MIDDLEGATE NEVADA 2004
What a great time we all had. Thanks so much Tim, for your guide services. This place offers unbelievable scenery!! It becomes impossible to worry about your problems when you are out here. The weather was perfect - cold & no dust. It had rained and snowed during the days before we got there making the ground ideal.
Dick Scott & I left Thurs. - Veteran's day 11/11 - following Kim Proctor & Derek Belvior, Dick & I in his motor home and Kim & Derek in Kim's truck. We left some what early as the predicted weather was snow over the pass. We had a fine clear & crisp ride over the pass to Reno and out past Falon AFB on Hwy. 50 to Middlegate.
The next morning up bright & early for breakfast to be ready for our unbelievably early 9am start. Breakfast was huge, delicious, and dirt cheap. Doug brought my bike in his truck - Thanks Doug.
Our first day of riding was under the clouds but still beautiful. Middlegate, and most of Nevada for that matter, is one of those places where you can remember what riding is all about. The only thing you have to worry about is running out of gas. No don't ride here/this area closed/can't go out of bounds hassles, just clean air and open spaces. The first day was spent mostly on dirt roads as we had some healing injuries on board (Kim - recent operation on his hand, Derek - delicate shoulder from a crash). Sorry, no pictures from the first day. The camera was not available. Lunch, lets see I don't think I remember lunch - a bowl of soup at about 4 o'clock? Dinner, now that I remember. A great huge steak with home made mac & cheese. Home made pie! Dirt cheap. Dick & I were in the motor home. The rest of the guys stayed in the motel rooms - single wide trailers with wood facade fronts. Dirt cheap and very comfortable.
Day 2 - Now we have some pictures and much less of my prattle. Breakfast was again huge, home made, and dirt cheap.
Having fun on the way out |
Bad boys of Middlegate |
Hard split hill climb |
Colonel Corchran in a sand wash |
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Colonel Cochran looking for second place rider - always up for a race. |
Reunion after Hard Easy split |
Gee, I think it snowed! |
Cardinal Kim and the college of Bishops |
Special Test hill climb - Note rider at end of red line |
The pause that refreshes |
Having fun in the open desert |
Eric - view |
Doug |
Kim |
Eric needs gas! |
Riding into the sunset |
While we were stopped at the special test hill climb a jet from Falon broke the sound barrier over head. VERY LOUD - it shook the ground. Those of us that grew up in the fifties & sixties were well aware of what it was. Some of our other younger brethren were not so sure - "thought I was being shot at by a sheep hunter". After the world discovered how loud breaking the sound barrier was - broken windows, weekend foundations, upset populous, they made rules. All jets traveling over the speed of sound must be very height (20,000+feet) over populated areas. Here this guy was probably 8 to 9 thousand over us. BOOMMMMMM!
Four people tried the special test hill climb. Only one success - Colonel Cochran - WELL DONE!
After this we went around the ridge below. In process a wild mustang decided to run with us in parallel just for the fun of it. Also, later a whole herd of antelope crossed in front of us - BEAUTIFUL.
Next, it was up into the mountains. This is where we hit mud & snow. Very slippery. My bike was going all over the place. But we did get to get into the pinion pines.
The rest of the day was spent all over the place. No lunch today. When we got to town they were ALL at a funeral.
Some of us split off here and went back. The rest went more cross country and down thru a rocky sand wash - very cool.
Eric ran out of gas in his KTM - GSM (gas sucking monster) and was taking gas from every one with a big tank. Eventually we figured out that he was trying to fill his tank by draining ours. That ended that process.
We came back to a beautiful sunset and rode back to Middlegate.
Dinner was pork roast with home made fixings. They baked several fresh apple pies for us and we all had a piece (consisting of a quarter of a full sized pie). Dirt cheap.
Are you beginning to get a picture here. Middlegate is DIRT CHEAP and VERY VERY GOOD! You can spend the two days in a motel room, eat your total fill, run a tab at the bar and ride great places for about $80. DIRT CHEAP!
Don't miss an opportunity to go here!
Participants:
Kim Proctor - guide, Joe Cochran - second in command, Dick Scott, Derek Belvior, Eric Boudier, Two of Joe's friends ( I can't remember their names sorry), Doug Haussler - photographer, Terry Hobart - writer, and two other club members whom I am sorry to say I don't know their names either.