We all survived a night under the watchful eye of the Hosts.
Now it was time to start the first day of the real tour, up to now it was just wandering about getting ready to ride with the Big Dogs. There were 10 of us between two campsites that were not close enough to each other for conversation. The plan was made to pack up and head to a restaurant in Montrose for breakfast. 10 riders on the first day meant the departure was a little later than anticipated and breakfast was re-routed to a local McDonalds for Egg McMuffins.
In a conversation I had with Jim Bean prior to the ride he mentioned that from Ridgeway the plan was to ride over to Moab. I asked if his plan was to ride CR 90 west out of Montrose which is a nice dirt road through the Uncompahgre National Forest. He said it was and asked me if I had ridden it. I indicated I had and he asked what it was like. I told him I rode it about 8 years ago when I was taking my son cross country to his freshman year of college on a GSA with a sidecar. No big deal. Certainly not technical but a nice way to get over toward Moab without using too much pavement.
He must have mentioned this to Rick who as his co-navigator and leader decided that I was to lead us to and on 90.
That’s right “you lead”. I found this hilarious. At home I end up leading rides most of the time and have a pretty good reputation for looking at a map and finding good routes. It had been a long time since I enjoyed my single ride on CR90 and as the newest of new guys I had no business leading; especially a group including GS Trophy Riders and a retired instructor from the BMW Performance Center. Pace? No idea because other than some campground games I had never ridden with any of the guys but I was quite sure any of them could pass me at will. Fantastic. I did a quick check of my GPS and we were off. I managed to get us out of town and onto the correct road. It’s not easy to lead and keep track of 9 riders you’ve never ridden with unless they are this group. It became apparent quite quickly that any pace would be acceptable and each rider in the group took responsibility for knowing that the rider behind them made the turns. It worked perfectly but as we rode I was getting concerned that this was going to be a pretty boring ride unless we really wicked it up, which as the new guy in a new group I wasn’t going to do.. to much. Finally a few passed me and we all started to get comfortable together.
We got to a fork in the road and I stopped to collect the group and check bearings. Rick came up and suggested a turn to the right. I took the opportunity to say “You lead” and Rick took over providing a wonderful and scenic ride over to Moab. Now I could really relax and enjoy myself. It became apparent that Rick is also a navigator and can look at a map. I call him a navigator because he understood immediately when I started railing on the concept of “GPS Coordinates” as a way of describing.. well anything actually. We had a lovely ride. Nothing overly technical but plenty of time on very scenic dirt and fast twisty two lane pavement with plenty of group bonding opportunities. A great first day with new friends.
We arrived in the late afternoon and it was hot. Rick had secured an AirBnB because camping in Moab is for the insane. Our accommodations for the evening were a prefabricated housing unit with three bedrooms, two baths and a kitchen / living room all on the footprint of what we used to call a mobile home. It had AC, a beer fridge and a big screen TV. Perfect for a two night flop house.
We dumped our gear and headed to the local brewpub for a beer and some dinner. As a bonus there was a good chance we were going to meet up with some other riders who were also out west. We got to the pub, got settled and then got confused by Utah Liquor laws. Apparently there’s a maximum alcohol content Utah allows in draft beer. It’s lower than what is allowed for the same product sold in cans. The bar can sell draft for consumption in house but if you have a can it can’t be consumed on premise. I wasn’t concerned about alcohol content as much as I was sympathizing with the brewmaster who has to make different batches of the same thing to satisfy the folks in Salt Lake City. Soon we were joined by Tom Asher and Brenda Priebe.
I’ve seen it in sailors, the moment when friends end up in the same bar after a voyage. The outside world disappears and buddies get lost in recounting the tales of what brought them to the same place at the same time. Tom and the guys got right into it and I ended up chatting with Brenda. Almost immediately I was blinded by an impressive stone on a gold band that adorned her ring finger. Left hand. Oh my.
I pointed at the ring. Brenda smiled the smile of someone recently engaged. Radiant. “Him?” I said pointing at Tom. This got a good giggle and I offered congratulations. I also laughed at the fact that Tom had what most would call pretty big news of a pretty big event yet the boys were all just bikes, bikes, bikes! Personally I think it’s a fantastic match and they are going to enjoy a great life together. It was a real treat to bump into them while it was still fresh news.
Three of these gentlemen are oblivious to the fact that the fourth got engaged that day. Mind you nobody’s 24 either.
L-R Chris Jones, Jim Bean, Chad Warner and Tom Asher
After dinner we went back to the AirBnB for a gab session but we didn’t stay up too late. The plan was to get up and out early to get on the White Rim Trail and back before it gets too hot. As much as I tried to defer I ended up in a bed while Rick put out his air mattress in the living room. Comfortable I was but I still had the “I’m the new guy here” approach and new guys don’t take bedrooms. I did share it with Captain Ben and neither of us bear scars from the experience. I’m willing to testify the chicken was still alive at this point.
Here are the numbers on the day:
Monday, July 17, 2017 9:16 AM MDT
Distance: 187.8 miles
Duration: 6 hours, 15 minutes, and 29 seconds
Average Speed: 30.0 mph
Minimum Elevation: 3996 feet
Maximum Elevation: 9768 feet
Total climb: 9289 feet
Total descent: 12331 feet
Next: Hot, Hot, Hot!