nklr - memory lane

[Jeff Saline]

Listers, OK Heads, Albuquerque, NM to Paonia, CO plus 15 miles Travel time: 10 hrs 57 mins Distance: 488 miles Steve rides away and now what? Heck, I need to go to Tramway and that's where he's gotta go too. I turn right and go about a block and realize I'm going the wrong way. He's heading south and I want to head north. I do a U-turn, go a block and then turn right. I ride using the GPS to get me to Tramway and turn left. Heck, it's 6 in the morning and no traffic to speak of. This is pretty cool. I try to follow the directions Kent gave me yesterday and I think I'm doing ok. I pass under I-25 and the construction. There's a fuel station on the left so I pull in and get fuel. I log the fuel and get going. In 1 1/2 miles I'm at 313 and turn right. Nine miles later I'm at 44 turning left and heading for 4. Steve and I had talked about riding on 4 as part of De Tour and I'm gonna find out if it would have been worth it. It would have been worth it on De Tour and it is worth it for the ride today too. Four is a paved two lane in pretty good shape and has a few twists in it. The countryside is nice and I enjoy the ride. The road takes me to some high country and I get a few decent views and some cooler air. I stop and put on my jacket liner. The road stays high and is really pretty fun. It's not the most direct route for getting to Colorado but it sure is worth the ride. I get to a descent a few miles before 502 and a heavy equipment hauler is in front of me. He's running empty and the operator is very skilled. It's obvious he's been on this road before and knows exactly where to slow down and when to swing wide. His trailer scrapes the road surface a few times as he makes his way around the switchbacks. At 502 he turns left so I continue straight ahead. I get fuel in Espanola and then take 84 north to Chama. Steve and I rode a bit of the pavement near Chama two years ago on the Great Divide Ride. Some of it looks familiar and I turn left just before Chama. I pass the campground we spent a night at and also the car wash where we unloaded the mud from our bikes. The road is almost void of travelers and a stiff side wind is kicking up. I stop at a sign marking the Continental Divide and take a picture. These roads are pretty good and not crowded. I'm playing tag with a guy on a Oilyhead GS and a girl on a Duc. They seem to be traveling light and after they pass me I seem to pass them further along. I continue to Pagosa Springs where I get fuel and take a good drink of water. I take 160 towards South Fork and come on some very pretty country with fabulous views. And much to my surprise I come to Wolf Creek Pass. I've heard neat stories about Wolf Creek Pass but have never been here before. There's a nice water fall near the bottom and I stop for a few seconds to take a picture. Then I continue to climb and climb and climb. There are some bicyclists riding uphill and I'm very grateful my engine is running strong. About 3/4 the way to the top a van is pulled to the side of the road and one of the cyclists is leaning against it. The van has a banner on it about an Oceanside to Ocean City ride. I can only guess that means CA to NJ. At the top my GPS reads 10,714 feet. It looks like I could squeeze another few feet out of it by moving forward in the huge pull off. I don't. People are in the meadow and you can see paths where folks are walking out to the snowpack and one guy is towing a sled. As I pull away from the top a guy with the camera crew for the bike tour takes my picture. The ride down the other side is great with good views and a river along side the road for much of the way. At South Fork I pass the GS and Duc and wave. Then I turn west and north on 149. The wind is kicking pretty hard now and I slow to 45 mph and just mosey along. I'm not in a real rush although I can feel the tug of getting home working on me. I take a break along a nice section of road that borders on the Rio Grande river. I haven't gotten to Creede yet. I eat a breakfast bar and drink some water. I've been on the bike almost continuously since this morning and the walking around and taking some pictures feels good. I'm glad I don't have to concentrate on the road for a few minutes. At Creede the wind is really blowing and there are a few tree limbs on the road. I remind myself to pay attention and avoid any problems. The GS and Duc pass me and wave and 5 miles ahead they are pulled to the side of the road taking a break. I wave at them and everything is ok. I ride over Spring Creek Pass at 10,898 feet and stop for a picture of the sign. This is a wonderful road. A little while later I top Slumgullion Summit at 11,530 feet. My GPS only shows 11,469 feet. They must mean the real summit for their elevation. Just as I'm getting on the bike a county dump truck comes rolling by. And then another one. Both are going my way. Wow, I just messed up the timing for this descent. I get behind the dump trucks and just have a nice leisurely ride down the switchbacks. The GS and Duc show up behind me and I drop back a bit and wave them ahead of me. They ride for a mile or two and the GS sprints past the first dump truck. The Duc rider isn't quite as aggressive and hangs back. I can tell she's not very experienced as the lines she's riding are jerky and she's having to constantly correct and use the brakes. After a few miles she passes the truck and since it's safe I pass it too. I follow the Duc as she moves along to catch up with the GS. A few miles further we enter Lake City and see the GS at a store and the Duc turns in. I wave and continue my northern trek. I'm making good time and enjoying the ride. The wind has calmed quite a bit and I just ride along without many cares. I play with the GPS a bit and decide it's time to start figuring out where I'm gonna spend the night tonight. I don't see any nearby campgrounds indicated on the screen and also don't see much public land available for camping. Not even a good dirt road I can sneak down and pitch a tent. So I keep riding. I'm eyeing my fuel situation knowing fuel is still a good distance off. I'm heading towards Paonia and know I have to make a good fuel decision before taking 92 off of 50. That'll put me in the middle of nowhere and no hope of fuel anywhere near. I finally get to the intersection of 149 and 50 and it's at the east end of Blue Mesa Reservoir. I stop for a quick break and to make the decision whether I turn right and go to Gunnison about 20 miles in the wrong direction but where I know I can get fuel. Or decide to turn left and hope I can get fuel before turning north on 50 towards Paonia. I decide to use the Steve Rankin fuel decision making matrix and look at my trip meter. I've gone about 180 miles since I last filled up and Paonia is only maybe 60 more miles. That puts me at 240 miles to Paonia which normally has a fuel station open until probably 8 pm. I can probably get at least 240 miles on the tank before I hit reserve. The GS and Duc come shooting past me and wave as they go by. They turn right towards Gunnison. I get on the bike and turn left to Paonia. I was on this section of 50 in 2001 when I rode my 1975 BMW R90/6 to the Top O' the Rockies rally held there. I remember it as running along the reservoir and being an ok ride. Then turning onto 92 towards Paonia the road gets small and twisty and very interesting. I continue on 50 and a few miles up the road I ask a lady walking a dog about fuel stops in my direction. She thinks there might be fuel a few miles up the road. I say thanks and head on my way. I don't see a fuel stop and get to my turn north on 92. About 3/4 of a mile along the road there's a sign showing fuel available 3 miles down a side road. I decide it's not where I want to go and press on. Stopping at the next pull off I take a few pictures and enjoy the views. I can see snow capped peaks in the distance and below me maybe 1,000 feet is the Grand Canyon of the Gunnison. I'm looking down at a pretty steep angle and think "what would happen if I fell?" Man, someone would get a pretty good dual sport bike. I mount up and head off. This 92 is a fine road. It has twist after twist after twist after twist after... I take it easy as I know I'm tired and there might not be anybody on this road again until the morning. The land on both side is private and posted. I keep looking for a place to pitch a tent but I'm surely not going to trespass unless I have a mechanical issue I can't fix on the spot. After maybe 15 miles I decide to not camp until I've got fuel in Paonia. That eliminates any temptation to camp where I'm not welcome. I ride on and finally get to a more populated area. Then comes Crawford and is a right turn on the dump road to Paonia. This will save me probably 8 miles versus going to Hotchkiss and then to Paonia. I ride along for a few miles and see a pickup truck approaching with it's flashers blinking away. I slow down and then almost stop. This is the second time I've ever been on this road and this is the second time I've had to ride through a cattle drive. I ask the rancher if it's ok to ride through and he says something that sounds like "Hell yes, go ahead!" So I drop into 1st and slowly ride along near the shoulder. There are probably 200 or more cattle in this herd and three or four riders on horseback accompany them. The riders look at me like I'm nuts but the cattle don't seem to care one way or the other. They usually move out of the way and give me almost a lane of clearance. Usually. One old cow decides she doesn't have to move. I don't think I could slap her on the rump but I was close enough to tell she needed a bath. Matter of fact they all needed a good washing. I get through the herd and in a few miles I'm in Paonia. I've been here a few times for the rally and the town seems to really like the bikes. I go to the gas station near the high school, fill up and ask the clerk if folks are allowed to camp overnight in the park. We do it during the rally but I don't know about the rest of the year. She doesn't know so I head over to the park to see if it's posted. When I'm almost there I see a guy walking three dogs and ask him. He doesn't know either but says they allow camping during the rally. He supposes it's ok. I thank him and head over to the entrance. I stop and take a good look at the sign. No camping. I decide I don't need to test the waters on this issue and think I can probably find a camping spot further up the road. But I've probably only got another 45 minutes of light so I decide to move along. Riding up 133 the North Fork of the Gunnison River parallels the road. I seem to remember a campground up near a reservoir and figure maybe I can get there before dark. I pass through Bowie and Somerset which aren't much more than names on a map. Then I see a slight track to the right that looks like it might lead to near the river and a camping spot. I figure it's almost dark and once it is nobody will know I'm camping next to the river. I think this may be an old fishing access trail. So I check both directions and nobody is in sight. I turn off the road and take the track. It immediately goes downhill and cuts hard to the left. As soon as I'm out of sight of the road I stop and look to see what I've got myself into. The road is heavily overgrown and rutted and steep. I decide I can make it and brushing a few tree branches away as I ride down the track quickly getting to level ground. I ride about 100 yards and decide to park. The paved road is in plain sight only maybe 75 yards away and 30 feet above me. But it's not very heavily traveled and I don't think anyone will see me as you'd have to be looking for me instead of watching the road. I park the bike and walk ahead 50 yards to see if I have another way out. It's blocked by downed trees and a fence. I find a few old campfire rings and decide I'm home for the evening. I quickly set up my tent and hope it blends in well with the browning grasses and trees. My air mattress is quickly inflated and I'm ready for some sleep. Tonight is a no hot dinner night as I don't want to advertise my presence with a flame in the dark. I drink some water, make sure the bike is on firm ground and save the GPS track from the day's ride. I make a few quick notes in the log about the route but there really isn't much to write. The roads were good and the traffic light. The passes were high and rivers flowed fast. And the day was long and I'm pretty tired. It's almost dark by now so I crawl into the tent and set my alarm clock for 5 am. I want to be up with first light to strike camp and be on my way before the road gets busy. I lay down and think a bit about the day and before I know it I'm asleep. End of the Ride Home, 1st Day. Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jeff Saline]

Listers, Albuquerque, NM to Paonia, CO plus 15 miles Travel time: 10 hrs 57 mins Distance: 488 miles Steve rides away and now what? Heck, I need to go to Tramway and that's where he's gotta go too. I turn right and go about a block and realize I'm going the wrong way. He's heading south and I want to head north. I do a U-turn, go a block and then turn right. I ride using the GPS to get me to Tramway and turn left. Heck, it's 6 in the morning and no traffic to speak of. This is pretty cool. I try to follow the directions Kent gave me yesterday and I think I'm doing ok. I pass under I-25 and the construction. There's a fuel station on the left so I pull in and get fuel. I log the fuel and get going. In 1 1/2 miles I'm at 313 and turn right. Nine miles later I'm at 44 turning left and heading for 4. Steve and I had talked about riding on 4 as part of De Tour and I'm gonna find out if it would have been worth it. It would have been worth it on De Tour and it is worth it for the ride today too. Four is a paved two lane in pretty good shape and has a few twists in it. The countryside is nice and I enjoy the ride. The road takes me to some high country and I get a few decent views and some cooler air. I stop and put on my jacket liner. The road stays high and is really pretty fun. It's not the most direct route for getting to Colorado but it sure is worth the ride. I get to a descent a few miles before 502 and a heavy equipment hauler is in front of me. He's running empty and the operator is very skilled. It's obvious he's been on this road before and knows exactly where to slow down and when to swing wide. His trailer scrapes the road surface a few times as he makes his way around the switchbacks. At 502 he turns left so I continue straight ahead. I get fuel in Espanola and then take 84 north to Chama. Steve and I rode a bit of the pavement near Chama two years ago on the Great Divide Ride. Some of it looks familiar and I turn left just before Chama. I pass the campground we spent a night at and also the car wash where we unloaded the mud from our bikes. The road is almost void of travelers and a stiff side wind is kicking up. I stop at a sign marking the Continental Divide and take a picture. These roads are pretty good and not crowded. I'm playing tag with a guy on a Oilyhead GS and a girl on a Duc. They seem to be traveling light and after they pass me I seem to pass them further along. I continue to Pagosa Springs where I get fuel and take a good drink of water. I take 160 towards South Fork and come on some very pretty country with fabulous views. And much to my surprise I come to Wolf Creek Pass. I've heard neat stories about Wolf Creek Pass but have never been here before. There's a nice water fall near the bottom and I stop for a few seconds to take a picture. Then I continue to climb and climb and climb. There are some bicyclists riding uphill and I'm very grateful my engine is running strong. About 3/4 the way to the top a van is pulled to the side of the road and one of the cyclists is leaning against it. The van has a banner on it about an Oceanside to Ocean City ride. I can only guess that means CA to NJ. At the top my GPS reads 10,714 feet. It looks like I could squeeze another few feet out of it by moving forward in the huge pull off. I don't. People are in the meadow and you can see paths where folks are walking out to the snowpack and one guy is towing a sled. As I pull away from the top a guy with the camera crew for the bike tour takes my picture. The ride down the other side is great with good views and a river along side the road for much of the way. At South Fork I pass the GS and Duc and wave. Then I turn west and north on 149. The wind is kicking pretty hard now and I slow to 45 mph and just mosey along. I'm not in a real rush although I can feel the tug of getting home working on me. I take a break along a nice section of road that borders on the Rio Grande river. I haven't gotten to Creede yet. I eat a breakfast bar and drink some water. I've been on the bike almost continuously since this morning and the walking around and taking some pictures feels good. I'm glad I don't have to concentrate on the road for a few minutes. At Creede the wind is really blowing and there are a few tree limbs on the road. I remind myself to pay attention and avoid any problems. The GS and Duc pass me and wave and 5 miles ahead they are pulled to the side of the road taking a break. I wave at them and everything is ok. I ride over Spring Creek Pass at 10,898 feet and stop for a picture of the sign. This is a wonderful road. A little while later I top Slumgullion Summit at 11,530 feet. My GPS only shows 11,469 feet. They must mean the real summit for their elevation. Just as I'm getting on the bike a county dump truck comes rolling by. And then another one. Both are going my way. Wow, I just messed up the timing for this descent. I get behind the dump trucks and just have a nice leisurely ride down the switchbacks. The GS and Duc show up behind me and I drop back a bit and wave them ahead of me. They ride for a mile or two and the GS sprints past the first dump truck. The Duc rider isn't quite as aggressive and hangs back. I can tell she's not very experienced as the lines she's riding are jerky and she's having to constantly correct and use the brakes. After a few miles she passes the truck and since it's safe I pass it too. I follow the Duc as she moves along to catch up with the GS. A few miles further we enter Lake City and see the GS at a store and the Duc turns in. I wave and continue my northern trek. I'm making good time and enjoying the ride. The wind has calmed quite a bit and I just ride along without many cares. I play with the GPS a bit and decide it's time to start figuring out where I'm gonna spend the night tonight. I don't see any nearby campgrounds indicated on the screen and also don't see much public land available for camping. Not even a good dirt road I can sneak down and pitch a tent. So I keep riding. I'm eyeing my fuel situation knowing fuel is still a good distance off. I'm heading towards Paonia and know I have to make a good fuel decision before taking 92 off of 50. That'll put me in the middle of nowhere and no hope of fuel anywhere near. I finally get to the intersection of 149 and 50 and it's at the east end of Blue Mesa Reservoir. I stop for a quick break and to make the decision whether I turn right and go to Gunnison about 20 miles in the wrong direction but where I know I can get fuel. Or decide to turn left and hope I can get fuel before turning north on 50 towards Paonia. I decide to use the Steve Rankin fuel decision making matrix and look at my trip meter. I've gone about 180 miles since I last filled up and Paonia is only maybe 60 more miles. That puts me at 240 miles to Paonia which normally has a fuel station open until probably 8 pm. I can probably get at least 240 miles on the tank before I hit reserve. The GS and Duc come shooting past me and wave as they go by. They turn right towards Gunnison. I get on the bike and turn left to Paonia. I was on this section of 50 in 2001 when I rode my 1975 BMW R90/6 to the Top O' the Rockies rally held there. I remember it as running along the reservoir and being an ok ride. Then turning onto 92 towards Paonia the road gets small and twisty and very interesting. I continue on 50 and a few miles up the road I ask a lady walking a dog about fuel stops in my direction. She thinks there might be fuel a few miles up the road. I say thanks and head on my way. I don't see a fuel stop and get to my turn north on 92. About 3/4 of a mile along the road there's a sign showing fuel available 3 miles down a side road. I decide it's not where I want to go and press on. Stopping at the next pull off I take a few pictures and enjoy the views. I can see snow capped peaks in the distance and below me maybe 1,000 feet is the Grand Canyon of the Gunnison. I'm looking down at a pretty steep angle and think "what would happen if I fell?" Man, someone would get a pretty good dual sport bike. I mount up and head off. This 92 is a fine road. It has twist after twist after twist after twist after... I take it easy as I know I'm tired and there might not be anybody on this road again until the morning. The land on both side is private and posted. I keep looking for a place to pitch a tent but I'm surely not going to trespass unless I have a mechanical issue I can't fix on the spot. After maybe 15 miles I decide to not camp until I've got fuel in Paonia. That eliminates any temptation to camp where I'm not welcome. I ride on and finally get to a more populated area. Then comes Crawford and is a right turn on the dump road to Paonia. This will save me probably 8 miles versus going to Hotchkiss and then to Paonia. I ride along for a few miles and see a pickup truck approaching with it's flashers blinking away. I slow down and then almost stop. This is the second time I've ever been on this road and this is the second time I've had to ride through a cattle drive. I ask the rancher if it's ok to ride through and he says something that sounds like "Hell yes, go ahead!" So I drop into 1st and slowly ride along near the shoulder. There are probably 200 or more cattle in this herd and three or four riders on horseback accompany them. The riders look at me like I'm nuts but the cattle don't seem to care one way or the other. They usually move out of the way and give me almost a lane of clearance. Usually. One old cow decides she doesn't have to move. I don't think I could slap her on the rump but I was close enough to tell she needed a bath. Matter of fact they all needed a good washing. I get through the herd and in a few miles I'm in Paonia. I've been here a few times for the rally and the town seems to really like the bikes. I go to the gas station near the high school, fill up and ask the clerk if folks are allowed to camp overnight in the park. We do it during the rally but I don't know about the rest of the year. She doesn't know so I head over to the park to see if it's posted. When I'm almost there I see a guy walking three dogs and ask him. He doesn't know either but says they allow camping during the rally. He supposes it's ok. I thank him and head over to the entrance. I stop and take a good look at the sign. No camping. I decide I don't need to test the waters on this issue and think I can probably find a camping spot further up the road. But I've probably only got another 45 minutes of light so I decide to move along. Riding up 133 the North Fork of the Gunnison River parallels the road. I seem to remember a campground up near a reservoir and figure maybe I can get there before dark. I pass through Bowie and Somerset which aren't much more than names on a map. Then I see a slight track to the right that looks like it might lead to near the river and a camping spot. I figure it's almost dark and once it is nobody will know I'm camping next to the river. I think this may be an old fishing access trail. So I check both directions and nobody is in sight. I turn off the road and take the track. It immediately goes downhill and cuts hard to the left. As soon as I'm out of sight of the road I stop and look to see what I've got myself into. The road is heavily overgrown and rutted and steep. I decide I can make it and brushing a few tree branches away as I ride down the track quickly getting to level ground. I ride about 100 yards and decide to park. The paved road is in plain sight only maybe 75 yards away and 30 feet above me. But it's not very heavily traveled and I don't think anyone will see me as you'd have to be looking for me instead of watching the road. I park the bike and walk ahead 50 yards to see if I have another way out. It's blocked by downed trees and a fence. I find a few old campfire rings and decide I'm home for the evening. I quickly set up my tent and hope it blends in well with the browning grasses and trees. My air mattress is quickly inflated and I'm ready for some sleep. Tonight is a no hot dinner night as I don't want to advertise my presence with a flame in the dark. I drink some water, make sure the bike is on firm ground and save the GPS track from the day's ride. I make a few quick notes in the log about the route but there really isn't much to write. The roads were good and the traffic light. The passes were high and rivers flowed fast. And the day was long and I'm pretty tired. It's almost dark by now so I crawl into the tent and set my alarm clock for 5 am. I want to be up with first light to strike camp and be on my way before the road gets busy. I lay down and think a bit about the day and before I know it I'm asleep. End of the Ride Home, 1st Day. Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jeff Saline]

----- Forwarded Message ----- Listers, Albuquerque, NM to Paonia, CO plus 15 miles Travel time: 10 hrs 57 mins Distance: 488 miles Steve rides away and now what? Heck, I need to go to Tramway and that's where he's gotta go too. I turn right and go about a block and realize I'm going the wrong way. He's heading south and I want to head north. I do a U-turn, go a block and then turn right. I ride using the GPS to get me to Tramway and turn left. Heck, it's 6 in the morning and no traffic to speak of. This is pretty cool. I try to follow the directions Kent gave me yesterday and I think I'm doing ok. I pass under I-25 and the construction. There's a fuel station on the left so I pull in and get fuel. I log the fuel and get going. In 1 1/2 miles I'm at 313 and turn right. Nine miles later I'm at 44 turning left and heading for 4. Steve and I had talked about riding on 4 as part of De Tour and I'm gonna find out if it would have been worth it. It would have been worth it on De Tour and it is worth it for the ride today too. Four is a paved two lane in pretty good shape and has a few twists in it. The countryside is nice and I enjoy the ride. The road takes me to some high country and I get a few decent views and some cooler air. I stop and put on my jacket liner. The road stays high and is really pretty fun. It's not the most direct route for getting to Colorado but it sure is worth the ride. I get to a descent a few miles before 502 and a heavy equipment hauler is in front of me. He's running empty and the operator is very skilled. It's obvious he's been on this road before and knows exactly where to slow down and when to swing wide. His trailer scrapes the road surface a few times as he makes his way around the switchbacks. At 502 he turns left so I continue straight ahead. I get fuel in Espanola and then take 84 north to Chama. Steve and I rode a bit of the pavement near Chama two years ago on the Great Divide Ride. Some of it looks familiar and I turn left just before Chama. I pass the campground we spent a night at and also the car wash where we unloaded the mud from our bikes. The road is almost void of travelers and a stiff side wind is kicking up. I stop at a sign marking the Continental Divide and take a picture. These roads are pretty good and not crowded. I'm playing tag with a guy on a Oilyhead GS and a girl on a Duc. They seem to be traveling light and after they pass me I seem to pass them further along. I continue to Pagosa Springs where I get fuel and take a good drink of water. I take 160 towards South Fork and come on some very pretty country with fabulous views. And much to my surprise I come to Wolf Creek Pass. I've heard neat stories about Wolf Creek Pass but have never been here before. There's a nice water fall near the bottom and I stop for a few seconds to take a picture. Then I continue to climb and climb and climb. There are some bicyclists riding uphill and I'm very grateful my engine is running strong. About 3/4 the way to the top a van is pulled to the side of the road and one of the cyclists is leaning against it. The van has a banner on it about an Oceanside to Ocean City ride. I can only guess that means CA to NJ. At the top my GPS reads 10,714 feet. It looks like I could squeeze another few feet out of it by moving forward in the huge pull off. I don't. People are in the meadow and you can see paths where folks are walking out to the snowpack and one guy is towing a sled. As I pull away from the top a guy with the camera crew for the bike tour takes my picture. The ride down the other side is great with good views and a river along side the road for much of the way. At South Fork I pass the GS and Duc and wave. Then I turn west and north on 149. The wind is kicking pretty hard now and I slow to 45 mph and just mosey along. I'm not in a real rush although I can feel the tug of getting home working on me. I take a break along a nice section of road that borders on the Rio Grande river. I haven't gotten to Creede yet. I eat a breakfast bar and drink some water. I've been on the bike almost continuously since this morning and the walking around and taking some pictures feels good. I'm glad I don't have to concentrate on the road for a few minutes. At Creede the wind is really blowing and there are a few tree limbs on the road. I remind myself to pay attention and avoid any problems. The GS and Duc pass me and wave and 5 miles ahead they are pulled to the side of the road taking a break. I wave at them and everything is ok. I ride over Spring Creek Pass at 10,898 feet and stop for a picture of the sign. This is a wonderful road. A little while later I top Slumgullion Summit at 11,530 feet. My GPS only shows 11,469 feet. They must mean the real summit for their elevation. Just as I'm getting on the bike a county dump truck comes rolling by. And then another one. Both are going my way. Wow, I just messed up the timing for this descent. I get behind the dump trucks and just have a nice leisurely ride down the switchbacks. The GS and Duc show up behind me and I drop back a bit and wave them ahead of me. They ride for a mile or two and the GS sprints past the first dump truck. The Duc rider isn't quite as aggressive and hangs back. I can tell she's not very experienced as the lines she's riding are jerky and she's having to constantly correct and use the brakes. After a few miles she passes the truck and since it's safe I pass it too. I follow the Duc as she moves along to catch up with the GS. A few miles further we enter Lake City and see the GS at a store and the Duc turns in. I wave and continue my northern trek. I'm making good time and enjoying the ride. The wind has calmed quite a bit and I just ride along without many cares. I play with the GPS a bit and decide it's time to start figuring out where I'm gonna spend the night tonight. I don't see any nearby campgrounds indicated on the screen and also don't see much public land available for camping. Not even a good dirt road I can sneak down and pitch a tent. So I keep riding. I'm eyeing my fuel situation knowing fuel is still a good distance off. I'm heading towards Paonia and know I have to make a good fuel decision before taking 92 off of 50. That'll put me in the middle of nowhere and no hope of fuel anywhere near. I finally get to the intersection of 149 and 50 and it's at the east end of Blue Mesa Reservoir. I stop for a quick break and to make the decision whether I turn right and go to Gunnison about 20 miles in the wrong direction but where I know I can get fuel. Or decide to turn left and hope I can get fuel before turning north on 50 towards Paonia. I decide to use the Steve Rankin fuel decision making matrix and look at my trip meter. I've gone about 180 miles since I last filled up and Paonia is only maybe 60 more miles. That puts me at 240 miles to Paonia which normally has a fuel station open until probably 8 pm. I can probably get at least 240 miles on the tank before I hit reserve. The GS and Duc come shooting past me and wave as they go by. They turn right towards Gunnison. I get on the bike and turn left to Paonia. I was on this section of 50 in 2001 when I rode my 1975 BMW R90/6 to the Top O' the Rockies rally held there. I remember it as running along the reservoir and being an ok ride. Then turning onto 92 towards Paonia the road gets small and twisty and very interesting. I continue on 50 and a few miles up the road I ask a lady walking a dog about fuel stops in my direction. She thinks there might be fuel a few miles up the road. I say thanks and head on my way. I don't see a fuel stop and get to my turn north on 92. About 3/4 of a mile along the road there's a sign showing fuel available 3 miles down a side road. I decide it's not where I want to go and press on. Stopping at the next pull off I take a few pictures and enjoy the views. I can see snow capped peaks in the distance and below me maybe 1,000 feet is the Grand Canyon of the Gunnison. I'm looking down at a pretty steep angle and think "what would happen if I fell?" Man, someone would get a pretty good dual sport bike. I mount up and head off. This 92 is a fine road. It has twist after twist after twist after twist after... I take it easy as I know I'm tired and there might not be anybody on this road again until the morning. The land on both side is private and posted. I keep looking for a place to pitch a tent but I'm surely not going to trespass unless I have a mechanical issue I can't fix on the spot. After maybe 15 miles I decide to not camp until I've got fuel in Paonia. That eliminates any temptation to camp where I'm not welcome. I ride on and finally get to a more populated area. Then comes Crawford and is a right turn on the dump road to Paonia. This will save me probably 8 miles versus going to Hotchkiss and then to Paonia. I ride along for a few miles and see a pickup truck approaching with it's flashers blinking away. I slow down and then almost stop. This is the second time I've ever been on this road and this is the second time I've had to ride through a cattle drive. I ask the rancher if it's ok to ride through and he says something that sounds like "Hell yes, go ahead!" So I drop into 1st and slowly ride along near the shoulder. There are probably 200 or more cattle in this herd and three or four riders on horseback accompany them. The riders look at me like I'm nuts but the cattle don't seem to care one way or the other. They usually move out of the way and give me almost a lane of clearance. Usually. One old cow decides she doesn't have to move. I don't think I could slap her on the rump but I was close enough to tell she needed a bath. Matter of fact they all needed a good washing. I get through the herd and in a few miles I'm in Paonia. I've been here a few times for the rally and the town seems to really like the bikes. I go to the gas station near the high school, fill up and ask the clerk if folks are allowed to camp overnight in the park. We do it during the rally but I don't know about the rest of the year. She doesn't know so I head over to the park to see if it's posted. When I'm almost there I see a guy walking three dogs and ask him. He doesn't know either but says they allow camping during the rally. He supposes it's ok. I thank him and head over to the entrance. I stop and take a good look at the sign. No camping. I decide I don't need to test the waters on this issue and think I can probably find a camping spot further up the road. But I've probably only got another 45 minutes of light so I decide to move along. Riding up 133 the North Fork of the Gunnison River parallels the road. I seem to remember a campground up near a reservoir and figure maybe I can get there before dark. I pass through Bowie and Somerset which aren't much more than names on a map. Then I see a slight track to the right that looks like it might lead to near the river and a camping spot. I figure it's almost dark and once it is nobody will know I'm camping next to the river. I think this may be an old fishing access trail. So I check both directions and nobody is in sight. I turn off the road and take the track. It immediately goes downhill and cuts hard to the left. As soon as I'm out of sight of the road I stop and look to see what I've got myself into. The road is heavily overgrown and rutted and steep. I decide I can make it and brush a few tree branches away as I ride down the track quickly getting to level ground. I ride about 100 yards and decide to park. The paved road is in plain sight only maybe 75 yards away and 30 feet above me. But it's not very heavily traveled and I don't think anyone will see me as you'd have to be looking for me instead of watching the road. I park the bike and walk ahead 50 yards to see if I have another way out. It's blocked by downed trees and a fence. I find a few old campfire rings and decide I'm home for the evening. I quickly set up my tent and hope it blends in well with the browning grasses and trees. My air mattress is quickly inflated and I'm ready for some sleep. Tonight is a no hot dinner night as I don't want to advertise my presence with a flame in the dark. I drink some water, make sure the bike is on firm ground and save the GPS track from the day's ride. I make a few quick notes in the log about the route but there really isn't much to write. The roads were good and the traffic light. The passes were high and rivers flowed fast. And the day was long and I'm pretty tired. It's almost dark by now so I crawl into the tent and set my alarm clock for 5 am. I want to be up with first light to strike camp and be on my way before the road gets busy. I lay down and think a bit about the day and before I know it I'm asleep. End of the Ride Home, 1st Day. Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT . . ____________________________________________________________ 57 Year Old Looks 27 Local Woman Reveals Wrinkle Secret That Has Doctors Angry. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4f280275d15cc5cc59est04vuc [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Horton Oliphant]

Nice to hear from you again! Hope you stick around. Wondered what happened to you. I tried emailing you along time ago but never got a reply and now I don't even remember what I wrote about. Old timers indeed. Alan Henderson A13 Iowa

On 12/31/2013 3:36 PM, mynameisarne@... wrote:

Wow... it's been a couple years since I logged on to the group site, and even more (Summer of 2004) since I've had my KLR. Seeings as this is the last day of 2013 I am feeling nostalgic and thought I'd drop in to say hello. Some of the "old" timers may remember me Snip! Cheers! Arne Larsen