The Aloof

Hard to believe a year has shot by so quickly.  Seems like it was just yesterday, we were up in Colorado for the IIRA reunion in 2016.  Many of us rolled in simply knowing we were moving past IRIP, and getting a fresh start.   For the most part, once we all arrived everything was pretty much ‘impromptu’, but it worked!   Felt like folks found their comfort zone within their known circles for riding during the day, and for congregating at night.  The common area was simply a slab, which allowed us all to congregate as we saw fit.  But, you could still get a sense of folks hanging with their own, so to speak.  Not a bad thing, just human nature.   Why does that matter?  Well, because that would change the following year.  Still, things came together after the riding was done.  One night the Quanah tribe led the charge with Burgers funded by donations of all who participated in the feast.  Another night, donations were taken and top notch Steaks were brought in and grilled up.   And of course, leftovers were utilized for a great meal yet another night.   Overall, 2016 was a success and had many of us amp’d up for 2017.  Not everyone made it back, but for those of us that did, and many newbies, the Reunion was going to another level.

As soon as the ’16 reunion was in the rearview mirrors, many of us locked in our rooms for ’17.  Then, it was a matter of waiting out a dozen months until we saw each other.  Ken Barrett ( KenB) whom had led the charge for ’16 finding the location, setting the date and getting all the shirts on order, was back in the trenches working on Shirts for ’17.   But otherwise, it was a waiting game.  For me personally, it was an opportunity to change it up.  In ’16, several of us trailered up for the 950 mile trip.  But half way there, I found myself thinking I should have rode.  The scenery got better and better the farther north we went.  So, I’d made the decision to ride in for ’17.  Mama can’t do more than a few hundred miles a day due to her R.A., so she was initially going to fly in.  Later, we’d made the decision she and Nancy would drive in, since the airfare would be north of $1,000.00 combined.  A few months out, one of our members had a Heart Attack and a stent implemented which gave us a curveball since he was supposed to ride in with us.   Larry made the decision to still come up, but trailering to make sure things went smoothly with his RM in the back.  So, the girls jumped in the truck and the three of them rode up together.   This worked out to be a beni’ for all us, since we could now load up coolers, chairs and excess luggage.

Fandango Supplies!

Last year, we’d met Steve Smith (Long rider) in Santa Rosa, NM as the stopping point for the night.  He and Jason (Stump) along with their ladies, trailered in as well.   Cold Beers, Mexican food and great conversations prepped us for the following day.   Knowing a good thing, we opted to do the same thing for 2017!   We’d ride 600 miles to the motel, rest up, and have a 350 day rolling in on Thursday.

The week prior my phone lit up with some concerns from a few folks, with ties to the IMRG.  Apparently, we had a small crisis and folks were trying to avoid a major situation.  Rumors were abound that the IIRA were planning a huge ‘mooning’ of the Silverton Train as it passed the IIRA location and this was unacceptable due to the folks that would be on that train, as part of another Indian Motorcycle related event in the area.   I was laughing then, and I’m laughing now.  Everyone within the IIRA I spoke to was laughing.  Well, not the IMRG folks (and understandably so), but we were.   Over some beers, later on during the event, we joked about it and discussed it lightly, and came out with a potential common source of the rumor. My guess is jealousy spawns stupid actions/behavior of some (or a single individual).  Either way it made for some light humor and an ongoing joke all week about mooning.   But, if I was one of the IMRG folks that fell victim to the joke/rumor, I’d be wanting to know whom the source was if I was them.   And I’m guessing that source came from a few states away, NE of us all.   Just a ‘wild guess’.  Actually, more like an educated guess?

As the departure approached, everything was coming together.   Lists of what to take were done, packing was beginning, and I was focused on getting the bike ready. I was coming up on 20k miles requiring an oil change, and wanted to squeeze as many miles out of it as possible before the fluid change so I held off, and held off, and ….   Finally the day before, I knew I was running out of time so I headed out to do the simple oil change.   Grabbed a chock, threw a leg over the bike to start it and roll it up, and ….  Nothing.  No Click.  No lights.  Nothing.  The week before I’d hooked up my old GPS and apparently, left it on and plugged in.  I’m still surprised it drained the bike’s battery but I’m guessing the man upstairs was looking out for me and wanted that worn out battery replaced.  The bike is almost 4 years old and down here in the TX heat, we’re lucky to get a few years out of a battery sometimes, much less four years. So, a quick trip to O’Reilys automotive, they have the ’14 Chieftain actually listed in their system, handed me a battery for a lil over $100 and I was back in business.   But, now I’m running out of time.  We’ve got to run over to Larry’s to drop off the Cooler (loaded to the gills with adult refreshments) and luggage, to drop it off for transport (the beni’ of someone trailering).  Then, back home with the sun headed down over the horizon to finish up the oil change.   Procrastination has bit me in the ass, because the bike still hasn’t been washed and is covered in bug crap.   I tend to ride, not wash my bikes and Krome was looking pretty bad.  So, turned on the lights out in the carport, pulled out the hose, and gave ‘em a quick bath.   It’s now 10PM, I’m leaving at sunrise and I still haven’t loaded up the bike with bags and gear.  And I’m beat!  There’s a lesson learned here; for 2018 I’ll have the bike ready ONE WEEK prior ready to go.  I just hope I remember that statement …………..

Oil Change

Day 1:  its 0600 hours and Mark and Jim roll up and we’re off. The plan is simple.  Avoid Interstate as much as possible.  Take roads that provide curves/twisties, whenever possible.  This decision would add a couple of hours to the total trip, but well worth it.  At the same time, this took us a different path than the trailer vehicle so we told the girls and Larry we’d see them in Santa Rosa that afternoon. 

Outside Lubbock

Overall the trip was uneventful (in a postive way!), unless you count when I led us through Lubbock, on 82 headed towards El Paso.  Jim’s got a ’17 with the Ride Command (i.e.’ nice BIG GPS!) and noticed we were headed the wrong direction!   So, we grabbed some beers out of our cooler, put our feet up and planned the detour at a Rest Stop. 

Hot and we're thirsty!

Good news is he caught it in time and it cost us only about thirty minutes.  And, that beer was COLD! The funny part is, I had printed out the map, but it was in two sections.  I hadn’t put the second half up where I could see it on my tank pouch, so I had us meandering down Hwy 82 blindly.   Later that afternoon, we rolled into the motel, cold beer waiting for us, Arkansas folks rolled in not long afterwards and it finally felt like Durango 2017 was in gear.   At the same time, Kenny G’ , a good buddy of mine rolled in from Colorado Springs with his Bride on his FLTRU.  He’d reached out to me months before asking if the IIRA was cool with an HD rolling in.  Of course!  What’s he think we are?  The IOA?  (Now, that’s funny!).   When we returned from Dinner, parked down from us was Fireman Dave /Darleen, with Pyre (his beautiful ’14 Vintage).   We hadn’t seen each other in a few years, and even then only once.  So, we finally got to truly connect up and chat.   Long day for all, and the plug was pulled early. Day one was behind us. 

Day 2: We opted to get a later start since we had a ‘short’ ride and check in was 3pm.   Well, that sounded smart at the time, but we’d find ourselves rolling in closer to 5pm.  So, the kicker is by 7am, most of us are ready to roll but I’ve said 8am KSU and not everyone was an early riser…. So we waited... and waited... and …..   We’re rolling!   We headed due north on 84 headed for ‘green’ on the map.  State Parks await us and lots of curves. We weren’t disappointed, taking 84 to 64, through cooler temps. It was now 69 deg, vs the 100deg when we rolled in the afternoon before.  We’d found two lane heaven, minimal traffic and some awesome challenging roads (well, if you’re running at a higher speed!).    We’d grown our group from 3 bikes to 5, and we were making good time.   A lunch break at an old saloon and an ice cold beer, we were back on the road and headed to Pagaso Springs.   

Lunch stop!

An hour out, we were closing in on the Iron Horse Inn.  Traffic was increasing, traffic lights were popping up, but we were on an adrenaline rush.  Almost there!  The damned roads sucked though.  They must have.  Every time I was doing less than 30 mph, seemed like there were ruts grabbing my tires.   Hell, even made the bike shimmy.   I remember storing that tidbit of info away thinking they needed to fix that.   Interestingly, the roads visibly looked okay, but they couldn’t be.  I could feel that vibration….      Well, we rolled up to the entrance, Nan and Kim were there waving and smiling and you knew, we’d arrived!  Rolled in, grabbed a cold one and the party began!

Interestingly, next to my Yeti cooler, is a welcome package.  Mama checked in before me and got the package, keys to the room, and Larry brought the cooler in for me.   So, I’m checking out the welcome pack.  Hard to miss because there in the clear plastic bag is an IIRA License Plate frame.  Nice.  I can see a couple of IIRA Stickers with ‘Durango 2017” on them.  Nice.   And, several pieces of paper; a welcome letter, announcements on Saturday night dinner provided by the IIRA, and, routes.  Half a dozen specific routes printed out for Rides.  NICE.   Did I mention last year, it felt spontaneous?  This year, was planned out!  This, was my first insight into of what was to be a great week!  The Tribal Council was setting the tone for an outstanding week.

Staring the trip off right!

Day 3:  Crawled out of bed, 6ish and searching for coffee.   BUT, the office and breakfast area, are not open until 7AM.  WTF?   This was to prove to be the ONLY negative during the trip.  Every day, I’m up around 0630 hrs. , give or take 30 minutes... and …no java juice.   Blasphemy!  On a positive note, you get to visit with another few people every morning in the same sad state of affairs… stumbling around, needing caffeine.  One bad memory I have from ’16 is the breakfast pretty much sucked last year.  This year, they added eggs and sausage to the setup, so at least you could get some protein going.   And, the coffee was pretty much endless due to their machine setup.   Guess I could have mounted the bike every morning and headed down the road like a few, but that’s too much work.  And then, I’d have nothing to whine about.  So, I put up with it.  As did most others.  (Note to self:  For 2018, bring a cheap coffeemaker and set it outside for the mornings)

Morning Java!

Seeing how’s I didn’t read completely through my welcome package, I was oblivious to the ride meetings at “9ish” that morning.   I asked around and hear “9ish”, but didn’t realize it was right there, for all to see, in our packets.   Guess I was still in spontaneous mode.  Over by the Pavilion where we’d partied it up the night before, they had a white board with a couple of rides listed.  This was to be a daily event.  Two destinations, and you could pick / choose to roll with one of the Road Captains, or head out on your own.  Today, as with all of them, a dozen to two dozen bikes would line up each morning, and head out.  On this day’s ride, we chose to jump in behind Gary Grousta (Northwinds Chapter Prez’) and off to Telluride.  What caught my attention on this first morning is, both Ride Captains (Jay Louwien lead the first group out) gave in-depth briefs before heading out.   Being an experienced rider, I normally don’t pay much attention … and I’m guilty of not providing the briefs when I lead, but today, out of courtesy if nothing else, I paid attention.  And I’m glad I did.   The standard stuff was given (ride staggered, etc.,), but Gary had a few pieces of info that I’d never picked up on before.  A good example and one I’ll use; if the group gets separated due to a traffic light, and the first group makes a turn, the last bike should wait at the turning point for the rear group to catch up so they know where the turn is.  The First group will be moving slowly awaiting the second portion to catch back up.  Obvious?  I guess so, but I’ve never heard that briefed before and I know for a fact, not everyone does that.  Great info!   And, we subsequently had a great ride!  We headed out about 10am as the second group out, topped off with fuel and hit the road.  

On the way into Durango the previous day, I’d noticed a slight shimmy.  Now, I’m two up on the bike and notice it again, but a notch more pronounced.  I’m trying to ignore it since once I’m up to cruising speed its unnoticeable, but it’s in the back of my mind.   We work our way up over 10k feet altitude, into some beautiful scenic areas.    After a few hours we roll into Telluride, but we have a small problem.  There’s a friggn’ Blues Festival going on!    Parking... buses... people... everywhere.   However, we roll into town amidst the chaos and lo’ and behold..... Few spaces on Main Street to park!   We all get ‘em backed up on both sides of the street then attempt to figure out where we pay.  As the first person finally cracks the code on the process and gets her $3 parking ticket receipt, Jim notices a lil motorcycle and handicapped notation on the bottom of the machine’s window.  Parking for bikes is … FREE!   So, we smile and head down the street to find an establishment that could meet our needs.   Gary made a quick announcement to folks; meet back in 3 hours at his location or head back on your own.  All good, either way.  Great Call.   So, we headed out, amongst the millennium hippies strolling the streets and finally found a Pizza/Sports Bar with adequate seating and quenched our thirsts and hunger.   We were there to ride.  Not Shop.  Not Drink.  Ride.  So, we opted to take Gary’s guidance and pull the plug early and head back down the mountain.    We picked up an additional rider at the gas station and we were off.   But, that damned shimmy was getting worse, and now Leanne is noticing it, mentioning it to me for the first time.   In fact, it’s gotten to where at 10 to 20mph it’s not a shimmy, but a front to back wobble.   I’m thinking, “Are my triple trees loosening up?”  “Do I have a bad wheel bearing?”   Well, we get it up to speed and all is good.  We’re scooting down the mountain at about 5 to 10 over the posted limits and every time I go into a corner, the rear tire is whistling.   And it’s getting louder.   And I’ve got my bride on the back.  So as soon as we find an area to pull over, we slide in for the inspection.  I drop to the ground and grab the rear tire, wondering if it’s ‘loose’, which might explain the feel/sounds, when I realize the problem.  The cords on the tire are coming through.   Half of the tire has the issue.    I make the quick decision for Leanne to jump on one of the other bikes and I take it down solo.  She wants’ me to call a tow truck but we are 85 miles out.  Hell no!   The good thing about the Chieftains (and RMs) is they have TPMS, so I’m able to monitor my rear tire pressure the whole way home.  I dropped to the back of the pack (in case all hell breaks loose), hung with them the entire way down at normal speeds, and the rear tire held up….  Mission Accomplished!

Uh Oh.. that was a close one

Upon return we immediately cracked open some cold ones and swapped stories of the day’s ride. It was scenic and beautiful and a great way to kick off the rally.   Upon our return, we found ourselves with a great BBQ dinner that the IIRA Tribal Council had planned out.  Each of us threw in a $10 bill, and there was more than enough for all.   Nan was kicking out Margaritas, H’Not had Tequila on the bar, there were trays of Pulled Pork here in front of us and all the fixing’s and sides.    Soon the music was cranked up and another night of festivities, was upon us………….   I never get tired of this.  Never.

 

Day 4:  I’ve got to deal with this tire.   I called the HD dealer. They’ve got the tire but they won’t touch an Indian.  I’ve heard of this before, laughed, but now it was affecting me.  Suddenly, didn’t seem so funny?  I mean, back in 2010, the Sherman HD dealer swapped out the tire on my ’09 Indian Chief when I was in a jam. So, I try a few more places and one of our guys tells me there is a place right there on HWY 550, the main drag.  Sure enough, they are open so I’d stopped by the previous evening, but they were closing.  Told me they opened up at 0900.  So, it’s 0850, and I’m headed that way.  Stump has offered to join me so he can give them a few tips (i.e., how not to f*ck up my TPMS), and it worked out perfect.  He gave them some shortcuts (ex. Disconnect the shock and lower the rear for access), and they were appreciative.  Took them an hour and half (their first time working on a Chieftain), and we were off.  At the same time, Mark’s Ultra Classic had a front end wobble, do he had them rebalance his front tire.   Fixed!   Now, we’re both happy and ready to go!   We had to pass on the morning rides with all the others in lieu of the fixes, so as soon as we got back we mounted up with our chapter, and headed out to the lake for a short run.  Vallecito Reservoir is just a 30 mile jaunt and a beautiful, scenic ride.  To top it off, on the NW corner of it is what you used to be the “Hideaway” (we discovered it last year) and is now the “Rusty Shovel”.  The place was packed/slammed!  Can’t believe I didn’t take a picture when we got there.   They didn’t know what hit them when dozens and dozens of Indians rolled in from the IIRA and IMRG events.  We threw back a couple of colds ones, realized we’d have to wait forever and started making other plans for lunch.   Via a stroke of luck, I ran into Dan Thornton when we pulled up.   Dan and I have been chatting for ages via FB on Indian related groups and pages.  He’s one of the few people that seem to outdo me on sarcasm and smart ass comments, so we’re just about guaranteed to get along!   Dan bought me a beer and hung out with us for a lil bit, but never enough time.  Hopefully in the near future, we can connect up out his way, or possibly in MN later this summer on the IIRA rides.  Additionally, ran into Sam and Nick (know them from one of the forums) and chatted for a few.  They would both sign up for the IIRA over the weekend.  I was told we had ten new members over the weekend; guessing all were there for the IMRG Rendezvous event?  As we headed out, Nick opted to hang back but Sam jumped on his DH and followed us out to downtown Durango.  On the way out, as we neared town, we came across the evidence of a wreck.  An HD was off to the side, with a crushed front end and the Emergency Services were onsite.  We found out later the couple on the HD were following the IIRA group at the back of the pack, and when the IIRA bikes turned, he went straight. Apparently the driver of the car though the ‘coast was clear’ and turned in front of the bike for a T-Bone situation.   Damned, that is hard to see.  The IIRA folks that were there helped him initially until the EMS got there…. Was pretty upsetting for them, understandably.

Well, we moved on to downtown, found a spot to park and headed upwards to the Umbrella Rooftop bar (or whatever it’s called!).   Few cold ones, some snacks and…..  We’re done.  Headed back to the Iron Horse Inn and, you guessed it.   Eating and Drinking!    Yes... that’s a good thing….   Leftovers from the night before were to be found, and... .our group ordered in some Pizza and wings later in the evening.    We’d established a lil area over by our rooms where there were always a ½ dozen chairs setup under the tree for shade. This was to be our main area throughout the week.  Not intentional, but proved to be convenient.   The Smith’s had their Dad along and Dee’ had a broken elbow (happened before arriving) so they were the anchors of the area.     I ventured over every evening to the main area, but have to admit I spent the majority of my time, under that tree when just hanging out.

Upon return to base camp later that evening, we were treated to an awesome dinner, thanks to the IIRA.   Ribeye’s procured locally and some excellent salads to round it out, it was a dinner fit for a King.   Hell, they cooked enough for the following night for those that were up for it!  And, you guessed it….  I broke out some Whiskey and enjoyed the evening.  Seeing a trend here?

As if the ‘mooning’ wasn't enough, we are now referred to as the “Aloof.”  This still cracks me up.  Apparently at the other event south of us, the IIRA was referred to as the “Aloof Organization”. 

Aloof

[uh-loof]

1. At a distance, especially in feeling or interest; apart

2. Reserved or reticent; indifferent; disinterested:

Well, yes we are.  We aren’t tied to Corporate.  Our main goal isn’t a specific charity.  We are here to ride.  To ride with each other.  To catch up with friends.  To create new memories.  For a dozen years, the IIRA met in Branson.  Now we’re in Durango for our annual.   Did folks expect us to all pack up the entire camp and come say hi and hug and hang out each evening?  Come on now…   Aloof.  I for one, like the sound of it.  Thanks for the compliment!   First we’re ‘mooners’ and now we’re ‘aloof’  ...  gotta’ love it.

Day 5.  The Board.  I keep forgetting about the White Board!   We’d heard of a brewery out in Ouray, so our chapter made a group decision to head out there.   Somewhere around ‘9ish’ I was over by the main Pavilion looking at maps that were on the wall (I forgot to mention that earlier!  All rides were posted semi permanently all week for folks to see), and there on the white board is the Ouray ride, at... …. “10ish!”   How did I miss that?  Well, we’re in! 

"The Board"

 So we jumped into the pack with H’Not leading the pack.  Guessing there were about 13 of us.    We headed up towards Silverton and onwards to Ouray via the “Million Dollar Highway”.   I have to admit, it’s a thing of beauty.  Sheer cliffs, steep drop-offs, tight corners, gravel on the roads, construction crews; you know all the things to screw with you and get one to pucker sometimes?   I loved it.   Anyways, we made it into the Ouray with no issues, pulled up to the brewery, climbed the stairs to the third level and enjoyed the view and everyone’s company.   I remember Leanne saying at one point “I could live here”.  I’m thinking, “what!?!?” …  She never says that, but it’s just a gorgeous place.  Now, I’m guessing in January when you’re snowed in for 2 months, that’s up for discussion but in the summer, she’s a beauty!

After lunch, ½ decided to continue on to Telluride and I led the other half back to base camp.  Mama’ wanted a shorter day so I led us back.  I tend to ride a notch quicker, so we stepped it up and off we went.  Well, sort of.   We ran back into the construction site.  We ended up twice, behind cages crawling along.  But, for the most part we zipped through the mountains and enjoyed the sights and sounds.

After regrouping and refreshing, the decision was made to head to town for Dinner.   Something different. Momma’ wanted to hit a restaurant.  But, we made one critical error.  It’s Father’s Day!  What the hell were we thinking?  So, we roll in around 6pm or so, and we don’t stand a chance at finding a place to seat seven of us.  As luck would have it, a patron of the place we tried to get into, told us about a spot around the corner, with an entrance off the alley (what?!?!), and it was only about 200’ away.   Score!!!   We walked in, place was packed but there were seven stools open at the bar.  My thought was to eat there at the bar, but within 15 minutes we had a large table ready for us, so we carried the drinks over and munched on some great chicken wings…. SCORE!   Afterwards, jumped on the bikes and headed back to base camp.  But, it’s the last night.   Folks are loading bikes.  Disappearing into rooms.   It’s coming to an end.  A few stayed out and kicked it up, but I pulled the plug by 10pm.   We had a great ride coming up in the morning and I was truly looking forward to it

Day 6: How did it all go by so quick?  Got to visit with dozens and dozens of folks. Now, they place is looking empty.   Jay and Suzanne left yesterday.  Judge Bob and Ms. Kathy took off on their bike yesterday.  Hasbin disappeared on me. Banners are still up, but the place is …. Quiet.    It’s 0600 and it’s time to go. Bikes are loaded with gear, and the road is calling our name.   Larry loaded up the trailer last night so he and the ladies are good to go.   If there is any good news, the temps are on the cooler side.  In fact, much cooler than I’d realized.  We give hugs, handshakes and waves as we roll out.  H’Not is looking rough; he had more fun that I last night.   Quick hug with Nan.   And, we’re off.   We’re headed to Amarillo.  Five hundred miles to go and I’m having trouble getting the smile off my face.  I know what’s coming.   We’re about to go through about a half dozen parks on the way home, with awesome riding and awesome views.   Just the three of us (myself, Jim and Mark) and we’ve rode together often.  So we set the tempo at about 5 over the limit and we’re gone.  I do make one mistake though.   Should have put on the leather jacket.  Mark told me he’d wished he’d done the same thing later on.  But we’re probably going to be tearing up the next day in the Texas sun, so I take in the brisk cool air.  The roads are amazing.  We’ picked a roundabout path to get us to Amarillo, deliberately heading through state park after state park.  The going is sometimes slow, but worth it.  We are off the main highways and we’re loving it.  Early afternoon we pull into the motel.  We’re staying at a Best Western for two reasons; first being Long rider and Stump are staying here, and its pet Friendly (we’ve got Peanut with us this trip).  But my first thought when we pull up is “we are in the WRONG part of town!”).  Still, no issues during the stay and the interior has been remodeled.  Grabbed some beers out of the Yeti, we all ordered pizzas and ….called it a night.

Peanut

Day 7: Woke up at 0300.  WTF?   Takes me almost 2 hours to get back to sleep and the damned alarm goes off at 0600.   I’d assumed I’d already be up and the alarm was just my backup.  I quickly throw on some clothes and meet the guys for breakfast.   The breakfast in Santa Rosa was so so.  Eggs didn’t do it for me.   The Iron’s Horse’s breakfast, so so.  The eggs didn’t do it for me.  But, this place had it going.  Eggs are excellent.  Sausage is excellent. And they had biscuits and gravy; hey, it’s the lil’ things!    Well, a quick bite, throw on some jeans, load up the bikes, and we’re gone!   I’m expecting a hot day but it’s 73 and overcast.  Not bad.  In fact it’s several hours before we hit the 80s.  At the next gas stop, we snag a big ol’ can or beer for a rest stop down the road when it’s warming up on us.   Time’s flying.  When we pass vehicles, gives us reasons to hit triple digits.   We’re making great time. And when we roll into the driveway a quick 400 miles later, it’s just getting into the 90s.  Not bad!   When we’d left a week earlier it was in the 90s, and up to 100. This was a cake walk.

Pull up … park the bike…. And time to decompress.   But, I’m not ready for this to end.  Not ready to get back to reality.   But it is.   So, here I sit planning for 2018.  Waiting for the official date so I can lock in my schedule.   Durango 2018, 3^rd Annual.  It’s going to be EPIC