COUNTDOWN: ONLY 2 DAYS UNTIL . . .

[EffBee]

I did this about 4 years ago. I though it might be a good time to do it again. I'll edit my post and count down the weeks (starting at 11 Weeks) as we get closer. Please add your own comments below of what Torrey means to you (the trip, the rides, the place, the rides, the people and the rides).

 

Just 2 days until. . .

. . .packing the weekend before, running through all the planned and unplanned scenarios in my mind and deciding what I will need to take and what can stay at home.

 

. . .trying to fit it all in my saddlebags, leaving the trunk available for quick-change items like gloves and clothing layers.

 

. . .finding out (once again) that I’ve overpacked, and having to go back through everything and leave a few items behind.

 

. . .new batteries for the FRS radio. Three spare AA’s as well. Pack my “old style” AZ-AL earplugs just in case.

 

. . .leaving at 2PM on Wed from work. Beginning Tuesday morning I have to pretend to be interested in what I’m doing for a day and a half. I do it well, but in my mind I’ve already left.

 

. . .waiting for a couple of friends to show up on Wed. to ride with me. The clock seems to stop.

 

. . .balancing the relief and guilt as I pull out of the dealership parking lot. The guilt lasts all the way to the freeway on-ramp. Heavy.

 

. . .reigning in my enthusiastic throttle hand until I clear the L.A. basin. All those poor schmucks commuting and working for the rest of the week, while I’m headed for nirvana. It’s not easy to remain placid. Or modest. Neener, neener.

 

. . .the engine’s torque pulling up the Cajon Pass toward Victorville. Sweet. Victorville, more crowded than the last time. Don’t these people realize it’s HOT up here?

 

. . .clear at last. Barstow, then Baker, gas and a quick bite. On to Boulder City and a few moments for a verbal embrace with a great friend. Just talkin’ ‘bout stuff.

 

. . .deep breath and on to Mesquite, NV by 9pm. Gas up tonight. Check in. Steamy room. Turn on the A/C and head for the buffet.

 

. . .meet others similarly cooling their heels while cooling their rooms. Sharing that monster chicken quesadilla three ways. Anyone want to split an order of onion rings? Una cerveza mas, por favor.

 

. . .shower at 10:30P so I can sleep in until 5AM.

 

. . .alarm at 5, dressed and at MickeyD’s at 5:30 when they open. A quick EggMcSammich and on the road before 5:45 lest that nasty rising sun blind us through the Virgin River Gorge. You’re traveling almost due east, climbing, and on some long stretches Mr. Sun is like a klieg light in your face. Gotta beat mother nature to the punch.

 

. . .the last rise and a left sweeper into Utah. Clock up an hour. Mountain time. Headed north now. Sun, now off to the right, go ahead and do your thing.

 

. . .St. George. Didn’t he slay the dragon? During the summer, it’s about that hot in this valley. Right now, it’s morning cool. Nothing out but some occassional radar. And usually not even that.

 

. . .UT-9. My, Hurricane (pronounced HER-kin) sure keeps growing. Slow through town. Slow some more. Patience. Keep looking for the Chevron station. Wait. Wait. There it is. Right turn and check out the first rise for unmarked cars. None? Yeehaw! Let ‘er rip. The climb is about 500 feet in only a half mile. Four curves, too. First decent ones since L.A.

 

. . .up onto the plateau leading to Zion. Slow for the Indian Trading Posts. Lots of little towns, too. Tourists abound already. Oh, that’s right. . .Mountain time.

 

. . .twelve bucks to get your bike into Zion. Worth it, even if you’ve been here 10x in the past 5 years. At least you get a free return trip within 7 days. I don’t come back that way, but it’s nice to know I can if I want.

 

. . .clearing Zion puts me on one of my favorite sections of road. UT-9 leading to UT-89 is wide open and fast. I’ve seen 150 up here. Once. Don’t need to do that again. But cruising and carving at 90 is exhilarating.

 

. . .the last rising and falling curves before UT-89 and Mt. Carmel Jct. and breakfast at 9:30. Golden Hills Restaurant. Home cookin/Utah style. Four-egg omelets. Bacon the pig would have been proud of. Pancakes almost as thick as The Good Book. Raspberry/HoneyButter syrup.

 

. . .sated, it’s a lot easier to keep my speed appropriate through all the small towns that dot the next 20 northbound miles on UT-89. Eventually, though, I digest, the roads narrow, the population thins, and the curves call. Forty miles of canyons.

 

. . .Hatch. Last town before UT-12. 8 more miles to the turnoff. There it is. Turn right and GO. But first. . .

 

. . .the Pee stop. Once on UT-12, it’s a quarter-mile on your left. Indian store and gas station. Sometimes open, sometimes not. But the outside bathrooms are always available and reasonably clean. Besides, it’s tradition. Twenty of us huddled under the gas station canopy once and helped each other put on rain gear. MAN was it coming down! Bonds were formed.

 

. . .and now, UT-12. The first miles are easy, non-descript riding. You climb some, but not steeply. Yet before you know it you’re at 6,000 feet.

 

. . .the red rocks of the Dixie National Park take your breath away. Artists stool-straddle their canvases, capturing the brightness of the orange-reds in the morning light. By late afternoon, they’ll be mixing colors madly trying to match ever-richening sepia tones.

 

. . .now at over 7,000 feet and the entrance to Bryce Canyon NP. Worth at least a half-day’s exploration. BTDT. Onward.

 

. . .climbing even more, we crest and drop onto the plateau that precedes the Escalante Staircase. A half hour of farmlands, weathered homes and storage buildings that have been here for a century in some cases. Henrieville is the first hamlet. That one I remember. The rest of the names I’ll recall when I see them.

 

. . .Escalante is the last (prounced es-ca-LAHNT by the locals, as I've recently been informed). And gas. 11:30AM. Thirty miles to Boulder. But first, the Escalante Staircase.

 

. . .you leave Escalante and ride the high plateau, where the chaparral is green and low, varmints minimal, and speeds restricted only by enforcement, your conscience, and/or how well you can read the road. Then. . .

 

. . .the sign doesn’t look like much. The only difference is that it says 35mph and you’ve been seeing them say 60 while running 90. But this time they’re not kidding. It’s a drop-away right-hander and you don’t want to screw it up.

 

. . .the corner takes your breath away. The verdant panorama you had been riding through gave no indication of the sudden transition to barren wind-swept sandstone you were about to encounter. 10,000 acres of it for as far as you can see, south and east. You’re on the north rim, riding roads etched from the sides of vertical walls, cutting across on the chasm floor, then riding up the other side. Suddenly. . .

 

. . .you’re riding the Devil’s Backbone. 25mph twisties with a thousand-foot dropoff on either side, and no Armco. Breathtaking and heart-stopping. Fortunately (or not), it only lasts about ¼-mile.

 

. . .you drop into Boulder. The county Sheriff likes Boulder. Can’t explain it. No donut shops. But more of us have been nipped here than anywhere else on this road. Forewarned you are. These are not the motorcyclists you're looking for.

 

. . .Boulder Mountain. Climb, climb, climb. Twist, turn, lean, brake, scrub, shift. Try not to let the aspens distract you. Cambered corners have runoff water trickling through them as the shaded remnants of winter continue their final melt. Back and forth. Gas and brake. Body left. Body right. 40 miles of this and you can feel everything you packed as if it was on your back.

 

. . .at last you descend from the mountain and onto the reddish plateau. Off in the distance are the red cliffs, at the base of which is your destination. Speeds rise in anticipation. One final 100mph sweeper and then all the brakes you’ve got for the 25mph right hander that signals Torrey is less than a minute away. 12 tees into 24. The Day’s Inn is there. There are bikes in the parking lot. Try as you might, you’re not the first.

 

. . .the final left onto UT-24. One mile to the Chuckwagon, but only a half mile to Brinks Burger. Good burgers. Great beer-battered onion rings. Banana shake. MMmmm. It’s 1PM. Lunch is served.

 

. . .checking in, putting your stuff away, and pulling up a chair to watch others come rolling in. Gee, did I have that big silly grin on my face, too?

 

. . .welcome, friends.

[Marty Hill]

Once again...you did good! See you at Brinks.

[BrianT]

11 weeks until.......

 

I share a shot of Patron with some really good friends in a place that's as close to heaven as I can find on this earth.

 

(Good idea for a thread Effbee)

[Whip]

11 weeks...... till I get to hear Killer say.......

 

"I'll have a job by next Torrey"

 

[Jake]

I've been to Torrey only once, and I had no idea how precious that time would soon become. A picture is worth a thousand words, indeed.

 

[Tony_K]

...until Utah becomes a slightly less dry state and total debauchery runs rampant in a tiny mountain town.

 

[eddd]

11 WEEKS until…

 

…my first Torrey.

 

…I get to experience first hand what others so clearly cherish. The beauty of the area, the camaraderie of the people, the bonds formed and strengthen at each Torrey; all of these things come through in the words and pictures posted before, during, and after each gathering.

 

…I’m not sitting at work, reading about Torrey XV, and feeling sorry for myself. After reading about each Torrey since fall 2006, and lamenting the fact that I was unable to get off work, I decided to just go for it. I asked the boss if he had a problem with me taking off four days (the fifth would require a doctor’s excuse for the district). He said no problem, I said great, and I called the Chuckwagon to put my name on the waiting list and made a reservation at the Day’s Inn.

 

...I find out if your hospitality extends to a kind of shy smarta** from deep south Texas.

[Huzband]

What are you worried about?

 

They let Whip in.

[Joel]

...I find out if your hospitality extends to a kind of shy smarta** from deep south Texas.

 

Being a Texan has been forgiven in numerous instances, and in my case being a shy smarta$$ from northern Colorado has been overlooked, if not forgiven, so I think you're golden.

 

11 Weeks (or less) until ... I know if I can make it again. I'm itchin' to ...

 

[drswift]

... I get to see some of the new friends I met at DVD. Can't wait!

[Calvin (no socks)]

I get my "Newbie" tattoo removed!

[russell_bynum]

Torrey?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never heard of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jacqueline]

Torrey, Torrey, Torrey

We have to wait 11 weeks?

Calvin maybe we can get a two for one deal on the tat removal.

[Kitsap]

[quote. .checking in, putting your stuff away, and pulling up a chair to watch others come rolling in. Gee, did I have a silly grin on my face, too?

 

. . .welcome, friends.

 

Well said as usual EffBee.

 

For my second Torrey I have a room with Crazy Canuck at the Chuckwagon, life is grand.

[AdventurePoser]

I've only been there a couple of times, and couldn't stay long, but it was great putting faces to names. I also enjoyed the O rings at Brinks, eating lunch with Boney and Bob!

 

It looks like I may be able to spend a little more time this year...

 

Steve in So Cal

[hopz]

Great write up. Got me excited and looking at the calendar. And we sometimes wonder why we live here!

[BrianT]

It looks like I may be able to spend a little more time this year...

 

Steve in So Cal

So maybe 30 minutes this time instead of 15?

[stubble!]

I get my "Newbie" tattoo removed!

And I get one of my own on the back of my neck.

 

Looking forward to seeing & experiencing Torrey, and another great weekend with you all.

 

Is it customary to bring an offering for the camel? Or Bob?

[Kitsap]

 

Is it customary to bring an offering for the camel? Or Bob?

 

Maybe a belt sander and knee pads will do.

[rogera]

All though I've met quite a few of you all at other events,

this will be my first Torrey and I am really looking

forward to seeing the camel

I will be bringing extra batteries for the camera.

[Scarecrow]

11 weeks until. . .

my second Torrey

 

setting up my GPS with all my routes (well, that's done already cause I'm antsy to go)

 

figuring out how I am going to get all my stuff on the bike

 

camping in national parks I've always wanted to see (Zion and Bryce last time, Arches and revisit Zion this time)

 

pulling into Ely sore, stiff, tired and looking for gas

 

going by the 'shoe tree' on 50 and stopping this time to get some pictures

 

riding much faster than usual

 

meeting people I don't know but feel I should

 

Getting in early enough to hit Brinks for lunch (where exactly is it?)

 

jumping in the pool at Days Inn after spending 4 days in Arches

 

riding to Calf Creek Falls, seeing them, taking even more pictures of beautiful landscapes and then riding back

 

meeting more people I don't know but feel I should. . .

[Marty Hill]

Brinks is about 1/4 mile east of the chuckwagon.

[Bob Palin]

Brinks is about 1/4 mile east of the chuckwagon.

This is true but they've taken the Brinks sign down, presumably the new owners will put their name up. The Chevron is now a Phillips 66 and the Econolodge is an Affordable Inn, there's a Taco Time in the Texaco station, I just can' keep up with the pace of change...

[90%angel]

You should ask for the old Brinks sign, Bob; a bit of ST.com nostalgia there!

 

Unfortunatley, 11 weeks from now, I'll be in Pebble Beach taking care of clients on another incentive trip, so no May Torrey for me...AGAIN.

 

Y'all have fun!

[BrianT]

You should ask for the old Brinks sign, Bob; a bit of ST.com nostalgia there!

 

Unfortunatley, 11 weeks from now, I'll be in Pebble Beach taking care of clients on another incentive trip, so no May Torrey for me...AGAIN.

 

Y'all have fun!

Thanks for reminding me,

 

11 more weeks until................................we make fun of all those people who didn't come to Torrey.

[Marty Hill]

=

 

Unfortunatley, 11 weeks from now, I'll be in Pebble Beach taking care of clients on another incentive trip, so no May Torrey for me...AGAIN.

 

Y'all have fun!

 

Wonder who will park behind me if your not coming?

[Scarecrow]

Please let us know what name replaces Brinks. Are they as good as Brinks was?

[90%angel]

I have a little RS replica, Marty. Perhaps Russell can bring that and park it behind you!

[Marty Hill]

[JerryMather]

"11 weeks until.......

I share a shot of Patron with some really good friends in a place that's as close to heaven as I can find on this earth."

Brian

 

+1 I always look forward to doing that with ya.

 

"I've been to Torrey only once, and I had no idea how precious that time would soon become."

Jake

 

I'll never forget that one either, Jake. That one was and still is, very special to me too.

[EffBee]

Now down to 10 weeks. Time to start thinking about what to take in case of hot weather and what to take in case of cold weather. At this point, they're just mental lists, but each is important.

 

Time to contact friends too, to see when they're getting off work on which day and when they're leaving. Start getting your riding group contacted and connected.

[eddd]

Now down to 10 weeks. Time to start thinking about what to take in case of hot weather and what to take in case of cold weather. At this point, they're just mental lists, but each is important.

 

Time to contact friends too, to see when they're getting off work on which day and when they're leaving. Start getting your riding group contacted and connected.

 

EffBee, I'm way past mental lists. I was working on my printed list yesterday, doing an extensive revision. I picked up some compression bags yesterday on the way to work and have spent the last 15 minutes trying them out. (I think this is one of those cases where a few extra pounds might help. Even sitting on the bag I couldn't get the valve to open. I was beginning to wonder if they had a valve.)

 

I'm getting really excited already. Good thing Big Bend is next week, I'm so ready to be on the road!

 

But back to the theme:

 

10 weeks until I'm eating a meal with new friends, and then eating their dust when we head out on a ride.

[JerryMather]

Now down to 10 weeks. Time to start thinking about what to take in case of hot weather and what to take in case of cold weather. At this point, they're just mental lists, but each is important.

 

Time to contact friends too, to see when they're getting off work on which day and when they're leaving. Start getting your riding group contacted and connected.

Some of us are just too busy riding to be thinking much about another ride that's ten weeks out. Personally, I really don't do much prep work for this one until I start packing the side bags an hour before I leave.

 

I remember, Gleno would always leave me a message on my machine three days before I was planning on leaving that went something like this, "Yo Beav, call me tonight" ......... as if I would ever entertain the idea of not going for a ride with him.

Relax guys .............. how long does it really take to pack a couple bags?

[Scarecrow]

...Time to start thinking about what to take in case of hot weather and what to take in case of cold weather...

 

If you are making lists, here is a post from ItsABeemur pointing out a site to help you produce lists.

[JAUSTIN]

brinks will now be called slackers and it has the same food.

[eddd]

... how long does it really take to pack a couple bags?

 

The two bags won't take that long. I'm having trouble finding room for my spares:

 

- final drive

- clutch

- throttle cables

- HES

- right and left mirrors

 

Am I forgetting anything?

[EffBee]

...Time to start thinking about what to take in case of hot weather and what to take in case of cold weather...

 

If you are making lists, here is a post from ItsABeemur pointing out a site to help you produce lists.

 

OK.

 

1. I gotta start using more smilies .

 

2. It's a rhetorical statement intended to keep the thought of the upcoming trip alive. Sure, we all pack with a day or two to go. But I've already got a mental list. Doesn't everyone?

 

3. Don't park under any trees.

 

4. I'll probably come up with something else when it's 9 weeks to go, like time to change the oil. (insert tongue-in-cheek emoticon here)

[questrider]

Oh how this makes my heart ache. The time my wife and I spent in Torrey and Utah last summer is something my mind wanders back to time and time again many times throughout a work week. I wish we could make it out there for a gathering! In 11 weeks I'll still be in IL yearning for the open spaces and twisties most of you in this thread will be experiencing. Ah, we'll make it back someday...

[eddd]

EffBee, I for one like your countdown. Keep them coming. Anticipation is at least half of the fun!

[Bob Palin]

brinks will now be called slackers and it has the same food.

Aha, a man in the know! I see the CW has been getting ready for another season - when do you open?

 

There is a new cell phone mast at the eastern end of town and Verizon now works I'm told as well as a couple of others that didn't before.

[EffBee]

brinks will now be called slackers and it has the same food.

Aha, a man in the know! I see the CW has been getting ready for another season - when do you open?

 

There is a new cell phone mast at the eastern end of town and Verizon now works I'm told as well as a couple of others that didn't before.

 

I dunno. "Slackers?" I don't know if Torrey is ready for hip. "Call ahead, we'll have your order ready by tomorrow. Maybe." Then again, it may be just the place for a guy like Wurty, who's got retirement on his mind.

 

As for the cell tower, that's good news. "Hi, Honey. Made it here safely." No more 3 minute/$47 phone calls from the Benjamin Dover L-D provider for the pay phone outside the CW.

 

Whatever the changes, and whatever further encroachments urban life is making up there, it's still beautiful and it's still the combination of the location and the people that make it my favorite destination.

[edge51]

I have only made it to one Torrey and that was cause I just happened to be in the area. Would love to return this spring - but also want to make the Blue Ridge thing in late April - what the heck weekend is Torrey again ?

[eddd]

I have only made it to one Torrey and that was cause I just happened to be in the area. Would love to return this spring - but also want to make the Blue Ridge thing in late April - what the heck weekend is Torrey again ?

 

You can make both of them. Spring Torrey is May 16-18.

[EffBee]

I have only made it to one Torrey and that was cause I just happened to be in the area. Would love to return this spring - but also want to make the Blue Ridge thing in late April - what the heck weekend is Torrey again ?

 

Ted, for future reference, Spring Torrey is always on the weekend before the Memorial Day Weekend (a full week before). This helps us avoid the Memorial weekend crowds and activities, and we have the town and roads virtually to ourselves.

 

Fall Torrey is always the last full weekend in September (should any part of the weekend fall into October, we move it back one week).

 

We're in middle cabin at the Chuckwagon. Come on by and watch Al make earplugs. There's beer in the fridge. Get there in the morning and we'll go for a ride. I've got a nice 300-miler planned just for lunch. Beautiful scenery, twisty roads, Aspens. Hope to see you there.

[edge51]

wow - I just might be able to make both. That would be a great start to the 08 riding season!

[Dennis Andress]

There is a new cell phone mast at the eastern end of town and Verizon now works I'm told as well as a couple of others that didn't before.

 

That makes me very, very, sad Bob.......

[AdventurePoser]

Now down to 10 weeks. Time to start thinking about what to take in case of hot weather and what to take in case of cold weather. At this point, they're just mental lists, but each is important.

 

 

What's to prep?

 

'Stich, credit card, cell phone, make sure tires are good and RT topped with oil. Oh yeah, better take the Gerbing just in case!

 

See you there, hopefully.

 

Steve in So Cal

[ArizonaAl]

Oh yeah, better take the Gerbing just in case!

Steve, just make sure the controller works-- no repeats from the Pahrump DVD--

[bmwdude]

There is a new cell phone mast at the eastern end of town and Verizon now works I'm told as well as a couple of others that didn't before.

 

How unfortunate. I kinda liked being out of touch from cell phone technology. I will have to restrain myself, I suppose. Is no place safe from cell towers nowadays?

[EffBee]

With only 9 weeks to go, it's time for me to get the bike's lubricants up to spec. I'm a few hundred short of the recommended oil change interval, but no mind. I'll buy the oil and filter this week, set it aside (for the last minute, probably), and see if I can't squeeze those last hundred in somewhere between now and then.

 

Next week, we start planning for new tires!