My Last RMMRC Ride For A While

April 9th, 2020

I spoke earlier this week about how the idea that riding motorcycles was a good thing to do to keep your distance from people had gotten shot down. OK, I get it. But I’m not going to let my last such ride go to waste. This ride was on Wednesday of last week.

map of ride

 This is the general area we rode in.

Figuring that riding motorcycles was a good thing to do while staying away from other people–thank you coronavirus–I intended to go on a ride the RMMRC had planned for Tuesday last week. I managed to let time slip up on me, however, suddenly realized that even if I hurried I was likely to be late. With this group, when they say kick stands up (KSU) at a certain time, they really mean it.

I hustled on down to Performance Cycle and sure enough, there was nobody there. So I just wandered on home; it was a beautiful spring day so it was nice to be out riding even just for a short run. Besides, there was another ride planned for Wednesday.

On Wednesday I did not let time slip by. The meeting place was Sam’s #3 over on Havana and I was there a bit early, playing it safe. But there was not one other soul around. What the heck? I pulled out my phone and checked the notice to be sure I was not mistaken about the date, time, or place. I was not. So I sat there.

Maybe two minutes before KSU Bob and Robert glided up next to me on their matching Gold Wings. OK, it was going to be just the three of us.

Robert was in the lead and he took us on a ride only he could plan out. Which is to say, we headed out east on the prairie and went on some roads I had never been on, and the reason for this route was that he said he likes to periodically go past places he has lived in the past. And apparently Robert has lived in several of these isolated housing developments way out away from anything else out there.

That was fine. We didn’t care where we went, we just wanted to ride.

Eventually we ended up down south at Elbert and kept heading south. Then west to CO 83 and back toward the city. Nothing special about this ride other than it was a great day to be out on a bike. And now it looks like it will be my last pleasure ride for who knows how long. That right there is what will make this ride memorable.

Biker Quote for Today

She loved her brother, I remember back when he was fixing up a ’49 Indian. Told her ‘little sister gonna ride the wind, up around the moon and back again.’ — Emmylou Harris

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Virus Even Shutting Down Riding

April 6th, 2020
motorcycles on a winding road

Dang, add motorcycle riding as another casualty of the dang virus.

OK, this is starting to demand more seriousness. I wrote about how the RMMRC has been doing some rides that were “coronavirus conscious” but I’ve gotten shot down.

First my wife, Judy, pointed me to the state’s website where it details the particulars of the overall order to stay home. It specifically says that pleasure driving or motorcycle riding is prohibited. Oh rats. I mean, it seems like riding a motorcycle is a great thing to do because you don’t come in contact with other people and you’re wearing a helmet and gloves.

Judy replied that yes, but suppose you got into a crash. You would then go to an already overloaded emergency room and use resources that could otherwise be used combating the virus. OK, that has never happened to me in all my years of riding but it could happen today–no one ever knows when that crash will happen.

Then I sat down at the computer to put something together for the blog and I had a comment on my post about that RMMRC ride, from Brook Reams. He basically said the same thing Judy said:

So, if anyone has an accident and goes to the emergency room, they are not only absorbing scarce ER people/time/space/equipment that is needed to treat Coronavirus patients, the person is going to be in a place with a high opportunity for exposure to the virus.

From that perspective, these rides are not “Coronavirus conscious,” they are selfish.

OK, I get it. As I said in my reply to Brook, oh well, it seemed like a good idea.

I had also been getting emails from ABATE members about riding being a no-no. So the word is spreading. There was another RMMRC ride set for Sunday and I was torn about going on it but decided not to. I kept checking back to see if it was canceled but apparently not.

It’s not like we haven’t been taking this isolation thing seriously. Judy has only left the house in the last couple weeks to go bicycle riding. I have only left the house to go to the grocery store and to ride my motorcycles and the bicycle. We haven’t seen our grandson in three weeks and that’s really killing us–we’re used to keeping him two days a week while Mom is at work.

So OK, just hunker down and get through this. One thing though: we are low or out of a number of things we typically get at Costco. I have stayed away from there so far but was thinking about heading over sometime soon. I have huge bags on my V-Strom, and we don’t need anything bulky like toilet paper. When I finally go to Costco I’m going on the V-Strom.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you spend more time polishing your bike than caressing your woman.

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Posted in ABATE, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club | No Comments »

I Still Don’t Get The Natchez Trace

April 2nd, 2020

We were in Natchez, Mississippi, a couple weeks ago, headed north to Vicksburg. Judy suggested we take the Natchez Trace part of the way, until the direction of the road diverged too much with our objective. Sure, why not. I had never been on the southern end of this road and I was curious.

map of part of Natchez Trace

  This Google map section shows the Natchez Trace starting at the north end at Pasquo, Tennessee.

I had been on the northern end of the road, quite a few years ago now when I was sent by my job to do some work in Nashville. When I bought my airplane tickets I made sure to schedule my return for Sunday so that after I worked all week I would have the weekend there to be a tourist and also to ride some new roads.

Back in those days it was not so easy to find motorcycle rentals but I did find one Harley dealer in Franklin that had rentals. I reserved a bike. They said they had helmets and rainsuits to lend so I needn’t bring mine. Here was a lesson in the making.

I got to the dealership and picked up the bike. My plan was to spend a day riding south on the Natchez Trace, spend the night somewhere, and then take different roads back. There were a couple issues, however. First off, it was raining. And the only helmets they had to loan me were open-face. That might be fine in nice weather but in the rain? I’d just have to make do.

The other issue was that the only rainsuits they had were sized to fit someone over six feet tall weighing 300 pounds. I could have gotten two of me into this thing. Once again, I’d just have to make do. So the lesson is, always take your own helmet and rain gear. But it took me a second lesson to really learn the part about the helmet.

Anyway, I headed out and made straight for the Natchez Trace. I got on the road and started cruising. But after about 50 miles I was bored out of my mind. It was a pretty road, winding its way along hilltops through forest. On and on and on. I’m sorry, but after you’ve seen about a million trees there’s just not a lot of interest in another two million or three million.

I got off the Trace and considered my options. It was still raining. I decided to bag it, and took the regular roads back to Franklin and the dealership. At least the local roads had some interest–I got to see towns and homes and farms and all that. But I turned the bike back in and spent the rest of my time doing other things.

Ever since then I had wondered if perhaps it was only this stretch of the Natchez Trace that was boring. Maybe further south it gets more interesting. So when Judy suggested it I was plenty willing to check it out.

Well, I have to tell you, it’s not just the north end. The south end of the Natchez Trace is just the same: miles and miles of a winding road going past several million trees. Now, it was pretty, and that far south the spring was in full bloom. It was not an unpleasant drive. But I would have no interest at all in taking this road for 200 or 300 miles. Fifty was plenty.

Now I know. My curiosity has been satisfied.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if your Christmas list has no words, just part numbers.

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A Social-Distanced Ride With The RMMRC

March 30th, 2020
motorcycles in the mountains

An early ride into the hills.

Per my last post, about how riding motorcycles is the perfect socially distanced pursuit, the RMMRC has taken this concept to heart. Last week alone there were two group rides that were structured and promoted as being coronavirus conscious. Another is planned for this week.

I went on the first ride last week it was really nice. First off, it was a beautiful day, great for a ride. Second, it was my first time on a bike in about two weeks, so I was due. And third, it was a small group, five people, and we just had a good time on some good roads.

Sort of good roads, that is. Actually, sand and gravel were the order of the day. We went into the hills and this was probably the earliest I have gone into the hills after the winter has abated. The main highways were clear and clean. We didn’t stay just on the main highways.

Meeting up at the Phillips 66 station out by Morrison we headed up to Kittredge on Bear Creek Road and then turned south on Myers Gulch Road, which has turned into Parmalee Gulch Road by the time it reaches US 285. And oh man, was there ever a lot of sand and gravel. Mostly on the curves. Bob and Robert, who I call the Go-Fast Boys, were in the lead an even they slowed down. Just too much loose stuff in too many curves.

Hitting 285 we headed west to just past Conifer where we turned off toward the Platte River on Foxton Road. This had me a little puzzled because we were supposedly heading to a park a bit north of Pine. I knew we could get there this way but the last time I was on it the road along the Platte was unpaved. Were these guys on Gold Wings (three of them) really OK on a stretch of gravel? I was on my Concours, which hates gravel, but I figured I could manage.

So we got to what the map tells me is SW Platte River Road and turned west and what do you know, it was paved. In fact, it was paved so long ago that the asphalt was terrible, with a lot of gravel from disintegrated asphalt scattered everywhere. Obviously it has been a very long time since I’ve been on this particular stretch.

But it was paved and as long as there was a solid surface under the loose gravel the Connie did fine. We reached the intersection at Buffalo Creek and turned north toward Pine, cruised through Pine, and then turned off onto Crystal Lake Road, which took us back down to the Platte at a Jefferson County open space park I never knew existed. Nice place.

We parked–a separate space for each bike, no grouping into parking spaces–and each grabbed the food we had brought with us and then we sat spread around two picnic tables, well separated from each other, and ate and chatted in the balmy spring warmth. When we left we took the road on up to Pine Junction and turned east on 285.

Back at Conifer we turned onto Pleasant Park Road, which eventually feeds into Deer Creek Road and then into Deer Creek Canyon Road. This was where we really hit the sand. It wasn’t just in the corners, it was all over the road, all along the road. Then out to Wadsworth at Chatfield Reservoir, and on home from there. By the way, coming east on C-470 it finally looks like that long-term expansion project is finally nearing an end. That will be a relief–that has been such a huge mess for about three years.

And that was my beautiful ride on Tuesday. What did you do?

Biker Quote for Today

Why bikes are better than women: You can share your motorcycle with your friends.

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Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club | 2 Comments »

Social Distancing On A Motorcycle

March 26th, 2020
motorcycles and riders

Social distancing before it became a thing.

This thing has been spreading (kind of like a virus) so you may have already seen it. If not, you came to the right place.

In this time of coronavirus pandemic there is constant talk of “social distancing,” that is, not getting too close to other people because they may infect you or you may infect them. So hey, what’s the best possible way to socialize but keep your distance? Riding motorcycles, of course.

Here’s a thing I got from an ABATE member.

BE ADVISED

Avoid crowded spaces — ride motorcycles.

Do not use public transportation — ride motorcycles.

Well ventilated spaces are virus free — ride motorcycles.

Protect your nose and mouth — ride motorcycles.

Recommended use of gloves — ride motorcycles.

Try not to touch contaminated surfaces — don’t let anyone touch your motorcycle.

Avoid shaking hands — do not remove your gloves when getting off the motorcycle.

Keep a safe distance from people who sneeze or cough — ride motorcycles.

Maintain a positive and prudent attitude — Only way to ride a motorcycle.

FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Wow, I couldn’t have said it better.

Biker Quote for Today

I need some time off from reality. Just a few days away from people and all their bull crap.

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Speaking To The (Sort Of) Beemer Folks

March 23rd, 2020
The BMW Club of Colorado website.

The BMW Club of Colorado website.

I was pretty darn surprised awhile back to check my email and find an invitation to come speak to the BMW Motorcycle Club of Colorado at their monthly meeting. (They don’t all ride BMWs, thus the “Sort Of” in the title above.) Apparently Carl was familiar with this website and this blog and he felt that I would be able to make an interesting presentation. Would I come talk about my writing and my travels? OK, if you think so I’m willing to do it.

First I had to prepare. I wrote out an entire presentation, not that I intended to read it, but just to draw my thoughts together. Then I distilled it down to a list of words and phrases, figuring that would be all I would really need to keep track of where I was going. Finally, I put together a PowerPoint slide deck with photos and images to complement the oral presentation. If you read this blog you know I end each post with a “Biker Quote for Today” so I interspersed some of my favorite quotes among the images.

I would be taking my laptop, which has PowerPoint on it, but just to be sure I saved the deck as a .ppsx file, which is supposed to be a presentation format that can be played even if you don’t have PowerPoint. I copied the file onto the laptop and also onto a jump drive. Redundancy, you know.

So the presentation was to be at the February meeting but the weather was getting nasty that day. Also, I had a minor cold–nothing that would have stopped me from going but when Carl called to say let’s postpone till March I was not unhappy.

March 11 came and I was ready. I thought I was getting there in plenty of time but figured it made sense to get everything set up right away. That was a good plan.

We needed to hook my laptop up the flat-screen TV that so commonly now replaces the old projection screen. But the TV did not want to make nice with my laptop. After several people of increasing technical competence tried and failed to get them to talk, Carl pulled out an old tablet he had on hand and hooked it up. The TV liked his table, so we inserted the jump drive. Redundancy!

This was just at the point when the meeting was starting. So they had their usual business to attend to and then it came time for the speaker. (Oh yeah, that’s me.)

I double-clicked on the file and got a message saying the computer could not open this file because it did not have the right program. More tech-savvy folks jumped in to trouble-shoot and I figured I’d better start talking even minus my visual aids.

I don’t know if it was apparent to the folks in the crowd but it quickly came apparent to me that I needed my visual aids, so I was pretty relieved when someone else pulled out another laptop that had PowerPoint on it and presto, I was in business. Now instead of just talking about my articles published in Rider magazine I could show them. Instead of just talking about my bikes I could show them. And perhaps most importantly, I could show the slides of quotes. Truthfully, I had the impression those were the highlights of the presentation for quite a few of the group.

When it was over I hung around and several people came up to talk to me. I have to tell you, writing this blog is very much a leap of faith. I write stuff and put it out there but I have no idea who might be reading it, if anyone is reading it at all. So it always tickles me when, as happened here, people speak to me about this or that blog post I wrote that they read. Wow, people really do read my stuff!

Apparently, you do. Thanks. I do appreciate it.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if every time you hear a vehicle with headers you look for a Harley.

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Posted in BMW motorcycles | No Comments »

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