Turn One

CHEERS! STAR 2012 is history. The final attendance count was about 380. The Louisiana Chapter had 8 members in attendance, Stacie and myself, Rod Fors, Tony Crowell, Kevin and Julie Yeats, Dennis Hedrick and Eric Babcock. Tony, Kevin, Dennis and Eric as well as Dave Dickson and wife (in their BMW sport scar, an M3 I think) all departed a week early to visit the Grand Canyon, L.A and ride up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco, visiting all the west coast M/C meccas. Stacie and I rode a more direct route, two-up and had great time at Avon as well as getting there and back. See my story below.

No other club activity to report. During most of July the weather has been either too rainy or too hot and humid to drum up much interest in a lunch ride. Hopefully we will get a break in August.

While on the road to Avon I bid and won an Ebay auction for a 2009 Kawasaki KLX250S dual sport. As soon as we got back from STAR I had to drive to San Antonio to pick her up but it only had 431 miles on it and I got it cheap so it was worth the trip. I have only put about 300 miles on it so far. Waiting for a GPS mount and a rack to pack my rain gear before I stray to far from home. But I could not wait and a few days ago I explored Cat Island National Wildlife refuge, home of the world's largest Bald Cypress tree. Stayed out longer than planned and got caught in a thunderstorm and got soaked - I knew this thing would be fun!

Anyway, I have now joined the growing ranks in MSTA of Dual Sporters. Although I don't plan to attempt much serious single-track riding I am looking forward to exploring the many dirt and gravel paths in my area.

Later...
Bob

RIDE REPORTS

STAR 2012 AVON COLORADO

By Bob Chappuis

There was never a question that Stacie and I would attend STAR in Avon, CO. We both love the state, the town and the Christie Lodge. I was there in 92 and we both were there in 2000 and 2006. Yes, we do like to visit NEW places but for us STAR is really about the PEOPLE more than the place. Had we not spent 16 days on the road in April and May we surely would have joined the Louisiana Hooligans on their California Adventure mentioned above. However another week worth of motel and restaurant bills was just more than we could cover.

So we planned an easy four day trip to Avon with a Saturday arrival at the lodge. We always try to make the trip as much fun as the destination and once again we succeeded. We decided to limit our miles in Texas since I had made a trip to Big Bend and the Hill Country earlier this year. That meant two days and nights in Oklahoma but other than a brutal and persistent headwind on the highways our time in the Sooner state was great.

We started out around 7:15 Wednesday morning heading diagonally across Louisiana, taking advantage of the new John James Audubon Bridge across the Mississippi. We avoided the Interstate when we could - LA 1 to Marksville, 107 to Pineville, US 71 to Coushatta and then I-49 to get around busy Shreveport traffic. Then East on I-20 to Waskom, Texas, where we exited and headed northeast on TX 134. We got fuel in Atlanta, Texas. I recalled that I had camped at nearby Atlanta State Park on my first overnight bike trip, also to Colorado. In 1980 on a 79 Honda CX500C. (Vintage photos from the archive)I guess I have come a long way. We headed north on TX 77 & 8 to New Boston then across the Red River on US259 into Oklahoma

		and on to Idabel, our first day's destination. Idabel and the Super 8 proved to be a great pick. This was one of the nicest Super 8s I have stayed in. Nice manager, very clean, nice large pool. After a swim we hiked down the road to Papa Poblanos Mexican Restaurant and had a fine Mexican meal. Thursday morning we headed north out of Idabel to Broken Bow then west on OK 3 to Antlers, Atoka and Ada. We stopped for gas and a snack in Paul's Valley before making our way to the Weatherford Comfort Inn, avoiding Oklahoma City via Chickasaw and Anadarko. 304 miles for the day.

The Comfort Inn was very nice, I think we stayed for free thanks to the Choice Privileges awards program and the points I earned during our recent New England trip. We enjoyed the indoor pool before walking next door to a strip mall and the Bar B Que Shed. The ribs were just OK.

We turned in and got up early since we had 400 miles to go the next day to get to Trinidad, CO. I had been stumped at route planning for day 3. We were looking for something interesting in Colorado or New Mexico but not too many miles to reach. Neither Choice Hotels nor Wyndham had much to offer in the area that met our criteria of reasonable price, swimming pool, and spirits and good food in walking distance. So I decided to break from my pattern of well known chains and a Google search found Black Jack's Saloon, Steakhouse and Inn.

A little research turned up some interesting history and it sounded like fun. I had passed through Trinidad many times during my travels and from the Interstate and even from the tourist information center it had never impressed me but I had never been downtown. I was initially concerned about parking overnight on Main St. but I emailed the owner and got a prompt reply assuring me that the public parking around the side of the building was safe. Just getting a prompt reply to an email is always reassuring.

Located on Main St. in historic downtown Trinidad, and named after Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum, leader of the infamous Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, the establishment consists of 5 b&b type rooms upstairs above a saloon and steak house. At only $85.00 a night, other than lacking a pool, it fit our criteria and I made a reservation for "Brandy's room".

Friday morning we headed west from Weatherford about 8:00 am on I-40 but soon exiting onto OK 6 at Elk City. We passed through Sweetwater and then into the Texas Panhandle and the road number changed to 152. We rode through Wheeler, and Pampa and Dumas then turned northwest on US 385 at Hartly. In Dalhart we turned off the main drag to locate Paisanos Mexican Diner, suggested by Garmin's way point database and guided by my Nuvi 500. The food was good and cheap but the ambiance was somewhat lacking, from Stacie's point of view.

Getting back to the highway proved to be an adventure. Nuvi wanted to backtrack half a mile the way we had come. I thought just go west and hang a right, we're just two blocks from the highway. Wrong! There was a railroad track in the way and we had to go a mile and a half on a gravel road to get to the first crossing! Bob 0, Nuvi 1.

US 87 to the New Mexico line then US 64, Clayton, Des Moines, Capulin and Raton where we turned north on I-25 for the run up to Trinidad. With Nuvi's help we found the Inn easily and parked the bike in front on Main St.

Check-In was at the Bar, which at a little after three was not yet open but the staff was getting ready and Cheryl, the co-owner greeted us warmly and showed us to our room, named after Brandy, a lady of ill repute. As the story goes, the top floor of the saloon was originally sectioned off onto 15 tiny rooms but was remodeled by Cheryl and her husband into 5 small rooms each with private bath, plus a parlor and office (the name above that door says "MADAM". We unpacked and got comfortable in Brandy's cozy little room then took a walk around downtown to see the sights. By the time we returned, the saloon was hopping and the restaurant was filling up. It seems Black Jack's is one of the most popular places to eat in town. Cheryl's husband manages the steak house and runs a tight ship. We had some terrific steaks and some fine local brews. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Trinidad and at Black Jack's! Saturday morning at about 9:00 am we headed north on I-25 for the 260 mile run to Avon. We exited 25 at Walsenburg and rode CO 69 for a good ways before turning off on County Road 1A, a shortcut to Cotopaxi and US 50. Us 50 is sweet here as it follows the bends of the Arkansas River. At Chilco we turned off onto CO 291 and through Salida, where I would later get an interview with both a Salida PD sergeant and a Chaffee County deputy. We'd revisit these roads on our return trip. North of Leadville I missed the turn for US 24 and ended up taking CO 91 and caught I-70 at Frisco. We arrived at the Cristie Lodge in Avon and were greeted by an official greeter as well as several old friends plus some of the Louisiana tribe. We unpacked the bike and made the first of many trudges up the stairs to our third floor room, it was nice to have some helping hands. Check-in and registration both went very smoothly, both the MSTA event organizers/volunteers and the Christie Lodge staff were on top of things. A broken screen balcony door in our room was replaced with a new one within minutes of my call and we were in and out of registration in minutes as well. Party time! There is nothing better than drinking a beer or two after a good ride and catching up with friends you only get to see once or twice a year. Typical of STARs, we would do much of the same for the next four days. I ended up riding with a different group each day.

Sunday morning I rode with a Kevin, Dennis, Eric, Tony and Jim to Leadville for breakfast. Jim and I headed back to the lodge to have lunch with Stacie while most of the group continued on to Independence pass and Aspen. On CO 91 north of Leadville we saw smoke rising from the wooded mountainside. A forest fire had broken out and we later learned that 91 was temporarily closed soon after we passed. Throughout our trip the TV and Internet news was dominated by the disastrous wildfire consuming many square miles of forest and even some residences outside of Colorado Springs. Our hearts go out to those who lost their homes. Luckily the fire near Leadville was quickly brought under control. Sunday evening, the official start of STAR, there was a big welcoming party at the lodge with all kinds of tasty food items and a couple of kegs of cold beer, all free! I felt extremely welcomed!

Monday, Stacie and I rode out to Steamboat Springs with Tony Crowell of Louisiana, Jimmie Girton of Kansas and Don and Chris Laderer, father and son, from California and Texas and Fannie Hainie of Florida. Fannie was Tony's passenger. Don and I had both been to Steamboat Springs years before ( ski trip for Don, vintage car races for me)and were interested to see how the town had changed. (Only a few landmarks were familiar to us, the town has changed a great deal but both Don and I were eventually able to get our bearings.) After a nice, scenic ride we stopped and had a fine meal at the Tugboat Grill and Pub. In a tourism town this place is apparently THE locals hangout and the place was pretty much in recovery mode after Saturday night- the mens's room was slightly devastated. Nevertheless the wait staff was extraordinarily attentive and we got good food and service. After the meal Don and Chris and Stacie and I explored the town some more while the rest headed back to base camp.

Monday night was the Members Meeting and everyone piled into the Beaver Creek meeting room after an early supper. We got some club news from the Prez and some awards and door prizes were given out. The location of next STAR 2013 was revealed to be Lexington, Kentucky. Can;t go wrong in Lexington! And I was thrilled and honored to receive the award for state newsletter editor of the year! I consider this a great achievement because there is some great competition! I also cashed in on a $50.00 Dan Clark Safety Fund award. STAR 2012 was off to a great start for me!

Tuesday is the traditional lunch ride day but this years lunch ride, at 323 miles with no real shortcut option, was a bit on the long side considering the record hot afternoon weather the area was experiencing. Jim and I decided to head out on our own lunch ride while Stacie took a riding break in Avon. We rode up to Kremmling on CO9 then east on US40 to Grandby looking for some BBQ. At a gas stop a young lady with green hair and multiple peircings started up a conversation. Hearing that we were in search of smoked pork she directed us down the road to Winter Park where we had a fine lunch at Smokin Moes. After lunch we continued on US40 to Berthoud Pass before heading back via I-70. On Wednesday, Stacie and I decided to spend the day by ourselves. We headed east on I-70 past Idaho Springs and then north to Central City on the Parkway. There we spent a few hours at the slot machines before having a nice, healthy lunch at Harley's Hippie, a 60's hip lunchroom run by a classy old hippy chick. Then it was back to the lodge to attend the banquet with high hopes of winning the raffle bike. We enjoyed another fine meal while waiting in suspense. Alas, none of our group won the grand prize but I was again honored, this time for being one of only 11 remaining (I think that's what they said) original club members (since 1982) and awarded a life membership. Considering I plan to remain a member for at least another 25 years that right there qualifies as a "grand prize"! And I got the shirt to prove it... STAR 2012 was over but not our trip. We would head east to Wichita to visit my son and his family and spoil my delightful 5-year-old granddaughter. Thursday morning we were in no rush as we only had 160 miles to go to Canon City, CO. When we finally left about 11:00 am there was just a handful of bikes left in the lot. We waved the Cristie Lodge goodbye and headed south on US 24 through Leadville and US 285 through Buena Vista. The rain started just north of Buena Vista and we pulled in for lunch at RD's, a neat 50s atmosphere diner. The food was slow coming but delicious and by the time we were done the rain had passed. A few miles south of Buena Vista, I turned east on CO 291. That's where I came up on three autos being held to 50 mph by an old sedan towing a pop up camper. I had every intention of passing them one by one but as I pulled out the second car decided to hit his brakes, closing the gap I had planned to occupy. A little twist of the wrist and the Concours effortlessly passed them all. I gave it no thought, it happens all the time. A few miles later as I slowly cruised through the town of Salida Sargent O'Brien's patrol car lit me up. I did not pull over right away as there were two cars in front of me that thought they were the target (they probably were speeding) and pulled over. When the LEO kept following me I finally pulled over too. O'Brien is an extremely kindly gentleman and he politely explained that he held no animosity towards me whatsoever but was compelled to detain me due to a complaint of reckless driving and dangerous passing called in by a motorist. The call had been made to the Chaffee County Sheriff Department and I and the complainant had to wait about 15 minutes for a deputy to arrive and interview us both. I, of course, denied any illegal, dangerous, aggressive, unfriendly or impolite behavior and was eventually told I was free to go. Whew! Onward to Canon City, US 50 and the Arkansas River, lets cruise and see the sights, no more passing 'til we reach the border... Well, almost. We did not stop at Royal Gorge this trip, we've done that a few times over the years and we had a different tour in mind. Our Quality Inn happened to be right next to The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey and Stacie wanted to make a tour. Rain was threatening again so we quickly unpacked, freshened up and walked over to the winery. Unfortunately they do not do tours on weekdays but the gift shop was open as well as the tasting bar. Woo Hoo! We each tried 6 or 7 varieties. I'm not really a wine drinker but thought that they were all quite good and a couple outstanding. And FREE. We were going to ship a few bottles home but instead Stacie ended up shipping a cool carved bear wine bottle holder. There he is happy at home in our kitchen. From Canon City we went to Garden City, Kansas on Friday and then Wichita. We had a great visit Saturday and Sunday including a trip to the visiting Star Wars exhibition. My Granddaughter is a Star Wars fanatic! Then Monday one more overnight stop in Paris, Texas. We stayed at another Quality Inn with a nice outdoor pool. Although the surroundings were unfamiliar, as we relaxed by the pool I realized we'd been there before, on our way to Taos in 2010. The city or county had since built an overpass for the highway in front of the motel, which was now on a service road. The big Catfish Kitchen restaurant is still across the road but no longer visible from the motel. I asked the motel manager about it and she confirmed. She explained that the motel had previously been a Comfort Inn but had been re-badged as a Quality Inn as it did not meet the current indoor pool specification for the Comfort Inn chain. Personally I much prefer an outdoor pool. Tuesday, Paris to home was 386 miles back through east Texas and Shreveport and diagonally across Louisiana back the way we came. We thought about lunch at Grayson's BBQ in Clarence but they were closed for the holiday weekend. We ended up grabbing a snack at a gas station outside of Pineville. Back across the beautiful new bridge and then we were home, sweet home. Another great road trip, another great STAR. How great? An Avon STAR will never have that edge of adventure that a NEW venue has. But as I said at the beginning of this ramble, STAR is about the people - extended family. And the Christie Lodge is now a second home, a family home. I'd go back again. UPCOMING RIDES Despite the BRUTAL heat and humidity we will ride. Are we not men? SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 MEET at Starbucks, on College Dr in Baton Rouge WHEN: 8:30 RIDE at 9:00 LUNCH: Franklinton Grill, Franklinton or Bar B Q Station, Independence That's all for now. Keep riding & smiling Bob Chappuis, State Director and Editor