Day 1 of Rocky Mountain Ride in Taylor Park, Colorado

Sept. 4, 2018

After another hard day of driving, then unloading and setting up camp we all just crashed when we got here.

But up early this morning for a Rocky Mountain breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, coffee and orange juice.
That is after we wiped the frost off the picnic table.....burr it's cold up here.

After breakfast Annie and I rode down to the Trading Post to buy a riding permit.

On the way she spots the cattle grazing around the cabins.

She looks over as if to say...hey, we gonna ride with them cows today...

We did, all day.

Heading out of the campground at the trailhead. Our destination today is over Tin
Cup Pass (elevation 12,400 feet) to Tin Cup and Saint Elmo...2 tiny little mountain towns.


Check back later for some awesome pics of this ride..it's supper time and the internet is super slow.....

Found this old cabin or what's left of it along the trail.

Appears other riders have left a few items for followers to look at. Best being the American Flag.
Also found a Christmas tree in the corner, a few coins embedded in the logs, etc.

This valley was used to raise cattle at one time. The old structures looked like cattle holding and loading areas.

Beautiful valley, just had to take a pic along the way.

Same valley from another angle.

Just can't capture the beauty in a picture. Oh, wait, I did capture Christine in this shot and she is a Beauty.
What a woman to put up with the places I take her,

We made it up the 10,000 foot level. This is Mirror Lake, a beautiful little mountain lake full of rainbow trout.

This shot is from the other side of the lake.

Met this guy fishing from his four-wheeler.....who needs a boat when you can sit on your machine and catch a string of rainbow trout.

And my adventurous woman looks up and says......Look, that looks like the top of the mountain, let's go up there.

So off we go, and it's easy to see where the Rocky Mountains got it's name.

Pebbles to Boulders all the way up.

Com'on General, just a few more feet. The buggies are losing a little of their horsepower as we reach the top of TinCup Pass.

The air is really thin up here but the machines are doing really good considering. I remember reaching 10,500 ft. on a Yamaha dirt bike in the High Sierras and the damn thing just quit running,

A great shot of Ma and Pa Chafton and their trusty companion Annie.

The longest married couple ever to reach the Continental Divide at Tin Cup Pass.

That's our story and we're sticking to it.

Of course we had a little help from our son Jimmy. He made us do it......him and his trusty companion Max,

The summit here on Tin Cup Pass is 12, 154  feet I think.
Enlarge the pic for details.

We arrived from this direction climbing out of that valley in the background,

By the way, Christine peee'd at the Continental Divide but she made sure it was on the Pacific side,,,

She will kill me.......

Heading back down the other side to find Tin Cup.

Got some clouds moving in, possibility of rain before we get back to camp.

The video of arriving at Tin Cup will not load due to poor internet, I might try later.

After leaving Tin Cup we made our way another 15 or so miles to Saint Elmo....another old mining town.

We hung out there for an hour or so while Jimmy tried to shake off a migrain headache.

It wil be a tough ride back for him because we can't take the gravel roads. We have to go back the way we came...over the mountain

After downing our balogna sandwiches and shoving some Excedrin down Jimmy we wandered around looking for something to do,

While Alison had no problem finding something to do, she fed the squirrels and chipmonks some sunflower seeds while these little rodents climbed all over her.

She loves natures little pests.....

Coming back down off the mountain we took the faster route. A really smooth dirt road that we were able to do some 40 mph cruising.

The scenery is beyond describable. Just a beautiful ride  back to the camp site.

My wonderful wife has a roast in the crock pot just waiting for our return,

Rocky Mountain Trip Sept.1 and 2

Saturday Sept. 1

On the Road Again....first night in Topeka, Kansas.

Making our way to  Colorado Springs tomorrow to meet up with an old high school friend for dinner.
Long days on the road but Jimmy and Alison only have  a week of vacation  so we will make it work.

Living and cruising  on the water the past 10 years spoils you.
Seems I can't go anywhere without GPS, Radar, auto pilot (AKA cruise control) and other navigational luxuries.
Also seems I can't go anywhere without running into a storm or two along the way.
Oh well. makes for an eventful trip.

This part of our journey was really cool and quite a story. Over 50 years ago Christine and I were good friends and high school mates in Long Beach, California. Jerry Garrigan and I worked at the same Shell Service Station thru High School and later worked together at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach. We spent lots of fun times cruising the streets of Southern California in our Street Rods. We both had 40 Ford coupes and for a short time I had a 55 Chevy Bel Air.
When Christine and I left California in 1967 we lost contact with Jerry Garrigan and for 51 years we always wondered what ever happened to him. Well along came FaceBook so a couple years ago I searched his name and Low and Behold he had just opened a FaceBook account. Bingo...I found him in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
I called him, confirmed it was him and told him if we ever went West again I would buy him dinner. We met his wife Nancy and had a fantastic reunion over a Steak Dinner. 
We have both changed but in another sense we are the same as we were 50 years ago.
We are so glad we added this reunion to our trip to the Rockies.

Turkey Bay Ride

Sunday, July 22, 2018

Looks like a good day to ride some local trails.

The "Land Between the Lakes" Recreational Area has something for everyone.
Many trails dedicated to Hikers, Horseback Riders, Boaters, Campers and an Off-Road Trail System called "Turkey Bay"

Just a one day ride with Family and Friends.

Jimmy, Alison, Andrea and I are gonna check out the beautiful scenery around Kentucky Lake.

During the winter months when the lake levels are lowered it is possible to ride these gravel bars for miles around the edge of Turkey Bay.

But at Summer Pool most of the trails are under water except for a few of these areas where riders play in the pools.

A good time to take a break from the tight woods trails and enjoy a drink by the pool.

Back to the woods trails and here we locate the "Old Silo".
Three or four years ago.
The last time we were here this silo was still standing and even had a window you could crawl through to get inside,

Looks like vandals have since tried to destroy it.

A good shot here of some of the "Wash Outs" in the "Playground" area. You better be real good or real stupid to try to climb these.

Andrea and Alison messing around in their new 1000 XP RZR....

Lunch time in the shade by the Lake.

Me, Alison and Max posing for a Selfie.....Jerry doesn't do many Selfies but Alison  insisted.

Time to wash a little mud off the RZR's and head back to the trailer.

The Lakeside Car Wash was open.

We stopped off for some B-B-Q at this unique "Grain Bin" Restaurant near Cadiz, Ky.
The first Grain Bin in the USA to be approved for human consumption. It was pretty cool and the food was excellent.

Hatfield-McCoy Trails, West Virginia

Wednesday, June 13

5:00 a.m......RZR loaded and ready for an all day drive to West Virginia.

Gonna do some" big hill" riding in the mountains.

Got the Toy Hauler loaded to the max. The General fits like a glove.

Annie says I don't care what time it is, you ain't going anywhere without me.

Lets get this truck rollin'....

Met up with Jimmy and Alison....first stop for gas somewhere in Tennessee.

The look on peoples face is priceless when they see these two identical rigs....

Both white GMC's pulling two identical Weekend Warrior toy haulers...

It was a long day but we made it to the Ashland ATV Resort/Campground in time for the welcoming cookout.

Meet and Greet...with your standard hillbilly gourmet menu of hot dogs and hamburgers.


Great host from Michigan are putting together this "Side X Side Jamboree"....



Thursday, June 14

Thought we would get a photo shot opportunity in before we get these buggies so dirty you can't see what color they are.

We rode from the campsite down to the Indian Ridge Trailhead....all part of the infamous "Hatfield and McCoy" trail system here in West Virginia..
Some of the best off-road trails in the country.

Left to right..
Kathy Key, her son Johnathon, Alison Chafton, Jimmy Chafton with Max, Christine in her Polaris General, and me with Annie.....Steve Key with the camera..

Just one of many trail stops along the way..
Taking time to smell the roses...as they say.


Notice the rock bluff in the background....The trails are lined with beautiful rock formations.

My little woman loves trail riding almost as much as dipping her toes in the Bahama Sand...

Well, Almost....

A shot of a view from the trail along Indian Ridge....

Some gorgeous scenery to be found in these mountains....


And we got three two more days of riding to do.

Another shot from the trail..

I had forgotten how breathtaking these hills are since it has been 5 years since I rode these mountains with Dave Crannell.....

Gonna ride some "Outlaw Trails" tomorrow with the "Side X Side Nation" group...should be a lot of fun,

Stay tuned...for pics and stories.


Friday, June 15

Big turnout for the Guided "Outlaw Ride" today.

...over 20 machines, all sizes, all flavors, and quite a mix of people.

Our guides are local boys that really know the area. Should get to see places that most Hatfield-McCoy riders don't see.

The drivers meeting reminded of some of the old motorcycle racing days.
Always a meeting before the race.

Explain the rules......None.
It's an Outlaw Ride....Most anything goes.

First rest stop on top of a mountain.

Women's bathroom to the Left..
Men's bathroom to the Right...

Pick a tree....

It's gonna be a long day...

Steve's Ranger collapsed a front wheel bearing going around the side of a mountain trail.

No one can move, we are on a very steep trial.  So Jimmy jumps in a helps Steve change the bearing.
The guide actually carries parts with him. He had the bearing so Jimmy took the wheel, brakes, ball joints, and tie rods loose to remove the hub.

Jimmy has the hub off but getting the old bearing race out was a different story.
We need a press...
So the guide leading the group rides to the nearest shop, presses the race out and the new bearing in.

Jimmy and the onlookers have this machine ready to go in about an hour and a half...

Lets roll....

Annie says....I don't mind the delay.

She just took naps in between all the people stopping by to check out her seat.

She is one spoiled dog...but she loves to ride.

Everyone took a lunch break while the repairs were in progress. Not much wasted time so far.

These Outlaw trails takes us to places we really aren't supposed to be.

Here Jimmy and Alison are checking out this old abandoned coal mine.

Can you imagine riding a underground mini-train back into a mountain and mining coal all day...

This was our scheduled lunch stop but most everyone brought there own lunch so only a few actually ate here.

It was at Pinnacle Creek RV park..
a longer delay than the break down.

Ice Cream would be nice about now...but they didn't have any ice cream,,oh well.

Now it's time for some fun......

This is some very steep hills on the way to "Big Rock Lookout",

And as usual....Jimmy is the first to go up.

Pictures just don't do justice to this climb, but it was easier than it looked.
These machines will do the job...

And the climb just got bigger...
These trails lead up to "Big Rock" which is on top of the Wooded area.

If you make it up the trail you can walk (rather climb) up on Big Rock for a fabulous view of the mountains in the background

I took a 4 minute video of all the machines climbing these trails but don't know if I can get it on the blog.

What's next?

After coming off the mountain top we drop off into the valley below and these trails are unbelievably tight.

Christine is trying to take pictures while keeping the brush limbs from smacking her in the face,

This is actually a trail, look close and you will see the machine in front of us...barely.
We had miles of this stuff along with lots of mud holes..

Got this short video to load, I will work on the 4 minute version later.....

Saturday, June 16

Another day, another ride....

Today we take the Hatfield-McCoy trails over to a little town called Bramwell, West Virginia to eat lunch at a 50's Soda Shop/Cafe..

They welcome Dirty Ol' off-roaders.
In fact, they are making a pretty good living off this trail system. With the Coal Industry in shambles over here I'm sure we are a welcome site.

Patience wears thin while waiting for all the drivers to get lined up and ready in time.

With these Guided Rides it's a lot like herding cats.

I think we will stick to our "Do Your Own Thang" next time.

And Annie says.... Let's get this show on the road people.

Todays ride offered easy trails for some folks and hard trails for others.

Here we are waiting for the easy"green" trail riders to catch up and join us after 4 of us took the hard "'black"trails.

We waited about 20 minutes for them to catch up....our way was the fastest but the roughest...

Alison and Kathy are taking a little Girl Time while we wait for the Green Trail riders..

We made it over to Bramwell for lunch but we had to park in a City lot...too many machines for the cafe parking lot.

The Railroad Station is in the background....across Main Street.

The Corner Shop "as it is called" is down Main Street one block.

The place was packed, inside and out.

We went around to the back porch because of Annie and turned out to be the best place to be.

The food was great, service excellent (considering they were hit with so many riders at one time), and the Soda Shop Atmosphere was really cool.

Even had Malts........



Below is some Tidbits of Videos That Christine took while on some easy trials....She can't get good videos on the hard trails because her and Annie are hanging on for dear life......

Ride Stats from the Ride Command.....Still learning how to use all these gadgets.
Evidently the Speed stats go to 0 when you turn the key off......lesson # 1

Jimmy was a few miles ahead of us on I-40 so we pulled over and made ourselves a "RootBeer Float".....
Then he calls and says he blew a tire on his hauler....

He had it changed before we could catch up but he needed our air compressor to add some air to the spare....

Back on the Road Again.......