My Torrey XIV tale

[azkaisr]

"He who has a strong enough why can bear almost any how".

Friedrich Nietzsche

 

This Torrey Tale for me is really more about why I go up there then how I got there and back. It was wonderful to spend time with the old guard and meet some of folks coming up for the first time at the Chuck Wagon But for me spending time with a few of my closest friends laughing about silly things and riding towards the edge of my limits is why I ride 560 miles each way to be there.

 

This is the gang of hoons on Route 12. The colors up there rocked. Oh yeah the leaves were changing too.

 

Here Phil leads his lovely wife in a chorus of the famous D0-RE-MI song from the Sound of Music.

 

For those at home that want to sing along...

"Doe, a deer, a female deer

Ray, a drop of golden sun

Me, a name I call myself…..

 

Ok, enough of that for now….I only wish Mama Hoon was there to explain the fundamentals of singing in tune to them.

 

The Queen of Lean blazing past as if she was being chased....

 

....by a man in black. We decided she really didn't need rescuing so we moto'd on down the mountain

This misfit army somehow managed to find the Burr Trail. It would have been cool to have the Kaneman along since we stopped in the same spot as last spring.

 

 

It wasn't that bad that Huzband didn't want to hang out with you Phil...honest

 

He takes KTM jokes so personally.

 

Could this be the next Justin Timberlake?

One of Phil's fans ignoring the ever present Paparazzi... I think I heard Marco asking for "Freebird"

 

Back into Torrey. There is no more beautiful town then this one.

 

Now I didn't take a single picture that night. I decided to just hang out enjoy the wedding and let others record the moment.

 

After a night of fun I turned in just as the wind picked up. At 2:30 I heard a loud thump that got me out of bed. At first I thought it was a car jumping the curb but I looked outside the window and all looked ok. As I was going back to bed I thought....wait a minute there isn't a bush outside my window, but there were leaves blowing. I went outside to see that a HUGE branch had fallen down hitting two moto's. It just missed Norah's RT and my bike by inches..

 

Jerry bike was in bad shape and Butters had his bike buried.

 

The local gendarmerie were on the case at once

He was all business I tell ya. He left in 3 minutes Remember if he asks I am Mr. White.

 

I will let them share photos of the incident.

 

I would rather concentrate on the great engineering minds that helped to bring the Taxi Cab back to life.

 

Here you can see there was no shortage of people willing to "Help"

The owner working some sort of high tech gadget that Wurty keeps in his tank bag.

 

AzAl I think has a Mechanical Engineering degree from MIT and we all know Nando can fix anything.

 

But it was only when Russell and Tim (10ovr) came in to make sure that things were being done to metric standard did Bruce agree to the fix.

 

You would have thought that there was a State Fair winning Ewe on the other end of that line the way Wurty was hauling it in!

 

NEXT UP.....What doesn't kill you makes you strong.....

[azkaisr]

There was talk of weather coming in but we decided to chance it and head out for a ride into Cathedral Valley and then back via Highway 72. Total distance was close to 100 miles with a lot of it over dirt. Here we are at the first part. Sand was not as bad for me this time because of the my knobs and the fact that I was running them at about 25PSI. I did forget to eat a good breakfast though.

 

One of the most comforting thoughts was knowing we had the Toyota working as a chase vehicle behind the bikes. Louise, Chris Olson, and Bill Walker rode along to make sure we could get out of any trouble we could find out there.

I had the mule stripped down to the bare essentials to lighten it up.

 

Temple of the Moon with the Lunnies below

 

 

 

So I hadn't eaten a good breakfast and about 30 miles into the ride I was tired. The GS is a big bike and there is enough deep sand to make you really have to work the bike. I was making small mental errors and had given the chase truck my camera as a precaution to keep me from wrecking it should I take a spill in the sand.

 

 

I had just crossed about 100 yards of deep sand and did great. I then came through a river bed and took the left and track. As I came up I hit a patch of deep powder and the bike lurched left and had I another foot I would have been fine. Instead I let the bike take a nap. It was at about 20mph but the sand kept me from feeling too beat up. I did bang up my wrist a little along with my right shoulder. After a few minutes I rode on for a bit. You can see in the second picture that the sand is deep in the road and that the weather was starting to turn for the worse.

 

The road led us towards the mountain and more bad weather. Killer mentioned the word Snow but we pressed on.

 

We stopped at a sinkhole and took stock of our situation

 

Lisa was smart enough to fuel up. Bob and I were looking at our options to get out of the valley. It was a long way to I70 and we decided to try our luck on the road up over Mount Gleno.

 

My arm was getting a little stiff and I decided to see if Bill wanted to ride the GS for a while instead of riding in the truck. He agreed and we traded places for a few miles.

 

I will let him comment on the ride but I think he really enjoyed himself and the 20 minutes I had in the truck were enough to have the Advil kick in and the energy from a drink and some food kick in. Either way it was nice to be able to take a break and not slow up the other riders.

 

 

At the top of the first hill we stopped and traded back. Here is Itzu (I hope I spelled it right) who we had really just met. He was a great guy who had an Aprilla without knobbies. He amazed all of us with the way he kept up. It was great having him along and I hope we get to ride with him again some day.

 

The whole gang at the overlook.

 

The weather looked pretty bad where we were headed but we pressed on. The road surface was now very much like what I have ridden on here in AZ so I felt 100 times more comfortable here then on the talcum powder on the valley floor.

 

 

These pictures are now from the truck and taken by Bill as I was on the bike again. You can see the weather going from a light drizzle to a blizard

Even though we had patches of clear spots it was now below freezing and most of the riders were not dressed for this.

 

 

I really know now why they call him Killer...He tried hard to get us this time and here I am thanking him

 

After a freezing ride back made bearable by my Gerbing Heated Vest, we celebrated with a victory Scotch. Man was it good.

 

I rode home with Chris and Tony K (for a bit) and reflected at how much I love coming here. Thanks everyone for making it a great trip.

 

The tale of the tape. Not sure where I went 167 with the knobbies but hey I will take the credit!

 

See you all in the Fall.

 

Kaisr

[eddd]

Fabulous pictures and a great story. Rides like that, with a little adversity, will be remember and talked about for years to come.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[90%angel]

Awesome pix, Tom!!

 

Great ride! Hope to do it again soon. You all were such a hoot. I'll vouch for Phil actually being in Torrey...he was in front of me shooting rooster tails of dirt in my face all day! (hence my dirty nose in that shot of me chowing my power bar!) What a fabulous crew!!

 

I even liked the snow...at first! It was so beautiful, and I just thought it was hilarious that we were all out riding dirt bikes in a blizzard. Then it got kind of scary when I thought I might lose a finger or two to frost bite.

 

Thanks to Bob for leading us all on such a great ride. I was so cold, I just wanted to get off the mountain as soon as possible, so I bailed on the last group stop, and never had a chance to thank you in person, Bob. As Tom would say, "worthy ride!"

 

Again, Tom - GREAT pix!!

[KMG_365]

AWESOME tale, my brother!!

 

It's almost enough to make me think about getting a dual-sport bike . . .

 

 

 

 

. . . NOT!!

 

 

Great seeing you again as usual and looking forward to the Death Valley Pre Run!

 

 

 

(You can scout the dirt roads! )

[kcscout]

Was that just ONE victory scotch?

 

And, you gotta stop pushing those bikes over!

[notacop]

Really superb pictures..Worthy of a Scotch.

Ya'll make it look easy.

[Bill_Walker]

...My arm was getting a little stiff and I decided to see if Bill wanted to ride the GS for a while instead of riding in the truck. He agreed and we traded places for a few miles.

 

I will let him comment on the ride but I think he really enjoyed himself and the 20 minutes I had in the truck were enough to have the Advil kick in and the energy from a drink and some food kick in. Either way it was nice to be able to take a break and not slow up the other riders....

 

It may be that I failed to clearly communicate to Tom that prior to this ride I had essentially zero experience navigating a powered two-wheeler off-pavement (with the exception of the ill-fated excursion with my RT in Colorado last summer). Sorry about that, Tom! Thanks for the vote of confidence, buddy!

 

However, I had a fair amount of mountain biking experience and a good dose of "book larnin'", and these stood me in good stead. I kept the rubber side down and kept up with the tail end of the group. I even got into second gear a few times! Luckily, during my stint there was very little sand to deal with. Plenty of rocks, though, and a switchback climb up a mountainside! I had a lot of fun, but it was absolutely the hardest I've ever worked riding a motorcycle! Hmm, do you suppose my white-knuckle grip on the bars might've had something to do with it?

 

Anyway, I had enough fun, but with enough trepidation, that I think I'm going to take some training from MotoVentures in the near future.

 

Thanks again, Tom!

[russell_bynum]

Most worthy.

[Firefight911]

Uber worthy!!!

 

Tom, let me just say what we all know so well, you are the best and we love ya!!!! Missin' you and everyone else already!

[BrianT]

Awesome pics and thanks for sharing. Every time I see these kind of pics I keep saying I need to try this.

[Twisties]

Nice tale! Nice ride! Nice pics! Rough day! Wow!

[russell_bynum]

Awesome pics and thanks for sharing. Every time I see these kind of pics I keep saying I need to try this.

 

Say the word and my bike is your bike.

[Huzband]

It wasn't that bad that Huzband didn't want to hang out with you Phil...honest

 

 

Don't do it, Phil!!!

 

I promise I'll make Torrey next spring! Honest!

 

I had no idea it was so hard on you.

 

 

Good tale, Tom.

 

Glad to see you're the only one you managed to knock over this time.

[BrianT]

Say the word and my bike is your bike.

Thanks bro but I'd rather break a bike that doesn't belong to someone I know. Besides who's gonna play tour guide for me if you're not on your bike.

[Whip]

I'm still at Killer's. He doesn't know it yet but I'm not leavin. It rained last night I think we should go back up on the mountains and try some of those water crossings.....

 

Great Tale Tom!!!!

 

Whip

[Joel]

Nicely done, Tom.

 

I tell ya, this sport-touring thing is going to Hell in a handbasket. The Muddy shall inherit the Earth (most of which is unpaved).

[hopz]

It was nice to meet you on Friday night. Thanks for the super pictures and great report.

 

Hopz/Bob

[Bob Palin]

Say the word and my bike is your bike.

Thanks bro but I'd rather break a bike that doesn't belong to someone I know. Besides who's gonna play tour guide for me if you're not on your bike.

Take the KLR, there's nothing left that isn't broken.

[Firefight911]

Say the word and my bike is your bike.

Thanks bro but I'd rather break a bike that doesn't belong to someone I know. Besides who's gonna play tour guide for me if you're not on your bike.

Take the KLR, there's nothing left that isn't broken.

 

Ain't that the truth!!

[Couchrocket]

Tom,

 

Most worthy, as you so aptly say yourself!

 

First off, I have to say that we're getting to the point where we're going to need to have a BMWDS page! Hummm.... a buddy of mine has a nice very low miles KLR650 for sale that has all the "mods" done to it....hummm......????

 

Anyway, GREAT ride tale. Photos beautiful as always, and your sense of humor never ceases to cause me to have to go buy yet another keyboard... need to get one of them coffee-proof jobs.

 

I was working ("WORK!") this time on a consulting job and it didn't allow me to come to Torrey... but w/o a "dirt-able" bike I'd have missed the trip anyway.... hummmm.... KLR...... Now that Russell has broken the "gotta ride there" barrier... I could show up with the KLR in a trailer. Just need to remember not to park it under any trees.

[norah]

Hey Tom,

 

As always, great pics and tales to go along. Just makes me want to play in the dirt all the more (soon!!!). Thanx, amigo.

[Bill_Walker]

...I was working ("WORK!") this time on a consulting job and it didn't allow me to come to Torrey... but w/o a "dirt-able" bike I'd have missed the trip anyway....

 

We had an empty seat in the chase truck, so you could've joined in. Not exactly "riding" as we know it, but you still get to see the scenery, chat with folks at the stops, and, yes, stay warm when it starts snowing! And if you bring your gear, you might get lucky and get to ride one of the bikes for a while (thanks again, Tom!).

 

Great tale, Tom!

[Crazy_Canuck]

Great Ride Tale Tom!

 

I wish I was there. There is always spring!!

[stubble!]

Loved the tale, Tom. Great pics.

 

I was already sad not to be there, but your post pushed me over the edge into major depression. I think I'm just gonna jump with Phil.

[barryNmarin]

Tom, you really have the knack for putting together a great tale with fantastic photos. Thanks for taking the time and making those of us who couldn't be there eat our hearts out with envy. Looking forward to seeing you and the usual suspects again real soon.

Barry

[azkaisr]

Tom, you really have the knack for putting together a great tale with fantastic photos. Thanks for taking the time and making those of us who couldn't be there eat our hearts out with envy. Looking forward to seeing you and the usual suspects again real soon.

Barry

 

Missed having Coffee with ya amigo!!

[russell_bynum]

Say the word and my bike is your bike.

Thanks bro but I'd rather break a bike that doesn't belong to someone I know. Besides who's gonna play tour guide for me if you're not on your bike.

Take the KLR, there's nothing left that isn't broken.

 

Ain't that the truth!!

 

I still say that's the first time I've ever seen anyone try to bunny-hop a motorcycle.

[Bill_Walker]

 

[Monty Python voice]

"It's not dead. It's just restin'!"

[/Monty Python voice]

[RussL]

Another outstanding report, Tom!

[roydog007]

Tom, Always good to see you Amigo, Great ride tale

[Gery]

Thanks Tom for sharing such a great photo stories. I miss an extreme adventure....

 

Gery

[Couchrocket]

We had an empty seat in the chase truck, so you could've joined in. Not exactly "riding" as we know it, but you still get to see the scenery, chat with folks at the stops, and, yes, stay warm when it starts snowing!

Bill,

Most generous! Actually I've been thinking seriously about doing "A Torrey" w/o the bike. Bring my 4Runner, and all my camera gear. Get Killer to show me some good off road places for serious photography. Go out to sweeper madness and get some (hopefully) great shots of the brothers and sisters hooning through the curves. Sort of a photo-documentary of the whole event, perhaps. That way "Mrs. Couch" could come along and see the sights, meet some of the folk, etc., and appreciate what I've been mumbling about "Torrey"....

[KMG_365]

Actually I've been thinking seriously about doing "A Torrey" w/o the bike. Bring my 4Runner, and all my camera gear. Get Killer to show me some good off road places for serious photography. Go out to sweeper madness and get some (hopefully) great shots of the brothers and sisters hooning through the curves. Sort of a photo-documentary of the whole event, perhaps. That way "Mrs. Couch" could come along and see the sights, meet some of the folk, etc., and appreciate what I've been mumbling about "Torrey"....

That's an EXCELLENT idea!!

[JerryMather]

Very nice review of the happ's on Sat. Amigo.

 

Yitzu was in seventh heaven riding with you guys on Saturday. He'd been wanting to do that for a long time and now he knows where to find you guys next time around.

 

I'm planning on going out with Jamie Austin & his buddies on one of his ATV's to enjoy that back country in May. I keep hearing from him about some cool places that Killer hasn't seen yet up there. One of them has seven waterfalls

[russell_bynum]

Yitzu was in seventh heaven riding with you guys on Saturday. He'd been wanting to do that for a long time and now he knows where to find you guys next time around.

 

That dude can RIDE! It was very impressive watching him flick that big 600lbs bike (on street tires) around like it was a 125cc 2-stroke motocrosser.

[Bob Palin]

That dude can RIDE! It was very impressive watching him flick that big 600lbs bike (on street tires) around like it was a 125cc 2-stroke motocrosser.

No kidding, when we went through Sulphur Creek on the short cut he seemed a bit concerned and I really thought he would bail, then he showed us how it should be done for the rest of the day.

[azkaisr]

Yeah, he must have told me 10 times how much fun he was having out there. Glad he came along!

 

Kaisr

[Firefight911]

Ditto to the above!!!

 

He was absolutely giddy when we sat down and looked at the pictures afterward.

 

That guy can moto!!

[SageRider]

Tom,

Great Photos / report!

Good to see you again!

[PhillyFlash]

Most worthy, as usual, amigo. We need to have dinner together this week so we can swap lies.

[90%angel]

Most worthy, as usual, amigo. We need to have dinner together this week so we can swap lies.

 

He may say I fell twice on our ride on Saturday. This is not true. Nobody got it on camera, so it DIDN'T happen.

 

Glad you're back safe and sound Howard!! Sounds like a great (if slightly cold) trip!

[hANNAbONE]

nICE rEPORT...sonnyboy..grand pix as always..!

[Bill_Walker]

Most worthy, as usual, amigo. We need to have dinner together this week so we can swap lies.

 

He may say I fell twice on our ride on Saturday. This is not true. Nobody got it on camera, so it DIDN'T happen.

 

Hmm. I don't think I've received my "expert witness" fee yet. Not that I saw anything, of course. Or did I?

[Tank]

Everytime I even think of trying to figure out a camera, I just see yours and forget it.

You have a great eye for the lens. Thanks for sharing.

[AZKomet]

Well done Tom!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely fantastic tale.......And the only thing missing were the brats!!!!