Odom Point

[alfalfa]

There are friends, good friends, dear friends, and people who change your life.  This is a story about the latter and the efforts a dear friend expended to honor that great friend in his life.

First, a little back story.  Riding motorcycles is one thing, traveling by motorcycle is another, more fulfilling activity.  Everyone here probably agrees, and there probably wouldnt be this forum, if that wasnt a true fact.  I have ridden motorcycles since i was 14, growing up in Alaska, and learning how to hotwire my friends street 70 Honda.  (you just unplugged some wires going into the headlight and plugged them into each other).  Back then, riding motorcycles was a first taste of freedom, taking you further and faster than your bicycle.  If you were lucky, your friend(s) had a bike you could ride two up on, or borrow.  I had those friends.   Fast forward a couple of years and i was able to get my own first motorycle, a 1972 Honda CL125 twin.   I didnt buy it, as my parents wouldnt let me.  So, my sisters boyfriend at that time ended up just giving it to me.   It did need some work and some parts, which a summer job took care of.  Being a street bike, knobbies were added.  It was Alaska, afterall.  You could get your license for a bike at 14, and there were no restrictions on where you could ride offroad.  for the most part, that is.

That bike was abandoned when i moved to California in 1974, and my brother probably beat it to death (i should ask him sometime what happened to it).  When i was finally able to afford one, my next motorcycle was a Honda CM400T, a triumph looking wannabe.  But, being a Honda, it was reliable and fun and i was able to get back up to speed as a motorcycle rider.  Bikes remained in my environment for the next two decades, more as simple transportation than anything else.  There were no rallies that i knew about, no Road of Bones to lust after.  I'm sure they were there, just not on my radar.   

Then, along comes 2006 and LWR.  Having a BMW SAV, i was automatically entered into the BMW Car Club, which has a great monthly magazine.  One of the articles that still sticks in my mind was about these two guys riding bikes around the world.  Something called GS's.   Wasnt sure what those were, but i did know the brand, having owned a K1200RS.  Within a few weeks of reading that article, i get a call from my brother talking about this series he watched about those same two guys i had read about.  Ewan, or Charlie, or something.  He said i had to watch it, so i jumped on Amazon and ordered the DVD (remember those?) box set.  Well, it happened to show up on a Friday, so i went home after work and stuck the first disc in the player after dinner.  At 4am the next morning, having finished every episode, i started searching frantically for more episodes!  I mean, there had to be a season 2, right?   Well, there wasnt (not for awhile, at least), so i started wandering aimlessly about the house.  About that time, i get a call from my brother, asking if i had watched the series yet.  I said yeah, straight thru.  He then asked that question that's started a million journeys "when do we leave?".   I had never vacationed on a motorcycle.  I had ridden one from Anchorage to Los Angeles, a Honda 750 Interceptor.  The one with a board for a seat.  So, I knew that sight seeing could be done, and fun roads discovered.  The two of us planned a trip to Yellowstone, our first on bikes, and our first together.

 

Little did we know the addiction that was to follow .....

[alfalfa]

Two weeks on bikes, traveling around the western states had hooked us, permanently.   We couldnt wait for 2007 and our next vacation.

Sometime after our Yellowstone trip, my brother started communicating with a fellow in Tennessee, who was either buying a jacket from him, or selling my brother one.  I never remember.  What i will always remember is the story of their face to face meeting.   The TN fellow, Frijole (aka Jim Bean) had a trip planned to ride out to Washington State to see friends, take pics and just travel.  Frijole road a 1200 GS, the newer model of Ewan and Charlie's bikes.  So, that gave him instant traveler cred.  As Frijole's route would take him past my brother's place near Missoula, MT, he was invited to stop in for a visit.  Neither Nick (my brother), nor Frijole thought much about two strangers meeting up in the middle of a trip, but their wives had different opinions.  Nick's wife was concerned that a mass murderer had been invited to stay with them, while Frijole's wife was petrified that the strangers in MT would cut his throat as he slept!

Neither happened.   Frijole showed up at my brother's, shared stories and swapped bikes and a lasting friendship was instantly created!   At the time, the impact of this meeting could never have been predicted, but an annual tradition was created.  One that only can be interrupted by famine, pestilence, pandemics, or larger plans.  It was after this short meeting, Nick and Frijole started discussing a 3 man trip in 2007.  If you know Frijole, you know that winters in TN drive him nuts as his riding days are impacted and being the excellent photog that he is, spare time is spent drooling over previous trip shots.  The plan was hatched that he, my brother and i would get together the following summer and rider the west.  Of course, being the big brother and an asshole, the winter comms between me and my brother always included questions about his internet lover he met on a motorcycle forum.

Finally, July 2007 arrived and my brother thought it would be a great idea if he were to fly down, and the two of us ride bikes back to his place.  Nick rode my Road King (a bike I had purchased from him several years before, neglected a little, and needing of some TLC) and i rode my new to me K1200S.  We had a great time riding north, with stops in Sequoia Park, Yosemite Park, Lassen and Crater Lake.  In MT, he switched the Road King to his K1200S, and off we went to meet Frijole in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

[alfalfa]

After switching bikes, my brother and i head south down Highway 93, which crosses over into Idaho by means of a mountain pass at the border.  Several switchbacks take you up to the peak.  Before we reached them, we were passed by a "cruiser".  As soon as he passes us, my brother (in the lead) turns around on his seat, points ahead and gives me a serpentine hand motion.  I correctly interpreted that to mean "we are going to catch Mr. Cruiser by the first switchback, and leaving him behind".  Sure enough, Nick drags a knee around Mr. Cruiser in the middle of the curve and we leave him waaaay behind <G>.  Hence, the name of this trip became "National Parks, Ice Cream and F*cking with Harley's Tour".  The name was further earned every time we encountered a herd of the bikes.  (it may sound like we are bike snobs, but we arent.  sort of.  We just find it amusing to watch the various herds on the road.  Truth be told, in all our travels, the most of any single brand of bike we encounter are the Milwaukee Iron.  We also found that the ones you encounter out on the road are great people and always willing to help.  But, that can be said about any long distance rider, no matter the brand).

 

But, i digress.  Nick and I made it into Jackson Hole, after a great stop at Earthquake Lake, near Yellowstone.  In Jackson Hole, that moment had finally arrived.  I would meet the mighty Frijole (as you know, my brother's gay internet lover).  Jim arrives after us, and introductions are made.  Finally, Nick goes "you going to ask him?".  I said "what?".  "you know, what have you been calling him".  So, without hesitation, i ask this newly met person "Are you my brother's gay internet lover?".   Now, if you were to ask anyone that question, you can probably guess the types of responses - laughter to a sound beating.  The response you get will tell you a lot about a person, and may give you insight into whether you could spend any length of time on the road with said person.

Jim laughed.   We were good to go.  Anywhere, anytime.  So, of course, we headed off to see the Tetons and Yellowstone.  After that, it was back to Nick's to regroup and to create another tradition (we seem to want traditions about everything.).   Back in MT, at Nick's, we start talking about where we would like to head next, as we still had a couple of days before Frijole had to head back to the South (well, Tennessee).  Glacier Park was a great choice as Frijole wanted to head into Canada and back east before returning to the US and going home.  There was some building, or some rock he needed to photograph (his photos are amazing).  The tradition i mentioned above?  Well, the night before heading out again, we watched a comedy special by Rodney Carrington (look him up, the Texas one) in which Rodney does a bit about men and women's, uh, appendages.  His premise is that men are really good at focusing on an object, to the exclusion of everything else.  I guess the hunter instinct.  Well, Rodney's describing man's infatuation with the funbags and his bit goes "Shhhhh, there's some t*tties!!".  Maybe it was the margaritas, or maybe it was just being tired from the previous ride, but the "shhhhh" imprinted in our minds.  To this day, whenever a lovely sight is nearby, you will hear one of us three call out "shhhhhhhhh!".  (you had to be there)

 

Jim also put together trip videos, the first one is below.

 

 

[XTreme]

Absolutely superb Rick! 

[Catteeclan]

Wow. Some excellent pics there.

[boboneleg]

Great story, superb photos

[alfalfa]

1 hour ago, BusBoy said:

Nice one Rigs. 2007 eh? Christ the last 14 years havent been kind to you either bud. I blame Flames.

Nor have they to you. Your testes have shrunk to the point that you benched your two wheels for some dinghy you lay about in the pond in 

[alfalfa]

7 hours ago, Catteeclan said:

Wow. Some excellent pics there.

Just wait until I start posting Frijole's pics!   (for a preview - frijole.smugmug.com)

[Specs]

Rather excellent. Thanks. 

[alfalfa]

Phew, that was a long winded post for something that happened 9 years before the subject of this ride report. However, it was important to set the stage for our introduction to Jim Bean, aka Frijole.   This man has been the catalyst for every adventure since 2007 that my brother and i, or just myself, have experienced.  The next part of this story will show what kind of man Frijole is, and why whenever any of the AGALOS band travels, he seems to be the focal point.   Bear with me, i'm getting to my point.

I like to think of Frijole as the "lighthouse" of the group.  From a small, 3-man riding party, it has grown to 12 people, at its peak.  And, that is with Jim doing his best to keep membership down.  Twelve is a LARGE group to manhandle in some of the places we've ridden (stay tuned for Colorado stories).   A combination of great riding roads, good people, and the excellent photo skills of Frijole has created a demand for more and more wanting to ride along on one of Jim's rides.  (Jim also is involved in March Moto Madness, a Tennessee rally that has grown from 6 people to about 800, over the space of a few years.  He also organizes another smaller rally (name redacted) that is limited to 200 riders and has 100s more wanting to get in on it.  You see what i mean about him being a "lighthouse"?)

A quality person like Frijole attracts other quality people (me excepted).   One of whom is Billy Odom (see, i finally got back on track).  Billy is no longer with us, except in spirit. Now, that is a pun, because i understand that Billy was also THE source of Tennessee crick water.  You know, that super clear liquid that burns so nicely going down?  But, for riding reasons, Jim and Billy were great friends.   When he passed, Jim knew that he had to take part of Billy with him on a trip to Colorado.  A place that has risen to the top in locales that are a favorite of his.  So, a plan was hatched that Billy's ashes would make the journey to Ouray, Colorado, where the AGALOS band would meet up with what had become a yearly event.  Another one that had grown from just Jim and I, to 4 people, then 6, then up to 12!

The passes around Ouray, Telluride, Silverton and Lake City are known as the Alpine Loop.  The mountain peaks range upwards of 13,000 feet (that's 4000 meters to you old worlders), and yet they each have a gravel road you can take to ride up to the top.  Jim and I discovered that in 2012 while on a ride to meet up with none other than Big John Davis.  While on that little rally, and because of pictures in Adventure Rider of Engineer Pass and Ophir Pass, he and decided we needed to go see what's up there.  Of course, since we Aint Got a Lick O Sense (AGALOS), we chose the worst path to the top of Engineer.  Maybe we should have listened to every local telling us "you're going to die, if you go up there", but where is the fun in that?

 

Some ASR Rally pics

[alfalfa]

Needless to say, we fell in love with Colorado.  After not dying on Engineer Pass (oh, FYI - dont ride up from the Ouray side, only ride down.  You're welcome).  Similar trips have occurred almost every year since 2012, unless something more incredible gets in the way.  We should have kept our mouths shut, maybe.  But, as we didnt, the merry band of idiots, i mean riders, grew each year.

This brings us to 2016, the year when Billy made his own trip to Jim's favorite spots, and where a lot of him rests to this day.  The trip started out like they always do, with new people tagging along.  This time, it was Bip Schkaboden (really, Gary Rebensdorf. almost as weird sounding).  He is a Cali friend of mine and i thought that he might enjoy some time in the mountains.  As he was a street riding fool, he had no bike to take offroad.  I had just recently gotten my brother's KTM 950 from our Alaska trip, so i offered it up to Gary to use.   I knew there was a "slight oil leak" but figured it twerent no big thing.  Well, it turns out it was and as the day to leave arrived, i had no option except to let Gary ride Flames (Bruce's favorite GS), while i rode my newer 1200 GS wethead.   No really big thing, except the newer bike had on crash bars, nor decent skid plate. 

Off Bip and I head from SoCal, to meet up with AGALOS in Colorado.  This time it was to be near Denver, as we wanted to ride a good portion of the Colorado BDR down to Lake City.  Bip and I had a great time riding out across Nevada and Utah, finding a nice dirt section into Lake Powell, and then winding our way up to Frisco, CO.  (another great section of paved roads in Utah, Hwys 12 and 24)  As you can see in the pictures below, Bip was indoctrinated into an AGALOS ride, and so was Flames.  (well, that has happened several times before, but all by me).

Once the gang finally got together, we headed up to Webster Pass.  This year's group included a rider of some renown, Dennis Godwin.  Dennis was on the American GS Trophy team, and the boy can ride.  And, true to form, he aint got a lick of sense, either.  We no sooner hit the top of the Pass and we encounter a large snow drift blocking the road going down.  When i say large, i mean at least 100 feet deep, and running from the top of the mountain, down across the only road, and over the side.  We weren't going around this thing.   As a couple of us resigned ourselves to turning around, Dennis went and checked things out.  You could see a trail thru the snow formed by 4 wheelers, and some dirt bikes had also ridden over it.   So, he figures GSs can also do it.  I mean, they are dirt bikes, right?

They say what you dont know wont hurt you.  They also say "ignorance is bliss".  Well, we were very happy and decided we would follow Dennis down thru the snow.  Those pictures are below.  They really dont show the steepness, nor the drop to the left as you crested the snow bank.

But, no one died.

[alfalfa]

Needless to say, we fell in love with Colorado.  After not dying on Engineer Pass (oh, FYI - dont ride up from the Ouray side, only ride down.  You're welcome).  Similar trips have occurred almost every year since 2012, unless something more incredible gets in the way.  We should have kept our mouths shut, maybe.  But, as we didnt, the merry band of idiots, i mean riders, grew each year.

This brings us to 2016, the year when Billy made his own trip to Jim's favorite spots, and where a lot of him rests to this day.  The trip started out like they always do, with new people tagging along.  This time, it was Bip Schkaboden (really, Gary Rebensdorf. almost as weird sounding).  He is a Cali friend of mine and i thought that he might enjoy some time in the mountains.  As he was a street riding fool, he had no bike to take offroad.  I had just recently gotten my brother's KTM 950 from our Alaska trip, so i offered it up to Gary to use.   I knew there was a "slight oil leak" but figured it twerent no big thing.  Well, it turns out it was and as the day to leave arrived, i had no option except to let Gary ride Flames (Bruce's favorite GS), while i rode my newer 1200 GS wethead.   No really big thing, except the newer bike had on crash bars, nor decent skid plate. 

Off Bip and I head from SoCal, to meet up with AGALOS in Colorado.  This time it was to be near Denver, as we wanted to ride a good portion of the Colorado BDR down to Lake City.  Bip and I had a great time riding out across Nevada and Utah, finding a nice dirt section into Lake Powell, and then winding our way up to Frisco, CO.  (another great section of paved roads in Utah, Hwys 12 and 24)  As you can see in the pictures below, Bip was indoctrinated into an AGALOS ride, and so was Flames.  (well, that has happened several times before, but all by me).

Once the gang finally got together, we headed up to Webster Pass.  This year's group included a rider of some renown, Dennis Godwin.  Dennis was on the American GS Trophy team, and the boy can ride.  And, true to form, he aint got a lick of sense, either.  We no sooner hit the top of the Pass and we encounter a large snow drift blocking the road going down.  When i say large, i mean at least 100 feet deep, and running from the top of the mountain, down across the only road, and over the side.  We weren't going around this thing.   As a couple of us resigned ourselves to turning around, Dennis went and checked things out.  You could see a trail thru the snow formed by 4 wheelers, and some dirt bikes had also ridden over it.   So, he figures GSs can also do it.  I mean, they are dirt bikes, right?

They say what you dont know wont hurt you.  They also say "ignorance is bliss".  Well, we were very happy and decided we would follow Dennis down thru the snow.  Those pictures are below.  They really dont show the steepness, nor the drop to the left as you crested the snow bank.

But, no one died.

[alfalfa]

(well, just accidentally lost some paragraphs and i'm too tired to rewrite.  so, just look at the pics and see how much fun we had in the snow). 

GSs make rally good snow machines

 

 

 

 

So, this one almost went for a 1000 foot free ride to the bottom.  After this happened, we formed up along the edge to tackle anyone else trying the shortcut into the snow bank on the left.

 

Several other passes were ridden on our way south to Lake City.  Lake City is the eastern side of the Alpine Loop and has a great restaurant ran by a Polish, or Slovakian couple.  Great food, great beer.   A must do, if the Covid panic hasnt put them out of business.  Packer Saloon and Cannibal Grill.  Named in honor of a Cannibal who once roamed the area!

 

We played in the mountains for a couple of days, with our grand finale planned to be Imogene Pass - 13000 feet!  Jim had let us know that he was carrying Billy's ashes and wanted to spread them on top of Imogene.  I can understand why.  This pass looks down on Telluride to the south, and Ridgway to the north.  It is a beautiful place.

But, first, you have to ride a 700lb bike to the top.  Oh, and this time in the rain.  We entered from Ouray side, crossing several water crossings before heading up the steep part.  Bip and I had gotten out in front and were waiting at the top for the others to catch up.  When the lightning started, we figured it might be prudent to diver over the side and lay on the slope as flat as we can be!  At 13,000 feet, there is no protection from the weather.  However, at 13,000 feet they CAN hear you scream.

Eventually the rest of the group caught up, but instead of stopping, charged over the hill down the Telluride side.  No one else wanted to watch the light show.

We regrouped a couple of miles down from the top, licking the wounds of the bike carnage and trying to dry out.  It was at this time we looked back up at the top, and the sun was out and the clouds disappearing.  However, Jim decided spreading Billy's ashes would have to wait.  The group continued on down to Telluride for the traditional pizza lunch before splitting up.  After eating, the group separated into three parties, one headed back to SoCal, one headed back to Big John's, as his bike was not going to make it to Louisiana.  The other three guys from back east decided to try again the next day to spread Billy's ashes.  The ended up back on top of Engineer's Pass, finding a little point where Jim had a moment with his friend.

[alfalfa]

Billy and Jim, the top of Engineer Pass........

[XTreme]

Great shots!

[Specs]

Amazing scenery.

[boboneleg]

Top quality

[Tym]

Just one problem, after all those great pics, i want to throw away all my camera's and just be like Uncle Buck! lol

[alfalfa]

So, where was I?  Oh, yes.  After getting back to their respective homes, the AGALOS tribe finds out that Jim was successful in spreading Billy's ashes on top of Engineer Pass, on a little side point of the main road.  This was after being knocked off Imogene by a thunder storm, with lightning strikes dangerously close by.   Of course, we started planning the following year's trip, again to Colorado, with discussion on how many to invite the next time.  Jim's trips seem to attract riders like flies on a KTM.    Over that winter break, we find out from out good ol buddy and honorary pack leader Big John Davis, that he was having a sign made up to commemorate the location and the event.  Some of you here know Big John and if you really know him, you know that the gruff ol persona he presents online is nothing like real life.  In real life, this nearly 7 foot giant has a heart scaled to his proportions.  We now had a theme for 2017 - erecting a sign in Billy's honor, named "Odom Point".

Jim gets cabin fever during the harsh (?) winters in Tennessee, so long about Nov/Dec he starts obsessing over the next summer's ride.  Each year has to be bigger than the previous year, in location, experiences, and whatever trouble we can get in to.  This trip was going to be special for 3 reasons - 1. erecting the Odom Point sign, 2. our English brother of another mother would be with us, and 3. our long time buddy who has been fighting health issues, wanting to do "one last ride" with the gang.  Now, if you know me, you know i hate planning things, but only to the nth degree.  I usually start with "where are we going?".  Followed by what's the curviest way to get there, coupled with "have we been here before"   Out of that falls a sort of plan.  Most of my enjoyment comes from riding with those OCD friends and being able to tell them "I dont know" when they ask what's tomorrow's details.  I mean, its my vacation and i just aint going to toe any lines.

Finally, July 2017 arrives, along with that Limey, Chris Jones.  I pick him up at the airport late in the day, and head home.  By the time we get there, we've already started changing the plan.  Rather than get a couple of hours of sleep, then heading out across the desert in the heat, we pack up and head out after midnite.  Not a problem for Chris as his body clock is 8 hrs ahead and its morning to him.  But, it was challenging for me and after almost falling off the bike near Mohave, we decide its caffeine time (at 4 am).   We make it to our rendezvous with the third Cali idjit, Bip

A couple of stops out in the Mohave Desert

The three of us rode to Flagstaff for the first overniter, finding a great campground north of town.

 

Gary and Chris enjoying Valley of the Gods

Both Gary and Chris can be considered Fine F*cking Riders!  Chris has raced enduros in England very successfully.  Gary just has years of dirt riding.  So in Valley of the Gods, a 17 mile dirt road runs through it.  Which means those two take off like bats out of hell, and i did my best to stay within an hour of them.   When i was getting back close to the main highway, i cam around a corner that i knew was tricky, having been there before.  Sure enough, looking at one set of tracks i can tell that a rider had come around the blind corner, not knowing that it was a decreasing radius.  The tracks slid out to the edge of the road, before correcting and continuing.   A 100 yards down the road these two stood laughing.  I pulled up asking "who missed the corner?", knowing it was probably Chris.  Due to the signs that an amazing save had been made!

Gary (Bip) in his element

 

The gang meets up in Lake City, CO before heading up into the passes to play.  At this point it is me, Chris, Bip, Jim, Blair, and Larry.   We head up into the mountains, headed west knowing we had to meet up with Chad and Steven in Ridgeway the following day.  Jim then tells us that another rider from the east was going to be joining us. It was starting to look like a parade!

Top of Engineer Pass

We spend that night in a BLM campground (free!) between Animas Forks and Silverton.  The next morning, our east coast rider shows up while we are packing, finds out we are spending that night near Ridgway and takes off for Telluride where he has a friend.  The rest of us pack up, decide to head back to Lake City, then go play on some of the Colorado BDR before getting to Ridgway.

 

 

 

Finally, everyone meets up at a campground north of Ridgway, as planned.  We have Chad, Steven, Rob and Ben Proffit.  We are up to 10 riders and JIm has a glazed look in his eye. 

 

Its at this point everyone gets introduced around (we all know each other, except for Rob. He was the late arrival to the group.  Turns out he had been speaking online with Jim, hinting around that he wanted to see what was so much fun.   He had been doing the Iron Butt Rally (10 days of 1000 miles per day riding!!) and wasnt feeling it anymore.  He figured that he could flush it out of his system by riding in the Rockies.  Of course, he was back in Connecticut when he made this decision which meant doing an Iron Butt (1000 miles in one day) to get to us!  Probably out of the whole AGALOS bunch, he shows the least intelligence.  I mean who in their right mind would ride 1000 miles in one day?  Personally, i wont do, and havent done, more than 950.

We pop out of the campground the next morning, headed to Montrose. Why?  Because there is a nice dirt trail that runs from Montrose over to Moab, which is where we wanted to ride the White Rim Trail.  That is a 110 mile dirt trail around some mesas created by the Colorado and Green Rivers.  Jim, me and my brother had ridden the Trail in 2010 and it was hell!  High temps, sand, rocks, steep trails!  So, of course we had to do it again.  The video Jim did of that ride is the reason we all knew Chris Jones.  And, Chris had always wanted to ride the Trial on the bike i rode in 2010.  He was getting his wish.  He maybe was also going to regret it.

 

Jim's 2010 video - 

 

 

 

 

[alfalfa]

But, before we could ride the Trail, we had to traverse across Colorado by way of mountain roads.  Rob had casually mentioned riding the same road several years prior with his son.  So, of course i said "you lead", which he did.   I did not know, however, how freaked out about it he was and which he later told me.  It never occurred to me that he was already on edge joining up with a group of people, some he didnt know and some he only knew online.  And, now he was being asked to lead the group!   To us, it really didnt matter if it went wrong, or if it went right.  It just had to go.

We survived Rob's leadership, with only a couple of instances of people getting lost.  But, that's normal for us.

I need to stop down here and kind of explain who all is in this group.  Especially since i cant figure out why in the hell they let me ride with them.  So, first you have Jim.  Jim had to have been borne on a GS as he rides it like its a small dirt bike.  Then, you have Chad and Larry. They are no slouches either, especially considering they both come from the Harley world and havent been on GSs for that long.  Chad, well he is a Marine and is just nuts.  No fear (no brains?).  Larry is a giant of a man, who can flat foot the tallest GSA and get it out of pretty much anywhere.

Stephen Gregory, besides being a pro photographer and videographer, has taken to offroad like he was born into it.  Several Rawhyde training classes and riding with Chad for a few years have brought his skill level way up!

Blair and Ben were on the US BMW Trophy team that competed in Canada a few years back.  Part of the Killer B's.  So, you know them boys can ride!

I've already told you that Gary (Bip) can ride, given his history on dirt bikes.  His first trip on my GS to Colorado and once he "started riding it like a dirt bike" never looked back.

Chris is the pro-rider, having competed for years in England.  I still recall first meeting him at March Moto Madness in Tennessee and after riding the hills with Jim, came back with the assessment "that boy can ride". Yep, Jim is bonafide. (He wont admit it).

Rob, well Rob owns probably 100 bikes. Has raced offroad, in dirt and sand, and has 100 million miles to his credit.

But, the best thing i can say about these boys is that they will wait for me to catch up, everytime.    Yep, i'm proud to carry their boots.

 

Back to the RR. Thanks for the indulgence.....

 

We make it to Moab, and our trailer B&B and get some rest for the next day's marathon.  It gets warm in Moab, so we set out early to try and beat the heat.

You ride the WRT in a loop, choosing to enter near Moab, or at the entrance to Canyonlands, some 25 miles north of Moab.  You would think that smart people would ride it from north to south, so that they would finish close to their B&B and large supplies of water and beer.

We aint smart.

This is the second time for Jim and I on the WRT and both times we've done it the "wrong" way.  Oh, well.  This is partly due to a couple of climbs that, at least the first time on the trail, seemed to be pretty hard if you came from the north.

Ben (the Cap'n), Rob and Chris

 

Chris and Gary

 

You dont see Chris smile in his online pics much.  Unless he is riding.  Stands to reason.

 

 

We are about an hour into the ride and had already gotten separated.  Maybe due to lack of directions that when you get to the fork in the road, go left, not right.  However, when you get to this particular fork, the right is an incredible set of switchbacks called Schafer Switchbacks.  And, you know, you just have to go see.

 

 

Up on Shafer (on the left).  To the bottom right, you see the correct road that makes up the White Rim Trail.  These hills were all created by the two rivers eroding them away over time.  Above us in this picture is a large mesa, known as Canyonlands.

 

 

A few miles into the ride and we pull over for water, catch up, etc.  The drop to the bottom right is probably about 600 feet.  From where they are standing, they dont know they are on an outcropping 

 

 

Sometimes the only shade is that of your trusty steed.  Here Chris is enjoying the girth of Flames.

 

Several more miles of sand, silt, gravel, boulders, a nice long and steep climb and we find the shade of a bathroom.  Aint many trees out here.  These pics show you how tough WRT is.  Those are some fine riders sitting there looking hagard.

Except for the Capn.  He is the youngster and appears to be in better shape.

 

 

We make it off Hog's Back and down to a wide spot in the road.  It is here that we find a group of Boy Scouts with shade, sandwiches and ICE CREAM!!!   So nice in 100 degree weather!

 

 

135 miles, one river of 3 feet deep sand, another series of switchbacks and we are back in Moab, looking for liquids!  Oh, there might have been some muddy spots, too

 

I think we finally tuckered the little feller out

[Catteeclan]

Turns my stomach

[Specs]

12 hours ago, Catteeclan said:

Turns my stomach

Wouldn't get me anywhere near there.

[alfalfa]

4 hours ago, Specs said:

Wouldn't get me anywhere near there.

There is one section on this road where you come around a corner, vertical rock going up on one side, and flat area to the other.  Except, the direction we have ridden this, as soon as you start the corner, the radius decreases drastically, and you face a gap in the rocks along the outside edge of the road, giving you a view of about an 800 foot drop!  If you arent paying attention, you will be playing superman instantly.

[Pedro]

Amazing stuff, thanks!

[alfalfa]

We finish up in Moab and head back to Ouray to cool off and play in the mountains.  Plus, we had business at the top of Engineer Pass to finish.   We stop in Dolores and spend the night at Big John's, as he was to follow us up to Engineer with all the sign materials.   The next morning we take off up towards Telluride so that we can cross the mountain range by way of Ophir Pass.   Otherwise, you have to go in a big loop thru Durango, to get to Silverton, at the bottom of Engineer.

But, first.   we have to make Chis an honorary 'murican:

 

 

 

Big John loads up his jeep and we take off.  Ophir is a fun and beautiful pass, but the last section before the top is very rocky. 

 

This trip, we made it without much drama.

 

At the top, the "smooth" section of Ophir.

 

Unpacking the sign stuff from John's Jeep.

 

the Cap'n and Chris take the post out to the point.  This is the spot Jim had spread Billy's ashes the year before, after getting blown off of Imogene.

 

the big guy - Big John Davis.  We have learned over time that the "big" in his name actually refers to his heart.   Just dont tell him you know that

 

 

After getting the sign installed.

 

Billy's good friend, Jim, on the left.  Spiritual leader of AGALOS.  On the right is some crazy dude from England.  He had brought along his own tribute to a friend lost.  The sticker was placed on the back of the sign.

 

Jim had brought along a little bottle of Billy's moonshine and we offered up a toast.  When i find Stephen's video of the ceremony again, i might post it.

 

After our little farewell to good friends, we headed back down to Silverton for lunch.  While in the restaurant, i pulled out a forest service map i had gotten from somewhere, and was looking up the roads we had been on.  I focused on Engineer Pass, having just left there.  Imagine the shock when i noticed that near the top, there is a little spur road which was shown on the map.  This spur road was named "O Point Road" and it was exactly where we had erected the sign, one year after Jim, Chad and Larry had settled on this spot to spread Billy's ashes.  No one in the group had any idea that we had ridden down a "road", and no one believed that this road was called O Point Road, or what we now call Odom Point Road!.   It had to have been Billy the year before who had made sure Jim had ended up at this place.  Nothing else explains the coincidence.  at least in our minds.

 

You can google "Odom Point" now, and find that it truly has become a popular place.  Our next goal is to take his widow, April, up and show her where Billy now lives.