2013 NW Gathering - East Fort Rock / China Hat

Last year's Gathering (my first) was so much fun that there was no way I was going to miss this year's, even though it was clear that we'd have to suffer with 70 degree weather during the days and maybe low 30's at night. Last year I didn't ride too much, but didn't make the whole thing either. I was bound to remedy that this year (pretty easy to schedule it off of work, since I wrote the schedule for the month - hint, hint Woodsie ), and I rode all four days.

I'll try to keep the text to a minimum and let the pics do most of the talking, as long as the links from Fakebook hold. I'll try to add video as I mess around and get them cut up and processed, I got some GREAT stuff. PLEASE chime in with your pics, comments, and mockery, this is not "my" thread!

Well I was so excited to do this thing that I actually got all packed and loaded up a day and a half before launch time.

An aside, for those that didn't hear the story: You'll see "Tusky" in a lot of my pics. Tusky was given to me by my best friends seven year old daughter, who named her. She said, "This is Tusky and she wants to ride a Husky." So Tusky is always in my backpack or pocket when I ride. Just one of those things I can't not do.

Tusky ready to leave home


Thursday morning was foggy, less than 100ft visibility when I left home. I got to BMP at about 9:00 and loaded up Bill's Terra.


Brand new CR125(144), TC250, TE310 and TXC250. Tusky says "Ooh...Shiny!"


Around 9:45 we were ready to leave out, so the caravan consisting of Bryon, Jeff, Gramps and myself took off. We were shakin' it up the hill pretty quickly until we got into the dead forest and got stopped by construction.



My friends always make fun of me being chased down the road by sexy Italians...This time there were two chasing me.


Yep, we're in the high desert...Where ancient threshing machines are preserved.


Bryon called and told me that there was a planned stop at a particular gas station on the east side of Bend...The reason we had to stop at THAT gas station was immediately clear!



Gee the weather sure looked sucky...


"Hi honey, we're home!"


Arriving at camp, and not even completely parked yet, "somebody" just couldn't stand that stump being there haha. Ok in truth, I had parked in an unexpected spot and the obstacle had to be modified before it could be surmounted by a travel trailer.


Bryon, Lonnie, Ryan and Gramps getting the ladies out and ready




Home sweet home for the next four days (Lonnie I have your banner, I'll drop it off at BMP)


Ryan wanted to take the Terra for a quick spin "to get some trail maps," and discovered the plate holder's self-ejecting feature during a whoops section


R6Jon and I took off for a quick spin, I rode the TE310. Tusky is ready to go.


WHEEEE that 310 sure is fun!

When we got back from our quick spin, we saw Coffee arrive


We grubbed up some dinner, figured out who all was there in the "advance party" (which was, as it turned out, the bulk of the main party) for Thursday, and enjoyed a modest (by our standards - not photo worthy haha) camp fire for the evening.

Up Friday morning, scratched around camp a bit and a bunch of us decided to leave out for a ride south. I wanted to ride the TXC250, and R6Jon wanted to ride it back to back with the TC he'd ridden yesterday afternoon but also wanted to ride the TE310. So I took off on the TE310 again (poor me!) and he on the TXC250.

Our first longish stop.


Correct me if I can't remember everyone, L-R: Tom, Ray, R6Jon, Gary, can't remember on the KX500, Mason on the CR500, Jeff, Gramps, Tyler, Ryan


R6Jon and I switched bikes at this point, and I rode up to the fire tower on the TXC250. I thought I was in love with the 310...OH MOMMY that TXC250 is REALLY a sweet screamin' mimi! What a light and nimble little dirt missile...It wasn't but just a couple miles and it was pretty obvious that I NEEEEED to get me one o'these!




At some point leaving the fire tower, some of us missed a turn and wound up on the wrong end of trail 80. No worries, we knew we needed to be on 80 so the four of us turned around and hauled ass north on 80 until we ran into Mason and Gramps from the lead party waiting for us at the next couple of turns. One of the guys (Ray I think) in the "lost group" suffered a flat, so he and Jeff (I think) took the road back to camp. The terrain changed a bit, turning to undulating shallow valleys between lava veins. They were a lot of fun to hop up and over, some of them having nice table tops.


We all made it back to camp safely from our 50 mile loop. Well, SOME of us had a 50 mile loop...Most only had a 40 mile loop haha. Back at camp, Bryon showed me a special griddle that he'd brought and yelled "Who wants a grilled cheese!!!" I DO I DO!!!


For some reason THIS grilled cheese was the best I'd ever had.


After lunch and some rest, (L-R) Ryan, Tom, Jeff and I decided to go for an evening stroll. Yeah right...These guys are FAST. Almost done with day two and I've just now fired up my TC450 for the first time haha. Tom was really digging the TE310 and Jeff enjoyed the TXC250. As I was waiting at an intersection Tom rolled up to me and yelled "Holy crap this thing is AMAZING!" Heeheehee


Back at camp we discovered more folks had arrived. We grubbed up some dinner, chatted with the neighbors a bit (even though they're on 'Bergs and a KTM) and enjoyed and extended benchracing session around the campfire.

R6Jon decided to be a separatist for some reason and parked over by the neighbors.


Starting to resemble more of a camp fire now!

Late in the evening, more people arrived, including (yet another) Jon and his son David. Check out David's RM65 supermoto! I hope to see this bright young fellow on the dirt track at the Salem Speedway this winter.

Jon's TXC449 and David's 65MX


David and his RM65 SM (I want to ride that bike so bad! Now I've got to build one of those, too!)


Saturday morning we had the biggest crew, here is the "early riser" group



"The Urn"


Bryon, Davey (darnold sporting the bedhead), Val, and Russ, who had all arrived late Friday afternoon


The sexy Italian ladies shunned Ryan's pumpkin that night, leaving it out in the cold and needing its security blanket


Bill prepping the bikes, getting them ready for what would likely be a long day

Saturday morning, we're raring to go again and take some more "test" rides. This ride was our biggest group I think.


Ryan prepping his bike for the day...


We soon found the Sabol Butte play area, what fun climbing the cinder pit on my TC450, but kinda hard on tires...R6Jon took the TE310, and not long after leaving camp he tested the robustness of one of the radiators when a "stopper post" jumped out in front of him. No harm no foul, we determined there was no fatal damage and off we went.


Back up at the fire tower


On the ascent to the fire tower I discovered...No clutch! My hydraulics had failed somehow, and I had to pump the clutch lever like crazy to get any clutch action. Oh well, I could get it pumped up enough to make a mostly smooth takeoff (most of the time) so I just dealt with it, I'd dealt with it before.

Yesterday, Ryan and I played a little "dead stick" tag descending from the fire tower with our engines off, and today we did the same. Leaving last, we coasted all the way down and the sounds of surprise from a couple of the guys we passed (with engines running) on the way down was pretty funny. I was rolling along nicely and came up on R6Jon and yelled "ON YOUR LEFT!" which took him by surprise and I guess kinda spooked him cos he dropped anchor a bit before I was ready to pass haha! I put my front tire into his rear tire and glanced off out of control, taking an off-trail venture down the hill through the brush. I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe! No harm no foul, until I caught my breath and fired up to leave...Only to stall immediately. I figured it was just my not-completely-disengaging clutch holding me up, so I restarted, pumped up the clutch, and gunned it for a shotgun start and went...One foot. I heard a racket behind me and turned to look (after it stalled again) and saw my rear wheel and hub with several wraps of fence topwire around it...Which I had just winched in farther and tighter. UGH!!!


Ryan, Davey, Val and Jon helped me dig the wire out where it was at, until Ryan said "This would probably be a lot easier if we just took the wheel off." DUHHHHH...I've got my took kit, no sweat, let's move it up on the fence and do it!


THAT was a LOT easier!




Back up and running, we headed out again on our long way back to camp. The rest of the group had split by then, so Ryan jetted off ahead of Davey, Val, Jon and I to see if he could catch them before they got back to camp. It was an easy plan, we took trail 40 all the way back. The four of us had a lot of fun through the different terrain, and on our last stop before we were out of the woods section and into the "blast zone" of trail 40 I got the lead because I'd been whining about my clutch and really didn't want to stop any more. It was easy, 40 to 41 and back to camp.

I sure am glad I got the lead through the blast zone...This was lay the ears back on the ol' 450 time! Of course Val and Davey on their 610's could smoke me for top speed, so I tached it out on this section so I didn't hold them up. I turned to look behind me once and that turned out to not be an issue...It was so dusty that unless they were right on top of me they'd be a ways back. I looked at my phone's GPS recording app later that night, and it had my top speed for the day at 62mph...I'm pretty sure this is where I did it.


When we got back to camp we were greeted by Bryon with...Husqvarna summer sausage made from a deer from Bryon's back yard!


Bill enjoying his Husky Sausage



It was pretty close to dinner time by the time we got back, and we were pretty tired, so we pretty much called it an ice cream social for the rest of the day, visiting with the neighbors and getting warmed up for the last camp fire of the trip.

Here's Blake with his "more than a 6 pack three pack"



The campfire got serious tonight, Ryan and Gramps said to hell with splitting wood, they just started throwing rounds on.






Bill walked around the camp fire handing out raffle tickets, and had a drawing. WHO WOULD WIN THE NEW BIKE?!?!?



Haha...Gotcha...Bill and Bryon brought out a bunch of cool Husky merchandise, hats, shirts, beanies, I don't know what all...I won a new beanie!

Hmm...For whatever reason, I'm unable to edit these large posts. In the above post, I forgot to credit and thank Davey (darnold) for the pics of my bike getting unwound! Thanks again for letting me swipe those off of your card!

Saturday night got chilly. I actually burned a full Coleman bottle in Bryon's buddy heater that he let me have, in case I needed it. It sure was nicer with it...It didn't take much to keep it positively tropical in my small tent, to keep from burning up I kept the heater in the "porch" section and left the door open.


Yep...Saturday night got chilly all right...Frost on the bikes for the first time that I know of.





Russ, Kelly, Blake and I took off for a "back by noon or 1 or so" ride, but most in camp were planning to break down, pack up and head home. I was good to go, Bill fiddled with my clutch hydros a bit and thought we had it solved when he got two huge air bubbles to come out of the master cylinder. I topped up the fluid level thanks to Xcuvator having a bit of fork oil and thought I was good to go. Well...About ten miles in to the ride I discovered (the hard way)...No clutch, and stalled it brake sliding into a corner.

Total panic when I stalled it and was skidding into the corner. I felt like a total freakin' n00b cos I didn't keep it up and lawn darted STRAIGHT for the tree I was staring at.

(Well...Since "The specified URL cannot be embedded as media," I hope clicking on this link allows you to see it so you can mock me properly)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=622760944454926&set=vb.100001630781801&type=3

I stalled my bike a few more times in corners and got frustrated with dealing with it (I'd dealt with it for 2/3 of yesterday's big ride already), and decided I wanted to head back toward camp. Russ obliged and he and I split from Kelly and Blake, who were on for another hour or two of riding (I can't blame them!). On the way back the air got COLD, and we saw the first precip of the weekend.

It even tried to hail a little bit!


I was the "camp closer" this time, and followed Kelly out of the staging area.


Just some priddy pics of the clouded desert on the way out.




I had a very long, late lunch with a friend in Sisters, and when I got to the summit of the Santiam Pass, snow!


MAN OH MAN what a FUN time!

Is it too soon to say I can't wait for next year? I sure hope to hook up and ride with some more of you that are more local...I'm looking forward to it!

Yep, that was a fun time. Good to ride with you guys sunday. Fun to try all the different bikes. Good times.

Back to the beginning....the Salem swarm arrives on Thursday afternoon.

More, please!

Aha, we have a winner! I moved your chair and (as it turns out) kellys triangle stand over to vals motorhome, since they were still out on a ride. I think theyre at bills now.

I think you're right.
In fact, I know you are!
Ive had a great time with this group the last few years. Even when I broke my shoulder
I will not miss it next year.

yes Bills has my triangle. Glad it had my name on it from the ISDE earlier this year. thanks.

for some reason I had a lot of fun this year. Everything just worked out, I did not head on anyone and we ripped up on a lot of fun bikes. Got some good milage in and had a hoot.

your kid was funny. Had a long conversation with him right after you guys rolled in from your ride Sat. He was hilarious and stoked to be riding and hanging with the group. Good on you dad.

Yeah that kid {David} may likley be the first president of United States that rides dirt bikes ,he always interested in how things work and ask questions and doesnt drink all your beer.Dad [JOHN} and David come in all the time and always fun visiting and offered to come cut trails at my house.
On another note while giving out stuff around the camp fire,I really sholuld of brought Dean COFFEE up front and thanked him and all the CAFE HUSKY staff for making this happen and making it an event that nobody wants to miss.Never would of happened on this scale we all know with out all the staff and members of CAFE HUSKY coming at great cost together every year for the fun and good times.One newcomer remarked hes never been anywhere where my bike is your bike take her for a rip,.he loved that carefree atmosphere and me too.Thanks guys .
billf

Oh yeah im old but isnt this still 2013 in Oregon at least?

While Dean didn't get up front and center, you DID say that.

D'OH!!! Got me!

I can't edit the thread title :/ I might still be a little bit excited about how much fun it was.

You're welcome