Passes & Canyons Blog

The OFMC pulled out of Custer and headed north. But not too far north. This was another day when a short ride called for a diversion. In this case it was that mandatory OFMC-trip stop, gambling.

We headed north on US 385, through Hill City, past Pactola Reservoir, until we got to SD 44, then turned east. We wanted to connect with Norris Peak Road and run up to Nemo Road that way but they really don’t have these things marked very well. We went past it and stopped to reconnoiter, then headed back and figured this must be the road. It was.

Reaching Nemo Road we didn’t stop to discuss it but I was very much aware that this was where, a few years ago, Dennis nearly met his doom. We had stopped for a break and as we got ready to head out I pulled across the road and sat waiting. Dennis followed me without looking to see if the road was clear. It was not. There was a semi coming along at a good clip. Dennis later said he couldn’t hear anything except the roar of all those Harley engines.

He pulled out in front of that truck and that guy slammed on his brakes. I’m sure he must have been cursing this crazy biker but it was not Dennis’s day to die and the truck managed to stop. This was that place.

We cruised up Nemo Road to where County Road 3, Vanocker Canyon Road, goes off to the right. As the guys noted when we stopped, Vanocker Canyon Road is a beauty with the kind of sweepers you dream about. We rode it all the way up into Sturgis.

This was a couple weeks before the rally so things were gearing up but still quiet in Sturgis. Another reason there wasn’t much going on in Sturgis was that the temperature was well above 100. We got into town, parked, and walked to the Knuckle for lunch. We enjoyed the cool in there as long as we could and then just headed back to the bikes and out of town, on our way to Deadwood. But we barely got out of town when we were stopped on the road by construction. No shade, 106 degrees, just sit and wait. Yow!

Finally we were moving again and we made it on up to Deadwood and, after a hassle finding parking, headed into a casino. Nobody was having much luck that day, however, so we didn’t stay long. Back out at the bikes I pulled a bottle of Gatorade out of my bag and took a sip. I might as well have been drinking coffee, it was that warm. Let’s get moving!

On up to Lead and then down to Cheyenne Crossing where we turned north again down Spearfish Canyon. The canyon was beautiful, as always, and a nice ride but if we thought we were going to get some coolness in the canyon we were deluded. We got to Spearfish and quickly found our motel and settled into our rooms, savoring the cool.

Later that evening I went outside to give my wife a call and sat where I could see a time and temperature clock. Talking to her at 10 p.m. the clock was still telling me it was 94 degrees. I guess I’ll name this year’s trip “The Journey Through Heat.”

There would be no rush in the morning, it was to be another short day’s ride. With more heat.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if your $500 boots aren’t scuffed from riding.

The OFMC spent three nights in Custer, in the Black Hills, and with the Sturgis rally soon to inundate the area, the locals were getting ready.

I don’t know if these are normal room rates or whether they were already elevated for the rally but we paid an absurd amount for a very mediocre motel in Custer. And we were lucky to get it. They were turning people away the whole time we were there.

Our first full day in Custer was a golf day. This is an every year thing with the OFMC, although due to a shoulder injury I no longer play, I just tag along and play ball spotter. My eye-sight is better than theirs anyway.

The second day was a day to ride. We headed north out of Custer and picked up the Needles Highway just north of the Crazy Horse monument. We’ve done this ride numerous times but how can you not do one of the best roads around just because you’ve done it before? And this time I had something extra–my GoPro camera sitting on top of my helmet and a remote to shoot pictures with strapped to my left grip.

I’ve taken riding pictures before but it has always been in a very limited fashion. I put my camera strap around my neck, tuck the camera inside my jacket, and then when I want to shoot I pull it out, press the on button, and hold it high and shoot, trusting to auto-focus to give me something good. That has worked fairly well but I could only do this at times when it was OK to let go of the throttle–or put on the throttle lock–and when the road was not so gnarly that I needed to give riding my full attention. As you can guess, this has been fairly limiting.

With the GoPro remote on my grip I could now pay attention to riding but still very easily reach my thumb over and snap a shot. As for what I was shooting, the breadth of the image is so wide that as long as my head was faced generally in the direction of what I want a picture of it was sure to capture it. Of course this means cropping out 90 percent of the total image but with the kind of resolution this camera has you still end up with excellent photos.

So we rode the Needles Highway and stopped at one point for a break. Our intention was to also do the Wildlife Loop through Custer State Park and none of us were certain where we were but I didn’t think we had yet gotten to US 16. Dennis was convinced we had. I said fine, if we’re past US 16 we just need to look for the turn-off where the Wildlife Loop forks to the left. If we had not already reached US 16 we would need to go right and then left. Dennis was in the lead.

We hadn’t reached US 16 yet but as we came to it, Dennis turned left. This is why John said numerous times in the past when he was still riding with the group that the only other one he trusted to know where they were going was me.

No matter, the Wildlife Loop is a loop and going to the left we would still get to it, just at the other end. But we stopped at a visitor center and when I pulled out the map to show where we were Dennis and Bill wanted to backtrack and get on the loop going the way we had intended. So we did that.

We finally got on the Wildlife Loop and for the first time ever for me we saw exactly zero bison. They apparently had better things to do than hang around for tourists to gawk at them. But we did see donkeys. The donkeys do not have better things to do than hang out where tourists can feed them carrots.

So now we figured to continue onto Iron Mountain Road with all its tunnels and pig-tail bridges. I knew when we got to US 16 we would need to go right and I told that to Bill, who was in the lead. Remember one of the rules I’ve stated previously: never let Bill lead. Bill got up to US 16 and went left and I flagged him over. “Follow me.”

We rode Iron Mountain Road but unfortunately the battery in my GoPro had run dead so I didn’t get any shots along there. We reached Keystone and went in for cool air and cold drinks and then the plan was to head to Hill City to have dinner at the Alpine Inn. If you get the chance you should definitely have dinner at the Alpine Inn. They have two things on their menu: steak or Kaes Spaetzle Primavera. You can choose between a six-ounce or nine-ounce filet mignon. The meal includes a potato and a quarter head of iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing, plus Texas toast. Price: $13.95 or $16.95. This place is hugely popular so be sure to get there early. And the food is good.

And that was our day. Ride back to Custer, settle in, and get ready to head out in the morning.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if Sturgis is your dream vacation.

Unless I’m confused, this is the event that used to be held each year at Heritage Square. It has moved around a bit since that place was torn down but now seems to have found a home at the Adams County Historical Society. Anyway, this year’s event was held on Saturday so I rode on up.

It’s not as big as it used to be, and it was blazing hot with no shade in the parking lot where the bikes were on display, so I only stayed long enough to get a few pictures. But there were some nice bikes on display. Here are a few photos.

Biker Quote for Today

When I die everyone at my funeral gets a stun gun. The last person standing gets my motorcycle.

This year’s OFMC ride was not covering so many miles so in order to fill things out I scheduled in several excursions. The first was the morning of our second day, when we loaded up and then rode up onto Scotts Bluff National Monument before heading out of town. I had been up there but neither Bill or Dennis ever had.

Dennis and I were prepared but Bill had forgotten to bring his national parks pass, but the ranger at the entrance told me there were no fees this summer so we rode right in. If you’ve never been to the monument you should go. The road up the bluff circles around the bluff and goes through a tunnel to bring you out on top. It’s probably the best view in Nebraska because it’s probably about the highest point in Nebraska that you can get to normally. And if you have the time, there is a shuttle that will carry you to the top and you can walk down on the trail they have built–a really nice, all-downhill stroll.

We didn’t do the trail so after about an hour on top we were rolling, with Custer, South Dakota, our destination for the day.

NE 71 carried us north and then east until we picked up NE 2, again going north, toward US 20 at Crawford. More prairie riding; at least the hills add some interest. The heat at this point was intense, as it was much of this trip. At Crawford I pulled into a gas station just as a place to take a break with some shade but then noticed the empty-looking ice cream parlor/cafe next door was in fact open. So we pulled in there instead.

The Dairy Sweet in Crawford was a great stop. The sandwiches were good and the milk shakes were great. And the air conditioning was a life saver. Outside it was over 100 degrees.

It had been my intention to follow US 20 north and east to US 385 at Chadron but as we headed out of town I noticed a sign for NE 2 heading toward Hot Springs, South Dakota. What the heck? I had no idea this road was here, and it must certainly save us miles and would help us avoid the busy 385. I made the turn.

So I really don’t get it about this road. How did I not know it was there? It certainly was paved all the way so it’s not like I would have seen it and thought it was not paved. Whatever the deal was, it was a road we had never been on before and it was a nice one. Crossing into South Dakota NE 2 becomes SD 71 and runs up to where it hits US 18 at Edgemont, coming in from Wyoming. We followed 18 east to Hot Springs.

Gassing up in Hot Springs I mentioned that we had just come by The Mammoth Site and Bill asked what that was. I explained that it had been a sink hole where many creatures many thousands of years ago had been caught and drowned and whose bones now lay one on top of the other and that they were being unearthed and could be viewed by tourists, still tangled in the muck. Bill was very interested so we took another excursion.

From there we backtracked a bit on 18 to where we caught SD 89 north to where it merges with US 385 and on a few miles to Custer. This would be our base for the next several days.

Biker Quote for Today

I may not be that good looking, or athletic, or funny, or talented, or smart . . . I forgot where I was going with this but I do know that I love motorcycles.

I was half an hour late arriving at our meeting place, although I thought I had left home 10 minutes earlier than I needed to. Bill and Dennis didn’t seem to care but I was perplexed at how I could have so badly judged things.

Regardless, the OFMC headed out on I-76 with out first day’s destination Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Bill took the lead at the start and promptly led us miles in the wrong direction. When he finally pulled over and asked how to get on the highway I just said “Follow me” and led the way.

Dennis took the lead as we approached the exit for a rest area at Wiggins and I noted that the signs said this exit would put you on CO 52. We wanted 52 north so when we were ready to ride again I told them this was our exit and took the lead going north. However, crossing over I-76 I saw signs that I now realized meant 52 went south here but not north. 52 had jogged west at Fort Morgan. But I figured we could get where we were going via this route so I kept going.

What we ended up doing was zigging and zagging on the section roads in a way that followed the Platte River and eventually came into Fort Morgan–by a considerably longer route than if we had just gotten back on the interstate. Hey, at least it was pretty riding along the river. And we avoided 15 miles of interstate.

We rode 52 up to CO 14 near Raymer and New Raymer, turned east to CO 71 near Stoneham, and then north again. This was all pretty much straight with just some hills to add a little interest. Crossing into Nebraska, we stopped for gas at Kimball and there was more straight road going north. Finally we came through the very scenic cleft of Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area and descended into Scottsbluff.

Dennis had the motel on his GPS so he led us in. I was in the rear but I saw the motel and headed straight for it. Bill and Dennis did not; they rode past and were surprised to see me pulling in next to what they took to be an abandoned warehouse. Then they realized this was the motel.

Whatever this place used to look like, at this time their confusion is easy to understand. And this was not the only “abandoned warehouse” motel we stayed at on this trip. But the interiors were surprisingly nice.

So we were launched. The OFMC was on the road. And with my Kawi giving me problems with its carburetors I was looking forward to a week of getting familiar with how the throttle was responding now vs. how it used to respond. At least it was running well enough to make the trip.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: Your Motorcycle doesn’t care what you’re wearing when you take it out.

We’re home now from this year’s OFMC ride and while I’m eager to tell you all about the trip, if you’re really hard-core your number one question would be, “how did the Kawi run?”

I can’t give a one- or two-word answer to that. So I won’t.

It ran well. It ran a lot better than it did before Joel worked on it. It did not run perfectly and at times it ran alarmingly. Details:

Ever since this bike has been giving me problems it has been hard to get it going from a start. Once in motion it has run OK, other than dying when I’m coasting to a stop. Those problems are gone. There are new ones.

All Kawasakis, as far as I know, are cold-blooded, meaning you need to fire them up and let them run a few moments before you take off. This one is no different but now it responds more readily to a twist of the throttle than it had been doing. The flip side of that is that when I roll off the throttle the engine does not immediately back off as it should. It continues to run hot for a moment and then fades.

Or worse. At times, though fortunately not all the time, the throttle seemed to stick and every time I would pull in the clutch the engine would race. Imagine pulling up to a red light, pulling in the clutch to stop, and having your engine sound like you’re screaming down the highway. I suspect that at its worst that kind of thing could damage the engine. What I would do is let the clutch out just a tiny bit and hold firmly on the brake. That reduced the screaming. It was probably hell on the clutch.

The rest of the bike was great. I knew there was enough rubber on the back tire for the trip but that I would need a new one when I got home. We actually rode about 400 miles more than I anticipated so let’s say I was definitely correct about the tire, in both ways. When I give the bike back to Joel to put in the needed carb parts and get the bike running the way it should I’ll also have him put on a new tire.

But the bike did me well on the trip and that’s the most important thing. And it was a great trip–can’t wait to tell you about it.

Biker Quote for Today

Life is a big road with lots of signs, so when riding through ruts, don’t complicate your mind, wake up and live life.

If you have the time and inclination on Saturday, August 7, your services as a motorcyclist are in need. Here’s an email Alan forwarded me.

For the last few years, I have worked various bike races with my motorcycle (moto), sometimes carrying a race official or photographer. The Moto organizer, Dale, is short 3 or 4 motos for the Boulder Ironman 70.3 on Saturday, Aug. 7.

The Ironman gives motos a wear & tear fee of $85 for working the race. In past years, we’ve gotten really cool shirts, too!

If you want more details, or are ready to say ‘Yes!’, please email me at ctoomer@comcast.net or call me at 720.219.1161.

Thank you,
Chris

Chris Toomer
Colorado District Ride Coordinator, CO GWRRA
Chapter Treasurer & Webmaster CO-J, Aurora, CO
ctoomer@comcast.net

This could be a fun and interesting thing to do. I did it once and it’s still a story I tell. One big difference between that race and this one is that it was cold then, and there was snow blowing as I led the racers down the road. That won’t be the case this time. Also, I was riding lead and this looks like they need bikers to carry passengers in their respective capacities.

So anyway, just throwing it out there. Helping get the word out.

Biker Quote for Today

Turning on your lights and siren after you lose a drag race is just poor sportsmanship.

This carburetor problem with the Concours has been going on too long now. I tried adding Lucas carb cleaner and that helped a lot, but not enough. I finally decided it was time for Joel to do whatever is needed to truly fix it.

It has turned out to be a bigger issue than Joel was expecting.

About the time I was looking to get the bike back from him I got a series of texts instead. This photo is one of two he sent along.

In his text he said, “Some of the issues with the bike. These are the carb slides. Nearly half worn. It’s on all 4 carbs are the same.” (sic)

Me: OK. The bike has a few miles on it. No problem to fix I trust.

Joel: Would have to replace all 4.

Me: Is that doable in the next couple days?

Joel: It’s not something a dealer would stock. Might be able to get used ones from Steele’s salvage.

Me: Would those be good? Do they need to be replaced?

Joel: I’m trying to use them. Still stumbles between 1800 rpm and 2500 rpm. Runs fine other than that.

Me: So what are you recommending? I got a new rear tire on the V-Strom as insurance. I could take that on this trip.

Joel: They need to be replaced sooner or later. Not enough time to order a new set. Let me try a few more times and we will see tomorrow how it runs.

Me: OK. Keep me posted. Thanks.

So “tomorrow” came and went and I’m still waiting to hear from Joel at this moment. I’ll update this post as the situation develops.

UPDATE
OK, Joel says it will be OK, though it will need those slides replaced at some point. I’ll know for myself when I get back from this trip. And I guess I’ll be riding the Kawi.

Biker Quote for Today

I ain’t perfect but I can still ride a motorcycle. For an old man that’s close enough.