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HispanicSlammer

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Blog Entries posted by HispanicSlammer

  1. HispanicSlammer
    Kootenay National Park Calagary Crew fall in behind me
    It occurs to me I never posted the second half of my trip to Canada from 2008? Sheer tiredness prevented me from finishing it up last year, so many picture so many stories. Stories I can't remember anymore, but I still have the pictures, the wonderful ride pictures from that trip home. If you bear with me I will show you the best of the best pictures, and try to remember the good things that happened on the road.
    It all was part of the Kootenay Hottenanny 2008 in Nelson British Columbia, a wonderful place that reminded me a bit of Colorado, yet it had a very european feel to it and definitly foriegn to me, loonies and all ya know. Still I can understand english rather fluently so it was not that much of a stretch. Sort of like visiting a cousin who lives all they way across the map. You can see somthing familiar in the eyes and ears, the funny walk and yet you know they have different parents. That was Canada to me like visiting cousins, beautiful cousins in fact. I was amazed at the all the pretty people there, everywhere we went pretty people. The few fat ones like me unmistakenly had tags from the USA? Heh - I come expecting biting wind and fuzzy hats and I find a heat wave and beautiful pretty people? Go figure - I like pleasant surprises so I was pleased. It just seemed to be a really laid back place to be, much more easy going and a somewhat slower pace of life, yet not without sophistication at all. Canadians are certainly a complex sort, more than willing to give you an educated opionion about what they think of you or what your doing. It all seems very much like a perpetual small town. Even complete strangers seem to settle into a familiar ease of live and let live. The money thing though is a bit steeper then I was ready for, who would have thought the land of Aspen and the Home of Broncos would have a lower cost of living? There we go with that cousins thing again, you cant help but compare hands and feet, counting toes and fingers and such, it seems to be the natural thing to do.
    [vid]67[/vid]

    Kootenay National Park

    Near the boader Banff National Park
    After the wonderful gathering in Nelson - a large contingent of us gathered together to ride to Calgary, well mostly to Calgary anway, Craig and I would be stopping in Canmore for the night then heading back into the USA the next morning. The ride across British Columbia was fun, the trip across lake was fun too, never been a boat that big before. I am land locked you know, I know mountains but I dont know water.

    Me

    The Moxie Kaslo BC

    Kaslo

    On the Ferry Lake Kootenay

    Kootenay Bay

    Kootenay Bay

    Craig Soaks in the scenery
    I might have some of the pictures out of order, in any case I can vouch that the real thing is much more scenic than what any camera can capture. The pristine lakes against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains is somthing to behold, It takes your breath away at the incredible beauty of it. The Crew, that is to say the "Calgary Crew" chose me to lead the way, which of course for a guy with a gps is not too difficult but it sure was odd. I did the best I could and passed cars that were annoyingly slow, and they all followed gulping up the miles with ease. I tend to be a bit of an Iron butt so I may have gone on a bit far in places without rest - and yes I heard about it later when we did stop. Hey I was drafted, you cant complain about that now.

    Calgary Crew Fueling up in Creston

    Bicyclist seeking refuge from rain Near Fairmont Hotsprings

    Near Canal Flats
    The day was over and our party of motorcycles disbanded, it was just Craig and I headed back to the USA now, we took a road that Superfunk recommended to us and bypassed Calgary, it was not all that twisty but boy it was scenic.

    Canadian Rockies knife edge rocks

    Banff National Park

    One of the most photographed mountains in Banff Mt Rundle

    The View from the Lodge in Canmore Alberta

    The Worldmark Lodge In Canmore My uncle is a member he let me use his points.

    The Incredible Canadian Rockies at the Seebe Junction of Canada transhighway 1 and Alberta Highway 40

    Craig dusts off his camera for a shot

    Alberta Highway 40 I enjoyed this road more than hwy 93 through the Kootnays there was hardly no traffic at all.

    Hwy 40 Alberta this view topping the crest of the hill took my breath away

    I was going gagga over the view I did not notice the deer on the right side of the road getting ready to cross right in front of us a car flashed me and thats when I snapped out of it and slowed down for them (Cagers helping motorcyclist wow)

    Not very twisty at all but your too busy looking around to care

    Each turn brought more incredible scenes

    Peter Lougheed Provincial Park

    Craig in tow

    look this way somthing cool - look thatway somthing else

    Alberta hwy 40 has got to be one of the prettiest the scenery was spectacular

    Craig takes over lead duty after scurrying off into woods for a rest

    Longview Alberta stopped to stretch our legs
    It did not take long to get out of the mountains and onto the grasslands and farms of southern Alberta, where it seems it was just like Montana, and in return not that much different that the farm land in Colorado, it all seemed to be familiar to me.

    Pastures haybales and the Rockies

    Sharp as a razors edge

    Rockies haybales and pastures this time

    Haybales Rockies and Pastures

    Its hard for a typical American who has never been to Canada not to imagine a snowbound scene, its not much different than Montana really

    hwy 22 seemed to go on forever reading off the Kilometers instead of miles I had no idea just how far left to go.
    We crossed the border into the USA at the Peace Park, the woman did not even ask us to open up the bags it was clear that 911 had subsided in these parts - not that I was all that concerened, but then again we had passports and they had a computer and must have figured out we were not Taliban - no sooner than a bottle of water was downed we were back on the road and riding again. Honestly the stop on the way into Canada was more rigerous.

    Back in the USA Chief Mountain Glacier National Park

    Dupuyer Montana Nothin absolutly nothing open for a drink
    The Second half day of riding in Montana was all plains, all the way into indian country of the Blackfoot Nation, and into Great Falls. The town was dull and we had a fast food dinner, and my riding partner Craig was I think overwhelmed with the trip at this point. He miss judged the sturdyness of his rear tire and was worried he wasnt going to make it home, in need of a new tire. We scoured the internet for a place to change his tire, on my netbook. He looked to no avail and wasnt interested in my plans to find him a tire, so we settled on a parting of ways at this point and I left early in the morning to ride more twisties and he off on his own to get a new tire. Too bad it went this way but I was not about to miss out on Bear Tooth Pass, not a second time. (my first time I could only ride half of it since it was washed out on the Montana side 2 years earlier). I said goodby to Craig and left before sun up to ride as much of Montana and Wyoming as I could in one day.

    Sluce Boxes State Park Montana 5am

    Montana Hwy 427

    Montana Sunrise

    Rosco Montana

    Roscoe Montana I had to pull off and take a moment, after narrowally missing both a deer and a wild turkey in less than a quarter mile up the hill

    Bear Tooth Pass Beckens

    Montana Rockies

    Red Lodge Monatana

    Entering Bear Tooth Pass

    Bear Tooth Pass

    Bear Tooth Pass a popular motorcycle route

    First Leg Bear Tooth Pass completed

    Top of Bear Tooth Pass Wyoming and Yellowstone ahead

    I followed a 929 most of the way up thats him ahead

    One Last Look at Montana

    Montana Side Bear Tooth Pass

    A bumpy and challenging road down Wyoming

    Bear Tooth Pass more motorcycles ahead

    Wyoming vista From Bear Tooth Pass

    Cheif Josheph Highway Wyoming

    View from the summit Chief Josheph Highway

    Entrance to Shell Canyon Big Horn Mountains Wyoming

    Shell Canyon Incredible road here

    Top of Shell Canyon
    I actually ran into Craig again on I-25 in Sheridan, at the gas station the next day. I was still trying to ride more scenery and he was not trusting his new tire he got from Billings so he stayed on the interstate, me interstate? No way I have too many lonely roads yet to ride. Lonely for sure, scenic? well ok my route was not so scenic after doing Beartooth the day before. I spent that night in Ranchester a small ranch community just north of Sheridan, just at the bottom of the hill from an awsome road comming out of the Big Horn Moutains. I stopped at a little dive of a hotel and walked to the liquer store across the road and found it was a bar and grill. It seemed most the town was there for supper. It was steak night and so I shared in the beer and steak night with the local folks and watched the Olympics on the TV with them, I had a great time and a great supper. I wont soon forget the fun and freindly folks of Ranchester Wyoming. Too bad the ride across Wyoming the next day was so forgetable, I cant really recommend any roads south of Casper as I have yet to find anything worth riding. North Wyoming is a hoot though, just watch out for the small towns - they take the speed limits very seriously.

    Medicine Bow Wyoming

    Full Size
  2. 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.
  3. HispanicSlammer
    My employer has come into hard times - just like the rest of the world and closed the plant for 2 weeks forcing everybody to take a vacation who works there in an effort to reduce inventory and save money. Two weeks is a bit of a hardship for most but I am in pretty good shape having saved up my tax refund since last year and this years refund I had a good bit of money to go travel. My friend from College (whom I roomed with after graduation for a couple of years) recently moved back to Denver from LA and we have been getting back into touch with each other. He was also taking a vacation around the same time. Andy is an avid scooterista and he had booked a trip to Las Vegas to attend the 10th annual High Rollers Weekend scooter rally at the Tropicana - he offered to split the room with me and we could go have some fun.
    So I put on a new back tire and headed out to Vegas!

    Mt Mestas Near La Veta Colorado

    The Spanish Peaks heading up La Veta Pass hwy 160

    La Veta Cross Mountain snowcapped in the background

    Historic Fort Garland once commanded by Kit Carson

    Fort Garland with Mt Blanca towering over it 14345 ft
    My first day on the road started out really cold in the 40's so I broke out my Gerbing heated liner for the first time - it performed well keeping my arms and chest warm - even hot! I was warm as I climbed the sandy and snowy Cumbres Pass, liner heat, seat heat and heated grips. I was heading up into 30 degree 30mph wind at the top of the pass, but I was as comfortable as you can get on a bike in those conditions.

    Cumbres Pass The Colorado side facing north

    Cumbres Pass The New Mexico side facing south - much more snow on this side
    I crossed the Colorado Boarder into New Mexico with the intent of heading west on hwy 64 to stay out of the Colorado High country. I stopped in Chama to get some water and shed my liner since it was around 60 degrees there. It felt down right warm after riding sub 45 degree winds all morning. I was wearing my leather jacket and some tourmaster over pants that I had stuffed my old stich tf2 pads into. I reused my aerostich, I sewed the shoulder and elbow pads into the liner of my jacked before leaving. I was really missing my stich since it was in Duluth MN getting repaired and fitted with brand new tf3 armor. While in Chama I was greeted by a couple of travelers from Minnesota who just happened to live in Duluth which I thought was a bit of a coincidence. They saw my license plate and asked me a few questions on the best route to take into Colorado. They where all paranoid about going up McClure Pass but surprisingly had no qualms going over the million dollar highway. To which I thought was probably more dangerous to a traveler this time of year then McClure pass. I said it probably was going to be OK to do both - since the sun had been out for a week now. I recommended a lunch stop in Durango and pointed them in the the right direction. Then I headed west into indian country, where I found there is allot of Oil and Gas exploration/development going in near Farmington - it seemed to be to be booming. Oil Trucks and construction going on all over North West New Mexico.
    I hated Farmington with its 4 lane safety corridor that dragged on for 15 miles into an oblivion of industrial parks and road side businesses. Folks where pulling out incessantly in front of me I was covering my brake lever as best I could. Safety corridor my ass these drivers were nuts! In Farmington I looked for a good lunch spot that was local - so after riding around downtown and having found nothing satisfying I settled on a burger at Wendy's. I was sporting my new high and tight haircut (thinking I would be immune to helmet hair with it *wrong*). I seemed to fit in since I look just like a Navajo Indian - even have the same haircut - most Navajo males all sport buzz cuts. I was not local though its still a small town and everybody recognized I wasn't from there. The woman at the counter started talking to me in Navajo which when she realized I did not understand she changed over to english, I really got a kick out of that. I had the same thing while in college in Durango the local Navajos would talk to me in Navajo all the time till I realized I am Hispanic. My girlfriend though was 100% Hopi indian and she would do all the talking, all of it, all the time. Good girl and I was really in love, too bad I let her get away. I was glad to make a friend like Andy back then, he will talk to anybody anywhere and he can be spontaneously funny, me I am a bit shy. So I make up for it by hanging out with guys like Andy who are not shy than I get to know people through them and feel more comfortable getting involved.

    Shiprock New Mexico hwy 64

    Shiprock boring riding out there

    Vally of the Gods Utah hwy 163

    Valley of the Gods Monument Valley way off in the Distance
    I stayed the night in Mexican hat the Mexican Hat Lodge, the famous swinging steak, I have featured it a few times before. This is my favorite stop for the night in Southern Utah, good company good food and great atmosphere. It makes you feel like your on some kind of cattle drive or something complete with old Gene Autry movies on the tube before you go to sleep on the comfy beds they have, not a 4 star hotel but its authentic as it gets. I drank beers with the family who own the place and discussed all sort of things while they cooked my steak over an open fire on their one of a kind swinging grill. With beans cooked on an old wood stove out on the patio. This is the sort of place you go to get unplugged and away from everything.

    Mexican Hat Lodge home of the swinging steak - as seen on the food channel

    Mexican Hat Lodge next best thing to roughing it

    Monument Valley early in the morning hwy 163

    Monument Valley at a road side indian art display

    Monument Valley

    Setting Hen

    Monument Valley Stagecoach - King on his thone - Brighams Tomb

    Top of Monument Pass hwy 163

    Hwy 98 to Page AZ I stopped cause my phone rang - gps bluetooth thing went off - this horse was all alone watching my every move

    Phone calls out here?

    Colorado River down stream from the Glen Canyon Damn in Page

    Navajo Bridge at Vermillion Cliffs Marble Canyon - Lee's Ferry
    I stopped in Page to get a burger at some local joint, lots of kids there and it was a bit greasy but it hit the spot, allowed me to stretch my legs but nothing to go on about. I was surprised to get a phone call out in the sticks on the way there from Andy - I had no idea there was cell coverage out there, my Zumo made a funny noise and it had a phone icon on it so I pressed it but the call sounded like hell so I pulled over and tried connecting with the hand set - no luck I had to wait till I got to Page to let him know what was going on. I wasn't going to make it all the way to Vegas in one day - not since I planned on hitting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon along the way. It was a bust since the road was closed at Jacob Lake on hwy 89 up there at 7k feet there was allot of snow on the ground but I was happy to see some curves on the mesa going down into Fredonia where the road took a turn for the worse - boring and windy again.
    I avoided the traffic and cold into Zion NP and headed into Colorado City (est 1985) on a lower route - a low road and a high road to the same place as it is! I couldn't believe they would even put that on the sign (est 1985?) - the place was an eyesore next to some pretty rocks - nothing but dirt roads carved into the hills and ugly houses mixed in with warehouses it was just a hodge podge of disorganization and sprawl. I wouldn't call it an establishment at all. It wasn't long before I headed down the hill to Hurricane an equally unappealing town next to Zion National Park its just one long 4 lane enterprise zone to nowhere that goes on and on with stop lights every 2 minutes your more then happy to be riding on interstate 15 as soon as you get to the end of it. Now thats not saying much - interstate was more appealing to me than Hurricane. I stayed in Saint George for the night and I do like that place, its got pretty scenery and its not so much stop and go traffic to endure as Hurricane and it has a lot more to offer.
    I ate at a steak house right next to the motel and enjoyed the food, but there was an obnoxious family sitting in the next booth. Parents constantly slapping the kids down till I got sick of listening to it I ask to be moved, two parties in the place and they sit them right next to me? I drank my beer and got the hell out of there.
    The next day I had 150 miles to Vegas and I chose to take the Road to Lake Meade, I pulled off and recognized where my Busa had broken down 6 years ago leaving me stranded in the desert for 2 hours till a tow truck came along. I patted the tank on my viffer cause I know that wasn't going to happen again! It was starting to piss me off since I was again traveling in stop and go traffic in these small towns near the lake going 30 mph behind some local pickup trucks, one would pull out in front of me, turn off and another would take its place. ON and on like this for 15 miles till I was finally out of town but then I ran smack into road construction for another 20 miles - stripped down to bare dirt and following a string of RVs behind a lead vehicle with a follow me sign on the back. I was thinking I was never going to get to Vegas!
    Then the road got good, new pavement, lots of shoulder and good sweepers I was starting to enjoy it, two days of crap and now finally some good road. Still I was thinking about what Toddulu told me - the Feds patrol that area and they hate speeding bikes so I kept it under 90mph, for the most part. It seemed like they could hide anywhere in those bushes and bust you. You have to be going 110mph there to really lean it over but I was just cruising at 80mph hitting the brakes when I saw something that looked like a car.
    I finally rolled into Vegas around noon following an R1 on the freeway from Henderson that began the overheating water boiling weekend of riding in Vegas! Me and Andy on his scooter we resorted to lane splitting and pissing off the 100's of taxis on the side roads along the strip. I over ate, over drank and over partied for 2 days in Vegas and later met up with Tod and Ben for a ride around the city for a half day ride.

    Fremont Street Las Vegas

    Golden Nugget right on the mall

    Street Musicians everywhere

    The Light show at Fremont street KISS theme

    I have seen this on TV its huge

    The pool at the Golden Nugget

    Day Ride with Toddulu and Canib we went where ever it wasn't raining - around Lake Meade

    Red Rock Park near Lake Meade
    I must have spent $500 bucks in Vegas even though I had not planned on it, its too easy to drop money there. I said goodbye to Andy and Tod and took off to explore Arizona

    Heading out of Vegas I stopped at the Hover Damn

    Bridge construction above overlooking the Hover Damn it was huge too

    Lots of Concrete I need a wide angle lens to see it all
    Once the again the wind was blowing and it wasn't quite cold but it sure wasn't warm, I rolled into Kingman on Sunday and fell into line with the truckers on the Interstate 40 with plans to go ride some twisties in Arizona near Prescott. I turned off toward Phoenix and found a back road hwy 97 that resembled a roller coaster ride the whole time I was on it, I kept expecting to see cattle in the road when I crested a hill so I was worried about going too fast. I took out the camera and did some video.
    [vid]82[/vid]
    I ended up in Prescott around 4pm and decided the cool wind had gotten the best of me - I found this great old hotel in down town Prescott and enjoyed the night sitting at the bar of the Bistro there. Met a bunch of people and talked most the night with a couple who were living in Boulder Colorado - he was a scientist she a homemaker and they retired there after living in San Jose for many many years. The Bar tender was a good kid who was also a transplant from California, they apparently have a homeless problem there so they have a lock on the bathroom door that uses tokens - which was kept in a cup by the bar. I must have handed out 20 of them sitting right next to it, I thought I would give that bartender a break and just hand them out to whomever came looking. A big family was having dinner in the Bistro after a wedding - a young couple just married - the groom in his Dress uniform from the Army. I decided to buy them a drink so I could toast the newly weds I was having a great time in Prescott.

    The Historic Saint Michael Hotel In Prescott AZ

    Public Library Prescott AZ

    Historic Downtown Prescott lots of tourist at the St Michael
    The hotel had a parking garage in the alley behind it so there is where I locked up the bike for the night, old elevator, old everything but it was very cool. I headed for some more twisties toward Jerome AZ and into Sedona, my buddy Craig told me to head to Sedona. It was definitely pretty there but I was again stuck in urban sprawl stop and go traffic there with 15 miles of road construction I was going to spend some time there but decided the place was an eyesore next to those great rock monuments, like it was just piled on top of the place hodge podge but with allot more money than Colorado City, It would be great if it was a National Monument with none of that crap surrounding it but thats just me. I hate to see million dollar houses sitting on top of beautiful bluffs it just ruins the landscape no matter how much money they pour into it it looks horrible. The 15 mile per hour speed limit for and hour wasn't much fun either I was glad to be out of there and I crossed the Interstate on hwy 179 and encountered 11 miles of dirt road to the turn off at hwy 260. To my surprise it was rather smooth and 40 mph on smooth dirt road is way better than 15mph of traffic in Sedona any day!
    I was soon into some enjoyable mountain riding for the next 3 hours, passing into Payson for a gas stop I stopped and ate at a road house in Overgaard on hwy 260. Nice joint with good food but It was pricey so I cant recommend it - it was a bit steep in price for a burger and onion rings and a Dr Pepper $17? Rim Café I think it was called,
    I ended up staying the night in Sprigerville AZ on the New Mexico boarder I was lucky to find a room since the had no vacancy signs on all the motels, construction people they said. I couldn't for the life of me figure out where the work was going on? But I found a room, I met a couple of riders at the gas station headed to Santa Fe like me. They warned me it was supposed to snow the weekend so I made plans to stay with my sister for the weekend in Santa Fe over the phone, I could go see her new home they had built. The guys were staying in Socorro - a place that is alright but the last time I was there some drug dealers took over the motel 6 where I was staying at. For 4 hours they were selling out of a room on the first floor (last year on a trip to Silver City NM). Guys with guns in the doorway, they were menancing looking 5 of them out in the grass of the yard. I decided there was no way I was going there again.
    In Springerville I walked across the street to the Mexican restaurant and had some great chili relleno for $7 - and $4 corona = cheap food and expensive beer? OK it was good though. I was on my way to Santa Fe the Next Morning 9am. Once again 50 degrees out and windy like it had been the whole darned trip. I took out the Gerbings again and got comfy on the slab. I was surprised to see some good scenery near Grants though

    El Malipas National Monument New Mexico hwy 117 at a place called the Narrows

    The Narrows along the La Ventana Trail

    La Ventana Natural Arch

    The Highway Borders the Acoma Indian Reservation

    INFO

    This is a seldom traveled road
    I gassed up in Grants and got a meatball sandwich at the Subway, to warm me up. Sat next to some really really old folks who did not even recognize I was there, boring conversation anyway! I minded my own business. When I went outside it had warmed up to 65! Yea I stripped down and took off my over pants too. Headed to Santa Fe

    This is a seldom traveled road

    Madrid New Mexico

    Madrid NM on hwy 14 called the Turquoise trail

    Arrived at my Sisters new home in Santa Fe her family just moved in this month - its huge inside
    It was great to see my sister though she was sporting a cold, the kids looked great, grown a few inches and my brother in law was exited about his new home. We took a trip to go get a new couch that weekend but mostly I just hung out with my Sister for 3 days at home. I had to wait a few hours when I arrived in Santa Fe so I took in a movie - then I went to the school they both teach at and sure enough there was my sister Laura in the Parking lot waving at me as I pulled in. Kind of nice both their kids attend the same school too. I waited out a snow storm then headed home Sunday on some boring route to avoid the cold, again found myself in Fort Garland and I stopped for lunch at the Old West Café - wow it was cheap and it was great, the food on the menu all looked great and affordable I couldn't decide so I asked the waitress to just get me a burger and she brought out the best green chili burger I have ever had! good and scrumptious! Then I made it home and found I a sore throat - my sister had given me her darned cold! So I have been camped out in my room reading vfrd and blowing my nose for 3 days. Good trip all in all!

    My lunch stop in Fort Garland I needed a break from the cold - wonderful menu - I had a great green chili burger good service too
    trip log in gpx form attached
  4. HispanicSlammer
    Talimena Skyway
    The road to Texasmac 2008 - the first installment
    I took off a couple of weeks from work to do this and it about killed me this winter thinking about it. I was able to ride some here is Colorado but not nearly as carefree as in Appalachia where the roads are cleaner and the weather is not so vicious. I left on a Sunday for my first day, some 550 miles of superslab across south eastern Colorado and into the Oklahoma Panhandle.

    It was cold as usual, with a biting wind that took all the warmth out of my body as soon as it hit me, coming out of a shallow canyon, or passing a truck. I headed east on hwy 50 along the Arkansas river not stopping for gas until the thing was running on fumes.

    The Arkansas River Still in Colorado on hwy 50

    Arkansas River
    I was expecting nothing but flat brown Comanche National Grasslands heading south out of Rocky Ford toward Oklahoma but I was pleasantly surprised to find some nice bluffs near a place called Higbee Colorado and some welcome curves to keep me occupied for a short while. It did not last.

    Higbee Colorado

    I took some lunch at a Dairy Queen in Boise City OK, I was surprised to see entire families sitting down for a meal from the local DQ as if they had just come from Church - probably so. Well dressed for the most part and 4 generations strong to a booth. I did not linger as I could tell I was tolerated but not exactly welcome with my wild motorcycle outfit on. Now I had some dull drone to do to get across the panhandle for some 200 miles. It was all I could do to keep the thing strait since there were cops in odd places with radar blaring, no exactly hidden well since I could hear it for miles before I finally saw the car off in the grass some 5 miles down the road. Jebus who cares out here??? Only to find a town hidden in a sunken area not visible from the highlands, if not for the few trees I would have passed it at 70mph but the radar advertised its existence well enough!
    It was like a 12 hour shift at work really - something to be endured - and that is what I did, not that it was difficult riding, I played my entire audio book of "the hobbit" something I thought I would enjoy instead of music - it passed the time well. Finally I rounded a bend and I was out of the panhandle, there were trees and green grasses and it looked like a place where people would live! No more endless rows of telephone lines. I looked down to see the town of Woodward coming up and I realized my bike was about to click over 100,000 miles on the clock I had to stop and record this great milestone in my riding career!

    100k in Woodward Oklahoma a huge milestone
    A few more hours and I was trying to Call GSwanson on the phone to see where to meet but I could not connect cause of some strange Oklahoma roaming rules on my cell phone, I had his address programmed into my Zumo and so I just clicked go and I was soon riding on one helluva bumpy road out in the sticks to his place. I turned up what looked like a country road to nowhere and there he was outside waving at me, I was sitting on my bike trying to call him when I got a hold of his wife, at the same time I saw him waving at me.
    Gary is a great guy and his family are some wonderful people - they took me out to Cattlemans restaurant where I met their daughter and her husband for dinner. They have a busy little toddler who keeps them rather busy a very pretty young woman who has her mothers face. I don't think there are any ugly women in Oklahoma City?? We talked about Mini Racing and how much Gary's son had grown in less than a year, now a full 6 inches taller than me now! Gary says you can get a cart for 8 grand and be racing - almost like racing dirtbikes, they use carberated R6 motors.
    Gary got me up early and we where off to Seminole OK to meet VFRErnie - who I forgot had provided me with a clutch cover by mail the year before. I sent him the one I ordered a month later when it arrived. OH yea Geeze how could I forget that?? what a dolt! I cant keep my own families names strait either. We met Ernie at the Brahms in Seminole and headed for the Talimena Skyway, some 150 miles away, some more slab, with a few curves thrown in for good measure, but there were some slow poke cages in the way. It did not get interesting till we were on the skyway!


    Gswason and vfrErnie meet at the Brahms parking lot in Seminole OK

    Three 5th generation vfrs on the Talimena Skyway

    Ernie cant believe the good weather

    Talimena Skyway

    Talimena Skyway we met the others shortly after stopping here
    Gary said he saw Rapidsnipe on his vfr riding with another group that day - we passed him on the Talimena, I saw the vfr but did not know it was him. we did however run into Dutch, Tightwad and MTX73 later on the other side. Together we had a big group of 6 riders for a while till we stopped for lunch in Mena, Ernie turned back to go home there, he had lost his glasses on the skyway at the last stop and went back to retrieve them. The rest of us headed for Magazine Mountain with Dutch in the lead, with the smell of chicken shit everywhere - guess its a big chicken raising area, lots of big coops where all over the place, when we finally were on the road to Magazine mountain some redneck pulling a trailer full of metal barrels was crowding the narrow road and going much too fast for the conditions, he held dutch and I off for at least a quarter of the way?? Idiot - I hate it when people do that - go fast cause they see motorcycles in the mirror - just drive like you normally do and don't worry about it!!!!
    The two of us got around him but the others were stuck, we took off for the top and enjoyed some curves!
    ]
    Mount Magazine

    Gswanson Tightwad and Mtx73 stop for a break on top of Mount Magazine

    Top Of Mount Magazine
    Then we headed for Russleville and stayed the night, Mike was not feeling good and decided to end the trip right there, he headed home the next morning, mentioning that he was not used to the kind of miles we where doing and he was making some dangerous mistakes. We did not argue - but we all though all he needed was some sleep, but in the morning he was headed back to Texas?? OK buddy be safe!!
    Gary was still with us, tightwad, dutch and I and we headed up hwy 7 to Jasper where Gary was heading home! Tightwad was heading to Nashville then he also was going home? Lots of partway guys on this trip! It was nice having tightwad along since he could keep up with Dutch and I at a our normal pace for the most part. I have ridden with Dutch a few times and we are on par for good pace. Tightwad took a half day but he was soon right along side!
    We had a scare cause Tightwads voltmeter was showing that he was overcooking the battery, but my voltmeter showed it to be fine, later his voltmeter stopped working all together. Typical long trip stuff! Nothing every works the way you want it to!

    Gswanson Tightwad and Dutchinterceptor we pulled off to let a park ranger get on ahead

    Lunch in Marshall AR

    The Lake at Norfolk Damn the water is high

    Norfork Damn


    Beaverdamn Road TN

    Dutch and Tightwad take pictures

    Gotta Love a sign like that
    We crossed the big Mississippi river at Dyersburg and bedded down at the Days Inn. then we took some crazy back roads I mixed in with some suggested roads Baileyrock gave me, passing by some weird army ordinance base, and some crazy hilly roads and into the Natchez Trace State park for what seemed like roads no wider than a sidewalk, it was challenging but fun, thank goodness no cars where coming the other way since we where using the entire road!

    Centerville hometown of Minne Pearl

    Brees Café in Centerville TN add this one to the greasy spoon archive good stuff

    HEH

    Tottys Bend TN

    Pucketts Leipers Fork TN

    The Lawnchair theater next door to Pucketts

    The Road to Tmac ends the first leg at Baileyrocks Place
    I called Baileyrock from Brees diner in Centerville and told him we where 2 hours away (accurate) but it was less than 60 miles as the crow flies, what a great day of riding!
    The Video

    Map of the Mount Judea road

    Full Size
    :media: Mount Judea Video High Resolution this video is in wmv format and runs for about 5 minutes - hwy 123 in Arkansas with Dutchinterceptor leading me in the middle and Tightwad sweeper - I borrowed some of Tightwads footage to complete the video with 3 cameras. Music by Coldplay
    so ends the first leg on the road to Texasmac at the Home of Baileyrock in Nashville
  5. HispanicSlammer
    For me the lure of riding often comes with months of anticipation, especially when it comes to TexasMac. I have made this trip twice before on my vfr, each time a slightly different route and each time an epic journey. I watched in earnest the weather reports along the Colorado Front range, one thing about Colorado the weather can get cold an nasty in an instant. I woke up at 4am, a habit I picked up working nights and well I just do, still dark out I walked my luggage up the stairs and into the garage where I parked my bike the night before, attached my gps, snapped the Givi top bag onto the bike and slipped on my boots. Then I walked around for an hour, wondering did I forget anything. I had packed really light this trip - opting for gear and clothes that I can wash in a hotel sink if I have too. Fast drying wickable shirts and pants, they look awful but are really comfy on the road.
    Finally the sun came up, or rather the light diffused itself through the solid pillow of cloud overhead, sunk so low I could not even see Cheyenne Mountain 2 miles away. I worried it would all come tumbling down on me when I turned on the key. It did not of course but it was sure frosty, 55 degrees out and windy. I made my way down to Pueblo via the interstate, squirming around on the bike trying to find the best position in which to get comfortable in the cold weather. I turned on my custom heated seat and grips and just sat there solid following the morning commuters to Pueblo. I hate riding interstates, either your going too fast or too slow, so you have to change lanes all the time and adjust for the variable speeds of traffic, the worse is the constant passing of semi truck by semi truck. Its like watching snails pass each other, or rather turtles all the while your hoping they don't suddenly move that massive load right into you. Who would know your there you cant see them and they cant see you so you back off and wait for the massive snails to do their thing.
    I was soon off the interstate 7am and gassing up, I had routed myself along a secondary road along side hwy 50 going through Boone and eventually heading north diagonally to a Grain Silo they call Eads. I was enjoying the views of the bluffs along the north side of the road, they sheltered me from the wind and the road winded around them just enough to keep me awake and alert. I was surprised at the traffic, a car every minute or so heading the other way. I was in the rolling hills - hills of foothills of mountains that is. Along the Arkansas River Valley then the elevation climbed a bit coming out of the valley into Eads and I was soon on the Colorado High Plains. There I would see something that astonished me. Box cars, miles and miles of Box cars used for the transportation of Cattle. It was a good 2 miles into the endless row of box cars before I thought to look at the Odometer to see just how far these cars went. I could hardly imagine the amount of iron they had parked on the rail road tracks let alone the combined weight of them all. Ten miles long I estimated this went on for, and it was magnificent in the sunshine peering through the holes in the clouds. I was following a pickup truck with Missouri Plates already for a good half and hour and I just knew I would be seeing this one all day long. My path was to head strait across Kansas into Great Bend and then further along till I made it to Emporia to stop for the night.
    I followed the truck into 3 or 4 small towns - blink and you miss them but each one of them forced you to slow down to 35mph and one of them made a right turn into town. This pickup truck was going 25 in town so I followed a bit, till the town limit disappeared and I was able to make a pass, he was going 90 or so on the plains which was fast enoug for me but each town he would slow down 10 mph below the speed limit? Sorry see ya! I have no interest in following some pickup truck all day long anyway.
    Soon enough I was passing trough the last Colorado Town on the plains Towner Colorado where I have a cousin, a school teacher. No time to visit but I did notice the sign on the barn that said "Heres your sign" shit kickers have a sense of humor too. My cousin hates it when I call her that, so naturally.....

    George Washington Carver lived in Kansas Before beginning his career as a scientist
    Crossing the boarder is really no big deal Kansas and Eastern Colorado are the same, just the road is in better condition in Kansas and a lot straiter! At least Colorado has a few bends here and there bumpy and potholed but it has bends! The clouds got thicker and the temperature dropped even more to 42F, time to pull off and put my Electric vest on. I stripped off my back protector and put on the Gerbing jacket, sure enough that same MO Pickup truck went speeding by. I pulled back onto the road toasty and warm and a few mintues later I passed a gas station 12 miles down the road (guess who I saw there?) He waved! I waved back, and it was just about 10am when I needed gas myself so I checked my gps for the next town, it showed 20 miles to go on mile 182 of my tank. I thought well that should be good, then the 2 lines on my dashed disappeared at mile 195 and it started flashing. I had 8 miles to go and I started to get concerned - I hate how my dash does that skips from 2 line to flashing no one line left just 2 lines then all of a sudden its empty?
    I made it into town looked around and found that it was closed, the whole place was closed, no gas station, no diner, no nothing just empty boarded up houses - OH SHIT! I hit the gas locater on my gps and it said 45 miles away to the next station! OH HELL! Well shoot I just said OK why not just head east as far as you can get then thumb it if you have to to a gas station. Just then a major intersection came up and there was a gas station there, 2 miles east of that ghost town. YES! I filled it up and watched as that same MO pickup truck shot right by me again I waved! Now it was 11am I thought I can make it to Great Bend for lunch! Then it would be 2pm I estimated to Great Bend - the road was even straiter and the wind picked up however with it the clouds disappeared and I had sunshine finally and I was baking like a potato. I pulled off and took a break on the side of the road under a tree. I drank my Red Bull and ate some beef jerky and stripped down to my one shirt, 3 layers peeled off and much more comfortable I popped a acetaminophen and stretched my legs. My butt was in pain after some 300 miles on the road. Only 200 more to go! 2pm and I was in Great Bend and I was so unimpressed I just kept on going stopping only for more gas - guess who I saw at the gas station! MO PICKUP again! I pulled in and said hello and talked with them a bit, they were from Fredricksburg MO and had family in Colorado, apparently they where staying with folks till clean up crews could clear up the town - a massive tornado had hit there property and made it unlivable, they took their kids to their folks in Colorado and were going back to clean up. I decided I would check it out the next day for myself.
    I spend the night in Emporia Kansas and promptly fell asleep at 5pm on the bed without even getting out of my clothes, waking up at 4am again I was disoriented and confused - where the hell am I? OH yea Kansas. I watched some stupid movie on the tube and waited for the sun to come out, it did not, same old pillow cloud nightmare covering the entire sky again, but whoa it was warm! 60 degrees felt like a warm shower, I gassed up and hit the road.
    I was disappointed by my route mostly 4 lane freeway like stuff, that doesn't look like that on the map, so I turned on my audio book of "Beloved" by Toni Morrison and listened as the miles shot by. It wasn't until I was half way across Missouri before I found a twisty road, and it was a typical Missouri road, first it started to undulate up and down rolling over hills for miles then it got steeper and lower into the hills and then boom it started twisting like a snake, easy at first then I had to lean it over a bit YEA now it was getting fun! Then the rural roads started getting darker and the trees started closing in and I was really enjoying myself . The Mark Twain National Forest - I must have been there, Salem MO popped up and I realized it had only just begun - then all of a sudden I saw the damage this tornado had caused, whole trees uprooted and lying on there sides, large trees where the roots where taller than I am. Thousands and thousands of uprooted trees - clean up crews everywhere with chain saws and chipper trucks - the place looked awful and it went on for 50 miles! I did not take any pictures cause well I had 500 miles to do that day no time to stop really except for gas.

    Baileyrocks new business heh not really this is Bixby MO
    There was a family at the gas station asking for a pay phone cause cell service had been knocked out, and back on the road I found myself in the hometown of the MO pickup truck, Fredricksburg MO and it had been hit hard, the place was beautiful for a mile are so then disaster, then beautiful and again disaster. I looked for that pickup truck but never saw it again. Houses seemed ok for the most part but all the trees where uprooted, barns torn apart and sheds gone, but amazingly the homes were ok save a few shingles here and there - every once in a while I would see a home completely gone just torn to shreds. It really got to me how bad it was and how far it went on for, thousands of folks displaced. The town was on curfew and no school so I saw tons of kids out and about in their yards playing Frisbee among the dead trees. Kids it seems can cope with anything.
    I found a great road that rivaled anything I had ever been on for fun, hwy 32 at Bixby was awesome! I railed it at 8/10ths cause there was still dead trees in places some in the road. I was soon coming to the Mississippi river where I would spend the next night, and cross into Illinois in the morning.

    Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge Cape Girardeau Missouri completed Dec 13 2003
    I was able to stay up later this time and wake up around 7am - just in time for the sun rise, and losing an hour to the region. I was impressed by the bridge but not with Illinois in that area as soon as you cross you run into strip clubs and liquor stores over there, strait roads again and turning south I made my way to Cairo IL where I would cross into Kentucky across the Ohio river this time. I rolled through the sleepy town of Cairo and its run down buildings watching this incredibly beautiful young black woman cross the street in front of me she crossed it sideways and it took what seemed like forever for her to make it, all I could think was watching her walk was like watching music. Wow she was something she even turned around and waved as I went by, of course I was going like maybe 3mph the whole time behind her caught in her spell. I don't care I admit it you probably would have too guys! I think she said "hey" and that was it, gone she was and the spell was broken.
    Wickliff KY was an interesting little place, right in the confluence of the Mississippi river and the Ohio it sits on the east side soaking up the traffic and shuffling it out in a fan on all directions east, I headed south east to Nashville, its not twisty like Missouri but it has the undulation of the hills - and 4 lane roads that to see seem like pork barrel projects going off to nowhere towns for no reason, 5 miles of 4 split lane freeway with maybe 3 vehicles on it only to merge back into a 2 lane road again? I was wondering why cant we get another lane of freeway between Pueblo to Denver to Fort Collins? They can send money to make unused freeway in Kentucky why not a busy freeway in Colorado?
    I waited 2 more hours on these strange freeway like roads in Kentucky and was soon crossing into Tennessee, I found hwy 232 off the Donnelson Parkway and was again thrown into the twisties, twisties that seemed to me to be a bit tighter than I remembered - had been on this road before, and it had a slope going down hill I did not remember it reminded me of Warwoman road one of the roads on the menu for Texasmac.
    wow - I was soon lost and I found myself at the Cumberland river at a Damn with no exit.

    Cheatham Damn Cumberland River

    Tug Boat pushing a barge up the river at the Cheatham damn locks
    I waited out a small rain under the gazebo and talked with a Harley rider who lived only 3 miles away, he having lived there all his life had a Harley with 180,000 miles on it. Second owner 1978 Harley He said of the AMC era with a full fairing and Mag wheels. It looked ancient but it sounded Harley! He had a definite Tennessee drawl and I knew I had arrived in the south. I stopped at this Pizza place in Erin Tn and ate a small pizza that took over my body and made me unable to ride any good. OH boy I was stuffed I had a hell of a time riding into Nashville, getting lost in town till finally I was at Baileyrocks Doorstep, the first phase of my ride was complete, I was was there!

    http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/videos/491/1243382074_tm2009.wmv.flv
  6. HispanicSlammer
    Veefalo at Grand Tetons
    I have been planning to do this ride for as long as it has been posted in the major events forum. I had to work though till the last minute, a 12 hour shift 7pm to 7am. I got home and put my stuff away, and laid my head down on the bed for an hour and a half and woke up a little refreshed, enough to ride. I put on my leathers and headed toward Denver. Up hwy 105 at Monument and into Golden I rode my way over to Golden Gate Canyon. Dissapointed that the traffic was so thick I could not really get to the point where I could lean the bike over a bit in the twisties. As soon as I passed one car sombody would pull out and take its place. Geez it was like this all day. On the peak to peak highway I was even less successful, the traffic was murder. I pulled out ran down Left Hand Canyon - and ran into about 200 bicylist cranking petals up the 7% grade, steeper in some places. It took me a good 20 minutes to get to the road at the end I am sure its a good 2 hour ride and a great work out if your a cyclist. I had to negotiate around a few going down too in the twisties.
    At this point I was starting to feel tired so I just rode it at a slow easy pace. On the front range roads I made my way to Stove Prarie road and started to hit some of those sweet curves at the base of the road. As soon as I got the good stuff though more slow cars, oh well I waited and passed as soon as it was safe. Then I turned on the Cache La Poudre and made my way up Cameron Pass. At this point I was dead tired and was passing the slow cars one by one. Miles and miles of cars on this road, weekends on the Cache La Poudre - it gets strangled up with cars.
    I remembered a sneeky turn from years ago that caught me out and I went wide on, it has some long straits then easy sweepers at first then whammo a tight right and your all of a sudden going wide. I remembered where it was and took it easy. I am glad I did cause there were pot holes right at the apex that could really mess you up if you are leaned over.
    I was so tired at this point even a Harley Davidson was outrunning me on the way down the pass. I just stopped and pulled over to take pictures

    Cameron Pass on the way to Waldon Colorado

    Cameron Pass
    I could not find a place to stay at first cause the place I stopped in was full of HD riders comming back from Sturgis, so the lady at the motel told me to go down the road to another place and lucky they had a room. It was cheap too $55 at the round up motel. Its a bit of a dump but the price was right. Cheap on the motel so I walked over to the Antlers Inn and splurged on the Prime Rib, man it was good. Nice place too.

    Full Size
    In the morning I walked over to the Moose Creek Cafe and had breakfast at 6am cause I went to sleep at 6pm the night before, I must have slept 10 hours. Wow one waitress handled 20 people and did it well, I made sure to give her a good tip cause she was excellent. I was surprised to see a bunch of pellets stuck to my bike, then I remembered near Fort Collins I ran through a road that had oiled down the dirt for a few hundred feet, geez a little strech of road and it left pellets all over. SO I tried to wash it off but no quarters for the car wash and no change machine? OK well then on the road then. More to come later
    Ballons in Waldon 7am - 45 degrees out - still cool air perfect balloon weather

    Sheep Mountain Waldon Colorad
  7. 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]
  8. HispanicSlammer
    The Crags on Pikes Peak
    Whenever I need a ride and just dont want to be out all day I usually take a ride down to Lake Isabel on the Green Horn Highway. I make a big loop out of if. Head south on hwy 115 over to Florence - past the supermax prison up to McKenzi Junction and down the Greenhorn Highway to Lake Isabel. I usually dont stop at Bishops Castle anymore seen that enough times, but its a great stop if you have never been, you can get your fear of hieghts all boiled up if you dont mind climbing on rickety rocky wrought iron structures.

    Lake Isabel

    village at Lake Isabel
    I know the road well enough to ride it at a brisk pace 80-to ungodly stupid fast, at least when I am the only one on the road. Its usually has its share of tourist so you have to slow down. I stopped and got some drink and food in Florence and was enjoying a nice stop at Lake Isabel when a group of Pueblo tourist where out and about in an SUV, they stopped and one of the old folks got out and greeted me with a folksy hello. He told me he was with his wife and his cousin and her Husband - He is a Honda owner too of the Goldwing sort - motorcylists are motorcyclist and usually we all have somthing in common to talk about - even if hes 40 years my Senior and a good deal slower. I told him to take the dirt road to Beula and enjoy the Wet Mountains from there, somewhere he had never been. Visiting cousins in Pueblo they come from Grand Junction. He then used the public mens room and took off in thier SUV waving goodby as they went. I took off about 5 minutes later and passed them going my normal pace before they made the turn, pointing to the road they should take.
    Then at McKenzi Junction I decided to make a loop out of the ride and head over to Westcliff and down into Texas Creek, I stopped for a picture of the Sangre De Christos, there is a meadow at the top of the wet mountains that exposes the Sandgres from across the wet valley, its an amazing view that always takes my breath away.

    Sangre De Christo Mountains Co Hwy 96
    at the top the road gets slightly twisty before you get into the wet valley and I was railing it of course, passed a few cars on the way down then turned the corner into the vally I was trying to remember which mountains where which slowing down to take a good look - and I saw in my mirrors a sherrif deputy following me, where he came from I have no Idea but I stayed at my current pace (speed limit) until I stopped at the gas station in Westcliff. I know the cops patrol hwy 96 cause I have been stopped there before, I still dont know where he was when I passed him? He did not light me up with his radar either cause I got no signal, paceing me no doubt by his speedo! I get sick of traffic cops always on my case! You know what I was going slow cause I was approching the town some 5 miles away going the speed limit, leave me alone!
    I did not stay in Westcliff since I dont like being hassled by local cops, hassle me and I wont stop and spend money in your town for lunch! boycott HS style Forget that my lunch money is going to Texas Creek instead.

    Twisty Road Near Texas Creek
    There was a big group of riders - some wearing Apex Sports shirts, so I know they came from Colorado Springs, they where on the other end of the resturant and did not acknowledge me, cruisers on metrics and one beemer. Oh well, one of them finally said hello when I was already to go on my bike after eating my lunch. Well Hello dingleberry! I tried to introduce myself earlier! Oh well no point in being rude so I said hello. Then I dissapered around the first turn and was gone.
    I headed over to hwy 9 and started toward high park road to Cripple Creek. I passed a few cars going up High Park Road, then turned off to get up the mountain to Cripple Creek, saw a sign that said "Loose Gravel" turned the corner and my radar detector started blaring in my ear, another sherrif following a car closely down hill with his radar on. The cop was less than 2 car lengths behind the car? Harrasing cops all day long! I was glad I slowed down for that sign! Never did see any loose gravel? I waited to speed up again thinking the sherrif might turn around and come after me? - you never know about these small town cops! They enjoy it a bit too much. I just decided to look at the pretty aspens in thier fall colors and not rail the turns - the road from Cripple Creek to High Park road is a bit too well traveled these days, very busy with all that gambling traffic from Cripple Creek, people working the casinos, people from Pueblo going to the Casinos its a mess now.
    I dont much care to stop in Cripple Creek so I always turn south there and to rail the 5 miles of turns to Victor. That short road is a hoot! and its a bit scary since you can fall a good 1000 feet down if you miss a turn. past a huge gold mine to Victor you can view some very nice vistas and the fall colors where spectacular.I can usually speed up after I get out of Cripple Creek to Victor, there is a great 5 mile road on the way that is one turn after another. I stopped to take some pictures

    Shelf Road

    Victor Cememtary Road

    Cematary Road Sangre De Christo mountains in the background

    Crestone Peak, Crestone Needle zoom on my camera is good

    Moon rises over Victor
    Victor is not so lucky as Cripple Creek - no gambling and its more run down, the historic town is much quieter. I usually loop around the backside to go see Pikes Peaks southern face

    The Crags on Pikes Peak

    Pikes Peak

    the summit

    Pikes Peak

    CR 81 in Fall The Crags
    The Map

    Full Size
    Attached is the gpx tracks and a google earth path
  9. HispanicSlammer
    The Kansas Crew Lined up in front of Pikes Peak Crystal Creek Reservoir
    It was a year in the planning, planning done by committe of which I was only involved in as the official route guide. In that I really must thank Didit, Radar, and Volsfan for thier work in getting this thing put together - the lions share done by Didit of course. I knew when I stood up and asked the Candians at the Kootenay Hootenany if they would be willing to ride to Colorado for a national meet sombody would jump on it, and Didit sure did! It was a great success and I enjoyed myself! It was really a big deal and thanks go out to the local guys and those few with trusty GPS units who served as ride leaders too. Not one accident, not one lost rider, one ticket though and a group got the sherrif warning but all in all a safe and fun rally in Dillion Colorado.
    My experience started at home in Colorado Springs where I would lead the flat land boys from Kansas Nebraska Oklahoma and Missouri to the top of Pikes Peak and into Dillion. We had some fun the night before at one of my favorite resturants in the Springs - its Craigs favorite place and the owners always treat us well so we thought we would take everybody there for a margarita and mexican food at La Unica in Old Colorado City.

    Waiting for road crews to finish work before heading to the top of Pikes Peak

    Devils Playground Pikes Peak Summit

    Colorado Springs Down Below Pikes Peak Cog Railway tracks in the foreground

    Lee2002 found his way to the summit sign

    Hoosier Pass Summit on the way to Dillion
    I did not take many pictures at the hotel, some members had much better cameras than I took care of that, lining up the bikes and getting shots with wide angle lenses and all. I just took some shots of my group and the ride out afterwards.

    The Scenic Group stops at the summit of Loveland Pass

    Loveland Pass Radars group stops at the overlook - you can see the chairlift from Arapaho Basin Ski Area

    Loveland Pass Punchy Rider scurries to get out of the shot - too late I got ya

    Historic Downtown Central City Opera House Yes that is a no parking area - we did not stay long

    Mount Meeker

    The Chapel on the Rock

    Waiting for somthing to eat at the Peak To Peak diner

    Rocky Mountain National Park from on top Rainbow Corner

    Mt Chiquita Yipsilion Mountain and Fairchild Mountain from Rainbow Corner

    Longs Peak Looms above Mt Wuh

    Me and the Big Piggy Baileyrock was out for the day on my vfr appearantly losing ingition key on some backroad somwhere

    Scenic Overlook

    Takeing a shot of Longs Peak

    Elk on the alpine tundra

    The Lava Cliffs

    Never Summer Mountains

    Our Last stop in Rocky Mountain National Park Trail Ridge Road the highest continuous road in the USA
    Dinner was great, everything except the food that is, people and beer is all I need really. I never foget a face but I will forget your name in 2 seconds flat if you dont repete it to me about a million times. So I learned a few, forgot alot and remember everybodies face! God help me putting together real names with forum names - thats a lost cause there!
    We had some good breakfast, Baileyrock didit Craig and Radar - we hiked up the dillion lake trail to some lodge joint up the road about a mile and were accosted by the waiter for asking for water, Craig pretty much got a smack down for that - in ski bum summer colorado punk style! It was clear this gig was not the waiters main thing! It was funny though and we made sure to let Craig know we thought it was funny. I was glad to have Baileyrock there since he had always been so gracious to me on my trips to Tennesse to go to the Texasmac for the last few years. Baileyrock was haveing a bit of fun with Didit over the last few weeks - egging him on pulling his leg and such, if you know BR you know he is just kidding. Them two together was a hoot - the back and forth half insults and jokes. Guys will be Guys no matter what border you cross.
    The Day before I took out a group and Baileyrock took out my VFR to go ride with Sfarson and the fast group and I guess my key wiggled out and got lost, so that ruined half of thier ride, running around looking for a lost vfr key. It was lucky they made it back to the hotel cause the gas cap was locked. Dutchinterceptor loaned me his bike and I went home and got my spare key. It took forever casue of the weekend traffic and I forgot my wallet on my desk and had to double back to get it. It was not fun untill I got some alone time on a part of Hoosier pass on the way back, I was rather comfortable on that VTEC at that point and let it rip a bit. Not my bike so I kept it sane.
    After the meet I was looking for somthing to do so I hooked up with didit and radar for a couple of days and rode with them down to the western slope on the southern end to go do the Black Canyon and the Million Dollar Highway and back into Telluride. We stopped in Montrose for a couple of nights and based out of there. The silver loop is what its called. We rode over Independence pass and had a fun time trying not to dump it on the loose chip seal, hate that stuff! I took some video but it seemes my battery packe for the helmet cams was comming unhooked and it was skipping parts. That was too bad cause when we started up McClure Pass a fellow on a KTM 990 dirtbike took off in front of us and we gave chase for 20 miles all the way down to Paonia Lake, where he turned off. That dude was fast and he had that thing leaned over as far as I could imagine those dual sport tires could go! 80 Plus in some of the tight sweepers he was holding me off pretty good, he stopped racing us near the lake and was acting like a ride leader by then cause well were all there right there! Pointing at road debris and giving hand signals, boy I wish my camera had caught it on tape! It was a blast and we gave him a salute when he turned off. Then we stopped in Paonia for lunch and then rode my favorite road in Colorado (of all time) hwy 92 into the Black Canyon. Didit said it was the hardest he had to work the whole ride from Canada. I am sure some of the roads he is riding now in California are that way too but hwy 92 is definitly there!

    Radar and Didit at the Golden Burro in Leadville

    Radar poses at the hairpin of Independence Pass

    10am at the top of Independence Pass

    Independence Pass the first switchback

    Mountain Boy Park

    Radar and Didit on the Black Canyon hwy 92

    Radar and Didit starting up Red Mountain Pass on the Million Dollar Highway 550

    Stopped on the way down to Silverton we stopped to let everybody we passed go by so we could do it again

    Lizard Head Pass a bit wet and slippery

    Lizard Head at 50mph

    Riding into the eye of a storm

    Sheep Mountain

    Yellow Mountain Radar

    Radar gets out ahead as I dig for my camera near Telluride
    [vid]109[/vid]
  10. HispanicSlammer
    Well after returning home from the Mosca Pass ride I have not touched the XR since last week, too disappointed to do so. Until I mustered up the patience to replace the scored up cams. Which I did, and promptly ripped up that set too. OOKKKAAAYYY maybe I am missing the root cause here!!
    This time I took the head off and took out the spark plug and pumped the kick start to see if it was oiling the cams? NOPE NO OIL OUT OF THE DARNED JETS!!
    So I took off the plate to the oil filter and shot compressed air in the hole, it sprayed out perfectly - no clog? But then a pin and an O-ring fell out onto the floor? I looked where could this go, checked the manual no pin supposed to be there! WTF were did this pin come from? I then took off the whole side plate clutch cover and found a spot where it could go, checked the manual sure enough there was a pin there in the diagram! DUH!! I was in the wrong place! I put it in, put on a new O-ring and put it back together and did the pump thing again with the kickstand, this time oil came out the hole!! YEA now I am getting somewhere!
    So far I have solved my overheating problem, new thermostat and and a higher compression cap did that.
    Now I think I have the oiling issue licked too.
    Still got this jetting thing to solve though all the recommended jets are in there from multiple sources, I think I have the wrong slow jet its too rich for this altitude! Thats my next task after I replace the cam again! Then on to the suspension it could use some softening up must be gunked up with snotty oil in the forks. New seals, and bushings too! Rebuild the shock too! Maybe a softer spring cause it wants to launch me out of bumps!
  11. HispanicSlammer
    I just finished viewing the pictures from the Pacific Northwest Meet put on by Kiethbob and wow what a great time yall had up there - I really looked hard at attending that event, but alas the ride to made it prohibitive (2 weeks vacation instead of just needing one). I really love attending motorcycle meets as opposed to huge rallys for the comeradrie and the sheer fun of riding with kindred spirits. Sometimes it ends a bit of tradegdy, I have attended 2 sport-tourung.net meets and there were crashes in both, one was rather serious, and I happened to have been leading the ride at the time. I blamed myself for pacing a bit too fast but really we all are on our own bikes, and we have individual control over our own rides. It is important to have fun AND be safe! Sure riding is risky and riding in groups is too but without risk what would be the thrill of riding a motorcycle in the first place?
    I see riding in groups as more of a plus than a minus, first off your with people who enjoy the same thing you do! Riding that is, having something in common like that is great! Then you have support from other riders, God forbid somebody should go down there is someone there to help you and seek assistance if need be. Riding with others makes you ride better, time and time again I have improved my riding skills by riding with those of more experience or with better technique than I and so I have learned how to ride better.
    This year I was lucky enough to attend the TexasMac ride and so enjoyed one of the best rides of my life last may, both with the group and the adventure of getting there as well, I saw the south for what it really is a place of great diversity and hospitality - just as the saying goes. Now I have the opportunity to again head south at the pleasure of the VFRD Fall Dragon ride comming up soon next month and I cant wait! It is an opportunity I cant waste nor would I want to, and it is all made possible by the folks here at VFRD! I am greateful for this and would like to attend as many of these wonderful events as possible, thats what I really love doing, meeting the folks I read about on this very site everyday and making new riding buddies!
    Be safe out there and enjoy yourself on your bike!

  12. 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!
  13. HispanicSlammer
    Is that a vfr1200? why yes it is!
    I have been riding by the Black Canyon all summer - right on past it along hwy 50 going to other places, Utah for instance. I could see it from across the canyon winding along the mesa side in all its glory. I just had to get over there and ride it on the veefalo just once this summer its my favorite road of all time - hwy 92 Black Canyon Of The Gunnison. I got up early, my sister was in town with her family and their scout troops up from Santa Fe. They were headed over to Rocky Mountain National Park for a small two night Back Packing Trip. They were camped out in the back yard with 6 kids and 3 adults. She asked me if I wanted to come along - I honestly thought why not but all I have are inappropriate shoes since I tossed my hiking boots cause they were so damned uncomfortable. So I put on my leathers hugged my niece and nephew goodbye and said I would see them in a week when they come back from up north.
    I started up the bike and took off for a day ride up to the Black Canyon. I rolled down hwy 115 and over to Canon City (hate riding through that town) and of course as always I was stopped by all 8 stop lights as usual. I gassed up at the Shell Station and talked to a couple of HD riders gassing up across the median. People were very friendly the whole trip. Then off I went west on hwy 50 over to Poncha Springs. I was sort of winging it - the pass at Monarch had some really dark clouds over it so I said well why not head south to Sagauch then take hwy 9 into Cotchetopa Canyon? Sure why not, so I headed up Poncha Pass and sped up the hwy 285 to the top, passing folks with ease since it was 2 lanes, then once a the top I settled into a nice cruising pace into the San Luis Valley, great views of the Sangre De Christo Range on the left dotting the land scape as far as I could see. Then crossing the little town of Villa Grove I was on the lookout for the inevitable State Trooper, sure enough there he was 2 minutes south of town. I used to take that route on the way to college - 12 times a year it seemed and always there was a state trooper there. My radar detector caught him before I did, good job ole boy! I passed him at the speed limit on the DOT!
    Another half an hour and I was in Sagautch, a nice little village you can miss if you blink - I stopped at the gas station 132 miles since my last fill up and got a drink and popped a couple of Tylenol. I did everything except fill up the gas tank! Oops dumb ass! I talked to a couple of folks while stopped the new bike seems to be a real conversation piece! 3 guys with dreadlocks as hanging down to their knees - must have been in a band or something? Reggae is alive and well in Colorado don't think twice about it. I took off and forgot to secure my helmet strap and had to stop, after just having passed a pickup truck. I was seeing allot of cars and trucks on this road. Last time I rode into Cotchetopa Canyon I was the only vehicle for at least a full half an hour, I was passing by a car truck or RV every minute or so! Early August the height of the vacation season in Colorado!
    Cotechetopa Canyon was great, It always scares me a bit cause I was leading a group of riders on it a few years back and there was a bad accident and a few riders got hurt pretty bad on the way to the ST.N meet in Montrose. So I don't play around on it and give it the respect its due, that and the darned oncoming traffic freaks me out more than it used to. I guess getting run off the road by a blue van does that to you. I am paranoid about people coming into my lane now! I took my new contour HD camera out and slapped the vacuum mount to the rear fender and tried it out.

    http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/videos/491/cotchetopa.mp4
    Its a short video shot in HD and detuned for less resolution if you turn hd off - 4 minutes or so of just the wind and motor. I don't like the mount it shakes too much. I was noticing about half way into the canyon I was flashing on my gas tank. Already at 150 miles I was getting a warning. So I slowed it down and conserved fuel till I could make it the 18 miles to Gunnison. When I got there it took a full 4 gallons so I had another half gallon left at 168 miles. 42 mpg - Tank range is probably around 190 miles on fumes give or take 5 miles. I think I average 40 mpg though.

    Three guys from Indiana On their way to Creede, then Durango and the Million Dollar Highway
    I met these guys at the gas station in Gunnison and talked a little while they had Indiana Plates and were traveling together two cruisers and an Triumph ST. I was not liking the dark clouds over the mesa tops, I had avoided rain so far on this trip and hoped I would make the Black Canyon before it started. NO WAY mother nature said, and as soon as I turned off on hwy 92 I got my first rain drop and thought 'you bitch'! What is it with the Black Canyon and afternoon rain? I was able to do about a 3rd of it before it really started pouring, I turned on the camera again and let it go the whole way. It started to come down heavy about 3/4 into it. The bike handles OK in the rain but I don't like these Dunlops too much not much feedback so I took it easy for the most part.

    http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/videos/491/blackcanyon-rain.mp4
    I stopped in Crawford and had lunch at the Boardwalk, a big plate of smothered burrito that was scrumptious. It was huge though and I could not eat it all. There were more bikes there, a group of ST riders on cruisers, 2 goldwings and a Beemer ST bike with Missouri plates. Most of the guys were from Denver and all sporting gray hair except the cruiser rider. The red GS was really nice some of those Goldwings are really nice. The other one was a typical chromed out job, not so interesting to me too much crap on it, even a metal grate on the back with a cooler strapped to it? Too much crap it seems, some GS owners get carried away with accessories.
    I ate up and took off hoping to get over McClure pass while the rain let up. NOPE it was a wall of water to the north and back south, West looked no better and east was all mountains. I was getting tired too, odd hours at work I was up at 3 am the night before and playing on vfrd. So I stopped in Hotchkiss when I started raining again and asked for a good place to stay. Hotchkiss motel they girl said at the Ace Hardware store. Apparently my HD contour camera is NOT water resistant and water leaked in past the glass. I bought a jewelers screwdriver to take it off and dry it out. Then tightened up on the gasket to make it seal better.
    I spent the night in Hotchkiss - nothing on me but a camera and my leathers and a cell phone. The Slovak fella at the front desk seemed a bit bothered - "just sign it" he says as I was attempting to fill out all the spaces. Some Slovak European TV show blaring on the TV and he was talking to his son? I am guessing he was from Bosnia? I don't know somewhere in Eastern Europe. Gypsy
    The room was clean and a bit sparse but I did not care pulled off my gear and I was asleep in a matter of minutes 4pm in the afternoon, I would not wake up till midnight! Hungry but the whole town was shut down, save the bar. It was a mile from the motel and I did not want to drink and ride so I rode back to the city market I passed, all I had was 10 dollar bills so no soda pop from the machines either. Back to room I had ice water and went back to sleep 2 hours more then up again at 3am. Darned graveyard shift ruined my sleep habits. I watched infomercials and stupid old TV shows from the 70's till I finally fell back asleep. 8am and well rested finally I walked across the street to the "home town cafe" the waitress was really nice, I guess the sign in the middle of town was true "Hotchkiss the nicest people" ! I am betting so all except that grumpy Euro dude in his wife beater back at the motel, even he was OK! people in this town are mostly farmers and outdoors-men. Staunch Republicans too, I read a couple of local papers and well its very much leaning to right. I tend to do that myself now that I am older. Its a conservative town but they drink here, remember the bar was the only thing open at midnight, and well the church is not the biggest building in town so I think its got its share of hootin and hollerin - this is the wild west ya know! "The nicest people" the sign said!
    My plate of bacon and french toast was wonderful it was scarfed down much too fast, that burrito held me over pretty good the night before but boy I was hungry. I dropped off my key and headed back to the Black Canyon hoping it was dry this time!

    Crawford CO 9am in the morning

    Fog Over The Black Canyon a bit cold too

    Fog rolls up hill Up the Black Canyon

    The road disappears around the bend
    Nope it wasn't dry not in the shade and it was freaking cold, 60 wet degrees out and misty out, fog was rolling in from inside the valley and up and over the mesa sides. I was pretty, there were rodents all over the roads too, little critters everywhere sunning themselves cause it was wet and cold and the road was the warmest place. I hoped I would not run anything over. I saw a few who did not run in time and the crows were having at them. So again going slow I cant ride for shit when I am cold either. Wet and cold its twice as slow. So I just stopped allot and took pictures!

    A memorial on the side of the road the Gunnison River below reminding me its not a road to take lightly


    Hwy 92 from across the canyon

    Black Canyon Hwy 92 road is wet from the all night rains

    Green Pastures across the canyon The scenery is incredible here
    I was rounding the big turn about 3/4 of the way into the deepest canyon section and spied something red, sure enough it was another vfr1200! I did a quick U turn and introduced myself to the 4 guys stopped at the overlook. They were all from Midland Texas, 3 brothers and 1 friend on his VFR1200. I talked with them for a good 20 minutes - warned them about the critters and the buckled up road ahead, then shared routes. They were heading up to Independence pass and over McClure on the way, good ride they had in store for their day. Me I was on my way to Creede and back home via hwy 160. The guy with the VFR is a member here but for the life of me I cannot remember his name! I stopped and took a picture with him and the two bikes.

    another vfr1200 dressed up for touring from Midland Texas

    Another vfr1200 with side bags

    Two vfr1200 owners I am awful at remembering names - he says hes a member of vfrd
    It was tuning out to be a great 2 day ride, but coming up on 9am the clouds were already forming up for another hit on the mountains so I scooted off up to hwy 50 and then turned off to Lake City. I stopped there for lunch at the Country Vittles around noon. The young fellow running the place came over and talked to me about the bike, a Texas transplant the whole family works at the restaurant, he rides a Buel which he paid too much for - missed out on the going out of business prices he paid 10k for his. He was giving me warnings about "Slum" the pass just south of town, its got gravel in the turns from all the RVs who cant stay on the pavement in the tight turns. So I ate my Cajun combo grilled cheese sandwich and cup of Gumbo and REAL CANE SUGAR DR PEPPER from the DR Pepper Plant in Dublin Texas. Thats why I stop there!

    Slumgullion Slide and the veefalo

    Red Mountain

    Bristol Head

    Creede Colorado
    The road into Creede was very bumpy all they way down the pass, then it smoothed out a little and it was wet too of course but that did not stop me from riding pass all the RV's and Pickup trucks with campers on them. I rode into Creede about 2pm and there wasn't a place to park, its was packed! Every restaurant was full and so I did not bother and headed for Del Norte to fill up - even then I did not stop, I rode instead into Monte Vista cause Del Norte was packed with traffic too.
    Monte Vista is at the end of the Gun Barrel and strait road that crosses the San Luis Valley north to south strait as a gun barrel! I had forgotten how congested hwy 160 gets and learned soon. A train had crossed the road then stopped right at the side of the road for a good 10 minutes which did not allow for the crossing to stop alarming, the arms were still down holding up traffic. Some cars crossed anyway but me I figured I am in no hurry and waited. Finally the stupid train pulled ahead and the crossing cleared, there was traffic piled up for a mile on both sides! It was bumper to bumper all the way into Alamosa from there, and it took another 20 minutes to get through Alamosa. It seems the town has sprawled out a good 5 miles on either side since I last went through, new restaurants, new wall mart and new everything the place is booming!
    Once out of town I was picking off cars and trucks one at a time then I had La Veta pass all to myself. Its easy sweepers really easy sweepers, you have to go 120 mph to really lean it over, I cruised it at 90 and just enjoyed the mountains. Gassing up again in Walsenburg the way home would have to be interstate 25 from there cause the wet mountains looked..well WET! I had enough of riding twisties in the rain so I just slabbed it home from there. Thats when all hell broke loose 10 miles from home a squall with 50 mph gusts and rain drops as big as grapes hit me just south of town. Oh well at least my gear was now clean from all the bugs!
    Darned good two days of riding!

    Full Size
  14. 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!
  15. HispanicSlammer
    video preview
    :media:
    Canyonlands at Twilight video
    This is a short 5 min video of the our trip through the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Canyonlands National Park Utah. It was incredibly hot for 9pm somthing like 100 degrees in the twilight, I cant imagine how hot it is in full daylight in July?? The road is surreal surrounding you with red rock lava like stone walls on each side and then falling deeper into Glen Canyon along the Colorado River near Lake Powell. Its one of the nations most beautiful recreation spots, a must ride!!!

    Canyonlands Map UTAH highway 95
    Attached map files
    Canyonlands mapsource file.gdb
    Canyonlands MS Streets & Trips File.est
  16. HispanicSlammer
    VFRD once again gets hacked, as some of you know, after all the work and the money I spent securing the site with the upgraded forum software I must have missed somthing and they got in and changed the board wrapper with a downloader trojan. I deleted it as soon as I saw it, they seem to always attack the board wrapper and plant a frame in there. I am thinking of writing a script myself that refreshes the board wrapper every hour with a clean wrapper so even if they do get in and change it the script will wipe it clean when it trips.
    The problem is we are not exactly sure if they are changing the wrapper by gaining access to the admin area, using ftp, or directly infusing database code in somehow and avioding passwords and such. I checked my ftp logs and I am the only one on them, I changed the user names and passwords to the database, and put in new passwords for myself in the forum admin area and the cpanel server access area too. Then I ran virus scans, file checker scripts from invision board, deleted all files I no longer needed and checked for any backdoor files they may have left.
    I am sort of resigned to it a bit that I am unable to stop the hacking on the wrapper so I plan on doing some automated clean up scripts that negate the damage for as short of an amount of time as possible. Its like graffite really, you cant stop it you can just paint over it clean it up. I am taking that tac now.
    yesterday some kid from Fort Carson - a young soldier and his buddy were out pulling wheelies on Acadamey blvd, one pulled a wheelie in front of a cop and then they both ran as the cop turned on his lights, they speed at triple digit speeds till one of them colided with a car and died at the scene. I posted it in the forum. My freinds and I gathered at Dans place to watch the MotoGP races I recorded on dvd, and we talked about it for about ten minutes. Craig said he saw the bike still on fire as he turned off the highway to come to Dans place. then we forgot about it as soon as the races started - Darwin wins again!!
    Be safe out there.
    I have a ride organized for this comming sunday check the calender if your in the area and want to sport tour colorado!
  17. HispanicSlammer

    What a season!

    By HispanicSlammer,

    The old girl in front of Bent's Old Fort
    Seems I haven't made a blog entry in months, I just haven't done anything bloggable since riding with some guys from work. I take day rides still to places I have gone more times than I have digits on my hands and feet, so it seems redundant to blog about it. However recent changes in the website (this one vfrd) and its members have sent me into a mood of self examination, perhaps doubt, perhaps giddy anticipation, and always cautious about future outcomes. I have always considered vfrd "my baby" ever since it was a silly little Delphi community. I always make changes at the end of the riding season, and every time I do a slew of comments and admonishments of woe are handed to me in nice neatly packaged forum topics. Where's this, where's that, what happened to ......my website! So it always puts me off a bit to think..wait a minute..I thought it was mine! Like a light bulb burned out over my head with the awful truth. Truth is its not anymore, it seems to have a life of its own now.
    Now what really set me off was the "7th Gen Group Buy" - something I was not expecting at all, and well its something I am happy about - I must admit, not that I am expecting it to happen, but it is the idea really that is so strange. The 150 or so members who have come on board to honor me with such a gift is just beyond my reckoning, I have no anchor to lash onto here. So it has become a ride of self doubt, giddiness, and anticipation for the days to come. Doubt ..For all you do..they say, not knowing that vfrd is my salvation from boredom, the one place where I can go and talk about the things I really like to do. Especially this time of year when the shadows are a bit too long mid day and slightest hint of clouds could have you shivering - a winter storm brewing. So this season is over and a winter storm is brewing up a brand new vfr, a brand new vfrd, and perhaps a brand new ride for me? Do I deserve it? - some say so, I don't think so! I just cant help but get choked up at some of the things said about me in that thread, (ie, bayarearider, dutchinterceptor, cornercarver) so I have to close the page and go look at improving the php code on the homepage. It is afteral..my salvation from winter..playing with the website making it better. For all you do they say, if only you knew what it is like to be so afflicted~!
  18. HispanicSlammer
    The full moon sets over Canon City 7am
    CAGERS SLAM ON THE BRAKES?
    Went on a 500 mile ride yesterday with my buddy. A couple of times we were passing a string of cars, on dotted yellow sections. In keeping with my "dont force it ride rules". I am making an effort to ride more legit. Anway the lead car, is already going just around the speed limit so I tried to slot behind the guy after passing a few cars behind him/her. Anyway the guy slams on his brakes and so I am forced to pass him too - otherwise if I did slot in behind him I would have had to grab a whole handful of brakes?
    He wasnt going fast enough to be an issue in passing, its just that I was running out of dotted yellow line. I did not want to pass on a double yellow if I did not have too - there was more than enough room left to pass safely even on the double yellow. I intended to slot in behind the guy to make it a legal pass but when he slammed on the brakes that made it impossible.
    Then a Few hours later passing just one guy this one does it too? I am ok with them just driving at the speed they are driving - no speeding up, no slamming on the brakes? Idiots these people? I know I can slow down faster but I dont want to have to slow down unaturally fast just to get behind some idoit slamming on his brakes? What is he doing? I was just about to swing in behind the first guy and I had to swerve back out and pass him too? I am glad they are aware of folks behind them, you would think that if you are watching the 5 cars behind you, holding them up obviously, that you would use one of the many pull off? No I will just slam on the brakes when they finally get sick of riding behind me below the speed limit?
    MONKEY SEE MONKEY DO CRUISERS
    That wasnt the only strange thing, every where we went yesterday. Lunch or gas or what ever a group of cruisers would turn around and stop where we did? I met Mark for breakfast at the Diner at Texas Creek. He must have passed them a while back, cause he was telling me he had to pass a big group of cruisers when all of a sudden they roll by the cafe and down the road. Then they all turned around and came back to the cafe we were at. Mark had already had a cup of coffie by the time they came along. We where the only ones there when we got there and by the time we left the place was packed.
    Then we stopped for gas in Gunnison - no bikes just us, when we left there were cruisers all over the joint. Same thing at lunch, we passed a group of cruisers, 5 or 6 of em. Same thing they rolled by went a couple of blocks past another resturant and then turned around and stopped at the boardwalk cafe where we where? By the time we left that cafe it too was packed? I guess its good to own a buisness where we stop at??
    RALLYS EVERYWHERE
    I dont know about you but I usually wave when a two wheeled vehicle rolls by, but there must have been a Scooter rally going on this last weekend near Salida cause about 100 scooters went rolling by, Vespas, Silverwings, Yammys, old, ugly, small cc, large cc all small wheel scooters? After while I got sick of waving at every damn scooter that went by, after about 25 I had had enough.
    Then near Panoia there were some sport cars rolling by, expensive ones too, all makes, Ferraris, Porches, Corvettes, we must have seen about 20 millions dollars worth go by. It looked like rally weekend in Colorado thats for sure.
    Oh and we got popped for 60mph in a 40. Unforutnatly it was a 10 mile long construction zone, brand new asphault already layed, already painted and no road construction workers for miles. We get stopped and hit with a damn 6 point $320 ticket. Double fines in the zone! Officer says"this construction is almost done all they got to do is remove the cones" cones which were 2 lanes off the side of the road way off in the dirt?? Well officer if you acknowledge that why give us this rediculous ticket? Of course when we finnally found the workers some 6 miles up the road we slowed down even slower than the 40 mph posted speed. I ride safe - for the conditions. Brand new pavement, strait as an arrow, cones 20 feet away what's the hazard? I Guess Leadville is hurting for funds?
    [map=AARTsJo-FESTsw8pHmT8WdKuNjmBwdjeOA]http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Coventry+Dr&daddr=US-50+to:CO-92+to:CO-82%2FGrand+Ave+to:Main+St%2FUS-24+to:US-24%2FUS-285+to:38.765863,-104.770432&hl=en&geocode=FWiMTwId0EzB-Q%3BFcwUSgId3O20-Q%3BFe6OTgIdDAqW-Q%3BFVZHWwIdfFma-Q%3BFboKXAId5AGo-Q%3BFRwyUAIdBNOs-Q%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=5&mrsp=6&sz=11&sll=38.770681,-105.03067&sspn=0.308361,0.725098&ie=UTF8&ll=38.814031,-106.523437&spn=2.465321,5.800781&z=8[/map]
    I wasnt really planning on taking a bunch of pictures since I have subjected you all to this loop a number of times. I ride the Black Canyon Loop all the time.

    Somewhere on hwy 92

    Mr Dude otherwise known as Mark

    Myers Gulch

    The San Juans in the Distance

    San Juans in the Distance

    Hwy 50 as seen from Hwy 92 south west
    Mr Dude has gotten a lot faster since we started riding together, mostly in the sweepers where he keeps up just fine. In fact he surprised me by staying with me up to McClure Pass, and he actually passed me there, of course I passed him going down. I could not get the Viffer to get around him going up, too much torque on that Bandit 1250. Then in Glenwood Canyon on I-70 we played with some guy on a boxer, he took off hard but we caught him and passed him, actually Mr Dude did, then I passed him and proceded down the canyon at speed till the good stuff stopped and it turned into regular interstate. BMW guy then passed us and rolled on doing 90 plus in the ski valleys, me I know the state patrols that area so I cut it down to the posted 75mph. We added Battle mountain to the loop which lead us to our doom in Leadville - Battle mountain pass and Tennesse pass are too tempting, those long sustained turns just call to your motorcycle "RAIL ME MIGUEL" it was torture to slow down in that 10 mile construction zone? I wish I had seen the 40 sign, I just assumed 50 and of course 67 seems like 50. Officer backwater at least cut off those extra 7mph so he did not have to issue a full summons. I hope Leadville has a good Dental plan for its Deputies cause that guy needs some work! It was all I could do not to stare at his snaggle toothed face when he smiled.. YEA we got friendly...... but 24 hours later its setting in! The sting that is!
  19. HispanicSlammer

    Why I Ride

    By HispanicSlammer,

    Mountain Road
    I was clearing out some old data CD's from my shelf and ran across a sort of poem I wrote while VFRD was still part of Delphi Forums, way way way back in the day.
    Why I Ride
    Riding my motorbike
    Down a swift road
    Leaning into a turn,
    And then another
    Kicking the gear
    Dropping into third
    Grabbing the throttle,
    Looking down the road
    To where I really want to be
    Humming song of my motor
    Piercing a silent hollow in the forest trees
    Stuttering rays of sunlight and shadow
    Drum my heartbeat
    Thumping as my motor does
    Leaning further into that turn
    With a hint of fear of exhilaration
    Where the scent of Vanilla Ponderosas live
    Strengthened by
    Raindrops on dry asphalt
    I have come on my motorbike
    To steal the rainbows
    From your twisted curves
    I am alive on my
    Mountain Road
  20. HispanicSlammer

    Work Has Begun

    By HispanicSlammer,

    Where to start starting with the chain
    All my parts arrived one by one, the chain and sprocket set first, then the brake pads, fork oil, fork seals, and various other things. I decided to replace the cradle on my Zumo and with it install a bmw style plug in the head tube from Powerlet. They make a vfr kit so I bought it, using the existing molex setup I had before I just solidered the molex wires to the kit and then taped it all up good. I figure I need a disconnect if I want to use the new head stand I bought, I will need to move the wires out to use it.
    I took a look at my brakes and boy they look good up front, I decided to keep them on since the new ones are not much thicker. I was under the impression that my brakes were in bad shape when I bought the parts, not the case. So I set about removing the front wheel and taking out the forks. Fork service has become easy for me, lots of practice with the dirt bike and my vfr, buddies bikes too I have done it a number of times. My fork oil was dark and dirty as it can get. I removed all the parts and cleaned it up best as I could and then replaced the bushing and slider with new parts, new seals and topped it up with new fork oil. I thought perhaps my forks were a little harsh so I checked the spec with racetech and sure enough I had too much oil in there, I must have used stock oil hieght - I used 120 mm for the gold valve/racetech setup I have. Should be a bit less harsh on the bumps with a larger air pocket. It took me an hour to finish both forks off and anther half an hour reinstalling the front end and torquing it to spec.
    Country music blasting in the garage cause I cant stand Prarie Home Companion - sombody please tell that guy Garrison Keeler that he cant sing for squat, please stop! Sometimes its funny the skits but I dont agree with the guys point of view - So I changed the station. I never listen to Country music let alone a nationally syndicated program from Nashville but for most the night it was kind of fun easy listening, the longer the night the twangier it got.
    I got the forks done and decided to make a how-to-video (not yet edited) on chain and sproket replacement. I did not think I had time for the fork service, to stop and go over every step and deal with the camera so I skipped that. Changing sprokets is a messy job. On into the 3am region (I work nights so its old hat for me) I was done by 5am. The garage was a disaster area and grease and grime everywhere.
    Sounds like an opportunity to change the radiator fluid, I sort of lost my fan switch this summer and so I was boiling off on a trip to New Mexico, I used alot of water to replace the boiled off stuff, I fixed the fan switch but by then I had spit out a good portion of my coolant onto the road. A stop at the grocery store in some small town and a bottle of distilled water topped me back up. Its been super cold lately and so I started it up to see - what if I got too much water in there and not enough antifreeze? I wasnt about to chance it for the rest of the winter, the worst is yet to come! So I changed the antifreeze. I did a great job on it tightended the plug so much that it got easier as I went, so easy in fact that it came right off! Snapped - damn it! I did not have the correct size and my easy out was not getting the broken part out. Good thing I had a bucket handy I just drained off all the coolant, a sort of half ass flush job all over the garage floor. I did manage to get most of it into the bucket. I took the cover off and drilled out the hole and then tapped it with a larger plug, works doesnt leak and it did not snap off this time! '
    Much more work to go, need to remove the shock and get it serviced, my old Ohlins has 70k on it now! wow time flies. My plastics are in bad bad shape and my tank is too. In think I need to replace them, I cant paint for shit so I wont even try that! Unless anybody is a painter wizz on the forum? I happen to like red! I could put some VFRD graphics on it! That would be cool eh?

    Removing the speed sensor

    Removing the clutch slave cylinder
  21. HispanicSlammer
    Stator cover Repair - Cleaned up the etched in dirt with a power tool and a wire brush attachment
    I have started a laundry list of items that I need to fix on the bike! First of which was a paint job, but getting motivated to do it has not be a priority as of late. I guess I am more of a plan it type of guy. I have been putting off some pain in the arse repairs for years now. I snapped off an exhaust stud years ago and have not gotten around to fixing it. This year I am going to do it. I finally took off the Stator cover this week to find out where it was leaking oil, found a nice crack in the side of the cover, a small hairline crack. I immediately ordered a new one. It has some road salt damage - it merely looked dirty but on close inspection it was etched right into the pot metal aluminum, looked like dirt but it was not scrubbing off.
    I was thinking I was just going to throw it away with a cracked casing but decided to try this fluxless brazing rod repair I saw at a motorcycle show years ago, I bought it hook line and sinker and paid $50 bucks for the rods. So far I have never been lucky with repairing anything with it. This time though I prepped the cover with a wire brush mounted on a power buffer and went to town cleaning up and scrapping off the etched in dirt. I cleaned it up till is shined! Then I took a die grinder bit and V'd out the crack in the aluminum. At first I thought it was damage from a crash this summer but I think it was from over tightening or miss aligning the case and I cracked it when I tightended the bolts.

    Outer crack repaired grinded away excess flux material and sanded smooth

    flux-less rod brazed inside the crack struck it like a match on the hot aluminum pot metal till it filled the crack under a blue acetylene flame
    I hit it with an aceytelene torch and brased in the flux rod and IT WORKED! I had brazed the inside and the outside and repaired the case! Wow now I have a new one comming and I think I am going to paint this one white when its time to paint. I grinded off the excess and sanded it smooth - left the inside as is.
    Still not motivated to taken on the broken studs though, I had tried getting it out before with no luck, I am afraid to drill and use an easy out since I have heard of eazy outs snapping off. My hardend drill bits did not even make a dent! I now have a drill doctor so I can at least keep then sharp, that thing works too! I might have to take it to a machine shop but boy that would be a nightmare, taking off the head? I might try an eazy out but just not too keen on snapping one of those off. I read somwhere on the forum that there was a new freeze and release product out that works miricles I might try that first!
    SO much work to do, take off the headers, drill away for hours, paint prep all the plastics, use paint remover on the tank then prep it for paint, do the valves again!
    I did already get my taxes back and decided my stich was getting a bit worn, I have no real leather gear at all and I like to do trackdays. I have always thought leather was expensive and my wieght fluctuates too much to spend that much but I took the plunge. I bought a new AEROSTICH TRANSIT SUIT the waterproof gortex leather suit they started selling last year. I also bought some real sport bike boots too waterproof Vertigo Mega (wide sizes) Gore-Tex Boots - I will post a review of both when they come. I looked around in my closet and well there is some old gear I dont use anymore - sombody will use them besides me, another big guy like me needs gear at cheap prices so I put them in the classifieds section and later on ebay if they dont move.

    Aerostich Transit suit

    Vertigo Mega (wide sizes) Gore-Tex Boots
    Lots of work to do!
  22. 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


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