep for just this sort of occassion. It was all worked over to the edge but it slipped on the wheel like a well worn glove.
    I pointed it south and twisted the throttle, let the wind take me where ever! I had my New Zumo mounted on it shake down test. I am impressed with this thing. I actually took it on the XR ride too but it shut down when the lights went off, I used battery power when it got really dark to see where the road was going.
    The zumo said I was doing a good 90 somthing somthing on the sweeper of the Green Horn Highway, I had somehow managed to make it to the Wet Mountains after slabbing it down hwy 115 - I decided to do a loop to Bishops Castle, over to Rye, back to Mckenzi Junciton and head over to Westcliff then wind my way to Texas Creek and up into Cripple Creek from High Park Road, then head home the same route I did with Nate. It is amazing how much more ground I cover on the VFR 250 miles compared to 130 with Nate in the same amount of time.

    Bishops Castle my vfr parked on the road

    Bishops Castle

    At the top of the lowest spire

    The Atrium weddings, raves, parties, you name it - its has happend here

    I climbed to that top spire lots of wobbly steps made of wrought iron

    A typical Jim Bishop creation not strong enough - slap another bar of iron on it.

    The Dragon from above

    Everybody says this is a moat but Mr Bishop says its a Dungeon
    I actually passed a Harley Davidson rider near Wetmore and made it to Bishops - climbed all over it and was heading back out when the HD rider pulled into Bishops. Behind him a guy on an Aprillia stopped too, it looked like a Falco at first but when I got closer it was clear to me it was a Mille. I was filthy with no lower fairings and about 6 months of bugs on it. The rider looked like he was just as filthy. Now my bike has been this filthy too, no passing judgement here, so I went up and introduced myself. He said his name was Larry and he was heading the same way to Rye for some lunch. He asked if I was interested in joining him - sure why not?
    He then said somthing I thought was funny "I will meet you at the turn off in Rye.. I know this road really well" - Rye is some 15 miles down the road! OK "why not ride together I thought"? Then I realized this guy meant he was gonna go so fast that I wasnt gonna be able to keep up! I thought OK? He did after all refer to my VFR as a sport tourer! So I got on the trusty viffer and Larry pulled out on the Mille.
    He took off like a bat out of hell doing 120mph! I reved it up and stayed in contact, he did after all have a liter bike. He was hauling, then some easy sweepers came up and I started to reel him in, and a few more staits but I was still in contact. Then the harder sweepers came up and all of a sudden I was right on him. He wasnt shaking me at all! I seemed to have surprised the guy cause he was checking me out in his mirrors. Yep I was right behind him - I KNOW THE ROAD TOO! 15 miles to Rye wasnt too long of a ride. We had some lunch and he told me about his 10 bikes he owns and how he never came across anybody who could keep up with him on the Green Horn Highway Like I did? I thought he must ride alone then? I know plenty of guys who ride that fast.
    He is one of them loners I guess who always pins the damn thing, all the time, pinned. All his bikes are for sale, all ten, he said he even has an 86 viffer for sale - salvage title 2 grand with some mis matched body work? OK lots of old bikes too.
    We headed back to Mckenzi Junction together for the 40 miles of the Green Horn Hwy on past Bishops Castle, a great road full of long sweepers and nice S shaped turns. I started out ahead of him but he passed me on the stait, and got a good 1/4 mile ahead of me. I reved it up to 117 or so to catch him and got a bit closer, but that Mille has more power. I wanted to stay close till I could catch him in the turns, sure enough the turns came up and I was on him like glue. He was unpredictable in the turns so I passed him on an easy turn and got way ahead for the next set of turns. I guess he wasnt used to sombody riding turns like that? He passed me again on the next strait and so I stayed close for the next set of turns and then he started to blowing turns, he blew one really hard - over the double yellow and the next one too going all the way into the oncoming lane - which got me rather alarmed. I realized I was riding too close so I rolled off and let him go on ahead for a good 10 bike lengths - he was a bit shaken I could tell - and I didnt want to see him go down. I was having a blast myself, and feeling really comfy - what a Day. I stopped and said goodby, and we parted ways I had another 100 miles of twistys to do! He was all tuckered out on his Mille - not me the Viffer was just getting warmed up!
    Back to the same spot for a picture - as I took with Nate two days before.

    Same place two days later southern face of Pikes Peak

    Pikes Peak
    Map of the Bishops Castle Loop
    [map=AARTsJpQxq7sU9PIvfNWKP8SNhXT-nhwYQ]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=7092982224853031565,38.789280,-104.822010%3B8627210910271840572,38.613330,-104.893570%3B17582621160096791106,38.164850,-105.189980%3B11175003633667319254,37.923200,-104.927270%3B10271801768667968077,38.135870,-105.459080%3B5119389560107096371,38.673200,-105.344980%3B10469175807363240318,38.764570,-105.203930%3B11197392464292667535,38.711030,-105.137110%3B2551081133983032187,38.725050,-105.122580&saddr=CO-115+N+%4038.789280,+-104.822010&daddr=CO-115+%4038.613330,+-104.893570+to:CO-96+%4038.164850,+-105.189980+to:CO-165+%4037.923200,+-104.927270+to:Main+St+%4038.135870,+-105.459080+to:CR-11+%4038.673200,+-105.344980+to:Cripple+Creek-Florissant+Rd+%4038.764570,+-105.203930+to:CO-67%2FDiamond+Ave+%4038.711030,+-105.137110+to:CR-81+%4038.725050,+-105.122580+to:Woodland+park+to:38.794768,-104.823303&mra=dme&mrcr=2&mrsp=10&sz=10&via=1,2,4,5,6,7,8&sll=38.629745,-104.971619&sspn=0.603987,1.496887&ie=UTF8&ll=38.582526,-105.227051&spn=2.417421,5.987549&t=p&z=8[/map]
    I love Colorado - days like these are what I live for.
  14. HispanicSlammer
    Somebody said they saw Bigfoot here according to Google Earth so I marked it on my map and went and looked for myself.
    I like to look at maps, I can spend hours pouring over a topo map. Then I downloaded Google Earth - wow this is a map lovers wet dream. I was logged onto Google Eath last week clicking along a few roads I know. They got this nice feature where you can click an icon and see a photo somebody uploaded of the place. I was clicking along this dirt road I love, called Phantom Canyon. Its north of Canon City and a bit west of Pueblo, hwy 67 is its number and takes you up this dirt road to the old gold mine area of Cripple Creek/Victor. Anyway I was clicking on the pictures and so I clicked on this other icon, which popped up a Wiki reference to BFRO? What the Hell is BFRO? So I kept on clicking and found this
    http://www.bfro.net/GDB/state_listing.asp?state=co
    Some Yahoo reported seeing BIGFOOT at that spot and it was marked as such on Google Earth! I about fell out of my chair laughing. Freaking Bigfoot? Aww I gotta go see this place! What better way to go scare the crap out of yourself on Halloween than to go looking for Bigfoot eh? I read some more, there were more sighting on Rampart range too.
    So it was about noon and so I packed my gear and my tent and went out to go look for Bigfoot. First I headed to Rampart Range Road, a nice mountain back-road that takes you near Denver, its popular with offroaders, somebody reported a Bigfoot sighting there too. I had to go see.

    Rampart Range near Devils Head, you can see Signal Butte and some smoke from a fire up near Florrisant

    Devils Head Rampart Range Road Pikes Peak

    Mount Evans off to the north Rampart Range

    Hwy 285 corridor Rampart Range Road campsite
    There were so many campers and dirt bikes out there I concluded NO WAY would Bigfoot hang around here! Way too many people to be a good spot to chill and eat Bigfoot Big Macs! So I got off Rampart Range Road and headed south on hwy 67 to Deckers, it travels along the Platte River and its nice and windy, I was just cruising it at 50mph or so. You can lull yourself to sleep on those turns its mesmerizing. Then I headed up further to a fire road near Westcreek, only to find that 7 miles into it that it was closed. I had been battling with snow the whole ride, every time I got into the shade of some trees I would hit a patch of snow and ice and the Big Piggy would want to swap ends, this thing is heavy and it hates snow! That was the really scary part, heading down a 15% grade on snowy icy dirt road! But I managed.
    So I know this Westcreek Road well enough but I wasn't about to turn around, I stopped in the village at Westcreek and looked at a map posted at the volunteer fire department and ran into two fellas out riding around in a John Deer ATV. They said they knew a short cut to Divide and to follow them for some 5 miles up the road to the turnoff. SO I did, at an incredibly excruciating pace of 25mph> boy I was getting antsy, then a Suburban assault vehicle rolled in behind us and started tail gating me - naw I wasn't having it, see ya guys I will find it myself. I turned off on cr road 33 and headed south and low and behold I found this familiar trail 717! I know that trail! My friends took me up here last summer! Off I went on the trail, and Jobs it was bumpy! Whoops whoops whoops as far as the eye can see nothing but whoops. I stayed on it till the next fire road and got the hell off of that shit! Every time it went down a gully I had to push the damn Pig out of mud and snowy icy crap!@ Whew I survived it! That was the real scary part being alone on some semi expert trail on a big ass XR650 I had to find this road!
    after an hour or so on the trail those fire roads seemed like gold paved dream roads! I was soon in Divide and heading toward Cripple Creek/Victor. I have been in Phantom Canyon several times up always heading up it - never down it. This time I would go down. It seemed like a completely different road to me.

    Rolling Hills near Cripple Creek

    Victor Colorado Hwy 67

    Phantom Canyon hwy 67

    Phantom Canyon

    Not many leaves left on the Aspens Phantom Canyon

    Some Jackass said they saw Bigfoot here according to Google Earth so I marked it on my map and went and looked for myself.

    There are tunnels in them thar hills Nope no Bigfoot hiding in the tunnel

    Phantom Canyon near Victor

    BigPiggy - Bigfoot maybe they saw the XR and not a big furry animal?
    I rolled down to the point where the Bigfoot sighting took place and wondered around for an hour or so looking at Cow tracks, cow poop, and beer bottles. I saw some dog tracks, and deer tracks, I think I even saw a cougar track but no BIGFOOT tracks. The Mountain Lion track did sort of alarm me, it was getting late and I set up camp further up the road. I slept under the stars and heard every little thing that went on. Cows mooing - the wind in the trees - and a skunk smell ewwww. I managed to be rather entertained by the whole experience. Bigfoot where ever you are - I owe you a beer dude!
  15. HispanicSlammer
    Motorcycles in Monument Valley w/ Two New Videos
    As many of you may know my one epic trip this season was to be a two week trip to California to go see the MotoGP at Laguna Seca. Tt was originally supposed to be a trio of us, Me, Dan, and Craig. Well NO, we were all set to go, bikes packed, ready to flip the starter and then Craig's bike wont budge - bad stator. A years worth of planning down the drain. So we did this make up ride to Utah instead - to go and see Zion National Park, and visit Southern Utah along the way.
    It started out great, although a bit windy, and a bit cool. We both work at the same Fab (semiconductors) where we work nights on the same shift. He helped get me a job there. So we stayed up all day after working (lots of Red Bull) and took off 9:30am after a short 2 hour nap.
    THE ROUTE

    Colorado Map

    Utah Map
    Google Map of the Route to Zion
    Google Map of the Route Home
    THE VIDEOS

    You Tube low res of Zion
    :media: High Resolution Video - wmv format - Zion National Park

    You Tube low res of Escalante Grand Staircase
    :media: High Resolution Video - mvw format - Escalante Grand Staircase
    We rolled over Monarch Pass where the clouds had gathered and froze our butts off at the top, there the temp gage read 30f!! Colorado can be a Biznach in October! I was hauling ass up Monarch Pass until about the point where the cold hit then the snow started falling and so I just put the vfr in safe mode after that.

    Monarch Pass Whoa it was cold up in here
    Then on the way down the clouds broke, the sky let out the sun, and we were in relative warmth after that - if 60f is warm. Well anyway it seemed a whole lot warmer, time for a cup of soup and a sandwich at the Firebrand deli in Gunnison. The Firebrand is a local favorite, a homey little deli if not a bit on the mountain muffin side of the table, yea its sort of a modern hippy hangout but the sandwiches are great. You cant get a better Ruben sandwitch anywhere else on the western slope.
    Stopping in Gunnison means only one thing, fuel and food for the "Black Canyon"! One must never miss the opportunity to ride Colorado Highway 92 west of Gunnison, its simply the best road in Colorado for the sights and peg scraping action. It can be intimidating to the occasional flat lander but its not as tight as Deals Gap, average speed is 70mph if your any good. We railed it to the end and then slowed down for a nice picture taking tour the second pass

    End of the trail Turn around and do it again

    Black Canyon North End of Hwy 92

    The Bushes were turning A black bear popped his head out but he was too fast for the camera

    The San Juan Range in the background Colorado hwy 92

    The Road follows the mesa

    Enjoying the road

    Pines and Aspens mixed together on the hillside

    Aspens in fall color Aspens exist naturally in a narrow band of mountain elevation roughly (7-10k') the Black Canyon hwy 92 runs right through it

    The valley below
    After we made our obligatory pass of the Black Canyon we were back on to hwy 50 which in itself is a great road over to Montrose. There we tried to gas up but some yahoo in a big freaking truck smacked into Craig's bike as he was gassing it up. To me it looked like the guy actually swerved to tag him? Craig yells out and made the guy stop, HE WAS pissed - boy he was pissed! Then the dude says " I don't see nothing wrong" and took off in his over sized diesel truck. I couldn't see any damage either but he looked like he did it intentionally! We had some time to make up and 200 miles yet to go so we decided not to get the cops and just get going. He stewed over that for days after though! The bike seemed fine.
    It wasn't long before the San Juan mountains took our minds off that incident, Dallas Divide was up next

    Dallas Divide Mount Sneffels covered in snow

    Dallas Divide Looking southeast the million dollar highway getting pounded with high wind and snow
    The sun was winding down as we approached the Utah border and then as soon as we crossed the temperature dropped back down to 30 degrees! thankfully we only had to endure it for 40 minutes as were were closing in on Blanding where we made reservations, ordered a pizza and some "Gammys" (read the other blog entries for that one) and I crashed out, I was up for 27 hours strait and I didn't even make it to the second "Gammy" before I passed out.
    The next day we were off to the Bicentennial Highway across Utah

    Bicentennial Highway Utah

    Fry Canyon

    Fry Canyon

    Glen Canyon Bridge

    Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

    Bicentennial Highway Utah The Colorado River to the right, you can see the bridge off in the distance
    We took a lot of pictures on this trip, many more than I actually posted. One of us would stop and snap a pic and the other would go on ahead and mosey around real slow till the other caught up. That is until I decided to take that last picture above. Craig pulled off on a side road and I did not see him go off and so I sped up to catch him, thinking he had gone ahead. I remembered the last time we did this section of road a year ago Dan was with us then and we were pretty much hauling butt through there. So naturally I came to the conclusion Craig must have busted the top off a can of whoop ass and took off. So I upped the throttle to 90 something something, getting my knee awfully close to the pavement (no pucks) and going awfully fast in those ever so sweet sweepers in the Canyonlands - then pegging it hard in the straits. Nope no Craig in sight I topped it out all they way to Hanksville in 30 minutes or so give or take +- an hour (for reference only) heh I don't recall - and I plead the 5th! I did not see him at either of the gas stations and reasoned with my sharp mental skills (duh George dah maybe he is da behind me an I duh missed him) so I waited a good 40 minutes at the gas station for him as he cruised in doing the speed limit. Yep he stopped at a pull off out of sight and I whizzed on by at full speed.
    So we might as well grab a burger at the diner in the gas station, where they serve this overloaded shake that is so full it is stacked up 3 inches over the top of the cup. The guy at the counter was a bit slow in the head and I worried he might charge my debit card 80 bucks or something instead of the 8 bucks it actually cost, apparently they have pretty pictures he can touch on the screen that look like the food you order so he doesn't have to do math! Jebus that guy was a dolt! Nice though! Food was good though. There was a couple of families traveling together in a caravan - we chatted with them a bit - they were motorcyclist, a mom and son who both have bikes - they seemed interested in my throttle mister, she said she has a Road Star and the young man said he owned a Ninja 600 an older model.
    Off we went to Capital Reef, no pictures just more fun sweepers to rail. Its awfully pretty, if you would like check out the VFRD video section, its got a great video of Capital reef at sunset the fabled ride we did last year. The we turned south at Torry and did Hwy 12 up and over the pass to Escalate

    Capital Reef

    Escalate Grand Staircase hwy 12

    Escalate Grand Staircase
    We skipped Bryce and decided to skip Zion that day and put it off till the next day, instead we explored this squiggly line on the map called hwy 14 to Cedar City, it was late evening and the sun was low in the sky. And the Deer were out and about, it wasn't 3 turns into the road before we saw a deer skate right out in front of us, then I passed Craig and another darted right in front of me (hard on the brakes I missed the damn thing by 5 feet) and on the way down a whole gang of them darted across the road - this damn road was downright life threating!! I was getting paranoid! So I pulled off for a moment to gather myself and take some pictures from the scenic overlook.

    Zion National Park seen from above UT hwy 14

    Zion National Park hwy 14
    We stayed in Hurricane, where the food is adequate but nothing to write about, they like to seat you in booths that are already occupied, imagine my surprise at the JB restaurant when two women returned from the salad bar only to find two men occupying their booth! It was awkward to say the least, I cracked a joke and we found a nearby table. Nothing a few "Gammys" cant cure! (no I am not gonna tell ya what a Gammy is you have to read my last big blog entry)
    The next morning it was overcast but 70 degrees out, and we half ass-ed sort of came to the conclusion to go to Zion, I guess. I passed out the night before and we never really figured it out, I just sort of assumed we were gonna do the park, it wasn't in the day plan, we were supposed to have done it the day before but did that damn video game road (don't-hit-the-deer on Nintendo 64) Jebus that was nerve racking! Stay the hell away from UT hwy 14 at twilight or you will be sorry! Any-who I just steered it over to Zion, and Craig says "um I thought we were skipping it? Aw F it lets do it anyway!" We decided to do the whole shebang, pop for the $12 bucks to get in and go for a ride on the bus too! At this point my Garmin Quest decided it wasn't gonna work anymore so I just sort of was pissed as it was, hells yea we are doing the damn park! We came all this way! And my F'n Gps is Jacked! OK I wasn't really pissed, I was riding my vfr after all - how could you possibly get pissy on a vfr? Somehow we ended up in the park for 3 hours!

    Hurricane Utah Gateway to Zion

    The Road to Zion

    The Road to Zion

    Native Flower

    Zion National Park

    Zion Canyon Scenic Drive Accessible only by park bus

    Court of the Patriarchs

    Turn at Big Bend

    Big Bend

    Great White Throne

    Great White Throne

    The Grotto I think?

    Towers of the Virgin US flag flies above the Human History Museum

    The Watchman the view from our table at the deli next to the park

    Zion-Mount Carmel Highway

    Climbing switchbacks to the Tunnel you can see the tunnel windows in the rock

    Zion East Entrance it started to rain
    So now we were already at noon and we only went 40 miles! Heh time for slab! All the way across Utah too and into Arizona for a dash as well. We stopped in Page for gas and a pee, and there I fell in love with a beautiful Indian Navajo girl washing her truck, she must have washed the bumper on that thing for at least 30 minutes. Scrubbing the same spot, over and over again with a loving swirling action. I however did not mind at all (schwing) I wished I was that bumper "for just one moment, I could be you" (don't mind the Dylan reference) OMG I love beautiful Indian women! Most however are not so beautiful and look upon me with an distrustful eye, "9 fifty" she utters, for my gas and Red Bull. That is the extent of conversation you get from the typical female Navajo working the counter at the gas stations in the Nation. Absolutely no eye contact or an acknowledgment you actually exist. I guess they don't like being gawked at "All I want is a PEPSI" heh another reference you will have to figure out yourself. I stated thinking about my first girlfriend, she was Ute Indian though, good times, I still get weak in the knees over her, ahhh dreamland.
    NINE FIFTY!!!
    Craig snaps his fingers, "snap out of it we gotta go"! and so we rolled on out of there - me still in dreamland somehow we made all the right turns. We were roughing it without my damn GPS working. God knows GPS makes riding so much easier! Now we actually had to follow road signs what a pain in the ass that is!

    Glen Canyon Damn Page Arizona - Lake Powell

    Colorado River @ Lake Powell
    We had been chasing the tail end of a storm all day long, not getting rained on but riding on a wet road and getting misted by every vehicle that passed by in the opposite lane, the 18 wheelers - they just plastered you with dirty muddy mist and totally fubbed up your visor for a few miles till you get enough mist from the other cars to actually wash it off. We were approaching Monument Valley right as the sun was at its best and there was a mystical fog rolling along the hillside, and it was frickin cold again! I will say this, It was the highlight of the entire trip!!

    Heading into Monument Valley Navajo Nation UT hwy 163

    Monument Valley

    Mitchell Butte bathed in sunlight after a storm

    Eagle Mesa

    Monument Valley

    Motorcycles in Monument Valley

    Rainbow between Castle Butte and Big Indian Butte

    Eagle Mesa at 65mph

    Speed Effect

    Setting Hen Speed effect

    Setting Hen

    Eagle Mesa shrouded in fog

    Backside of Mitchell Mesa

    Monument Valley Stagecoach - the King on his Throne - Brigham's Tomb

    Rolling into Mexican Hat Utah
    Mexican Hat is wonderful place, just on the boarder of the Navajo nation in UTAH its separated by the San Juan river and is seated in some of the most stunning scenery imaginable, we stopped at the Mexican Hat lodge, a dodgy rusty place where you can get a streak and a beer and find a nice comfy bed and watch old Gene Autry movies all night long on the boob tube.

    Mexican Hat Lodge next best thing to roughing it

    Mexican Hat Lodge home of the swinging steak - as seen on the food channel
    Its the closest thing to roughing it Craig likes to get, there is no bar soap only a Gogo liquid soap dispenser in the shower that he utterly destroyed trying to get a squirt of soap out of, its kind of funny but he said, its is his second favorite place to stay ever. He said it was like camping out or something cowboy style but with a comfy bed to sleep in. We did however miss the swinging steak, the reason I wanted to go, that cold freaking storm we rode through shut it down for the evening, no steak awwww. So we headed over to the diner by the river and had a wonderful meal there. The place was packed with a bus load of French Canadians and sweet young couples on their first cross country trip together. You could write a book about it, a slice of Americana right there in one big room. Our waitress was the most friendly Navajo woman on the planet but a little over worked, two rooms of frenchys and a couple of dodgy bike punks she must have thought we were dragged through hell the way we looked. Nice pretty faces in the big picture window booths, it looked like a French post card this old café from outside as I waited for Craig on my bike. Southwest style at its best.
    THE LEG HOME

    Mexican Hat Rock

    Valley of the Gods

    The prettiest slab you can imagine

    Valley of the Gods in the early morning

    Cedar Mesa off in the distance UT hwy 163

    Hwy 162 follows the San Juan river in the Navajo Nation

    Finally In Colorado Somewhere on hwy 160 where it intersects with the old hwy 666
    More slab across the reservation to Colorado, and into Durango for lunch, I stopped at my favorite place in Durango, Old Tymers bar for the best burger in the four corners - yes its good enough to write home about. I needed to charge up my ipod since I forgot to at the Lodge so I snaked an open power plug and charged it up while we ate lunch, the ditsy waitress she didn't care. We wanted to go ahead and ride the Million Dollar Highway CO 550 on the way out.

    Hwy 550 Colorado possibly the prettiest road in the US - also known at the Million Dollar Highway from Durango to Ouray

    Engineer Mountain Durango mountain resort

    This image might look familiar I took the logo pic here 4 years ago - this is Molas pass and Craig's VTEC

    My turn my 5th gen on Molas Pass

    The big switchback at Chattanooga La Junta Peak looms overhead

    Approaching the most technical section the Million Dollar Highway

    Craig rides behind me

    The Million Dollar Highway

    Million Dollar Highway Red Mountain

    Ouray at the end of the Million Dollar Highway

    A Strange Pet A young buck sunning himself in downtown Ouray

    Top of Monarch Pass The leg home

    Baldy Peak at Sunset hwy 50 east of Salida
    I hope you enjoyed reading the story and looking at the vids and pictures - as always
    Slammer!
  16. HispanicSlammer
    Loveland Pass
    It has been a while since I have actually day tripped on the VFR, most my day trips have been on the XR and the VFR has been doing interstate duties this season. Not last Tuesday, I just had to get out and see for myself if the autumn leaves are changing color yet? For the most part yes! Unfortunatly they seem to be falling right off the trees as soon as they do. Most of the path I took was Evergreens.
    View Google Route Map
    I took some twisty mountain roads around the Evergreen/Connifer area to keep my skills honed, and well they are not so honed. It was good practice but some of the 180 degree up hill hairpins on Connifer mountain proved to be tricky. I decided to try some more on Brook Forest Road, the looped back into the Denver Area - well no quite I turned off in Morrison first and stayed in the mountains.
    Then I heade up the Interstate to Hwy 6 and went up and over Loveland Pass, I was having some fun on the turns and then saw some guy at the top photographing me as I leaned it over into the twisty parts. Well not just me he had his lounge chair all set up, waving as I went by. I stopped at the top to see a young long haired bicyclist on his Lamond road bike, he was very fit and it looked like the bike had some miles on it. I offered to take pictures for a few tourist out for a drive in thier minivan. Everybody has to take a picuture at the Loveland pass sign - including me.

    Loveland Pass

    Grizzly Peak

    Continental Divide

    A popular snow boarding area

    Loveland Pass
    Then I got back on the bike and headed down the pass to No Name Gultch where A-Basin ski area resides, there is a nice switchback there with a pull off to view the scenery.

    No Name Gultch ten mile range in the background

    A Basin

    Ten Mile Range

    Grissly Peak dusted with snow
    I waved as the family of tourist passed by in thier minivan. I was a bit cold but nice to be out riding. I was up here last year learning to snow board, I was sore from falling over and over again. I remember seeing a lot of Grizzly peak that day.

    Hoosier Pass
    Hoosier pass is also on the continental divide, I had to pass a long line of cars to get to the good turns near the top - where I was alone and free to rail at my leasure. I stopped breifly at the top with no sign of the cars I passed at the bottom. It was turning out to be a great ride.
  17. HispanicSlammer

    The Gila Monster

    By HispanicSlammer,

    The Gila Monster
    NEW VIDEO
    Let me explain, this whole trip had one mission, one thing in mind, one specific road to ride, one reason to go "The Gila Monster". It was two days ride to get there, two days back. Why would anybody want to slab a day to go ride a road in the remote Gila National Forest in New Mexico? Well cause its a great fricken road thats why! Helo... heh I think so much about it I gave it a name "The Gila Monster" so lets cut to the chase ... see for yourself.

    http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/videos/491/1236161313_gilamonster.wmv.flv
    This video is 5 minutes of unadulterated road riding, no cars, continuous and un edited. I did add music since the wind noise was annoying but its basically me chasing Motoman for 5 minutes till we got stuck behind a line of cars where it ends. The road by no means ends here rather it continues on for another 20 miles but it is safe to say it is the best part.

    Full Size
    The Ride Report
    DAY ONE
    Colorado Springs to Santa Fe New Mexico

    Lunch in Cuchara
    We mostly slabbed it on I25 south but I just cant take that much slab so I asked Craig to turn off at Walsenburg so we could go ride Cucharas pass. There was a great litle bar there that serves lunch I thought of stopping at. Craig loved it, and the road too. He had not been on the vfr in two months since it was broken down - see my laguna seca writeup. Anyhow he was rusty and not so comfortable with the bike at all but if there are fast sweepers hes on it! Once I got up the pass and onto the high speed sweepers he was passing me to take them in stride. Its funny hes always been like that, if he knows the road that is. I stayed with him and we were taching the bikes out at 20k just like Joey D in the Isle Of Man (well maybe not). I was amped up on a Dickens Cider energy drink ( ya get it ;) ) so I was keen on keeping up. I seem to have the advantage on the tight stuff since well he was still rusty.

    Trucas New Mexico
    Once in New Mexico we headed into the mountains and up Cimmaron Canyon, It was full of tar snakes and lots of campers out for the weekend so it was 6/10ths at best, but fun none the less. It was overcast and I knew it was going to rain on us. I headed down to Mora on the wierd and unique road hwy 38 - it is like a driveway that goes on for 30 miles. Two pickup trucks with some rough looking Mexicans were trying to hold us off, I was worried about passing - but I did anyway and after I did Craig got by too. They certainly were not about to pull off and let us by - and they were going faster then they would have been had they not seen us behind them. Idiots! I think passing them even after they tried thier darnedest to outrun us was funny, at least they were not blocking the other lane too - what little of it there was.
    Then came Mora where I saw a goddes driving her Pontic Sunbird (who would have thunk it) - her lip gloss was glistening in the sun and I was instantly in love. I decided not to pass her for 5 miles even though she was going 15 mph. What can I say I couldnt help myself. Then once I saw some twisty road heading up the pass I snapped out of it and started riding harder up the wet roads into the high country. It was here that we though we saw snow - nope it was acumulated hail. We got lucky and missed that - it was all in the road but we managed to ride through some dry tire tracks.
    Penasco we encountered yet another crazy Mexican guy in a Ford F150 going way faster than he probably should be trying to hold me off. I followed safely right behind 2 car lengths or so and waited to pounce - I guess I was semi mature about it, not gonna squid pass the guy but Yea I am gonna pass him no doubt. Its like he asked for it or somthing. It came to a long hill climb out of some other small town and I twisted the throttle and showed him why a bike can out accelrate a stock F150 - It wasnt long before he was completely out of sight - but Craig was right behind me. I guess I should explain that Dan was also comming but he was driving his truck down with the Gixxer in the back since he had to work one more day than us. It would be another days ride before we hooked up with him.
    Trucas NM was where the skies really opend up on us, all the way down into the valley below. I was gambling a bit on fuel, well not really I know my bike and I know the road I was safely in range but Craig was freaking out. Pointing madly at his gas tank I guess he wasnt too happy with the fuel situation. I motioned to keep going. Sure enough once we got to Gas Station in Pojoque he only needed 4.4 gallons - whats the big deal he had another gallon left? Opps I on the other hand needed 4.8g.
    I spent the night at my sisters place in Santa Fe and Craig moteled it for the night, but not before we took him out on the town to La Choisa Resturant for some Santa Fe style cuisine. He enjoyed it - I certainly did, my niece and newphew provided the entertainment.
    DAY TWO
    Santa Fe to Soccoro
    I thought it would be nice to take the back way to Alb and ride up Sandia Peak. It was nice in the morning and sunny. The road up to the peak is nice and twisty and lots of fun, but it can catch ya out with the tight switch backs at the top. I wasn't "railing it" per sea but I was riding it well enough to finish off the chicken strips on my newly shod Pilot Powers - well up to the edge ok. Craig wasnt so bold he stayed in his comfort zone, saying he wasnt sure how far he could go - still a bit rusty. Then we got hit with a 3$ ENTRANCE FEE?? Ok I forgot about that. Why dont they make you pay at the bottom? Seems like its a bit of a trap waiting to make you pay at the top? Maybe it is just to stop at the top and use the facilities - I mean you can certainly turn around before the top? There were green trucks all along the way too so who knows - they were probabaly out because it was labor day weekend.

    Sandia Peak
    After that we headed into the Indian country for some semi slab and had to stop for gas in some speck of a village, the attendant was really attractive for such a nowhere ville little dump? On we went and then the rains came again, not only did they come they beat the crap out of us with some hail too. I was here we decided to cut off half the ride and head strait for Soccoro ( instead of doing cloudcroft) the place we were headed was nothing but an inpenitrable wall of water - forget that!!

    Chupadera Mountains

    Craig adjusts his rain gear
    DAY THREE
    What we come for.

    White Coyote Cafe - T or C NM
    The slab from Soccoro to Truth or Consequences was almost torture. Knowing was was up ahead is what kept us going, so insted we stopped in town for breakfast. We planned on meeting there at some cafe called the Coyote Cafe. I just looked up a cafe having no idea what it was like. It was artsy fartsty and a bit too foo foo for me but we ate there anyway. I saw a great post card - an arial photo of the Monster and looked up the website on the back.
    http://www.landerland.com/Kingston/Ashot.html

    The Gila Monster at Kingston New Mexico
    We headed out of T or C and slabbed it some more, getting passed by three other guys on sport touring bikes a mile or so from the turn off. I though hey maybe we will have some company? Nope they kept on going down the interstate, not knowing what they missed!
    The turn off at hwy 152 in Cabelo was sort of uneventfull or so I thought as I started on down the long strait to the mountians. I passed a few cars and then a few more and a couple more?? WTF was up with all these cars? I kept going then all of a sudden I hear a siren - I was being pulled over? CRAP!! It was an unmarked sherrif, no radar? He said we all did not make a complete stop, and we were speeding in a 55 zone at 70 or so? I just kept quite and polite, yazza nozza!
    He pointed to the other two to pull over too, crap all three of us! Then he asks for my stuff. The usual - I am thinking I am toast. He doenst go back to his car??!! OK!
    "here is the deal"
    whew I think!
    "instead of a $200 dollar ticket for not stopping at a stop sign, and anoter $200 for speeding...each of ya" - "your just gonna keep on going 55, and slow down"
    He said "I am too lazy to write ya all a ticket" and with that I shook the mans hand and we all sighed a sigh of releif! OMG close one!
    I asked him where all these cars came from? Since the interstate was not so busy, where did these cars come from? He told us he was patrolling for the big apple festival in Hillsburo up the road. Yea it was big, it took us 30 minutes to go a mile through town! Must have been 10,000 people there at that festival, all of them walking right out in front of us. I guess it is our reponsibility to not hit sombody who walks out into the steet without looking? Oh well, I was hoping and praying that the road was clear up ahead.

    Vertical Profile from my GPS
    Well yes and no, not 10,000 but maybe a 100! It was a bit congested on the Monster but not so bad, we got in 5 minutes without any cars to pass so I was happy. Craig got some left over apple pie in Kingston and we all had a good time on the Monster. Dan was squid passing a bit more aggressive than I cared for so we let him go on the second pass. He went all the way back to Kingston and ran it again alone. It was hard enough catching up after passing just one car but 2, 3 was too much of a task.

    Kingston NM

    This is the Monster Tail

    Scenic Overlook

    The Gila Monster

    Late Lunch in Silver City
    We had to cut off the upper part up into the Gila Clif Dwellings it was getting too late and we were hungry. Dan says we really got to hit it to get back to Soccoro before night fall. I dont know? Silver City to Reserve in an hour and ten ok - you do the math. Then it was strait to the hwy 60 turn off at Datil? My GPS started recording top speed numbers here.

    The Very Large Array

    Closer
    Our plans changed yet again and so we had to stay in Soccoro one more night instead of pushing on to Alb. Dans truck was at the Walmart in Soccoro so he took off ahead of us and loaded up the gixxer. we stayed in Soccoro and ate pizza and drank beer instead of what we planned. OH WELL
    DAY FOUR
    The slab home
    Those two stayed up too late so yea well ...they got up late too. It was almost 11am before we all left Soccoro. My plans to ride the Jimez loop and Cumbres pass had to be scrapped if I was going to get home by midnight. I saved just two treats for the day, well maybe three. One was the painted rocks on hwy 84 and the other was the great sweepers from Tierra Amarilla to Tres Piedres hwy 64. 64 is Craigs kind of road and I knew he would be happy to ride it. It was great.
    Pictures of the painted rocks

    Vetrans Memorial Hwy 84

    Ghost Ranch

    Ojitos de Los Gato

    Hoodos

    El Monte Rojo

    El Monte Rojo
    The road to Tres Piedres

    Brazos Cliffs

    Brazos Cliffs
    We crossed up into Colorado and had dinner in Antonito, having not eaten all day it was a welcome site to see a sit down resturant. The Korean lady serving was a hoot, she was getting all mixed up but she was on the ball, if not a bit upside down. Dinner was satisfiying and so I decided to ride the "road of the anchients" other wise knows as "Los Caminos Antiquos" its a strait line on the map but its a beatiful streatch of road when the sun is going down. My favorite time of day. What ride!! Some times I get complacent about where I live, I dont stop to appreicate it as much as I should, being a native born Colordoan I some times get desinitized to the beauty around me. I takes a trip out of state to make me see just how great Colorado is. I did not take pictures of the Camino but I have it in my mind. Somthings are too good to share.
  18. HispanicSlammer
    I don't know where to begin, it was such an epic in the making. A full year of planning, routes to be scrutinized, people to contact, motels to reserve. I still am not sure what to make of it, bittersweet as it was I will start from the beginning.
    THE BEGINNING
    There where originally three of us planning to do this, here we all are in the picture below ready to go - HispanicSlammer (myself), Motoman (Dan gixxer), and Colosprvfr (Craig) we stopped to get a before pic and after we then climbed on the bikes. Then Craig thumbs the starter and "click" nothing - an hour goes by, fairings removed and we all come to the conclusion the stator is shot and well thats the sad part - Craig stays behind! Bummer major freaking bummer! hes got perhaps 32k on the bike and has never had a problem, well one problem his thermostat got stuck open once before. Hes on the phone ordering parts next day but of course after talking with him we determine hes not gonna make it on the viffer, there is always his Shadow but he wants to rail just like we do. So Dan and I continue on. I replaced my RR just in case, 30k or so on mine and well no need to take chances. I got a Signal Dynamics led voltmeter that was acting up on the last ride - taking no chances I replace the RR before the trip, fresh mobile one oil, new chain, new Pilot Powers, gave everything the once over I made sure I was good to go. Craig said his battery went dead the week before - I wish I had known about that, cause we would have run the problem down and fixed it pronto.

    All ready to go! Little did we know!
    Well shoot - thats the bitter part - a good friend was unable to make the trip. Dan and Craig are rather close so he was bummed to no end. So we hit the highway on familiar roads om Colorado. While in Salida It seemed my bike was overloaded, I don't know why I should have dumped the extra gear I brought for us to sleep on - an air mattress for the odd man out in the double room, and othr extra gear. The Givi bags where a bit heavy and I wasn't used to it, on the high speed sweepers of HWY 50. So in Salida we stopped for lunch at this rustic looking place in on the main drag and wow. All I can say is "Wow" they grow them pretty in Salida, our waitress that is, she was a knockout! It was a sign of things to come, all our servers were just pretty as could be on this entire trip. We were soon heading over Monarch Pass, my first real test of the bike with this load on it. She wobbled a bit and it was rather unsettling so I added a click of rebound on the shock and it cleaned up a bit. We decided to run the Black Canyon and make sure - you gotta run the Black Canyon while in Colorado its required by state law! Hwy 92 treated us to some fine twisties and I was very comfy with the load by now, I was scrubbed up to the edge on the Pilot Powers, the back tire anyway.
    My signal dynamics volt meter was flashing red at the Utah state line, which had me alarmed - miles away from anything - wtf I just replaced the RR - not my stator too! I also had a mini mulit meter with me and well that was showing 13.5 volts so I was fine, I guess my SD led voltmeter is a POS! Damn can I find an on board voltmeter that actually works correctly? Dan said just unplug it and ignore the darned thing for now.

    Full Size
    UTAH
    We rolled into Monticello UT around about 10pm and every thing was closed, the East Indian fellow at the desk of our motel said so, so it was chips and dip from the gas station for dinner, and 4% beer - they had "Gammys" (Polygamy Porter from the Wasatch brewery) a Lovely Utah local brew. We had discovered "Gammys", as we call them, on our last trip to UT. It was last summer on a road trip to Miller Motor sports park, we actually sampled it at the brewery in Park City. Its strong stuff man! The pool was closed so we just passed out in our room that night. The next morning up late we headed down to Blanding and over to the Bicentennial Hwy to cross the UT desert.

    Glen Canyon National Monument at the entryway

    Glen Canyon

    Utah Heat easily 100 degrees, my 2 liter camel bladder was empty already

    Glen Canyon bridge over the Colorado River

    Bridge over the Colorado

    Crossing the bridge
    Midday we were rolling into Fry Canyon, a name which undoubtedly means something, it was freaking hot, I had my lunch tote cooler with me in my Givi and I was dipping my bandanna into the ice water and then wrapping it around my neck, it only lasted for about ten minutes before it was bone dry.

    Glen Canyon a bit blurry

    Fry Canyon the gage said 110f

    Fry Canyon the further you ride the closer the walls get

    Hollow mountain convenience store Hanksville UT
    The hole in the wall store in Hanksville was a welcome sight, still 100 degrees there it was nice and cool in the mountain. I stocked up on Gatorade for the cooler and they kindly offered to fill my tote with more ice. Nice folks at the Hollow Mountain store. We saw a strange two seater car that ran on diesel, it was a division of Mercedes that makes it - it had Ontario plates - it must get better gas mileage than our bikes. Capital Reef National Park was just up ahead.

    lots of dirt in UT

    Entering Capital Reef National Park Near Torry UT

    Capital Reef NP is free along the Bicentennial Highway

    Capital Reef

    Domes for which the park is named for
    There seemed to be a whole fleet of these Cruise America.com RV's on the road, we saw a ton of them, one of them held us off in the turns at Capital Reef - every time we went around a right hand turn this RV was spewing piss water out a spigot on the left side of the RV. I wasn't about to pass this guy and get sprayed on!! After many miles and several gags, we finally found an opening and passed after which we gave the guy a rather unfavorable hand gesture as we did.
    Torry Ut, we stopped for a Burger at some road side stand in town, cute girls and interesting burger choices. I had a bacon burger and Dan had a fiesta burger he rather enjoyed. I can't remember the name of the place but it was good enough to mention. Torry UT it was the only place in town. From here we headed up the Pass on Hwy 12 into the mountains and I was on a tear, I seared the tires a bit going as fast as I was and it got a bit sketchy as the turns seemed to be bumpy in places. Soon we were at the Escalate Grand Staircase, a mesmerizing canyon of desert vegetation and sheer drops that can certainly be deadly if you go off the road

    Near Torry the rocks turn red

    Hwy 12 Escalate Staircase high above from the road

    Steep grades and sharp curves next 4 miles

    Escalate Staircase

    Dan gives the Grand Staircase a thumbs up

    Yours truly

    Awesome scope of it all Escalante Grand Staircase
    We had already been to Bryce Canyon on our last trip so - being that it was Wed we thought we would have a nice easy ride over to Zion - nope it was bumper to bumper going into Bryce Canyon, so we skipped it, thank goodness it was on the other side of the road, we had a quarter of the traffic heading out. Some Harley Davidson low sided and started a prairie fire at the turn off hwy 12 it was an unusual site. He was pulling one of those small trailers and must have lost control by running the trailer off the road in the turn. On to Zion we went.
    ZION NATIONAL PARK
    The entrance fee for motorcycles is $12 bucks - rather steep I thought but it was worth it, I decided to turn on the video camera and shoot the sights on video

    http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/videos/491/1236638195_zion.wmv.flv

    Zion National Park Dan and I pull off for a picture stop

    Zion National Park smoke from a fire burring in the north side of the park

    The setting sun on Zion National Park

    Zion National Park
    It was around 9pm pacfic when we rolled into Saint George, a fairly mid sized city and the place was on fire, an entire hillside was engulfed in smoke, it was 100 degrees out in the twilight and we were hot. We checked into the motel 6 and promptly jumped into the pool too cool off, there we found an that an entire touring buss of French students was there. They had a curious habit of hanging all their clothes out on the railing of the second floor? It was certainly hot enough to keep them dry! It seemed the entire second floor was full of laundry. We found a little taco shop in town and had some Carne Asada Tacos for dinner in the dark.

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    NEVADA
    Slab Slab and More Slab this was almost torture, hot and slabby Nevada must not have much by way of twisties and certainly its second to Kansas in unbearable slab! Windy too, poor Dan was getting a neck ache from the wind.

    Welcome To Nevada it should say welcome to slab

    More forest fires Right on the Nevada Border

    Its Hot

    The Brothel is now closed

    Our first view of the Sierras we were in 3 states in one day that day

    Westgard Pass it might as well be a roller coaster, you can easily catch some major air on some of the whoops. Trust me there is a road there.

    Westgard Pass tore up my tire 15mph hairpins, ten foot whoops, and tight sweepers - I had no clue what gear I should be in! CA Hwy 168 to Big Pine
    The highlight of the day was definitely Gilbert/Westgaurd Pass into Big Pine California, it made up for all that Nevada Slab. There are some rather depressing sites along the way too, Goldfield, and Tonopah are a couple of stops I would rather miss as they seemed to scream in desperation - "help us we are poor". As soon as we crossed into California the speed limit dropped but the road got much more interesting. Gilbert pass is chock full of 15 mph hairpins and a bit of dirt in the turns, and Westgard pass is simply a roller coaster with no rails. It is like somebody paved a dirt bike trail and didn't bother to flatten out the whoops. We entered a bit more slab up to Mammoth Lakes for the night, a nice COOL mountain/ski town - had some pizza and walked up to a beer tavern where I discovered a wonder German brew called Spaten. I am on the hunt for Spaten now!! What was strange was that it seemed that every body was rather unattractive there! HEH not a babe to be seen for miles, save one the teen girl we saw - but way way too young. Dan was a fish out of water! No babes or PUFFIES as he calls them.

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    CALIFORNIA
    Lunch at some foo foo place in Mammoth lakes - they had chili dogs so I ate that - it tore me up! Sad to say it did. So we gassed up and hit the road, over to June Lake and through there, no pictures but trust me its pretty. Then over to Tioga Pass

    Tioga Pass Gateway to Yosemite

    Tioga Pass 6 sport bikes tore it up right before we did

    Tioga Pass

    Lembert Dome we did not stop

    Yosemite

    Yosemite

    Bridalveil falls closer
    We headed south out of Yosemite cause the map looked squiggly but it was bumpy and had way too much traffic we endured it though all they way too, Madera into the central breadbasket of California, seems everything grows there. The smells were wonderful. Gorgeous Hispanic Girls walking the streets of Madera wow, I think Dan wanted to stop - he has a weakness for Hispanic Girls. I kept on going to Gilroy, there the road opened up into a three lane freeway and some guy on a Cruiser passed us doing 100plus, I let him go till the traffic started to back up going up a steep hill, naturally passing everything in site I tried to catch up to the cruiser but he schooled us the rest of the way, I finally caught the guy where the road split off 5 miles later - on his Roadstar! Wow these California boys can ride! The road into Gilroy was jammed packed on the other side, backed up for 5 or more miles it must have been excruciating for those motorist. Bad way to commute home for sure! Gilroy was our home base for the whole Laguna Seca Weekend and the Motel 8 was nice. But yet again everything closed up at 9pm! ON a SATURDAY??
    LAGUNA SECA WEEKEND
    It was abuzz with activity, Dan wanted to hit Big Sur first so we went part way down the Pacific Coast Highway before we hit the track.

    PCH Point Lobos State Reserve

    PCH

    Jake Zemkes bike

    Miguel Duhamels

    Ben's number one plate

    Corbin's 1098r smuggler

    I have no clue what Jelly Belly has to do with motorcycles b They make an energy jelly bean now!

    Cannery Row Its out of focus but thats the way it was

    Nicky Hayden qualifying coming out of turn 3 - 130mph in 300 yards!!

    The Andretti Hairpin - turn 3

    Valentino Qualifying

    Casey Stoner & Miguel Duhamel qualifying

    hs bls At Cannery Row

    CBR 1000 w/ vfr400 sss
    We met Rob veefer800Canuke and his riding partner Craig (CanadianCraig) - lots of Craig's on this trip - Rob hes Canadian EH and sos Craig EH Tits!! HEH Them two are a riot, it wasn't long before Craig steered us to the Beer tent where we watched the babes and the qualifying in relative comfort sipping on Nevada Pale Ale, I saw a Spaten Umbrella and got all excited for a brew but alas they did not have it. It was there I saw a goddess, she was magnificent, and Taken! Damn lucky guy too, she was all over him - he a sort of tall middle aged and not too good looking guy, it gave me hope!! Jebus that guy must have some money!
    We rolled over to Cannery Row to see the craziness there and met up with Busy Little Shop at Bubba Gumps for dinner, it was a mad house, the place was a zoo but Larry managed to get us all comped, too bad for you guys who showed up bit got discouraged with the crowd it was a great dinner, Larry is a sweet Gentile man and Mary is a great gal, they regaled us with stories of Valentino Rossi, Mick Doohan and racing in general. What a great ending to a great day.
    I just loop in both days since well tis much the same, the race was a bust, no Mexicans finished on the podium and we watched Nicky and Hopper tangle up right in front of us in turn 2. I got it on tape

    http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/videos/491/1236161240_seca07.wmv.flv
    The youngest Hayden brother had a great weekend though! We headed over to Carmel valley with Rob and Craig - and their tag along Lance (shoot I cant remember some Canadian guy they picked up on the road) he was a nice guy same age as Dan. And we had dinner together - the server was a hot hot red head girl who looked like a young Jane Fonda, man on man.

    The Laguna Seca Pits

    Camped out at Turn 2 Andretti Hairpin
    PACIFIC COAST
    Craig and Rob met us in Gilroy for a two days of riding up the coast, they made the ride much more fun. I lead with my Gps but managed to smack into the back of a Jaguar stopped into the middle of the road in Santa Cruz, I misjudged the width of my Givi bags and tagged the guys taillight. I got an earful from this guy - a transplant from New Zealand, he seemed to think we were locals cause he lit into me with an anti bike rant like you would not believe, I just listened and he calmed down. Thats what insurance is for right! I managed to keep her upright enough to get out of the way and do the right thing. It was over in less than a half an hour.
    On to Alice's Restaurant for lunch! The ride was brisk, me being a bit more carefully now - the traffic was lite up there in the hills, and it was fun.

    Hanging out at Alice's Restaurant Woodside California

    A 19 something something Packard This Fella just drives up in it with his wife and two friends and parks it right there.

    Bikes and food cant beat that
    We had a good dinner - bought some swag and headed toward San Francisco where it cooled off even more with heavy fog, thank goodness I liked the cool fog over the heat for a change. I was actually wishing for a bit of rain the last two days too cool me down.

    Golden Gate

    Alcatraz Island

    Rob inspects the old ww2 gun emplacements

    This is sport touring California style
    We followed the path that was layed out by a member here last month up into the hills above Salsalito and saw some awesome coast views, the road was almost all ours, Ridgecrest blvd its called. Wow that was great but it dumped us on the tightest bumpiest road in history Fairfax Bolinas Road, Jebus that was a nightmare!
    The up the coast too Stewart's point, it was rolling sweepers and tight up and down turns all the way, we were smack in the middle of two or three large groups of bikes all riding the same direction. We ended up mixing together a bit, I enjoyed the pace the group in front of us made. Too bad one had an accident and went down hard a few minutes in front of us, a woman we saw at the gas station near Point Reyes Station. She had blood all over her face, but several people stopped to attend to her, we stopped too but determined we were just in the way at this point and moved on to Stewart's Point.
    Here is where we met Skaggs Springs road, the highlight of my trip - Larry (BLS) told me in Cannery Row that this was a must ride road, and he said to me" it starts out a little leprechaun road" whatever that means but he was right, "then it turns into a race track with everything in between" wow gotta ride that eh! Me now a full on Canadian speaking idiot EH! I cant help it I just pick these things up as I go 'EH'!
    I must say that CanadianCraig was a good sport here cause his bike was running like crap ever since we left Gilroy it was just guzzling gas and idling rough - his big ZEDEX12 was not liking these tight tree lined California roads. He said he was more into high speed sweepers, I don't know but the back end of Skaggs springs road was all high speed sweepers, - the old ZED was running 98 miles on 4.5 gallons of gas!! OUCH! I will keep my viffer thank you!

    Point Reyes

    CanukeCraig, Motoman, Veefer800canuke Viewing Point Reyes
    VIDEO

    veffer800canuke does a wheelie

    skaggs springs road

    http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/videos/491/1236161217_skaggs.wmv.flv
    It was getting late so we decided to grab some gas and grub in Gyserville where some giant of a guy came up to Dan and said "Trick bike - and Oakland colors too" He must have been a bit slow cause he sounded like it. I said to Dan "don't tell him we are Broncos fans"!! His silver Gixxers is indeed Raiders colors yea! That lug really liked it too! Our Canadian friends kept quiet so as to not spark an awkward conversation. He was all instinctual and not much thought behind that huge face of his, he was a bit scary we just headed into the restaurant. Craig needed a smoke to calm down cause his Zed was pissing him off something fierce, but he gets a cigarette a bit of rest hes just as jovial as can be after that! Too bad cause Skaggs Springs road was definitely a great road.
    Now it was dark and well I cant see too well into the dark so Rob took the lead, thanks Rob - he started up hwy 20 to Fort Bragg right as the sun went down and little did I know I was going to be riding a Deals Gap in the dark! HOLY moly it was tight! I just focused on Rob, who was pulling a few lengths on me now, he was smoking it up pretty good here. Me I just had to look ahead and not get tunnel vision watching him - I finally calmed down - but then Rob would speed up more and I was right back into the kung foo grip mode on the handle bars. Damn I suck in the dark! Rob said he loved it - we pulled into this shit hole called the Seabird Lodge where they women at the desk did not trust us bikers. she almost shut the window on Robs hand thinking he was trying to break into their office - Grandmas both! EWW the place was definitely not worth $122 bucks a night! NO WAY, of course everything was already closed as predicted. Fort Bragg sucks. It was a huge day 400 miles

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    OREGON
    In the morning we decided to forget the coast highway, way too many cars, way too many small towns to slow us down so we decided to retrace our route to Willits and head up the 101 instead - on our way to Oregon.

    http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/videos/491/1236639580_hwy20.wmv.flv
    The second ride on this road revealed it was not so tight as Deals Gap but rather fun though I got some good footage.

    Giant Redwoods near Rio Dell

    Wild Flowers growing wild on the side of the highway
    Here it got foggy and a bit cold as we headed up into Oregon, the Redwoods were spectacular and we headed east a bit to get out of the fog on hwy 36. I enjoyed this road a lot and well I just took off a bit when it headed up a mountain side and sort of left the guys behind, I was in my element and let it all hang out. So much so I killed my rear tire, smoked it till it could not grip anymore at the level it was just the previous day. It was off in a big way. Rob took over lead duties into the Trinity Lake area and my tire just started slipping on the tight right handers, I had to back her down quite a bit as it just would not grip. Craig saw this and mentioned it to me that I was having a hard time at this point, he could see me slipping ever so much in the tight ones, I was dragging brakes to scrub off speed and not get dropped by Rob to no avail. My poor old tire was done! Too much weight too much speed = dead tire! It was blistering hot when I checked in on Hwy 36 - we stopped for lunch in Callahan and that gave it a rest, enough that it stopped slipping but I lost all confidence in it. It was way down to the wear bars too.
    I had planned on this and sent a new tire to Flailer, our host for the night a month back, he had it waiting in his garage for me that night. In the morning I slipped out to a local bike shop and had a new tire mounted, wow I really cut it close!

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    Flailer (Craig YEA ANOTHER ONE) was a great host, he opened up his house to four weary travelers and provided food, fun and the clothes washing, a nice spread ( his girl made cookies too) wow it was great, and hes got a nice house. Its for sale too if anybody is looking for house in Medford OR?? Thanks Craig I was so appreciative I gave him My Craig's extra tire to keep, The guy who's stator died on day one. He said he loves Pilot Powers. That morning we suited up and Craig showed us the way up to Crater Lake via some back roads, lots of yahoos seem to drive these things cause there was gravel in all the good turns! He sort of dropped me as I was not too keen on that being so far from home.
    CRATER LAKE

    Stopped at the Natural Bridge veefer800canuke (rob), CanadianCraig (Craig), and Flailer (Craig)

    Flailer said he timed it all for us we arrive just as two kayaks put in at the natural bridge to do the rapids there.

    The river exits an ancient lava tube

    Further up the river You can see the water enter the lava tube

    Hells Engineers Now playing at the dugout diner on hwy 20 - one half mile east of Emporia street, $4 cover

    Crater Lake check out the hawk

    Deep Blue water over a 1000' deep

    This fella snook into our group 1987 vfr700 - I cant remember his name - Shane from Seattle I think.
    Flailer said he arranged the Kayak exhibition before hand for our entertainment, it was almost 3pm when we made it up to Crater lake and Dan and I still had to make Winnamucca that night, we said goodbye to everybody and headed out on hwy 140, Craig said it was a drone so I was expecting slab - we found it but also found some nice sweepers and the coolest desert sunset in history wow it was fantastic. Then night fell, and Dan ran out of gas 40 miles from Winnamucca - I had to go on ahead and get a gas can and some gas for him, he was out in the desert for 45 minutes while I went for fuel. He motioned he needed something the town back - I thought he wanted to stop for a drink - thats the hand signal for drink to me! OH well we worked it out - no big deal but the guy at the gas station in Winnamucca NV pissed me off, "how you gonna do that"? he says - Watch me and mind your own business, I had it secured and I was gone!

    Dan and I were treated to a spectacular desert sunset hwy 140 on the OR NV border

    Not many on this road

    Sunsets and rainbows

    Even the moon made and appearance

    Typical rainstorm one minute

    Fiery apparition the next The longer we stayed the more spectacular it got
    There was one interesting thing about hwy 140 we had lunch/dinner in Lakeview then headed into the desert where there is a 1000foot wall we had to ride up, it was a long way down and no guard rails but twisty! very interesting in the middle of nowhere, you can see it on the map it just cuts a 90 degree right and then another 90 left at the top very close to the OR/NV border

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    The next day was all slab, the motel in Winnamucca had no AC so we suffered - I made a stink and so we got a free night, that is about it for a report other than ELKO has lots of pretty women, we had a sandwich at the local sandwich shop and did the math 2 women for every guy!! its a suburban oasis in the Nevada Desert with Women to spare apparently! Oh the Salt Flats were boring! But strangely pretty. I-80 all day!
    SALT LAKE CITY
    Our timing sucked - we hit the city right at rush hour and got stuck in a traffic jam, the great local steakhouse the motel clerk told us about was closed for vacation so we had a nice dinner at a chain steakhouse, Lone-star Steakhouse, we asked for some dark beer and the waiter told us about this local porter every body likes "GAMMYS" Dan wanted to go to the source in Park City but not me a Gammy is a Gammy - he shows up with this huge goblet of Polygamy Porter and I drink it up, the real stuff too not 4% and proceed to get a bit typsy. I promised I would go with Dan to Park City but woah that Gammy did me in, we got to the motel and the sky opens up and starts pouring like cats and dogs. I Park City was out, more bad timing, I passed out on the bed.
    NORTHERN UTAH
    We decided to head up the Canyon to Ruth's dinner for lunch - the biscuits are free and scrumptious, I love that place!

    Best Breakfast in Utah Ruth's Diner in Emigration Canyon
    It seemed the night before the rains really did a number on the roads, washing sand and gravel into the turns, we had to take it at 6/10ths to stay safe, and they were rather bumpy too, the switch backs were tight tight and bumpy. It wasn't till we headed up into the Wasatch forest that it cleared up and were railing turns yet again, hwy 39 to Woodriff is a nice road.

    Wasatch National Forest UT hwy 39
    A bit more slab on interstate 80 and soon were were on the road to the Flaming Gorge, where it was raining again. I filmed it but haven't compiled the movie yet

    Motoman takes in the view

    Bridge at the Flaming Gorge

    Green River Reservoir Flaming Gorge

    8 percent grade I was railing these switchbacks - that is until I spotted the police cruiser up ahead in the next turn - sounds like time for a picture stop.

    Flaming Gorge area

    Steinaker State Park 5 miles west of Vernal UT

    vfr bathed in sunset

    Two days in a row we where treated to a great sunset

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    It seems UT closes at 9pm on Fridays too! Vernal all but shut down, we stopped at a local brew pub for dinner but the kitchen was closed, so we sampled a brew and went across the street to the Roadhouse café, special was prime rib $19, the food was good but the service was awesome, this young gal was right on top of things, Dan says it was only because it was closing time but never did I feel rushed, and she was sweet as pie. I was stuffed and passed out again at the motel.
    The ride home was well nice, I took no pictures and we had a nice lunch in Steamboat springs, but then Dan wanted to go shopping for his woman, I asked him when did you get your sex change operation? Joking that I hate shopping, he ignored me an shopped like woman for a good hour! OMG I almost left, shoot he could find his way from home surely! Just as I was about to go he shows up with all this shit he wants me to pack into my bags!! JEBUS he must have dropped his purse - I already had all is Laguna Seca swag in my bags and his two extra gammys - no way I am full - stuff in in your back pack! he did and we were off to rail Gore pass, wow it was just repaved and it was smooth I LOVED IT triple digit baby! then over Hoosier pass and home where the rain finally came, and boy did it and full two hours of rain!

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  19. HispanicSlammer

    Pushy Pushy

    By HispanicSlammer,

    So I needed spark plugs for my two bikes, I don't know how long its been since I replaced the plugs on my vfr? 35K? So I decided it's time, off I went to the dealership. Once in the parking lot I notice the place is packed, its Tuesday 2:30 in afternoon and the place is packed! Don't these folks have jobs? I know its close to downtown Colorado Springs so I guess its rather easy to get to. Me I am driving the lot looking for a spot to park and boom one opens up. I was wishing I had the VFR and not the Civic today, but the VFR is torn down for maintanience - Laguna Seca Trip next week.
    I spy a VTEC parked in the bike only parking and go over and look at it, nice candy red a new one! It has some well worn in Pilot Powers, just a smidge of unused rubber on the sides, the guy rides it well enough to lean it over anyway. Newish tires too. So I go in and there are people EVERYWHERE, I go up to grab a ticket - but there is a line for that too. A line to get a ticket to get in line for parts! Oh well I wait patiently for my turn when this corperate looking sales type guy walks up pushes his way in front of me and an another guy and snatches a ticket from the machine! This instantly makes me angry, and I start to say somthing to the guy but he walks off with his cell phone glued to his ear speaking loudly into the damn thing. I just grab a ticket and stew for a bit, then see a nice street legal KTM 450 on the showroom floor - the one everybody is raving about. Trail worthy and you can ride it on the street to get to the trail!
    Then I hear them call my number, and phone jerk is next to me hassling the parts lady too - shes politely trying to get him to tell her wtf he wants but hes on the phone of course can can't be bothered, and actually had the nerve to get snooty about it?? Nevermind the 6 people waiting to get parts behind him - ASSH**&L. I get my spark plugs and head for the car - and who do I see getting on the nice VTEC sitting in the lot? You guessed it! It makes me ashamed to think that this jaggoff could own a VFR! Its seems counter to the guys personality, he would be more at home on a Duc! I know one thing if hes a member here - it is not for long!!
  20. HispanicSlammer
    Gardner Road 52 mile dirt road 10,500 feet up here at the top 3,500 feet down to the bottom of the road
    My Mission
    I wanted to ride all the way to Santa Fe from Colorado Springs on as many dirt roads as I could find. How did I make out? Not too bad actually, as far as solo adventure touring goes. I started out on the first dirt road south to Pueblo its called Meridian road here and when it gets to Pueblo it changes to Overton Road, same damn road two names. Its a 30 mile jaunt strait down to Pueblo from Fountain Colorado. I made short work of it cause it was hot. There is a 40 mph speed limit but I was the only one on it. In Pueblo I gassed up and headed into the Wet mountains over to Buela Colorado where the road goes up and over 19 miles to Lake Isabel, I turned right and headed over to Gardner road (above) this is a 52 mile dirt road that takes you up to the base of Green Horn mountain the highest mountain in the Wet Mountain range and down the other side, its a 3,500 foot decent and its fast and fun if you avoid the deep ditches on the sides and the ruts.

    Pass Creek Pass off in the distance my next assignment
    Once in Gardner Colorado I quickly made my way over to Pass Creek Pass, I had to turn around once cause I made a wrong turn but soon I was at the top, its a nice wide dirt road and easy to go fast on, at the top it connects to La Veta Pass hwy 160, I decided to take the Old La Veta Pass down to La Veta and have lunch there. I stopped and gassed up but my regular lunch stop was closed for a month? So I headed up Cucharas Pass and saw that there was a place in Cuchara that looked like a grill.

    Dog Bar and Grille Wonderful food! Cuchara CO
    Wow the Owner Kenny and his wife run the place, well OK he just serves and she cooks and actually manages the place. I came in and Kenny says "what can I get ya" I said "whats the special"? Another patron shows me his plate and its some kind of turkey meat on a bun with Guacamole and bacon, and homemade wild rice pea soup with carrots and barley. I say " OK I will try that" - OMG was it good!! If your ever in Southern Colorado near Cuchara stop here and eat its worth the trip! I am glad I found it, it is sort of tucked away in the village way back in the back.
    I took off again and found a nice dirt road over to Stone Wall where I crossed the "Highway of Legend's" and headed south again on another dirt road, my GPS said it would take me all the way to Red River?

    Stonewall Colorado

    Torres Ditch Colorado L-R Purgatoire Peak, Vermajo Peak, Red Mountain, Culbrea Peak (14,047')
    The Wall of Death
    Once I got 20 miles south of Stonewall near Torres Ditch the road stops and its gated off with chains? Private Property it says, so I reroute the gps a bit east of there on another dirt road and take off on road 13 east, soon there is a sign that says "something and something ranch - stay out!" Crap not again! There were some folks fixing a fence there so I stopped and ask them what happened to the roads? The maps, they say they go through? On the map anyways. A woman says "oh about 8 years ago you could go through but its all private now you have to go around to Trinidad" Shit!!! 70 miles out of my way for this?? I kept seeing Halliburton trucks pull out onto the highway in front of me - there must be mining or drilling going on back there - thats why the state line is closed off for 40 miles? Well at least its putting some rural folks to work I hope?
    I headed east to Trinidad and over to I-25 but decided to stop at the lake there and eat my orange and have a drink of water. I pulled up on an island peninsula and sit down to enjoy my orange but there is a couple of folks RV'ing on the road next to me, the woman sitting there looking like a typical idiot camper just stares out me the whole time. So I get up and move - mind you I am no where near them at least a good 300 yards away with the lake between us. She is still staring at me. So a shrug my shoulders and yell "WTF are you looking at"? She moves her chair around for a minute but as soon as I got up she was staring at me again? I could hear them talking too "whats he doing now" jebus nosy idiot campers. Mind your own bizatch! I got on the bike and did some slab over I-25 to Raton where I topped up again and filled up my water jugs. It was getting late in the afternoon and I thought about just getting a motel room but decided naw keep pushing on, that private property detour cost me 2 hours.
    I headed up hwy 64 in New Mexico up Cimmaron Canyon and was having a bit of fun on the twisties there, the XR doesn't handle so great with toasted knobbies especially with they way I had it set so soft. There was smoke everywhere from a forest fire in Tres Piedres, seems this place is on fire every time I ride by it, Toas which is near by must be smothered in smoke right about now. Once I crested the mountain and saw the valley at Eagles nest the whole sky was a peach color it was incredible, I wish I had stopped for a pic?

    Cimmaron Canyon NM at Palisades Sil
    The Three hour short cut
    I crossed the valley and headed up to Angel fire where the ski area was - I looked on the map and it showed a dirt road going over to Penasco - a place called Luna Canyon. I had been on the road before camping with my sister I remember it being wide and smooth. Its only an hour if I head strait down to Mora on the paved road. Nope I take the short cut, right off its starts to get narrow, then it climbs the hill, Baby heads everywhere (round rocks shaped like baby heads) they are bumping the hell out of me, then there are jagged rocks and wash outs everywhere its starting to get rather technical. I sit forward on the seat and just ride it out for 12 miles, rocks all the way, I caught and passed two ATV's on the road, I know it must be more of a trail than a road now. And its getting dark, there is livestock on the road too. A big bull and and about 20 cows and calves all standing in the road. I am not so keen on rolling up next to a bull so I rev the bike up and make some noise - nothing maybe a few of them look over at me! So I hit my wimpy horn and its scares them to moving?? What that POS little horn? So I start moving forward honking that wimpy horn till they all run up the hillside and let me by. Now its really dark Ya know twighlight where the headlights dont work but its not quite dark yet, shadows in the trees are impossible to see - so I flip up my visor only to get knats right in my eyes - and I cant see a thing. I decide to pull off and just camp overnight here, just lay in the grass with my stich and my space blanket and sleep here its about 8pm. Which I do for an hour or two but the moon is so bright and its shining right in my eyes. I can see lightning in the distance and thought "oh hell no I am not getting rained on!!"
    I get up off the grass look at the time 10pm and decide to try the decent know, I got a good Baja designs lighting system on the XR we will see. I kicked the bike over and turn on the headlight and low and behold its rather bright, its got a high and low that I can see far and close with. I started heading down the mountain, all baby heads and its dark so I am going like 9 mph all the way down - right about now I am cussing at myself, Mora was only 15 miles more you idiot!! but soon I start seeing a familiar sight, that wide and smooth road I remembered from camping with my sister 5 years ago, so know I am doing 30mph and every so often I can see a camp fire near the creek. That is what I remembered not that nasty ass rock strewn crap 15 miles back? Wow what a nightmare, oh and I fell off too I think I cracked a rib cause it hurts when I lay on my side.
    I guess I should go to the doc and get it checked out, but you know these injuries they have to heal on there own right? $2000 for that? nothing aspirin wont fix! I can move I can breath, I am not bleeding? It just bruised!
    I take paved roads all the way to my sisters place where she is waiting for me at midnight, she smacks me upside the head - "you had me so worried she says" I spent a couple of days hanging out with them and my niece and nephew to play with. We went out to dinner a couple of times and went to Albuquerque too for a day - good times!
    The ride back
    I woke up before everybody showered up and knocked on my sisters door - said "see ya in Colorado Springs", (they were comming up to Colorado now to spend time with us now and visit my other sister) "See ya tonight"! I pretty much retraced my route till Penasco where I headed north to Toas this time, its a twisty road that I was having trouble going fast on, paved by my XR was set way too soft so it was wallowing in the tight turns. Which is fine for the dirt roads I wanted to be on. I got to Taos and decided to gas up there, I pushed on my tires and decided they need some air, but the compressor was out of order (insert dark omen here) so I pressed on, totally bypassing the main town and going around it on a back roads. I thought I would go see what Arroyo Hondo was all about and headed strait north to that place, wow its a huge canyon, I was on a road called Rim drive but it too stopped "private property" I had to go back and head a bit south and around it. I should have taken pictures here too darn!!

    Santa Cruz Recreation Area NM hwy 4 near Cundiyo
    The $300 flat tire
    I got on NM 522 headed for Costilla right on the Colorado Boarder where I planned to peel off and head east on a dirt road and go around to San Luis. But my bike was starting to sqirm under me. I knew I had a flat tire, but I was out in the middle of the desert now, 7 miles to Costilla. I just rode it out till I got to the gas station convience store there. The air pump did not have a hose, they keep it in the store for some reason, I guess sombody stole it once before. I put in my quarters and tried to fill it up but it just went flat instantly - CRAP!! There is nothing there in Costilla just some old houses and a gas station with no services. I got on the phone and called a tow truck to come get me and take me back to Toas - 48 miles back! I should have packed a tube patch kit and a few tires irons but ya know - limited space in the bag and I just hustled off too quickly and did not think about it till it was too late.
    Anthony Navarro
    The tow truck guy shows up an hour later with his toyota and a trailer to come get me, hes a heavy set hispanic dude like me, only a bit rounder. He shakes my hand and says "where is it" I point to it, my bike that is, but he cant see it behind the car and freaks out? "OH NO VATO" - he says "I cant do a car with this"? I walk him over and show him the bike behind the car and he starts laughing big belly laughs! Right off I like the guy. Hes a single father whos been working tow trucks for 10 years, always on call, he wants out. Tony is his name and we start talking for the 48 miles to Taos, he gives me his Philosophy on how to avoid speeding tickets"
    Intruduce yourself in a freindly manner
    Shut up and let the cop do all the talking
    Dont admit anything
    Smile and be freindly
    Dont challenge the cop
    Tony says he gets pulled over all the time but always gets away with a warning. Then he started to sell me on his home buisness which pretty much ended the conversation! Sorry Tony not interested! He pulles to the back of the motorcycle dealership and rings me up $200 for 48 miles - JEBUS this is getting costly! I pay it and thank him for comming so quickly! Then at Taos Cycle works I get an earful from some tech who says we are not supposed to be in the back move the tow truck, already I am worried , with service like this? Jebus what am I in for? So I says " I got a flat dude! Shut up and help me unload this bike" which he does - "crotchety" cancels out "cranky" I was having a bad day and taking no shit!
    I walk into the show room and up to the service counter and right away there is a guy there with another flat he brought in complaining about the price, he brought in just why was it so much when the other dealer was only $8?? OH no I am getting screwed looks like right about know. I see on the wall $69 an hour for labor, time and half for emegency repairs no appointment? AW jeeZ!! This shits gonna cost me $150!?! I waited in the lobby looking at ATVS reading magazines for another hour. And I get the call, its done! $89 bucks - well its better than $150 but jeez thats a screw job!! I pay it and get back on the road! Then I hear them talking about changing prices on tires to a flat rate of $15 if you bring it in yourself? I started cussing myself for not finding another air compessor earlier in the day! Oh well what can I do?
    I go back up the road AGAIN for the 3rd time and turn off at Costilla and find a dirt road into Colorado I like, its wide and very fast, 70mph time!

    Ventero Creek near San Luis Colorado

    Sangre De Christo Mountain Range Same mountains as Stonewall - on the other side

    Looking back towards Toas
    I get back on the paved road at San Luis and head for Fort Garland to gas up and put oil on the bike, she burns a bit of oil so I have to keep tabs on it at all times. I guess its common with the XR650r? I was soon heading up La Veta pass with a very dark onimous cloud ahead I was watching it the whole way from San Luis it looked nasty. Yep it started raining huge drops that hurt like hell when they hit, then it started just pouring and it was beating the living crap out of me. I was screaming "come on stop this shit" I was really having a bad day now, I was going to go back over Pass Creek pass again but F'that I just wanted out of this rain from hell!

    Welts all over my arms and chest I dont know maybe it was hail too?
    I have been caught in rain and hail before on the vfr but this just beat the crap out of me! I was wishing I was in a car at this point! Or just home by now! I decided to do some more dirt roads once I got clear of the storm and headed north on hwy 520 from Lavita to Badito CO. I have been on this road before its about 20 miles long.

    Storm over La Veta Pass taken from co-520

    Chavez Arroyo Co Road 520

    Spanish Peaks south on co-520
    I had to get on I-25 for a bit till I got to Apache City where I found another dirt road which took me a back way into Colorado City. Gas station and a drink there! I routed the Gps to a place called Burnt mill hoping for a good back road to Pueblo and sure enough it payed off, nice long 30 mile dirt road all the way to Pueblo, It was all back country canyons and farm land out there, very nice, almost worth the beating I took on La Veta Pass vs going back over Gardner road again. The front range has some good roads too! Once in Pueblo I just snaked through town back to Overton road right as the sun started to go down over Pikes Peak! What a nightmare - I mean adventure flat tires, $$$$, a beating, welts and a bruised rib to take home for war stories!!

    Sunset in Pueblo CO taken on Overton Road

    Colorado Map

    New Mexico Map
    GPS Tally
    Miles 812.3
    moving avg 44.8
    max speed 82.8
    overall avg 34.1
    stopped time 5:41
    Map Files
    Mapsource tracks
    Streets and trips file
  21. HispanicSlammer
    Every Fathers day my friend Reddog (Bill) gets a kitchen pass from his wife to take off on a ride, and each year I usually go along. This year I completely forgot about it, until he mentioned it the night before in PM to me. I was at work so I did the mental checklist, bike works - check, oil changed - check, tires - uh oh! I had spanked pilot powers on and needed to change them first. I had a good set (made in Spain - read the home page is your pilot powers are made in France)!!! So I got off work at 7am, got home - put on my tire changer and slapped on some new tires, called Bill and said I was going to be late perhaps we could meet at Texas Creek instead of where he lives? He agrees but I misjudged how long it would take me to clean up and get ready and showed up in Texas Creek a good 45 minutes later than I told him! Hes a forgiving guy and let me slide - actually he figured I wouldn't be there at that time anyway knowing I screwed up. He took his time pulled into the cafe and ordered breakfast waiting for me to show up - he had gotten there only about 10 minutes earlier than I.

    Texas Creek Café A lovely home style joint right along side the Arkansas River hwy 50

    VFRS rendezvous with Reddog at Texas Creek
    Texas Creek is a mecca for outdoor activities, the BLM runs a huge trail system just north of the park where you can Jeep, ATV, hike or motorcycle up to about 11,000 to the top of Table Mountain. Then the Arkansas river runs along hwy 50 where you can river raft on the rapids, or fish. Hwy 50 at Texas Creek is full of fun sweepers - we call it Texas Creek International Raceway. If your outdoorsy Texas Creek is a great weekend getaway.
    here is a link to the BLM pamphlet on Texas Creek
    http://www.co.blm.gov/recweb/documents/TexasCrkBroch.pdf

    Texas Creek BLM Area Directly to the north of the café the BLM manages an off-road park with several trails winding up and down the mountains in the area, there is rafting in the Arkansas River as well. Its an outdoor playground for sure.
    I ordered breakfast and we watched all the Harley's pass by, Bill was itching for some homemade Coconut Cream pie, I having sampled the Dutch Apple pie before on another trip and wasn't interested in the pies. So I stepped out to take the pictures above - don't get me wrong the food at the café is wonderful, breakfast is awesome, the bacon is like some farmer just cut a fresh hunk off a pig! However the pies are a bit disappointing. He come out smirking being a bit disspapointed in the pie. We rolled out around 11am and headed up Monarch pass. Ever since last year the pass has been repaved smooth on the sunny side and its just awesome to ride, I got in a good clean pass on some cages and just took off down the mountain. Bill was not so lucky when I passed a pickup pulled out to follow me and then thought better of it and so he got stuck behind a few cages till the next strait, by then I was gone! I waited for him at the bottom, having almost caught up to me - hes fast.
    We decided just to gas up in Gunnison and go do a "There and back again" ride up to the Black Canyon hwy 92. It is a lot of slab to get there but the wait is worth it, I consider it to be the best road in Colorado but each year they seem to muck up the road with tar snakes, last year they chip sealed it, this year it was stable and quite grippy but they allow Cows to Graze along the side of the road on the South End, they were eating the grass along standing right on the road and of course we had to slow way down - not knowing what they might do as we pass. The cows were here and there, laying on the road, pissed me off, first time I ever saw livestock on the road before, being as busy as it was this weekend they could have moved them to other grazing spots?? Oh well it was only one mile of 25 that they were in the road.

    This is where you end up if you happen to blow a turn
    Bill lead the first run and I followed close by, having gotten a bit faster over the last two years I was glad to be able to keep up with him for once! He usually smokes my ass after the first good turn. He always wants to do the Black Canyon on Fathers day but he says he can never get into a good rhythm on the on the canyon road. Unless its raining - 2003 he just blasted it in the rain and left me way behind. I have come to love the dipping hairpins and the sweeping hidden turns, I know it quite well and know where to slow down cause of the ever present gravel. One particular turn the road rises sharply and dives off to the right where there is a hidden drive to a camping site. There is always gravel in the middle of the road right at the top and I know exactly where it is. Bill knows it is there somewhere but always forgets where and blows right into that turn, which of course destroys his confidence in the road for a mile or so. Heh I know its coming so I always slow down - not Bill - full steam ahead and OH S**%T!

    The route
    We thought we would ride to the end of the canyon and play it by ear. There we would figure out if we should make a loop out of the ride or just go back once we reached the end. I was getting sick of being pelted by wasps, damn they hit hard at 70mph so I wanted to carry on with the loop - must have been a thousand of them along the way. Bill wasn't happy with that run he did and wanted to do it again he decided to let me lead the way back, he SAID he was going to take it easy and just sight see it this time and let me go. I took off and sure enough he was right behind me - so much for sight seeing!! This pass we both felt much more at ease and just cranked it over turn after turn. Stopping once for a few pictures of the San Juan mountains in the distance.

    Blue Mesa Reservoir

    Blue Mesa Damn Gunnison River Below

    Bluff at Blue Mesa

    San Juan Mountain Range off in the distance

    San Juan's zoomed out
    Like I said before Bill always rides on Fathers day since 2003 we have hooked up for a ride, the first year we did Rocky Mountain National Park but later that year we discovered the Black Canyon and have come back ever since.
    Fathers day rides from the past

    Fathers day 2003 Rocky Mountain National Park

    Fathers day 2004 Black Canyon

    Fathers day 2005 Black Canyon
    2006 I did not go cause I went to Miller Motor sports Park instead to go to the AMA races there, but this year we had another great ride. On the way back we stopped in Salida and enjoyed the local scenery -[perverts] heh however we are invisible since we are over 40. Then back on the bikes, where Bill was supposed to peel off and home via High Park Road, with me going back hwy 50. Right about 10 miles past Salida we encountered a fairly fast Harley rider cruising about 80mph and doing the turns around 65mph, the easy sweepers there - he was going fast enough for us at the time, passing cars along the way.
    He was going fast enough for a while until Bill got sick of how slow he was going in the turns and passed him, so did I. He though he could keep up with us as we cruised the slabby parts around 80mph. We would pass the cages in formation and this guy would wrap it up and get awful close to me after passing the cars, like he couldn't slow down or something - he was making me nervous. We went like that for a good 20 miles then we both dropped him in some tighter turns around Cotopaxi leaving him a good mile off - basically not slowing down for the turns. But of course there is more slab to Texas Creek and he caught up to us again and he was soon getting too close to me again. We started to pass a line of cars and the dude went before me and luckily I saw him and pulled back into line - I let him get between us, had I gone he would have plowed right into me he was so close - having had enough of that shit I just passed him and Bill at the same time and took off.
    Bill saw what I was doing and followed but I had the hammer down now and was pretty much wanting to drop this clown all together. Which we did - gone we were just gone. No more HD jerk to make things difficult I really sort of enjoyed that part, it was the good part of Texas Creek International Raceway anyways and we always wick it up there. I decided I needed some more turns cause that was exiting so I followed Bill up High Park Road too and we tore up the tight ones there too. But here I noticed my voltage light was blinking red - OH NO my RR must be going out! Sure enough - I had noticed it on the last ride when my engine was running hot. I just put it on last year??? OH YEA I PUT 30k miles on last year - DUH!! I unplugged a head light and the volt meter showed green again, but it would drop to red when idling at stop lights. I anticipated this and ordered a new RR which is sitting in my garage, time to install it now!
    A FEW old VIDEOS of our Fathersday rides
    :media: Black Canyon Loop
    :media: Fathersday 2005 Black Canyon
    :media: Fathersday 2004 Cotchetopa Canyon
    Streets and Trips file
  22. HispanicSlammer
    I havent ridden the VFR in over a month, shes been having trouble starting. I finally got her fixed and it felt wierd to ride it again after riding the XR650r so much more. I felt like I was laying on top of it. It did not take long to get back to normal, at first I was having difficulty leaning it over so I intentionally sought out all the twisty roads I could find, and went a littler overboard. I did all the tight twisy roads I could find from here to Denver that actually pass through from one to the other. Ute Pass, Deckers Road, Horsepowerhill, Kings Valley Road, Connifer Mountain Road, Kennedy Gultch Road, Shadow Mountain Road, Brook Forest Road, Little Cub Creek Road, Stanley Park, Turkey Creek, Parmelle Gultch, Kerr Gultch and then Up and over Squaw Pass. I stopped a bit here and took some pictures after having got over my strange feeling on the bike.

    Continental Divide Looking north

    Same shot zoomed out

    Perry Peak Saint Mary's Glacier? Not sure

    Looking north again

    The Sawtooth Mount Evans off hwy 103 Squaw Pass

    Central City Parkway I was ripping that road 20 minutes later

    Fish Eye Lens

    Evergreen below Denver off on the horizon

    My VFR Still sweet on her after 89k!
    I kept saying to myself I will stop at the next stop and get a bite to eat, but then I would pass sombody on a double yellow cause they were going slow as S**T, and I would just keep going not wanting sombody to rant about how I passed them! I was surprised to see many of my fellow Coloradoans letting me pass on by - pulling off and waving me on by - it was Sunday after all and boy there were a ton of folks in the mountains driving.
    I must have seen at least 300 bikes - I stopped waving after about 50 cause that just gets old after a while, I mean Jebus how many more where there to come? I just want to ride Mister! I was ripping the new road to Central City (well 2 years old now) its a fast 4 lane sweeper fest - and I encountered a train of Harleys, two of whome were not lock step lane disiplned in the right hand lane like the rest of them, riding slow as hell so I had to actually pass from the oncomming lane, which scared the shit out one of them cause he swerved like I was going to him his as I passed by - way over from the other side of the yellow line?? Idiot I was a good lane away from him??!! Get out of the fast lane fatboy! I had to do it again five minutes later, these gangs of Harleys just hold everybody up - I dont get it? Why cant they take up just one lane on those damn parade rides they do they have to take up every availible lane, even the cages get pissed? Oh well I wizzed on by from the other side of the yellow and was gone after the next corner!
    I only saw one cop the whole day and I was cussing under my helmet cause he was doing 20 mph in front of a line of 6 cages going down my favorite part of the Pine Junction to Pine hill! He pulled off half way down and I was soon gone not long after! Darn I would much rather ride on Mondays the weekend is full of slow bastid idiots in the way! I managed to scrub off the rest of the mud on my rear tire - left overspray from cleaning my XR with the hose. I guess I got over my strangness - overcompensated for it really 320 miles of nothing but twisty!!!
  23. HispanicSlammer
    The Entrance to Shelf Road You can see the cliffs in the distance, its a bumpy jeep road when it reaches the canyon - taken just north of Canon City
    Here are a few pics from my recent solo run on the gold belt tour, mostly dirt roads in the Wet Mountains and along the Pike Forest.

    The Sangre De Christo range hwy 96 near Rosita

    Cooling Clouds An afternoon rain storm forms over the mountains

    Westcliff taken from the gas station in Silvercliff, beats me why there are two separate towns right next to each other?

    Shelf Road In all her bumpy glory at Trail Gulch - Four Mile Creek below

    Work Horses they scrambled when I came up to the fence but when they saw the apple slices I had they were soon eating right out of hand

    Goldfield Mine just north of Victor

    Pikes Peak South Face

    Pikes Peak South Face at the end of Gold Camp Road

    Cathedral Park On Gold Camp Road

    Cathedral Park up close

    Old Stage Road Descending to Colorado Springs my home town below - it was getting dark and cold!

    200 mile loop
  24. HispanicSlammer
    Monarch Pass In The Rain
    I found some more footage from our annual Colorado trip to Creede, this short video is of the ride home over Monarch pass topping out at near 10,000 feet at the Continental divide. There were 5 of us riding up the pass but I was in the lead for most of the video. It was cold at the top!

    The Terrain

    video preview
    :media:
    Monarch Pass In The Rain Video
    runs about 4 min, 1mb/sec wmv music by New Order.
  25. HispanicSlammer
    video preview
    I was putting away some of my videos into boxes for storage today and came across this slice of the Texasmac ride from 2006, it is footage from Deals Gap to Fontana Village. I tried to identify all the riders in the video and I think they are as follows, perhaps sombody can correct me if I am wrong, Baileyrock, mq105, jeremy556, vtecal, vfrmonkey, intAceptor, and Billyjackjimbob who was in front of me. I think it was from the first day Thursday right after riding Deals Gap - Enjoy the video!
    :media:
    Crossroads Of Time Video
    5 min runtime, wmv 1mb/sec sample, music by the "Smashing Pumpkins - Rocket" 32mb file size

    google earth route
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