Day 6 – CCR Day 2

Day 2 of CCR and we elected for a quiet start to the day with a leisurely breakfast in the hotel.  The dining room is open plan and sits adjacent to the lobby area and there are always people wandering by.  As there were lots of folks from CCR in town, we would inevitably see old friends while we sat and ate.

With breakfast done, we headed back to the room for a while, then I went to a presentation on of road riding, put on by a local company ‘Happy Trails’: http://www.happy-trail.com/.  Happy Trails are also a vendor at CCR, but their market is really aimed at the adventure rider, rather than luxury touring.  However, as there are a growing number of GS riders at CCR – me included – the organisers thought it would be a nice feature to include.  Following the presentation, we went into the hills for a guided off road ride.  Our guide Ed Hiatt, not only works for ‘Happy Trails’, but he has also founded a local club for off road riding and has ridden extensively in the state.  Eight of us gathered at the front of the hotel and after a briefing by Ed, he led us out onto the highway.

Me at 'Placerville'.

Clear of town, we headed north up Route 21, north towards Idaho City.  Before we got that far, we turned left off the ‘pavement’ and headed for the dirt roads.  Although Ed had described them as ‘dirt’, they were pretty much what I was used to in Canada both on site where I work and many back roads – compacted rock chippings.  As the conditions were very dry, the bikes kicked up clouds of dust.  Although the surface was not too challenging for the big GS, the dirt roads followed the contours of the valley, so lots of twists and turns, climbs and drops, very sharp corners with deep fine dust for tyres to slip on.  As we rode, we got strung out along the thickly wooded valley.  Ed had told us the only rule we had to obey was look after the guy behind you.  When we came to a track junction, we had to wait for the bike following to see us, before we rode on.  Other than that, we pretty much rode our own ride, which was great fun.  After what seemed like an age being bounced along bon jarring tracks, we arrived in the tiny town of ‘Placerville’.  Here we had chance to climb off the bikes, shake of some of the dust and cool down for a while.

Back on the bikes, Ed led us along more bone jarring trail, more dust being kicked up so as to make the guy in front disappear – and we call this fun folk!  It actually was great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I tried the usual off road riding position – standing up.  Unfortunately for me, my bike is not set up for someone 6’ 4” and I spent my time ‘standing’, either stooped over the bars or knees flexed so as to have a straight back.  To ride like this I will need risers on my handlebars and maybe drop my foot pegs down an inch or so.  For all that, I enjoyed the sensation of riding out in the woods on dirt roads.  As I was starting to inhale more dust than I could keep out, we emerged back onto the ‘pavement’ and headed for a gas station.  It was quite amusing seeing all the ‘big bikes’, mostly BMW GS’s sitting to one side, while Ed refuelled his much smaller KTM.

Refuelled, Ed assumed the lead again and we all fell in behind him back on the pavement, heading south again for Boise.  Before we set of, Ed had warned us that this stretch of road was challenging, even more so ridden at a ‘spirited pace’ within a ‘pack’.  I’m not a bad, but I found this stretch of road very testing.  We were riding a continuous switch back, which went of for about twenty miles or more.  Many of the bends were quite generous and required no more than a quick change down, get the right out to in line and pour on the power at the apex.  It almost became hypnotic following the guys ahead, trying to watch my own line, but being distracted by their brake lights. 

For most of the leg I got away with it, but once or twice I had to hang on, throw the bike further over and wind on the power.  On one occasion, I even scraped my foot peg and the side of my boot!  When you realise quite how far off the ground the pegs are on a GS, you quickly realise how far over I was leaning.  On one right hand bend, I got it so hopelessly wrong, I ended up right over on the wrong side of the road.  All I could do was hang on, hope and pray no one was coming the other way, while shouting one word into my helmet visor, “f*****************k”……………..!  After that, I paid a little more attention to the speed signs at the corners.  A sign reading 45mph, meant drop down one, and chuck it in there at 55mph.  One saying 35mph, meant change and brake but you could still get away with 45mph.  However, one reading 25mph, meant just that so best get your shit together Blackwell!!

After what seemed like hours but was in fact less than an hour, we arrived in Idaho City.  Now the name City is something of a misnomer, as it looked like a small town to me.  All the same, it seemed to signal the end of the ‘buttock clenching’ switch back roads and more ‘rideable twisties’.  At this juncture, Ed led the group to a diner, famed for it’s pie.  I decided that as the afternoon was wearing on and we had an evening engagement to get to, I would ride on.  I thanked Ed for a wonderful experience and headed for Boise.  At that point, another of the group decided to join me and he led us back to the hotel about 30 miles away. 

Now Bob is a very skilled and experienced rider as I was to see at first hand.  It turned out that speed limits in the mountains are for wimps and other traffic, including other bikes MUST be passed!  At one point a bike probably from the CCR group, went past us as we slowed for a couple of trucks ahead of us making right turns.  This was obviously not acceptable to Bob and we tore after the miscreant!  In no time, we found a suitable (or not, who cares) passing spot and tore past the couple on the LT (BMW K1200LT).  Free of traffic we kept near the speed limit, plus or minus 20/25mph!  As we sped on toward Boise, another couple of targets – sorry bikers – came within our range, Harley guys!  We had to stay behind them due to a bridge repair, but as soon as we were able, Bob took off like a scalded cat – of course I had to follow.  Clear of the Harleys, he slowed to a more reasonable pace, which allowed the ear shattering Harleys to close up again.  Then we hit the twisties again!  Game set and match to BMW, we never saw the two Harleys again, wooooohoooooo!  Childish I know, but it felt bloody good all the same!

Back in the safety of the hotel car park, I parked up ‘Gertie’.  Poor bike, never knew what had hit it.  She had been shaken to bits over dirt roads, thrown into bends a road racer would have been proud of and seen off every piece of road traffic between Idaho City and Boise.  Bloody great!  As I stepped off the bike, Wendy came over clutching a bag containing ‘purchased goods’.  Mmmmmmm, did not compute!  When I left, she was going to have a quiet afternoon by the pool in the sunshine, so what the hell was this shopping!  Turns out when she got to the pool, some delightful child had crapped in it!  As she arrived, ‘Dad’ of said child rushed by with soggy towel saying he had ‘caught it all’, by which she was later to discover meant the ‘floater’.  He headed to the hotel staff, who immediately closed of the pool while they heaped loads of crap killing chemicals into the water.  With nothing better to do, she headed into town to do some shopping with another couple of girls, one of whom lives in – Stony Plain AB!  Would you bloody well believe it?  Wendy lies down at the pool next to someone who she has never met in her life, but who is almost a neighbour!

Anyway, she is explaining all of this to me as we head for the room and I have to take a rapid shower.  We were going to a Cutting Horse display a few miles away, which had been laid on for the ‘Ride for Joy’ charity that we were supporting at the CCR.  I was ready in double quick time and we headed out to the bike again for the 20 min ride to the event.  Wendy was always a great passenger on the LT, but since doing most of her riding on Sydders, she is a dreadful pillion passenger!  Almost all the way there I could feel her taking a hand hold or changing her hand hold on my jacket.  The GS doesn’t have the luxury of a back rest, so that made her anxious about my acceleration and braking.  In the end, we arrived in tact with a bunch of other bikers.

Cutting Horse Display

I knew very basically what ‘cutting horses’ did, but have never seen a demonstration of the skill these riders and horses possess.  Once the cut has been made, it is really about the horse than rider, but very very skilful to watch.  Basically we were inside a huge indoor arena, half of which was turned into a smaller performing arena.  Around two sides of which, tables and chairs were laid out on stepped platforms so we could view the ‘cutting’, whilst having dinner’.  Wendy and I elected to eat in the cafeteria, then join our friends out on the seated area.

In the arena, was a small herd of 20 or so young bulls/steers.  The object is for the cutting horse & rider, to segregate one animal from the herd and not let it return.  To help him, the ‘cutter’ has three other riders to help, though just one rider carries out the cut and keeps the steer away from the herd.  Once the steer is cut from the herd, the rider keeps eye contact with the steer, but it looked like it was the horse who reacted to the steers movement, turning with lightning like speed left or right as the steer turned.  We watched a complete set as all of the riders took their turn to cut a steer, then decided to head back to the hotel.  It had been a fascinating skill to watch, but really it is all about the riding, not the watching.

Back at the room, time for a coffee and relax a little before bed and the end of Day 2 at CCR.  Nite nite then fan and once again to all out brothers and sisters on two wheels, keep the black stuff down. 

Day 5 – CCR Day 1

So here we are at last, finally at Boise ID and CCR 2011.  A years worth of waiting and planning behind us, still with square butt’s from four days in the saddle, but here at last.  The room is a nice comfortable size as I said in an earlier Blog, but we didn’t have the hang of the A/C, so it was a pretty warm night.  For all that, it was nice not to have to think about getting back into bike gear for another long hot day on the road.  However, ‘Gertie’ was booked in for an oil change and I had a test ride booked on the new K1600GTL!

We passed on breakfast, quite unusual for me, but we had slept in a little and our appointment time was 9am.  We actually arrived a bit early and had one minor navigation error!  Wendy saved the day by stopping a passing guy in his truck and asked where Big Twin BMW was located – we were just one street out.  Within a couple of minutes we had located the dealer, parked the bikes and I was clambering out of heavy riding jacket.  The guys at Big Twin were very helpful and the service manager recognised Wendy from the orders she had placed and booking in ‘Gerties’ service.  I wheeled the bike down to the service area and left it with them.  Then we went to talk to Kelly in sales and sort out the demo ride.  It was all booked in and we were expected, the big 1600cc tourer had just been wheeled out ready for us.  Kelly took a copy of my license and we moved outside for a quick ‘famil’ of the new luxury touring machine.  I had watched and waited as it’s predecessor the K1200LT went out of production in expectation of the new bike.  The K1600 was launched amidst lots of publicity and looked a beautiful machine.  I had actually managed to take a look around one at our local dealer in Edmonton, but now I was going to try her out.  This bike came fully loaded and there was way to much to take on one quick run through, the only answer was to ride it.

The first thing that I noticed was how very low I sat.  The bike comes with a couple of seat height options and all the regular height options were on sold bikes.  These machines were moving off the showroom floors as fast as they could get them in.  Because the saddle was a mite low, it restricted my foot movement on the brake and gear levers, otherwise it felt wonderful.  The only real warning I got from Kelly, was to watch the revs when I pulled away.  There was so much power available, it would be easy to over rev the big six cylinder engine.  Heeding his words, I carefully applied the power and manoeuvred out into the traffic.  The power came in very smoothly indeed and there was a handful of it available.  I took a short loop behind the adjacent airport, taking about fifteen minutes to get back to the dealer and collect Wendy.  Once or twice on the quiet back road I dropped down to 4^th gear and hit the power.  The big bike took off like a rocket……….  Back at the shop, I collected Wendy.  Kelly readjusted the suspension for 2 up riding, then directed me toward a good route to try out the big bike.  I headed out into the traffic again and immediately noticed how manageable the big bike was with two up.  The low centre of gravity made it a joy to handle at low speed.

I quickly got onto the I84 eastbound and wound the power on.  The big bike hummed along effortlessly at 75/80mph.  A couple of exits later, I turned of and we headed into the hills and the twisties.  This would really show how she handled and I wasn’t disappointed.  The bike has so much power and balance; it was an absolute joy flicking in and out of the twisty mountain road.  We only rode a few miles, but I had already seen enough, this is a glorious machine, must get it on the Christmas pressie list!  All I needed was the taller saddle option and she would be perfect.  When I turned round to head back to the shop, I had a little play with some of the electrical controls.  BMW have created a revolving control ring on the left handlebar, which in conjunction with a menu switch adjacent to your left thumb, controls all of the electronic devices.  This includes suspension selection!

We rode back to the dealer and I almost managed a very tight slow speed turn with two up.  Only a car in my way prevented the manoeuvre.  The bike is so beautifully balanced, I had no doubts about making the turn, something I probably wouldn’t have tried on my old LT and will only do 1 up on my GS.  This new member of the BMW Motorad stable is a wonderful machine, just need the lottery to come up now!  I handed back the K1600 to Kelly and thanked him for the ride.  We then collected ‘Gertie’, headed back to the hotel, still with a huge smile on my face from the demo ride, and hugely impressed by the handling of big bike.

Back at the hotel we parked up the bikes – Wendy had ridden ‘Sydders’ down to the dealer and got some gas on the way back.  In the room, we quickly changed out of hot cumbersome bike gear and headed down to see the vendors who had turned up for this years event.  There were not as many as I had seen in previous years, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in the quality of products.  On the table of the first vendor, I saw miniature video cameras, perfect for mounting on bikes!  After last years trip to Alaska, I thought that a daily video diary or video from the riding would be a perfect accompaniment to the Blog.  We soon got chatting with Richard from RKA who showed us some pretty amazing bike video footage.  I was sold!  Wrap one I’ll take it!  So, another new toy for the bike and provided I can mount it easily enough, I will use it to take video on the return trip.  We will be riding a number of miles through mountain twisties, so it should make for some interesting viewing……….

After a wander through the vendors, we had a bite of lunch in the hotel.  While we were sat, an old friend from previous CCR’s dropped by and shared lunch with us.  Bruce is an amazing amateur photographer, who’s speciality is underwater photography.  He is especially known for one shot in particular.  Take a look at this link to see why: http://www.pr.com/press-release/122629.  Look at the foot of the article and go to Bruces own web site for more amazing photos.  After lunch we wandered back through the vendors, collecting the video camera, having decided on which model would do the job.  Then back to the room for a shower and freshen up for the evening event.

John 'Muns' & Laurie Munson

The first evening on CCR, we traditionally have a welcome reception.  This year we were lucky enough to have both the venue and the temperature to allow this to happen outside.  The hotel is a low level two-story complex, with a pool and quiet lawn area behind the accommodation.  There is also a pretty rose arbour adjacent to the pool area.  This was where the reception was to be held.  The arbour was where the staff laid out the buffet and tables were laid out on the lush grass.  We sat with friends we have known since our first CCR in Gatlinburg 2003.  Every year that we attend, we meet up with John & Laurie Munson and we just seem to take off from where we left of 12 months before.  That is one of the beauties of this event, catching up with old friends again, all with a common love of motorcycles.

The CCR organisation has three simple aims, to promote fellowship and friendship through motorcycling, to promote motorcycle education and training and finally, to leave a positive impact about motorcyclists in the communities in which we hold our reunion.  The last we achieve by making a charitable donation to a selected local charity.  This year, the board selected the ‘Ride for Joy’ charity.  Please take a look at this link, which will explain in far better detail what this wonderful organisation does for kids than I could manage: http://www.rideforjoy.org/.

We gather funds all week via one means or another and donate all the proceeds to the charity on our final gala night.  One of the biggest means of collecting funds is via the silent auction.  Prizes are donated and auctioned of.  Once again, all proceeds going directly to the charity.  As I explained in one of the earlier Blogs, we were given a donation on our way to CCR.  Please take a look at this link and the lovely White Bird Summit Lodge.  Terrie, who owns the Lodge, kindly donated two nights accommodation for a couple: http://www.whitebirdsummitlodge.com/.

With the reception nearly over, a night cap was called for, so we headed back to the bar and bumped into Jim and Mary once again.  We chatted over our respective antics during the day, then finally headed for bed.  That’s it for day 5 on the road and our first day at CCR, more to come later.  Nite nite fan and for all those on two wheels, keep the black stuff down!