Dec 2004 - BMW Motorcycle Club of Nashville

THE BEEMER
BMW Hotline 595-6203 DECEMBER 2004
President: Steve Stratz – 242-1567 Treasurer: David Sparkman – 292-6041
Vice President: Terry Elliott – 776-2626 Newsletter Editor: Polly Wright – 794-4280
Secretary: Chad Hargis – 833-9669 Activities Dir: Mark King 790-8038
PRESIDENT’ CORNER/ EMPEROR'S
CORNER
By
Steve Stratz
I received an interesting email recently that I would like to
present to the club for its consideration. It asks:
Am I the only one who is scratching his head and asking why
is the club offering to pay for Rider courses and now Trials
training
It's a nice idea, but I don't think that's the purpose of club dues.
Will the club pay for me and my wife to go canoeing down the
Harpeth River, as long as we drive my BMW to the river site
(just kidding).
Really, I don't understand. Can someone "splain" this to me
I am glad some folks take the courses, but why should I pay
for them It works the other way too, if I want to take a
course, how would I think the other members would want to
pay for me I thought club dues paid for club expenses, not
invididual activities that a few members may take part in,
regardless if a BMW is involved or not. And now the Trials
offer, I don't think there will be any BMW bikes in the
training!
I'm worried now. Who knows, the next e-mail may say, the
club will pay for each member's motorcycle insurance!! Then
we'll have a real hefty dues increase. Or how about this, will
the club pay a downpayment for me on a new BMW
Name withheld by the emperor to keep it impersonal.
When I became Emperor of the BMW Motorcycle Club of
Nashville, I found our club flush with funds due to many years
of sound fiscal responsibility and a profit-earning annual rally.
Our dues are only $20 per year, but are more than sufficient to
pay for club expenses and to fund the initial up-front costs to
host the annual rally. We donate a good portion of the rally
profits to various worthy Burkesville organizations such as the
volunteer fire department and ems squad each year.
As a non-profit organization we have an obligation to use the
funds in a way that helps the community. In keeping with that
theme I implemented a rider training program which allows
any club member, their spouse, and their children to be
reimbursed up to $75 for any of the MSF BRC or ERC
courses, two separate trials training classes, or a track day
which is still in the development stage. As a benevolent
dictator of a motorcycle club with a true concern for the safety
of its members, I cannot think of any better way to use our
available funds than to promote rider training, skill and safety.
As with any club event, only a few will participate but all have
the opportunity. The level of participation has not been a strain
on our finances at all as of yet, so the program will continue
for my second term in 2005.
If anyone wants to influence change in any organization, it
can't be done from a dark corner. Come up front and center,
roll up your sleeves and become an active part of the process.
Volunteer. Contribute. Become an officer and be constructive.
This is how I currently find myself owner of my business,
president of the homeowners association, treasurer of the
Knights of Columbus and emperor of the BMW club.
Criticism by itself is not constructive, but alternative
sugges tions are always welcome and encouraged. I do
appreciate the feedback, but it would be most helpful to hear
ideas and recommendations. I can always be reached at
sscratch@bellsouth.net Your Most Humble, Benevolent and
Infinitely Concerned Emperor.
Steve Stratz
PS: If you haven't RSVP'd to Polly for the Christmas Party at
Pig & Pie on December 7 at 6:30, you don't eat before I've had
seconds.
CHRISTMAS PARTY
DECEMBER 7, 2004
6:30 PM
PIG & PIE
BELLEVUE MALL
NASHVILLE, TN
LET ME KNOW IF YOU
WILL BE ATTENDING
1

CALENDER OF EVENTS
Letter from the Editor
Polly Wright
The Christmas Party will be held at the Pig & Pie
restaurant in the Bellevue Mall. I will need to know how
many of you plan to be there so please get back to me on
this. If you don’t let me know you are coming, you may
not be able to eat, so email me or call and leave a
message. I thank you in advance.
I want to thank our Officers who were elected for the next
year. I really appreciate them keeping or taking the office
they will hold this year. With the RA Rally coming our
way, we all will be busier than we ever have been before,
so if you want to help with that, please let Rick Mathis, or
John Menefee, know that you are willing to volunteer for
wherever they need help.
If you have anything you would like to donate for a door
prize for the December Party, please let me know. I
would like to have enough prizes for everyone to win a
door prize. We will do the gift exchange again with each
man bringing a man’s gift and each lady bringing a gift
for a lady. Let’s make this a really fun time and enjoy
ourselves.
CALL OR EMAIL ME!!!!!!!
Polly
Dec 7 - BMWMCON Christmas Party at Pig & Pie
Restaurant 6:30 PM
Jan 1 - Annual Polar Bear Ride – Shoney’s White
Bridge Road - 9:00 AM
Jan 7 - 9 - International Motorcycle Show in
Atlanta
http://show.motorcycleshows.com/IMSBrandMan
ager/V40/index.cvn
Feb 1 - Chili Cook-off – Club House at Mike
Gillespie’s neighborhood. Directions later
Feb 26 - Supercross In Atlanta
http://supercross.cc.com/tickets/x.phpmode=view
&tile=1&id=8771156
Feb 28 – Club meeting at Lane Motor Museum – 6:30
This will be the March Meeting.
March 4 – 13 Daytona Bike Week
March 26 – Swap Meet & Bike Show at TN Expo
Center in Smyrna, TN
April 5 - Club Meeting – Bloodworth Motorcycles
White Bridge Road
April 22 – Opening of the Art of the Motorcycle in
Memphis
April 22 – 24 AMA Superbike championship Series at
Barbers Motorsports Park
KERMIT CHAIR COMPANY *****
Tom Sherrill and Lee Waggoner
"Call us toll-free at 1-(888)- 729-9836
or visit us at www.kermitchair.com."
May 3 – Club Meeting
May 13 -15 European Riders’ Rally –
Burkesville, KY
May 27 – 29 Rocket City Rally – Huntsville, AL
May 27 – 29 Euro Fest, Factory in
Franklin, TN
June 11 Club Picnic (Date may change)
July 5 Club Meeting – Bloodworth Motorcycles
2

July 5 – Club Meeting - TBA
July 21-24 BMWMOA National Rally
The Allen County Fairgrounds
Lima, OH
Aug 30-Sept 2 Curve Cowboy Reunion - Jackson
Lake Lodge, Grand Teton National Park, WY
Sept 1 – 5 – Motorcycle Jubilee at the Gaylord Opryland
Hotel
Sept 6 Club Meeting - TBA
Sept. 30 – Oct 2 - Return to Shiloh Rally
Oct 4 – Club Meeting and Rally Preparation – TBA
Oct 6 – 9 BMWRA Rally – Shelbyville, TN
Nov 1 – Club Meeting – TBA
Dec 6 – Christmas Party – TBA
We have two new members that I
know of at this time.
Welcome them when they come to
our meetings.
Jim Holbrook
Nashville, TN
Michael Davis
Shelbyville, TN
WEBSITES
OUR BMW WEB ADDRESS
BMWMCON.ORG YOU CAN DOWNLOAD A MEMBER
APPLICATION AND FIND OUT ALL SORTS OF GOOD
THINGS. CHECK IT OUT.
BMW Club email: {:pw630@aol.com
http://nashlinks.com/remember.htm
www.bmwmoa.org/features/080502openhouse.h
tm}
ALABAMA CLUB: www.merrill.org
Barbers museum information:{ www.barber
museum.org
{ www.bmwmoa.org/}
www.bmwra.com
{ www.bmwriders.com/ }
www.cycleshows.com/index.html
Bloodworth Motorsports: bloodmotor.com
Knoxville
http://tailofthedragon.com
http://www.sportbikeshop.com/index.htm
http://www.sportbikeshop.com/weblinks.html
Iberian Moto Tours – { www.imt-bike.com }
www.bmwclub.org
www.AmericanMotor.com
www.midsouthswapmeet.com
http://www.miamimotorcycle.com
Newsdesk@AmericanMotor.com
NEW:{www.mcwriders@motorcycleworld.com
www.classickawasakiclub.com
Newsdesk@AmericanMotor.com
GLOBEBUSTERS www.globebusters.com
www.usdesmo.com/events.html
www.bmwmchr.org
www.motorcycleevents.com Reference # E04450
Here is a new website for you to visit.
www.29Dreams.com
Motoworld http://www.motoworld.com/
ESPN’s RPM http://rpm.espn.go.com/rpm/
Speed Channel http://www.speedtv.com
BMW Motorcycle USA
http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/home
Helen Tow Wheels Packing Systems
http://www.helen2wheels.com/
Cycle Trader http://www.cycletrader.com/
3

FOR SALE
If anyone would like a Roads of Middle
Tennessee book for a Christmas present ,
between now and Christmas I'll pay the
shipping and handling cost ($2). All they need
to do is sent me a check (made out to
Tennessee Back Roads) for $15 for 1 or $25
for 2 to:
Tennessee Back Roads
102 Glen Echo
Smyrna, TN 37167
Feel free to call me at 615-459-8279 also.
FYI - We've been averaging less than 2 weeks
turnaround from the time someone mails a
check to
when they receive their book.
Thanks and I wish you and everyone at the
BMW Chapter a happy and safe holiday
season.
Mike Jones
Motorcycle gear BMW and Brands you know
and love
2 Hard plastic side saddle bags with liners
Good, tight lock $20.00
One piece Rain Suit Tour Master XL
Excellent $35.00
Black Leather Pants Field Shield 48 - 50
Excellent $50.00
Rain Jacket Field Shield XL
Excellent $35.00
Reflective Vest Vision XL
Excellent $25.00
Black Leather Jacket Pro Sport sz 50
Excellent $80.00
Helmet cases, cloth, Shoei and other brands
Excellent $15.00 each
Register Now
With the coming of new products from BMW, both
in motorcycles, Riders Apparel and accessories,
Bloodworth Motorcycles would like to be able to
better inform our customers as the new products
come about. We would like to also inform our
customers about upcoming motorcycle related
events of interest, such as racing, rallies, and open
houses. The best way to do that would be with an e-
newsletter. Additionally, we would like to make
sure that our customer information is current. So the
next time you are in the shop, be sure to fill out one
of our customer information cards. As a little
incentive, for each quarter that you complete a card,
you will be placed in that quarters drawing for a
$100 gift certificate. Customer information forms
can be found at the parts counter.
Service Specials
The service department at Bloodworth Motorcycles
is offering a great new service special for a limited
time. A $30 oil change, using all BMW parts and
oils (petroleum). For less than it would cost you in
parts to do it yourself, we will be the ones getting
dirty, we will get rid of the used oil, and we will
take a look at your brakes, tires and check for
recalls. No appointments are needed. We can do it
all while you wait.
BMW’s Year End Burn Out
If you’ve been dreaming of owning a new BMW
motorcycle, you could search high and low and
never find a better time to buy than now. BMW
Motorrad USA is offering up to $2,000 market
allowance, up to the first 3 payments made, and
interest rates as low as 0.9%. Programs may vary by
year and model. Now is the time!! Come by
Bloodworth Motorcycles and see Glenn or David
about these great deals. Don’t was any time because
this is only available on current stock and only
through December 31, 2004.
4

Bike Storage
For some motorcycle owners, winter storage of their
motorcycle can be somewhat of a problem. Keeping the
bike out of the cold and damp conditions, keeping the
battery charged, and just knowing that the bike is
protected. It might even be nice to have a place to park
the motorcycle(s), so that you can free up your garage so
that you can work on other “garage” projects for the
winter. Bloodworth Motorcycles has a solution. For the
first time, Bloodworth Motorcycles is offering a winter
storage program for their customers at their shop
warehouse at 288 White Bridge Road. For $20 a month,
your motorcycle will be parked indoors and we will keep
your battery charged. Then when spring rolls around or
you have finished your winter garage project, you can
come and pick up your motorcycle. For further details,
call the service
Space is limited, so call soon for further details on winter
motorcycle storage and / or to find out about motorcycle
winterizing services, please call the service department.
This is a picture from the Cumberland Times
that Mark Brewington sent me. The check
presented to the Cumberland County Rescue
Squad, is from the profit made from the Rally
for 2004.
BLUE RIDGE MOTORCYCLE
RESORT
I don’t know if any of you have been to this resort for cycles
only, but the folks who own it are Philip and Leslie Johnson.
They are members of the Alabama Club and friends of my
daughter Connie. During the Hurricanes that hit Florida, they
were hit and it almost completely destroyed this Campsite.
These folks had put everything they owned into this Camping
facility and have pretty much been wiped out.
The Alabama Club as well as 29 Dreams, High Valley
Resort, at Suches, GA, and Gear Up Motosports in Knoxville
brought folks together for a ride and Auction to try and raise
some money to help Phillip and Leslie save their place.
They have had Tee Shirts made up to sell and the proceeds
will go toward this project as well.
If you are interested in helping with this cause, you can
send your donation to:
Connie Reaves, 108 Cape Cod Cr., Alabaster, AL 35007.
Make checks payable to Phillip Johnson.
If you would like a Tee shirt, they are $30.00 and you
can send your check to 29 Dreams, 53707 Hwy 25S,
Vandiver, AL 35176.
I will be glad to accept donations at the Christmas
Party and send them to Phillip and Leslie as well.
They need to rebuild the bridge and they will be able to
open the place again.
I am going to try and send a picture of the Tee Shirt.
Your kindness will be appreciated and what better time than
Christmas to donate to something that will promote
Motorcycling. Maybe we can plan a ride over there in the
summer if they are back in business by then.
They are located in North Carolina.
Their website is: Blueridgemotorcycleresort.com
HighValleyResort.com is the one in Suches, GA.
And for 29 Dreams, go to: 29Dreams.com
5

Big Ride 2004
For Patriot Dream…
By Mark King
From there we took NJ29 to US202 to I-287 and made a
beeline for upstate New York passing within 30 miles of
the Big Apple itself. We continued on the interstate to
Montgomery, NY where you can ask anyone and they
will point you to the Orange County Chopper store.
We actually stopped for lunch at a little café downtown
that was right out of the 40s or 50s. OCC has become
big business in this small town and the waitress told us
that they all drive H2 Hummers and are easy to spot
around town. We didn’t see any of the Hummers in
town so we went over to the store and found it full of
OCC hats, t-shirts and other novelties. Of course, they
funnel you into the store and not to the shop. There are
also some of the bikes they have built on display at the
store. Word around town was that they were already
out in Sturgis and that would
probably be true around this
time in early August.
We got back on the interstate
until we could exit on NY81
going into the Catskill
Mountains. Roads are poorly
marked in the Catskills and
we soon became delightfully
lost as we wandered through
beautiful two-lane roads
which were almost all
shadowed by mountain streams. We hadn’t wandered
very far before rounding a turn and coming upon a down
rider. Just the sound of those two words together sends a
chill through us all. We stopped to find one rider who
was OK and another that had stopped and offered our
help but overshot a turn and gone down. The downed
rider had been on some sort of sport bike and his buddy
was riding an older BMW K bike. Of course we there
really wasn’t much we could do. They had already
phoned for help and were now just waiting for it to
arrive. The downed rider thought he might have a
dislocated shoulder but other than that he was in fair
shape. His bike was in worse shape and could not be
ridden as it was. All we could offer was half of a bottle
of water that Ron had in his saddle bag but the guy was
pretty parched and was grateful to get it. We wished
them well and moved on.
We began to notice Jewish people everywhere - crowds
of them at gas stations and in cars on the road. I’m
really not sure if it was a Jewish holiday or just
someone’s big Bar Mitzvah. Mostly we saw Hasidic
Jews with long sideburns and everything. Actually the
Catskills have historically been the summer location that
many of New York City’s Jewish population preferred
as their summer retreat.
We continued our wandering in the Catskills. My GPS
kept us from being lost to the point of no return, and we
weaved our way in the general direction of Woodstock,
NY.
I guess we’re just a couple of frustrated hippies. We
finally made it to Woodstock, but we were only 35 years
too late. Woodstock is now a touristy little town that is
making a living on the name it shares with the legendary
1969 music festival. But the festival was actually held
on Yasgur’s farm which is closer to the town of Bethel,
NY some 30 miles from the town of Woodstock.
We had planned to spend the night here, but we still had
enough time to move onto Saratoga, so we kept riding.
We actually rode into Saratoga Springs. The actual
Saratoga Battlefield is outside of town, but we were
unable to pick up the signs for it along the road and
because of the late hour we decided to move on rather
than keep hunting for it. But the battle there was one of
strategic importance in our fight for independence.
There the surrender of a large British force in October
1777 shocked Europe and helped bring the French into
the war on the American side.
In the town of Saratoga Springs we were looking for a
good home town kind of motel, but this was harness
racing season at the track there and even the dumpiest of
little motels were charging $120 for a night’s stay. So,
we kept moving up I-87 until we reached Lake George,
NY where we planned to leave the interstate anyway.
It turns out that Lake George is a resort town much like
Gatlinburg, TN. We were able to find a passable room
at Kennah’s Motel and settled in for the evening. Ron
said the desk clerk reminded him of Norman Bates so we
slept with one eye open all night. We will also
remember this motel as having the smallest bars of soap
6

we have ever seen – I’m not kidding they were no bigger
than a postage stamp. We rode 454 miles this day.
Lake George was also the site of some military activity
in Revolutionary War days. Located at a junction along
one of the most historic water routes in America,
connecting the Hudson River to Lake Champlain, the
area witnessed military engagements during both the
French and Indian War and the Revolution.
From Lake George we headed north on NY9N along the
bank of the lake toward Ft. Ticonderoga. This was a
gorgeous ride along the lake on another beautiful falllike
morning. It was the morning of Monday, August 9.
We couldn’t have asked for weather any better than this.
Lake George, NY
At Ft. Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain on May 10,
1775, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold led the “Green
Mountain Boys” to an easy victory over a small British
force. Crown Point, another British fort a few miles to
the north, was also taken without an engagement the
following day. The capture of these two forts secured
protection from the British to the north, and provided
much needed cannons for the colonial army.
The actual fort is in private hands and they wanted $12
to go inside, so we opted to peer through the fence at it
for free. It is the classic star-shaped fort in that era of
military strategy.
Leaving Ft. Ticonderoga on highway 73 took us
across the southern end of Lake Champlain on a ferry.
The lake is also the state line between New York and
Vermont.
Continuing east on VT73 took us to what at first looked
to be a long stretch of the road under construction and
reduced to gravel. Hoping that this section would be
shorter rather than longer we continued. Luckily the
construction area was only two or three miles and we
were soon back on good ole blacktop.
Only about 25 miles into Vermont we turned south on
VT7 at Brandon, VT to see our first covered bridge in
Pittsford. This is the Cooley Bridge and is still in public
use although it is on a side road that is lightly traveled.
The architectural style is Towne Lattice and its 60’ span
bridges Furnace Brook, on Elm Street. It was built by a
man named Powers who was Vermont’s most famous
bridge builder. If you are ever in this area just stop in
town and ask for directions to the bridge. As we stopped
and talked to the locals and in situations like this we
were beginning to realize that our heavy southern drawls
made it hard for them to understand us. Believe me, it
was equally hard for us to understand them as they gave
us directions or carried on any other kind of
conversations at the stops we made. After a
conversation with the locals, Ron and I would often then
go off by ourselves and compare notes on what we think
was said to us.
We stopped at the general store in Pittsford after seeing
the bridge. We needed a coffee break and this little store
offered just about everything. Ron even picked up a
bottle of authentic maple syrup in a little glass bottle in
the shape of a log cabin – cute. The post office was
next door to the store making this the one stop spot for
all you need if you live in Pittsford, VT.
Cooley Bridge – Pittsford, VT
We continued east on VT73 which crosses the Green
Mountains to VT100 for a ride north to the capital of the
state, Montpelier. This is one of the most beautiful
capital cities I have seen. And on this beautiful sunshiny
day the gold dome on the capital was absolutely brilliant.
I hope our pictures do it justice.
7

Ride Report - Colorado 500
By John Menefee
My good friend and riding mentor, Jim Lattimore, invited me
some time ago to join him in what he called a "little ride in
the hills in Colorado" when I got my dirt skills up to par.
Taking him seriously,
I have been riding trials and dirt for over a year now trying to
get ready. I just wasn't up to it last year which turned out well
for me as it snowed the whole time. But this year I was
ready. This year, I was a rookie in the Colorado 500!
Why the Colorado 500 Is it because the founders are Indy
500 drivers Is it because many of the past and current riders
are veterans of the Daytona 500 No, it is because of the over
500 miles of dirt that we ride in this thing, putting an extra
200 miles or so of street just to make sure our tires are
completely worn out. 500
miles, 5 days. Sure case of Monkey Butt!
It all starts at Wally Dallenbach's ranch in Basalt, CO. He and
his wife Peppy and a whole slew of folks make this the nicest
start to any dirtbike ride you can imagine. Check-in was in
the ranch office, all presided over by Wally's assistant Janet.
She is Wonder-Woman, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Marilyn
Monroe in one. This show would NOT go on without her.
She and her minions got us all signed-up, geared-up, and
pumped-up for the ride. After sign-up, our bikes were
checked for compliance with Colorado's tough noise and
pollution laws. As far as I know, we all passed, but there were
a few near misses. From there a meeting to stress the
importance for all us noobies to stay close to our sponsors lest
we become roadkill with noone to scrape our remains off the
rock we landed on. Then an admonition to the veterans not to
leave litter laying around.
The next morning we all meet up at 7:00 am for breakfast
before an 8:00 am departure. At 8:15 everyone has finished
topping off tanks and filling tires. We leave soon after. First
we go zooming off through the town of Basalt, whichI quickly
found out is pronounced with the accent on the second
syllable, not the first where it ought to be. Led by a BMW
RTP, we make quick work of the town.
Finally we get off the highway and head into the dirt. I am
following Jim who kindly leads with an eye towards
maintaining the structural integrity of his rookie. If he breaks
me, he knows he will have noone to fetch his beer and carry
his gear bag, so he is careful with me. I think the lecture
Libby gave him about my life insurance not being paid up was
his real motivation though. Up the mountain to Taylor Pass
we go. Not a bad trail, and I'm thinking "gee, I could do
this on my KLR". Well, that opinion would soon change.
After a fairly easy ride up, we got bunched up on top of
Taylor Pass. Jim and I saw this cluster fork and decided to zip
on down the trail. I was given exactly thirteen seconds to pee,
have some water, catch my breath, and remember why in the
hell I ever agreed to ride in an area where oxygen is rarer than
fried foods. Can't get neither there. Off we go. Remember
that comment about the KLR I'm now thinking a 125
trials bike may be a bit large and heavy for this trail. I'm
8
sorry, did I say trail I meant rock garden. This trail was like
riding on grapefruit tossed in with watermelons, all wet. We
were hauling behind down a trail covered with fossilized
bowling balls and razor blades. Run through a creek or two,
ride down one a ways, and you get to lunch. Wheee - food!
After lunch, we head on down a nice little trail called Italian
Mountain Road. Rocky, but not too rocky, dusty, but not too
dusty, and fast! That ranked up there with my favorites for the
week. Then came Cement Creek Rd which was just as fun.
Between the two was a turnoff for a trail known as the "Star
Trail". That is one of those trails you don't take a rookie on
unless his name is Carmichael. Mine isn't.
The first day ended in Crested Butte. Many refer to it as
"Crusted Butt". By Thursday when we returned here, I knew
why. Fortunately, Mister Wally really does things up nice and
keeps the locals happy too. Pressure washers are set up so we
can clean 'em off and check for leaks, damage, etc after each
day's ride. Jim discovered his bike was leaking oil out of the
clutch arm seal, but not bad. Later it got to the point that the
Team Kawasaki guys took notice and fixed it for him while
we drank iced tea while playing bridge with the local
church group. That night, our little band of heros found
sustenance in a small frenchified restaurant known as
"Soupçon". Took me a while to get it, as I don't read french.
Food was incredible! Absolutely wonderful Elk tenderloin.
Lots more iced tea.
DAY TOO:
Gee, Jim. My head is a bit stuffy and I have a slight
headache. Maybe iced tea number seven wasn't such a good
idea. We headed up Kebler pass to take it easy on our battered
brainstems, but were lured by this nice, quiet, rustic road
through the woods. It of course turned into a teeth-rattling
ride over old railroad beds and rocky hillclimbs. Once again I
was reminded to ask why I agreed to this. Jim leads us into
the town of Lake City where we meet up with his previous
year's rookie, Keith, and his grand-rookie Fred. Neat little
restaurant. Can't remember the name, but there are only two
so you won't have any trouble finding it. Let's go ride up a
hill. Hey, how about we go over Engineer Pass We are all
used to this thin gruel they call air, aren't we Sure! By this
time, neither me or my bike could breathe. Hint: On a DRZ
400S, use a 137.5 jet and carry oxygen. Have a helicopter sent
ahead. Have him watch closely as you descend into Ouray
down Engineer Mountain Rd. Remember the road of rocks
and razors This one was steep too. Nice ravine off to the left
there - NO! Don't look down! Turns out that it was fun,
just not what this boy is used to. I got used to it before the
week was
over.
OK, time for the bike wash, chill out, and go have a waitress
throw money at the ceiling. The mexican restaurant in Ouray
was a real treat. Lots of iced tea to drink and the food was
awesome. The local rescue squad raised funds by scraping the
ceiling monthly. Seems the staff encourages patrons to donate
by sticking cash to the ceiling with thumbtacks. You are just
going to have to go there to witness how this is done in a
room with a fifteen-foot ceiling. Can't find BC powders here,
so I have to settle for Stanback. Darn iced tea is giving me

eal thumpers every morning. Must be the altitude.
DAY THREE:
Up the Corkscrew! After a short highway ride south where I
got to lowside on a switchback just for fun, we turned off the
road onto another gentle looking dirt road. By now, I am wary
of such things. Rightly so. The road up Corkscrew gulch
wasn't so bad, but at 30 mph, everything comes a bit quick.
Fortunately I didn't even see the spot where the road eroded
away leaving a nasty gully to hop, I just found myself across it
after the sun-blindness went away. The views from the top
were worth it. There is a series of passes there, each with
a vista more stunning than the previous. Unless you are going
the other way, then they just get worse.
I don't really remember how we got there, but there is this
quaint little town called Silverton. Next to it is a quaint little
mountain called Mt Kendall. "Sure, I'll go up it with you."
Dumbest thing I said all week. Instead of going down a trail
filled with sharp edges and loose boulders all bounded by
sheer drops of 100,000 feet, we were going up one. After we
got to the top, we came back down it. All before lunch. I am
not going back up there until I have a rookie of my own to
terrorize. Hopefully none of the prospects will be reading this
and know better than to trust me when I say "lets go up there."
Then we had lunch while being stared at by the biggest
collection of former animals I have ever seen. More dead
critters on the wall there, than on the Trace in the springtime.
Bigger ones too. Bears, deer, jackelope, and even an
armadillo. Musta have come in on the bumper of a truck
before dropping off at the stoplight.
With lunch paid for, we headed off to a restful little pass
called Ophir. Should be known as "No fear" as it is a nice
smooth gravel road with little more than scenery to challenge
you. Beautiful Aspen forest and alpine tundra. All this was to
keep me from dying on Black Bear Pass. For some reason Jim
decided that the most dangerous pass in the rockies wasn't a
good place for me that day (maybe because I panicked when
faced with a mere 10,000 foot cliff over Silverton. I'm gonna
go there next year - lookout, rookie!). In town below the
pass we met up with our more sturdy cohorts and continued to
Imogene pass. This one was a walk in the park. The best part
was the trail near the end of the way back to Ouray. There is a
two or three mile piece of something trail-like with huge
buried rocks and hard-pack dirt that makes for a really wild
ride. Just don't slow down! That piece of fun put us back
into town for the day.
Is Ouray an acronym Like "Oh, U aRe A Yankee I think
the whole story about it being some indian's name is just a
coverup. That night, we ate more good food, drank more good
iced tea, and I left the camera in the room to protect the guilty.
DAY FORE!
Back up the corkscrew - hop the crevasse - and through Placer
Gulch. Saw even more neat stuff. I honestly don't remember
where all we went that day. Some of our group (not me - I'm
smarter than that) went off with Ken. Ken is the founder of
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Team Watige. Watige stands for "We're almost there, it's
getting easier". Famous last words. Last year, when this team
was founded, the group ended up coming into Crested Butte at
9:45 pm after a six hour crossing of the Star Trail. This year,
they found out that the map didn't quite connect that shortcut
and they had to backtrack about 30 miles in the dark. By
the time they got in, Jim and I had already had an iced tea and
crashed out.
DAY FIVE! (last day)
"Hey guys! How about we take Scofield Pass (Ixnay on the
ocksray - don't tell the rookie)". Sure! Sounds like a pretty
ride! - Uh, oh. There is this place just off the pass known as
the Devil's Punchbowl. Nobody thought they should mention
it to me, as I wasn't a big fan of the ride to the top of Kendall
Mountain over Silverton. Oh well. Glad they didn't tell me,
because I had a ball! That trials stuff really came in handy
coming down that "road" with the big, sharp rocks sticking up
that we had to thread our way through. Sure looks pretty at
the bottom. That's when I noticed we had ridden down next
to another one of those ravines. This trail was so busy, I didn't
have time to look anywhere but at the trail, the whole trail, and
nothing but the trail. Then we rolled about seven more miles
down a rough fast trail that has claimed many a front tire. I
discovered for myself that keeping your weight far back over
the bike (don't sit down or you will regret it) allows your front
tire to guide you without hitting anything too sharp too hard.
Good lesson, but too late for some others. On this trail we
passed an old mill that is one of the most photographed spots
in Colorado. Well, I took a picture too, not to be outdone. On
down a bit more finds the town of Marble, where there is a
quarry. What do they dig out of here Well, marble. This is
where most of the marble used to construct the Washington
Monument came from. There is a huge pile of castoffs from
squaring off the blocks that is visible for a long ways down the
access road to the mine. It also seems to attract amateur
shutterbugs with a penchant for scenery of the non-animated
type.
Whoowee! Lunchtime! - the Cafe in Redstone is great! Stay away
from the Tres Leches cake. It's all mine! You can't have it!
There, there, my precious...
We were able to find a few more trails on the way back to
Snomass, including a two-track with lots of whoops in it. Air time!
Just don't take a big jump fast when there is a curve ahead. You have
been warned. At the end of this most fun trail, Jim and I split off
from the rest of the group to keep our promised arrival time. Nap
time. Then a banquet that evening (good NY Strips and lots more
iced tea). The last part of the evening was a presentation of a 20
minute edited version of the video that will be released. I got to see
more people screw up in spectacular fashion on that video than I
thought could crash. No wonder the dead bike trailer was full. I was
fortunate that my one involuntary removal from the vehicle occurred
far from the watching eye of the videographer.
So that's it. I am def'ntly going back next year. I will def'ntly get
new forks for my DRZ first. And I will cross Black Bear Pass too.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
John sent me pictures of this trip, but I couldn’t get them
to download into this newsletter. I’ll see if I can print
hem and bring them to the Christmas Party. (Polly)

PRESIDENTS CORNER:
Steve Stratz
Articles by: Mark King, & John
Menefee
Classifieds
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Next Meeting
MEETING
CHRISTMAS PARTY
DECEMBER 7, 2004
6:30 PM
PIG & PIE
BELLEVUE MALL
NASHVILLE, TN
BMW MCON
P O Box 158265
Nashville, TN 37215
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