2017 — First Double Golf Trip

OFMC 2017 route

It has become almost impossible to map out the first day's ride considering that so many people start from so many different places at so many different times. We're just showing the trip starting and ending at Denver.

The group has continued shrinking and this year consisted only of John, Dennis, Bill, Ken, Friggs, and Brett. The first day's destination and the gathering point was Kremmling.

Bill, Ken, and Dennis met at Bill's and headed up Clear Creek Canyon to stop and have a bite to eat in Central City (plus play some machines, of course). Heading out from there it rained along the Central City Parkway over to I-70 but not enough to matter. From there it was over Berthoud Pass, through Winter Park and Granby to Kremmling.

Friggs came later with Brett and John arrived on his own. They got a lot more rain. Also joining us just overnight were former riders Johnathon and Randy.

The next day it was on to Leadville: Gore Pass to Toponas, to Wolcott (with a stop to watch zipliners), to Minturn, and up over Tennessee Pass.

Come Sunday morning we all headed south on U.S. 24 to Buena Vista but at that point Ken broke off and headed home. He had been sick before the trip but thought he was getting better. After two miserable nights he concluded it was time to give it up. For the rest, after filling with gas in Buena Vista we stopped to see Bill's daughter, Jenna, outside of Poncha Springs. She wasn't home but we visited with Cindy, Lonnie, & Bret.

We left Salida traveling west on U.S. 50. A lovely and uneventful ride took us into Gunnison where we spent two nights in a Quality Inn. The first night we had BBQ for dinner and were caught in a heavy downpour after getting ice cream. Thankfully we were a very short distance from the motel.

Had a great round of golf at the Dos Rios golf course. Bill, Brett, and Dennis played in a threesome and John and Friggs formed a twosome. On the back nine, an older gentleman, a few years younger than Friggs, asked if he could join. We said that was fine; however, Friggs cautioned him it was not appropriate to laugh out loud at John and Friggs golfing. He agreed and played through with us. We got a shuttle to and from the golf course.

Bill and Dennis on Berthoud Pass The ride back was provided by the very attractive and very nice owner. We met and socialized with bikers from Australia and Wisconsin. The bikers from Wisconsin we're actually on their way to Ignacio and we met up with them again the next day. The weather prediction was 40% chance of rain so we geared up before we left Gunnison. It was a good call because that caused it not to rain all day. Pulled the gear off about noon and other than a short distance of a few drops, it was dry the rest of the day.

Stopped in Creede for lunch on the way. Few restaurants to pick from, but we found a Tommy Knocker's that was pretty good. However, they were out of most things on the menu.

Group in Kremmling John had some esophageal cramps going into Ignacio and had us concerned. However, after pulling off the road and taking a short break, the cramping subsided, and he was back to his normal self.

Friggs was considerate enough to pay his bill for drinks at the Sky Ute Casino this time; however, the casino fleeced him for $60 over two days. They may have been sending a message relative to his oversight of trying not to pay his last bill there.

Enjoyed another great day of riding from Ignacio past Telluride, to Ridgeway. One of the things for which the Ridgeway area is known is the filming of John Wayne's "True Grit." We ate dinner at the rustic old restaurant across the street from the park in which the hanging scene was filmed.

Group at Blue Mesa Dam The second day in Ridgeway was planned for golf. Four of the remaining five riders followed through with those plans. However, Friggs contracted a bug, possibly from a source who will remain anonymous, and chose to sleep in. The golf report was good, but the price was high and $11 hotdogs didn't satisfy everyone's culinary expectations.

Friggs was still under the weather the following day and stopped in Montrose at an emergency care facility for antibiotics. He appreciated the rest of the riders waiting for him; however, it ended up taking more time to fill the prescription then the medical exam itself and that day's ride had to be modified. The shortened ride followed Highway 50 to the Blue Mesa reservoir dam and along the north rim of the Black Canyon to Hotchkiss. It was not uneventful; however. Although the sky was cloudy, we elected not to don rain gear and by the time it became clear we were going to hit rain, it was too late to gear up without getting pretty wet.

Kudos to Ken for the great motel reserved for us through some friends where we enjoyed wine and cheese before dinner. Friggs then sprang for a very good meal at the empty restaurant just across the street. Wrapping up our last night out, remaining members of the OFMC spent the evening playing basketball and consuming adult beverages and smokes.

The weatherman predicted some late morning and late afternoon precipitation, so after complementary coffee, pastries, slow packing, and fond farewells, John headed to Montrose and Bill, Brett, Dennis, and Friggs headed to Denver. The final four had lunch in Edwards, said their goodbyes, and rode uneventfully to Denver, wrapping up another great trip.

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