Passes & Canyons Blog

Our OFMC logo.

Judy and I had a candlelight dinner the other night and she wondered aloud if eating a baloney sandwich by candlelight would make it special.

That brought to mind a meal John and Bill and I had years ago on one of the early OFMC trips. We were in Utah, planning to spend the night camped at Hall’s Crossing, across from the Bullfrog Marina, on the north shore. In the morning we would take the ferry across and be on our way.

We knew better than to count on food at the marina so we stopped in Blanding at a grocery store and picked up a few things.

We cruised on then to Hall’s Crossing but upon arrival we encountered a problem we hadn’t anticipated. There was a campground and we had no trouble getting a campsite. There was a little store there but by the time we got there it was closed for the day–good for us for foresight. But there was no wood for a fire. None, as in no trees. And no firewood to be bought because the store was closed.

I don’t remember what else we bought but we had hot dogs. How are we going to cook these things?

One thing on hand was sagebrush. But green, growing things don’t generally burn well. So we scrounged around and found just a few dead twigs and some dry grass. We put it all together and had enough to make a fire about the size of your palm.

There were no sticks to impale the hot dogs on so we took turns, holding each end of the dog in our fingers, passing them back and forth over the tiny flame, turning it to cook all sides, and then there was dinner.

Maybe it was cooking over burning sage. Maybe it was just the situation. I mean, everyone knows food cooked over a campfire tastes better than the same thing cooked at home.

Whatever it was, those hot dogs were absolutely delicious. Those were unquestionably the best dogs I have ever eaten.

Thanks for calling that memory to mind, Judy.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 14. If the weather is nice, we’re not home.

We encountered the hay truck shortly after this rest stop in the Snowy Range. Sorry, no photos of the hay trucks.

I find it pretty amazing how those container ships stack those things so high above the ship’s deck. It looks really top-heavy but clearly there has got to be a lot of ship below the water to keep it stable.

On dry land, the seemingly comparable situation is the way you sometimes see loads of hay stacked to tower way, way above the truck hauling it all. The difference being that there is no truck out of sight down below the road so that top-heavy load better be well stacked. Sometimes it is not.

Twice this past year, out on motorcycle trips, I encountered situations where those bales were not well stacked and secured.

The first was on the OFMC trip. We had been in Wyoming, having left Torrington, and were headed to Walden, back in Colorado. At Laramie we took US 230 southwest as it passes through just the southern edge of the Snowy Range.

Coming around a bend there was a warning cone in the road and a quick glance ahead showed why. A truck loaded to the sky with huge bales of hay was part-way off on the side of the road with its load leaning menacingly toward the highway. Oh my gosh, there’s a real mess trying to happen. We gave it all a wide berth.

At least that guy didn’t lose his load. He had folks there to help and they were doing whatever it would take to put it all back to right. But clearly somebody didn’t do their job all that well when that truck was loaded. Or maybe that driver was just going way too fast.

It was a very different case, however, when, on the Colorado Cruise with the RMMRC, we were crossing Grand Mesa on our first day out. As we came down CO 65 toward I-70 in Debeque Canyon there were warning cones in the road. And there ahead was another hay truck. But this one didn’t have any hay on it. It’s entire load was scattered on and around the highway. Somebody had a real mess to clean up. And somebody probably got seriously reamed out by their boss.

Gosh, the things some people will do just to keep life interesting for us traveling motorcyclists!

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you have a refrigerator in the garage just for beer.

The OFMC, back in 2005, when there were more of us.

I’m going to do something here I’ve never done before. I’m putting out for the public the link to the OFMC website. For 15 years or for however long I’ve been doing these stories of our rides I have kept this site private, for members only. But I figure now, what the heck.

It’s fairly crude and pretty basic. I created this site at the same time I built the overall Motorcycle Colorado website, but the Motorcycle Colorado site has had a total make-over and the OFMC site has not.

Of course, we started these trips long before I ever imagined the concept of a website. What the heck is an internet? So first thing I had to do was recreate all the earlier trips. And for some trips, despite my best efforts, I have been totally unable to come up with any photographs. So I did the best I could.

The way it’s set up should be pretty self-explanatory. The home page introduces the guys and below is a list of all the trips with links to their pages. The list of the guys is way out of date, too. At this point only Bill and Dennis and I continue doing these trips. Everyone else except Ray has stopped riding, and Ray was never a core member, he just came along a couple times for parts of the rides.

I probably ought to prepare you for the photos from the first trip. We were new at this and had a lot to learn about packing and gear and generally preparing for a ride. So when Bill and John and I stopped for the night at Rifle Gap State Park, and saw there was a stream to go swimming in, we did not have swimsuits. So you’ve got pictures of overweight, middle-aged men in their underwear. I’m sure John would be especially embarrassed to see that I’m making this public. Too bad, John.

Of course, back then I was shooting with a film camera, so all these old images had to be scanned in. You can tell if you go chronologically just when I got my first digital camera.

So it’s been fun. We’ve taken this annual trip 32 times now. And at least a few of us aren’t done yet.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 12. We invite our biker friends over

Riding the Black Hills on the 2021 OFMC trip.

Since John quit riding I have become the planner for each year’s OFMC trips, and I think I’ve got our route worked out now for 2022. Here’s what I’m thinking.

For quite a few years now the trip has been locked onto the last full week in July. I don’t know how that came to be but for most of the guys that became inviolable. I often suggested that some time other than the maximum heat of the summer might be nice, but nobody else seemed to agree with me.

Guess what? Bill and Dennis have agreed that this year we should go south, and do so later when it’s not so hot.

Where to go? The first part was easy. In 2020 we intended to go into New Mexico but days before we were to leave New Mexico announced it was closing down the state due to Covid. We had to scramble to work out a different route and change our reservations. So this time around I figured we’d just start off the way we planned to in 2020.

That means we will start off riding to Alamosa, and on the second day take the short cruise from there to Espanola, New Mexico. With the OFMC there is always a gambling stop and a golf stop. Espanola fulfills both these requirements because we’ll stay at an Indian casino and resort, with gambling and golf. We’ll be there three nights so one day will be golf and the other will be for a day-ride in the area.

That was the easy part. Where to next?

I know that a highly recommended route is through the hills of south-central New Mexico/Arizona through Alpine, AZ. But how do we get there without taking a lot of interstate? Then I had the flash. We can head south out of Espanola on US 285 to Santa Fe, loop around Santa Fe and then get on I-25 for a while headed toward Albuquerque. But I didn’t want to go through Albuquerque so what if we turn off I-25 at Bernalillo and take the road that goes down the back side of the Sandia Mountains. And we can take the short side trip that takes us to the Sandia Crest, where you get an expansive view of the city laid out at the foot of the mountains.

Continuing south I was looking at taking I-40 west to I-25 and south but, again, that didn’t appeal and I noticed that south of the Sandias were other hills. Hills? Mountains? Not sure. But was there a road on their east heading south? You bet. So we’ll take those roads south to Mountainair and then go west on US 60 and pick up I-25 just a few miles north of Socorro, our stop for that night. OK, this is working.

Heading west out of Socorro on US 60 we’ll make a stop to visit the Very Large Array, a radio-telescope installation that is right off US 60, and is said to be spectacular. Then on to where NM 12 goes southwest from US 60, to US 180, and on to Alpine.

The first part of the next day’s ride will be nice, through the hills but eventually will become a bit of a slog, heading north on US 191 to I-40, east to Gallup, then north on US 491 to Shiprock, then east on US 64 to Farmington. That’s going to be the most tedious ride of the trip.

From Farmington we’ll head up toward Durango but turn east on US 160 before we get to Durango. Through Pagosa Springs, over Wolf Creek Pass, to South Fork, and then CO 149 to Creede. We’ve never stayed in Creede. Could be very nice. I’ve always liked the town.

Our last day will be up over Slumgullion and Spring Creek Passes to Lake City, down to Gunnison, over Cottonwood Pass to Buena Vista, and then home on US 285.

That looks like about 1,400 miles. These guys don’t like really long days so the longest will be about 270 on the way to Farmington. I think we have a plan.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if you grab for your hairbrush before your old lady.

Making memories in the Black Hills.

I generally like to ride alone a lot but there is one thing that you lose when there’s no one else with you: swapping memories later. It’s only the times when you were together that you can say, “Oh hey, do you remember when we . . . .”

I’ve been riding with the OFMC for more than 30 years now and we’ve racked up a lot of memories. And isn’t it great to just sit and kick some of those times around now and then. Some of them were not fun when we were living them but we all know that some of the worst times present some of the best memories.

On this summer’s OFMC trip we were sitting around one night toward the end of the week and that’s the direction the discussion headed.

“Remember the last time we were here in the Black Hills and Steve and Johnathon and those other guys met us here, and we rode the Iron Mountain Road/Needles Highway loop and they liked it so much they went right back and did it again?”

“And it dumped rain on them so hard they thought the sun had gone down and were surprised when it passed that it was still daylight?”

“Oh, yeah. Man, I’m glad I didn’t go with them.”

That kind of thing.

“Or that other time we were here and Aaron Neville was giving a free concert on main street?”

“Right. And the young guys stayed out really late getting raging drunk and we had to stay another day so they could get over their hangovers!”

“Yeah, and do you remember how Todd just passed out sitting up in that chair, with his eyes open, just staring at me in my bed? That gave me the creeps. I had to get up and turn him so at least he wasn’t looking right at me.”

Yeah, that kind of thing.

Now, I have some pretty terrific memories from my rides alone, but there’s no one to share that knowing feeling like when someone was there with you. Still, they make good stories, and I do get to enjoy telling them. Come to think of it, that’s part of why I do this blog. You weren’t there so it’s all new to you. Did I ever tell you about the time . . .

Biker Quote for Today

During labor the pain is so great that a woman can almost imagine how a man feels when he can’t ride his motorcycle for a week.

Riding in the Black Hills with the OFMC.

Sort of the opposite side of my mantra to never let Bill lead is probably part of the reason he is so bad a leader: he doesn’t know the roads and he doesn’t even remember the ones he has ridden previously.

Of course, Bill is not the only one in this category. I can’t count the number of times Judy and I have been out on a trip and she has remarked that, gosh, I’ve never been on this road before. Except that she has. More than once. And I can cite her those times.

Dennis is no better. Both he and Bill on this year’s OFMC trip remarked on several occasions that, gosh, I’ve never been to (blank) before. Take Scottsbluff, NE, our first night’s stop. Bill said he had never been there. I said yes you have, the OFMC was through here in 2014. And then there was the 2004 trip. When we went to dinner I pointed out that this was the same place we had eaten at in 2014 and he did recognize the place.

We got to the Black Hills and spent one day riding the Iron Mountain Road, the Needles Highway, and the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop. We stopped for a break in Keystone and then I led the way up to Hill City via Old Hill City Road. Both of them claimed they had never ridden that road before but I assured them we had all ridden it in 2014. Do you guys ever pay attention?

Then later in the trip we were in the Black Hills and we got on Nemo Road to get to Vanocker Canyon and Dennis said he had never been on this road (Nemo) before. I had to point out to him that this was the road where he almost died in 2014. We had stopped where Nemo Road intersected another road and were getting ready to roll again. I pulled across the road to get in position and without looking down the road, Dennis followed me, slowly. What he did not see because he did not look, and did not hear because of the noise of all the Harleys, was a semi coming along straight toward him. I yelled but, again, there was no way to be heard. He finally heard the scream of the truck’s brakes and goosed that Indian to scoot out of the way. Yes, Dennis you have indeed been on this road before. It was almost the last road you were ever on.

Then there was another time, the night we spent in Spearfish. We were talking about previous trips and Buffalo, WY, came up. Bill said he had never been to Buffalo. This time even Dennis joined in to say yes you have; we have spent nights there more than once.

So is it any wonder these guys have a hard time knowing where they’re going? I don’t know, I think it may just be a particular mind set, one that John and I share but these other guys don’t. John loves poring over maps, and always knows where he’s going. I wouldn’t say I love maps, but I sure as heck can read them and when I read I lodge the relevant information in my brain. That’s what they’re for, aren’t they?

But some people are just followers. This has always been true of Dennis and Bill. John used to always plan our trips. I objected, saying I wanted a say in the planning. The other guys didn’t care. Let someone else do the work; if it’s a good trip that’s all that matters. I’ll just follow whoever is leading.

Well, that’s not me. And that’s why I’m now the planner and the leader. And speaking of that, it’s getting to be about time for me to be thinking of next year’s trip. I wonder what cool stuff I’m going to come up with.

Biker Quote for Today

You were born an original, don’t die a copy.