O'Kokopelli Ride 2008, 2nd Annual Kokopelli ride, from Colorado to
Moab, UT. March 2008
This ride report has little to do with Martin, as it turns out.
Sometimes things go wrong, and you accept that. Martin was a
participant, but that's not saying much.
Because of time and changing services, many of the photos linked
here are lost, and others might eventually disappear. All I have for sure are my own few photos.
These massive reports were originated on ADVRider.com, and they have been
edited down very much from two ADVRider reports and imported. The
planning/ride report is over 1000 separate posts long, and the official ride
report is also quite large (over 120 posts), and they have been reduced here to
parts that are relevant to Martin, or are just
interesting and give the reader a sense of the group, the riding area, and the
overall ride experience. Most of the original planning/report thread is related to the lengthy
planning and preparation for the ride, and contains a lot of chit-chat and
nonsense. The Official 2008 O'Kokopelli Ride report starts with the
after-event reports and photos. Read the whole
threads if you have broadband internet access and no life to speak of (post-event reports
and photos in the planning report start with post #908, just to give you an idea
of the report's size):
ADVRider.com O'Kokopelli Ride planning thread with some ride reports
(named O'Kokopelli in recognition of St.Patrick's day)
Official 2008 O'Kokopelli ride report thread (actual after-ride
report, somewhat redundant with the post-event reports in the above link)
Kokopelli
is a Native American deity (in this region), and Kokopelli's Trail is a well-known mountain
bicycle and hiking trail that is also enjoyed by motorcyclists. It is well
over 100 miles from the Rabbit Valley trailhead in Colorado to Moab, Utah.
There is a LOT of rearranging in the posts below, to preserve the order of
events (since riders posted their stories at different times), and some editing
of posts to suit this site. I hope none of the original posters mind that
I edited some of their posts for importation here. Typos,
errors, etc., have largely been
left as they are, fixed only for clarity in some cases. The authors have been
identified by their user names on ADVRider.com. Tramontana
is the report originator and excellent ride organizer, his wife Fifinella
was the excellent chef and co-organizer.
Martin is identified here as SgtMarty, and had very little to do with
anything... as you will see.
The initial post for the planning report has been included, just to set the stage and
get a feel for the event planning. After that, there are a few planning
and banter posts, and then it skips ahead several hundred posts to the
after-event reports, with reports from both threads included and mixed together.
I gave up trying to edit them all into a chronological order.
-----
Tramontana wrote: Here it is ladies and gentlemen!
Announcing, the Second Annual Adventure Rider gathering to go ride the Kokopelli
Trail from Grand Junction CO to Moab, UT. As of now, the rally is still in
planning, but Fifinella and I have already reserved a group campsite with the
BLM for Big Bend campground, group site A.
There is a minimum of 25 and maximum of 40 allowed in the camp, and our
reservation will run from Friday night, March 14 through noon on Monday, March
17th (St. Patrick's Day for those of you that need to know
).
(Edit #1-01/08/08) Well, it looks as if I was mistaken on
the correct date for St. Patrick's Day. Who woulda thunk, but I guess the Holy
Roman Catholic Church decided to move St. Pat's up to Saturday 3/15 because
Monday is Holy Monday or something like that?) Oh well, we'll just have to eat
corned beef & cabbage and drink lots of Guinness!
Current registration (last and final edit 10:30 PM MDT
03/13/08):
THE "IN" LIST:
Note: Names switched to green indicates I have received
contact information from you per my request in post #189. If you are still shown
in
yellow, Please click
HERE
IMPORTANT: EDIT: NEW RULE CHANGE!!! (02/08/08 10:00 AM
MST) IMPORTANT
EFFECTIVE 12:01 PM NOON, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15th 2008, ANY
RIDER IN THE TOP 40 WHO HAS NOT REPLIED WITH CONTACT INFORMATION WILL BE DROPPED
FROM THE TOP 40 LIST. EFFECTIVE ALSO THIS TIME, PRIORITY WILL BE GIVEN TO RIDERS
IN THE ALTERNATE LIST WHO HAVE ALREADY RESPONDED WITH CONTACT INFORMATION.
This means any and all riders who have not replied to my
post #189 will not be considered as part of the ride. This gives everyone left
on the current lists time enough to reply and get their information to me. No
riders will be added to the alternates list without contact information either.
I regret having to impose any "draconian" measures however I need confirmation,
emergency contact etc. If I don't have information and haven't heard anything,
I'll presume you aren't interested in joining us.
1) Tramontana
2) Fifinella
3) cRAsH
4) SgtMarty
5&6) JWRover & budy
7) Unaweep
8) Subcani (EnduroInce out, Accepted by #41)
9) Cloud9
10) RedChili
11) Mrs Chili
12) Brainless450X (Femmemoto scratches after deadline, AnnieGS has had to scratch due to SuperCamp, Femmoto accepts the position)
13) Ere109
14) EnduroInce is "IN" (Meterpig had to bail on us due to work-sucks, and I
have confirmation that EI accepts)
15) StrayDog
16) Wannabeeuro
17) Switchback (Deanno955 had to scratch.)
18) Green Stainz
19) LaurieD
20) SuperSize
21) Oldmanb777
22) jjustj
23) Hayduke
24) Bonnie Abzug
25) Hair (Wayneski has to scratch, PM sent to Atomic Dog 10:10 AM MST
2/01/08, AD skipped, offer goes to Eurobiker 3:00 pm MST 02/02/08, Eurobiker and
Gordy have bowed out, GSSpirit's buddy passes, so offer goes to Hair)
26) Joz & Joz daughter!
27) Playznmud (Milhaus and BoulderEd had to scratch).
28) SuperDave (via phone)
29) Blakebird (TWellstrom had to scratch)
30) Robbpaugh (SherpaDude scratchs, and DaMoose has scratched out from
camping).
31) Darmahman
(PFB and Burro have had to scratch)
32) MileMarker42
(Scary MC is riding but not camping. Butta scratches)
33) Geek (on the Loser)
34) Neduro (via email)
35) GSSpirit
36) StmboatDave
37) MrFallover
38) IronBrewer
39) Mrs.StmbtDave (MileMarker42 has scratched).
40) Ganshert
Okay, that closes the list for the first 40, which is my
max due to cooking capacity and campground max posting, which the BLM will be
checking.
Now I will start with a wait list, and fill spaces
accordingly if any of the first 40 must drop out, I will fill those spaces in
order of posts starting after Ganshert's post.
I expect there will be some attrition in the ranks, so
don't get discouraged that the trip is already full. I would expect that 10%
won't be able to go, thus four waiting people will get the opportunity.
Cheers!
Edit 01/13/08 5:00 PM MST
The list goes on, with all people after #40 going on the
"alternates" list. Please note, until you are notified by me, please realize
that there is no guarantee of space being available for this trip as the maximum
number of people allowed in the group campsite is 40, and the BLM will
undoubtably be checking in on us (they did last year). For now, I will add you
as alternates, and each member will be allowed 24 hours to reply via PM once any
open positions are offered. After 24 hours, I will offer the space to the next
person on the list. If you miss your 24 hr window, I will consider putting you
back at the top of the waiting list, as long as I do not receive any resistance
or flak. Give me $#!@, and I'll dump you to the last spot.
ALTERNATE LIST: (Edit update 8:41 AM MDT 03/12/08)
IN 41) Subcanis
(Accepted EnduroInce's position)
OUT 42) Subcanis' fiance (scratched,
can't make it)
IN 43) Butta
(Accepted Burro wife's
position)
IN 44) Milhaus
(Moved to "IN" list) PM
Sent 6:25pm MST 01/21/08.
IN 45) Blakebird
(Accepted TWellstrom's position, moved to in list.)
Skipped 46) AtomicDog (Skipped
due to non-responsiveness 3:00pm MDT 2/02/08)
Skipped 47) Atomic Dog's GF
(Skipped due to non-responsiveness by Atomicdog)
OUT 48) Eurobiker - can't go.
(Atomicdog didn't answer, you are now offered position #25 in the "IN" list.
Eurobiker declines, offer to Gordy)
OUT 49) Gordy - can't go. (Gordy
passes)
OUT 50) GSSpirit's buddy - can't go.
(His buddy is "out")
IN 51) Hair
(accepted space 25 via PM)
IN 52) EnduroInce, back in
again... (Accepted Meterpig's slot)
IN 53)
FemmeMoto (Accepted AnnieGS's position
2/11/08)
IN 54)
BoulderEd (Milhaus has scratched)
IN 55)
Sherpa Dude (jjustj's buddy) (Accepted
DaMoose's spot)
IN 56)
StmbtDave's wife (Accepted
MileMarker42 spot).
OUT 57) Raif
(scratched)
OUT 58) Greg@RME
(PM received, Greg@RME is out.
Deanno955 has scratched.)
IN 59)
Switchback (Accepted Deanno955 position)
IN 60)
Playznmud (BoulderEd Scratches.).
IN 61)
ScaryMc (added 11:03 PM MST 2/11/08) (Butta has
scratched. It is 5:05 PM MST 3/04/08, you have 24 hours to accept).
IN 62)
Robbpaugh (added 8:45 AM MST 2/19/08)
(SherpaDude
scratches, it is 12:00 PM MST 3/05/08, you have 24 hours to reply).
OUT 63) PFB (Signed up 7:49 PM 2/29/08)
(Burro has scratched. It is 1:50 PM MST 3/05/08,
you have 24 hours to reply).
IN 64)
Darmahman (signed up 4:57 PM 3/02/08) (PFB has had
to scratch due to work(sucks), it is 8:00 PM MDT 3/10/08, and you have 24 hours
to reply.)
IN 66)
Joz's daughter (Camping in Darmahman's place. added 3/06/08 via PM)
IN 65)
MileMarker42 (back in again, added 1:28 PM MST 3/04/08). (ScaryMC is riding but not camping)
IN 67) Brainless450x (added via pm 3/07/08)
(Next up, keep an eye on your PM's!)
Next in line:
68) Anyone? (On deck!)
O'KOKOPELLI T-SHIRTS will be delivered to
BaseKamp Koko by Hayduke. PM him if you need alternate delivery options.
We had a blast with this ride last year, and I expect it will be equally fun
this year. We chose to get a group campsite closer to the terminus of the ride
(instead of Deadhorse Point like last year) so hopefully all of the Honda's will
actually make it to camp with clutches intact?
Please subscribe to this thread, as I will be keeping all of the updated
information and a running list of attendee's on this thread.
Feel free to email or PM me with any questions or comments.
Cheers!
SgtMarty wrote: Almost certainly in. With the DRZ
this time...
LaurieD wrote: I will plan to go and to provide whatever
help Fifinella/Cookie needs from me as far as cooking/serving/washing up goes,
plus helping at the support stops (gas, etc). Since Marty is taking the DRZ this
time, I expect we will trailer over (the DRZ plus my little XT - yes I'm
bringing it) which means we should be able to haul stuff to Big Bend - maybe we
should collect some of those 5-gallon gas cans from Denver in advance? maybe
haul some of the Guinness too?
Tramontana, let us know what you need us to do or haul or whatever.
Laurie
Tramontana wrote: Fifinella and I certainly appreciate
your offer of assistance again this year LaurieD. Thanks for stepping up!
Are you and SgtMarty going to stay overnight Friday in GJ? If so, I may beg for
you to be the primary "SAG" wagon and collect camping gear at the Rabbit Valley
Trail head. Also, if you have a few of the fuel jugs, we can top off the
small bikes, and riders who are slabbing up from the base camp Saturday morning.
...so the steering committee (Tramontana, Fifinella, Red_Chili, SuperDave,
SgtMarty, and LaurieD) gathered at our house last night for a FABULOUS dinner of
lasagna, fresh salad and too much red wine. MANY thanks to my wonderful wife
Fifinella!!! LaurieD just about geyser'ed her dinner because she was laughing so
hard, as we recounted SgtMarty's epic KLR ride down Rose Garden Hill last year.
Cheers!
Red_Chili wrote: No lawyers came over, but we did have
some interesting world travel tales...
SgtMarty wrote: Fifinella told sex stories. Really.
LaurieD will have a big SUV and a sag trailer at Rabbit Valley to carry
anything that you want to dump there. Last year, She carried gear from the KOA
campground in GJ, but she's not going all the way back to GJ this time.
So, anyone at Rabbit Valley is welcome to dump gear in her sag truck. It'll be
at Dewey Bridge for lunch and at the campground that afternoon.
Hayduke wrote: Every event needs a T-shirt, right?
I CANNOT take credit for this awesome design: my good friend, great artist,
and fellow rider (but not a member here yet), Kurt Snyder did the design. He's a
talented young starving artist kid here in Salida. Look for more designs by him
on my website soon.
[Here's photos of the campground from a recent scouting trip]
Geek wrote: Just figured out if you type "kokopelli" in
Google earth you can find the start of it, etc...
even
pics
Marty: Have you come up with a way to "trail side fix" a foot peg mount after
last year?
SgtMarty wrote: No, but I remain resilient and determined
none the less. I'll be on The Fist's old DRZ this time, and it's well
enough battered that there isn't any worry about hammering it more. Ed,
did you find a ride, yet? My blue KLR hasn't been ridden since last Autumn, but
it's all fixed.
Cloud9 wrote: [The current conditions are bad, but should
dry out before the ride] Oh, and a couple of shots for our beloved
SgtMarty!
...and this one. hmmm... that big rock along side the trail in the upper
right corner looks very familiar.
[Note from Martin: Yup, that's where I broke my footpeg off the bike last
year.]
Neduro wrote: [Heading out to start the ride] Sitting on
I-70 right now, it's beautiful! We've had a great opportunity to admire the same
bit of it for a long time now...
POST RIDE REPORTS:
Geek wrote: I've a crazy schedule this week.. dunno when
I'll get to all the photos but will throw a few up now before I have to head to
next client.
The fresh snow's beauty almost made the traffic jams worthwhile.
Moab is one of those places that photography simply cannot do justice. The
scale/sizes involved are mind boggling from the 1000 foot cliffs to the 25,000
cfs flow of the mighty Colorado river.
Its hard to believe this photo was taken within a few hours of the one above...
Hayduke wrote: Cloud9 herdin' frozen cats at the start-
[Note: SgtMarty (with his new "retirement" beard) might be praying for less
drama than last year. Alas, it wasn't to be.]
Cloud9 wrote: Riders meeting. Note trained cat herding
dog keeping all the stay cats in line.
Can you believe it! SgtMarty's bike goes completely dead not two miles from
the start. But better here than half way between. Sorry Sgt.
PlayzNmud wrote: Here is SgtMarty... [right after his DRZ
died on the trail] it appears as though he is giving the slight crevice in the
ground a once over, "hmmmm, I wonder.... can I jump over this or should I
push??....." OR... everybody sing with me..."you put your left foot innnn....
you take the left one ouuuut... you put your left foot in and shake it all
about......"
or...
"does this shadow make my butt look big??"
SgtMarty wrote: Had a blast, as usual. Also as usual,
everything did not go well for me. The DRZ died right after the ride started,
and it looks like the stator and battery are dead. After being rescued, I
puttered on the dead bike for the morning and rode Tramontana's DR650 in the
afternoon--just long enough to ride my foot into a rock and get lame for the
rest of the weekend. [edit: Broken metatarsal and dislocated toe.
Fun.]
Oh, well, it'll heal. The bike will get fixed (or sold), and all will be well
again. Fifinella (aka Cookie at times like these) and Tramontana did a magical
job of catering to 40-odd knuckleheads.
It was great to meet friends both new and familiar. We'll do it again.
Slushy drive Friday morning.
Great view each morning.
Nice campsite.
Very early start to the ride on Saturday, and Tramontana did NOT want to hear
how cold it was.
Group briefing at the start.
Hayduke wrtote: Blakebird heading down Yellowjacket
Canyon-
PlayzNmud [Jen] and Bonnie Abbzug [Tami] -
Cloud9 wrote: Tramontana after McGraw Bottom.
Six of us went up to the "Top of the World"... What AWESOME VIEWS and a
really great ride up!
Student watching the Master. OH, OH, OH... and Cookie's cabbage and corned
beef was truly great, I wish I could have taken a bunch of it home... Seriously
Cookie [Fifinella], it was AWESOME.
Sgt Marty's dead bike. Brainless450X also had a dead bike but I'll let him
tell it... it's not pretty.
switchback wrote: Here are my Kokopelli pics. Most are
from the Rose Garden Hill.
/
Joz wrote: FANTASTIC! Thank you Tramontana and Finfilla
for putting on such a wonderful event.
While I've got the floor I have to give a very big thank you to my daughter
Alice for being such a good passenger. Besides the -4000K
degree Saturday morning ride to the trail head, she had a blast. She nearly
always had a smile on her face (except for this next photo!) and in her voice
even by the end of the day when she was wiped out. (Thanks to jjustj for the
great photo at Rose Garden Hill).
StrayDog wrote: We had a great time and left feeling very
thankful to have been apart of the epic ride. Check out some of these shots!
After an 80 MPH ride in the dark from BB we arrived Saturday Morning at the
starting point of the ride.
This is the group I rode out of the starting point with. Great bunch to ride
with. David, Moose, and Scott.
These guys where going so slow
I did not catch their names.
What no hot lunches? Thanks Fifinella (Julie) with an assist from Tema. [Shown
with SuperDave]
This was the happy lunch bunch.
Lunch was good and everyone was happy. [The Incredible Tami and Tema
shown]
Some times you just can't remember where you parked your bikes!
Can you see the rubber neckers at the bottom of Rock Garden?
No problem, just gently roll over the edge and everything will be fine.
Can you dig all the colors?
I had to put away the camera. These canyons where just too much.
Hayduke posted: [Photo of SgtMarty (in the center) just
before he broke his foot riding into a rock while on a borrowed DR650.]
StrayDog wrote: A big thanks to our hosts. [Tramontana
(Dave) and Fifinella (Julie) shown cooking]
And supporting crew! [Colorodo Uli giving LaurieD some money... for "services"
rendered...]
ere109 wrote: Since I'm really smart, I didn't take my
camera on the ride. To make up for it, I took a picture of Sgt. Marty.
[edit: Limping on a broken foot.]
And I did some dishes, hoping everyone would leave me alone afterward. Not to
exclude anyone, Rob, Oldmanb777, Duke, Cloud 9 and SgtMarty helped, too.
(ere109, Rob, Oldmanb777, Hayduke, Cloud9 shown in the photo.)
rob-pa wrote: in foreground oldmanb777, Cat In The Hat
(aka SgtMarty), in background ere109, jwrover, and ironbrewer.
rob-pa wrote: Rabbit valley mesa, where norm and I camped
on friday night.
You guys rock!!!!!!!!
I thought I would throw this in again.
I had a freakin' awesome time this weekend.
When is the next ralley?
I am jonesin' already.
welcome to the scene of the crime.
Brainless450x wrote: Back at camp it was all fun
and games and we found out that a KTM cannot be used to inflate Uli's air
mattress.
then after a bit dinner was cooking
SgtMarty guarded the fire and did a great job.
Much later in the evening Neduro perfected cooking marshmallows.
Joz wrote: Once back to camp, the real business begins -
Fire and Beer!!!!!
[SgtMarty's Adventure Sword, in the fire, as usual. brainless450x,
Colorado Uli, Unaweep, Geek, SgtMarty shown]
