Random UNthoughts

[EffBee]

Again, kudos to Louise and Larry for an UNprecedented event (pun intended). It was great. But over 4000+ miles of getting there and getting back, things happen. Here, in no particular order, are mine. Please share yours below. Everyone who went has a story to tell.

 

Leaving at 2:30AM from SoCal is a bit crazy, but you don't have the rising sun in your face as you travel east on I-15, and you beat both the heat and traffic through Las Vegas and Mesquite (not that 90 degrees by sunrise is a cold spell).

 

Can anyone ever tire of UT-12?

 

I don't feel like I "visit" Torrey any more. It feels like Home. So I spent Night #1 there.

 

Out to Hanksville the next morning, down UT95 to Blanding and into Colorado through Monticello. CO-145 from Dolores to the turnoff for Telluride was fantastic. But I didn't go to Telluride. I went the other way. From there, it was heavy construction with red clay dust so thick I couldn't see the car in front of me at 15mph. Then, with everything caked in red dust, the traffic stopped. Now the rain came. The next act in this dark comedy was hail (thankfully for only 30 seconds). Red mud covered everything. But it kept raining as we cleared the construction as well as on CO145 going east. 60mph through the downpour helped wash the muck off the bike, leaving only a veiled layer of luster-crushing schmutz.

 

Montrose was a welcome sight, although after another 1.5 hour delay due to a terrible accident on CO550 just north of Ridgway. At least no rain. Ted Nelson's Steakhouse in Montrose is a must.

 

Next morning, I spent some quality time with the owner of Davis Service Center, the multi-line dealer in Montrose. Then I rode over to Gunnison, hit MickeyD for an Egg McSomething, and pulled out just in time to get in another construction line. This time, only 30 minutes.

 

A new 1000 V-strom and I got into it a little over Monarch Pass. Good rider. Pretty impressive bike. Of course, packed to the gills for 2 weeks on the road, we weighed in at about 350lbs. more, so just being able to stay with him was victory enough (yeah, that's it).

 

Salida, CO, has a charm all its own. What a great downtown area. Go there. Park anywhere you can and just walk it. Go in the shops. You'll want to stay at least another day.

 

Again, the hospitality at Kasa Kachadourian can't be beat. What a wonderful thing to open their home to so many, feed dozens, let us do laundry and change tires (maybe not in that order), and just sit on the deck and watch twilight slowly drip onto Salida below.

 

The group ride from Salida to Red Lodge had memorable moments. We'd just crossed out of Colorado and stopped for gas. Little two-pump station with a small wooden minimart. The lady didn't have so much as a soda machine from which we could pirate ice for our Camelbaks, but there was a glass case with two dozen handguns on display and for sale. She could probably strip and clean every one of them. Welcome to Wyoming!

 

Ran into to another of our group rides at a gas stop in Muddy Gap, WY. Everyone (sep'n me) ate heat-lamped pizza slices from a tin-shed minimart. These are Brave Men. Me? A cold Powerade and some cashews from home. Wuss.

 

Northern WY and I'm riding sweep behind Señor Hanson. Pronghorn antelope are scattered about the hillsides, a few up against the property fence, still a ways back from the highway. I catch Dave finger-shooting at the bucks. Laughed my ass off. You can take the boy out of Louisiana, but. . .

 

We saw one trooper in WY who was in a position to cite us. 90 in an 80. But he looked at all of us sitting upright, whisper-quiet bikes, and he decided we were not what he was looking for. Soon enough he'd catch the Cacophony Group with their handlebars coming out of their front axles and shirt backs flapping in the breeze.

 

Red Lodge, MT is, like Salida, a town full of great little shops, restaurants, and memorable experiences. Walk it. It's worth it.

 

Finding Leslie and Jaime Edmunds at the Un, a secret kept quiet by Whip, was one of the great joys of the trip. They're a good part of this board's history, and everyone was glad to see them. And Jaime's Grizzly Adams beard had me, and several others doing double- and triple-takes before we recognized him.

 

I left the Un Friday outbound on MT-78, which peels off north from the middle of Red Lodge. GREAT road. A true rollercoaster ride. If you get the chance, buckle up and buckle down.

 

I love Montana's highway speed limits. And most drivers are very courteous. There isn't even much speeding. The posted 80 seems to be about where everyone is happy and feels safe. Even the 10 mile section of single-lane construction on I-90 was detuned to only 60mph. In CA, they'd choke it down to 25. In CA, they probably should.

 

Got over the top of Yellowstone and around to the west side. Rode 191 south out of Bozeman. It dipped into the park a little bit, where the road siamesed the flowing Gallatin River for 40 miles. On the left. Over to the right. Bridge, bridge, bridge, peek-a-boo, "over here now." Heavenly. And very light traffic.

 

Into the town of West Yellowstone, ID and cut hard west on ID20. The first 5 miles out of there have the absolute slipperiest tar snakes in the world. Third gear in a straight line and I thought I'd lost my clutch as the engine revved but there was no further acceleration. Tar snake. Another time there were tar snakes on uneven pavement cracks, with one tarred and ridged crack taking my front wheel to the left and my rear to the right. Powersliding in a straight line. Puckering. Even more so as the ridged crack split farther apart. I was channeling Jay Springsteen on the Louisville Mile. Unwillingly. And with not that much success. Or style. The LookyLou tourists in their RentaBago's had no idea what I was doing 15 degrees sideways on the road and stared dumbfounded. They'd felt nothing.

 

Also bless ID and their interstate speed limit wisdom. 80 in the open, 75 when inhabited, all the way down to Rigby, where I spent the night. There the motel was broken. Nothing worked. Mini fridge was unplugged with a sign on it. The electrical faceplates were all broken and left lying on the carpet. The phone cord was disconnected at both ends. I knew it was a cheap night when I booked it. And yet, the A/C worked and it had one of the most comfortable motel beds I've slept on in a while. Fell asleep at 8PM. Woke and was out of there by 4. In the dark. Uh-oh. Deer? Elk? Moose? 80mph didn't quite seem so prudent until the sun came up. And then, the 65-degree temps dropped. I was traveling south and had anticipated increasing warmth. But there was a mountain range between there and Pocatello. It got quite chilly. The Gerbing's came out, just for 30 miles, but oh, so warm. Shut them off but kept them on through the sprawling burbs that continue to mushroom north of Salt Lake City.

 

As I slipped through SLC proper on a relatively quiet Saturday morning I noticed there wasn't quite as much construction as I remember from a few years ago. I got to Spanish Fork and vectored east on UT6, then south on 89 to Fairview, over Huntington Canyon (UT31 - - - a racetrack, I swear) and gingerly down UT10 (Sheriff's haven) to Sweeper Madness (UT72) T-ing into UT24 and left to Torrey for the night (second time). The northern third of Sweeper Madness is rich with tar snakes. Not as slippery as those in Idaho (not by a long shot), but once they're warm, they ooze more than just a bit. If you're going to Fall Torrey, ride SM before 10AM, 11 if it's cool and overcast. The grip is much better. At least the front half of 72, from about 2 miles north of Mt. Gleno, is good with no tar snakes over a beautiful 5 miles of twisties near the top, with just a few slippies on the cooldown section before Fremont. You can have fun.

 

Had dinner with the Chuckwagon's manager, Michelle, and her husband Joe. The place is running better than ever. Jamie's settled into his overall management role after Randy's passing. Mike, who runs the General Store, is getting a regional grocer award for the way he's managing the place (apparently it's quite a prestigious award). Everyone's pulling in the same direction. Also had a nice chat with Jamie the next morning. He's got his eye on the future, and some improvements and possible expansions. But he's moving cautiously, quietly weight all options, like Randy would. The right guy is in charge.

 

I wanted to leave Torrey early (7:30) and get down through the furnace of St. George, the Virgin River Gorge, and into my $27 (yes! and spartan clean!) air-conditioned room in Mesquite's Virgin River Hotel and Casino before the temp hit 110. But the most recent forecast now only called for about 100 degrees, and I can weather that (npi) for a bit longer. So I abandoned the blast over UT20 to get to I-15, and instead arched over UT12, but with a calm approach to its wonderful and familiar squiggles. And it paid off. Early morning deer and a few open range cows poached onto the road in a few places, but skeedaddled when I approached, and I enjoyed rolling easily through the curves rather than attacking them. Before I knew it I was doing the same thing on UT14, eating lunch in Cedar City, and was in Mesquite well before I would have melted. A dip in the pool, a nap, then around 6pm I had the $7 Prime Rib at the casino and (rare for me) a beer. I was ready for bed by 9.

 

The next morning, a 4AM departure found me shadowed by a thunderstorm 20 miles to the east that lit up the sky for 3 full seconds at a time. There was a low ceiling, so the lightning itself wasn't definable, but the location was, and there was plenty of it in long clumps. By 5AM, Vegas was in sight, the sky was hinting morning, the storm further east, and I passed through Sin City along with an amazing number of cars for that early. Even on a Monday.

 

Riding across I-15 back to SoCal was relatively uneventful, although the brightness of the sun in my mirrors confirmed the wisdom of my original post-midnight departure. I stopped for breakfast in order to allow the last of the morning commuters, who dive-bomb down I-15 from the high desert into San Bernardino, to finish their sorties. If you've ever tried to ride a motorcycle amid this angry swarm, you know. I finally rolled into my driveway around 9:30, happy to be home, but for a moment misty eyed. Sigh. It was over.

[Bill_Walker]

Well written, sir!

[EffBee]

Thank you, Bill. Everyone who traveled any distance to Red Lodge has stories to tell. They sure did once we got there (remember that wonderful Clampetts tale from a few years back). Weather. Traffic. Battling blue-hairs in pickup trucks and mouth breathers slowing to shave thousandths off their Japanese unibodies at every railroad crossing. There's as much adventure on the road as there is at the destination. I wanted to share mine and hope others will do the same.

[realshelby]

My first Un. Decided to go to WhipFest in Salida just because it was sort of on the way. And to see Whip and Mrs Whip and the others! Rather than take the shorter, Google suggested route through the Texas Panhandle area I decided to run I-10 West from Houston to Fort Stockton, then up 285. With 75 and 80 mph speed limits on I-10 I figured I could make up the 100 miles this route added! At speeds a bit over the 80 mph posting ( think just over 5000 rpm in 6th) with a full load the RT eats gas! My fuel light came on once at 186 miles. 34 mpg for two tanks in a row. Garmin V said I was averaging 79 mph over the first 465 miles.......Up 285 toward New Mexico. If you want to know where all the oil in Texas comes from, just drive 285! Heavy traffic into New Mexico. Then road construction. By then it was over 100 degrees and I was STOPPED in traffic once for about 30 minutes. I would have had to pull off and take off my gear without my cooling system. Finally made it to Santa Rosa, New Mexico for the night. 865 miles. Left early for WhipFest and took a bit more leisurely pace. Very beautiful ride. There had been some rain in the area around Salida and I forded the river to get to Whips house. And I mean forded as it was easily 30 feet across at that time. Who needs a GS? Enjoyed meeting everyone there. Back to motel. Next morning decided to ride to Silverton. That is a beautiful ride and area to see. 400 miles, that day one tank was 57 mpg, the other 53 mpg. It was too late to go to WhipFest on Saturday as I was leaving early Sunday for Red Lodge. Low beam is out! Once I figured out what the warning light was for, I headed out. Daylight by then and I have auxiliary visibility lighting....Mrs. realshelby is flying in to Billings on Monday so I want to be checked in at the Unrally resort and settled when she arrives in rental car. That was a LONG day! Several miles of gravel road where they are upgrading the main road. Then 42 degree rain through Leadville and Copper mountain. More road construction. Gooing up route 310 I am going slower. Trying to get there on this tank of fuel without another stop. Cruising about 75. See some bike lights in mirror closing fast. Coming to a hill, I ride on the white line and signal them to go by. Black K RS pulls beside me and gives me a thumbs up! RT right behind him. Well, that woke me up and I set in behind them. Let us just say that we went for MILES with my RT at just over 6000 rpm in 6th gear! They peeled off in Cody and I went on. Yes, I had to stop again for gas! Get there about 7:30 and all is good. Box I shipped with her riding gear and fishing gear is waiting in room. We had a great getaway at the UN! Exactly what my wife needed and I got to ride to my content. We left the Rock Creek resort just before checkout Friday. We had a room in Billings, had to wait for a room to be ready as it is a short drive over to Billings from Red Lodge. Mrs. realshelby had an early flight from there, while she got ready for that I packed the bike. We left about 4am. I rode I-90 while waiting for the sun to rise. Cold, stopped to put on my jacket. Wish I could have seen more of that territory, it is what you expect to see "out West". Got to I-25 and kept up a head of steam headed south. Denver. What a mess! This is Saturday afternoon and I cannot imagine why traffic is stopped on I-25? Horrible traffic, stop and go almost all the way to Colorado Springs. Which is where I promised my wife I would stop for the night, making the return a 3 day trip. I will go just a bit more.....Stopped in Raton, New Mexico for the night. Just under 800 miles. Left about 7am ( needed the rest) and got on route 87. What a beautiful area! Cool and crisp, I enjoyed that route and the views. Finally got to Amarillo, Texas and onto route 287. Heat and wind. Fierce cross winds are standard here. By early afternoon temps over 100. Up to 105 for a bit. Cooling suit in full capacity. But, I was comfortable even in the wind with the RT. Tap the "Go HOME" button on the Garmin. Hmmm..10:30 arrival. Maybe I will just keep going? Made it home just after 11 pm Sunday. 1626 miles over the two days. Worn out and sad that I wasn't getting on the bike in the morning. What a great adventure. Thanks to those that helped with the event.

[TEWKS]

I have but three thoughts on my half UN experience. (with a couple pics tossed in for fluff purposes :-))

 

The BBQ at Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City Missouri is still outstanding!

 

The state of Kansas is really, really BIG!

 

And, I'm ready to go back to Colorado tomorrow!

 

Pat

 

 

 

[DaveCinNO]

Nice trip log. I was on the RT following the KRS that passed you in Wy and would like to see your cooling gear if you make it to FART...and use it on that trip. S La and Tx are brutal in the summer.

[realshelby]

Cannot make Fart! ( sounds like a medical issue ). Previous plans with wife. But, I do plan to do a review of the cooling system here after I get caught up in the shop.....

[DaveCinNO]

Got it. What brand is it?

[ltljohn]

Random Un Thoughts:

Seven days round trip in the car with the family, well that was grueling. A flat tire on the trailer. I was almost prepared, I had a spare, lug wrench, Jack....*%^$# Jack from car will not work on the trailer. A call to my roadside assistance got the tire changed, side trip to wally world to get the tire fixed and buy a jack = 3 hour delay. Key for the trailer ramp door padlock broke off in the lock, lock will not open...Fortunately I was at a relatives house in the Chicago burbs and I bought a cheap angle grinder from Harbor Freight, problem solved. Arrival at the UN, great to see old friends and make new ones, awesome riding. Spent a day going to Yellowstone freaked out my wife going over Beartooth Pass. Seeing my 11yr old watching the prairie, badlands, mountains, bison, elk, hot springs and Old Faithful......PRICELESS!

It was a long haul but well worth it. Many thanks again to Whip and Louise and all involved for putting together such a wonderful week. I may not make it west again but these memories will be with me forever. Looking forward the next UN wherever it may be.

Ride well,

John

[greiffster]

greiffster's UnStory:

 

After the announcement was made for Red Lodge, I was in. I was going to find a way to make it to Montana. So, I told Nicol my intention and that’s when things got complicated. “Let’s take the kids” (we have three at UT Knoxville aged 18, 19, 20). They thought it’d be fun, but no way in heck they were driving.

 

So about April we finalized the plan. I’ll find a trailer. Nicol and I head out on Friday morning, pulling the RT behind the Mountaineer (aka Carlos). We meet up with the kids in Denver (we found them some cheap Frontier flights). And then Clark Griswold it up to Red Lodge for the UN, following the route many took up from Whip’s. I figure I’d probably unload the bike in Denver and ride from there while everyone else followed in Carlos. On the way home, we’d probably leave out of Red Lodge a day early (Thursday) and hit Yellowstone and the Tetons before dumping the kids on Saturday at DIA for their return flight to BNA. Sounds like a plan, a combo road trip family vacation with some riding in the mountains.

 

About 8 weeks ago I was able to find a used Kendon Single Stand Up trailer in Evansville, IN about two hours north of Clarksville. It was in great shape, hardly used. The original tires were 12 years old, but couldn’t have had 1000 miles on them. They were still partially furry on the edges. I hated to ditch the tires that looked almost new, but I wasn’t going to chance 4K miles on 12 y.o. rubber. So, I mounted some new radials, pumped the buddies up with grease and the trailer was ready to go.

 

Nicol and I left about noon on Friday, somewhat according to plan. I actually got out of work at a decent time before a vacation. Go figure, that doesn’t usually happen. The route was simple: I24 to I57 in Marion, to I64 St. Louis. Pick up I70 near the Arch and head west hoping we don’t kill each other from boredom before reaching Denver.

 

We made it to the east side of Kansas City before calling it a night. Very uneventful as it turned out even though I was nervous pulling the RT on a new to me, used trailer. But it pulled flawlessly and I barely new it was back there. Here’s a pic of Patrick, our hula dancer from Kauai. He’s stuck on the dashboard of Carlos and never stops dancing, even with perfectly balanced tires. Never.

 

 

We had trouble finding a room in Kansas City or anywhere near as there was a big soccer tournament in town as well as a Royals game Friday evening. Oops. Every motel/hotel chain we called was booked. We found a room at the Travel Lodge in Concordia. Nicol would probably disagree, but it wasn’t that bad.

 

Saturday, we hit the road about 7:30. The plan was to meet up with the kids about 4:00pm at the Springhill Suites Denver Airport. The trek across Kanas and eastern Colorado made me realize that trailering was a good idea. The wind blew about 15mph from the south the entire time making for an annoying crosswind at a ridiculous 98 degrees. The whole country was enjoying the crazy heat wave that weekend. The kid’s flight went as planned. However, they did complain that Frontier charges for a Coke and their Airbus A319 was a P.O.S. Interestingly, Trevor (the oldest) was busted by TSA for a having a bottle of water in his backpack going through security. They made him ditch that. Kelsey (the youngest) skated right through with a forgotten pocket knife she’s had forever in her backpack. That’s comforting.

 

We got into Denver about the time the kids checked into the hotel so the stars were aligning. I unloaded the bike and checked the air in the tires. Originally, I thought we’d just pull the trailer, unloaded, up to Red Lodge. But, the manager at the Spring Hill Suites didn’t have a problem with me leaving it there, chained to a tree, at the far corner of the parking lot. It was nice not having to drag it around and I figured on better than even odds it would be there when we got back the following Friday. We had dinner at Pizzeria Uno. It's hard to find good pizza in Tennessee, so when we find something "close" to Chicago style, we stop.

 

Sunday’s plan was to start with a quick tour of the Coor’s Brewery in Golden. Maybe a couple samples and some t-shirts. Apparently, the cool kids around campus are strolling around in retro style beer t-shirts. Here’s a shot from the tour.

 

 

We didn’t get out of there until about 4:00pm. The tours didn’t start until noon on Sunday and we were a little late getting there as I roamed Home Depot looking for a cable to chain the trailer up. As a result, we didn’t make it very far north on Sunday, stopping at the Fairfield in Rawlins, WY. Here's a few shots as we crossed the border into Wyoming on CO-125. The sun was getting low in the sky and we stopped for about 15 minutes and were passed by zero cars in either direction.

 

 

Here is a shot of Riley as he runs from Wyoming back to Colorado down the centerline.

 

 

 

Monday's trek to Red Lodge went through Jeffery City, Riverton, and Thermopolis where we had lunch at the Cafe and then a quick stop at Hot Springs State Park. When we got to Cody it was time to decide on the route into Red Lodge. Continue on WY120 or hang a left at Chief Joseph. Yeah, not much of a decision. Kelsey decided it was time for a ride. In fact, her first on a motorcycle. Talk about peaking early. Chief Joseph and Beartooth. Does it get any better? Here's a couple shots as she mounted up in Cody and somewhere on Beartooth.

 

 

Our final stop before getting into Red Lodge was at the Custer National Forest sign at the border of Montana.

 

 

We spent three nights in Red Lodge. Originally, I was lucky enough to book the last room at Rock Creek. But, with the kids tagging along that really wasn't going to work out. So, we found a townhouse to rent at the north end of town about 5 miles up the road from the resort.

 

Despite not staying there, the resort was fantastic. Huge thanks to Larry and Louise for organizing such a great event. It was fun seeing some of the east coasters as well as putting the names to the faces from those on the other side. Special thanks to Heck and Mrs. Heck for letting the Greiff brood take over their dinner table.

 

We headed out early Thursday morning after three days visiting Red Lodge, hiking, riding, and some relaxing. The plan was to head back over the pass and make a run through Yellowstone and the Tetons and end up in Rock Springs for the night. Kelsey decided to ride with me again over the mountains. This time we stopped at the top and climbed to the peak. Here is her at the top.

 

 

We saw a sign in Yellowstone that warned of the dangers trying to take selfies with wildlife. That's basically a challenge to three kids in college. Here is Kelsey's successful shot of her and a bison as she hung out the window of Carlos.

 

 

Wow, was Old Faithful crowded! Worth seeing, but when I was there in the mid 80s, it was much nicer. Finally, a shot of us at the south entrance to Yellowstone.

 

 

We managed to make it to Rock Springs just as the sun was going down. It was about 10 miles north of there that I noticed my headlight was out. It had to have gone out in that last few hours of riding. I had a spare in the glove box, but I just rode the high beam on into the hotel. Friday morning I went out to the parking lot to change the bulb. Of course I had to do the hand/wrist contortion thing to release the little springs. You guys know what I'm talking about.

 

Nicol and the kids decided to take Carlos and slab it back to Denver on I80 and I25. We were about 12 hours on the road the day before and they had enough I left out a little earlier and took US191 through the Flaming Gorge (gorgeous) and Vernal. I was too close to Utah to pass up the chance. Then it was east on CO40 before heading south into Steamboat Springs. I continued on to Kremmling and then took CO9 back to I70. Slabbed it back through Denver and met the family at the airport hotel. It was a nice day.

 

Saturday the kids took the early shuttle to DIA to get on their 8:30 flight. They were happy to report a nicer plane for the return flight. Nicol and I loaded the bike on the trailer which was still chained to the tree and appeared completely unmolested. We finally headed out about 10:00am.

 

We peeled off I70 near Colby, Kansas to take KS24 instead. Somewhere outside of Osborne, KS, Nicol took this video of Patrick. We laughed like hyenas. Kansas had made us delirious.

 

Patrick the hula monkey

 

KS24 took us right through Cawker City and the world's largest ball of twine. It's big.

 

 

We spent Saturday night south of Kansas City before the final drive home to Tennessee.

 

It was a busy, but fantastic week. It's the kind of vacation that I had enjoyed with my family as a kid. But, as busy with sports as the kids were, we just really didn't have, or make, the time. Everybody should road trip (or sort of) with the family before the kids get too old. The UnRally is really what sparked this trip. Thanks everyone. We're looking forward to the next one.

 

[EffBee]

Thanks, Mike. Quite the logistical endeavor for the Greiff family. But you were organized, pulled it off and have memories for a lifetime. It was great to see you and Nicol again, and to meet the young'uns.

 

Next Un will be a bit closer, I'm sure.

[TyTass]

Wow Mike, That's quite a trip. An excellent story of how to make an UnRally become a family vacation.

[TyTass]

Love it, Nando! Wish I could have made it.

[Endobob]

 

 

Mike - Nice trip report! I really like this picture of your family.

 

It was nice to meet your family and so many other Board member's families and significant others at this year's UN.

[Indy Dave]

I just stumbled onto this thread this morning and was captivated. Thanks one and all for taking the time to share and highlight your trip(s). Hoping to make the Spring Torrey and this only adds fuel to the flame. Taking notes. Thinking that Yellowstone might be enough to entice Mrs WTA to make the trek.