Summer Ride in Indian Country

[sion]

I'm in for the duration Pedro...keep it goin

[Ratman]

Originally Posted by sion

I'm in for the duration Pedro...keep it goin

LOL. At least there's one hopeless reader. Thanks sion.

If you want to read a report that you might have missed check this one out.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=675841

[rdtz]

Great report--love the photos.

[sion]

Originally Posted by Ratman

LOL. At least there's one hopeless reader. Thanks sion.

gotta keep you in good spirits....I wanna go to Baja in a year or two and am gonna need a good guide

[Ginger Beard]

Originally Posted by Ratman

At this point I've done 2 weeks of reporting with pictures adnauseum.

The ADV stats show 2000 watchers. I can't tell if you guys are clicking in for a look and deciding the report is not for you, or if there is a core of viewers who keep returning for the next installment.
I'd appreciate you all letting me know.......TIA.

We're here and loving the ride brother. I just felt like you were doing such a great job ,me adding in my 2 cents was of little value. Keep it coming !!

[Ratman]

Originally Posted by rdtz

Great report--love the photos.

Thanks, rdtz, how about a picture of that BSA?? My memory of my '55 golden flash is that it was the perfect bike.

[Ratman]

Originally Posted by wishin4woods

Where here and loving the ride brother. I just felt like you were doing such a great job ,me adding in my 2 cents was of little value. Keep it coming !!

It's good to see you guys out there. I started thinking that none of the readers were signed up ADV folks.

[Ratman]

I had looked at my Sabre's rear tire. I was running a car tire as a test. I was looking for big mileage from it, and didn't get it. The tire wouldn't get me the 1500 that I needed out of it to get me home.
I use the same wheels as the trailer does, on the Sabre, and I had one nearly new tire on the trailer. I dreamed all night about what could go wrong out here if I changed that tire & rim to the Sabre In the morning.
....but apparently that was what I needed to do. As soon as I finished my morning coffee, I got on the wheel switch. It takes a little longer when you have a trailer hitch to deal with. My hitch is pretty easy as the back part just unbolts.

From Odds and ends

Much to my surprise the swap was completed in about an hour. Last time I took a wheel off the trailer, I had a slightly rusted/stuck axle on the trailer. I don't think I could have handled that out here in the RV park....at least no quickly and with the tools on hand.

Here's today's ride route.

View Larger Map

LD, Dave, and I checked in with the riders that checked in late last night. They were headed toward Teluride for the day, so we made plans to drink their beer when we all got back. We did have breakfast with them all before we left
Our 3 man group was going to Canyonland's Needles Outpost about 25 miles southwest of Moab. I'd never been there. I was eager to see it.
It was a 110 miles out to the park, but the spectacular stuff started just west of Monticello. The road took a jog once in town to find the right way to the outpost.
Actually it wasn't the right way. We added a leg up into the Abajo Mtns to add value to the day's ride. We attained 9000 ft. Because of the clouds and some very light sprinkles we stopped to add a layer of clothes. This was only 20 miles into the Mtns, then we were back down to 5000ft and again surrounded by the magnificent rugged red cliffs that is so common around southern Ut.....off with that layer of clothes.
The first thing we came to was Newspaper rock. It's probably the biggest rock with the most petroglyphs on any one rock it the USA.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

It was another 20 miles out to the end of the road past these buttes and canyons.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

This scene give you the big picture, and says it all....

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

We stayed out till 4pm and then made a beeline back to camp. LD, almost ran me out of gas. I was going to stop in Dove Creek even if he didn't. He did though, and I had less than a half gallon left.
There was a country diner across the street from the station, and it was close enough to dinner time that we elected to get some semi home cooking. The food was good. We made a good choice.
Everyone was back at camp so we had a good evening lying to each other before retiring. It was decided to take in the Needle's Overlook and Moki Dugway tomorrow.

[FoothillRyder]

Originally Posted by Ratman

At this point I've done 2 weeks of reporting with pictures adnauseum.

The ADV stats show 2000 watchers. I can't tell if you guys are clicking in for a look and deciding the report is not for you, or if there is a core of viewers who keep returning for the next installment.
I'd appreciate you all letting me know.......TIA.

You couldn't tear me away from this Pedro.

Except maybe for a ride or sumthin'.

[ADK]

daily

[davevv]

Great report and some clever work on that trailer. Just out of curiosity, how many times has your bike been rebuilt in 200,000 miles?

I really enjoy the northern New Mexico area. I met my bride there in the summer of 1967. Her folks owned the Starr Trading Post in Red River at that time and I ended up working for them that summer. Turned out she was starting in the fall at the same university I'd been attending for two years and we've been together ever since.

[Ratman]

Very cool....thanks guys. There really are people out there behind those number that are called 'views'.

I just remembered what happened for evening meal the first night in camp at Dolores. Don Goldston (FJR rider) was there. I honestly don't remember the exact order of events, but anyway we went to town to buy steaks for dinner, just the 2 of us.....and we came back with a couple of good 10 oz steaks.

You see I'm kinda a minimalist, and like I said before, I had about 10 alcohol stoves with me....it's kinda my hobby this year. And I had a G I mess kit for a skillet to pan fry the steaks.

I had small stoves, big stoves, short burn, and long burn. Most of these have been used on my patio doing test boils of water. Anyway to cook a thick steak we prolly needed 7 or 8 minutes a side.
So I got my long burn stove out and got started.... It was pretty simple, spice up the steak, put it in the mess skillet, and set it on top of the stove. I put a can of New potatoes on top of another stove, and the can of spinach on a third stove.

Of course the spinach and potatoes weren't any problem cause you can eat those cold....if you have to, but the steak needed some watching. They cooked quite well, one at a time of course. But the problem came from putting the thin pan on top of the stove. That puts the fire out under the center of the pan, and only the outside of the steak is cooked from the outside fire jets, and the 2" center was hardly cooked.

We solved that by eating the outsides, and recooking the centers. I'm still learning about all the refinements of minimalism.

I hope to do better next time. Don was a good sport. We enjoyed having dinner together.

[Ratman]

Originally Posted by davevv

Great report and some clever work on that trailer. Just out of curiosity, how many times has your bike been rebuilt in 200,000 miles?

I really enjoy the northern New Mexico area. I met my bride there in the summer of 1967. Her folks owned the Starr Trading Post in Red River at that time and I ended up working for them that summer. Turned out she was starting in the fall at the same university I'd been attending for two years and we've been together ever since.

Red River is a great little town.....but like all of them depending largely on tourism they are suffering from this depressed economy. Personally, I love being able to camp anywhere because there's lots of room in campgrounds and motels.

....about the Sabre, I've had it since 93, I think. It's been very reliable. At 170000 miles or so, I had a getoff in Baja and busted the radiator. I limped thru the trip adding water often. That caused a small head gasket leak that one day, a couple months later, got bigger.
I cooked the engine on a trip back from LA. So I put another engine, that I had, in it....then I tried to do a 50/50CC to Daytona a couple months later. At Ft Stockton Tx, I spun a bearing from lack of oil....completely my fault from not checking the oil.
So this time I found a 20000 mile engine and put that in about 4 years ago. I also put the final drive, out of the same bike in. So I figure I'm good to go. The bike ought to out last me.
If I hadn't gotoff in Baja, I'd still be on the original engine.

I like old bikes. Thanks to the SABMAG forum, I've been able to learn to work on the old girl. I'd rather have a bike that I can fix than have a bike that I probably won't need to fix, but can't fix if I have to. Plus I can leave my Sabre in a ditch somewhere and walk away if there's a big issue.

Spinning a bearing in Tx wasn't big enough. All I had to do was buy a 72 dodge van and bring that $100 POS home with me for repairs. I don't know what it would take to get me to leave her?

[Ratman]

Day 2 at Dolores would be spent riding with the boys, and girl. I was really enjoying a couple days of riding with no trailer.
We had one big KTM and an SV1000 ridden by Ye Wilde Ryder, and His wife Lynn. This couple has been riding big bikes fast together for years. She hangs off his 6 about 20 feet and to the side. They've been doing this for the 10 years that I've known them. She is there like glue and he knows she's there. They are a great team.
Then there were the 4 boy down from the Denver area. One of those 4, Dave Ryder, was from Pittsburgh On a borrowed 1250 Bandit thanks to Matt Mcdonald. Matt rode his Long trusted 700 Magna for this week.
Actually Matt Mcdonald and DeWayne organized this little get-together. Don Goldston was along just for the joy of riding on his newish FJR.
First we tried out Karla's for breakfast. Turned out to be kinda self serve style. They had three topping that they put on everything. Sausage gravy, Green Mx Chilly sauce, and Mx red chilly sauce. It was great.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Ye Wilde Ryder and Lynn

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

After breakfast Ye attempts a parking lot wheelie to set the ride's tempo.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

....and partner Lynn

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

DeWayne on his very nice Honda liter bike.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Dave Ryder on the Bandit

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Don Goldston on the FJR...

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Dave had his V1 radar detector with him. It seemed like a good Idea for him to ride point as we would be pressing the speed limit out there in the wide open spaces. The trouble with that was that Dave didn't know where he was going.
After some starting and farting, it became clear to me that I was the only one that had been to all the places that we were going to go today, so I took the lead and showed the way. Later I dropped back for a few pics.
...somewhere on 191 around Dove Creek on 491.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I love this shot with the crop duster...

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

We passed Church Rock signifying 6 miles to the Needles Overlook road. Someone hollowed out the rock for some reason and gave the rock a name. That's a great looking rock...nearly symmetric.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

It was only another 25 miles to our destination. The red cliffs would soon begin.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Looking behind us across the plateau is the majestic La Sal Mtns boasting Mt Beale as it highest.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

We arrived at the Overlook parking...

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

The first order of business was to pick up Don's FJR. His foot had slipped on the pea gravel and done a slow speed drop as he was backing in. Damage was a foot peg. Don easily replaced it with a passenger peg.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

The Needles Overlook looked out at the Co River as it snaked past, and the Needles Outpost that I'd been to yesterday. Believe me, it was a completely different view from up here.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

That's the Co River snaking along out there......

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Ye, DeWayne, Lynn and Dave

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

We spent an hr out there walking all over the place....it was worth the visit.
Matt and Dave......

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

It wasn't easy to get the whole group together....and look at that sky, just f'n beautiful.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Then we move on to Monticello where we gassed up and had a bit of fast food for lunch.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

......... next the Moki Dugway...

[Ratman]

View Larger Map

Having gassed in Monticello, not Blanding, we all discussed how far it was to Moki and then Mexican Hat for gas. It was important because Matt's Magna was only good for 120 miles or so.
I figured it was a little over a 100 miles. It was easy for me to say as I wasn't the one that would run out. But Matt took my word for it. I don't know if I'd have done that.
So we lit out down 191 to 95 east and then 261 South to the MD. There are some vast landscapes, gaps and cuts through cliff, and curvy roads on the way. The Dugway was about 90 miles away, and some pretty good riding if I do say so myself.
All this was out there....look at that little dirt road over there....

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Recapture lake, I think, south of Monticello.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Finally we arrived at the 2000 ft cliff that is the reason for the Moki Dugway. Copied from a net search: >Indians had long had trails up to the top of Cedar Mesa. Then in 1958, Texas Zinc, a mining company, built the Moki Dugway, in its current form, so they could carry uranium ore from the Happy Jack Mine in Fry Canyon, Utah to a processing mill in Mexican Hat. The Moki Dugway descends 1,100 feet in 3 miles. It is the slowest 3 miles you will ever drive.<
Ye was the the only one capable to drive to the edge.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Does that look like only 1100 ft to you?

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Finally a picture of Matt's 700. It was a sweet looking Magna, but lately it had begun to slip out of second gear and leak oil from behind the clutch slave cylinder.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

It was getting late and we had another 100 plus miles to go, so we rode on into Mexican Hat and had something to drink. Some shed a layer as it was closer to a 100 down at the new lower altitude.
It was pretty much 'make Jet' for the ride back to camp....but there were still things to see.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Lynn and Ye stopped in Cortez to get the making for a spaghetti dinner for everyone. That was beyond the call of duty, for sure.
They had a room at the RV park with pots and pans so we all took advantage of that, and chowed down heartily. We had a few beers afterward, but everyone was tired, and went to bed early. It had been a long day.
There were a lot of leftovers so I bagged it up for tomorrow.....remember there are lots of starving kids all over the world, and it's bad to be wasteful.

......Goodbyes would be said tomorrow morning........