#33 and the 2nd Annual Senor Kirby Ride

                                                      2^nd Annual Senor Kirby Ride

Having just completed the Second Annual Senor Kirby 500, I believe it will have to be renamed the Senor Kirby Ride because it is no longer the 500!  It seems we bit off a bit more than we could chew on a day or two and ended up with 700 miles at the end of the ride. Of course it was one day longer than the 1^st Annual, 5 days vs. 4 days.  The 3^rd Annual Senor Kirby ride may have to step up to 1000 to keep my paying customers happy!  I guess our only limitations are how long can everyone get a kitchen pass for to stay out more days. Also how much can each rider organize and carry over the course of a few days as this is an unsupported ride, meaning no SAG wagon, carry whatever you will need on the ride!  No camping gear because we do stay at hole in the wall motels, hey, I am not uncivilized.  Everyone likes a hot shower after being on an Off Road bike all day.  It also allows us to go find something to eat since on the trail we usually eat whatever we can carry. There is usually not much room for food after you pack 5 days’ worth of clothes you can get by with, personal hygiene items (yes we do have standards), tools, spare items for the bike you may need, tubes, levers, shifter, nuts & bolts, etc.  One item to note for each participant would be to check that in all your spares and extra stuff you carry that your cell phone is one of those things you remembered to pack! It seems the Bomber had left his cell phone which meant he would not be taking any pictures over the next 5 days. Bummer.  But we looked out for him and made fun of him every time we took photos. Lol.

This ride is turning into an Adventure ride on dual sport/dirt bikes as opposed to the heavyweights you ride on normal Adventure rides. We do get into a bit more aggressive off road excursions than you may encounter on the normal Adventure ride.

This ride had the original gangstas back in the saddle, Recon (Don), Buckmeister (Buck of SBB), Bomber (Bruce) and #33 (Eric).  A couple of the boyz tried to recruit a few homies to go with them but when the kickstands went up it was business as usual and only the hardcore guys you can count on.  I think a few potential recruits asked a few questions and decided it was too long or too rocky for their taste. But really I pre-rode and brushed most of the rocks out of the way! Lol.

Each day was a bit of a learning curve as it seems a couple of us were on different bike this year. We had really no real mechanicals just a couple of small items to fix along the way. Unfortunately, I had one of the mechanicals as I was on a new/used bike I had set up for this occasion. A couple of my rear fender bolts broke the heads off. So the Bomber came to my rescue with some larger Zip Ties than I carry. With some input from the mechanically inclined in the group we were able to secure the fender taillight piece in place.  Unbelievably it stayed together for the next 5 or 600 miles!  I am putting bigger Zip Ties in my pack!

On another occasion Bomber noticed his counter shaft bolt coming loose and Buckmeister provided the tool to re-torque it on the trail.  Never came loose again. We were lucky, mechanicals were easy fixes and held up.

Probably the biggest hurdle we faced was on day two when my planned route was to include another town mid ride for gas and lunch. I expected it to be a long but epic day but it turned into a “I hope we make it on gas” and “I hope we make it before dark” kind of day. It was Great! We siphoned gas from the bigger tanks to almost make it. The last 6 miles was a down grade dirt road and I was able to push Buckmeister to the gas station. The only reason I was pushing was because the Bomber had given me gas about 15 miles earlier. So I guess he saved me twice on this trip!  We rolled into town at dusk and checked into the motel, then headed right off to dinner.  We were fortunate that Brenda at the Hidden Oasis RV and Café was kind enough to make us dinner even though she was closed.  Thank You Brenda!

We had a Great trip even though it morphed into an extra 200 miles or so. No one complained about the extra mileage and were already talking about how long should the 3^rd annual ride be. Stay tuned boys! 

We also saw several really cool things during the ride, equipment left behind like Dozers and Caterpillars from in the 1940’s and 50’s at abandoned mining sites. By watching Recon climb around and pose on the dozers I think as a little kid he wanted to drive equipment for a living!  A Historic Mansion that was operating in hopes of drawing wealthy clients but was now a shell of a building after more than 75 years. I can’t imagine how they got older vehicles, most not 4-wheel drive, up there. We rode through what seemed like the Erzberg Rodeo to get there yet there are pictures of old vehicles at the Mansion.  An old locomotive on display that was Gynormous! The 8 driven wheels were at least 3 feet taller than any of us!  Two or three makeshift desert bars in the middle of nowhere, we happened to stumble onto them and were surprised at how well they were maintained, so obviously they are gathering points in those areas for 4-wheelers, Side by Sides and motorcycle enthusiasts. We encountered some truly impressive things on the ride and I for one am looking forward to see what we encounter on the next trip.  Although I can probably do without the X-rated ride through Maggie Wash I was witness to. But that is another story!

I was just thinking…………This may have been ‘The Best Ride Ever!’

#33

“It is not about the ride; It is the people you ride with”