Moto Adrenaline

LSBMW Arkansas Fall Colors Ride

2011-10-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

That time of year has arrived. The air is colder and the days are shorter and fall is right around the corner. We have had a brutally hot summer here in North Texas so I don't think anyone is going to complain about the temps dropping. The Lone Star BMW Club has an annual ride each year at this time. The ride is up to Eureka Springs Arkansas. The little town is great and the hotel rooms are very affordable and the best part of this location is... you guessed it, those awesome North Arkansas roads.

Jamie and I would be spending the first half of the week in Las Vegas Nevada celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary. We would fly back on Wednesday and then I would jump on the C-14 and head up to the springs. Jamie would be driving up Friday afternoon. She had some parent - teacher conferences that needed to be taken care of. I met Herman and Richard at the Starbucks on Bethany and 75. We had a quick cup of coffee before heading out to hook up with Pete. He would be joining us just a few miles down the road. We were meeting Jackie at our breakfast destination in Paris Texas. We had told him we would be there at 8 - 8:30am.

We rolled into Paris right on time. There was a little mix up already on the journey. I missed a turn that we have taken a number of times. We got right back on the route, but we did bypass the gas station that Pete was waiting at to join the group. He had to ride up to Paris by himself. I am sure he was not happy. He waited an extra half hour before heading to breakfast.. sorry about that Pete. We had a great breakfast.


Herman, Jackie, Richard and Myself. Pete was taking the picture that I borrowed for this write up. Thanks Pete.

We took our regular route up through Broken Bow and then we jumped on the Talimena National Scenic Byway. We had lunch at the lodge before heading the last 200 miles into Eureka Springs. Lunch was good and the weather was fantastic.

Our usual gas stop in Broken bow.


Looking out at the valley right before eating lunch at the lodge. The lodge will close in Nov and be closed for a year to be remodeled. many a good time in that place.

We made great time and actually got to the Springs around 4PM. We were one of the first groups to arrive. We checked into our hotel and then headed down the street so that we could eat and get back to watch the Texas Rangers in the playoffs. We ate at Pizza Hut and I have to say that they were in no hurry to get us served. I guess small towns breed slow service. The food was good and we got back in time to watch the game.

Bikes sitting in front of our rooms.

We needed the rally caps on Thursday evening. the good news is the rangers won and were one step closer to becoming WS champions.

We woke up Friday morning and it was cold. The temp got down to 33 that night and it was a steamy 35 when we rode over for breakfast. I am glad we had the cold weather gear with us. Little did we know that the rest of the weekend would be beautiful and not cold at all. Today was going to be a fun day of riding. We were doing Push Mountain, 14, 16 and parts of 123 to go along with 7 and 74. 300 miles of motorcycle heaven. It was cold after breakfast but warmed up quickly.

Told you it was a chilly morning.

Just a few more miles to 341 and riding push mountain.

No better road in America to ride fast and enjoy the feeling of being one with your motorcycle.

Pete had never been to this part of Arkansas. He got to see the reason why our group heads up to these parts any time that we can grab a 4 day weekend. Pete enjoyed Push and the tight twisty 123. I think he likes it up there.

Pete reflecting on the past 12 miles of motorcycle nirvana.


The gangs all here: the great riding is nice, but sharing it with good friends is even better. L-R: Richard, Herman, Pete, Jerry and Jackie.

We had a great selections of bikes. We could have been doing a magazine comparison article. We had 2 BMW RT's, 1 Honda ST, 1 Yamaha FJR and my Kawasaki C-14. Not a bad group of hardware. The bikes were well up to the task and it was a beautiful day for a ride. We got back to the rooms around 4:30pm. It was a great day on great roads.

We hung out at the hotel and just kicked tires and the rest of the gang starting showing up about that time. The hotel provided the grills and the LSBMW club supplied burgers and chips for diner. Not a bad way to finish the day. Jamie was on her way from N Dallas to ride with us tomorrow. I was looking forward to logging some riding time with my best friend.

Saturday morning arrived and it was already 10 degrees warmer than the 34 we started off in yesterday. Today we would be riding new roads up into Missouri. I had done some research and heard that the roads were almost as good as those we played on yesterday. We ate breakfast in Shell knob MO at a nice little diner. We road 76, 160 and 125 all nice little roads. Jamie enjoyed the rising as she had not been on the bike in a few weeks. One of the things that the group misses when Jamie is not there is the fact that she takes many pictures from the pillion seat. She has it down to an art. We never stop as a group, so it is cool that Jamie can be the photog of the group.

Pete riding along behind us.

We did do the Peel's Ferry as Jamie had never done this. It is a cool little ride and it is something that should be done if you get up this way. It is a nice break and a cool chance to get your bike on a small hometown ferry. Yes I am easily amused. haha!

Jamie and Herman awaiting the ferry.

L-R: Richard, Jackie, Jamie, Herman and Pete

My connie getting a lift.

Jamie; on a ferry posting on facebook.. ahh technology.

We finished the day up on some more nice Arkansas roads. We logged 250 miles on this Saturday. the temps were actually warm as it hit 79 in the afternoon. I have never been to Arkansas this time of year and experienced such nice warm weather. it is bad for the changing of colors but it sure was nice for riding. I can't wait to go back.

The guy on the Goldwing looked up and there we were!

The bike rolled 20,000 in Colorado and 25,000 in Arkansas not too shabby.

Till next time.. ride safe. You can see all of the pictures from the trip here.

A nice day for a ride - Pelican's landing

2011-10-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Jackie and I met up at Starbucks and did a 200 mile loop for some catfish at pelican's landing on lake Texoma. We took the long way round and just enjoyed a nice day of riding. Here are a few quick shots from the day.

Moms for breakfast and racing for lunch

2011-09-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I had not been on the bike in a few weeks so we decided last week that we would do a little ride on Sunday. We wanted to try and do something new, so when I found out about the races at Eagle Canyon, we jumped at the chance to see some racing.

We met Rob and Herman at Starbucks and enjoyed a nice cup of coffee on a beautiful Sunday morning. We headed out for Moms on the square in Aubry around 8AM. We did a few miles of FM roads and showed up at Moms to meet a nice crowd that had already arrived. It was a nice turn out. The gang was all there and we even saw my brother. Hell I thought he had sold his bikes. haha!

Vern needs his room when he is attacking his bfast

After a great meal the gang broke up and heading along to tend to their Sunday agendas. Graham, Rob and Jamie and I headed out to see some racing and enjoy the day listening to fast bikes and supporting the local racing clubs. We had a great afternoon. We stuck around for a few hours just soaking in the motorcycle drug that they call racing.


who knows what he was doing? haha!

We had a great day and can't wait to do it again. If you want to see all of the pictures just click here. have a great day everyone.

They lived good lives..

click here to hear the most beautiful sound..

Sipapu BMW Rally - Wet & Fun!

2011-09-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

I had always had this rally on my short list of venues to attend in the near future. I got some time off so I decided to make the trip. Jackie decided to join me.

We headed out of town on Wednesday afternoon. I had to work until 12 noon, so Jackie rode over and met me at the Big Orange Box (Home Depot). The weather was in the mid 80's so it made the slab down 287 somewhat bearable. We made it to Amarillo around 7PM. I was beat as my day started at 4AM. This day was uneventful, just the way we like first boring days to be.

Day 2 (Thursday) started at 7AM. We took advantage of the free breakfast and then hit the road. We headed down to Tucumcari NM and then jumped on 104 over to las Vegas NM. This is not a bad stretch of road. We ran into Yeeha Stephen in Las Vegas. Yeeha tagged along and we headed over to Taos to get some lunch. We were making great time and would have plenty of time to pitch our tent before the darkness arrived.

We took a quick stop by Walmart as I needed to get some toothpaste, We then jumped up to the lodge. It is a very nice 20 mile jaunt to the lodge along a very nice road. When we arrived at the site, there were already a lot of people camping. We took the high ground and pitched our tents. The tempos were cool and it was a very pleasant afternoon.

One of the best things that I like to do after pitching my tent is to enjoy a beer and watch all of the bikes roll in. We hung out, enjoyed the adult beverages (served right on the deck) and chatted with new and old friends the day was a great one. Jackie, Yeeha and I made a couple of laps around the area, to check out the cool bikes. Kicking tires is always a good thing. We enjoyed the evening and hit the tents around 9:30PM. It gets really dark in those NM mountains.

It sounded like rain.. I looked out my tent and yep.. it was raining. It would rain all night long. It would rain all day on Friday and it was okay. Jackie and I were going to just hang out one day so we decided this would be the day. It was a good choice as it was wet and chilly all day long. We kicked tires, drank beer, chatted with moto friends and ate. then we did it all over again.

Friday night featured Green Chili stew and a mountain jug band. We just stayed inside drank a few beers and chatted with everyone.

This is what happens when my fat ass meets Jackies coffee cup on the bench. Poor cup did not have a chance.

I know that the entire group was hoping for better weather on Saturday. The riders were starting to get cabin fever.

click here to see movie

Rain sucks! Yes I said It. i know we need it here in n Texas but we really needed a break in NM. It did not happen. it rained and rained and did not stop. Jackie and I got up and ate breakfast and decided to head back to home a day early. We picked up camp in a nice down pour and rode down the mountain in some nasty weather. What a waste of good curvy roads. it was so wet they could not be enjoyed. Jackie and I made it back to Amarillo on Saturday evening around 5PM. We got up early Sunday and was sitting at home watching the games by 3PM. I placed 1375 miles on the Connie. It was not all bad. The Land of Enchantment BMW Riders put on a great show and we have already placed the date for next year on our calenders. Till next time.. Ride safe. You can see all of the pictures here on our smug mug gallery.

New Mexico here we come.

2011-09-07T20:10:00.001-07:00

I had to be at the store today at 4am, but it really did not matter. I could not sleep and I knew I had a lot to get done before I hit the road at noon.

Jackie rolled up and met me at the store. We headed out right at high noon. The ride was very nice. The weather was awesome and we did not get any significant rain. We made it to Amarillo before dark, now I am trying to post to the blog using just my phone.

I will be taking some pictures later this weekend. We will see how this posting by phone works out. Ride safe everyone.

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Finally back on the bike

2011-08-24T14:41:00.001-07:00

As you all know, we had a slight altercation with a deer on the last day of our trip from Colorado. The Connie has been in the shop for almost two months to the day. The damage was $3100.00 I have to say that Progressive was awesome and the follow up was tremendous. It was bad timing for them as they had only been my insurance carrier for less than two weeks when the accident happened. They were very professional and I am proud to call them my insurance company.

Some of the parts were back ordered due to the recent earthquakes in Japan. The last piece came in today and I will take it in on Saturday to make sure it gets installed. So I got to take a short ride on Sunday as the Lonestar BMW riders were doing their monthly breakfast. What a great day and being back on the bike brought me a large smile. So next up is Sipapu Rally with some camping thrown in. I can't wait.

Summary of our Colorado Trip.

2011-07-04T16:59:00.001-07:00

I have finally completed the ride report. It has taken me longer than normal due to work and family obligations. the good news is I have it finished and I think it sums up the trip very nicely. You can read about the entire trip by following the links below.

June 10 - Vacation is Finally here.
June 11 - Colorado baby! Bring on the cool temps.
June 12 - Enjoying the fresh air, Family, Friends and Hiking.
June 13 - Lions, Tigers and the Air Force
June 14 - Our last day in Evergreen
June 15 - Back in the Saddle
June 16 - More Colorado Dreaming
June 17 - A Colorado village tour.
June 18 - Goodbye cool breezes, hello HOT Texas!
June 19 - Last day of the trip - Deer Strikes Suck!

See all of the pictures from our trip here . This was a first for both Jamie and I. We usually do these sort of trips with 2-4 other riders. We enjoy being with friends and the hanging out after a long day of riding, telling stories and just enjoying the comradrie of the group. This trip was different as it was just her and I for the most part.

We did most of the trip solo, just as a couple. There were many positives on this trip because it was just us. It was nice to go at our own pace. In a group setting the stops are more orchestrated. It was nice to stop and smell the roses, take pictures when you wanted. It was nice. We also enjoyed ending the day as a couple. Discussing plans for the next day, figuring out where we would ride to. I am usually a very stick to the plan kinda guy and this trip allowed for me to be a little more flexible. It was refreshing. We visited places and took longer stops. it was very nice.

With that being said, I will never stop doing the group ride thing. I love being around my friends and enjoying great rides with good friends. I will continue to do the group rides but will also plan on doing more solo trips with Jamie.

I hope you enjoy this ride report.

Deer Strikes to start the day.. Damn it is HOT in Texas!

2011-06-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

June 19, 2011
Headed home until a deer had other plans.. DAMN it is HOT!

Jamie and I were up and moving along at 5:30am. We knew that this last day would be hot and we wanted to make Megan's game at 2PM. We were right on schedule. :rider:

The morning was a nice one. The cool vests were working and it was a nice way to start the morning. We were making good time.. THEN BAM! :eek2:

I see a blur on my left hand side, It looks brown. The next thing I know we feel a jolt and the bike pulls hard to the left. I keep the bike up and start to slow down. I look in the mirror to see the culprit stand up and jump the fence. It scampers off.

I get on the radio and tell Jamie that "I think we hit a deer". I pull the bike over. My heart is racing! I asked to see if Jamie was alright. I think we were both stunned. We crawled off the bike to assess the damage and to collect our thoughts.

We looked over the bike and saw that the right side middle and lower fairing was damaged. Jamie then noticed that her bag was not longer attached to the bike. Looking down the road a 1/4 mile or so we saw it laying in the highway.

We started our way down there to get the bag when Leonard and Liz from the club rode by, they circled back to make sure we were ok. We explained what happened and they were nice enough to help us pic up what was left of Jamie's wallet. All of her clothes were still in the bag liners, but she had placed her wallet on top of the bag. Yeeha Stephan and Miss Vicky rode up around this time as well. They jumped off and helped us locate as much of Jamie's information as possible. We found her Drivers License and bank cards so life was good.

We actually had a spare bag that we had placed on top of the top case that carried our rain gear in it. This was a life saver as we could get Jamie's clothes in there. The bag would not mount to the bike as the brackets were ripped off.

Nothing was leaking from the bike and it started right up. So we jumped on and decided to follow Yeeha for a few miles to make sure everything was okay. The bike ran great. my mind would not shut off. This could have ended much differently and much worse for the two of us. I was going 70 mph when I struck the deer. It could have gotten ugly if I had T-boned it. The good thing it was a glancing blow, only doing cosmetic damage. We were so lucky! At breakfast I took another pic of the damage.

The rest of the ride home was a good one.. well It was good that we could ride home and that we were both un harmed. The actual ride SUCKED! 250 miles of triple digit heat and winds blowing anywhere from 30-40 MPH. The winds were non stop. It was a hard ride home.

We pulled in the drive way and with 2700+ miles on the bike. We were home safe and sound. It was a grand trip and one we will not forget anytime soon.

We made it to Megan's Championship game. the Tigers lost but they fought hard. Megan was named team MVP.

After the events from earlier in the day all we could do was count our blessings. Life is good!

Goodbye cool breezes.. hello HOT Texas

2011-06-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

June 18, 2011
Last day of cool breezes, goodbye Colorado and NM ..Hello HOT Texas!

This was a sad morning. Our trip was on it's last legs and today we would end the day with projected temps near triple digits. This to go along with our final destination of Amarillo. We were going to miss NM and Colorado.

We ate breakfast at the hotel with all of the gang. We tagged along with the gang as we headed out. Our first stop would be Chama NM. We knew it was going to be warm this afternoon, so last night Jamie made sure our cool vests were loaded up and ready to go. They really do work.

This is Jamie and I ready to roll. Thanks for the picture Mark.

Jamie and I broke off from the gang and stopped for a quick break in Chama. We were also going to do the longer loop into Red River NM later into the trip. The rest of the group was heading to Taos to eat an early lunch. Jamie was a trooper the entire trip. i love my riding partner. She is cute to boot.. I am a lucky man.

We enjoyed the ride over the Rio Grande gorge, up the hill to Red River and through Cimarron National forest. We caught up with Mark and Randy a couple of times during the day. It is fun seeing some friends on the road from time to time.

I love this part of New Mexico. It reminds me of riding with my father and enjoying these great roads on weekends after I first got out of the military back in the 80's. He got sick a few years later, then passed, but I sure enjoyed riding with him. I am glad his passion for riding was passed down to me and my brother. We miss you dad!

Jamie and I go to Red River each year for her family's reunion and it has a special place in our hearts. We enjoyed a breakfast burrito and chatted about how nice it will be to return in July for the reunion. It is a blast up there and a nice way to get out of the brutal summer heat in Texas.

This was a long day of riding. The closer we got to Texas the hotter it got! We rolled into Amarillo and the bank temp was a nice 103... YIKES :sun: We took a long shower and walked over to a wing stop for a quick dinner. It was awful hot. We would be home tomorrow. We were planning on leaving early to beat the heat. Our daughter was playing in a softball tournament that day as well so we wanted to get back to see her team play.

We saw this car and trailer at the hotel. i thought it was pretty cool.

Silverton, Durango, Pagosa, Crede a Village tour.

2011-06-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

June 17, 2011
Cruising the Million Dollar Highway, Pagosa Springs and Wolf Creek Canyon.

Jamie and I had thought about back tracking, heading back up to Gunnison, then dropping down Co 149 into lake City and Crede on our way to Pagosa Springs. The construction from yesterday changed our minds so we decided to do some sight seeing on the [URL="http://www.motorcycleroads.us/roads/co_us550.html"]Million Dollar Highway[/URL]. We have done this a number of times, however it never gets old. It is a beautiful drive, somewhat slow in places as it gets very tight and some of those RV people think this is a good way to get up into Colorado. I enjoy it every time I am on it. You do have to be careful as a mistake up here could be bad. No guard rails and some pretty steep drops.

We left the hotel around 9AM letting it warm up a little, we also had to clean the bike up as the sprinklers made the bike a muddy mess. It was not too bad for us, but the 2 Harleys that were blinged out were not as fortunate. It would take days to detail those bikes back to bar hopping status. (sorry I had to say it) The owners were very nice and we crossed paths with them all day down 550.

Leaving Ouray we took a shot of why they call this village the Switzerland of the west. (again sorry for the pictures. the cell phone is all we had.)

We enjoyed the cool ride and made a few stops to add more layers and to take some pictures. 10,000 ft makes for a cold morning even in the month of June.

We rolled into Silverton looking to get do some walking around and get warmed up. It is a cool little town, with many shops and friendly people. We had some coco and coffee and just enjoyed a lazy morning. We ran into 2 couples on bikes with trailers from Kansas City. They were puzzled that we could ride two up for 9 days and carry everything on the bike. They said that they needed the added room of the trailers but hated pulling them in the mountains. I guess the extra space would be nice, but losing the ability to enjoy those roads would be something I would not want to miss.

We left Silverton and headed over to Durango. It was a nice ride and we just took in the scenery. We did stop for a quick fill up and a drink in Durango. We got out of there pretty quickly as the traffic was bad and it was starting to warm up. We did find this little diner that was pretty cool Just a long bar with stools. It was a true greasy spoon.

We were heading to Pagosa Springs to spend the evening and hook up with the Lone Star BMW club riders that were getting to do the ride that I planned a few months prior. They had been to Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and now Colorado on their way back to Big D.

Jamie and I would join them for dinner later that evening and then ride back with them to get home. We made the short journey To Pagosa in good time and decided to get lunch before planning the afternoon activities. We enjoyed yet another Green chili Cheeseburger. We always load up on the green chili when we get a chance.

While eating lunch we decided that it was to early to end the day. it was only 2:00PM. We decided to check into our hotel and then we would shoot up through wolf creek pass and get some desert in Crede after a short ride up beautiful 149. We were glad we made this choice the ride was awesome, the scenery was great (yeah I know we say that alot) and we always enjoy our stop at Kips in Crede.

We got back to the room just in time to catch up with all of the other riders coming in from Utah. We took a quick shower and headed down to JJ's Riverwalk for dinner.

The entire group was going and it was awesome swapping ride stories. I was really into hearing about their trip as it was my creation. I did the leg work for the hotel and dinning establishments. I also laid out the general routes. It seems as everyone enjoyed themselves. They loved the routes and no one said anything negative so it was a good evening.

I do have to say a special thanks to my friend Herman. He was thrust into the ride leader role due to my change of plans. He is a great rider and friend and I so appreciate that he took the reins and ran with this ride. I owe him a big big beer! (that is Herman in the middle. Not from this trip but wanted to put a face with a name) Thanks again Herman.

This was a great night, but it was also sad as well. It reminded us that our journey was almost over and we all would be headed back home tomorrow. But for the evening.. tales were told and many laughs were had. It was a great way to end the day. Till next time.

1 more day in Colorado.

2011-06-17T04:06:00.001-07:00

We are really enjoying our time in Colorado. We have our last day tomorrow. We will meet up with the LSBMW guys in Pagosa Springs tomorrow. Jamie and I are heading to Durango, then 149 to Creede. Should be another great day.

Ouray is beautiful. Here are some pics.

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Another great day Riding in Colorado!

2011-06-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

Day #7
June 16, 2011

More Colorado dreaming - Ouray & Gunnison

We enoyed a great evening in Glenwood Springs, but we were excited to hit the road for Day #7. I love 82-133 outside the Springs. Great sweeping corners with beautiful postcard views. One of my favorite rides ever. i enjoy it more every time we do it.

Just when we thought it could not get better we jumped on 92 and made our way through the Black Canyon of Gunnison. We enjoyed the ride, taking in all of the cool air and beautiful mountain views. There was a little stretch of construction in the canyon, but nothing that could dampen our spirits for the day. We had lunch in Gunnison at Firebrand. Gunnison is one of my favorite places. We will be back soon.

Our last stretch was to head down 550 and get to Ouray at a decent time. Our camera broke sometime after lunch so the rest of the pictures in the report are from my cell phone. Sorry for the loss of quality, but at least we still have pictures to share. We hit some construction outside Montrose, but other than that the ride into Ouray was a good one. We walked around the village and had a few adult beverages in a number of establishments.. Not a bad way to spend and afternoon.

We stayed at the Rivers Edge in Ouray and it was AMAZING! Great rooms, low price and the owners loved having motorcycles around. If your in the area, you should stay here, I would recommend it big time!

We loved our day in Ouray, we loved our day of riding.. I think I have found what I would like to do the rest of my life! Cheers!

river is raging in Ouray, Colorado.

2011-06-16T19:30:00.001-07:00

Just ate dinner, sitting by the river CHILLIN with my baby! Fun times

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On The Road Again!

2011-06-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

Day #6
June 15, 2011

Back in the saddle – Front Range, Leadville, Vail and the Springs

Jamie and I awoke and were ready to get back on the road. We said our goodbye’s to our very gracious host and headed down the road. We went down 74 through Kittredge into Morrison for breakfast. We enjoyed a great breakfast. We talked about our day’s journey and just enjoyed being back on the bike. CO 74 is a nice little twisty section of road.

We jumped on 285 and rode down the front range, going through the towns of Bailey, Connifer and Jefferson on the way to Fairplay. I had never been on this stretch of road. It is very scenic with the snow capped mountains on the horizon. We rode along the valleys. It was a nice ride. Plenty of room to pass cars and the road was in great shape. We saw a bunch of bikes out on this stretch of road.

Leadville was our destination of choice. It is such a cool place and any town that resides at 10,000+ feet has to be cool. We took CO 24 up to Leadville. The roads were nice and scenic and we enjoyed a hour sightseeing and enjoying a beverage. Leadville is a beautiful little town. We enjoyed a beverage at the Golden Burro Café.

After leaving Leadville the scenery became breath taking, we made our way up to Fremont Pass where the lakes still had some ice on them. It was chilly and beautiful. We enjoyed the cool air.

On the way down the hill I noticed that the range on our C-14 had gone up a great deal. It was nice knowing that we could go another 630+ miles on our tank of fuel. Haha!

Our next stop was Vail Colorado. Jamie had never been there so we decided to do some walking around and pick up a t-shirt or two. I love Vail village. Vail is such a great place to walk around and unwind. The only bad thing about the area is the price of goods. Everything is so damn expensive. We did some window wishing and then decided it was time to head for our final destination for the day.

I usually hate the slabbing thing, but one of my favorite rides is I-70 from Vail to Glenwood Springs. The highway carves its way through the mountains and finishes up in box canyon right before you head into the springs. I could live in Glewnwood Spring, to me it is a good size and close to some great riding. Below are some pictures from the most scenic highway on the planet.

We found our hotel, took a quick shower and then decided it was time for an adult beverage and some dinner. We had a great meal at the Glenwood Canyon Brewery.

As we were walking to dinner this guy rides up on this.. I think it was a motorcycle but sounded really bad. He was riding from New York and was having some issues. Call me a wimp but touring on this bike does not seem like it would be a fun adventure.

This was a great day of riding with my wonderful wife. It was just under 300 miles but we really enjoyed the day. Tomorrow we would head to Ouray via Gunnison and some of the best roads Colorado has to offer. Until then Cheers!

Enjoying the village of Evergreen.

2011-06-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

Day #5
June 14, 2011
Enjoying our last day in Evergreen

See all of the pictures here.

We decided that today we would just sleep in and hang out in the little village of Evergreen Colorado. I would love to live in a place like this. So beautiful and small but close enough to Denver to make it fun and besides the motorcycle roads are AWESOME in Colorado!

We walked around and just enjoyed the cool air. We hung out at Cactus Jacks in Evergreen for lunch. You can sit on the patio and listen to the creek rush by. It is a cool place to just chill and enjoy a beverage. That evening our hostess Vibeke took us for a great meal at the Tuscany Tavern. It was wonderful food, with great company and an awe inspiring view. Thanks Vibeke for dinner it was AWESOME!

My time with Alec was coming to an end. I always feel sad when we have to part, but we had a great trip and it was so nice to spend some quality time with my boy. I love you Alec.

Our time had come to an end in Evergreen, but the trip was only half over. Tomorrow we will load up the bike and continue the moto part of our adventure.. until then..

Lions, Tigers, Bears and the Academy!

2011-06-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

Day #4

June 13, 2011
Chillin at the zoo and visiting the Springs!
See all of the pictures here.

We decided to do some sightseeing in Colorado Springs on this fine day. Alec had heard of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, so we decided to try it out. We are glad we did as that place was amazing! We spent 4 hours walking around and it was a blast! I am only going to include a few pictures here. But you can see all of them here.

After the zoo we went over and hung out at the Air Force Academy. I had not been there in years. It is a beautiful place. I think Alec enjoyed himself as well.

Family, Friends, Hiking and enjoying the mountian air..Nice!

2011-06-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

June 12, 2011
Day #3 – Hanging out with my son Alec!
see all of the pictures here.

Jamie and I got a good night’s sleep. It was nice having that fresh air to wake up to. The temps were in the 40’s and our morning coffee tasted great in the mountain air. We were also excited as we were heading to Morrison Co to get Alec. Morrison is a little mountain town that is very quaint. We met Alec’s mom and her family for an early brunch. It was nice catching up.

We headed off for red Rocks after we ate. We wanted to get in some hiking this afternoon. Red rock is amazing.

There are some great trails up in Evergreen. We took advantage of this and enjoyed the afternoon on the trails. I know one thing.. my ass is getting to old and fat to do these things. That 9000+ air was thin. Haha!

Alec, Jamie and I enjoyed the day it was awesome. We finished up in Idaho Springs for some pizza at Beaujos. I love that place.

We finished the night up in Evergreen playing board games and enjoying our time with good friends and family. Not a bad way to spend a day.

Colorado Dreaming! We also bought a SINK!

2011-06-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

Day #2 – Colorado baby! Bring on the cool temps !

We had a great nights rest and were ready to head to Colorado. The temps were not bad on this day of riding as we were heading north the entire day. We went up on I-40 for a few miles before jumping off in San Jon and heading up thru Mosquero and Roy New Mexico. Both are small places but it was nice being in New Mexico. There are a few miles with some curves and a small canyon, so it breaks up some of the flatness.

We stopped in the large city of Roy NM for a Green Chili Cheeseburger and to take a break. We got to the cafe and it was not busy at all. We got to chat with the owner. She was stunned that we were riding by ourselves and that we were riding so far. It was a pleasant conversation and the burger tasted fantastic! The Pink van was kinda creepy. haha!

After our lunch stop we knew we were only a few hours from reaching Colorado. We jumped across to I-25. We slabbed up thru Raton Pass in NM. I love that canyon. A couple of days after we passed through there, they closed down the highway due to a large forest fire.

Started to see a bunch of bikes as we entered Colorado. Our C-14 recorded mile 20,000 as we entered Colorado. It was perfect timing. We stopped in Trinidad for an ice cream. We made sure to stop every 60-70 miles. It made for a nice ride and we did not get too exhausted. It worked out well for us. We were not on a schedule and it was awesome just riding and stopping and enjoying each others company. Good times.

What a nice day. We made it to Pete and Vibeke's house around 5:00PM. We did get a few rain drops heading thru Castle Rock CO. It was a nice change and cooled things down nicely. The ride was uneventful and the traffic was not an issue . We did stop outside Denver for a break and noticed that they drink weird stuff up there. LOL!

We had also committed to attending a Habitat for Humanity fund raiser that evening in Evergreen. Our host Vibeke is a committee member and hooked us up with tickets. The event was called High heels and hard Hats.

It was a great evening and raised a bunch of money to build a house for a struggling mother of three in the Evergreen area. Jamie and I bid on one of the sinks. It was not much but we felt great about helping out. The house for the event was AMAZING! Had to be 5+ million dollar spread. It was like nothing I had ever seen. It was beautiful! That Evergreen area is a place I could retire.. the only bad part is I am not in the correct tax bracket haha! We had shipped our clothes to Evergreen and they arrived a few hours prior to us arriving. $14 bucks to get our dress clothes there .. not a bad deal.

Jamie did great this evening as she rode almost 600 miles and looked fantastic for the event. I love my girl! Thanks again to Pete and Vibeke for getting us tickets and for opening up their home to us. You can see all of day #2 pictures here.

We Made it to Colorado!

2011-06-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

Great day of riding. We made it safe and sound and put a good 600+ miles on the connie. We also watched it roll up 20,000 just as we passed into Colorado.. Sweet!

HOT HOT HOT!

2011-06-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

June 10th, 2011
Day #1 – Vacation is finally here.

It always feels like Christmas morning the day I wake up before a big ride. Jamie and I were headed out later this afternoon to start our 9 day journey to Colorado. I had originally set up a trip for the Lone Star BMW Riders that would take them to parts on NM, AZ, UT and CO before heading back to North Texas. That ride was still on; however Jamie and I had to make some changes. These were due to some miss communication on my part and I wanted to see my son Alec. So looking at the time table we decided to get in a visit with Alec as well as spend some one on one time with my beautiful wife.

I opened the BOB (Big Orange Box – Home Depot) at 5AM and could not stand still. I had made plans to leave the BOB at 12 noon and hit the road no later than 1PM. It worked out great. I left as scheduled and headed home. Jamie had taken Bella our family dog to the vet and she was ready to go. The bike was packed and ready to go. We loaded up and hit the road as the clock struck 1:09PM. We were only slabbing to Amarillo to spend the evening before a long day on Day two. It was an uneventful ride; with the only big issue being the heat. We rode thru Wichita Falls and the temps read 104! It was hot! We got to the hotel around 8PM and just grabbed a quick dinner and hit the bed. I want to thank my best friend Pete for hooking us up with the hotel room. He travels a lot and used some of his points for us to stay in a Hampton Inn on both our starting day and the last day of our road trip. We love you and thank you for hooking us up. We appreciate it!

You will see a couple of posts per days as I did post a couple of times from my phone. Hope I did not cause to much confusion.

Day #1: Hot Days in North Texas

2011-06-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

I went to work this morning knowing that my vacation started in 6 hours. I never sleep well the night before a trip, and this was the case again.

I left the store right had noon. Jamie had lunch ready when I got home. We were on the bike starting our 9 day journey right on time.

The ride was very Hot. We hit Wichita falls and it was 104. It did cool down by the time we reached Amarillo. Cool vests are awesome. We at a quick dinner at Dennys then hit the sack. Tomorrow we get to Colorado. Can't wait

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His and Hers

2011-06-10T10:28:00.001-07:00

We are ready to go. I am officially on vacation. We are packed, even have his and hers earplug.. sweet!

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Ready to go!

2011-06-09T19:32:00.001-07:00

Jamie and I are loaded up and ready to hit the road. I will be posting from time to time here on the blog and my Facebook account. I am so ready to go. Have to open tomorrow then hit the road in the Texas heat. Amarillo will be our resting place for the evening. Stay tuned.

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Colorado here we come..

2011-06-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I are headed to the great state of Colorado in a few days. We were set to go on a long journey with the LSBMW club out of North Texas but our plans changed last minute. It will be a great trip. We are headed to stay with friends in Evergreen Colorado while spending three days with my son Alec. That will be one of the highlights of our journey. Thanks to Pete and Vibeke for letting us hang out for those days. It sure cuts down on our costs and we get a car to boot! Thanks again we love you guys.

We will leave the Metromess on Friday afternoon as soon as I leave the BOB (big orange box). We should get on the road sometime around 1PM. Should be a nice toasty start to the trip. Could be close to triple digits. We will get to Amarillo sometime around 8PM. We got a free room thanks to Pete and Vibeke. (they are too nice and we love them).

On Saturday we will ride the 500 miles into Evergreen. It will be a slab day, but the good news is the temps will drop and Texas will be long gone in our rear view mirror. We will get to stay in Evergreen and see Alec for three days. We will just chill and be tourist and enjoy our time with my son. I am so looking forward to spending some quality time with him. We are doing the zoo and some hiking and maybe even catching a game. Should be a great visit.

On Wednesday we will depart from Evergreen and head to Glenwood Springs Colorado. We will make our way thru the Vail valley, Leadville and many beautiful roads. I am sure we will do some shopping and just enjoy the fresh mountain air. Jamie and I have never done a long ride by ourselves so this will be a smell the roses and enjoy the ride trip. I am looking forward to some nice roads and some down time. Should be a great time.

Thursday we will get up and take the long way to Ouray. We will ride beautiful 82 out of Glenwood Springs and then head over toward Gunnison on 92 and 50. This will be a great day of riding. I love this part of Colorado. We will spend our evening in Ouray enjoying the river and I am sure some adult beverages will be consumed. It will be a great evening.

Friday will be a great day of riding as well. We will leave Ouray, go back up and around Gunnison, before heading down 149 into lake City and Creede. We will end the day in Pagosa Springs. This will be fun as the LSBMW group will be there as well. We will end our trip with good friends. This will be a great day as well. I seem to say that alot when I am making a reference to Colorado riding. I could come every year. it never gets old.

Saturday we will head home, but not before visiting Red River and some nice northern NM roads. We will end the evening in Amarillo in another free room. (Thanks again Pete and Vibeke, you guys are awesome and we love you!) We will slab home from Amarillo on Sunday in the heat, but it will be all good as we will have many memories to look back on. I will do a ride report when we return. So until then, ride safe and wave if you see two smiling people riding a C-14.. I am so ready! Let's ride!

Arkansas Mothers Day Run - Mountian View AR.

2011-05-10T13:56:00.001-07:00

We have started doing this Mothers Day Run every year. I think this is year 4. Herman, Jackie, Rob and myself were able to make it this year as Richard had a previous work commitment. The other guys left early on Thursday morning. I had to work so I was scheduled to take off around noon on Thursday. The guys were taking the back roads up to Mountain View, I would have to slab up I-30 to get up there before dark.

I changed both front and rear tires before this trip as I have a tendency to need to go by the Harrison Yamaha dealer and change tires while up in Arkansas. I was trying to change that trend. Herman and the guys helped me put on new PR2's so the bike was ready to go. I was packed on Wednesday and ready to hit the road as soon as I could get out of the big orange box.

It was tough concentrating at work but it went by pretty quick. I left work at 12:15 and hit the road. I took the bike to work so I could get on the road as soon as possible. The ride was uneventful. It was just doing the slab thing, but it could have been worse. I got a chance to relax and collect my thoughts. Visions of twisty roads were filling my mind.. I was so excited. I stopped in Conway AR for a quick bite to eat. One observation was the water levels and some of the flooding in the area. Many of the service roads were under water as were many acres of land. That part of the country has been getting tons of rain. It was so green and lush.

McDonald's in Conway AR

I actually made good time and was in by 8:30 that evening. The bad news was I had brought in the rain. The minute I parked at the room it let go. Of course I have this reputation for being the rain man, so this did not help. I went to bed pretty early as it had been a long day.

We woke up on friday and were greeted with a beautiful morning. It was not to chilly and the skies were clear. It was the perfect day to ride. The first stop of the day was at Cody's in Fifty Six. We had a wonderful breakfast and then headed down the road the 14 miles to Push Mountain. We did a couple of laps...er I mean trips up and back. That road never disappoints. It was car free and the pavement was in top notch shape. Not a bad way to start a Friday!

The bikes parked at Cody's

We enjoyed a great day of riding. We hit 16, 123, 114, 87, 74 plus push mountain. For the people that have never been to Arkansas.. don't go it is awful. Not really, the riding is some of the best a sport touring / sport guy could ever want. Great twisty roads, few cars and did I mention the great twisty roads? It is amazing. We got back to the room after a quick snack of pie sometime around 5PM. We all concurred that we had found the perfect way to spend a Friday.

I think we eat at daisy Queen every time we are in Marshall AR

Pie at Cody's

We ended the day by eating at Anglers and enjoying some catfish and watching as the White river rushed by. It was running so fast and full. Just another example of all of the moisture in the area. We had a great meal and enjoyed each others company.

Saturday started off on a bad note as it was raining when we got up. It was thundering and the rain was coming down. We walked over to breakfast and was hoping that the rains would go away. We ate and the weather was still not acting right. We went back to the rooms and was just being lazy. I was about to fall asleep when Herman said that we should load up and head for the sun. You could see that the storm was breaking. We got motivated and we were glad we did. 15 minutes into the ride the sun was out, the roads were dry and we were having a ball. It was a beautiful morning. We altered the route and got in just under 250 miles. It was a very nice Saturday. We stopped in Jasper at the Ozark cafe for a late lunch and then headed back to the room. Stephen left his glasses at the park bench in jasper. That was the only bad thing that happened all day. We had dinner and enjoyed the nice cool air. It had been a great weekend. We were headed back to town on Sunday. We wanted to get out and on the road at 7am. We wanted to get back to the Mothers and wife's that had allowed us to enjoy this weekend on the bikes.

Excaliber 1/2 burger between 2 grilled cheese .. yummy

This was a very colorful person in Jasper

Don't even ask.. My eyes are still burning!

We were on the road before 7am. we took in a few more miles of twisty roads before arriving in Conway for breakfast. We beat the mothers day crowd. By the time we left it was an hour wait to get a table. We slabbed it home and I walked into my home just after 3PM. I got to spend the rest of the day watching the Mavs kick the lakers in the ass, while enjoying burgers on the grill with my in laws. Life was good. It was a fantastic trip and I can't wait until next year.

I did get a few pics of things other than places we ate at or of the bikes. My picture taker stayed home this trip, so we did not get many good shots. Sorry about that. I will finish this little report with those pictures I did take. Ride safe everyone. You can see all of the high res pictures here.

Texas State BMW Rally - Llano Texas

2011-04-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I rode down to the Texas State Rally on Friday morning. I had to close the night before and we needed to get our beloved Bella to the kennel before we could head out. This was actually a good plan. We usually leave in the early morning, but knew we had all day to get down to llano and it was just over 250 miles so we took our time. The event was put on by the San Antonio BMW riders club. I have to say that it was a great get together. It was well planned out however not so planned that it took away from the weekend. I don't know how to say it, just felt like a nice home like atmosphere.

I got the bike loaded up on Thursday. I took out the cold weather gear as the weather forecast looked to be a tad warm. I was sure glad I did this. We had no need for anything that even came close to cold weather gear.

Remember to click on the pictures to see the full size versions. Also don't miss the gallery as we have more pictures available.

We got out of the house around 9am. We took our time and did the metroplex shuffle getting out of town. The traffic had calmed down and the skies were overcast so it was great riding weather. Jamie and I took the slab over to Cleburne for breakfast and then we jumped off the main highways and did the FM (Farm to Market) road thing most of the way south. It was really warm by the time we hit Llano. One bank had the temp at 97! Yikes! Way to early in the year for those type of temps. It could be a warm summer.

We got to the rally site around 3PM. We knew that Jackie and Stephan had come up on Thursday, and they were saving us a sight. The bad news is we did not know where. So after a few minutes we decided on a nice place with a water front view for our campsite. We had two beautiful trees as cover and the lake was beautiful. We pitched our tent and unpacked. We went up and signed in and chilled out while waiting for Stephen and Jackie to get back from a day on the bikes. Jamie and I do not usually travel just as a couple. I like having two bikes just in case something happens, but I have to say that this was kinda cool and I think we will do a few more weekend overnight trips on our own. I love the fact that she loves to ride. I am a lucky man.

We at some chili supplied by the event and just enjoyed a nice relaxing evening kicking tires and chatting up old and new friends. It was warm on Friday night. We went to bed but it took a good hour to cool down. We did not even put our rain flap on the tent. This was a great choice as the wind did not blow much, but when it did, it was nice. We got up to a beautiful morning. The lake was still and the sun shining. it was a great start to the day.

So Saturday we had planned to do a 300 mile route and see the Pacific War Museum in Fredricksburg, Texas. Well we thought about it and knew that we could not get all of that in on one day. Jamie and I had never done the Museum and I really wanted to check it out. Jackie had never done it as well so Stephen was a sport and came along. He had been there before, but did not seem to mind doing it again. It was AWESOME! words or pictures could not explain how informative the day was. great stuff. They are so proud of their home town hero Admiral Nimitz. It was a great day of sight seeing. Sometimes we miss these things as we are always wanting to be on the bike, but this was a great day and something we will do again. We spent 3 hours and still could have stayed another 1-2 hours. Moving stuff.

We get to the area of the museum where they are talking about the battle of Peleiu in the pacific. The gentleman sitting next to Jackie was giving us some great info as he was there! A true American hero was sitting right next to us. We listened to a story and then thanked him for his service! Awesome stuff!

We finished the day by doing a little loop on the way back to camp. We did the Willow City Loop which is usually a treat from what I have heard as the wild flowers are in full glory ion the route. Well not this year. it looked like they had not had any rain at all this spring, no flowers at all. It was a nice loop, but we missed seeing some color. We headed back into town and had BBQ at Coopers in Llano. A personal favorite of Jamie and I . We ate way to much but damn it was good. We got back in time for the awards and a nice evening of chilling by the lake. It was a great Saturday.

Like I said I know we ate too much, but it was awesome. You need to stop by Coopers if you have not been there. I love it!

We headed home around 8AM on Sunday. We were meeting Herman and Rob at the Hard Eight in Stephenville. The ride home was windy, but it was a wonderful trip. I put a lowly 670 miles on the bike but it was a nice get away weekend. Until next time.. Ride safe everyone!

East Texas Ride - Newton Texas

2011-03-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

We all decided that we need to get on the bikes and do an over night trip. Herman, Jackie, Rob, Stephen, Jim and myself decided to do the ride that Richard had put together last spring. It went through some great east Texas roads and was a trip worth doing again for some of the guys. I missed the trip last year so I was excited about going this year.

The Plano guys met up at 7AM on Saturday and headed over to meet the rest of the guys in Terrell. We hooked up and then headed for Breakfast in Edom at the bakery. It was a beautiful morning to ride.

We had a great day of riding . I had missed being on the bike and it was a great day to get re acquainted with the c-14. I love days like this. Great roads and wonderful friends.. Life is good!

We stayed over night in newton, enjoyed the wonderful cuisine of Three Flags that evening and then went to bed early, only to get ready and do it all over again. We rolled out around 8AM heading back to the Dallas area.

We had a great 700 miles. It was an awesome trip and I am so ready to do it again. I think that Stephens plate just about sums up the weekend. You can see all of the pictures here.

Old School - Thinking of my father.

2011-01-14T13:09:00.000-08:00

Some parents are against their children riding motorcycles at a young age or any age for that matter. My parents were the opposite. My father loved motorcycles, he was always reading the magazines and keeping up on the new things that were happening in the motorcycle arena. I remember fondly how my father would clean and pamper his machines. He rode them a bunch. he commuted most days and was always doing little day rides on the weekend.

I remember as a kid how my brother and I would get frustrated as dad would lift the kick stand and go riding off into the distance on a Saturday or Sunday morning. It was not until years later, when I felt the much needed urge to ride. That I understood why he needed that little getaway.

I smile as I remember the good old days. My dad had some great machines.

I was fortunate that when I turned 15, my dad allowed me to take a safety course for street riding. He gave me a hand me down Honda cx500 custom. It was a great bike and it was the initial bike that started my love for everything on two wheels. I got to do some nice rides with my father before he passed. I miss him everyday, but I smile and think of him every time I start my bike and head off for a little ride.

Yes dad.. I get it now.. Thank you for introducing me to motorcycling. I love and miss you dad!

LSBMW Tech Day

2010-12-04T13:12:00.000-08:00

Keith and the LSBMW club had a tech day that started at 9 this morning at Keith's shop. There were a good 10-15 bikes already there when Herman, Rob and I arrived. We hung out for a few hours and kicked tires and watched some bikes being worked on. Keith and Wendy (Hope that I got her name correct. ) had a great lunch for everyone as well. It was a great day and I even learned a few techie things. Great way to spend a Saturday morning. I want to say tanks to Keith and Wendy for putting things together it was fantastic!

Click here to see all the pictures. Click on the pictures above for the larger versions.

Breakfast at CJ's - Rob's Tire Adventure.

2010-11-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

The LSBMW guys have a monthly breakfast run to CJ's. A group of us met at Starbucks and then rode up to the breakfast. Nice crowd today as a number of bikes showed up. It was overcast, but the temps were nice. On the way home Rob had to stop and put a plug in his rear tire. We then stopped a mile down the road to do it again as the first plug did not take. It was all good as the 2nd plug worked and we all enjoyed a nice little ride on the Farm to Market roads up in N Texas.

Herman and Jackie making sure they are plugging the tire right.. They needed to watch closer.

Dallas Motorcycle Show

2010-11-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

My new dream machine.

Jamie and I headed down to meet with the LSBMW guys for a quick breakfast and then a jaunt down to the motorcycle show. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday. Sorry for the picture quality, but I took these all with my cell phone. See all of the pictures here.

I really need one of these. .

TWTEX Edom Pie Run.

2010-10-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I got an early start as we were meeting Pete at the local racetrac at 7AM. We headed over to meet Jackie and Alta at the Walmart in Terrell. It was a little chilly riding this morning. We go to Edom at 10:30 to find the parking lot empty. That would not last as the gang showed up just a tad before 11AM. We go to see some old friends and make some new ones, so the day was a good one. We got home at 3pm after logging in 285 miles. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

You can see all of the pictures here (they were taken with my cell phone so sorry for the quality: Pie Run Pics

AFCR - LoneStar BMW Riders, Good times!

2010-10-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

It is the time of year when the temps drop and the colors start to change in this part of the world. The LSBMW Riders always plan a fall trip up to Northern Arkansas. We have been going up for the past 4-5 years so we were ready for the 4 day adventure of great roads and hopefully... changing colors.

Jamie and I had agreed to meet up with Herman and Rob at our usual starting place of Starbucks. Kick stands were up at 6:30AM and we were on our way to meet Jackie in Paris Texas at our breakfast destination of Nancy's cafe. The ride was uneventful as we slabbed to Paris. The weather was fantastic and we met up with Jackie right around our arranged time of 8AM.

We took our usual route to Eureka Springs. We ran into some construction on 259, but other that that it was a great day. We arrived at our hotel around 4PM. We logged 400 miles in beautiful weather. Not a bad day at all.

We ran into this truck while stopped for fuel in Broken Bow OK. I have to say, that everytime we are there something strange is around. The guy below was seen riding away from the station on our 2008 trip. Still makes me laugh.

When we arrived at the hotel, the lady behind the counter was chatting and we told her that Jamie and I were celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary on this day. We also told her that Jackie was having a Birthday. He was telling us he was 49 again. We had barely gotten into our rooms before the hotel sign was changed. It was a very cool gesture and we really did appreciate the thought.

We ended up eating at a local catfish place that evening. The food was so-so and over priced, but hey we got full and the company was amazing. I love our friends and it seems we always have fun when we are all together. Day one was in the books and so far it had been a great trip!

We had decided to start Friday off at 8AM with a little breakfast at the Pancake place in the Springs. We had a wonderful day of twisty roads planned for the day, so everyone was excited to hit the road. We had a fellow club member join us today. His name was Ben and he had just purchased a new BMW 1200RT. He wanted to tag along and go for a ride with us. Today was going to be a day that Ben would be introduced to "SPORT" touring.

All I can say is "WOW". The morning was fantastic. The weather was great and expectations were high, for a fun filled day. We were not disappointed. We got to ride Push mountain a couple of times, as well as hitting our all time favorites of 14, 16, 123 and more. I know that I preach about Push all of the time, but if you have not been there and ridden that little piece of heaven, you have missed out! It is such a great stretch of road that twists and turns in just the right ways. The kicker is the fact that there in little or no traffic.. ever! It was awesome.

I have no idea what Jackie is looking at.

We did talk with Ben and warned him that the pace would be brisk and that he was in no way, obligated to try and keep up. We all knew he was on a new bike and just learning the little subtle things of the new BMW. He decided to jump in the back. It was probably a good choice. I think our style of riding took him by surprise. We are not straight line demons, but when it comes to leaning the bike over and having some fun, we are all for it. After a couple of trips up and down Push we stopped in Codys for some pie. Everyone was all smiles, including Ben. He had survived his first trip to push and seemed to be having fun. I sure know we were! Wow! Great stuff.

The rest of the day did not offer a letdown as the entire day of riding was spectacular! There are many great days of riding in my memory banks, but if there had been a better day. I could not recall it. We stopped a few miles from the hotel to soak it all in and just cherish the day. it was smiles and high fives all around. It will be a day that I will never forget.

We got back to the hotel and was trying to figure out what we would do for dinner. We wanted to be back to the room in time to catch the Texas Rangers game as they were playing game six against the dreaded Yankees. We decided we would just order pizza and get some beer. The bad news was the Pizza hut did not deliver. The good news was our host was awesome and volunteered to have her kids go and pick up the pizza. This was our first time staying at the hotel and I have to say that it was not a bad place to stay. the price was great; $49.00 a night and they did the extra things that make people come back. Hell they even found a long cable and extension cord so we could set up a TV outside in the parking lot.

I would recommend the place to all who is looking for a small, clean hotel with great people in charge. Check out Carolyn's Swiss Inn the next time your in the springs. Oh yeah.. The Rangers won and advanced to the World Series. How cool is that?

We went to bed with a great day of riding under our belts and the Rangers as American League Champions. The weather Gods were looking to ruin the mood however as Saturday looked like it could be a total wash out. A large storm was looming, so we all went to bed hoping and praying that the weather Gods were lying.

Saturday morning arrived and when we looked outside, we were greeted with cloudy skies and no rain!. So the day would be full of more good roads and fun times, or so we thought. I went out to load up the bike and noticed that my back tire was looking a tad thin. I went back inside and told Jamie that we would be taking it easy today, as we needed to make it home on that tire.

We started the day with everyone else, as they were headed to jasper and AR 7. Jamie and I would split off and enjoy the roads at a much slower pace than the rest of the guys. It was a beautiful morning of riding. We watched as the guys took off for more speedier routes, while we just took our time and enjoyed the views. AR 7 is a great road but has way to much traffic. It was great for us as we needed to take it easy. It was a nice way to spend Saturday morning, just me and my baby on the bike.

Well Jamie and I started to look at the tire and we both started to realize that we needed a better tire to get home on. So we shot over to Harrison and our favorite Yamaha dealer. We had visited them in the spring when we needed two new tires. They had a PR2 in stock and had the tire on in just over an hour. They are nice folks and I hope that we don't need their help on our next trip.. haha. Really if you are ever up in that area and need help this is the place to go. Make sure to tell them that we said hi!

Even with the side trip, the day was a good one. We got a little rain about 12 miles from the hotel, but it was nothing to bad. I do know that we were feeling much better about the ride home. The new tire sure set our minds at ease. Kicking tires and chatting with old and new friends always makes these trip special.

The LSBMW Riders had set up a dinner at a local establishment. It is always hard trying to find a place that can support dinner for 40+ people. It was a good try. Using my best Forest Gump voice.. Pricey, food not very good and the entertainment was well let's say... kinda of cheesy.. and that is all I have to say about that.

We went back to the hotel and kicked tires and just hung out. We were leaving early on Sunday and doing the slab thing as we wanted to get our beloved Bella out of the kennel. We left under cloudy skies but did not get any rain until we pulled into our alley at the house. It was a great weekend, with good friends and great roads. I am ready to go again. We did a well rounded 1283 miles for the 4 days. Not a bad way to spend a weekend. See all of the pictures from the weekend here in our smugmug gallery.

LSBMW Hamburger Cookout - Sulphur OK

2010-09-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

This is a annual event for the LSBMW club and one that I look forward to every year. I got up early and headed out to the start off point, I wanted to fuel up and drink a cup of coffee before hitting the road. I rolled up around 7:10 and Bo was already there with a few other people. I got my coffee and watched as a number of bikes pulled into the lot.

Everyone just hung out and kicked some tires while awaiting for their group to suit up and take off. It looked like 4 groups took off with anywhere between 5-8 bikes. Rob and I hung out and took off to do our own route after everyone left. Bo was great at directing traffic.

Rob and I did a longer route than the rest of the groups. We headed over thru N Texas and Carpenters Bluff Bridge. We stopped at the bridge and took some pics before heading over to the cookout. We did some dual sport riding as I got us on a nice 4 mile stretch of dirt. After fighting off the local wildlife (two dogs that wanted a Jerry and Rob snack. haha) we made our way to Sulphur. The gang was already there. A nice group of bikes were on hand.

We got there just in time to get a burger right off the grill. The food is always good, but the socializing is always the highpoint of the day. Looked like a good group attended. We enjoyed the food and then walked around and chatted with everyone while checking out all of the bikes. As always it was a great time and fun was had by all.

It was getting warm, so Rob and I decided to slab home and get back to the metromess as quickly as possible. After a couple of hours of playing "lets kill the BALD motorcycle guy in the bright jacket" on I-35, I finally made it home. I logged just over 315 miles. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday. I do have one question.. when will the HEAT finally go away.. it was HOT this afternoon.

Till next time.. ride safe!
Oh yeah make sure to click on the pics to see the hi res versions. If you want to see more pics - Click here.

Breakfast at the Blue Hangar

2010-08-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I headed out for a little ride this morning. It was finally a nice cool comfortable morning so we decided to ride. We headed over to the Hangar to check out the planes and chat with old friends. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.

Traveler's Wife - Another Cool Blog!

2010-07-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

It is here.
Kim.... of Kim & Pete fame from our recent Colorado trip, has started her own blog. You can read it here. I am looking forward to more of her thoughts. It is cool getting the "other" person's view of Two up motorcycle touring.

Go check it out!

Travels With STCPO - Bookmark it!

2010-07-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

Our friend Pete.. of the Pete and Kim clan that went to Colorado with us has started his own blog. Travels with STCPO. You can read about his recent trip to South Dakota and NatSTOC. Rumor has it his wife will be starting a blog as well, with her thoughts and stories of being part of the two up thing. We can't wait.

What are you waiting for?? Go check it out!

The PACE - A must read!

2010-07-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

This has been around for a lifetime, but it sure is a great read for anyone who rides a motorcycle. Great Stuff!

The Pace
By Nick Ienatsch
"The Pace", first appearing in the November 1991 issue of Motorcyclist magazine

Racing involves speed, concentration and commitment; the results of a mistake are usually catastrophic because there's little room for error riding at 100 percent. Performance street riding is less intense and further from the absolute limit, but because circumstances are less controlled, mistakes and over aggressiveness can be equally catastrophic. Plenty of roadracers have sworn off street riding. "Too dangerous, too many variables and too easy to get carried away with too much speed," track specialists claim. Adrenaline-addled racers find themselves treating the street like the track, and not surprisingly, they get burned by the police, the laws of physics and the cold, harsh realities of an environment not groomed for ten-tenths riding. But as many of us know, a swift ride down a favorite road may be the finest way to spend a few free hours with a bike we love. And these few hours are best enjoyed riding at The Pace.

A year after I joined Motorcyclist staff in 1984, Mitch Boehm was hired. Six months later, The Pace came into being, and we perfected it during the next few months of road testing and weekend fun rides. Now The Pace is part of my life - and a part of the Sunday morning riding group I frequent. The Pace is a street riding technique that not only keeps street riders alive, but thoroughly entertained as well.

THE PACE
The Pace focuses on bike control and de-emphasizes outright speed. Full-throttle acceleration and last minute braking aren't part of the program, effectively eliminating the two most common single-bike accident scenarios in sport riding. Cornering momentum is the name of the game, stressing strong, forceful inputs at the handlebar to place the bike correctly at the entrance of the turn and get it flicked in with little wasted time and distance. Since the throttle wasn't slammed open at the exit of the last corner, the next corner doesn't require much, if any, braking. It isn't uncommon to ride with our group and not see a brake light flash all morning. If the brakes are required, the front lever gets squeezed smoothly, quickly and with a good deal of force to set entrance speed in minimum time. Running in on the brakes is tantamount to running off the road, a confession that you're pushing too hard and not getting your entrance speed set early enough because you stayed on the gas too long. Running The Pace decreases your reliance on the throttle and brakes, the two easiest controls to abuse, and hones your ability to judge cornering speed, which is the most thrilling aspect of performance street riding.

YOUR LANE IS YOUR LIMIT
Crossing the centerline at any time except during a passing maneuver is intolerable, another sign that you're pushing too hard to keep up. Even when you have a clean line of sight through a left-hand kink, stay to the right of the centerline. Staying on the right side of the centerline is much more challenging than simply straightening every slight corner, and when the whole group is committed to this intelligent practice, the temptation to cheat is eliminated through peer pressure and logic. Though street riding shouldn't be described in racing terms, you can think of your lane as the race track. Leaving your lane is tantamount to a crash. Exact bike control has you using every inch of your lane if the circumstances permit it. In corners with a clear line of sight and no oncoming traffic, enter at the far outside of the corner, turn the bike relatively late in the corner to get a late apex at the far inside of your lane and accelerate out, just brushing the far outside of your lane as your bike stands up. Steer your bike forcefully but smoothly to minimize the transition time. Don't hammer it down because the chassis will bobble slightly as it settles, possibly carrying you off line. Since you haven't charged in on the brakes, you can get the throttle on early, before the apex, which balances and settles your bike for the drive out. More often than not, circumstances do not permit the full use of your lane from yellow line to white line and back again. Blind corners, oncoming traffic and gravel on the road are a few criteria that dictate a more conservative approach, so leave yourself a three or four foot margin for error, especially at the left side of the lane where errant oncoming traffic could prove fatal. Simply narrow your entrance on a blind right-harder and move your apex into your lane three feet on blind left turns in order to stay free of unseen oncoming traffic hogging the centerline. Because you're running at The Pace and not flat out, your controlled entrances offer additional time to deal with unexpected gravel or other debris in your lane; the outside wheel track is usually the cleanest through a dirty corner since a car weights its outside tires most, scrubbing more dirt off the pavement in the process, so aim for that line.

A GOOD LEADER, WILLING FOLLOWERS
The street is not a racing environment, and it takes humility, self assurance and self control to keep it that way. The leader sets the pace and monitors his mirrors for signs of raggedness in the ranks that follow, such as tucking in on straights, crossing over the yellow line and hanging off the motorcycle in the corners, If the leader pulls away, he simply slows his straight way speed slightly but continues to enjoy the corners, thus closing the ranks but missing none of the fun. The small group of three or four riders I ride with is so harmonious that the pace is identical no matter who's leading. The lead shifts occasionally with a quick hand sign, but there's never a pass for the lead with an ego on the sleeve. Make no mistake, the riding is spirited and quick in the corners. Anyone with a right arm can hammer down the straights; it's proficiency in the corners that makes The Pace come alive. Following distances are relatively lengthy, with the straightaways taken at more moderate speeds, providing the perfect opportunity to adjust the gaps. Keeping a good distance serves several purposes, besides being safer. Rock chips are minimized, and the police or highway patrol won't suspect a race is in progress. The Pace's style of not hanging off in corners also reduces the appearance of pushing too hard and adds a degree of maturity and sensibility in the eyes of the public and the law. There's a definite challenge to cornering quickly while sitting sedately on your bike. New rider indoctrination takes some time because The Pace develops very high cornering speeds and newcomers want to hammer the throttle on the exits to make up for what they lose at the entrances. Our group slows drastically when a new rider joins the ranks because our technique of moderate straightaway speed and no brakes can suck the unaware into a corner too fast, creating the most common single bike accident. With a new rider learning The Pace behind you, tap your brake lightly well before the turn to alert him and make sure he understands there's no pressure to stay with the group. There's plenty of ongoing communication during The Pace. A foot off the peg indicates debris in the road, and all slowing or turning intentions are signaled in advance with the left hand and arm. Turn signals are used for direction changes and passing, with a wave of the left hand to thank the cars that move right and make it easy for motorcyclists to get past. Since you don't have a death grip on the handlebar, your left hand is also free to wave to oncoming riders, a fading courtesy that we'd like to see return. If you're getting the idea The Pace is a relaxing, noncompetitive way to ride with a group, you are right.

RELAX AND FLICK IT
I'd rather spend a Sunday in the mountains riding at The Pace than a Sunday at the racetrack, it's that enjoyable. Countersteering is the name of the game; smooth, forceful steering input at the handlebar relayed to the tires' contact patches through a rigid sport bike frame. Riding at The Pace is certainly what bike manufacturers had in mind when sport bikes evolved to the street. But the machine isn't the most important aspect of running The Pace because you can do it on anything capable of getting through a corner. Attitude is The Pace's most important aspect: realizing the friend ahead of you isn't a competitor, respecting his right to lead the group occasionally and giving him credit for his riding skills. You must have the maturity to limit your straightaway speeds to allow the group to stay in touch and the sense to realize that racetrack tactics such as late braking and full throttle runs to redline will alienate the public and police and possibly introduce you to the unforgiving laws of gravity. When the group arrives at the destination after running The Pace, no one feels outgunned or is left with the feeling he must prove himself on the return run. If you've got some thing to prove, get on a racetrack. The racetrack measures your speed with a stop watch and direct competition, welcoming your aggression and gritty resolve to be the best. Performance street riding's only yardstick is the amount of enjoyment gained, not lap times, finishing position or competitors beaten. The differences are huge but not always remembered by riders who haven't discovered The Pace's cornering pureness and group involvement. Hammer on the racetrack. Pace yourself on the street.-MC

Check out Motorcyclist Magazine. One of my all time favorites

Final Thoughts - Colorado Road Trip 2010

2010-07-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

We have been home for a couple of weeks and I still get a smile when thinking about this trip. The weather was fantastic and the bikes performed flawlessly. I was a little concerned before we hit the road about how the girls would do with the camping. This was a tough trip with many miles completed each day. I have to say that even I was surprised at how well they did. In fact I am very pleased with how we all handled things on this trip. 8 days is along time for anyone to spend time with each other, throw in camping and riding a lot of miles into the equation and one never knows how things will play out.

The cool thing about this trip was it did not cost an arm and a leg. We spent more to board our dog for the trip than we did for lodging and food! That makes the trip even better!

I feel everyone really enjoyed the trip and the adventures that made up the journey. I know I will never forget the trip. I want to thank Jamie for being a wonderful wife and friend. Every time we do one of these trips, it reminds me how much I really enjoy being with my wife. I love you Jamie.

I also want to thank Pete & Kim for putting up with us and for adding their great attitudes to the trip. These trips are always better with friends. They also contributed a ton of pictures to the ride report for that I thank you both.

Last but not least I want to thank Pete and Veb in Evergreen. Thank you for allowing us to stay at your beautiful home. It was a nice way to end our journey to your great state. We love you both so very much!

Now we sit back and wait out the North Texas heat. Planning our next journey on two wheels. We can't wait!

Colorado Ride Report - The last days!

2010-06-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

June 17-18th - The Last Days
Evergreen Colorado - The HEAT of Texas (Not heart I meant HEAT)
All good things must come to an end.

It was hard getting moving this morning. the brisk 40 degree morning felt wonderful and we knew later in the day that we would be back in the HEAT of Texas. We finished our last minute packing, said goodbye to our most gracious of hosts and headed out of town.

Remember that drive I told you about a few days ago? Well today I got to do it in the daylight and it was much easier to do when you could see where all the ruts were. The girls drove down with Pete so if we dumped the bikes only our ego would get hurt. They took some pics of us on the way down.

The ride out of the Denver area was not bad at all. We made it out of town pretty quick. The further south we got the hotter it got. We were already missing the cooler temps. We slabbed it most of the way as we had to get 600+ miles back to Amarillo for the evening. It was not a bad ride until that last hour into Amarillo. Pete said his bike registered a 103 for a temp.. uuugh where are those 40's when you need them? haha! We took a few pics but not many on this long, hot day. You can see them below.

We arrived at the hotel in Amarillo at the same time as a tour bus with a bunch of Aussies. It was awesome trying to understand what the hell they were saying. they were all friendly and loved seeing the bikes. They could not beleive that we were out in the heat. After a great meal at Arby's we took a dip in the pool and called it a night. We were getting up early to beat the heat and try to get home before too late in the afternoon. I won't go into much detail about the last day. IT WAS HOT about sums it up. We did the 287 shuffle back to 380 and then shot home. It was a great trip. The last day was tough, but it always is. I know we will have many memories that will be with us for years to come.

Got home with the odo reading 2828 miles for the trip. We did not even unpack the bike. We went inside took a shower, went and shared a small dinner and crashed.

Visions of Colorado in our dreams... you can count on that!

Colorado Ride Report Day #6

2010-06-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

June 17th - Day #6
Evergreen Colorado - No Riding Today!
Just enjoyed the views, good friends and that wonderful Mountain air!

The plan for this fine day was to get up and go ride down towards the Springs and do some sight seeing. Our fabulous hosts asked if we would like to stay another day and enjoy their little town and hospitality. It took about 4 secs for all of us to agree that this would be a great day to take a break and relax. But who could say no, to these views? Would love getting up in the morning and sipping coffee on my back porch, if the view was like this.

The town of evergreen is awesome. Such a small town feel and they are only 40 minutes from Downtown Denver. We all just enjoyed a nice slow lazy day. Here are some pics from the day.

That evening we went down to the golf course and had a nice prime rib dinner. On the way back the critters were out in force. We saw many deer and Elk.

After dinner we enjoyed our hosts company and just chilled out. We did have the NBA championship game on (really?? lakers..uugh!) It was the first TV I had seen in a week and I have to say that I had not missed it. We packed up and got ready to head out the next day. The trip was winding down. In the picture below I am contemplating on how I can move to this great state they call Colorado.

Colorado Ride Report Day #5

2010-06-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

June 16th - Day #5
Gunnison Co - Evergreen Co
268 Miles

What a beautiful morning. Last night was the warmest of the evenings during our trip. It was bittersweet getting up and going. We were breaking camp. I was really getting used to the camping life. The good news, was that fact that we would be staying in Evergreen with my great friend of over 20 years and his wife, in their beautiful mountain home. Another added benefit was getting to see my son and have dinner with him. So I was all smiles. We got our gear all together and had the camp all loaded up by 8AM. We went and had breakfast at the Bean and then hit the road.

We were going to alter the route some today. We were going to ride 92 again. (you can never do the Black Canyon too many times) then jump up towards Paonia on 133 then a quick little jaunt up 82 to Glenwood Springs. We would then slab it over to Evergreen via the greatest monster interstate on the Planet. I -70 has to be the best slab on earth. Always busy and beautiful. We stopped at Blue Mesa Dam and took some pictures. I love stopping here. I have a great memory of this area from years ago (84 I think) My father and I were on a trip and enjoyed 4 great days in Colorado. It is still one of my best times with my father. He has since passed, but I thank him everyday for introducing to to this great hobby of sport touring. Thanks Dad. What a beautiful day! We enjoyed the morning and tried to suck in as much of that wonderful Colorado air as possible.

I really do enjoy riding 92. It has great scenery as well as a wonderful road surface and many twist and turns. It is a road made for a motorcycle.

We did make a stop after leaving the Black Canyon, Pete wanted to take an action shots of Jamie and I coming around a little corner with a great back drop. I think they came out great!

After this little stop we headed up to Glenwood Springs. Of all the cities I saw in CO, I could live in this city. Following the river all the way up was fabulous.

We continued on down I-70 until we hit Frisco where we stopped for a drink and some relaxation. I-70 has to be the best piece of interstate in America. You can go 70 MPH and have fantastic scenery around every curve. Good stuff. The traffic is heavy and the tunnels are not my favorite but if you have to slab, this is the way to do it.

We arrived in Evergreen CO to meet up with My son, his mother and her husband and my lifelong best friend and his wife. They have a beautiful mountain home at 8000+ feet. It is awesome. We met at Beaujos in Evergreen. They have great pizza. it was a wonderful evening. i will not bore you with many pics, but it was a great way to end the day.

What a wonderful evening. I loved spending time with my son and our good friends. I am so proud that we can all get together and have an enjoyable time together. We are staying with Pete and Viebeke at their home and the drive up the mountian is a tad scary. We actually stopped at one time to allow 5 large Elk move along down the road. They were huge. It would not have been good thing to tangle with them. The dirt road up to their paved drive was also an adventure. I will tell more about that tomorrow.

Colorado Ride Report Day #4

2010-06-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

June 15th - Day #4
Gunnison Co - Gateway Loop.
397 Miles

Last night was another chilly evening. Jamie and I slept in our riding liners and stayed pretty warm, but make no mistake.. that late night potty break was a chilly encounter.

We woke up around 7AM to the birds singing and a nice cool breeze blowing. We got together and loaded up for the short 2 mile ride to our breakfast location. We found the greatest little coffee and Bakery in Gunnison. The place was very laid back and had free wifi so it made for a great start to the morning. I wish we had The Bean here in North Texas.

This morning route was a new one for me. I had never been on this side of Colorado. We were shooting up to Grand Junction to the BMW/Harley Dealership and then head down Co 141. A friend of mine (Thanks Tom) had mentioned to me a few years ago that we needed to do this road if we were in the area. I was a tad concerned as this part of Colorado seems very dry, barren and not very Colorado like. We headed out and I was spot on for the beginning of the ride. It is not the green lush mountain area like the Colorado we all love, but it does have it's own beauty. We made a quick stop in Montrose at the Davis power center to pick Pete up some coolant. He had a few drops under his bike at breakfast, but after we ought this the issue never came back. I am sure it had something to do with the very cool temps we encountered in Gunnison. It was a nice dealership. Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda and KTM under one roof.

We rolled into Grand Junction and found the dealership. It was a strange combo, but a nice dealership none the less. We met Sam who was the sale manager for the BMW side. We found out that they sale 80% GS's and then 20% of everything else. That made sense as he was in the middle of some great dual sport riding. We hung out, bought a few things and then headed out for 141. They did have cool custom painted toilet seats.. Just sayin

141 was AMAZING! The view was spectacular, The roads were flawless and maybe the best thing about the entire strip of tarmac was the lack of people and cars. It was awesome! I would have never expected to see the types of terrain that we would encounter for the next 3 hours. It was an oasis out in the middle of no where. great stuff. I caught myself having to be careful. I wanted to ride faster as the twisties were great, but then I caught myself drifting around as I turned my head to enjoy all of the views. Visual stunning comes to mind. Great stuff.

When we collect ourselves and slice thru a left hander we are greeted by the oasis that is called gateway. Out in the middle of no where this beautiful resort pops up. It is owned by the guy who owns the discovery channel. The resort is beautiful. It is a Spa / Resort with horseback riding a world class car collection and some pretty good food. Oh yeah and they have fuel! Not a bad combo. We pulled in and gassed up and grabbed a bite to eat. It reminded me of some of the places around sedona AZ. Just beautiful!

With our bellies full we decided to head out and enjoy more of the desert like beauty we had come to love for the past hour or so. As we left the gateway oasis, it was very apparent that the scenery would be changing yet again. It got greener and greener the further we rode. We followed the Delores river for many miles. I can't say it enough. This was a great day of rising. Co 141 was becoming one of my favorites.

It was starting to get later in the afternoon and we still had 150 miles to get back to camp. We were on CO 145 when we came up on the first car we had seen in ages.. The bad news was the car was being driven by a Colorado State Trooper, sporting a radar gun. He swung a U and caught up to us pretty quickly. We pulled over. I could not believe that he had stopped us. We were going 71 in a 65. Or were we? I was later informed that we were going 71 in a 55. The performance award cost us $169..uugh! The trooper was a redass and not a very nice guy. It still kills me that he wrote us. We were out in the middle of no where and he writes us for that. Oh well. I guess that is the price to pay for some great riding.

We rode back to camp, making sure that we did not get to speak to anymore of the law enforcement protecting the fine people of Colorado. We got back to camp before the sun set. The last 10 miles was stunning as the sun was dropping and the clouds were beautiful. We got back to camp, got the fire burning and did some laundry. We laughed and enjoyed each others company while relaxing and telling stories by the fire. We could already tell that the evening fast approaching would not be nearly as cold as the two previous nights. I know when I laid down to sleep I had great visions of our day. Colorado sure is a beautiful place!

Colorado Ride Report Day #3

2010-06-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

June 14th - Day #3
Gunnison Co - Independence Pass Loop
324 Miles

Last night was COLD!!..brrrrrr

We woke up to a nice chilly 34 degrees this fine morning. we were both cold thru out the night. It rained a little which did not help. We crawled out of the tent and as many of you know, leaving a tent to crawl out into the cold is not the most appealing thing at 7 in the morning.

I was excited about today's loop. Pete & Kim have never been up to Colorado. I remember the first time I saw Independence pass (IP) and the rest of this loop. I was hoping they would be as excited as I was the first time. It is really hard to explain how majestic these 12,000 to 14,000 foot peaks just appear. It is awesome! As we were heading for IP the weather looked pretty good. We heard that they had some snow a few days back, so we were not really worried about the roads. It started off on a little bad note as I got lost leaving Gunnison. It seems like the Garmin hates routes that make a complete loop. It sent me one direction and said that we had arrived... WTH?? We had not even started yet. We opened up the net book and got on our way.

We started the climb and the views were spectacular! I never get tired of riding these mountain roads. Our first stop was Monarch Pass. It was getting colder as we reached this little pass (only 11,000 feet)

We descended down the pass and noticed that the weather towards IP looked a tad menacing. We stopped at a place to get our bigger gloves on. I love the climbs over these passes. Makes for some great riding. It was a little chilly, but with all the gear on we were good. I love all of the Grand views.

As we started the climb up IP we noticed that the temp started to fall dramatically. By the time we reached the top it was snowing! Not just flakes, but real honest to goodness snow storm flurries. It got worse and worse, the longer we stayed up there. We decided that we needed to get off the mountain before it got really bad. Well it was too late. There were times going down from the top where you could not see 10-15 feet in front of the bike. My face shield started to get iced over. It was down right COLD! The road up there is very narrow so that did not help our plight. We made it down and when we stopped we were all smiles! How often do you get say we road in a snow storm.. cool stuff!

We took our time getting off the hill and then rolled into Aspen for fuel. I have never gotten the appeal of that city. Too many people, cars and way to expensive! We paid almost $4 a gallon for fuel. We boogied out of town and headed for Carbondale.

As much as I dislike Aspen, I love Carbondale. Just a very cool place. We stopped off and had lunch. The conversation was all good and the smiles were large as we all relived the passed 3 hours. We had a great slice of Pizza. We wanted to eat at the Village Smithy, but we got to town too late.

The ride from Carbondale on HWY 133 is one of my favorites. It follows the river and the sweepers are perfect for some high speed sport touring.

I know I keep saying this, but another great stretch of road and one of my all time favorites is CO92. It goes down thru the Black Canyon in Gunnison and is another spectacular ride. We hit the fun stuff a little too late in the day and had to really be careful as the deer were out in force. Now these are not those small Texas deer we are used to. These things were huge and I did not want to see how a Deer vs. Concours duel would play out. We would ride this road three times in the next couple of days so we would have another chance to push it thru the fun stuff at a more safe time and place.

The views are wonderful and with the sun starting to set we decided to stop at a lookout and get some group pictures. A nice young couple was there when we pulled in. They offered to take some pictures of the four of us. After a quick lesson on the finer points of the point and shoot camera we have, he informed us that he was a professional photo dude.. doh! I guess my tips probably did not help him. it was all good as he got some great shots of the group. it is hard finding pictures with all of us in them.

It was getting late so we needed to high tail it back to camp. We did make a quick stop at family dollar for a few quick snacks. We were not really hungry, but wanted something to get us thru the evening. Nothing but the best on our trips!

What another day of great riding. We hung out by the fire the rest of the night. We even enjoyed some cobbler that Pete made over the fire. Yummy stuff! The evening was chilly, but you could tell that it would not be as cold over night as the previous evening. We all hit the sack pretty early. I tell you what... it is going to be hard to beat this day of riding!

I will leave you with a couple of my favorite shots of the day. Thanks Kim for getting these.

a

Colorado Ride Report Day #2

2010-06-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

June 13th - Day #2
Raton New Mexico to Gunnison Colorado
349 Miles

We woke up to an overcast morning in Raton. The temperature was very nice hovering in the mid 40's. I slept great and was up before everyone else. I decided to enjoy the smell of clean air. Nothing beat waking up in a tent and enjoying the smells of the great outdoors.

Everyone started getting up and mulling around somewhere around 7AM. Everyone was excited, ready to ride NM and CO. We closed up camp and jumped on the bikes headed for the Enchanted Circle. US 64 is a pretty remote stretch of road and it was pretty boring but the mountains in the horizon was calling our names. It sure made every mile easier to ride as the thought of cooler temps, fresh mountain air and breakfast was on our minds. That stretch is a tad scary from time to time as it is open range and there are many little critters eating and hanging out. The good news is they are comfortable with traffic and never made a move.

I have always loved that feeling of riding in the mountains. I grew up riding in NM so I have been spoiled. My father and I would ride these mountains for breakfast rides on Sundays; love the fresh air and the views around every corner. Mountain twisties are the best! We rode into Eagles Nest NM. It is so cool when you round the corner and see the big lake. It finally becomes a reality. We will be riding roads with these views and twists for the next 5 days.. Yeah baby! We were starving, so when the Cowboy cafe came into view, we pulled in without hesitation. The food was great. The guy behind the counter was a tad rude, but we did not care. We were on vacation.

We headed out to NM 38, this stretch of road is called the Enchanted Circle. The roads are great and the views spectacular. We cruised thru Red River and Questa before jumping on 522. This is not the best road as there is not much out there, but it was the fastest way to our goal. We stopped at the Colorado sign to snap a few pictures. We rolled in Alamosa CO and decided to fuel up. This is a small town, but damn it was noisy! Car alarms, loud pipes and cars honking their horns. It was maddening and really made it easy to leave town. The first gem of a road you come to is CO149. This stretch is one of my all time favorites in Colorado. We enjoyed the roads and the breath taking views.

We were introduced to the local law enforcement at the top of Slumgullion Pass (11,530FT) We passed a local sheriff on the way up the pass and actually thought he was going to leave us alone, until we pulled into a look out to put on gloves and take some pictures. He rolled up, lights in all of their glory. He got out, said he clocked us going a little to fast (15 over) and wanted to see our information. It was freezing at the top of the pass. He ran us and when he returned, said it was too cold to stand their to fill out the paper work. He let us off with a warning. He said he rode and understood the appeal to this area. He explained that the road tightens up and that we needed to be careful. It was a great warning as the road does get tighter. I really enjoyed the ride that day. it is so beautiful, so colorful.

We dropped down into Crede Co and had a piece of pie. The cute girl taking car of us, was very nice. Come to find out she had just moved back to Crede and she mentioned that her mom was the Mayor of the city. We were being served by royalty. Crede is a great town. We also spoke with a guy from Vermont on a Suzuki 400 (I think). It had BMW badges on the side. All he had was a backpack, a sleeping bay and osme little roll. He seemed nice enough. If you make it to Crede please make sure to stop into Kips Grill. The pie was awesome.

Kim thought she needed something a tad stiffer. Not really, they served the water in these old bottles.

The last bit of the ride into Gunnison was very enjoyable. We were ready to check in and get our camp set up. It looked like it could rain, but again we seemed to dodge it all. We set up camp and actually ordered take out pizza from town. We were roughing it. We had dinner and then passed out. it had been a long day. Were were here and everyone was safe and sound. Tomorrow we will explore more of the Colorado beauty.

The picture below is one of my favorites from 149. It will make for a great desktop image for Pete and Kim.

Colorado Ride Report Day #1

2010-06-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

June 12 - Day #1
McKinney Texas - Raton New Mexico
Miles 574

The day had finally arrived. Jamie and I had decided to get to bed early. We hit the sack around 10PM. We were both so excited that I don't think either one of us really slept until after 11PM. The alarm went off Saturday morning at 4AM. We were meeting Pete & Kim Russo at the Home Depot in McKinney at 5AM. It was supposed to be a warm day and we wanted to beat the heat. We we both excited and had no issue getting to the starting point at the correct time. Pete & Kim were already on site. Everyone had huge smiles on their face. We had been planning this trip for weeks. we were ready to roll.

We had decided that we would just slab it out of Texas, getting to Raton as soon as possible. There is not really a pretty way to get out of town. We stopped in Wichita Falls at the Cracker Barrel. Nothing tastes better than a CB breakfast on a road trip.

Nothing really exciting happened on our way to Amarillo. We would ride for 70-100 miles and then take a break. We arrived in Amarillo around 12:45PM.

There was a little event that almost happened that I would have never been able to live down. Jamie asked if we should get gas in Amarillo. I said that we could fuel up later as there would be many places to fuel up.. well I was not really correct in that statement. We took US 385 from Amarillo up thru Channing, Hartley and Dalhart. I figured that we could get gas in Channing.. WRONG! So now I have been on reserve for a few miles. We roll into Hartley and there is only a coop station, with no one working and only 87 grade fuel. I had to put in a gallon as I was almost empty. Jamie just looked at me and smiled, she never said it, but I know the words I told you so were on her lips.

We fueled up in DalHart and then hit the road again. Looking into the horizon the skies were really cloudy and getting dark. It looked like we might be getting some rain. We rolled into New Mexico and after a few shots at the border we headed for Raton. We got into town around 4:30PM. We were staying at the Summerlin RV park and our GPS took us to the wrong place, after a quick phone call and some directions we were sitting in the camp ground.

We were so lucky with the weather. The 40 miles outside Raton were very ominous, the skies were dark and we road along wet roads for most of those miles. It never rained on us and we enjoyed the overcast cool temps on the last leg to our camp ground. While setting up our tents we came across a little snake. We placed him back in the bushes and moved on with setting the tents up.

We headed to dinner at the Oasis in Raton. We pulled into the lot and the ground was very wet. I was putting the C-14 on the center stand when we almost had our first disaster of the trip. My foot slipped off the stand and the bike started to fall away from me. Jamie was standing on the other side of the bike and actually threw herself under the bike and kept it from falling. Super Jamie was AWESOME. Pete and Kim watched in amazement as we got the bike upright without any damage to the bike or to us. It was a great day!

When we got back to the camp site we were exhausted. As we were hanging out getting ready to hit the sack, Pete walked across the camp ground and stepped on the snake that we had let go earlier that afternoon. Pete jumped like a little girl and squealed, I laughed my *** off as I ran away under the canopy. We are not the most manly of men around the little forked tongue devil. We got rid of the snake (killed it with a hatchet) as we did not want to girls to be afraid during the night. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

The first day was awesome. We did not get rained on, we made great time and nothing bad happened. The weather was great on the first night. The temp was a good 45 degrees. We had a wonderful day and we all knew that the trip was only going to get better and better! Here are a few more pics from the day.

I will write day two as soon as possible. Stay tuned.
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Colorado Journey About to Begin.

2010-06-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! Today while at work at the Big Orange Box (The home Depot) it was all I could do to keep my mind on the business at hand. Jamie and I are meeting STCPO and his wife tomorrow at 5AM, and we are headed out to beautiful Colorado, for some great roads and camping fun. We are going to camp in Gunnison Colorado. The weather will be very cool at night, but after the start of the Texas summer we are going to enjoy the coolness. We are packed up and ready to hit the road. The Bike is loaded and all fueled so all we need now is a good nights rest before hitting the road. I am always amazed at home much stuff can be packed on a bike. We will be gone for 7 days. Here is my check list for the trip. Tools and pumps are not included in this list.

Last night we went to the MNG and had the bikes loaded down. Everything rode well and it seems that we have the suspension set correctly. It is loaded down, but felt fine going down the rode.

So stay tuned. We will try and post pictures from the trip everyday. that might not work out but we are going to try and make it happen. We will also post on our facebook page as well.

Let's Ride!

Colorado here we come! June 12-19, 2010

2010-06-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

We are in the final stages of planning our big motorcycle journey for the summer. We are going to do a complete camping adventure this year. We are going to base camp out of Gunnison Colorado, doing day trips out of that location. We are going to stay at the Tall Texan (leave Texas to stay in a place called this?? too funny) campgrounds.

We are being joined by our good friends Pete & Kim. They will be on their ST1300. This will be their first trip to Colorado, so we hope we can show them a good time. Jamie and I have been there before. It will be a great trip. Stay tuned for the write up and pictures when we return. I will have the net book with us, but don't know how much updating will get done.

Here are pictures and write up from our first trip on the bike to Colorado back in 05.

Mountian View AR - Mothers Day Run.

2010-05-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend's ride has started to be a little tradition around here. It seems that we have taken a Boy's only ride the past 3 years on Mothers Day weekend, so we decided not to break the trend this year. This years location is the beautiful little town of Mountain View Arkansas. Why here? Well all of our favorite roads in Arkansas surround this little burg. Push mountain is only 20 some miles down the road. Nuff Said..

Jackie, Herman, Richard and Myself had made reservations. We were set and ready to go. Herman and I were heading out on Thursday morning at 6AM. We were going to meet Jackie In Paris TX for breakfast at Nancy's cafe. It was a beautiful morning. The sunset was awesome. It was a great omen on how nice the entire trip would be. Jackie was right on Time. We ate breakfast and then headed out for the 440 miles to mountain view. It was a great day.

Got a little hot in the afternoon but it was a great day to ride. We got to Mountain View around 4:30PM. We checked in and decided to just hang out at the hotel. We did walk over to Subway for dinner but other than that it was a mellow evening. Richard was supposed to come up on Thursday evening to join us, but worked too long and he was too tired to make the trip. We missed him. But we still had a great time.

Friday we did a nice little 250 mile loop including doing push mountain 4 times. The weather was awesome. We ate at Fifty Six, AR at a little place called Cody's. the food was good and cheap. The wait staff was friendly and it was only a few miles from Push Mountain.. not a bad way to start the day. We did a nice loop around 123 and up to Mt Judea. We pushed it pretty hard and I almost ran out of fuel before making it to Marshall. We fueled up and had a great sandwich at the Daisy Queen. We then rode more fun roads and finished the day with iced tea in Cody's after doing push again.. A great day of riding. We finished the evening at Anglers a nice little catfish place that sits along the river. We might even have to look at staying there next time.

Saturday we woke up to much cooler temps, but the riding was just as good. Today we did push mountain again a couple of times and then headed over to 16 via 7 then over to Jasper for lunch.

We finished up the day taking in more twisty roads and enjoying a slice of pie at Codys before heading back to Mountain View. It was a beautiful ride. I have to say that this was a great place to stay. It is in the middle of all of the good riding. I am sure we will be back in that area in the near future.

We woke up Sunday to dark skies and threats of rain. Well we headed down 9 jumped on 16 and then had breakfast in Conway. We then slabbed home back to Dallas. It rained on us pretty hard outside Little Rock but was not a big issue. I rolled into town around 3PM with 1410 miles logged.. what a nice trip. Great roads, Wonderful Friends and super weather.. when are we going back?

See all of the pictures from the trip here.
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Quick overnighter to Queen Wihelmina.

2010-04-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

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Jamie and I got up this morning to a cloudy sky and a forecast of rain and storms all weekend long. We had planned to do this last minute trip on Thursday evening. The Queen is always nice for a quick visit.

So we put on all of our gear and headed out to meet the gang for breakfast. I was really talking myself out of this trip pretty quickly. I am not a big fan of riding and camping in the rain. I figured once everyone arrived, they would all just bail out and I would be home in my cozy living room, watching TV and chillin....

Pete hanging out in front of cafe Brasil.

Rob and Jackie all loaded up.

The gang all showed up. Rob rode up then Jackie followed. Pete & Kim arrived right around 9AM. I think they had an issue with the alarm clock. Pete and Kim proclaim that they are going no matter what. Rob say's that he is game and then Jackie jumps on board. I have to be honest.. I was debating hard on the issue. Jamie said that the decision was mine. She was game no matter what. Well after some "peer" pressure I announced that we were going and we should load up and head out. The weather stayed over cast all day long, but we never got more than a few sprinkles.

This was one of our stops in Broken Bow, OK

We stopped and took a break at the gas station next to the casino in Broken Bow. The girls were all smiles and we were all enjoying the nice overcast, mostly dry day. There was a van at the station that had the entire back filled with pigs. We went over and took some pictures. The family inside said that the previous day they had a calf back there. I guess they were big in the local 4F club. Pretty cool, except I am sure the smell was something one had to get used to.

hanging out in Broken Bow.

The girls were all smiles. I love the fact that Jamie loves riding.

Pigs in the van.. not to be mistaken for pigs in a blanket.

We had a great ride to the lodge. Mother nature does have a sense of humor. We get to the 16 miles of 259 that can be a lot of fun, but at that exact moment the heavens opened up and we got some rain. Not a lot of wetness but it made for a more reserved pace. The ridge was nice and the road was good. We actually pulled into the lodge and could see for miles. Not a bad day so far. We new the camp sites were first come first served.. well we were not first and they were full. We finally worked it out to get an RV site. The bad news was the sites were in the open. The good news was the bathroom was within 100 feet. Not a bad trade.. or so we thought. The lady checking us in, said we should pitch the tents as the rain was coming. We went down and set up camp. It sprinkled on us a little but nothing bad. We set up camp and headed down to eat lunch at the lodge.

Jamie getting her hair back in shape after the ride. Nice view of the vista.

Jamie and I lived on the right. Yes we both fit. No worries.

Jackie and Rob putting up the Taj Mahal

During lunch the rains finally came, so a little run of the ridge was out for the early evening. We all just hung out and enjoyed a lazy afternoon. The lodge is great for relaxing and tellin stories. We were looking forward to sitting by the fire and enjoying the night air.

Jamie looking pretty and all smiles while getting her gear.

Jackie enjoying his chair.

How many people does it take to read a menu??

Again mother nature did not want to go with our program. While eating an early dinner we watched as the fog rolled in and the rains started. By the time we finished dinner it was hard seeing 20 feet in front of you. We decided to hang out in the lodge and wait to see what the weather did. Well it stayed foggy and a little wet. We finally headed down to the camp site. We WERE going to sit by the fire no matter what!

Sppppoooookkkkyyyyy!!!

Connie looking good in the fog.

The uni bomber was camping next to us.. hehehe jk this is my beautiful wife.

Pete went down to start the fire, but he was not having any luck. We got his wonderful wife to come to the rescue as she finally got the fire going. While standing by the fire we all noticed that the wind was picking up. It was not raining, but you could tell it could start at any moment. We hung out by the fire until the wind had blown all of the fog away. We all decided to hit the tents to get a good nights rest..

Jerry doing the ROBOT by the fire. Man he is cool!

Kim took this awesome picture of her wonderful fire.

The overnight weather was not very good. It rained most of the evening. This is not all bad but the kicker was the wind. I mean it was WINDY. At one point the wind was blowing the tent into Jamie's head as she laid on her pillow. it was strange. We got up and took our time getting ready. We folded up camp and then did the breakfast buffet before heading back to the metroplex.

Rain, Rain and more rain.. uugh

The trip back was non eventful. We got lots of rain and stayed wet most of the day. I did leave Jamie's wallet at Broken Bow, but we were fortunate that they picked it up. We called and they agreed to mail it to us. We got it back already so all is good. It was a strange wet weekend, but it sure was fun.

Here are some random images from the weekend. Thanks to Pete & Kim for sharing their pictures with us. You can see the

Moto Adrenaline gallery here.

Pete & Kim's gallery is here.

Oatmeal pies are nasty, but she looks cute eating them..

Kim and Pete enjoying the day

The trusty steads waiting for us to climb aboard.

Pete made a great make shift rack for the chairs.. Pretty cool. Ghetto but cool.. hehehe

Till next time.. Thanks for stopping by.

Hill Country Camp Out Summary

2010-04-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

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I have to say that this was a very good trip. No one had any issues and the weather for the most part was very good. It was nice having the girls come down to join us. I liked staying at the Koyote Ranch and if they could move the entire place to Arkansas we would probably become very good customers.

Read all about the trip here:
Day #1 - DFW to Koyote Ranch
Day #2 - Lone Star and good roads
Day #3 and 4 - Riding the sisters and enjoying the scenery.

See all of the pictures here.

I hope you enjoy the write up. if you click on the pictures you will see the full size versions of the pictures. I like the Hill country, but I have to be honest. It is the same amount of miles to get to Arkansas and if it comes down to the Hill Country or Arkansas.. well Arkansas wins every time. We will probably do this trip again in a few years. It was a nice way to start the riding season for 2010. Looks like this years riding will be top notch if this trip is an indicator.

Here are some random shots from the weekend.