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2014 Around the Bend - a "Super" Ride in Big Bend

JMZ, Always protect your banana.

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Also dont forget this to protect your hard boiled eggs. haha
 

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JMZ, Always protect your banana.



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Moto, looks like your hand me down chest protector served me well. I went down in the sp . I think I landed on my back side. ????


Signatures ???? We don't need no stinking signatures !!!!!
 
Moto, looks like your hand me down chest protector served me well. I went down in the sp . I think I landed on my back side. ????


Signatures ???? We don't need no stinking signatures !!!!!

Does this account for how you damaged your banana? :lol2:

Glad that Acerbis plastic was able to serve you well. :rider:
 
That rider that was on a DL1000 on River Road said he'd been on this spot since about 11am. It was now 12:30pm.

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After another helped him get out of this spot and to better ground we led him all the way out of River Road and to Rio Grande Village where he was able to take a break and rehydrate.

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Us 4 traveling buddies. Sodapop, Jerry, Vinny and myself eating breakfast Friday morning.

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ThomasM and Jerry enjoying some cobbler at the Chisos Basin Lodge on Friday afternoon.

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Beautiful FM 170.

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Robb (Sodapop) on the road to Pinto Canyon.

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And these guys.

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It was good to meet SilverBullet, JMZ and Dirtorslab (not in the photo).

On our trip home we even were graced with this parked next to our traveling rig in Sonora.

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I didn't do any of the challenges this year as it was my first time to Big Bend. Next year for sure going to sign up for the desert challenge.
 
Dave AKA TWTourist was a great help. He was test riding the challenge trail and stopped to help me with blown tire on HWY169 coming out of BBRSP. Then he stopped to help Beemerlessbob on the way, then he stuck with a few less experienced riders helping them...thanks for everything Dave!
Thanks Richard and Connie for putting everything together.
I Beemerlessbob and Carl got to BBRSP on sunday to ride around. I have ton of video footage and will be posting up as time allows, here's the first days video.

 
Was it fun? Bob thinks so, even though he's Beemerless...
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Somewhere on River Road on way to Rio Grande Village.
 
That rider that was on a DL1000 on River Road said he'd been on this spot since about 11am. It was now 12:30pm.

After another helped him get out of this spot and to better ground we led him all the way out of River Road and to Rio Grande Village where he was able to take a break and rehydrate.

That was my morning, we must have picked that bike up 20 times! I had to ride it for him out of the rock gardens a couple of times too. There was absolutely no traction and I was worried about the frying his (by then) increasingly smelling clutch.

I finally told him to sit down & wait for you guys, thanks for stepping up & getting him out of there.
 
Much thanks to Connie, Uncle (Roger) and Rich for organizing a really great event. Couple more folks that helped make this work so well are RollinJ and his partner in handing out awards during the banquet (I don’t know this fellow’s name). They kept things moving and interesting. The Round The Bend events just keep getting better every year!

So many folks participated in the various organized rides and had a hoot by all accounts. A few of us knocked around in different directions while these were going on.

Thursday was our day to run the roads in the national park. We hit Dagger Flats, Old Ore, Black Gap and the Terlingua Ranch road. Full day…

This is our crew; Joel, Jeff, Michael and my raggedy KLR out on Old Ore rd. Fantastic weather for a ride. These guys are fully capable riders who showed up with their machines ready to go.

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A quick stop at Ernst Tenaha.

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We made it to the TR lodge just in time to get our Bad Rabbit stickers. Really enjoyed riding with these folks and visiting along the way.


Friday was my day to settle some scores out at the state park. I wanted to ride throughout the Solitario areas and make another run at Suicide Hill out on Guale rd.

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What have we here? This is how most of these pictures get started…by turning the motorcycle around and going back. Loose gravel makes for quick turn-arounds. :trust:

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Most of the Solitario is pretty tame. However, there are a few spots that can be amusing.

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Good lunch break…

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Another scenic ride is the Road to Nowhere…

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Nowhere…

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Yep, the other side of Nowhere…

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After a short visit with Medic Jeff and Patrick back at the bunkhouse…and a good chug of Gatoraid, on to Guale road. Great stuff…probably one of my all-time favorites.

Coming down a small hill, I hit some big, flat loose rocks (are there any other kind out there?) and Guale road slapped my fanny down like quicker than a duck on a june bug. OUCH! Dang that hurt. :giveup: Fluffy angular rocks didn’t help much. I apologized to the bike :hail: and went on my way. Not a scratch on the motorcycle but I’m still choking down Advil today. (ribs just under my left arm. Not bruised, just sore) :tears:

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Oh yeah, consider the score properly settled with Suicide Hill. :thumb:
Went on around the Oso West loop and back to the truck. I love this ride.


Saturday…VIVA MEXICO!

Some chaps wanted to make a run down south to Peguis canyon. Cool! Let’s ride!

The crew is three characters from Lubbock. The Biblical trio…Mark, John and Joel. All on KTM990’s and all very skilled riders. They did stuff on these big bikes that was amazing. The boys can ride motorcycles.

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The border was busy but no probs getting across at Ojinaga and a smooth ride down to the canyon.

After the canyon we went down to the check point just beyond and talked to the soldiers there. Seems Mark saw guys down the hill with black automatic weapons and made good use of those Brembo brakes. :lol2: They were great guys and I asked about a small rock trail going up the mountain just above them. They said it was a really cool view up there and that motos could probably make it. FAR OUT! Let’s go.

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I asked the crew if they were feeling adventurous and wanted to see if we could make our way down to the river. Need I ask…

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Played in a fun sandbox.

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By then it was lunch time so we beat it back into OJ and found the restaurant…but first…

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It’s a wonder how - after climbing that hill (think – faint trail if one uses some imagination) we didn’t all have to fix flats. Only one for the day and Joel was the lucky winner.

After a mighty good lunch we headed back to the USA. Easy crossing and headed east. At gas, John suggested we make a quick detour up Casa Piedra rd. and then down Bocefillos rd along the way. An excellent choice! Those 990’s are just amazing in the right hands.

Back on the river rd (170) to Terlingua and the evening is quickly approaching with mountains in Mexico getting bluer with every turn. John's in the lead and we hit the smooth groove and flew. I was spanking that KLR pretty good trying to run with 990’s. We made it back just in time to clean up and head over to the banquet. A VERY GOOD DAY.

Looking forward to next year.
 
Great stuff so far, but I know there has to be more.
:popcorn:
 
Lot of more video still needs editing, but here's a little teaser...

 
Thanks to RG for posting the pictures and telling the story of our Saturday ride and for being a great host. We had never even met him before that morning and halfway into the trip he was just like a regular riding buddy. That is what is great about these group rides. RG, we will ride with you anytime.

So, right about the time we were heading off down the dirt road to the dam on the Rio Conchos in Mexico, RG's KLR jettisoned the muffler insert, not to be found. Soon after most of the fiberglass packing was either gone or hanging out the end of the pipe.

Early that morning at the beginning of the ride, RG told us the trip down 170 to Presidio wasn't going to be fast because his KLR didn't have the gearing to go much over 70. Not the case heading back as I led the group back to Terlingua. RG told us to go on. I was going fast enough (on old knobbies) to completely wheelie over all the rises in the road. Every few miles I would slow down and make sure Mark and Joel were behind me and they were, and RIGHT BEHIND them was RG giving the KLR the whip. Very cool. I am fairly certain anyone behind us had to negotiate several rock slides started by RG's sans-muffler KLR. :eek2: What a great ride.

The other thing to mention is at the end of the regular trail to the radio tower near Peguis Canyon (over 4K ft) there was a goat trail, literally, that went on up almost to the peak of the mountain. RG took off up it, and got smaller and smaller in the distance as he made his way up. I looked at Joel and said no KLR is going to get the best of me :lol2:, lets go, and no sooner than that we were bulldogging our 500 pound bikes up too. What a blast, and the view from near the top was amazing.

Thanks RG for a fun day, and thanks to Richard and his crew for putting it all together.
 
Dawn and I had a great time - I'll post up a link to pics later. Had a good time camping at Rancho Toponga, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Every time I head out that way I experience something new. This time it was Peguis Canyon. I think I got some pics of the crew above as they were headed back to the border. Next year I hope to have Dawn riding her own steed. :shock:
 
Strange it has not been claimed...






From mobile
It may be off the guy who was hurt down there while driving a TE511 - 2013. It has the same tail piece as my TE449. I bet it is his; he was from Houston I believe and I heard he was careflighted out? Not sure if that is correct ...
 
Second day after arrival at BBRSP, ride to the Solitario and back...

 
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