Black Diamond, No Skis

It all started out innocently enough.  It was a typical Saturday morning, all the street riders sitting around the breakfast table in the local Cracker Barrel, waiting for everyone to show up for the ride. I kinda nonchalantly said that I would like to go to Arkansas tomorrow and ride the mountain dirt trails for a few days, and wondered out loud if anyone could go. My riding buddy, Kim, never missed a bite or raised his head as he said in a monotone voice, “I’ll go.”   And so the adventure began.  

The next day, with hardly any planning at all, we loaded his CRF450 and my KLX450 into the back of my truck.  And off to Arkansas we went. We arrived at Mena that afternoon, and since it was already 3pm, we decided to go and ride mountain fire roads. A great warm-up for the next day.  The Arkansas mountains are just full of these fire roads that can be ridden on the big adventure bikes as well.  

We got up the next morning to tackle the trails. After a BIG breakfast, we asked the waitress if she could make us each a sack lunch.  Sack lunches in hand, we drove to Wolf Pen Gap to start the day’s ride. It's one of those places that can be enjoyed by ATV's, adventure bikes, or dirt bikes. 

Black Diamond Trail

Six hours later, concluding another great day of outdoor fun, and no bloodshed, we loaded our bikes up and headed to Ozark, AR for the night.   

The next morning we drove 20 miles north to the Mill Creek trailhead, quite a different story. I have been riding Arkansas for a many a year and had never been to Mill Creek before. WOW, what a neat place to ride, but not for the inexperienced for sure.  Mill Creek is one place you do NOT want to take the big adventure bikes.  Light and agile dirt bikes are the weapons of choice in this location.  I waited until we were half-way down one trail before I asked Kim if he had seen the sign that said Most Difficult, with a black diamond symbol.  Uh, no.  

Miles and miles of trails with one gotcha. We would be zinging along the twisty trail, through the creeks and over dales, when suddenly there would be a 1000-foot-long rock garden just to add spice to the day. Long, uphill, rock-covered climbs were the norm. Once, at the top of a mountain, Kim, in his non-excited way, said “It has been my experience that after any ascension there has to be a descent."  So, down the other side of the mountain we went, rock garden after rock garden.

Up and Locked

If you study the pic of me and my KLX stuck in the trees, you will also notice that this happened on a smooth and wide part of a trail….in aviation we have a term called UP AND LOCKED, referring to the landing gear, but as the pic shows, UP AND LOCKED applied to me with a different meaning.  You get the point, don’t you? 

 Overall, this spur-of-the-moment adventure was worth every mile, dollar and the pain involved.  Thanks for dropping by.   

The Little General

Ten Hours of Therapy

The first thing one of my scooter trash buddies said was “10 hours isn’t enough, you will need more”…HEY I have feelings too.

I got up early this morning with an agenda to do an exploration ride on the KLR to see if I could find some good Dualsport roads to add to my repertoire. The plan was to work all the dirt roads to the Southwest of Glenrose, Texas, for about 100 miles. 10 hours and 325 miles later, I’m back home with a smile and some new roads to share with my scooter trash friends.

My riding bud, Steve Plunkett, who was going to help me, called yesterday to see if he needed to wear his waterproof boots or not – no, I replied, I’m not. Seven miles into the ride, Steve is laying on his side in the middle of a river crossing, wet up to his neck. How’s your waterproof underwear working for you, Steve? I spent the rest of the day hearing about how his wet underwear was chapping his butt. Seems a lot of riders who ride with me go home chapped one way or the other. We spent the next 10 hours working the roads and found some jewels. We found dirt roads that twisted and turned for mile after mile.

As we rounded a corner on one of the many roads, we saw a sign that said ROAD CLOSED AHEAD. Being the type of guy who obeys all signs, I turned around and started out the way we came in.  NOT!  Let me see the hands of all you Dualsport bikers out there who would turn around. That’s what I thought, NONE of you, outlaws all of you…remind me to never go riding with ya’ll. My curiosity was really starting to build, wondering what was ahead.

As we proceeded down the road, it got more overgrown on the sides, and then the road got narrower, and then there were weeds starting to grow up in the road. This is a good sign, I thought to myself. Then, there it was, the most beautiful bridge you have ever seen. Standing there in the outback of Texas, old but proud of the years of service that it had provided for the many tractors and model A’s and T’s that had crossed her. The rusted metal and rotten boards did not take away from her years of service and beauty. As I approached her, I could see where some of the boards had fallen some 50 feet to the river below due to rot. Steve and I both got off our bikes and looked at each other with big smiles on our faces.

Steve stuck in the cedars...said he was chasing a bear...

As we started to walk across the old bridge, she creaked and shuttered with delight to be back in service, if for only a little while. As we walked along her worn out and rotten wood slats, we could see all the way to the river between our feet. On the other side, the road continued on through the woods, inviting us. As Steve and I looked at each other, no words were said, but it was clear—I will if you will! We mounted up our bikes, and as we started across, the boards under our wheels popped and moved. Safely on the other side, I took one last look at the grand old lady as we rode off into the woods.  I was thinking about bringing my riding buddies back here to see this. Enjoy the pictures. REL #54

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW

I just love the big-ole State of Texas. We have some of the best winter riding in the United States, and a wide selection of roads to ride. We have 100-mile stretches out across the Big Bend area that have no turns or side roads at all if you are inclined to check out the top speed of your bike. In our hill country, we have twisties that will put a smile on the face of any hard core canyon craver. Maybe your thing is dirt roads, way too many to cover in a lifetime. But there is one more thing that we have---HEAT. WOW, can it get hot in this state!

Today 10 of us went for a frolic in the outback on our street bikes. We started the ride off with and finished it off with tree-covered twisty country roads and in between these we rode some amazing high-speed sweepers that kept us on our toes.

You might remember my blog titled CLUTCHED IN THE JAWS OF WINTER, where I described what I wear in the winter. But the thing that I want to share with you now is how I and my buds stay alert and comfortable in this 102 degree Texas heat. I start off by leaving my Alpine Stars on the shelf – fabulous boot but way too hot for summer. I instead wear my Red Wings that have a steel toe, steel shank, no liner and they breathe. I wear mesh pants and jacket from FirstGear. Under the pants just my whitey tightys—can I say that here?—sure I can, it’s my blog. Under the jacket I wear a mesh athletic shirt. Just before I depart for the ride, I soak two CoolMax wet vests and put each in a one-gallon zip lock bag, throw them in the saddle bag, and use them just after lunch one at a time. This really works, and here is another little trick you need to try. Call me crazy, and plenty have, but each time the group stops for gas or rest I look around and nearly always find a garden hose on the building. Take the hose and soak your mesh pants and jackets completely, this is a great way to have air-conditioning for about another hour as the wind and heat dries them out.

Ride safe and ride often—but remember, riding safe also eliminates a lot of options.

Can You Hear the Banjos?

Well, my friends, it's been awhile since we spoke, but the two wheels have still been turning. One of the many highlights of the year for me is the Hillbilly Dualsport in Arkansas each April. This ride is put on by my friends in Kansas, David Hemphill and Larry McGillivary. These guys are a great asset to the Dualsport community.

This year's ride was, as in the past, one heck of a blast, with fellowship, deep water, rocky trails, magnificent scenery, and the best bologna sandwich at Turner's Bend. One great time in the mountains of Arkansas!

The official ride is on Friday and Saturday, but as usual, we arrived a day early to do a little pre-ride warmup. On Friday, we had a turnout of about 70 riders. David and Larry held a riders meeting, then the riders joined groups according to ride level and pace: Picture Takers, Medium Pace, and my group, which is fondly referred to as the Over-Caffeinated Bunch (O.C.B.). :)

Friday was a wonderful day, with mild temperatures and sunshine. At 8:00 a.m., the groups started to roll out for a tour of the Arkansas mountains on the forestry roads and backroads. The night before, there was a large amount of rain, so the creeks were a real challenge at points. Fifteen miles into the ride, we encountered a creek that couldn't have been crossed in a john-boat. Where else can you have an adventure in every mile except on a motorcycle? I just love it.

Thank goodness for GPS. Using the GPS, I was able to lead the O.C.B. 5 miles to the east, then back on track on the other side of the swollen creek. As the day progressed, we encountered a number of challenges and adventures. I had a newbie in my group this year, and I always enjoy sharing in their excitement. About 150 miles into our 200-mile ride, I had a flat on the rear. As I parked my KLR and stepped off my bike, the newbie ran up to me, and with a concerned look on his face, asked, "What are we going to do now?!" With a smile, I said, "Watch this." Twenty-two minutes later, we drove off with a new tube installed. I just loved his response: "Man, I need to get some more tools!" You know, that might be a good blog -- what to carry into the mountains and outback.

Well, to wrap up, all I can say is, 450 miles in two days left us all with a feeling of peace and accomplishment, and plenty of stories to talk about as we drove back to the great State of Texas. Enjoy the pictures. Be sure to look at the slideshow to the right, and double click for larger pictures. Thanks, Brad, for the great pics.

A Day In The Life of a 10%er

WOW_WOW_WOW what a day! I got up early that morning and just had a feeling it was going to be a special day in the life of a motorcyclist—me. That week I sold my Vulcan and ST1100, so for the ride that day I’d take my KLR. (My new ST1300 would not be ready for pickup till 3pm.) I rode into town and met up with 6 of my scooter trash friends for a wonderful down-south type of breakfast: fried eggs, bacon and pancakes. Now that’s the way to start a ride day. So after breakfast 7 of us rode over to the place where we would meet up with the TWT group (Two Wheel Texans). Now, what I’m about to tell you is a story about a whole bunch of events coming together to make one weird day.

When we arrived at the meet-up, (1st) I saw a Aprilla motorcycle and realized that was the bike of Ryan, a fellow rider who had broken his leg and ankle a few months before. He had hit drillers mud in a corner that had been dropped by one of the many trucks that use our backroads going between drill sites. It sure was good to see Ryan out riding again.

Now there were 11 of us ready to ride—(2nd) as we started to leave the parking lot, one rider ran into another and they both went down softly. Next on the list, (3rd) one of the bikes stopped running, so the rider pulled off the road and put the kickstand down. I stopped to assist, and as I was parking, I watched as one of our big Texas winds blew the bike off its stand, over into a ditch. That’s bike 3 down. He called his wife to hook up the trailer and come get him. We left him and continued the ride. (4th) As we entered a section of tight country roads, the pack got split up at an unmarked turn. I was in the lost group, and since I live by the rule that as long as I’m riding I’m having fun, I was just temporarily displaced. As we rode along, enjoying the great roads we found while trying to find the other group, my cell phone in my helmet rang ( if you haven’t checked these out yet, take a good look at the CARDO Q2 system. It installs into your helmet easily and gives you mp3, intercom for up to ¼ mile, FM radio and voice activated cell phone). Anyway, back to the story—the cell call from the other group led us to a rendezvous.

So, after a great hamburger at Burgundy Pasture Beef, we launched off for the completion of the ride, which would be about 30 miles of backroads. I had positioned myself in about the middle of the pack so as to cruise on to the end. (5th) As we were making a 45 degree left turn on one of Texas great backroads, at a speed of only about 45mph, I asked myself—“why is the rider in front of me locking up his front brake and starting the process of a high side crash?” I watched as the events unfolded in front of me and I asked myself, “do I hit him, the bike or go to the ditch?” (I talk to myself a lot.) The ditch had a nice clean roll to it so I took option three. As I exited the ditch on the other side of the downed rider, I came to a stop, got off my bike, and ran back to see how he was. I reached down and removed his sunglasses so I could see his eyes and asked him how he felt. He said he was OK but hurt all over from the fall. Now you’ve got to understand that I really am a caring person, but my rule is if you’re not bleeding too bad—GET THE CAMERA—and start shooting. After a while the rider was able to get up and we as a team got him and his bike home. It’s rather ironic that at breakfast I was saying to a couple of riders that you should always DRESS TO SLIDE, THEN GO ENJOY THE RIDE......this guy was really happy he was dressed properly.

So in conclusion, I have to say as I did in my last post called 10%, motorcycles just stir my emotions all up and down the spectrum. I must go now and get ready for the next ride. Below you will find the way I feel. LET’S RIDE!

Little General


I LOVE TO RIDE
By Robert E Lee

The feel of the engine between my feet
The wind in my face
The smells of the road and countryside
The sensation of speed as the asphalt glides by
The sight of my fellow riders leaning into the turns
The sense of danger, either perceived or real
The fellowship shared with other riders
The envious look from the mini-van driver as I pull up next to him
The solitude
The responsibility

Motorcycling is a very personal thing; it stirs the soul in a multitude of ways. I have been lucky to have the opportunity to have so many of my emotions stirred by this beast called a bike, a scooter, a motorcycle.

It has exercised the emotions of:
EXCITEMENT—each time I ride off
PHYSICAL PAIN—each time I fall off
MENTAL PAIN—each time I see a rider down (and some never got up again)
FEAR—for that deer or car just barely missed
SOLITUDE—each time I see nothing but highway in front of me
JOY—as we gather around the table to tell our stories
DISAPPOINTMENT—if for some reason the bike doesn’t start

10 Percent

Hey fellow riders,
On this, my 49th year of motorcycling, I sit pondering upon the large list of motorcycling friends that I have all over the USA. I truly believe that each and every one of you are SCOOTER TRASH, and oh, how I love scooter trash. ST are a special breed of people who see life in a completely different way. But I have also noticed that about 10% of the ST are what I’d call hard-core ST. I think that I probably fall into the 10% and believe that the following poem permeates to the core of the 10%---my feelings on paper.

I LOVE TO RIDE By Robert E Lee
The feel of the engine between my feet
The wind in my face
The smells of the road and countryside
The sensation of speed as the asphalt glides by
The sight of my fellow riders leaning into the turns
The sense of danger, either perceived or real
The fellowship shared with other riders
The envious look from the mini-van driver as I pull up next to him
The solitude
The responsibility

As I prepared to depart on a trip, my non-rider friend asked, “How can you go when the temp is 56 and light rain?” I pondered this question as I cruised down the highway in the rain, and thought, how could I not go? This is the most relaxed that I’ve been in days, I thought—just me, the Lord, and my bike rumbling below me.
Motorcycling is a very personal thing, it stirs the soul in a multitude of ways. I have been so lucky to have the opportunity to have so many of my emotions stirred by this beast called a bike, a scooter, a motorcycle. It has exercised the emotions of:

EXCITEMENT—each time I ride off
PHYSICAL PAIN—each time I fall off
MENTAL PAIN—each time I see a rider down (and some never got up again)
FEAR—for that deer or car just barely missed
SOLITUDE—each time I see nothing but highway in front of me
JOY—as we gather around the table to tell our stories
DISAPPOINTMENT—if for some reason the bike doesn’t start

In a two-part interview done by Cycle News 38 years ago, I told the reporter: “Every time that I get on a motorcycle I grin inside. When I get depressed or sick, all I want to do is get on a motorcycle, because it will make me feel better. I’ve been that way since I was 11 years old.”

To this day when I’m feeling low and full of the blues, my precious wife packs me a sack lunch, puts me on my bike, and says “take a long ride.” Nothing has changed, and I hope it doesn’t---as I sit here writing this little note, I’m also thinking about our next ride. I can’t wait.

Little General

My Favorite T-Shirts

Hey riders, I know how we like our T-Shirts and I wanted to share with you a great place to get some of the best T’s I’ve seen. Don Miller at Metro Racing has high quality retro T’s that are made by Hanes. These shirts are pre-shrunk 100% cotton. And of course they look extra good on the professional underwear model that we used for the pic. :)

Give Don a call at Metro racing (1-877-74 metro) or go to his link at http://www.metroracing.com/. Tell Don I said Hi.

Little General