FJR_pig
Bud Light Real Man of Genius
Edit: Crap, I just saw that there is a thread entitled "ride reports." Sorry for the misplacement. I'll go stand in the corner.
Well, thought I’d post the ride report in this section. Looks like there are about twenty different NAFO "returned home" threads going, but in the interest of remaining with the PNW group ride thread, here goes...
Chapter 1 - "The Departure"
I got out of the house on time and was able to meet up with the 8-10 other riders in Clackamas, Oregon about 7:45 a.m. on the 22nd. The anticipation of Sockmonkey's super ride had been building for some time and I was ready to roll. Some old friends and new friends were there. :friends:
650Cent at the departure point
Some of those assembled for launch from Clackamas
After another 30 minutes or so, a few stragglers rolled in (Taff, DCarver) and those of us still waiting headed out. We staggered our departures somewhat so that the whole group was not moving down the road at once. Noticed some of those darned Oregon State Troopers trolling back and forth on SR 212 watching our bikes and licking their chops.
I rode with Taff, Ponyfool and Jaffjrae for the first leg.
The night before, I thought we’d be looking at some pretty warm temps on the ride out, nothing too bad, but warm nonetheless with an average of around 90 degrees. For that reason, I initially dressed down on the departure morning – basically a riding suit. Not quite naked underneath, but darn near. In a last second decision (I was literally pulling the bike out of the garage and going to ride away), I decided to throw some sweats on underneath the riding suit. Best decision I made the whole trip. As we launched from Clackamas and headed up and over Mt. Hood on US26, it got cooooold! :cold: Ponyfool and I had comms set up and his teeth chattered so much the whole way, he kept activating the VOX. I think he said he was riding commando underneath his gear. :sicksmiley:
Chapter 2 - "The Oregon Trail"
We made a pit stop in Warm Springs for a few...,
Ponyfool, Jaffjrae and Taff discuss the ride so far
before continuing on US26 through Madras, onto Prineville, another pit stop and into John Day, where we stopped for lunch at the Branding Iron Café and Lounge. The whole group was there and many of us seized an opportunity to share a bottle of Advil.
Bfeklar stresses that the group will learn his secret (read further)
In a strange twist, as we fueled up and headed out of town, Ponyfool ran into two co-workers of mine, one of my best friends who works out of Bend and our HR director. My first day of vacation and I bump in to work in John Day of all places. I took it as a sign that I needed to get the hell out of the state, …fast.
Chapter 3 - "The Eighth Hour Drags..."
We continued down US26 to Vale. As we rode, the early afternoon thunderstorms loomed in the distance. There were at least two other parts of our large group that were ahead of us and I guessed they were sporting rain gear by now. We stopped to don ours, but we lucked out and had only about 10-15 minutes of showers.
Passing into Idaho, it was a jump onto I-84, where we were able to leave Oregon’s 55 mph in the rear view for a faster tear across the barren Idaho wasteland. This part of the ride was uneventful as I think most of us were tired on the first day. We called it a night in Twin Falls around 8 p.m., with the group splitting up between a few different hotels in town.
Sunset as we rode into Twin Falls, Idaho
Chapter 4 - "Deep Territory"
The next morning (7/23), we hit the road, energized that we were going to bite off a huge chunk of mileage by the end of this day. I began the day riding with Ponyfool, Sockmonkey, and DCarver, but as time passed, we merged with the group of BikerSkier, Jaffjrae and Bfeklar. I think at this point, we were up to seven together, with the rest of the overall group not too far behind. Our first couple of hours was spent on I-84 and I-86, where we able to make some great time with the high speeds.
Ponyfool, still grinning about his transmission re-build
Sockmonkey..."must...stay...on...schedule..."
Chapter 5 - "Trouble on the Trail"
About a third of the way into the day’s ride, we discovered that Bfeklar’s rear tire was not going to make it. Hindsight is always 20/20 and a sheepish Bfeklar admitted he probably should have replaced prior to leaving the Seattle area. While the cord wasn't showing quite yet, it would be within another hour or two of riding.
His original plan had been to replace the tire in Denver, thinking he could make it. An examination by most of the experts in our group (all of us!) determined that the tire needed replacement now. An unscheduled stop in Montpelier allowed us time to find a tire an hour away and shop that could mount it for Bfeklar.
Ffeklar and DCarver work the phones while BikerSkier supervises in the background
He headed off on his own to find himself a new tire and the six of us headed for lunch in Garden City, Utah, alongside Bear Lake. Ponyfool and DCarver managed to do a little recruiting while there with some poor, innocent college girl…cute AND she rides.
Chapter 6 - "A Love Story"
Don, where's that other hand??
Chapter 7 - "The Man"
Our group after lunch grew even larger. We continued into Wyoming on Hwy 30, with most of us making a pit stop here or there as we continued towards Green River. Shortly after a stop by most of us, our lead bike, Taff, pulled into a weigh station, realizing he needed to take care of some business. Being a fast rider, the rest of us continued on, thinking that Taff would catch us. Not 10 miles down the road, as we came over a rise, a black SUV was on the opposite shoulder. Riding up front, I slowed some to see if everything was all right (we were in the middle of nowhere) and probably got my speed down from triple digits to the mid-80s. As we approached the SUV, hearts skipped to see that there was Wyoming State Trooper parked behind it. Guess he was too busy, because we all passed unscathed. As we passed, I remembered Taff, how fast he rides and thought, “He’s fxcked.”
Now, we’re in the middle of nowhere and we’ve just passed what we believed should be the only State Trooper this side of Rock Springs, so it’s clear to haul ass now, right? Wrong. We didn’t get three miles down the road when we came over another rise at Mach 5 to find another State Trooper, this one also with a car pulled over. All of our engines making the unmistakable sound of 5th gear to 3rd gear earned us one helluva stink eye from the Trooper, but again, we managed to pass by unscathed. :yess: I thought now that it was all but a certainty Taff would be in custody within the half hour. We, of course, had pretty much shit ourselves upon seeing the second Trooper and couldn’t manage to find 70 mph after that.
Into Green River we went for a fuel stop and some nervous laughter about Taff’s chances of passing through the two Troopers.
Chapter 8 - "Answer to the Eighth Hour"
Does Don ever stop grinning?
We continued through the Flaming Gorge area on Hwy 530...
Bikerskier, Sockmonkey and Ponyfool laugh about something none of us can remember now. DCarver stands in the background
Ponyfool and DCarver go old school and show they can use a map (big paper with pictures and lines, before GPS)
..and into NE Utah, finding our way to Vernal. There are a lot of motorcycles there. I guess everyone knew this – I didn’t…
Chapter 9 - "The Last FJRs on Earth"
Leaving Vernal, Sockmonkey apparently decided it was time to get to our destination for the night (Steamboat Springs), because he took off eastbound on Hwy 40. Didn’t really see him again for a couple hours. In fact, we didn't see anyone for a couple of hours. That is one wide open road.
The ride from Vernal to Steamboat Springs on Hwy 40 allowed us to find our first forest rats of the trip as they crossed the road directly in front of us. Those damned things blended in to the background so well, that they weren’t spotted until it was almost too late. DCarver, Ponyfool and I were running upwards of 100 when we came upon them and with not enough sleep, some hard riding for the day already under our belt and distracting scenery, we just about had a bad experience.
We caught up with the Sockmonkey at a local stop and rob in Craig, Colorado. Some poor girl working the counter was the subject of our gawking until Ponyfool decided to call me out right in front of her. Excellent timing, too, on his part because I had just gone into the store to purchase some beef jerky from the girl. When Ponyfool walked back out to the parking lot, I tried to save face by telling the girl that he was gay. He didn’t know that until just now.
We motored into Steamboat Springs a short time later (around 8 p.m.) and again, split off to our various hotels.
Chapter 10 - "A Sign of Things to Come"
Sockmonkey had arranged some dinner plans for our entire group (good to see another Oregon local, FJRay) at a local pub and we all managed to get up there for some good fun by about 10 p.m. It was harder for some than others. Sockmonkey and BikerSkier attempted a walk to the joint from their hotel. Only problem was that it was halfway up a mountain at the local ski resort. As Ponyfool and I rode up the hill in our cab, we saw BikerSkier on the side of the road, looking as though he just rode through Death Valley, when in reality, he had just showered and put on clean clothes 30 minutes earlier. Sockmonkey was nowhere to be found, but we soon learned he had wandered into a hotel to ask for directions (no doubt he was actually puking from the walk, but we didn’t ask for details). After a couple of drinks :drinks: , some dinner and witnessing Ponyfool and Sockmonkey lusting after the waitress, we called it a night.
Chapter 11 - "The Home Stretch"
The next morning (Thursday), we made the final push into Golden. Sockmonkey had put together a route that took the 2 hour ride and made it into a 4 hour one via Walden and Milner Pass (10K feet) . Boy, was it a beauty, too. Some of the best scenery I saw in Colorado was on this ride as we took a number of roads NW of the Golden/Denver area. Not everyone in our group made this final leg – some had to make a speed run to Denver to meet spouses flying in for NAFO. Taff, fresh into Steamboat and performance award free (!), made his own speed run to NAFO to link up with Warchild. Seems that a rock jumped up and bit one of our ladies, BKR CHK, on the ride as she headed out of Steamboat. Thanks to Taff, it worked out well as parts were overnighted through one of Warchild’s sources.
Sockmonkey and I made this ride with Mooseonagoose, Hycle and Jaffjrae.
Hycle, practicing sitting positions for his upcoming GZ-designed SS1K the next day
Did I mention this portion of the ride was gorgeous? We hit a bit of construction, but the wait was only about 10 minutes and served as a good opportunity to stretch some aching back muscles in between some great twisties.
Sockmonkey and Hycle contemplate blowing the stop sign
Mooseonagoose and Jeffjrae looking happier than ever about the construction zone
We rolled into NAFO about 2 p.m. that day. :yahoo: It was good to get there. My butt was ready to get off the bike for the day and the bar was calling my name.
My apologies to the members of our group if I have forgotten some of this. Had that bar not been calling my name so loudly the first night, my recall would be better.
Had an interesting ride back to Oregon. I’ll have to work on that report…
ig_ball:
Well, thought I’d post the ride report in this section. Looks like there are about twenty different NAFO "returned home" threads going, but in the interest of remaining with the PNW group ride thread, here goes...
Chapter 1 - "The Departure"
I got out of the house on time and was able to meet up with the 8-10 other riders in Clackamas, Oregon about 7:45 a.m. on the 22nd. The anticipation of Sockmonkey's super ride had been building for some time and I was ready to roll. Some old friends and new friends were there. :friends:
650Cent at the departure point
Some of those assembled for launch from Clackamas
After another 30 minutes or so, a few stragglers rolled in (Taff, DCarver) and those of us still waiting headed out. We staggered our departures somewhat so that the whole group was not moving down the road at once. Noticed some of those darned Oregon State Troopers trolling back and forth on SR 212 watching our bikes and licking their chops.
I rode with Taff, Ponyfool and Jaffjrae for the first leg.The night before, I thought we’d be looking at some pretty warm temps on the ride out, nothing too bad, but warm nonetheless with an average of around 90 degrees. For that reason, I initially dressed down on the departure morning – basically a riding suit. Not quite naked underneath, but darn near. In a last second decision (I was literally pulling the bike out of the garage and going to ride away), I decided to throw some sweats on underneath the riding suit. Best decision I made the whole trip. As we launched from Clackamas and headed up and over Mt. Hood on US26, it got cooooold! :cold: Ponyfool and I had comms set up and his teeth chattered so much the whole way, he kept activating the VOX. I think he said he was riding commando underneath his gear. :sicksmiley:
Chapter 2 - "The Oregon Trail"
We made a pit stop in Warm Springs for a few...,
Ponyfool, Jaffjrae and Taff discuss the ride so far
before continuing on US26 through Madras, onto Prineville, another pit stop and into John Day, where we stopped for lunch at the Branding Iron Café and Lounge. The whole group was there and many of us seized an opportunity to share a bottle of Advil.
Bfeklar stresses that the group will learn his secret
(read further)In a strange twist, as we fueled up and headed out of town, Ponyfool ran into two co-workers of mine, one of my best friends who works out of Bend and our HR director. My first day of vacation and I bump in to work in John Day of all places. I took it as a sign that I needed to get the hell out of the state, …fast.
Chapter 3 - "The Eighth Hour Drags..."
We continued down US26 to Vale. As we rode, the early afternoon thunderstorms loomed in the distance. There were at least two other parts of our large group that were ahead of us and I guessed they were sporting rain gear by now. We stopped to don ours, but we lucked out and had only about 10-15 minutes of showers.
Passing into Idaho, it was a jump onto I-84, where we were able to leave Oregon’s 55 mph in the rear view for a faster tear across the barren Idaho wasteland. This part of the ride was uneventful as I think most of us were tired on the first day. We called it a night in Twin Falls around 8 p.m., with the group splitting up between a few different hotels in town.
Sunset as we rode into Twin Falls, Idaho
Chapter 4 - "Deep Territory"
The next morning (7/23), we hit the road, energized that we were going to bite off a huge chunk of mileage by the end of this day. I began the day riding with Ponyfool, Sockmonkey, and DCarver, but as time passed, we merged with the group of BikerSkier, Jaffjrae and Bfeklar. I think at this point, we were up to seven together, with the rest of the overall group not too far behind. Our first couple of hours was spent on I-84 and I-86, where we able to make some great time with the high speeds.
Ponyfool, still grinning about his transmission re-build
Sockmonkey..."must...stay...on...schedule..."
Chapter 5 - "Trouble on the Trail"
About a third of the way into the day’s ride, we discovered that Bfeklar’s rear tire was not going to make it. Hindsight is always 20/20 and a sheepish Bfeklar admitted he probably should have replaced prior to leaving the Seattle area.
While the cord wasn't showing quite yet, it would be within another hour or two of riding.
His original plan had been to replace the tire in Denver, thinking he could make it. An examination by most of the experts in our group (all of us!) determined that the tire needed replacement now. An unscheduled stop in Montpelier allowed us time to find a tire an hour away and shop that could mount it for Bfeklar.
Ffeklar and DCarver work the phones while BikerSkier supervises in the background
He headed off on his own to find himself a new tire and the six of us headed for lunch in Garden City, Utah, alongside Bear Lake. Ponyfool and DCarver managed to do a little recruiting while there with some poor, innocent college girl…cute AND she rides.
Chapter 6 - "A Love Story"
Don, where's that other hand??
Chapter 7 - "The Man"
Our group after lunch grew even larger. We continued into Wyoming on Hwy 30, with most of us making a pit stop here or there as we continued towards Green River. Shortly after a stop by most of us, our lead bike, Taff, pulled into a weigh station, realizing he needed to take care of some business. Being a fast rider, the rest of us continued on, thinking that Taff would catch us. Not 10 miles down the road, as we came over a rise, a black SUV was on the opposite shoulder. Riding up front, I slowed some to see if everything was all right (we were in the middle of nowhere) and probably got my speed down from triple digits to the mid-80s. As we approached the SUV, hearts skipped to see that there was Wyoming State Trooper parked behind it. Guess he was too busy, because we all passed unscathed. As we passed, I remembered Taff, how fast he rides and thought, “He’s fxcked.”
Now, we’re in the middle of nowhere and we’ve just passed what we believed should be the only State Trooper this side of Rock Springs, so it’s clear to haul ass now, right? Wrong. We didn’t get three miles down the road when we came over another rise at Mach 5 to find another State Trooper, this one also with a car pulled over. All of our engines making the unmistakable sound of 5th gear to 3rd gear earned us one helluva stink eye from the Trooper, but again, we managed to pass by unscathed. :yess: I thought now that it was all but a certainty Taff would be in custody within the half hour. We, of course, had pretty much shit ourselves upon seeing the second Trooper and couldn’t manage to find 70 mph after that.
Into Green River we went for a fuel stop and some nervous laughter about Taff’s chances of passing through the two Troopers.
Chapter 8 - "Answer to the Eighth Hour"
Does Don ever stop grinning?
We continued through the Flaming Gorge area on Hwy 530...
Bikerskier, Sockmonkey and Ponyfool laugh about something none of us can remember now. DCarver stands in the background
Ponyfool and DCarver go old school and show they can use a map (big paper with pictures and lines, before GPS)
..and into NE Utah, finding our way to Vernal. There are a lot of motorcycles there. I guess everyone knew this – I didn’t…
Chapter 9 - "The Last FJRs on Earth"
Leaving Vernal, Sockmonkey apparently decided it was time to get to our destination for the night (Steamboat Springs), because he took off eastbound on Hwy 40. Didn’t really see him again for a couple hours. In fact, we didn't see anyone for a couple of hours. That is one wide open road.
The ride from Vernal to Steamboat Springs on Hwy 40 allowed us to find our first forest rats of the trip as they crossed the road directly in front of us. Those damned things blended in to the background so well, that they weren’t spotted until it was almost too late. DCarver, Ponyfool and I were running upwards of 100 when we came upon them and with not enough sleep, some hard riding for the day already under our belt and distracting scenery, we just about had a bad experience.
We caught up with the Sockmonkey at a local stop and rob in Craig, Colorado. Some poor girl working the counter was the subject of our gawking until Ponyfool decided to call me out right in front of her. Excellent timing, too, on his part because I had just gone into the store to purchase some beef jerky from the girl. When Ponyfool walked back out to the parking lot, I tried to save face by telling the girl that he was gay. He didn’t know that until just now.
We motored into Steamboat Springs a short time later (around 8 p.m.) and again, split off to our various hotels.
Chapter 10 - "A Sign of Things to Come"
Sockmonkey had arranged some dinner plans for our entire group (good to see another Oregon local, FJRay) at a local pub and we all managed to get up there for some good fun by about 10 p.m. It was harder for some than others. Sockmonkey and BikerSkier attempted a walk to the joint from their hotel. Only problem was that it was halfway up a mountain at the local ski resort. As Ponyfool and I rode up the hill in our cab, we saw BikerSkier on the side of the road, looking as though he just rode through Death Valley, when in reality, he had just showered and put on clean clothes 30 minutes earlier. Sockmonkey was nowhere to be found, but we soon learned he had wandered into a hotel to ask for directions (no doubt he was actually puking from the walk, but we didn’t ask for details). After a couple of drinks :drinks: , some dinner and witnessing Ponyfool and Sockmonkey lusting after the waitress, we called it a night.
Chapter 11 - "The Home Stretch"
The next morning (Thursday), we made the final push into Golden. Sockmonkey had put together a route that took the 2 hour ride and made it into a 4 hour one via Walden and Milner Pass (10K feet) . Boy, was it a beauty, too. Some of the best scenery I saw in Colorado was on this ride as we took a number of roads NW of the Golden/Denver area. Not everyone in our group made this final leg – some had to make a speed run to Denver to meet spouses flying in for NAFO. Taff, fresh into Steamboat and performance award free (!), made his own speed run to NAFO to link up with Warchild. Seems that a rock jumped up and bit one of our ladies, BKR CHK, on the ride as she headed out of Steamboat. Thanks to Taff, it worked out well as parts were overnighted through one of Warchild’s sources.
Sockmonkey and I made this ride with Mooseonagoose, Hycle and Jaffjrae.
Hycle, practicing sitting positions for his upcoming GZ-designed SS1K the next day
Did I mention this portion of the ride was gorgeous? We hit a bit of construction, but the wait was only about 10 minutes and served as a good opportunity to stretch some aching back muscles in between some great twisties.
Sockmonkey and Hycle contemplate blowing the stop sign
Mooseonagoose and Jeffjrae looking happier than ever about the construction zone
We rolled into NAFO about 2 p.m. that day. :yahoo: It was good to get there. My butt was ready to get off the bike for the day and the bar was calling my name.
My apologies to the members of our group if I have forgotten some of this. Had that bar not been calling my name so loudly the first night, my recall would be better.
Had an interesting ride back to Oregon. I’ll have to work on that report…
ig_ball:
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