Torrey XV I

I have no problem always getting up early on Torrey Trip Day. Sleeping at all is really the challenge since this is my favorite Holiday of the year. While other get all excited for Thanksgiving, Christmas or Arbor Day, I live for leaving my house and going to Utah. It is even better knowing that about 70 of my fellow Hoons are also thinking the same thing this week.

This trip is not any different from the past ones other then I am taking 2 motorcycles and the Mr. G. This will also be Mr. G’s first real test at towing something. Mr. G has had some health issues as some of you love to remind me about. But the shocks are tight, the transmission is full, oil is there so I am ready to moto on up.




From the house it is only a short 542 miles up to Torrey and looking outside I am happy to see that it is cloudy out. Since I am taking the Mr. G. and not riding the GT, I don’t bother to check the weather. What could happen? So as the clock strikes 5am (6am Torrey Time) I crank up the Mr. G, turn the Ipod onto the Grateful Dead’s Box of Rain (a Torrey Tradition) and head North!





First Stop is Anthem for Gas. The wind as usual is coming from straight ahead from the North and it is blowing hard. I even think I see some rain in the distance. Not to fear though, as the Mr. G has a roof and working wipers! I am not happy with gas prices and with a 22 gallon tank; he is not going to be a cheap date.

Traffic is light and I am making good time up the hill towards Flagstaff . As I get into the Verde Valley I start to realize that the weather is getting almost cold. Not to worry as all I need to do is turn on the heater that is a standard option.



Ah Houston , maybe I should have talked to the Weather Officer after all. It has to be a scare tactic by the Sedona Chamber of Commerce to get people to not bypass the exit ahead for Crystal Ville. I of course laugh at this little subterfuge and drive on oblivious to any real threat of weather!



I know a lot of Hollywood people live in Sedona but these special effects are really almost lifelike. There is at least a foot of snow! I find a snow plow and duck in behind. Mr. G is doing fine towing but we are seeing gas mileage at almost the single digit range.



Up ahead as I get into Utah I come across a pair of Harleys and a Motor home. Now I know some of you folks ride the Hogs of Heaven and drink the Milwaukee Kool-Aid. For the most part I have no disdain for the bike and will probably even own one once I get past the need for speed. But as I pass them AND the motor home in a 15 year old V6 Isuzu towing 2 motos, my devilish streak gets the best of me and I give them the big thumbs up. They do not look pleased with my friendly gesture. No worries soon enough I will be miles ahead of them 



Yup still handsome as ever



Time for a nice lunch as I roll into the Eastern part of ZION but I settle for a small hotdog and water once I see that the Mr. G will be having Surf and Turf at $4.00 a gallon



As I roll up highway 89 towards Torrey, I am getting more and more views like this one out the car. This road is a gem and to be honest slightly below average of what I will be seeing in the coming days but I am in Utah . Say what you want about the “Utah Stigma” but it is without a doubt one of the most gloriously beautiful places on the planet. And I have seen a lot of this planet.



Sing it with me! “They call me the Breeze; I keep rolling down the road”. Whoohoo! Less then a hundred miles to go and the last 400 seemed to have just slipped on by! We are coming into familiar territory



It is comforting to me to truly know that there is still room for the “Big Deep Bend” out here.



Nothing like a big Bovine in the road to slow down traffic which I suspect is what UDOT is trying to do to save money on radar enforcement. Deer also seem to be in the pilot program but they work the overnight shift.



Only 10 miles to go and I am already feeling the world’s problems lifting off my shoulders. This ride up is easy even if it takes over 10 hours.



Yes! I am here. No more work to deal with, I know Calvin No Socks is here and odds are they have already started Happy Hour.





Life will be good once I get a beer and find the hammock. I am sure Bob is ready to go too.



WHAT!?! He is working!!? After who knows how many years of being my hero who decided to stick it to the man, move to paradise and just explore he now starts to mumble about needing money. Well if he wants to play that game…..


So can I!

At least Calvin is ready for a beer. We wait till 7 before heading to the Rim Rock for Dinner since Larry and Louise are coming in from Texas and should arrive about then. Larry calls me from Blanding to confirm and we meet. Life is good as I go to bed knowing that my friends are safe and we are about to have several grand adventures.

Morning in Torrey is always so peaceful. The dawn is cool but with some clouds in the area not too cold. I get a coffee at the Chuck wagon and Calvin and I decide to head out and see what is happening about town.




Just up the street we find these ladies enjoying a free farmer’ breakfast which I am sure is about as pleasing to the farmer as a plague of locust.



This young fellow has got to be happy with all the ladies swooning over him in the field.



Down the road we find some other ferocious animals to photograph. This is quickly turning into an exotic animal shoot. I better head back and get Reinforcements!



Calvin doesn’t really have heavy weapons but he has no fear.



Sometimes you have to call in the big guns!

As we have breakfast the fact that we may have a real monster out there in the wilds of Torrey. The natives speak of a creature that towers over all others and spits vile things at all who get too close. Of course we all believe this must be true since Torrey is magical.

So off we go on a quest for the Monster named Fletcher.


Our first sighting is rather timid and reveals little hard evidence of a monster.



Knowing that Larry deals with shady characters every day in San Antonio , he and Calvin interrogate a “person of interest” in the parking lot. It is obvious Calvin thinks this guy who calls himself “Marty” knows more then he lets on.



We move on to local barns….searching for the creature. In our search we get a tip that Fletcher is out beyond the Red River Lodge. We rush out only to find





A buffalo and his bodyguard.

Man o man we have to find this beast before it gets dark. We set off bending a few No Trespassing rules in the name of science. Jacqueline all of sudden starts to get all excited. Calvin being the calm one of the group tells her to calm down and point out what she sees. He then gets all giddy as we see about 500 meters away the following….



Fletcher!

We need to get closer but it takes forever to find the way into the valley.



There is no way I am going to be able to scale this cliff to get a better picture.



The daunting fast flowing Fremont River with its giant rapids also will be tough to cross.

We then find the secret route. Calvin gets out because well I can’t blame a man to be afraid of the unknown. We won’t even mention it amigo.



We get down and then we see him....but are we safe?



As I turn the corner. Fletcher moves in…..will he be friendly to me and the girls….or………….


The best way to deal with a savage creature is to appeal to its stomach. I mean it always works on me. Let it be known that Fletcher likes Carrots, Celery but is no fan of broccoli.


It also amazes me that Jacqueline never has issues dealing with big dumb animals.


At the end of the day we have a new pal.

The Remodel

So rather then spending the past few weekends out and about, I have managed to work on my house and remodel the upstairs. This started out as a basic get rid of the carpet project that a few friends wanted to help me out with. In reality I ended up hiring pros and the job turned into a full on project that included painting, carpentry, and even a little side investment in a new water heater. I just wish I had a finish carpenter around.


First out with the carpet


Liam did not like this project one bit since the amount of noise really had him spending quality time under the bed.


I did manage to paint a few walls before the floor guys got there to lay the new floor


While they layed the floor I took a little trip to Mexico for work


I saw this cool wall and palm tree as I discovered that Mexicali has a Starbucks


I then spent this weekend puttling together a set of shelves and had a new sofa delivered.


All in all I am happy with the way it turned out. Still have to work the office part as well as the TV set up but that will have to wait

This week it is off to Utah...so check back cause more pictures will be on the way!

Flying with Shakespeare.

The first day of really being in my 40’s sets in the way it should, with a hangover. I have eased into this stage of life by looking at being 40 as the start of a trip towards being an adult. Now with 41, I will start to contemplate the need to consider growing up. Nothing too drastic this morning, just acknowledging that I need to ponder it sometime later. With coffee comes the yearning to get out and about since Saturdays are made for this. First thought is I need to go to the folks and also take my other BMW motorcycle staying there for a spin. I need to make sure it still runs.

The RT fires right up and I take the boxer out for a spin around the neighborhood. My Mom is in love with it and loves to show her friends that she has a BMW Moto in the garage. To be safe I document the mileage. Not that I don’t trust my Mom to leave it in the garage or anything.


I make my way back over and we decide that we will have breakfast at the Good Egg. After this I am off to meet Chris O at the Radio Control Airplane expo. I don’t know the first thing about them but it sounds interesting. Nick Purzer has also expressed interest so I tell him to meet me there.


After all this fun, I see that I still have some time to kill before heading over to the stadium. What do I do? "Tennis Balls My Liege" which means I decide to go to the Tempe Market Place to see how the Shakespeare Marathon is doing. I have read that the Southwest Shakespeare Company is doing the complete works of Shakespeare without interruption this weekend. To me that sounds crazy enough for me to check out. Their goal is the Guinness Book of World Records.


I am in the right place.

After parking I get there just as they are in between plays. Next up is Henry IV Part One but I have a few minutes to wander the outdoor mall. Turning the corner I see two little guys playing in the fountain as their parents watch them. This again proves that anyone can have fun almost anywhere!




Man O Man this scene tells me that I need to put off this growing up gig for at least a few more days. Being a big kid is too much fun still.


This is actually pretty amazing when you think of all the works of Shakespeare…and they aren’t skipping the Sonnets!



As Henry the IV starts you see Henry on the right and Falstaff on the left foreshadowing the bad things to come in Henry the V. At first I am disappointed since they are really more reading the play then acting. Soon though I determine that this is a lot like what a radio play would be like back in the 30’s. So I sit and listen rather then focus on the visual. The play opens up to me then and the players do an amazing job inflecting the prose. Bravo.


Reading aloud is not easy when at 10am the temp is already around 90. Thank goodness there is a PowerAide event here today too!


It is amazing how fast birds near public places forget to fear humans. This little guy is working the tables like a pro.


Think he found some bubble gum.

From here I leave the mall (but manage to get some sneakers) and take off towards the West Side of Phoenix to meet Nick and Chris.


This event is inside the UofPhoenix Stadium which looks like a big space ship to me. The cool thing is the grass is on a big tray and slides out to the left here to get sunlight. Pretty darn worthy.


Wandering down into the stadium I come upon the world of electric flight. The planes are way cool. Chris is there and he is really into this hobby. Nick joins us and before you know it we are talking about Milliwatts, KV ratios, and all sorts of things I haven’t a clue about.


The Brain Trust talking amperages to Propeller size like something out of the Lockheed Skunkworks. Me, I am looking for war bird planes that shoot paintballs.


Getting Closer to my level of sophistication!


They are actually racing the planes around the stadium which is fun to see. The thrill of victory


The Agony of Defeat

Most of the people you see here can’t be put into a bucket. There are some engineering types. Kids, adults, I find the Sun Lakes Model Airplane Club, and the US Air force recruiting. I start to see where the next generation of UAV pilots will come from.


In my mind this guy is some old crop duster who flew Huey’s in Nam. He had such a cool look.

As I wander the hall I see a number of sparrows flying around. I then hear a slight screech. Up ahead is the AZ Game and Fish Department with the oldest “controlled remote Flyer's in the world”.


There is nothing cooler then a bird of prey.


So Majestic yet they creep me out with the way they turn their head.


I know he is eying the kids dropping those French fries by the snack bar.

I need to get back to the house to do some things and I tell Nick and Chris goodbye. We do come upon these cool robots though which I think are the highlight of the show.

You can see in the montage the range of motion. This little guy would be fun to have just to chase the cats around with.

A nice way to spend the day.