2012 Uncle's Around the Bend - Blood, Sweat, and Beer

[bsheet2]

Looks like we had a WRR patrol going. Thanks so much for such a great event! It was fantastic! My first time to Big Bend. I will be back....

In fact, I found out that King Kong is still lurking out there. But more about that later.

Day 1 - We rode River Road and turned to take on Black GAp Road. A WeeStrom joined in with our 3 WRR's. An unlikely combination, but it worked real well!

Headed to St Elana Canyon and the start of River Road.

Here are the views from River Road. I think all these were from RIver ROad.

We took a rest at the start of Black Gap Road. It was labeled as 4 wheel drive only so made sure Mr. WeeStrom really wanted to go down it. He was game, so on we went.

We made it up the big hill on Black Gap and looked back. Oops! The Wee had gotten off the edge and nearly too the short way down!

Took 5 of us to pull him back up on the road. I will let him tell the rest of that story. BUt I have to give him credit. He jumped on and blasted the rest of the way up!

End of the dirt on day 1.

DAy 2 - Just 2 of us did Old Ore Road and then came bach to Terlingua and rode Hen Egg. One WRR said it wanted to go to Mexico and the Wee was looking for repiars.
Here is Tink, my desert flower at the start of Old Ore.

And there is the way forward:

Old Ore is a really nice jeep trail.

Topped out with a spectacular view

I can't remember if this is from Old Ore or Hen Egg

A dry steam bed we crossed. I bet this can be flash flood city.

We had lunch at Rio Grand Village, had a look at the canyon and then hit the pavement to Terlingua. After a bit of rest and at the hotel we cruised through Hen Egg. Hen Egg was surprising. Nice are in there.

End of day 2, except for th edrinking and carousing.

 

[bsheet2]

Day 3 - Time to search for Kong. We heard he was somewhere in the Big Bend Ranch State Park. So 3 WRR's hit the pavement on River Road. We ran in to a gaggle of KLR's when we pulled up at the Ranch Headquartes. A discussion ensued as to where exactly King Kong Hill is and do we go clockwise or counter clockwise to go up it. Well the rangers in the headquarters thought it was a particular big hill and pointed us toward it. So off we went.
We found a big #@! hill and it was certaily challenging to get up it. Even the KLR's did well. We all got to the top and were feeling real grand. Here is a pic from the top. You can see the trail in the distance we came in on.

We found out later that was not King Kong Hill!
Well, a good reason to go back to Big Bend. So we dubbed the hill we did make it up "Donky Kong".

Those are some rough rocky trails in the Ranch. When we made it back to the gravel road headed back to pavement it felt like a super highway!

We played tourist on River ROad hiway and stopped and took a few pics. Real nice ride!

There is the Rio Grande

And there goes the hiway. The river goes through that gourge.

What a fantastic 3 days! Thanks everyone who helped organise and put this even together. It was a blast!

 

[cdc]

Thank you Richard and Connie for another great ride. I enjoyed the 850 mi ridden (mostly with solorider and thumper_tx) and even the 0.5 mile of dirt:

It was very nice to finally meet Voni and to win a prize after four rallies was fantastic but the prize (a can of Plexo) priceless! Thank you Lone Star BMW!!

 

[Rsquared]

After paying $379 and feeling I got bent over, I was good to go.

Location... Location... Location...

What a great trip. Weather, riding, people, all top notch. Words somehow fail to capture the essence of the trip, so I'll post mostly photos. (Special thanks to Tourmeister for driving the truck/trailer the whole way back so I could work on my photos!)

Nice photo's Doug...

Important reminder... the right tool for the right job makes all the difference in the world.

The KTM 530 for blasting down nasty rocky roads... Perfect.

The KTM 530 for trimming big bushy tree thingies a bit to close to those nasty rocky roads... Not so much...

So... Cycras are also good for pruning the shrubs?

 

[greeneggs&ham]

I would like to start off by thanking Richard and all who are involved in putting this ride on. I had a great time, lots of dirt, great fellowship.

Well, this is my report of four days in Big Bend.
I rode down with RG and JT in RG’s truck and trailer. RG drove the entire way. I think he was on the road each way for 12 hours plus. Iron Man!

We left Tuesday morning from my house about 9:30. Arrived at the El Dorado about 5:00 P.M. We then hooked up with Oilfieldtrash and Wes who came in from Oklahoma.

Wednesday morning we ate at the Ghost Town Saloon. We showed up a little after 7. Here is a picture of the sun coming up from their porch.

We had decided to ride the Cienega Mountains in the north end of the state park. We loaded up the trucks and trailers and headed out.
Here are a couple of pictures from the parking area.

We headed out from the trucks to the north on Casa Piedra Road. We went in to the trail at the East trailhead, and rode counter clockwise around the loop. Here is JT, then RG headed down the trail. Watch out for that washout!

RG in a sandy wash

Better look twice before you cross these track; they look busy!

Here is a picture of Wes holding a wire gap gate while JT looked for the trail. And yes, JT has his GPS in his hand. I had to reassure Wes that he knew where he was going. He doesn’t look too confident. We’re not lost; we’re just taking the most adventurous route.

Here are pictures of Oilfieldtrash, Wes, JT and RG.

This is a landscape picture. Even I can’t screw this one up.

The trees in this picture were lined along a creek where we would soon be taking a break.

JT crossing to the cool shade on the other side. RG and Wes already there.

Oilfieldtrash showing us how it’s done!

Wes and RG needed to investigate this old ranch house. Made from mud clay bricks.

Well, that’s about the end of day one. And as most of you have guessed, I am out of clever things to say. To be continued...

Sam

 

[primate]

Pfff, from what I hear, it's just a dirt road in the desert.













Wish we could have made it y'all.

 

[RJ2]

Second year - twice the fun and twice as sore

 

[solorider]

It is the only shop in Terlingua and I asked him if he had or can mount a car tire he said he won't and I didn't have enough tire to ride to Alpine.
I'm getting car tire installed tomorrow, will keep this expensive tire as a backup.

That seems almost criminal! What was the breakdown, tire cost versus labor cost and the name of the shop? I might have been tempted to try my first ever car tire instead of paying that much.

_

 

[solorider]

First installment...

 

[Tourmeister]

Front page photo

Snagged

 

[ed29]

I can't remember if this is from Old Ore or Hen Egg

That is from Herman's Peak Rd. It is about 400 yards past my driveway. I waved as y'all rode past but I don't think you were looking to the right. My WRR was parked out near the road as a 'rider friendly sign'. When y'all went by you were very focused on the road ahead.

 

[solorider]

Goldie was so happy with this BB trip, soon as we got back she just let me have it all...






Didn't hold nothing back...








Warning: May not be workplace friendly!

 

[SilverBullet]

We found out later that was not King Kong Hill!
Well, a good reason to go back to Big Bend. So we dubbed the hill we did make it up "Donky Kong".

That's no Donkey Kong that is King Kong Hill. You can identify it by going back to Richard's thread where the hill got first named.
http://www.twtex.com/forums/showpost.php?p=579708&postcount=30

_

 

[alpine357]

My day 1 started at the Chili Pepper where I hooked up with Bsheet2 and Chandler on their WRR's, dirt bomb on his KTM and axman07's V Strom 650.

We decided to ride Old Maverick to River Road and up Black Gap.

This is where the real fun starts.

We all stopped to watch the V Strom on this section of Black Gap Road. We were not hoping for carnage, but if there was going to be carnage we wanted to see it.

Axman made it look easy. The rest of us tried not to act disappointed.

Shortly thereafter we noticed we were one bike short. Is that a V Strom down there?

It took all of us to drag it back on the road. Broken foot peg and shift lever. Couple of beauty marks on a good looking bike. Axman rode it out even with the missing pieces. It really was steeper than it looks.

Stopped by Chisos Basin on the way back to camp. Pretty cool place. They have trees there. Some sort of micro-climate I was told.

Day 1 was absolutely great and it only got better from there.
More to come.

 

[bsheet2]

Nice pics Alpine!

 

[bigdon55]

Uncle's annual adventure rally in the wilds of Big Bend is now in the history books. We rode, we sweated, and we drank beer (and other adult beverages.) For my part, I had a great time but I'm candidly glad it wasn't longer - trying to keep up with faster riders all day and then trying to keep up with all the partying going on at Uncle's place is a bit too much for this old man.

Riders, please share your ride reports and pictures here. I'll get the party started with this series of Big A attacking the silt along River Road west in Big Bend National Park.

Great pictures Richard. I wish we could see BigA's face.
I wonder if his eyes were bugged out, or if he meant to do that!

 

[BIG A]

That's where the dark shield comes in handy

 

[oilfieldtrash]

That's no Donkey Kong that is King Kong Hill. You can identify it by going back to Richard's thread where the hill got first named.
http://www.twtex.com/forums/showpost.php?p=579708&postcount=30

_

It's Donkey Kong Hill for sure. King Kong Hill is not graded like Donkey Kong Hill. I'm positive as I've helped push at least 8 bikes and their riders up King Kong Hill in the last 2 yrs.

Donkey Kong Hill and King Kong Hill have the same curvature as you approach them from the bottom so they do look similar. This year when we hit Donkey Kong Hill I was thinking it was King Kong Hill and was terribly disappointed that they had graded it. Then we found the true King Kong Hill.

 

[greeneggs&ham]

At the end of day one, JT, Wes and I decided to ride back to Terlingua from the State Park. All was going good till, while leading, Wes blew his rear tire off the rim, just the right bead, opposite the rim lock. The tube was still inflated. He said he noticed a bad vibration, then the rear wheel locked up. When JT and I got there, after examining the situation, I got out my tire irons and worked the tire back on the wheel, without loosening the rim lock. It held going back to the hotel but needless to say, we needed a tire.

Day 2 - Thursday
So after consulting with Uncle, Wes and Chad went to stake out the local eatery where Uncle said Ralph could be found about 9:00 a.m. Steve and I went over to Chili Peppers to see what Richard had in mind for the day. After breakfast, we learned Richard’s plan would be riding River Road from west to east. Well, just about that time, Wes called and they were headed out to Ralph’s Cycle Tec, to acquire the tire in question. I told him we would head back to the room and have his tire off when he got there. All went as planned, rim and tire were off and tire dismounted. Sure enough, the cord on the right side was cut. He had just ridden over 100 miles, and at least 50 in the State Park beating on the tire. And it didn’t come off till he was headed down River Road a few miles from Lajitas.

After dismounting the tire, I changed into my riding gear. When Wes returned, I set about reinstalling the tire and remounting it on the bike. By the time I was finished, we had a slew of people hanging around waiting on us.

JT’s plan was to go up to Terlingua Ranch Road to Hwy 385 to Old Ore and River Road East, maybe meeting up with Richard’s group, even though we were leaving two hours later. So off we went making it to 385 with no problem. We went up to the park entrance to pay our fees, then set out south to Dagger Rd. A little more than half way there, Electrified’s Husaberg dies. Pop-Pop sputter, die. Restart, it will idle but when the throttle is open, it hesitates to gain rpm and backfires. After a few minutes, we put fuel in it; I was thinking it’s running lean. Restart and goose it a couple of times and it seems OK. Steve gets on it to go catch the rest of the group, and it pops, hesitates, pops some more. So out comes the tool kit, JT, RG and I are throwing out ideas. Well, to cut this short, 20 minutes later, we are still there. I am just about to ask Steve for his keys, and tell him to have a seat for a couple of hours while I go get his truck, and it’s blazing hot on that road! This is were the Calvary comes in, TexasNH came driving up, and JT asked him if he was headed to Terlingua. “Yes,” was his response. JT asked if he would mind if we off loaded his bike and load up this Hussy and let Steve ride his bike back to Terlingua. No Problem. Now think about that, here are 5 guys, standing around that you have never seen before. They want to load a non-running bike on your trailer and let one of them ride your bike to town. Most people would have to think about that twice, but TexasNH jumped right out there to lend a hand and help a fellow rider. Thank You.

With Steve taken care of, it was time to get back on the trail again. We caught up with the others just a half mile from the Dagger Flats entrance. Once there, JT asked if I would lead. No Problem, Wes and I traded off leading all the way to Rio Grande Village. About half way down Old Ore Road, I had my first pinch flat in what I think is about 25 years. Out comes the tube and irons and off comes the front tire. While changing it, all I am thinking about is how these guys have been waiting on me all day. Sorry! Anyway, after the change, all went well all the way to the Village.
At the Village, a very intense discussion ensued about Richard’s fajita dinner that night.

If we did all of River Road, we were not going to get there before the food was gone. I hate to say it, but food, at that moment was more important than trail. So we changed our plans to ride west on River Road and then north on Black Gap to Glen Spring and back on 385 to Terlingua and Fajitas!

Here are some pictures from the top of Black Gap.

All went well for this part of the plan. We arrived back at the El Dorado in time for a shower and change. Food was eatin’ and stories were told.
Sam

 

[Iceman Jack]

I hate all you guys! J/K While y'all were having a ball I was sitting at home staring at my boulder size kidney stone and wishing my back didn't hurt so bad! Oh well,it's a lot better now and I'm ready to ride. JT......what ya got for me?

 

[cdc]

First installment...

I recommend watching the last 30 seconds...

 

[Sweet-E]

I recommend watching the last 30 seconds...

This is a G rated forum.....

 

[izz]

Day 1 check your email while standing on a rock or change a flat.

Mark was in such a hurry to get to the Canyon, that it would seem he set these bushes on fire at this sharp left hander:

Now JT helps straighten the CRF450 firestarters bars:

Here's Edwin at the bottom of Peguis Canyon:

Lewis and Clark:

I meant to say Wes and Edwin...don't ask where we got the boats...

If you look closely, you will see that Chad is the only rider with an actual paddle, I don't know why nobody trusts me with that kinda stuff.

Did I already mention that the day ended with dancing girls?!?!

photos by Edwin

 

[Voni]

And I loved the sheriff's blotter.

Traffic Stops: 83
Citations Issued: 15

DPI? Not so nice!

http://alpinedailyplanet.typepad.co...unty-sheriffs-blotter-for-week-of-feb-27.html

Voni
sMiling

 

[solorider]

Actually, I have the footage of the whole deal but no one is interested in that...

I recommend watching the last 30 seconds...