2015 Adventure Riding on the TW....Kane Creek Canyon Road...part #5

...continued....

Down Goes Betty:

While I had my second lay down of the week, when my 2014 TW went sliding almost over the gorge{only a 10 or 12 foot drop, but jagged rock it was}...after the bike was righted, mainly by Borneo, we waited for Fred and his "Betty Boop" to come riding back to check on us....after a few minutes, we could hear Betty....and even to the untrained mechanic's ears, something didn't seem right:

Betty it turns out had broken something in her engine and she has lost most of her oil.....and none of us was carrying any extra...."Sheet"...

The original thought was for Fred to borrow Kurt's or my ride and head back into town and get some extra oil....that problem was resolved when a family riding two expensive Quads came into view, and being the friendly and well equipped folks they were, just happen to have extra....

Despite my dislike of crowds....I am glad these fine folks stopped by our sorry trio when they did....

The oil was what was needed for Betty, so we ended out ride to the top and headed back the way we came....much less a problem heading back down the Kane, little less traffic, and no blocking vehicles..

The trip back was much more relaxing...Fred on Betty rode on ahead before she ran out of oil....

Once back into town, Borneo and PRH stopped at one of the indoor/outdoor pubs and grabbed a bite to eat with a couple of locally brewed craft beers....nothing better than a quality beer, after a somewhat stressful ride in perfect weather and conditions....did I mention we would have nearly perfect weather the entire 8 day stay? 

Fred parked near our KOA Cabin, and hooked up with Paul{Zdiver} from Arizona...parking his van at that site, and settling down to work on the wounded "Betty Boop"

I think I decided to  pop open  a couple more craft beer "Longnecks" my riding was done for the day....but once again, just like the day before...I was bruised, but more than happy with what I had done...

Done riding but not done visiting.....we as a KOA group headed for the North Camp to break some bread with the 2 dozen or so of the campers there....

Mel's Ride is Next....

back later>>>>>

Part #4 2015 The Year of the Yamaha TW200 Adventure Rides{photos and story}

.....continued....

After the ride on the Potash and to the top of the "Island in the Sky" I finally figured out I was back in the saddle as far as Motorcycling....41 years after my first bike, this trip the day before was like something I had never done on two wheels...even in the handful of MotoX Races I had participated{poorly but I finished all but one} back in the Mid 1970s, when I was a young Hell raiser in my middle 20s....

The next day, just three of us, Borneo, Me, and Fred the real Hell Raising Old Fart{not as old as me however} from the Nevada/California border town of Verdi, would lead the way....out Kane Creek Canyon road high into the desert mountains above Canyonlands....a couple of "Issues" would see that we did not make it to the top{although those two and a handful of others would the next day}...

Riding into Kane Creek Canyon...

First off{damn me for not getting more photos}, after reaching what I thought was the "summit" of the ride...Fred yells, "Let's Go" and heads off down and around a rocky ledge...which turns out some portions, where vehicles, including trailers and pickup trucks, were traveling the other way...were 6 feet or less wide.  For someone not thrilled about heights, this was a heart pounding BP rising trail, but what the Hell?  I followed along...the most hairy part being a thin ledge where a young guy in a pickup, hauling a haul trailer, was coming the other way...Fred sped by him with no problem, I stopped, Borneo then followed Fred, just inches from the edge of the trailer and inches from the drop off on the right, which, let's say was a few hundred feet down the mountain...I finally said "F_ It" put the TW into gear, and it jumped towards the edge...I hit the front brake, then turned left and told the young man in the truck, "Don't Move that Thing"....and I rode by, not look at the trailer or edge of the earth....I made it and on we went....

The Overlook, I thought this was the end of the ride up....Wrong!

I had promised myself not to do anything like that, given my festering fear of heights...but once done, I was ready to roll onward and upwards....

The next issue was me, riding in the middle of the threesome{being the lest experience rider of the 3}...heading up a patch where I hit red sand, then flat rock, and quickly back to the sand....losing control of my front wheel the bike and rider{me} headed for the next cliff, not as far down{only 10 feet or so} but straight into some nasty looking jagged rocks, if I didn't do something...I did, and pulled the tire and handlebars to the left, the bike slid towards the edge and laid on top of my right knee...the back knobby fat tire and wheel hung over the edge....

Saved Again....

Borneo came up from behind, quickly dismounted and pulled the bike from the edge...as a weight lifter I was impressed with his quick response, and must a bit more than disappointed in my weak response and ability to lift the 300 pound bike...

"Damn Getting Old Sucks"

But Kane Creek Canyon is something else.....

Well Borneo saved my bacon, and while we stood there thinking about our next move, we could hear Fred and his "Betty Boop" coming back looking for us....They found us, but Fred and "Betty" had their own set of problems to deal with....

That part of the story next!

back later>>>>

2015..Year of the TW Motorcycle Adventure Rides...{in photos part #3}

continued....

So after a full year of owning the Yamaha TW200 and putting about 600 miles on it, we were set to begin a 5 month session of logging another 2400 miles, a full 4 times the miles I had ridden in the previous year....it all began as we trailered four different year TWs behind Borneo's Toyota Truck and headed west some 1600 miles across the plains and  Rocky Mountains....

From rural Auburn, Indiana, we headed south down I-69 through Indy, then on to I-70 where we would continue through to Utah, not getting off the 70 till we jogged south to Moab....we spent the first night in Western Kansas....arriving at the KOA south of Moab mid afternoon ...

 Perfect Weather, more or less would greet us
and would remain for the next week....

Good thing to, with 4 of us cramped into this cabin, me out front and the other 3 in bunks...showers and toilets were a few yards away, good thing to, not sure what that cabin would smell like with a john in with us four snoring, farting guys....? 

Our TW Forum Buddy Paul{Z-Diver}would be a cabin away....

The First Day {or was it day #2, gotta start keeping a running diary for these future rides} we headed to the "North Camp" where most of the "Dirty 30" were staying...sadly, the original planner of the trip "Ron from Boise" would become Ill and head back to Idaho, before we could meet him{he would pass away less than a month later}

Crazy as we were, Nick and I, totally unprepared for Sand Riding, headed out with others....and that first day didn't end well for either of us....making me wonder to myself "What the Hell did I get myself into"?

Now that I remember, that was Day 2 at Moab...after a night in town downing a few craft beers, things would improve, at least for a day....riding wise>  left to right Sherman{Weasel} Nick, Paul{ZDiver} and Borneo....did I mention I hate sand riding?

Riding the Potash .....3/22/2015

Probably one of 2 of my favorite days of riding...the solo ride later in the week was pretty sweet as well, but for pure accomplishment, the Potash Ride was tops....as for excitement, the next day, riding with Borneo and Fred, would top the billing: 

The Potash Road was a challenge, one bike failed[not a TW} but the rest of us that began would finish the trek, not without some sand and spills on Nick's part and some challenges for the rest, but we did finish at the overlook above Canyonlands....What a Great Day and Ride it was:

http://www.go-utah.com/Canyonlands-National-Park/

Back to camp and I think a few more beers were in the cards....I had already rode higher and more challenging than I had thought I would....but the next day would even be a bigger challenge, and bring me close to "The Edge"

back later with that story and photos.....


 

2015 The Year of Dual Sport TW Riding{in photos} part #2

After getting off to a slow but steady attempt to get back into motorcycle riding the first year, 2014, proved to be "OK" nothing special...but after discussing plans with other members of the TW Forum:

http://tw200forum.com/forum/forum.php

A plan was devised for 30 or so of us to meet at the desert mountain areas around Moab, Utah, a place of natural beauty and challenges that appears to be perfect to get off the snide, and really to see if I was ready, approaching 66 years old, to ride Motorcycles again, like back in the days of yesteryear....

Hooking up with a lawyer from nearby {70 miles} Auburn, Indiana, was the key...."Borneo" as we will refer to him here, is a mountain climber of some international standing, among his other talents....he also owned a TW along with a stable of Jeeps and other Motorcycles....his Nephew "Weasel" was going along to Moab as well...Weasel being a good  rider and with plenty of mechanical knowledge would be a asset I was glad to have along....finishing out our Ohio/Indiana foursome was my old buddy Nick, who had not ridden since I owned the Kaw 250 back in my Red Door Bartending Days in Celina...40 years ago.  He wanted to take a Quad to ride in Moab, but after a day of drinking plenty of craft beers and smoking hand rolled cigars, he signed on with a brand new 2015 TW from the same dealer I had purchased my 2014 a year before....

http://www.hondaeasttoledo.com/


He got a better deal than me....and after some issues with trailer tires on the way home, we unloaded his TW into the Nick Garage in February ....  the four of us, who would be joined by 25 or so others, would trailer those 4 TWs and head for Moab on March 20th....





Here I sit 5 months later with football officiating in front of me, and I smile....those 5 months would see a few bruises a couple of falls, and 2400 or so miles, most of it in Moab and the Upper Great Lakes....what a ride it has  been, making me all the more ready to do it again next year....but first I do have one more "Road Trip", that will be the 100 or so miles each way to the old Houseworth homestead town of Waldo, Ohio, some 20 miles north of Columbus, and the home of the world famous Baloney Sandwiches at G & R....

But first I have to post some of my favorite photos of the riding year, from both Moab and the Great Lakes Rides....

those coming up next:

2015...The Year of the TW Adventure Motorcycle Riding part #1

When I first got the "Bug" {that desire to return to riding a motorcycle after 25 years or so "Out of the Saddle"....I knew I wanted to do the Off Road/Dual Sport riding like I had done when I first began to ride, back in 1974....

I was 25 when I first purchased that Kawasaki 250 On/Off Road Bike....the reason I waited that long was because my dad despised Motorcycles, he had seen to many deaths in his years as a Mechanic, via untrained riders....when he passed away on Christmas Eve in 1972, the reason for not riding was gone with him.  I finally I purchased my first MC, a new one from the local dealer in the spring of 1974....a couple of nasty wrecks, one my fault{1975}, one an  inattentive drives fault in 1987...convinced this father of three to give up riding...at least until the kids were grown and out of the house.

During the winter of 2013/14 I decided I would purchase a "Dual Sport" as they are called now, after discovering "Big Dog" Mark Sampson's web site on his adventuring riding across the US, Canada, and Mexico....

http://www.bigdogadventures.com/default.htm

I had the bug again, and I began to look at 250 Yamaha and Kawasaki bikes....a downsize to that time 40 years before....the last Motorcycles I owned were various sized Kaws, Suzuki, and Yamaha rides...I preferred the slower pace and a chance to get off road as much as possible.

Finally, after months of looking and deciding which ride I could afford to pay cash for, I discovered another web site, dedicated to this little 200cc dual sport Yamaha nicknamed the "T~Dub", as in TW or Trail Way....the folks on the site followed their fellow riders like cult, and the TW had a cult following....funny looking, not very fast, fat tires, slow but dependable, I knew I had my ride chosen....question was "New" or "Used"...?  New it was decided, a 2013 leftover or a new out the door 2014?   After a couple more months of looking {I was in no hurry, it was mid winter} and not being able to get the dealers in Ohio and Indiana to budge on the price of a 2013....I called "Honda East" in Maumee, Ohio{ a berg of Toledo}....and pulled the trigger on a new blue 2014....

I had the TW Forum to thank for my new purchase:  {out the door at less than $4400 with 1 mile on the speedometer}:

http://tw200forum.com/


2014, March to be exact, is when I brought the ride home, in the back of a Harley Davidson trailer...the entire year I would put about 600 miles on it....steady and slow would be it...never riding over 60 or so miles in one ride....but I had plans for bigger and better riding in calendar year 2015, I would ride and ride some more....

that story up next>>>>>

The Football Season Begins....

Football Season "Kicks Off"....

<<< J. Armstrong, M, Davis, and PRH @ Parkway last season

3 rules meetings down, have not done a scrimmage yet, turned one down with the crew for tomorrow night...of course that would be 165 miles from here in Vinton County...."No way in Hell" I told crew chief Crazy Jon...."not driving that far, unless it's a Regional Baseball Final...."  So here I will have one scrimmage this year, a JH contest at Wayne Trace tonight...next week the regular season begins, and that finishes up with a Varsity Week #1 game, Wayne Trace at rival Paulding...the schools are 5 miles apart, and it's the "Townies" vs "The Farm Boys"....Wayne Trace has a good program, Paulding continues to rebuild...one thing for sure, it will be hard played, this game is a Rivalry Game to the core.

I have to admit, for the first time in a long time, I have little interest in the beginning of the season....sure, it's a good workout, a chance to earn some beer, cigar, and gas money....but to be honest, I have other interests these days....Motorcycle Adventure Riding, the Grandsons, enjoying my later years, and watching and wondering just what the Hell Obama and his Criminal Administration will do next to destroy this once proud Republic....

Football and Basketball are now becoming "jobs" rather than fun, so early this year I made a decision to put the cap on both of them.....If the Good Lord allows me to stay healthy and survive until I am 68{just a year and a half away} I will end my officiating in both sports.....as of the Spring of 2017 I will only work Baseball....a sport which I have participated in as a player, coach, and umpire now for 60 years....but even that I plan on cutting back on, I will work Spring/High School Varsity Baseball, but after June of 2017, that will be all, no more Summer Baseball....hopefully I will stay healthy enough for that{Spring Season Baseball} to continue well into my 70s...


But time waits for none, and I can feel the age creeping up, and I wish to stay one step ahead of the Grim Reaper, for as long as possible....

"Play Ball"

<<<

back later.....

Epilog=A Final Look at the Great Lakes TW200 Dual Sport Ride

Or is it Epilogue?   Seems like Tidal Wave now being called "Tsunami",  the Americanized Epilog is now the Euro Version....WTF?  I may be an educated person, but I am sick of this twisting of names to suit some BS from the elite media{most dumber than dirt}...anyway, back to the chore at hand:

Sunday August, 2015.....

After arriving back at Kurt and Peggy's Ranch early Saturday evening, Nick, and I, along with the host, dined on Chinese and Beers....and finally crashed late Saturday, up by 7, and a quick breakfast thanks to Miss Margaret, we headed out...Nick wanted to go the state highways, but I put my foot down, I was taking the back roads home, regardless.  I had seen enough damn traffic the past 7 days and was staying away from vehicles, other than the TWs the best I could.  We worked our way south and east, finally crossing the state line into Ohio just north of Antwerp...a few miles past the small berg of Payne on SR 49 and we rode the county roads the rest of the way...68 mile to my place, some 20 miles shorter than the trip the previous Sunday to Kurt's.

Looking back, there are some things that I had wanted to do more of and things I wanted to do less of....but considering the great weather, enough back road riding, and the comradery, I have no complaints at all.  Sure next time I would like more time and more back roads, more dirt, less pavement, and less State and Federal Highways{we didn't do much Federal or Interstate riding however}, but all in all, it was a satisfying experience for someone 66 years old who had just taken up the Motorcycle after some 27 years out of the saddle.

Kurt and Nick are planning another ride somewhere later this month...first it was east, now west, but I won't be along....full steam into Fall Football I will be and my riding will be close by for the next couple of months until cold weather arrives...then put the TW away until February.  This is not 1974-75 and I will not ride in the Ice and freezing rain like I did back when I was a crazy 25 year old....

The Next Adventure?  Perhaps the Everglades and Key West, back to Moab?  Not sure, but for now I will savor the two major rides this season....Moab, Utah, and the Upper Great Lakes:

back later>>>>

The Photos  today are a collection of my favorites from the trip:

Down Lower Michigan, Heading for Home....

Nick and I were up early on Saturday, seems he is still on pre-retirement time, and is up half the freaking night, and out of bed by 5am....so up we were, me a shower, then down to the "kitchen" for some mini donuts and coffee....Kurt managed to sleep awhile longer and really wasn't ready to roll...but packed and on the TWs we were by 8am....

<<<

360 miles to go to Kurt's Ranch outside Auburn, Indiana, we had planned originally to take our time, ride half or so of the 360 and pull into Kurt's on Sunday afternoon...well once we got started, and zigzagged our way from east to west, then southeast, to south, we ended up finishing up our non Ohio portion of the ride by 7pm Saturday.


Nick in South Central Michigan, in the LDS Church Parking lot, about as close as Nick will get to a real Church, anytime soon....
Pulling out of Atlanta, we stayed on the State Highways for awhile, then dirt, gravel, etc, across I-75 into central areas, then back on Michigan 66 where we did some more zigging and sagging across the sandy flats and back roads....somewhere past half way, we met a young street biker, who help lead us out of his town{forget it at the moment} and shadow state roads on more dirt and pavement, and on to Olivet where we stopped and decided our next move....seeing we were along I-69 we decided to forego the meal and motel, and did some more shadowing, this time riding Old US 27 along and beside I-69.  Kurt had called ahead from our last gas stop in Coldwater, Michigan, and ask his wife, Peggy, to pick up some beers, and that we would arrive before dark....

<<< The last of the mechanical issues, Kurt's ride, probably part of the aftermath of the previous Sunday's wreck, had the real brake dragging causing the break light to stay on....a quick fix was in order in the LDS Lot and we headed out for the final push to Auburn...

And we did, what a ride, Nick and I would stay the night in Kurt's "Barn" and down more than a few beers, while Peggy went some 23 miles and bought us a selection of Chinese Food....we fought the Mosquitoes with fogger and campfire, but exhausted and filled with food an brews, we realized than we had just about finished what most folks, especially our ages, 55, 65, and 66, could only dream about....1500+ miles on 200cc Dual Sport, big tires, and all, Motorcycles..."What a Ride Indeed"!

Nick and I still had 70 mile of back roads to run, and we were up, grabbed a quick breakfast Sammy and Coffee, thanks to Peggy, and were on our way by 9am....home by 11:30am we had been gone from one Sunday afternoon to the next Sunday, late morning.

Would I try something like this again?  Perhaps....however next time, I would hope to be able to ride more dirt and back roads, and take it a bit slower....but this time we got done what we needed and saw much of what we wanted and accomplished plenty in the time allotted.

>>>>>Back Later

Day 5...Leaving the UP and Heading South

On Friday July 31st we headed out of Marquette, took some final Lake Superior Photos and did our best to take mostly back, both paved and dirt/gravel, down to the Lake Michigan shore and then across the Mackinac Bridge to the Lower Michigan woods....we had planned to stop at my Cousin Moe's place in Alanson, Michigan, north of Traverse City....we sadly had to forego that, due to time and traffic considerations, and opted to take US 23 east once we crossed the bridge, and stop over at the Nicole Forested berg of Atlanta for the night:

Leaving Marquette I did manage to get some good photos along the park and shoreline and  boat house areas of that nice town{not sure I would want to winter there however}...we headed east on Michigan 28 following the Lake Superior Shore to the small town of Munising where we stopped for gas coffee, and a gut buster{think I had a Banana}...the weather was darn near perfect...the winds had died down, the sun was out and it was warm with low humidity, and we headed south towards US 2 and the north shore of Lake Michigan....hopeful of finding some back roads and dirt/gravel, and we succeeded...only having to ride 2 for a short distance.

Before we jumped on I-75 for a few miles, we decided to stop and fuel up before crossing the Big Mac....we ended up stopping at a Reservation Gas Stop, where they put a new meaning to "Scalp Em"....these assholes would put a charge of $100 on your gas or credit card until it cleared???  WFT??? Unless you of course you had a "Tribal Card"....so, not to get political, but jut who the Hell are the real racists....or crooks?  Anyway, we needed fuel and paid cash...it still left a damn sour taste in my mouth...one of the few things that pissed me off during the entire ride...minor as it may seem....it still put a burr in my saddle.

Taking a Break in the U-Pee

Riding US 2 along the Lake Michigan Shore>>>
 
A quick few miles on I-75 and we were ready to cross the bridge from upper to lower....I had been across the Mackinac Bridge on several occasions...by car, by tour bus, and driving a 34 foot motor home across...that was the last trip across, back in 1992.  A small dual sport Motorcycle would be a different challenge....plus the winds had picked up!

Paying the $4 fee I noticed that my TW was sitting at 2334 miles, meaning I had rode 1001 miles{not counting the Ferry Trip} since leaving Celina to the Big Mac....the winds, while moderate did not bother me half as much as getting behind two slow moving Semi Trucks with flashing lights....I pulled to the left lane, just in time to hit the steel grates, and with the T63 front tire, I am not afraid to admit, it was an unsettling experience....I kept it at 40mph and got around the trucks and back on pavement ASAP.....the rest of the trip across was good, except the right lane was close as I approached the bottom...and a few yards back on the metal was required, by that time we were close to the end, and I breezed through that small challenge.

We then jumped on US 23 to Cheboygan and down the back state roads we went towards Atlanta, our proposed stop for the night....when we rode into Onaway for a fuel stop, we had less than 30 miles to go, but we noticed a large cloud of rain between there and Atlanta, we opted to go as Kurt was in the mood for Jalapeno deep fried Cheese at the local watering hole...3 mile outside of town, the rain hit...and we stopped under some pine trees at the local fairgrounds...the rains departed and we headed into town, where we were told the Motel Atlanta, Kurt's preferred stop was full.  We were directed to a lager motel, which had nice rooms and space for $100....and we didn't blink.

Leaving Lake Superior Friday Morning July 31, 2015
After a quick check-in, we headed to the pub, where Nich had a disappointing Friday Nigh Fish Fry{Wisconsin it wasn't}, I had a nice Texas Burger, and Kurt got his "Poppers"...I had a couple of nice dark beers, and met a guy who was heading to the Vietnam Veterans Camp Out and Reunion next month in Kokomo....I jumped up and told him to look us up at the Boar's Nest on the Southwest Fence Line...turned out he was only a few camp spots away, so I expect to see him next month.


Back to the motel for a night's rest....the next Day, Saturday we planned to finish half of the 360 miles back to Kurt's Ranch....it turned out, not by plan or design, we would finish the entire shooting match...

than story is next!