1991 — A Disjointed Beginning

This trip got off to a rough start for Ken. Tired of getting oil all over his jeans all the time, due to an oil leak, he took his Honda in for service several weeks before the trip, making it clear that the work had to be done in time for the trip. The creep at the counter assured him there would be no problem. As time passed he checked back repeatedly, each time being assured the bike would be ready for the Friday departure. Finally, two days before departure he called again and was told — with no apology or anything of that sort — that no, it would not be done. Nor would it be done Saturday, but it would be done on Monday. Late in the day Monday.

Bill and John did the only reasonable thing, they left without Ken on Friday after Bill got off work, heading west on I-70. They spent the night at the Island Acres campground in Colorado River State Park in Debeque Canyon east of Grand Junction. Saturday they headed on to Green River, Utah, in heavy rain, where they stopped at a laundromat to dry off. This was before we all had good rain gear. From there they headed on to Richfield, to Cedar Breaks National Monument, and finally to Las Vegas. Two nights in Las Vegas playing Red Dog at the Mirage sent them on their way with their pockets well padded.

They backtracked on I-15 to Hurricane and made it to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon where they planned to camp and meet Ken. Arriving at the campground they were met with the information that (Doh!) you can't just waltz into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and pick a campsite. Reservations well in advance are essential. Absorbing this unexpected complication they stood and discussed how they would possibly meet up with Ken now when the ranger suddenly called them over with the incredible news that someone had just called to cancel and they could have that campsite. They set up camp and went to drink a beer overlooking the canyon while the sun set.

Meanwhile, Ken picked up his bike — minus one of the highway pegs, as it turned out — and set out early on Tuesday to meet the boys. He rode out I-70 and got off at Frisco, going over Hoosier Pass to Fairplay, to Buena Vista, to Poncha Springs, to Del Norte and over Wolf Creek Pass to Pagosa Springs, to Durango — all in one very long day's ride. He spent the night with Donna Loomans and her now-husband Neal, who replaced Ken's missing highway peg with a piece of tubing and duct tape. The next day he headed on via Four Corners through Page and on to the North Rim. Arriving at the North Rim, Ken checked at the entrance to the campground but got no help from the ranger now working the shack, but then the one who had just gotten off duty overheard and directed him to Bill and John's campsite. He set up his tent and went to find his buddies.

Ken switched on the ear-mounted communicator device all three of them had bought before the trip to enable bike-to-bike conversation. He got no answer to his calls because Bill and John had tried the communicators out along the way and found them to be totally worthless, and had stashed them away forever. Trying to figure out where they were he concluded that perhaps they had ridden out to a viewpoint to see the sunset and headed out that way. This turned out to be a winding 22-mile ride and when Ken got there they weren't there. Turning back, as dark was setting in, he made it back about five miles when his bike died. Out on a dead-end road in the dark 20 miles from anywhere, after all the hassle he had been through, he lost it and pounded on his saddle screaming "God damn it! God damn it! God damn it!" Then he realized that he'd probably just run out of gas, turned the valve to Reserve, started the bike, and rode back to camp.

John and Bill got back to camp and it was a little while before they realized there was a new tent in their campsite. A few minutes later Ken rolled in, grabbed the last beer out of John's hand, tossed it down, and collapsed in relief.

No more adventure after that. The next day we rolled on to Page, and the day after through Monument Valley to Mexican Hat and a nice little motel in a steep canyon crevice. On from there to Moab and a good evening of drinking at Woody's Tavern. Home the next day.

Photos from this trip would be welcome if anyone has some. The map shows John and Bill's route in yellow and Ken's in blue, up to where he joined them at the Grand Canyon.

Map of Trip 1992

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