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Rode the Rio and then some.......

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Basin anyone? or The Hunt for Cobbler

Reaching the pavement, the six of us rode south towards the Rio Grande Village in the park. Ice cream sure sounded good after all that hot riding. I think someone clocked 90+ degrees F in the sun. No wonder visions of ice cream and iced tea kept dancing around in my head.

Somewhere along the way, our crew of Six Shooters abosorbed Rachael and Soozy on their bikes. So now we were a team of eight, parked in front of the village store, relaxing in the shade and enjoying cold drinks and ice cream.

I recognized an elderly man from the visit there the day before. He had just sat down at the picnic table to eat a pint of ice cream. I saw that and that was it; I ran inside and got my own pint of ice cream (and iced tea) and walked outside to join him with a big grin on my face. All I remember is eating the entire pint in big gulps and washing it down with iced tea. Then he and I teased each other about eating an entire pint of iced cream. He had another pint in his hand when I saw him that day again.

See, I'm not the only one!!

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A few groups of other riders joined us outside over the hour or so we recovered. Tall, or by the hand gestures, wide tales were exchanged.

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I don't remember how the decision was made, or who suggested it (ahem), but a ride to the Basin lodge for cobbler seemed the right thing to do. We all geared up, gassed up, and got ready to go. While the rest of the crew went to the Boquillas overlook, Ed and I headed to the Basin at a leisurely pace.

I just love riding through Green Gulch. It is truly like riding through a magical portal. This time it was much greener than when I rode it thrice over the Xmas holidays.

Finding a vantage point to pull off and park the bikes, we hiked up to one the bends in the series of switchbacks before the descent into the Basin. I intended to get some shots of the others as they came into the first bend. While waiting I took some scenic shots...
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and practiced my action shots.

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Then I heard the buzzing of dual sport bikes.
Rusty was in the lead..
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Rachael and Soozy following.
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Then Bill....
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and Graeme.
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And down they went.
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They all went so quickly (or my brain was moving too slow), I miscalculated and went back to the bike not realizing Scott was bringing up the rear. Slowly ;) Sorry, Scott.

Ed and I parked in the usual Desert Rat parking space; behind the lodge with the mountain in the background. Ed rode down to gather the others to join us. Bill pulled a 'Russ', riding with his helmet balanced on the top of his head. Russ will be proud of you, Bill :mrgreen: (I'm emailing Russ the photo tonight)

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The restaurant was closed but the management and waitress could tell by our bedraggled and begging looks that we really needed some help. So they brought us our orders of cobbler and ice cream. In all of my visits there, the staff have really been wonderfully accommodating ! :clap:

We sat outside on the patio and ate while relaxing and visiting.
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I added this photo because of Scott's endearing facial expression :)

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Now filled with ice cream, drinks, cobbler and more ice cream, we took off for one of my favorite attractions down there: water crossing. :rider:

Next: "I think I got a bath!!!"
 
Are we wet yet??

Water is life's blood to all life forms and a sculptor of the land. No where else on this planet is it more revered than in the deserts. Lack of rain and the hot sun are the primary drivers of the desert flora and fauna, both types and number. Adaptation is the key to survival; many species of living things present unique and interesting ways of that adaptation. The Big Bend region is a showcase for many of those processes.

Most visitors to Big Bend mistakenly think it never, or rarely, rains. Yet, monsoons often deliver bountiful water from July to September. Unlike most temperate places in this country, March is usually the driest month in that area. Then again, year-long droughts have been reported for periods in history. Like most other places we live and visit weather is cyclic there, but often highly unpredictable.

The once magnificent 2,000-mile Rio Grande, or historically referred to as Rio Grande del Norte by the Spanish and SW American Indians, has always commanded center stage in the immense region west of the Pecos River and all the way north to its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Sadly, the mighty river is now only a trickle of its former free-flowing waters. Yet even today in its dwindled state, the Rio Grande still commands respect and attention.

In 1978 a collaboration of efforts designated the a 196-mile section of the Rio Grande, from Mariscal Canyon to the Terrell-Val Verde county line, as a Wild and Scenic River. Along with 150 other similarly designated rivers in this country, it is to be preserved in its free-flowing condition and its ecosystems protected in their natural state.

Although the Rio Grande often receives the most historical recounts, other bodies of water in the area are just as interesting and historical. Tornillo Creek is the largest and probably most ancient, but one that is also prominent in the area's history is Terlingua Creek.

Referred to as early as 1855 as Lates Lengua Creek, it assumed the name of Tarlingua Creek sometime in the late 1800's. Whether the creek was named for Tarlingua Peak, east of the creek and west of the Corazone Mountains, or vice versa is not known. Nevertheless, the peak, which may have been the original name of Hen Egg Mountain, and the town of Terlingua, which has occupied three different locations, were mostly likely named after the creek.
(several accounts of how the name 'Terlingua' came to be)

Its watershed beginning just south of Alpine the creek and its tributaries drain storm runoff from the nearby mountains and desert floor. Like a complicated network of veins, smaller creeks and arroyos feed the Terlingua before its confluence with the Rio Grande near Santa Elena Canyon. Those that have ridden or hiked its northern sections can attest to the breadth and width of its canyon walls, pebbled and rocky floor, and sandy banks.

For most of the year the northern section of the creek is dry with isolated mud puddles checkered across its cracked and silty bottom. However, further down the creek and south of Study Butte, water flows freely during a good portion of the year.

Like in most deserts, roads, paths and trails cross the many arroyos, washes, draws and creeks. Dry or rushing with water, they can sometimes be tricky to ride or drive through. Heavy rainfall will send walls of water down these veins, thundering towards the Rio Grande and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. They are a powerful force to be respected. But their calm waters also offer recreation as well as nurturing desert life.

During the Xmas holidays Roger shared with the original Desert Rats a short cut on a back country road. Although considered 'tame' by the wild primative roads in the park and north of Terlingua, it is a fun road to ride. Especially only a mile or so after leaving the paved highway. It goes right through Terlingua Creek. And it usually contains water.

This is one of my favorite places to ride when I am there. In fact, if I lived there it would probably be a daily routine. Partly because I love water; riding through it on a bike is just the icing on the cake. And, besides, it's a great way to cool off in the heat.

So we led the Six Shooter gang through the water where I raced ahead to catch them on pixels.

Ed led them forward:
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And here's one of the highpoints: Scott on the One-pegged KLR. :clap:
Note his fine form of two-feet-up.
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Bill was very cautious and gingerly rode through:
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Now here's a man after my own heart: kaboom! :clap: :clap: :clap:
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He drips just like a dog after a bath. ;)
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I typically ride through that crossing like Graeme did. Roger can attest to that; I though he was going to fall of his bike laughing at how wet I once was. You dah man, Graeme!

That was the last photo on my memory card. With regret, I didn't have any memory to capture Rusty's water run, so I borrowed Ed's camera and asked if he wanted to do it again. The good sport that he is, he did. (I still don't have those photos yet)

Near the end of that road and before it dead end's at Hwy 170, it is straight as an arrow and parallels an airplane landing strip. It's time to open the throttle and run like the wind (don't worry, no one lives along there..... )

Back at camp and still a bit wet (I bet Graeme was, too). I changed out my memory card for another and took a few of the gathering at Roger's. The place was full!

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Kudos to Roger, Richard and the others who made this non-event successful and a blast.

Note: if anyone appearing in my photos would like a copy of any images, pm me and let me know which ones. Graeme, I will email you yours at original size Friday or Saturday when I have access to broadband and high speed upload. This weather slows down my home system.
 
Okay, so I hit the water just a little fast for the depth of water :doh:

My only defense is, when I asked Ed about the water crossing he said the water was only about 6 inches deep. I either did not hear him say or he DID NOT say "on the left side"
Also, before the rest of the group chimes in. NO, I did not see anybody pointing to the left side just before I crossed.

Lets just say the crossing was fun, cold and my nasal passages were the cleanest they have been in a long time :eek2:
 
Calgary-Yogi said:
Okay, so I hit the water just a little fast for the depth of water :doh:
Click to expand...
It's okay, dude. I always hit that water with the throttle wide open. :trust: And same effect.

Actually the one time I didn't open it up as much, the bike wiggled all over the place!

Beside, we both needed a shower, right? :mrgreen:
 
Okay.... mea culpa for the line through the water. I should have been more specific about the depth on the left. But ... it was fun right??
 
Well, I guess I need to be uploading some photos as well. I'll keep the story telling to a minimum because there are others on here that can put words to paper much better than I could ever hope to do.

Day 1....

First Graeme had some adjustments to make on his shifter.
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Then we had a nice little ride with Ed, Elzi, and Graeme north of Terlingua.
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After that, Graeme and I split off and rode back into town, then off to Old Maverick road. Towards the end, I noticed that Graeme had fallen way back. I turned around, and come to find out he had a flat front tire. No big deal, we put a little air in it, and rode to the Santa Elena canyon turnout and did a little roadside repair.
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Not a bad place to change a tire if you ask me!!!!
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Day 2

Our little group of three headed off down Old Maverick Rd., then off to River Road to ride it end to end. The group was Squeaker, Graeme and I. We stopped for a little rest break after a couple miles in and found out that shade was pretty hard to come by out in Big Bend.
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While we were hanging out, another group passed us by.
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and some others, but I didn't get your pics... sorry bout that.

Squeaker on River Road...
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Same shot, different rider... Graeme.
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A couple more shots...
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After finishing up for the day we headed over to Uncle's place and found Scott working on his KLR. (Man, I'm glad I didn't buy one of these things... They always seem to be breaking!!! LOL)
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Day 3

Short and sweet... we (Scott, Rusty, Graeme, Ed, Elzi, and myself) headed down Glen Springs road. Then at the turn off for Black Gap we parted ways with Ed and Elzi with a promise to rejoin them on River Road. Then we headed to Rio Grande Village, and then off to the Basin for some cobbler and ice cream.

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And finally... two random pics that I like so you all get to see them.. 1st is echo_boom on her 2nd ever street ride... and second is the sticker on the front of Soozy's Scooter.

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:rofl:

I thought that might be Rachel on the back. Glad she survived! :rider:
 
DFW_Warrior said:
After finishing up for the day we headed over to Uncle's place and found Scott working on his KLR. (Man, I'm glad I didn't buy one of these things... They always seem to be breaking!!! LOL)
Click to expand...

but they are great for picking up Princesses :nana: :nana:
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and carrying your extra gas
 
Calgary-Yogi said:
but they are great for picking up Princesses :nana: :nana:
and carrying your extra gas
Click to expand...

I'll second the gas comment. I was carrying a MSR container in my backpack, but knew I could beg some from you if necessary. Turns out I didn't need my spare or yours, but it was nice to know.
 
WoodButcher said:
I'll second the gas comment. I was carrying a MSR container in my backpack, but knew I could beg some from you if necessary. Turns out I didn't need my spare or yours, but it was nice to know.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I remember the conversation at the start of River Road going something like...

Bill: Do you have extra gas?
Me: Yup. MSR bottle.
Graeme: You sure that's enough?
Me: Yup. Didn't need it in East Texas
Bill: Good, cuz you can't have any of mine.
Me: Yours? Where's yours?
Bill: Graeme's got it. :mrgreen:
 
Squeaky said:
Hmm, I remember the conversation at the start of River Road going something like...

Bill: Do you have extra gas?
Me: Yup. MSR bottle.
Graeme: You sure that's enough?
Me: Yup. Didn't need it in East Texas
Bill: Good, cuz you can't have any of mine.
Me: Yours? Where's yours?
Bill: Graeme's got it. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

:lol2: :rofl:
 
It is an amazing talent I am cursed with. What I really wanted to post was this:

I was wondering if Bill had to say "Pull my finger!" when his bike needed refueling?
 
Soozy said:
It is an amazing talent I am cursed with. What I really wanted to post was this:

I was wondering if Bill had to say "Pull my finger!" when his bike needed refueling?
Click to expand...

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

my guess is yes, if it were like any other time that weekend... :giveup:
 
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