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.