Matts_12GS Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 It all seems to go back to June of 09 when I tried to catch up with LawnChairBoy A.K.A Uncle Jed while in Tidewater buying my (A.K.A Jethro) GS. We didn't make it. So, we tried again at New Years while we were visiting friends. We didn't make it. So, in January while helping a friend pack up to deploy to Afghanistan we tried a third time. Drinks were had. Lots of German food. Philosophy and scotch were discussed and the Torrey seed planted. It went like this... "Dude, you need to come to Torrey with me" "Dude, I don't have 3 weeks to ride out there and back" "Dude, don't be such a $%@%^@$%@$%@ %^#^&$^$ (recording is garbled here, seems scotch spilled on the recorder and all there is are licking sounds) About 4 weeks later as I sat quietly at work one day I get a text... "Dude, meet me for a drink, I'm in town tonight only..." I rode down. We had beers. The hook was tested: "Dude, meet me along the way and we can trailer to Torrey" "Dude, I don't know if I can take that much time" "Dude, you NEED to come with me..." We agreed, that I would indeed accompany and that we'd meet in Nashville on our way to the I70 corridor. I said, "I wonder if we can meet at Shannon's (A.K.A. ShannieMae) house? Wouldn't that be something if she wanted to go too?" "No, that'd be @$%@$@% EPIC...! We better lean on her about this at BRR." Nonetheless, we leaned, it worked and on Saturday May 15th the Clampetts loaded up for Torrey. Uncle Jed surveyed the "rig" the rainy Sunday morning we took off for parts west: Next stop: I70... Link to comment
David Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 It's a Ford, so I'm guessing that at some point you had to abandon the vehicle and ride your bikes the rest of the way? Sorry for the spoiler. Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 and then...? We're working on Part II, "Enter the Snuggie!" but those pictures exist on someone else's SD card... Patience grasshopper. Link to comment
BeniciaRT_GT Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 and then...? We're working on Part II, "Enter the Snuggie!" but those pictures exist on someone else's SD card... Patience grasshopper. Well here is a teaser: Link to comment
eddd Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I'll just snuggle up in front of the tv watching infomercial and wait for part 2. Link to comment
Huzband Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Uncle Jed's Dodge moved faster than this here tale. It does look like the cement pond was gettin' a good refill when y'all left out though. Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 Uncle Jed's Dodge moved faster than this here tale. That's because it was an Oldsmobile Link to comment
TyTass Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I've left ... I'm home now, so you don't have to keep me entertained anymore so get on with the story! Link to comment
eddd Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 He's telling the story in real time. Link to comment
Twisties Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 He's telling the story in real time. ...and he's on dial-up! Link to comment
Lone_RT_rider Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 and then...? No and then? Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 It's all on Shannie Mae now, her camera has all those pictures... Link to comment
Lone_RT_rider Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 It's all on Shannie Mae now, her camera has all those pictures... Ut oh.... take a valium and grab the shine, were in for a long wait folks. *he ducks* Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 Ok, So.... Those of you who read the build up thread or were at BRR know that there were rules on this trip. Those societal norms were to be the glue that held this trip together and kept us from offing each other in the night and lobbing the bodies into a canyon some place. We also decided that as a rough order for driving, more or less we rotated the driver and navigator at each gas stop. Drive, navigate, nap, drive. That way the person just waking up has no clue to conditions/location or impending weather. It works... Really. Leading off, since it was his truck and trailer Uncle Jed led us into the rain. We had a cooler of bottled water and diet coke, some healthy snacks and even the makings of a good and healthy energy lunch designed to keep us out of fast food joints as well as help us power through the night so we could make Ouray in a single day of driving. Halfway through the first tank of gas we're someplace in KY at a McDonald's... I think there was a missed turn early on and we were trying to get to the wrong connector back to our regular path. ... Link to comment
TN_R_Girl Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Awright already!!! Here ... some of us had to get back to the real world for awhile Well, I-70 would be the next stop ... eventually. But first I had to make sure that rig was loaded properly 'cause goodness knows Uncle Jed and Jethro sure didn't So, I filled a small cooler with snacks (bananas, nutty bars, beef jerky etc) but more important was I grabbed my favorite pillow and .... THE SNUGGIE!!!! Once Chris got settled in with the snuggie, I took over driving, in this mess: After several hours, I was very happy to hand the driving over to Jethro at about Kansas City so someone else had to do the drive across Kansas Link to comment
lawnchairboy Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 I believe I took it in Kansas as night closed in.... I-70: Kansas. Is there anything else really necessary to describe? We headed off to the south around Oakley, KS enroute to Co Springs via KS40 and CO94. It had gotten very late, sleeping noises and random gaseous emissions were commencing without warning from Jethro in the front seat while Shannie Mae got her beauty rest in the back seat safely wrapped up and snuggilicious. Around midnight or so, at some point after crossing into CO, we hit the absolute worst pea soup fog I have ever seen, that includes while at sea. Visibility was around 50feet and I was forced to a very slow crawl for a couple of hours, found a place to pull off once but the bear next to me in the front of the cab was sawing the lumber so I said screw it and kept moving at about 30mph. Around 3 am or so, I threw up the while flag and poured an ice cold red bull down the front of jethro's drawers...(not really) and he took the reins. After this, I remember snatching little 20 minute naps in the front while Shannie Mae continued her beauty rest in the snuggi burrito. It was shortly after this, 4-5AM that we were coming down 94, which is long and straight and you can see the lights of CO springs for a good ways as you come in. There were several instances of very little apparent gravity in the truck, one of which jolted me from a micro nap... I asked in jethro was OK, all I got was "critter". The gravity got turned off a couple of more times as we progressed, much as a meteor, down from the high ground and into CO springs, where the gas station hunt commenced, again. Shannon was apparently beautiful enough at this point to take the wheel again and gratefully, the next time I woke up, around 9AM, we were to the west of Pueblo on 50 running by the water...... ....... Who's next? Link to comment
eddd Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 That's it????!!!! We waited for days for this?? Real world activities can wait. We demand more. Link to comment
lawnchairboy Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 good things come to those who wait, transporter of incompetent dirt riders.... Shannie-Mae did keep the men-folk from becoming thirsty by using the redneck, rear bed cooler access port from time to time.... it was that, or there was inappropriate GS lust going on back there, I was scared to look. Link to comment
TN_R_Girl Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 I'll never tell!! Here's a shot of Jethro before strange noises began getting emitted: And yes, I did need the beauty rest, but seriously who can pass up a chance to be a snuggie burrito??? Link to comment
TN_R_Girl Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 And now ... for a preview of "Day 2" But I'll let Uncle Jed or Jethro get that going ... Link to comment
gottabmw Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Well here is a teaser: I invented the Snuggie (of course I didn't have a name for it) 25 years ago but my family thought I was nuts, so I never followed up on it. Oh the opportunities missed! Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 Day 2 found us leaving Pueblo heading toward Montrose and getting our first real glimpses of CO scenery. If saw any of our posts on facebook along the way, you know our opinions of Colorado. Up and over Monarch pass, past the reservoir near Gunnison and then into Montrose heading for Ouray we pushed on Finally making it to Ouray and getting settled into the campground we decided that this might be a good rest and relax day instead of a riding day. We'd spent 26 hours only inches apart and between my snoring, Jed's gaseousness and Shannie-Mae's hogging of the snuggie it would be a good day to do nothing. So we did. We unpacked the bikes and sorted our gear for riding the next day, we got some food up in Ridgeway and decided to have some drinks and cook dinner at the campground. It was idyllic, great friends good chow and wonderful surroundings. We never expected what would await us on Day 3!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment
Whip Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Nice!!!! Which camp ground/cabin is that???? Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 Nice!!!! Which camp ground/cabin is that???? KOA in between Ouray and Ridgeway. Bring your own linens and you're good to go! Get the space heater in the early season, DAMHIK Link to comment
eddd Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Nice!!!! Which camp ground/cabin is that???? ...Get the space heater in the early season, DAMHIK Wasn't the Snuggie big enoungh for everyone? Link to comment
Kathy R Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Nice!!!! Which camp ground/cabin is that???? ...Get the space heater in the early season, DAMHIK Wasn't the Snuggie big enoungh for everyone? The whole point of a manufactured Snuggle is that you no longer need to. Link to comment
OoPEZoO Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Day 2 found us leaving Pueblo heading toward Montrose and getting our first real glimpses of CO scenery. If saw any of our posts on facebook along the way, you know our opinions of Colorado. I believe the quote was "Colorado doesn't suck!" Link to comment
lawnchairboy Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 after Matt got a message from the mother ship... we were well rested and ready to see some of SW CO. Having been through the area before it was very enjoyable to take Matt and Shannie-mae up from Ridgeway on 50, into Montrose and then to turn east heading back to Gunnison and the canyon. It was great, very little to no traffic and gorgeous as always. shannon is still figuring out the new camera with the fancy automatic timer... then Matt decides he has had enough of my S^%$ for this trip and makes like I'm gonna be swimming the canyon. the weather was terrible All in all, Colorado did not suck that day. We RTB'd back to the KOA and roughed it appropriately and cranked on the space heater Link to comment
TN_R_Girl Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 I feel the need to add a few pics to this day to explain why societal norms were in danger at this point: This was really about the time I began wondering "WTF was I thinking?!?" Link to comment
TN_R_Girl Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 What Uncle Jed didn't mention, is that we got back to the campground and thought we might try to take a run up to Telluride, but ended up in pouring rain and then sleet about 12 miles outside of Ridgeway. Wisely we turned around and headed back to that wine Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted June 6, 2010 Author Share Posted June 6, 2010 Man, that was a great day, even more so after the demon of pork loins past tried to derail it!!!!!!!!! This chart reminds me of our conversations on the trip... But then again, Day 3 had nothing on Day 4! Link to comment
eddd Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Some liquored up southern boys... Now how could that possibly go wrong?? Link to comment
TEWKS Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 This was really about the time I began wondering "WTF was I thinking?!?" Now that's a riot! I've had a few of those moments myself. Great story! Pat Link to comment
Bullett Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Some liquored up southern boys... Now how could that possibly go wrong?? I'm hearing strains from Dueling Banjos, just about now. . . Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted June 6, 2010 Author Share Posted June 6, 2010 Riding (CO/US????)92 up throuhg the Gunnison Gorge was one of the prettiest parts of the trip. Weather was unbelievable, traffic non-existent and conditions were favorable for "sighthooning." We stopped in a couple places, including the Pioneer Point Overlook, thanks again to Uncle Jed for pointing out that I had blowed right on past it on the road... We got the rain/sleet/snow heading back out toward Telluride on 62 from Ridgeway and that was when we decided it was wine:30. All in all a tremendous day for team Clampett! Link to comment
Whip Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Funny it snowed on FlyinGreg, Louise, and me last year on 92. One of the great roads. L Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 Up and out early Chris and I make it to Ridgeway for coffee and we find... This... From the picture it's hard to tell if the bran muffin started to work or if something else is wrong... Rousting Shannie-Mae we head off to get geared up and rolling so we can cover a lot of ground today. Heading up highway 62 we break out onto highway 141 to 90 to 491 heading southwest. On 491 I look up and Chris is gone, rolling over the horizon, apparently a victim of the acceleration flu. Gripping the loud handle and putting it on the stops we chase after him. We make a quick pit stop and come out to find that Uncle Jed has been replaced with the Java Monster! Heading on up the road, we decide not to hit the Four Corners and instead go straight on up to Durango, do some shopping and hit the Million Dollar Highway heading back to Ouray. Weather is great, warm in town but a little chilly up the mountain. Skies are clear, not a lot traffic and we have the road ahead! Climbing and climbing until we get close to Silverton where we pull off into the Molas Pass overlook. Even a gratuitous group picture: It was simply gorgeous up there on the mountain. And the hi-viz Abominable O-man came into view! Wind and weather had been factors all day as we rode east into Cortez and later Durango. It finally started looking like it was getting close so we put some leather to the horses and decided to make some hay while the sun was shining. The metaphor police were on low alert that day! Past Silverton we're on the home stretch back to the cabin when we decided to try and check out an overlook over an old mine operation. It had a decent amount of snow blocking the path so we didn't go on up there in name of safety... Back onward, loving the ride on the million dollar highway when we got back into Ouray. Right there in the middle of the street was a huge doe that I think was contemplating eating Chris' sunglasses as she sauntered across 550. Big as an RT, completely unconcerned about anyone else being there. There're more pictures, I'll let the others add them. Link to comment
Heck Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Glad to see at least one of you'se has a great taste in Scotch....... Link to comment
Whip Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Nice!!!! BTW...you were early. Ouray V is in August. Link to comment
Albert Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Man, that was a great day, even more so after the demon of pork loins past tried to derail it!!!!!!!!! This chart reminds me of our conversations on the trip... But then again, Day 3 had nothing on Day 4! You mean minus the red part right? Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.