alfalfa

Billy and Jim, the top of Engineer Pass........

(well, just accidentally lost some paragraphs and i'm too tired to rewrite. so, just look at the pics and see how much fun we had in the snow). GSs make rally good snow machines So, this one almost went for a 1000 foot free ride to the bottom. After this happened, we formed up along the edge to tackle anyone else trying the shortcut into the snow bank on the left. Several other passes were ridden on our way south to Lake City. Lake City is the eastern side of the Alpine Loop and has a great restaurant ran by a Polish, or Slovakian couple. Great food, great beer. A must do, if the Covid panic hasnt put them out of business. Packer Saloon and Cannibal Grill. Named in honor of a Cannibal who once roamed the area! ? We played in the mountains for a couple of days, with our grand finale planned to be Imogene Pass - 13000 feet! Jim had let us know that he was carrying Billy's ashes and wanted to spread them on top of Imogene. I can understand why. This pass looks down on Telluride to the south, and Ridgway to the north. It is a beautiful place. But, first, you have to ride a 700lb bike to the top. Oh, and this time in the rain. We entered from Ouray side, crossing several water crossings before heading up the steep part. Bip and I had gotten out in front and were waiting at the top for the others to catch up. When the lightning started, we figured it might be prudent to diver over the side and lay on the slope as flat as we can be! At 13,000 feet, there is no protection from the weather. However, at 13,000 feet they CAN hear you scream. Eventually the rest of the group caught up, but instead of stopping, charged over the hill down the Telluride side. No one else wanted to watch the light show. We regrouped a couple of miles down from the top, licking the wounds of the bike carnage and trying to dry out. It was at this time we looked back up at the top, and the sun was out and the clouds disappearing. However, Jim decided spreading Billy's ashes would have to wait. The group continued on down to Telluride for the traditional pizza lunch before splitting up. After eating, the group separated into three parties, one headed back to SoCal, one headed back to Big John's, as his bike was not going to make it to Louisiana. The other three guys from back east decided to try again the next day to spread Billy's ashes. The ended up back on top of Engineer's Pass, finding a little point where Jim had a moment with his friend.

Needless to say, we fell in love with Colorado. After not dying on Engineer Pass (oh, FYI - dont ride up from the Ouray side, only ride down. You're welcome). Similar trips have occurred almost every year since 2012, unless something more incredible gets in the way. We should have kept our mouths shut, maybe. But, as we didnt, the merry band of idiots, i mean riders, grew each year. This brings us to 2016, the year when Billy made his own trip to Jim's favorite spots, and where a lot of him rests to this day. The trip started out like they always do, with new people tagging along. This time, it was Bip Schkaboden (really, Gary Rebensdorf. almost as weird sounding). He is a Cali friend of mine and i thought that he might enjoy some time in the mountains. As he was a street riding fool, he had no bike to take offroad. I had just recently gotten my brother's KTM 950 from our Alaska trip, so i offered it up to Gary to use. I knew there was a "slight oil leak" but figured it twerent no big thing. Well, it turns out it was and as the day to leave arrived, i had no option except to let Gary ride Flames (Bruce's favorite GS), while i rode my newer 1200 GS wethead. No really big thing, except the newer bike had on crash bars, nor decent skid plate. Off Bip and I head from SoCal, to meet up with AGALOS in Colorado. This time it was to be near Denver, as we wanted to ride a good portion of the Colorado BDR down to Lake City. Bip and I had a great time riding out across Nevada and Utah, finding a nice dirt section into Lake Powell, and then winding our way up to Frisco, CO. (another great section of paved roads in Utah, Hwys 12 and 24) As you can see in the pictures below, Bip was indoctrinated into an AGALOS ride, and so was Flames. (well, that has happened several times before, but all by me). Once the gang finally got together, we headed up to Webster Pass. This year's group included a rider of some renown, Dennis Godwin. Dennis was on the American GS Trophy team, and the boy can ride. And, true to form, he aint got a lick of sense, either. We no sooner hit the top of the Pass and we encounter a large snow drift blocking the road going down. When i say large, i mean at least 100 feet deep, and running from the top of the mountain, down across the only road, and over the side. We weren't going around this thing. As a couple of us resigned ourselves to turning around, Dennis went and checked things out. You could see a trail thru the snow formed by 4 wheelers, and some dirt bikes had also ridden over it. So, he figures GSs can also do it. I mean, they are dirt bikes, right? They say what you dont know wont hurt you. They also say "ignorance is bliss". Well, we were very happy and decided we would follow Dennis down thru the snow. Those pictures are below. They really dont show the steepness, nor the drop to the left as you crested the snow bank. But, no one died.

Needless to say, we fell in love with Colorado. After not dying on Engineer Pass (oh, FYI - dont ride up from the Ouray side, only ride down. You're welcome). Similar trips have occurred almost every year since 2012, unless something more incredible gets in the way. We should have kept our mouths shut, maybe. But, as we didnt, the merry band of idiots, i mean riders, grew each year. This brings us to 2016, the year when Billy made his own trip to Jim's favorite spots, and where a lot of him rests to this day. The trip started out like they always do, with new people tagging along. This time, it was Bip Schkaboden (really, Gary Rebensdorf. almost as weird sounding). He is a Cali friend of mine and i thought that he might enjoy some time in the mountains. As he was a street riding fool, he had no bike to take offroad. I had just recently gotten my brother's KTM 950 from our Alaska trip, so i offered it up to Gary to use. I knew there was a "slight oil leak" but figured it twerent no big thing. Well, it turns out it was and as the day to leave arrived, i had no option except to let Gary ride Flames (Bruce's favorite GS), while i rode my newer 1200 GS wethead. No really big thing, except the newer bike had on crash bars, nor decent skid plate. Off Bip and I head from SoCal, to meet up with AGALOS in Colorado. This time it was to be near Denver, as we wanted to ride a good portion of the Colorado BDR down to Lake City. Bip and I had a great time riding out across Nevada and Utah, finding a nice dirt section into Lake Powell, and then winding our way up to Frisco, CO. (another great section of paved roads in Utah, Hwys 12 and 24) As you can see in the pictures below, Bip was indoctrinated into an AGALOS ride, and so was Flames. (well, that has happened several times before, but all by me). Once the gang finally got together, we headed up to Webster Pass. This year's group included a rider of some renown, Dennis Godwin. Dennis was on the American GS Trophy team, and the boy can ride. And, true to form, he aint got a lick of sense, either. We no sooner hit the top of the Pass and we encounter a large snow drift blocking the road going down. When i say large, i mean at least 100 feet deep, and running from the top of the mountain, down across the only road, and over the side. We weren't going around this thing. As a couple of us resigned ourselves to turning around, Dennis went and checked things out. You could see a trail thru the snow formed by 4 wheelers, and some dirt bikes had also ridden over it. So, he figures GSs can also do it. I mean, they are dirt bikes, right? They say what you dont know wont hurt you. They also say "ignorance is bliss". Well, we were very happy and decided we would follow Dennis down thru the snow. Those pictures are below. They really dont show the steepness, nor the drop to the left as you crested the snow bank. But, no one died.

Phew, that was a long winded post for something that happened 9 years before the subject of this ride report. However, it was important to set the stage for our introduction to Jim Bean, aka Frijole. This man has been the catalyst for every adventure since 2007 that my brother and i, or just myself, have experienced. The next part of this story will show what kind of man Frijole is, and why whenever any of the AGALOS band travels, he seems to be the focal point. Bear with me, i'm getting to my point. I like to think of Frijole as the "lighthouse" of the group. From a small, 3-man riding party, it has grown to 12 people, at its peak. And, that is with Jim doing his best to keep membership down. Twelve is a LARGE group to manhandle in some of the places we've ridden (stay tuned for Colorado stories). A combination of great riding roads, good people, and the excellent photo skills of Frijole has created a demand for more and more wanting to ride along on one of Jim's rides. (Jim also is involved in March Moto Madness, a Tennessee rally that has grown from 6 people to about 800, over the space of a few years. He also organizes another smaller rally (name redacted) that is limited to 200 riders and has 100s more wanting to get in on it. You see what i mean about him being a "lighthouse"?) A quality person like Frijole attracts other quality people (me excepted). One of whom is Billy Odom (see, i finally got back on track). Billy is no longer with us, except in spirit. Now, that is a pun, because i understand that Billy was also THE source of Tennessee crick water. You know, that super clear liquid that burns so nicely going down? But, for riding reasons, Jim and Billy were great friends. When he passed, Jim knew that he had to take part of Billy with him on a trip to Colorado. A place that has risen to the top in locales that are a favorite of his. So, a plan was hatched that Billy's ashes would make the journey to Ouray, Colorado, where the AGALOS band would meet up with what had become a yearly event. Another one that had grown from just Jim and I, to 4 people, then 6, then up to 12! The passes around Ouray, Telluride, Silverton and Lake City are known as the Alpine Loop. The mountain peaks range upwards of 13,000 feet (that's 4000 meters to you old worlders), and yet they each have a gravel road you can take to ride up to the top. Jim and I discovered that in 2012 while on a ride to meet up with none other than Big John Davis. While on that little rally, and because of pictures in Adventure Rider of Engineer Pass and Ophir Pass, he and decided we needed to go see what's up there. Of course, since we Aint Got a Lick O Sense (AGALOS), we chose the worst path to the top of Engineer. Maybe we should have listened to every local telling us "you're going to die, if you go up there", but where is the fun in that? Some ASR Rally pics

Just wait until I start posting Frijole's pics! (for a preview - frijole.smugmug.com)

Nor have they to you. Your testes have shrunk to the point that you benched your two wheels for some dinghy you lay about in the pond in ?

After switching bikes, my brother and i head south down Highway 93, which crosses over into Idaho by means of a mountain pass at the border. Several switchbacks take you up to the peak. Before we reached them, we were passed by a "cruiser". As soon as he passes us, my brother (in the lead) turns around on his seat, points ahead and gives me a serpentine hand motion. I correctly interpreted that to mean "we are going to catch Mr. Cruiser by the first switchback, and leaving him behind". Sure enough, Nick drags a knee around Mr. Cruiser in the middle of the curve and we leave him waaaay behind <G>. Hence, the name of this trip became "National Parks, Ice Cream and F*cking with Harley's Tour". The name was further earned every time we encountered a herd of the bikes. (it may sound like we are bike snobs, but we arent. sort of. We just find it amusing to watch the various herds on the road. Truth be told, in all our travels, the most of any single brand of bike we encounter are the Milwaukee Iron. We also found that the ones you encounter out on the road are great people and always willing to help. But, that can be said about any long distance rider, no matter the brand). But, i digress. Nick and I made it into Jackson Hole, after a great stop at Earthquake Lake, near Yellowstone. In Jackson Hole, that moment had finally arrived. I would meet the mighty Frijole (as you know, my brother's gay internet lover). Jim arrives after us, and introductions are made. Finally, Nick goes "you going to ask him?". I said "what?". "you know, what have you been calling him". So, without hesitation, i ask this newly met person "Are you my brother's gay internet lover?". Now, if you were to ask anyone that question, you can probably guess the types of responses - laughter to a sound beating. The response you get will tell you a lot about a person, and may give you insight into whether you could spend any length of time on the road with said person. Jim laughed. We were good to go. Anywhere, anytime. So, of course, we headed off to see the Tetons and Yellowstone. After that, it was back to Nick's to regroup and to create another tradition (we seem to want traditions about everything.). Back in MT, at Nick's, we start talking about where we would like to head next, as we still had a couple of days before Frijole had to head back to the South (well, Tennessee). Glacier Park was a great choice as Frijole wanted to head into Canada and back east before returning to the US and going home. There was some building, or some rock he needed to photograph (his photos are amazing). The tradition i mentioned above? Well, the night before heading out again, we watched a comedy special by Rodney Carrington (look him up, the Texas one) in which Rodney does a bit about men and women's, uh, appendages. His premise is that men are really good at focusing on an object, to the exclusion of everything else. I guess the hunter instinct. Well, Rodney's describing man's infatuation with the funbags and his bit goes "Shhhhh, there's some t*tties!!". Maybe it was the margaritas, or maybe it was just being tired from the previous ride, but the "shhhhh" imprinted in our minds. To this day, whenever a lovely sight is nearby, you will hear one of us three call out "shhhhhhhhh!". (you had to be there) Jim also put together trip videos, the first one is below.

Two weeks on bikes, traveling around the western states had hooked us, permanently. We couldnt wait for 2007 and our next vacation. Sometime after our Yellowstone trip, my brother started communicating with a fellow in Tennessee, who was either buying a jacket from him, or selling my brother one. I never remember. What i will always remember is the story of their face to face meeting. The TN fellow, Frijole (aka Jim Bean) had a trip planned to ride out to Washington State to see friends, take pics and just travel. Frijole road a 1200 GS, the newer model of Ewan and Charlie's bikes. So, that gave him instant traveler cred. As Frijole's route would take him past my brother's place near Missoula, MT, he was invited to stop in for a visit. Neither Nick (my brother), nor Frijole thought much about two strangers meeting up in the middle of a trip, but their wives had different opinions. Nick's wife was concerned that a mass murderer had been invited to stay with them, while Frijole's wife was petrified that the strangers in MT would cut his throat as he slept! Neither happened. Frijole showed up at my brother's, shared stories and swapped bikes and a lasting friendship was instantly created! At the time, the impact of this meeting could never have been predicted, but an annual tradition was created. One that only can be interrupted by famine, pestilence, pandemics, or larger plans. It was after this short meeting, Nick and Frijole started discussing a 3 man trip in 2007. If you know Frijole, you know that winters in TN drive him nuts as his riding days are impacted and being the excellent photog that he is, spare time is spent drooling over previous trip shots. The plan was hatched that he, my brother and i would get together the following summer and rider the west. Of course, being the big brother and an asshole, the winter comms between me and my brother always included questions about his internet lover he met on a motorcycle forum. Finally, July 2007 arrived and my brother thought it would be a great idea if he were to fly down, and the two of us ride bikes back to his place. Nick rode my Road King (a bike I had purchased from him several years before, neglected a little, and needing of some TLC) and i rode my new to me K1200S. We had a great time riding north, with stops in Sequoia Park, Yosemite Park, Lassen and Crater Lake. In MT, he switched the Road King to his K1200S, and off we went to meet Frijole in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

There are friends, good friends, dear friends, and people who change your life. This is a story about the latter and the efforts a dear friend expended to honor that great friend in his life. First, a little back story. Riding motorcycles is one thing, traveling by motorcycle is another, more fulfilling activity. Everyone here probably agrees, and there probably wouldnt be this forum, if that wasnt a true fact. I have ridden motorcycles since i was 14, growing up in Alaska, and learning how to hotwire my friends street 70 Honda. (you just unplugged some wires going into the headlight and plugged them into each other). Back then, riding motorcycles was a first taste of freedom, taking you further and faster than your bicycle. If you were lucky, your friend(s) had a bike you could ride two up on, or borrow. I had those friends. Fast forward a couple of years and i was able to get my own first motorycle, a 1972 Honda CL125 twin. I didnt buy it, as my parents wouldnt let me. So, my sisters boyfriend at that time ended up just giving it to me. It did need some work and some parts, which a summer job took care of. Being a street bike, knobbies were added. It was Alaska, afterall. You could get your license for a bike at 14, and there were no restrictions on where you could ride offroad. for the most part, that is. That bike was abandoned when i moved to California in 1974, and my brother probably beat it to death (i should ask him sometime what happened to it). When i was finally able to afford one, my next motorcycle was a Honda CM400T, a triumph looking wannabe. But, being a Honda, it was reliable and fun and i was able to get back up to speed as a motorcycle rider. Bikes remained in my environment for the next two decades, more as simple transportation than anything else. There were no rallies that i knew about, no Road of Bones to lust after. I'm sure they were there, just not on my radar. Then, along comes 2006 and LWR. Having a BMW SAV, i was automatically entered into the BMW Car Club, which has a great monthly magazine. One of the articles that still sticks in my mind was about these two guys riding bikes around the world. Something called GS's. Wasnt sure what those were, but i did know the brand, having owned a K1200RS. Within a few weeks of reading that article, i get a call from my brother talking about this series he watched about those same two guys i had read about. Ewan, or Charlie, or something. He said i had to watch it, so i jumped on Amazon and ordered the DVD (remember those?) box set. Well, it happened to show up on a Friday, so i went home after work and stuck the first disc in the player after dinner. At 4am the next morning, having finished every episode, i started searching frantically for more episodes! I mean, there had to be a season 2, right? Well, there wasnt (not for awhile, at least), so i started wandering aimlessly about the house. About that time, i get a call from my brother, asking if i had watched the series yet. I said yeah, straight thru. He then asked that question that's started a million journeys "when do we leave?". I had never vacationed on a motorcycle. I had ridden one from Anchorage to Los Angeles, a Honda 750 Interceptor. The one with a board for a seat. So, I knew that sight seeing could be done, and fun roads discovered. The two of us planned a trip to Yellowstone, our first on bikes, and our first together. Little did we know the addiction that was to follow .....

Welcome! have been to and ridden in France twice now. Beautiful place! All pavement rides, so far, tho.

all part of the story to come soon. wanna have fun, google "ODOM POINT" and see what has happened since 2017. and, that is only part of the story. as it stands now, someone has taken down the sign (we figure thieves and not rangers, as they left the sign post, etc). I have a new one waiting to go back up there as soon as snow is gone. hurry your butt over and you can participate

Hey, Mawsley Damned glad to meet you. Damned gladder to hear you are over the hump on Covid. I think you always have to joke about life - good or bad. My own mom (89) and her 82 yr old boy-toy are coming down the backside of their infection. Mom never event went into the hospital with it. Her husband was hospitalized with it. He went thru - on oxygen and feeling good, to full oxygen and probably not going to make it, finishing up with "I'm not dead yet!" and is home recuperating. There is hope!!!

That was a quick start, soon to be edited. I see that Stephen took down previous videos. not sure why, but they were just as great. I want to do justice with the Odom Point story, as that was done for a friend's friend. Here is another of the AGALOS band's take on Odom Point - http://nyemoto.com/index.php/2017/08/15/billysride/ This is Billy. Billy would destroy sport bikes on Tail of the Dragon, while on his GS. Billy would do anything for anyone. Billy is the kind of guy you would erect a monument to him, on top of a 12000 foot mtn, in Colorado. The story of Odom Point will blow your mind.

We "discovered" Colorado back around 2012. We being a friend from TN, Frijole (trying to get him on here), and some good ol boys from Louisiana. Names you might know. Camped at Ridgeway and decided to check out Engineer pass, having heard of it from other sites and reports. Should have listened to the people warning us we would "die" riding up to the Pass, from Ouray side. We didn't die, but it felt like it. Trips back almost every year since. We've slowly roped in more and more people to these trips (check out the excellent Steven Gregory video). The place has become so special, that Frijole spread the ashes of a great friend at the top of Engineer, and BJD had a sign prepared. That's a separate story I am still trying to put together, to capture the spirit of riding with friends. Video: While out in Ridgeway, we also took a side jaunt to Moab (that's the weird red rocks you see in pics)

I'm getting used to picking it up ?

kind of was, wasn't it? so many peeps, trips and stories ago. Last I heard you were in the US, now it looks like back in the UK?

thanks all! let's get this party started! stay tuned for some riding stories.

uh, oh. Ian is here? How many know how nice he really is? ? (rode with you in New Mexico, 2010)

I've had other bikes since last seeing you, too. And, finally made my maiden voyage to Europe. Did the Edelweiss Extreme Alps Tour, followed by the Pyrenees and then France. Found a great tour company in Tours, France and will holler out when next over that way. In the meantime, come to the states when the quarantine is listed and we can ride some good asphalt in California!

yep, this be Rick Giroux! Great to see all y'all again! Some cabin boy pointed me to this forum. Great, modern look to it! For some reason, the busboy is obsessed with the world's only GSA with flames.

Some of these names look familiar ? Good to see em again!