The weekend after Labor Day had a mix of lot clean-up, an ATV trip, and a campfire. Here are a few details.
I came up on Saturday solo, as there were only a couple of loads of wood to be taken to the burn pit. I took care of these then settled down for a quiet evening. Periodic showers during the day gave way to a partly cloudy and dry evening. A campfire in my fire pit closed out my evening. Here is a short (3:29) video taken on Saturday:
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As I did last week, I took an ATV trip on Sunday before heading home. This one turned out to be the longest trip, 40+ miles, of all my trips this year.
I covered, in this order, Middle Fork of the Swan River, Radical Hill, Webster Pass, Red Cone Trail, a visit to the town of Montezuma, then Deer Creek back to the Middle Fork and my truck. Wow. Tremendous scenery and some of the most challenging trails I have attempted to ride. Here is a topo map of the area courtesy of Google Maps:
Radical Hill, Webster Pass, and Red Cone areas
Here are some photos I took during the outing:
Jerry and “The Griz” head for Radical Hill
Radical Hill from Webster Pass. Note trail coming down near top-right of photo
Local resident gives Jerry the “Once Over” at bottom of Radical Hill
Handcart Gulch (Center) from Red Cone Trail (Right)
Red Cone from Handcart Gulch
Proof I made it to the top
Old mining equipment at top of side road 290
Harebells blooming along Middle Fork of the Swan River
I’ve created a gallery of photos taken from this trip and other trails I’ve ridden in the area and added it to my Galleries page. Click on this Webster Pass link to view all the photos of this trip and a few from my Montezuma Loop trip taken the previous week.
I had a few snowflakes go past but they changed to a (brief) light rain at lower elevations. Thunder and snow pellets punctuated my time above timberline but these were from small cells that moved along quickly. Most of the day was partly cloudy with temps in the upper 40s to low 50s with a sometimes strong wind blowing. I was glad I decided to wear my long johns under my outer clothes and bring along my snowmobile gloves. I wore my old leather coat and had my helmet on; this combo kept me pretty comfortable all day.
I really do enjoy these outings but I can feel the results when I get back in the truck. A lot of bouncing and jarring is part of any trip but this trip had more than average. Rocks everywhere. I used 4-wheel low range a large portion of the time, including coming down some steep sections where I depended on the low gearing (and brakes) to control my descent. There were quite few other 4-wheel drive rigs in the area and a few of us stopped and compared notes about conditions and the routes we had taken. All in all it was a great outing even though my back and shoulders were tired and stiff at the end of the day.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
I find it hard to believe there are other people on these God-forsaken ATV roads Fields is “enjoying,” but since these other folks are out-and-about it’s likely there will be help handy should he have a mishap or equipment failure.
The dogs and I enjoyed a weekend away from mouse poop.
As I noted in my last post, Labor Day weekend was going to be a busy one. I left directly from work in Glenwood Springs and drove to The Lot on Friday evening to open the RV and get ready for Saturday.
The burn pit was open so Saturday was a busy day; I managed to get 4 loads of slash and junk wood loaded and hauled away. Three of those loads involved using the ATV to get the aluminum trailer near the wood piles. That was interesting…I had to cut a few aspen to make another wilderness road in the saddle. And, as we move closer to the top of the lot, the terrain gets a little steeper. Still I was able to move the trailer in and out OK. Pam had arrived Saturday afternoon and helped with the final load of the day.
Jerry loading another load of burn pit wood
We did not get all the slash cleared out; there was just not enough time to get everything over to the burn pit. Next weekend I should be able to get out two more loads, which should eliminate the rest of the slash we have piled up. I’ll also bring home a few larger chunks of pine to be used as firewood. The pine is part of two large old-growth trees that had fallen down on the lot. (They smell great when cut into.) By the end of Saturday the house site area was looking much more attractive – and accessible.
Sunday was a day for other chores. We used the ATV and 2-wheel cart to find and bring more rocks to line the circle in the driveway. Pam has been planting daisy plants [she is transplanting from flowerbeds in De Beque] around the edge of the circle, along with transplanting a few small pine trees from the cleared area. With the addition of three 2-wheel carts full of mulch, taken from under a few of the large pine on the lot, the circle is looking quite nice!
Pam and circle drive both looking pretty good
I mentioned we have two old-growth pine logs trees that had fallen on the lot. The stump ends of both will be converted into rustic benches. I used the ATV’s winch and moved one stump end up the lot to a place where there is a good view over South Park. One of the tasks for the next trip is to make this into a seating bench. I’ll need to put another chunk of pine under the cut end to level it out and then use the chain saw to cut a flat spot to sit. Hopefully I’ll have a couple photos of this after the work is done.
We will use the other log in a similar fashion but have not yet picked a spot for it. Most likely it will be on the path that leads up to Pavilion Point, as we have to stop to catch our breath to get there and a bench to sit on would be handy.
I loaded some firewood into the truck to bring home. The wood is small stuff that we had originally thought we might use as dog enclosure posts. That didn’t work out so now I have a bunch of small diameter trees to cut up and use as firewood. It all burns!
We also built a rudimentary fire pit using local rocks along the back side of the gravel driveway. In the two years we have owned the lot we’ve never enjoyed a campfire. (Last year outdoor burn bans were in effect almost the entire summer.) Pam (+ dogs) left for home Sunday afternoon before we could try it out, but I did light a fire Sunday night and it was very nice to be able to sit in front of the fire, watch the stars appear, and just enjoy the ambiance of the evening.
Campfire adds ambience
The “mouse wars” continue. Pam found a live mouse that had a foot caught in a trap, so she donned her latex gloves, took the trap outside and up the lot, and let the mouse go. She did not have the heart to kill it so the mouse may end up living a long life as a field mouse. I just hope it doesn’t find its way back to The Box.
I did trap two other mice, but the traps remained empty Sunday night into Monday. I would like to think that with the latest hole patched and several mice removed maybe the war is over, but I’ll see on my next trip.
So Saturday and Sunday were quite busy but also productive. We wish we had a few more days, though, just to enjoy being in the mountains. As mentioned, Pam drove back Sunday afternoon, but I stayed over as I planned to take an ATV trip on Monday before I headed home.
No other projects are planned for the rest of the year. One more weekend to finish clearing the slash and pick up a few more bits and pieces of firewood, and another weekend trip to bring The Box home for the winter will close out our activities for 2014. We might make a day run or two in late September or October as there are standing dead trees that could be cut for firewood if we feel so inclined, or to view the fall colors (some leaves are already turning gold and red) or just to get out of town. It’s too early in the year to quit going up to Sanderling completely.
We are satisfied in knowing we completed all the projects we had planned for the year, and are particularly pleased with our clean-up efforts that were made possible by having put in the driveway extension. Last year was an “acquire” year; we bought the F-150, the RV trailer, and a new chain saw. This year we spent more time actually working on the lot and completing projects.
Next year we move into more of a “lot development” scenario as we hope to put in a well, septic, and small off-grid electrical system to power the RV (it would be nice to use the microwave) and expand it when we put in a structure. All it takes is money, and we may not get all of these things done, but you have to have a goal and a plan to get there. We may look into the availability of a loan to pay for some of these projects as the cost breaks down like this: well: $9k, septic: $9k, solar: $4k. Total: $22k. Lot clean up will continue, but we have most of the “line-of-sight” areas now cleaned up so this task will not have a high priority next year. (We will be cleaning the lot for years to come.) Some work we can do, some we will have to farm out, but it is time we moved into another stage of the development cycle.
On Monday I took off on an ATV trip. My plan was to complete a loop from Breckenridge to the old mining town of Montezuma. I had passed the turnoff to Montezuma on my Swan River ATV loop and had wanted to explore this side trail when I had the opportunity.
I’ll not go into a lot of detail about this 29 mile excursion other than to say that much of it is above 11,500 feet elevation. Stretches were rocky and steep; I used 4-wheel drive, low range on more than a few occasions, including some downhill stretches. The loop is very scenic, goes past several old mining sites (and 1 town site, Saints John) and offers even more side trips that I didn’t have time to explore but hope to get to in the future. As it was I took almost 6 hours to make the loop. Below are a few photos taken along the way.
Restored church in Montezuma
Deer Creek
Flowers blooming in protected spots
Stone wall of old cabin above timberline the high country
Grasses turing fall red
I saw four skittish mountain goats but no other large wildlife. The goats looked to be in their full winter coats. The hillsides above timberline are beginning to change into fall colors of reds and browns. Some flowers are still blooming – as you can see in a few photos – but the columbine are done and others plants have gone to seed. There is fresh snow on a few of the highest mountain tops and the high country is getting ready for winter. My days of being able to ride my ATV in the high country are starting to dwindle but I do hope to get out a time or two yet when the fall colors are at their peak.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
It’s been great to have the dog run to put the dogs in while working on the property –that has worked out super. Bru, of course, would rather spend her time in the RV, but Blondie and Jo utilize pretty much the entire dog run.
I still hope to enjoy one campfire and see the aspen grove in full color before the season concludes.
Morning chores, changed oil in the Honda and motorcycle. Weed-whacked the edges of the lawn. Moved the ’76 Scout II and the ’48 Ford 8N tractor and mowed the area where they are usually parked. (Left main lawn for Pam to mow, too wet for me to do.) Packed up the truck, kissed Pam good-bye, and headed for the lot.
Arrived at lot, unloaded the ATV, un-hitched the aluminum trailer, unlocked The Box, and then hooked it up to take it to the dump station. After returning to the lot, repositioned The Box to allow access to the area we have been cleaning (hopefully the future building site) with the ATV and trailer. Required a lot of jacking up and putting stuff under the wheels, as where The Box is now parked is not very level. Process took about 2 hours. Off to get a load of water, 25.5 gallons added to the fresh water tank. Hooked the aluminum trailer to the ATV, pulled alongside The Box, and loaded the pile of firewood closest to the driveway. Had dinner and went to bed. It was about 9:20 PM.
The Box now sits a bit farther to the left of its former location
Monday:
Slept in until almost 8:00 AM! Got up, checked mouse traps, removed and buried two mice. Had breakfast, fired up the ATV, moved aluminum trailer over to the F-150 and hooked up the truck and trailer. Backed the truck/trailer up into the spot where The Box used to sit. Took the ATV and started to drag firewood from 3 different piles down to the truck. Kept this up, with a few breaks, until all the firewood I had stacked up was on the aluminum trailer. (This made the biggest load of firewood I have ever brought home in a single load. )
Skidding wood with the ATV
BIG load of firewood
Drove the truck and trailer down to the cul-de-sac, un-hooked the trailer, drove back up to The Box. Loaded the ATV in the back of the truck. Began process of putting stuff away and getting ready to head home. Had lunch, sat for almost 30 minutes in my recliner (best part of the trip!) then finished washing dishes, finished loading the truck, and shut down The Box. Walked around the cleared area for a while and enjoyed the view over to the Mosquito Range behind Fairplay. Planned the next phase, how to get the aluminum trailer close to the slash piles we created during the last two visits. Headed home, arrived in De Beque 4 hours later. Un-hooked the trailer, unloaded the ATV, emptied the truck of laundry, cooler, and other items used during the trip. Had dinner, checked e-mail, took a shower, kissed Pam, and went to bed.
There is much to cover in this post which details our long 4th of July weekend at the lot. Going through my notes and photos the topics break down into 3 main areas: work on the lot (of course!), a visit from our friends Tom and Patti Hamilton, and my ATV trip (Georgia Pass) on July 7. That is a lot of ground to cover so this is going to be a very long post!
Both of us had taken Friday, July 5th, off to make a long weekend out of the 4th of July holiday. The initial plan for the 4 days looked like this:
Jerry to take the truck and trailer to lot early morning on July 4, open the RV, start working on various tasks. Pam to drive up the morning of July 5th bringing the dogs, more food, and other sundry items. Our guests, Patti and Tom Hamilton, arrive around 12:00 noon on the 5th for spaghetti lunch and visit. Afternoon spent visiting. Pam to return home the next afternoon, the 6th, after she and I work on various projects. Sunday the 7th I get to ride my ATV on local trails.
Things don’t always work according to plan. I screwed up and forgot my RV keys so when I arrived on the lot on July 4th I had no way to get into the RV. I called Pam and she suggested she come up that night (the 4th) instead of the next morning. With that arrangement made, I turned to doing other chores.
High on my list was tracing the wiring from the RV’s solar panels. I discovered why they are not charging the batteries: The output of the panels is feeding into the refrigerator! This makes no sense to me as the refrig is 120 volt (house current) or LP (propane) powered, not powered by the voltage put out by the panels. I did not have my electrical tools along this trip but will re-route the solar panel charger output directly to the batteries on our next visit. The panels do appear to be working OK. Perhaps the people who installed the panels thought the refrig would run on 12 volts? There are a few of them that will, but ours is not one of them.
Pam had wanted to move our dog run out of the back yard and up to the lot. Pam thought the dogs would prefer to be in the run instead of being on zip lines strung between two trees while we were working on the lot. Since we put in the privacy fence in De Beque, which separates the front and back yards, the dog run had seen little use. You should have seen us getting the run out of the back yard and over the fence! This involved muscle power and a bit of assistance from one of our neighbors. We managed to get the run loaded on our utility trailer, along with 5 cut-in-half railroad ties, for the trip to the lot. Here is a shot of the loaded trailer:
Dog run, railroad ties, and ATV ready for 4th of July weekend.
A long drive on the interstate and over two mountain passes later, I unloaded the dog run at the Sanderling lot, scouted a place in the aspen grove to set it, and towed (dragged?) it with the ATV into the general area. The final placement involved dragging the run – by hand – to its final destination. Pam later made final adjustments (digging one side into the ground a bit) and added a few logs to the perimiter to discourage digging. We even put up the shade cover on top. Blondie, Bru, and Jo were not wild about this arrangement but were OK as long as they could see Pam working in the grove.
Dogs relax in covered dog run.
I unloaded the trailer, placed the cut railroad ties in place, then hooked the now-empty trailer to the ATV and took it into the aspen grove. I proceeded to load the trailer with wood destined for the burn pit. During the process I salvaged a few more small trees to cut into firewood on the theory that if it was good enough for firewood it might as well be used as such, thus cutting down on the amount of wood that needed to be hauled away.
Shortly after finishing this day-full of tasks, Pam arrived with the keys, dogs, and a couple of freshly-baked pies. We opened up the RV, had dinner, and made plans for the next morning.
The next day, Friday, was a busy day. The big morning project was to get the gate built. I unpacked the portable generator and grabbed the tools I had brought along for this purpose. Rather than bore everyone with the details I’ll just include this photo of the finished project:
Gate is finished. White stuff on ground is small hail from a recent storm.
Note the wheels mounted to the bottom of both gates. These will provide support for the gates when they are closed, taking some of the weight off the posts. Given the relatively shallow holes the posts are cemented into, every bit of support will help!
Our friends of 25 + years, Tom and Patti Hamilton, had moved to Colorado last year (from the State of Washington) and Pam had invited them to see the RV and lot on this day, July 5th. After a delay, caused by a wrong turn, Patti and Tom arrived OK. We settled in for a spaghetti lunch (and pie for desert) and a few hours of conversation. (And, of course, a walk through the aspen grove and up to Pam’s Pavilion Point!)
Patti and Tom Hamilton relaxing in the RV.
Patti and Tom live on the edge of Colorado’s Black Forest and were within about 2 miles of the massive fire that devastated the area just a few weeks ago. We had time to catch up on this event, our kids, work, a few social issues, and general conversation. Before we knew it several hours had passed. Patti and Tom headed home late in the day. We had enjoyed their visit and promised to visit them later this year.
Shortly after Patti and Tom started their drive home, clouds began to roll in and deliver some much-needed moisture to the Sanderling area. The rain pretty much ended the day’s activities, but Pam and I enjoyed just sitting together and looking out the window at the storm. Later the storm broke long enough for us to get out for a walk and to take a few “stormy sunset” photos. After that it was time for a good night’s sleep.
“Stormy Sunset”
Saturday we awoke to a rain-fresh morning. Agenda items for the day included more lot clean-up and firewood collection. I took the first load of scrap wood to the burn pit, unloaded it, headed back for a 2nd load and took that over to the pit. On the way back I received a call from Cindy, our neighbor (who feeds animals at the De Beque house while we’re gone), informing us the a pregnant mom cat Pam had trapped out of our garage (Isadora, nickname Izzy) was having her kittens. (Izzy had a total of 5 kittens.)
Izzy’s 5 kittens show a range of colors and markings.
Pam had planned to return home this day anyway because of the impending birth of kittens (it was why she drove the second vehicle in the first place), but we wanted to finish several chores before she left. One of these chores including loading the utility trailer with logs to be cut into firewood for Kathy Hall. (You might remember from previous posts that Kathy operates a cat rescue operation and uses wood to heat her rescue building in the winter.) Most of this wood had been collected earlier, but I did cut some standing dead aspen to make a full load. Other chores included finding a place for the spare set of RV keys to be left on the lot, removing the sun cover from the dog run, and getting stuff ready to go back with Pam.
Pam is ready to load firewood.
Then it was washing up, loading and sorting, and getting the dogs ready for the trip home. It had been a very busy few days that saw us getting much work done on the lot and having a very nice chat with Patti and Tom, our first mountain visitors.
After Pam left I took 2 trips over to the hand pump to replenish our fresh water supply. As on the previous day, late afternoon rain developed which put a halt to any other outside work, but it was pleasant to have a late dinner and listen to the rain drumming on the roof of the RV. We have no TV or radio in the RV, but I did have my Walkman and listened to music while the rain was falling. Later, after the rain let up, I went for a walk, then called it a day.
That about wraps up the first two topics; work on the lot and the visit with Patti and Tom. The next day, Sunday the 7th, was my day to ride the ATV.
My book of ATV trails showed a major trail going over Georgia Pass. This pass is one valley east of Boreas Pass and is another route into Breckenridge. It was never a railroad line, just a wagon road that served mines in the Breckenridge area, and is now a forest service road. Several side trips take off from the main road, making this a good area to spend some time on an ATV. The added benefit is this area is close to the lot, maybe 20 – 25 miles away, quite handy.
It was a great ride. I saw a couple bull moose and some mountain goats. I rode through areas that had been mined in the past but have since begun to revert back to a more natural state. I rode through heavily wooded areas (the aroma of warm pine was in the air) and past marshy meadow areas that must have held huge beaver ponds at some time past. I spent some hours above timberline enjoying hugh vistas of mountain tops. One disappointment: The maps I had were not up-to-date and a loop trail I had planned to take was now closed to motor vehicle travel, forcing me to take dead-end side trails instead. On the other hand, one of these trails led me to the the mountain goats, so I guess things worked out overall.
Here is a gallery of photos from this Georgia Pass trip.
Top of Georgia Pass. Mt Guyot is in the background.
Road passes through an old mining district.
Two bull moose spotted in a marshy meadow.
Summit views from Mt. Wise.
And, possibly the highlight of the day, these mountain goats:
Mountain goats #1.
Mountain goats #2.
Mountain goats #3,
I carried the camcorder with me this time. Here is a compilation of video clips I took during the course of my ride: (Running time is 8 minutes and 13 seconds.)
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That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s two cents worth:
I did suggest we leave a duplicate set of keys on the Sanderling lot back in June, but Jer felt this would not be necessary. Sigh. It’s not entirely satisfying to be right when you’re the one who has to make the four hour drive [on three hours notice] to deliver the keys, however. Still, it’s not every guy who would tote a dog pen that far and over such obstacles (interstate and mountain passes) for dogs he’s not entirely crazy about anyway. I guess I’ll cut him some slack about forgetting the keys.
We were over to the lot this past Sunday. Our goal was to get more work done on clearing out trees and wood prior to putting in a driveway.
We did better this time, working about 3.5 hours with a few breaks. Better than the 2 hours or so we put in on Friday, but still a long way from a full day’s work. The elevation (9,700 feet or so) and our lack of stamina (age and desk jobs) are definitely a hinderance.
We brought some of the wood home, and have since cut it into 18″ lengths and delivered it to our friend Kathy Hall. Kathy runs the Rifle Street Cats rescue organization. She has a 1-car garage converted to an animal shelter and heats it with a wood stove during the cold months. She can always use more firewood and we try to get some to her every year.
Here are a couple photos of us cutting some of the trees and clearing brush:
Pam clearing brush from driveway
Cutting trees from driveway path
Speaking of photos…
In my last post I mentioned I would be creating a gallery of photos taken around the lot. That gallery has now been created. You can look at it from this Sanderling link, from the Galleries tab on our home page, or from the Galleries tab at the top of this page. I will be adding to this collection as we continue to work on the lot. Right now there are about 15 photos in the collection. The photo to click on is a smaller version of this one:
From the Galleries page click on this photo to open the Sanderling collection.
I plan on heading over again this weekend with the intent of taking the brush that was not useable as firewood to the local landfill. The aspen should be at peak color now, and even past in a few places. This is the best time of the year to live in Colorado, in my opinion. Daytime temps are in the low 80s, nights in the low 50’s, beautiful autumn-blue skies and fall colors on the hillsides. We enjoy getting out and about during this time of the year.
A couple other topics…
We had our furnace fixed. The blower would not come on. The furnace guy found a spider nest in the valve that lets natural gas into the burner assembly. The nest was partially blocking the inlet passage and disrupting the flow of gas. As a result the flame was weak and the furnace was not getting hot enough to turn on the blower circuit. Now fixed, it looks like the furnace will be good to go for the heating season.
Our son Toby is moving to South Bend, Indiana at the close of the month. He has found a fully furnished rental and we need to help him go through his stuff and see what he really needs to take with him. Some items we will store, some will go to Goodwill, and some we will probably ship once he has settled and figured out what he still needs. He does not have a job yet, but has some savings to get by on for a while. He hopes to find another job quickly. We hope that works out!
I finally got to the point where I don’t need Band-aids or bandages on my nose. Its nice to shower and have the water run over my face without worry. I still don’t rub the towel on my nose, though, just pat it dry. Next doctor visit is October 1st.
We are registered as Independent voters. The robo calls just keep on coming, particularly since Colorado is considered one of the swing states. I can only expect the calls will get even more frequent in the next few weeks. We just find them annoying. If both parties would work as hard at finding solutions to our problems as they do campaigning, we would be a lot better off as a country.
That pretty well wraps up this post. Thanks to everyone who posts a comment from time to time. I appreciate it!
Man. So much has gone on in the last couple weeks. Today’s topic: Another motorcycle rally, this time one I co-sponsored. Location was in Durango, and the rally was held over the 4h of July weekend.
I’ve never gone to 2 rallies in one year, so this was a first. What does a rally organizer do? Well, a couple of things.
First, arrange for a “command central” where everyone meets and stages for rides. This year my co-sponsor suggested a campground whose owners he knows. A few calls, and we had group discounts, dates, and location confirmed.
Another duty that fell to me was planning the group ride. Most rallies have one major ride planned, and a few smaller, often shorter, rides planned for the 2nd day of the event. In this case, I planned to have a group ride over the San Juan Scenic Byway, with next-day rides to Wolf Creek Pass and Valicito Lake.
Some of the XS11 models our club members ride have a range of about 100 miles due to small fuel tanks. Ride planning has to include fuel stops, as well as plan for meals and photo stops. Having been on this route before, I had a pretty good idea of where we could stop for these various requirements, but planned to arrive a day early to pre-run the course and confirm my memories. The pre-run resulted in a few minor changes and options related to the number of motorcycles we would have in the group.
And, of course, co-sponsors historically provided adult beverages for the socializing that takes place in the evenings after the day’s ride is over. I left that part to my co-sponsor. His wife actually took care of it, and did a good job.
Then there is the question of the rally T-shirt, no small issue. One of our members offered to come up with a design and pass along the shirts for $15.00 each, not bad for a limited-run production.
Rally T-shirt
13 bikes and 15 people showed up, not a bad turn out for one of these events. Aside from some minor mechanical problems the rally came off well. Scenery and weather were excellent, members enjoyed the ride and company, and food and arrangements worked like clockwork. Except for one thing.
I got stomach flu during the first day’s ride.
By the time I headed for home, I had to stop once or twice every hour to stretch out my abdomen. As a result, it took me about 5.5 hours to ride the 195 miles home. I missed 2 days of work and didn’t eat much in the way of solid foods (do crackers count?) for about 3 days. This is very odd for me, as this is the 2nd time I’ve had this happen, both times this year.
The rally was a success. I met some old friends and made some new friends, saw some great scenery, and introduced some people to the scenery of South-west Colorado. Here is a slide show of the main group ride.
Once a year I take a long motorcycle trip as a vacation. This year I went to a rally based out of Santa Margarita, California. Santa Margarita is not far from San Louis Obispo and Morro Bay.
I have been going to rallies since 2000, so know many of the people who show up at these things. Its always a great way to meet and greet friends not seen for a year or more, and meet some new friends along the way.
This year I stayed at Las Vegas (Circus, Circus) on both the outgoing and return legs of the trip. Price for the room was not bad, about $42.00 per night, but I am not a big city person and I certainly felt out of place on “the strip”. But…it was good to have a nice air-condition room to sleep in (daytime temps in the 90’s) when I got off the bike!
Day 1 got me as far as Las Vegas. On day 2 (A Thursday) I arrived at the Santa Margarita KOA. I had camp set up by around 5:30 local time, so decided to take off for a ride to the ocean (Morro Bay) and get something to eat.
It was quite cool at the beach, but I enjoyed the ride, watching the waves break, and watch the antics of the sea gulls. As much as I like my mountains, there is something about a sunset over the ocean that is very satisfying to watch.
Dinner that night was pizza. I had developed a hunger for one on the ride out, and finally found a local joint in the town of Itascadero. I managed to eat an entire 10-inch Canadian Bacon, and boy it sure tasted good!
The next morning I called a pair of friends who had also arrived early (Main rally was scheduled for Saturday) and we got together for breakfast at Denny’s in Paso Robles. We decided to head up to a national monument named The Pinnacles. Of more interest to people who have an interest in geology, The Pinnacles sits on the edge of the San Andreas Fault. Right on the edge…broken formations are separated by several miles, showing how the fault has slipped over the eons.
The best part of this trip way California Hwy 25, which is the route to the eastern entrance to the monument. It runs along the edge of a fertile valley, and is great for motorcycle riding.
After visiting The Pinnacles, the 3 of us headed north to Hollister, west to 101, then back south to the KOA where the rally host was cooking dinner. A nice evening ensued, with other riders showing up and eating dinner around a fire.
The Saturday main group ride began after a campground breakfast of French Toast and Sausage. The group leaders set up a route out to the Pacific Coast, taking back roads through valleys and a planned stop for lunch. As with the previous morning, temperatures were a bit on the cool side, 50’s with some morning fog.
Now, getting a group of bikers to do anything in unison is akin to herding cats. None the less, we finally got going and did some riding. I confess to being part of the problem, as myself and another guy headed out to get supplies and fuel. We met the rest of the group on the way back to the KOA.
We stopped for lunch in the town of Cambria. It was a very pleasant stop, with good food at reasonable prices. Once everyone was full, we mounted up ant took off north along the coast, stopping for some group riding shots.
Eventually we headed back to the KOA for dinner. Larry and Kelli, the hosts, did an excellent job of preparing a meal of briskit and trimmings. Lots of talk, a few beers, some wine, and good company made for a very pleasant evening.
Sunday was departure day for some of the riders. Not me…I had planned to start back on Monday. As it was, a group of 5, including me, formed up to ride north, as the other 4 were heading that direction on their homeward routs. We got on the road after saying our goodbyes to the others, rode up Hwy 101, ate at a genuine Mexican restaurant (I still don’t know exactly what I had) and headed west. Turning north-west on G-16, we were riding through Carmel Valley.
This is a very nice bike ride. Carmel-by-the-sea is a high-bucks area, and I can see why. Beautiful old houses and ranches, flowers blooming everywhere, and picturesque fields and pastures abound. Eventually we arrived in Monterey Bay, and took in Fisherman’s Warf. After walking around and getting a souvenir for Pam (I had my orders!) it was time for me to head back to camp, and the others to continue their trips home.
I was able to come back on Hwy 1, the Pacific Coast Highway. Even better, the fog and cloudiness that had been with us for most of the day cleared out on this last leg. I was able to get some good bridge and landscape photos, and stopped at a look out point to watch the sun set over the ocean. It was a very nice way to wrap up the rally.
Monday morning I packed up and headed home. I stayed in Las Vegas that night, and arrived home at about 6:30 P.M. on Tuesday.
Over-all, I rode 2,920 miles. Of these, about 990 miles were “local” miles ridden after I arrived at the KOA and before I left to return home. Monterey Bay had the highest gas prices, about $4.60 per gallon for mid-grade, or about $4.50 for regular unleaded. Longest stretch is the home-to-Las Vegas segment, about 548 miles. However, the Barstow to Bakesfield link is probably the ugliest. Best stretch is through western Utah into the St. George area, as the elevation is high enough to be cooler, you can see some snow in the mountain peaks, and the valleys have enough water to stay green.
I do enjoy these outings, and look forward to planning next year’s trip.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Note on photos: This is a very limited selection. If you are interested in seeing more photos, including the people I rode with, see my CaliRally page. The link is on the Jerry’s Toys page, or you can click on view page.
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Click on an image to open a larger copy. You can also go forward and backward through the photos by clicking on the forward and back buttons on the larger images. To activate these arrows, move your cursor near the 11:00 or 1:00 positions on the photo.
I took a trip to Wisconsin the last weekend in May. There were 2 main reasons for this trip: Inter my father’s ashes, and help my mother and siblings (brother Jon and sisters Kitt and Sienna) clean out my father’s 24 by 60 foot storage shed.
The first part, interring my father’s ashes, came off well. My mother had invited a small group of people to attend, and we had lunch in a local restaraunt after leaving the cemetery. Here are a few photos of that event:
My sister Kitt setting up a photo shot.
Dad's sisters Helen and Gina with my sister-in-law Diane.
This photo was taken at the restaraunt where we ate lunch:
My sister Sienna with her grandchild, Marisela.
I had taken my Flip video recorder, but the light wind blowing that morning caused the sound track to be very poor. Lots of microphone “whistle” is present. I was disappointed, as I took fewer stills and tried to get more video. I am sure my sibblings will send me more photos from the ceremony.
That night we had a cook-out and took a couple more family photos:
Mom, niece Molly, my brother Jon, and Malia, one of Sienna's grandchildren.
Jon helps Molly's Jaiden and Malia rost hot dogs.
The clean-out of Dad’s shed went well. We ended up with 4 piles of stuff: metal and recycleables, garbage, wood, and stuff Mom will try to sell at a garage sale.
Jon and I dealt mostly with the attic, and most of the stuff up there had few emotional ties. Jon did find a suitcase of my late-’60s and early ’70s car magazines, which I brought home. They will be fun to go through. We found odd bits of stuff, like the tops (no bottoms) of old chicken feeders. Dad had kept around 50 coffee ground cans, and we figured he was going to use them to sort “stuff” into and never got around to it. The cans went to recycle.
Down below it was a bit more difficult, as all of us had memories of Dad using his tools to build things like our swing sets and picnic tables. He had collected old insulators, and all of us remember him telling us the history and source of these items. Dad enjoyed this hobby, and it was hard for Mom and my sisters to sort through his collection. In the end we had quite a few items for the garage sale, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Mom took a few things off the sale tables to keep.
There were odd things down stairs as well, such as the Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer lawn ornament that was missing a rear leg. I guess Dad had always planned to fix it. Rudy ended up in the wood pile. That pile, by the way, eventually reached up about 12 feet and was about 30 – 35 feet around. Mom had to get a burn permit to torch it, and the fire department sent out a pumper to stand by, just in case. Apparently Dad had never thrown away even the smaller pieces of wood he ever had. Jon and I were amazed at how much he had accumulated over the last 50 years.
All of us had plenty of opportunity to talk, remember, and catch up on family news. At one point we 4 children were sitting in the kitchen and playing cards. I can’t even remember the last time that happened, if it ever had. We passed around some wine and had some good conversations. All-in-all the weekend went better than I had expected.
While I still need to get Dad’s old Ford 8N tractor out here to Colorado, cleaning out this shed was a major accomplishment and all of us were satisfied with the work done.
My next post will be about Kitt’s visit to Colorado. Kitt had visited us back in ’83 or ’84, but had little chance to see much of Colorado that trip. This time we visited a few favorite spots. Here is just a sample:
This is a bit of a catch-all post, covering a few different topics. First, I should mention that Mr. Biggs (a very mellow puppy) is doing well with Patti. It looks like they will be a good match.
Second, regarding the photo of our groceries, yes, that green round thing in the middle is a watermelon.
Finally, I’ve made a few changes to some of the web pages. The Home page, Cats page, and Jerry’s Toys page now sport a slide show. Move your cursor over the image to show the control buttons, or click on the photo to bring up a larger image. Hint: On the larger images, there is a “Next” button at about the 1:00 o’clock position, and a “Prev” button at about the 11:00 o’clock spot. These buttons are hidden until you get your cursor close to them. First photo in the series has no “Prev” button; last photo has no “Next” button. Captions show up better in the large format. I’ll be adding and changing these photos from time to time. Each page has a different set of photos; I hope you enjoy looking at them.
The Land Search has expanded a bit; we are now open to looking at parcels that have small cabins on them. A couple have come up that are still within our price range, and have a few improvements, such as a shed, well, or a driveway on them. We hope to get a list of properties together and drive over and take a look at some of these spots.
I have a trip upcoming, back to Wisconsin. My father died December 27th of last year, and was cremated. (He was 90 years old.) My mother has arranged for his ashes to be interred on May 28, and I want to be there for the ceremony. Along with my sisters and brother, we will be going through Dad’s storage shed on the 29th and try to sort out what is going to be kept, what to distribute to family members, and what to donate to charity or just part with.
Dad, who lived through the depression, was something of a pack rat, and rarely threw anything away. I know there is a 5-gallon bucket of old nails in the shed, for example, that may end up in the recycle bin. You just never know when you may want to straighten out an old nail for some purpose. 🙂
It is with mixed emotions that I contemplate this trip. I always enjoy seeing my siblings and mother, but there is no doubt a dark cloud will be present as well. There are a lot of memories tied up in some of this stuff, and it will not be an easy visit.
On a lighter side, my oldest sister will be coming out to Colorado for a visit. She says she can put up with the cats and dogs for a while. I’ve arranged for a few days off and hope to show her some of the local scenery as well as catch up with her on other news and stories. That should be quite nice!
Thanks for the comments and feedback. Let me know what you think of the slide shows.
All photos were taken by Jerry or Pam unless noted. Click on photos to bring up a larger version in a new window. Close that window to return to the post.
Clicking on the enlarged photos will zoom in on the cursor location. (Most browsers.) This gives you the opportunity to see additional detail that might not be apparent in the smaller photo.
I hope you enjoy reading this blog and looking at these momentos!
~ Jerry
