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Not bad for the first solo trip.

Thank you all for your support! And Blue Collar....you would have been walking with me wouldn't you?? heheheh...high fives!!

So the river trip was moved to daylight which means I won't be freezing to death AND there will be pictures. I have been riding this river for a few years and the first ride was a night fishing trip. Ken was on the ride and caught a fish. We learned later that it is 'called' a fishing trip but no one catches fish. I froze. Every ride since I add some piece of proper river wear. So this year here is the list:

Dry bag
nylon shorts
nylon shirt
fleece top
patagonia long johns that are fast drying
splash pants
sandals
wool beanie
sun hat
PFD
and the jacket liner from my motorcycle jacket(who knew it was perfect for the river?)
and a partridge in a pear treeeeeeeee....

People do farkle their rafts by the way. Just yesterday I saw a raft with a flag pole. Attached was a rubber chicken.

There is a party on Mt Elbert tonight. I will be posting pictures tomorrow. Late tomorrow....
 
... There is a party on Mt Elbert tonight. I will be posting pictures tomorrow. Late tomorrow....

"On", as in on top? Better plan on 5-6 hours to walk up there. Been there, done that.

As for catching a fish when nobody else could, well, not the first time I've done the impossible.
 
Okay, this is just too danged fun.
Are there any openings there? Do they need a resident biologist nerd? A gonzo reporter?

I'm very glad you are having a good time. Welcome to LAC.*
Enjoy every second of it.



* Life After Children
 
Oops City of Elbert...not Mt. Elbert. It is a "band reunion' of a fellow's high school group. He does it every year on his land. He lives completely off the grid with 5000 watts of solar. He even has a heated pool. They are old farts like me and that is a relief because holding my gut in around all of these young fit river guides is getting tiring.

Ken? Did I ever thank you for getting me into riding?

Here is a shot of where I am headed today.
 

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Elzi, a year from now we could make the first road trip of the Wild Sows a reality. Hannah will be ready; you will be riding again; your daughter; Hannah's friend Heather rides already; and any ladies and daughters from the forum who wish to join us. We could even allow fellows who wish to repair our bikes and serve us along the way. :lol2: :lol2:

The trick that makes this adventure fun is the connection through Joe to the local action.

In the next post I will show everyone my cool new hat. I have waited a lifetime for this hat.
 
.. Ken? Did I ever thank you for getting me into riding? ... .

No. Nor have you thanked me for booting your attention outside yourself and beyond your past, but that's okay. Really, it's kind of like putting a return address in a bottle, and receiving a postcard from a stranger in some far-off location years later. Happy future. Bye-bye.
 
Got in a ride on the river, and it always amazes me how much work fun can be.

Still working on that wood pile.

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You pack everything you might need for any kind of weather, then pack up the boat.

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Take it all to the 'put-in' and unload the boat and everything you need on the river.

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Leave the boat by the water. These rafts cost more than many of our motorcycles, by the way. Many are around $8000.

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This is Deb's house. She is allowing us access to the river and throwing a party tonight...a moonlight run.

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Once the boat is made ready, a vehicle has to be taken to the 'take-out' point. This is Hecla.

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It is not only a very popular take out point, but it is a camp ground with fun dirt roads going to it. The charge is $14 a night.

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It has become popular because not long after it on the river is Slidell rapids which flips even very experienced guides. Last year we got into the river right behind a flash flood and found Hecla closed. We took a ride through Slidell and lived to tell about it.

Once you drop your vehicle, you go back to the put-in. Joe has a good set up with River Betty hitched to the truck. He drops the truck and we ride out in Betty.

Now we get on the river. I took pictures when I would not be risking the camera.

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Look close. There are several climbers on the cliffs.

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Their dog made it to the top before they could. On the far right the streaks of color earned this the name Rainbow Rock.

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We are actually moving swiftly, so some of the pictures are blurred. Notice the PFD's on the dogs. Most dog owners use them for their pets now.

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I was so pleased when Tony caught up with us on the river. He is known on the Arkansas as the Old Man of the River. He is the person considered to know more about this river than any other. He was out goofiing around in a Pickle...the small boat he is in. The woman with him ran out to the bank and hollered for someone to get her out of there. No one says no on the river. She was WAAAYY drunk.

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We ride about 8 miles and the WHOLE way there are cliffs on both sides like these. Notice the tent at the bottom.

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Look at the oar blade in the bottom left. There are pirhanah...no...pirranah...no....fish with big teeth. Well I blew that joke...:lol2:

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It really is a great hat.

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How you doin'?

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Hey it's MY vacation.
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Rain which falls over a desert and drys up on the way down is called virga. When John Denver wrote "Rocky Mountain High" he said, "But the Colorado rocky mountain high
Ive seen it rainin fire in the sky." He was watching the sun light up the virga.

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Joe decided to do the moonlight run because he got 4 cute girls to ride with him, so the Elbert reunion was passed up. I am on Deb's deck hearing the river and watching the moon rise. Life is sweet.

Komadore Obvious arrives tomorrow!
 
Elzi, a year from now we could make the first road trip of the Wild Sows a reality. Hannah will be ready; you will be riding again; your daughter; Hannah's friend Heather rides already; and any ladies and daughters from the forum who wish to join us.
That would be fun and tempting. Perhaps on my way to Utah!

Rain which falls over a desert and drys up on the way down is called virga.

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Ah, the magic of the desert. Great photo, Soozy.
I captured the same over the desert in Big Bend; it captured me, too. Don't you just love the West? :clap:

BTW, where is the source of the Arkansas? Been there?
 
The moonlight river trip ended after dawn. Joe rolled in and told me he needed to sleep but had to hear the river. I pointed at the river. He walked out to his truck and climbed up into the boat on top.

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As soon as he fell asleep, Hannah (Komodore Obvious) and Heather arrived from Texas. Yeah! They are here!

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They had driven through the night, but still wanted to do something, so we took a trip to St. Elmo, a Colorado ghost town. Here are lots of scenery pictures for you.

White dog with polka dot ears
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Aspen trees
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Their wood is soft and they basically bleed and scab when scratched, but their scab never heals. People carve into them by the thousands to leave their mark on nature. It is a shame.

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St. Elmo. I kept watching for ghosts. All I got were postcard pictures.

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Why were they laughing when they took this?

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Chipmunks and ground squirrels

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Don’t think they aren’t dangerous. This body had been here for days.
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Ruby throated Hummingbirds. Sometimes there are 100’s of them feeding at one time. Digital cameras have that time lag that nearly defies timing a perfect shot, so I stuck the camera close and kept shooting. I finally got one shot where the ruby throat lit up in the light.

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Hannah and Heather have been friends since 7th grade. They were members of a Destination Imagination team that earned a place in Global competition 5 times and placed 4 times. Their senior year they were first. This competition involves creative problem solving, theatrics, and engineering. They are creative….you have to watch your back all the time when they are around.

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More scenery

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Heather wore out.

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The girls are asleep on the trampoline by the creek under the sycamores.
 
Why did you post so many pictures of Hannah's butt? You planning to set her up with a biker or something?
 
I'm closer to that stuff than you. But somehow, I never manage to see it.:doh:

Good on ya for the following reasons:

1) Going alone. The iPod was a blessing, wasn't it? When I did Utah, I came to love my XM radio.

2) Going alone on a scooter. Sure, it's a maxi-scooter but it flies in the face of conventional wisdom that you need a BIG bike to tour.

3) Going alone on a scooter and being a lady. Don't need to elaborate on that point.

4) Going to someplace cool. :clap:

Well done. You are now de-n00bed touring rider.:rider:
 
I'm closer to that stuff than you. But somehow, I never manage to see it.:doh:

Good on ya for the following reasons:

1) Going alone. The iPod was a blessing, wasn't it? When I did Utah, I came to love my XM radio.

2) Going alone on a scooter. Sure, it's a maxi-scooter but it flies in the face of conventional wisdom that you need a BIG bike to tour.

3) Going alone on a scooter and being a lady. Don't need to elaborate on that point.

4) Going to someplace cool. :clap:

Well done. You are now de-n00bed touring rider.:rider:

+1,000,000

Any results with the job hunting? I hope you find a good one and can stand the winter.
 
+1,000,000

Any results with the job hunting? I hope you find a good one and can stand the winter.

As of now, I'm staying put and will be attending college. I'm gonna be a math/science/auto shop teacher. I start in September. May go full time if I like it.
 
Awesome pictures! Makes me miss living in CO.
 
Just a short report today.

The girls set up camp at Cambo. I could not see what they were doing until the flash went off. This was definitely the least rude. I love my cool little tent. It weighs 4 pounds and takes up very little space when traveling. I packed a foam pad, a thermarest pad, and a blanket rolled together. They take up less room than most sleeping bags and have proven to be very comfy and warm. On the return trip I am going to roll the sleep gear around the tent. It will be just big enough to make a backrest on the bike.

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Joe took us all down the river. I still haven't come up with a way to shoot pictures of the wild parts. I am working on it.

The crew with river legend, Mikey.

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The group we followed. They were...uh...loaded. I think the girl in blue had to be held in.

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We staged this one to upset Heather's mom.

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Some of the rafting companies have to launch from the high side of the bank, so they built these long staircases.

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We're to sexy for this tiki bar...too sexy

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We found a fabulous pay shower.

And saw these trucks.

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Today, the girls are hiking and I am off for a scooter ride.:rider:
 
About the iPod...

With the wind noise, I had to really turn it up to get more than the sound of chipmunks. That seemed fine for a time. Then I realized my ears were hurting from the volume and maybe the wind, also. I tried stuffing the head phones wrapped in tissue in my ears. Helped some. So I am looking for suggestions on helmet noise solutions. Or headphone suggestions.
 
Surprisingly, I use earplugs with the in-helmet speakers. It cuts down the wind noise, but the music still comes thru well enough without having to turn it up to The Who concert levels.
 
I cannot handle ear buds in my ear with the helmet on for more than 30 minutes. So, I went the more expensive route with an Autocomm system that has speakers you install in the helmet. Upside is I can wear earplugs and still hear the music. This actually keeps me refreshed, i guess wind noise beats me down.

But if you can handle stuff in your ears, "they" make earphones that work like ear plugs. Check out acrostic, they have a healthy array of your choices.
 
You kidding? Biker trash? :eek2:

I bet she plans to introduce her to some nice young fella with a scooter.

Hannah needs no help finding boys. She's just really picky, and justifiably so. I doubt she will settle for any guy riding a scooter.
 
Elzi, a year from now we could make the first road trip of the Wild Sows a reality. Hannah will be ready; you will be riding again; your daughter; Hannah's friend Heather rides already; and any ladies and daughters from the forum who wish to join us. We could even allow fellows who wish to repair our bikes and serve us along the way. :lol2: :lol2:

The trick that makes this adventure fun is the connection through Joe to the local action.

In the next post I will show everyone my cool new hat. I have waited a lifetime for this hat.

I would love to be invited on that trip.

I ride a Burgman 650 as well.

Elly
 
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