{"id":491,"date":"2017-08-15T12:05:52","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T17:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nyemoto.com\/?p=491"},"modified":"2017-08-16T13:46:20","modified_gmt":"2017-08-16T18:46:20","slug":"billysride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/2017\/08\/15\/billysride\/","title":{"rendered":"#Billysride"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pie for pre-breakfast. \u00a0Not a bad way to start the day.<\/p>\n

When I first saw the sign post I immediately wondered how it was going to get to Odom Point. \u00a0This was a substantial sign post. \u00a0I was also wondering how it was going to get erected. \u00a0I was pretty sure digging a hole was not part of the plan and I was sure there was a plan. \u00a0Big John was going to bring the materials in his jeep. \u00a0To factor for the speed difference we were going to ride Ophir Pass on the way over to Silverton while JD would take a more direct route.<\/p>\n

We loaded up and zipped into town for a good New England farmers breakfast in a Mexican restaurant. \u00a0I brought the syrup and left the bottle with Big John. Personally I think direct trade between Colorado and New England would be a good thing.<\/p>\n

I had heard a few different things about Ophir Pass. \u00a0Early chatter had mentioned it was easier than the other passes and it was going to be a nice scenic diversion. \u00a0It was nice, very scenic but one comment overheard at the top was “it’s much different than last time.” \u00a0 It was big rock and very loose which made it by no means easy but it wasn’t a ball buster either. \u00a0We relaxed for a bit and I tried tossing a few snow balls which is a lot harder to do than you might think when you’re wearing riding gear and a camelbak.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Clockwise from left: \u00a0Rick Giroux, Larry Reed, Rob Nye, Capt. Ben Profitt and Blair Young
\nStephen Gregory photo<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We got to Silverton, gassed up and checked the status of the passes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There’s some good advice on that wall.
\n<\/em>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

We headed up to Engineer Pass via Animas Forks. \u00a0It was dusty and there was traffic. \u00a0There was a Land Cruiser Jamboree in Silverton and the trails were thick with Land Cruisers. \u00a0Sadly most were the new FJ which is but a shell of the FJ40 of my youth. \u00a0I owned a modern FJ and was underwhelmed. \u00a0I was reminded of the challenge of wheeling without locking differentials as we passed a modern FJ that was stuck on a hairpin all because of limited slip differentials. \u00a0This must have been some sort of guided tour as the guy who appeared to be the expert was bouncing on the bumper trying to bring the lazy wheel into contact. \u00a0Think of your worst group ride on a motorcycle except do it in a not quite capable truck with other people who are also in not quite capable trucks. \u00a0That’s the FJ Jamboree.<\/p>\n

Speaking of trucks one of the things I just love about riding around out west is the variety of vehicles you’ll see. \u00a0Everything from six figure Defenders, perfect old broncos to wicked cool home built rigs wander around in this dry climate and the winches, big tires and hi-lift jacks are put to real world use.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meanwhile Big John was still chugging along.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo by Jim Bean<\/em>\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We gathered at the designated spot and set about erecting the sign. \u00a0Big John had a perfect plan and the materials to execute it. \u00a0Rather than dig a hole for the post we were going to use a wire basket and fill it with rocks. An absolutely perfect zero impact way to leave a sign in such a spot. \u00a0John had prepared a wire basket; yesterday we prepared the pole for the sign. \u00a0The plan was to center the post in the basket and fill it with rocks.<\/p>\n

L-R \u00a0Larry Reed, Big John Davis and Jim Bean prepare to stand the post
\nStephen Gregory photos<\/em>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0We got it done. \u00a0Stacking rocks at 12,000′ isn’t easy for a flatlander either. \u00a0Something of an achievement, getting a group of guys together from all over the country to erect a wonderful tribute to a departed friend. \u00a0I believe there was a small nip consumed with the bottle placed among the stones. \u00a0It was a moment.<\/p>\n

It’s been said you can judge a person by the quality of the company they keep. \u00a0I thought of this as a group of riders came together to do something that took coordination, effort and teamwork to accomplish. \u00a0I thought about how this was no group of “average joe’s” \u00a0These were all solid people; as fine as fellow humans can be and this is what they decided to make the focal point of their summer vacation. \u00a0I was deeply honored to bear witness and even participate to a degree. \u00a0I’m sad for their loss and quite sure that by the company he kept Mr. Odom was a hell of a guy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Billy Odom.<\/em>
\nJim Bean Photo.
\n\"\"
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our ride leader, Jim Bean. \u00a0Mr. Odom was richer for having this man as a friend.<\/p>\n

Stephen Gregory photo<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

L-R \u00a0Chris Jones, Capt. Ben Profitt, Chad Warner, Big John Davis, Jim Bean, Rick Giroux, Larry Reed, Rob Nye, Stephen Gregory<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We hung out for a bit and took in the view, the day and our handiwork. \u00a0Other people started filtering in and as expected some started taking photos at Odom Point. \u00a0This group had no idea they were the very first to pose with the new marker.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Should you wish to visit the coordinates for the marker are:
\nN 37.96989
\nW107.89405<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We finished up and said our goodbye to Big John. \u00a0We had only one challenge and that was reconnecting with Blair. \u00a0Blair had gone ahead to his truck which was in Lake City to retrieve something he wanted to place at the marker. \u00a0Unfortunately he had not returned yet which was cause for some concern. \u00a0The concern while mild as Blair was clearly one of the strongest riders in the group but he was fighting some medical challenges which were made worse by heat. \u00a0We split off into two groups to cover the only options Blair could have chosen with the plan on meeting in Lake City. We met in Lake City and did not find Blair. \u00a0After further investigation it was determined that his medical issues forced an early exit and the local challenges with cell service meant we didn’t get the word until late. \u00a0 This put us back in Lake City for a late lunch.<\/p>\n

It also meant that the original plan of spending the night outside of Telluride after two more passes was no longer feasible. \u00a0We decided to camp in Lake City. \u00a0I remembered from the other day that while there is a very pretty lake with plenty of camping opportunities the camping I did see was primitive, not that isolated and being on a lake full of flies. \u00a0I also remembered chatting with Scotty about his cabins on Main Street. \u00a0These were across form the Aloha Moose Cafe and a short walk to the bar. \u00a0I made a deal for two cabins and we had a wonderful night swapping lies around the fire.<\/p>\n

Our ride for the day:<\/p>\n

Thursday, July 20, 2017 7:33 AM MDT
\nDistance: 117.2 miles
\nDuration: 9 hours, 22 minutes, and 40 seconds
\nAverage Speed: 12.5 mph
\nMinimum Elevation: 6346 feet
\nMaximum Elevation: 12966 feet
\nTotal climb: 10427 feet
\nTotal descent: 8181 feet<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Next: ToHellYouRide<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pie for pre-breakfast. \u00a0Not a bad way to start the day. When I first saw the sign post I immediately wondered how it was going to get to Odom Point. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8hV9j-7V","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":540,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491\/revisions\/540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}