Cache Gathering 2024 (the last one?)

This will be the last Cache Gathering.

It's very sad to see this day come, but it was inevitable. Most of the 'regular' attendees seem to be giving up riding. Old age or health problems seem to get us all down at least some of the time.

Anyway, this year the Grand Pooh Bah is Len (again...I think this is his third year running the show).

Spearfish or bust this year the gathering is being held at the KOA in Spearfish.

I leave early on a Sunday morning and take i-80 East to expedite getting out of town. This is echo reservoir last year and last several years it was just a mud bog and now it's full to the top! 

I make my Way North to Grand Teton national Park where I got the National Park stamp then continued North to Dubois Wyoming where I stay for the night.

And the next day was a windy 400 miles to the KOA in Spearfish where I find the other attendees had already arrived.

Most KOAs are reasonably nice, you know what you're going to get when you stay at a KOA.

 But the Spearfish KOA stands out in a positive way, it was so clean and the staff was very friendly, which made it an extra nice place to stay. Another thing is they had an all you can eat for $5 ice cream social hour that was awesome I went twice.

We took some nice rides I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, 

Don says he is always being asked 'if he's been to Sturgis'.... I think that is one of the most common questions that motorcyclists get asked. Anyway he wants to take a short ride over to the town of Sturgis so he can answer....."Yes".

and here we go;

Don at the Sturgis museum

And one of the whole group after dinner.

Far right is Chad he trucked his Suzuki 400 from Minnesota and did a couple of days on the backcountry bdr trail. Don, far left, rode from Spokane. Len and his wife Karen came from Las Vegas.

The Cache rally originated from a "motorcycle cache" that was started on the East Coast and brought out West and ended up going all over North south and Central America being carried by several different riders. 

The object was, each rider hands the cache to another rider  and off it goes on another trip. You hand the cache from rider to rider The purpose other than just an excuse to get out and ride was meet new people and ride with them.  

Sadly some riders tended to drop the ball and didn't take it very seriously. Several let the cache sit extended periods of time or even lost the cache. Not everybody enjoyed the cache game, but there are others like myself who really enjoyed the interaction with other riders and carrying the cache around and keep it moving. It has been lost a couple of times and restarted  but now it seems many riders have lost interest so we're going to let the cache rally and the Cache die an honorable death.

A week of good times at this year's gathering and then this gathering came to an end. We all bid our goodbyes and go off in different directions.

Two nights later I end up in Lewistown, Montana. Tomorrow I'll go thru Yellowstone, get that stamp and then head for the barn.

I passed this place on the way to Roosevelt NP. I've heard of pet cemeteries but buffalo cemeteries??

(LOL)

Lewistown, Montana 

So this is likely the last blog post about the Cache Gathering.

It was fun mostly because of seeing friends every year, and hopefully we can continue to do that.

St George, Utah is up next for a family outing then Arizona to get some more park stamps

Ride safe, thanks for visiting!

¡la vida es buena!

Seeing is believing!!

 After two surgerys,  a couple of months of vision therapy, and six months of convalessing my battle with my vision seems to be over (at least I HOPE it is over), I'm finally able to ride again. I'll skip the boring details of what was wrong, suffice it to say I had a 'prism' that apparently was made worse by the unplanned dismount that occured in Alaska in 2015. So again...."finally"....I was able to  go on a longish trip on the bike.  (Sadly I didn't get out the camera as much as I usually do....there is definitely a shortage of pix in this post.)

We went to our son's place in Seaside, Oregon and had a SUPER visit with them. I (rode the Tenere)  stayed 3 days then had to get home for a follow up visit with the Doc. Beverly (drove the WRX) stayed several more days and continued to visit.

We made our first stop in Baker City, Oregon.  Sleep is elusive so at around midnight I hop in the car and take some pics of a few of the cool sculptures around Baker;

Mr. Scorpion should get a ticket for parking in a 'no parking' zone. Or...maybe he'll get a pass as he might a part of a ....sting ... to catch some bad guys.

Leaving Baker City, Beverly takes the fastest route to Seaside (freeway) while 

I pick a more scenic route that ends up leading me into some weather - rain and fog. When the fog grew heavy enough to make me nervous, I stopped at the first hotel I could find and hunkered down for the evening. I was actually less than 200 miles from Seaside - but fog...well you could say fog puts a hazy wet chill on my riding enjoyment.

Our view in Seaside

Chilling on the beach

Our visit in Seaside is LOADS of fun! 

We eat......to much, 

We sleep....... not enough,

and We smile and laugh.....until our faces muscles are tired!

Hanging out with family is soooooo much fun!

And then it is time for me to go home. Bev will stay for another few days. For my return trip, I want to relax and don't want to have to hurry so I plan on taking three days to make the (depending on your route, of course) 850/900 mile trip.

That first day I ride to Mitchell Oregon, which should have been a reletively short day of 275 miles but I take the bikers shortcut and I'm able to do that ride in only 323 fantastically curvy miles!!  

I stay the night at their hotel, a converted 90 year old house, which provided a welcome quiet night of good sleep. And the nearby eatery ("Tiger" something is all I can remember) provided some also very welcome bienvenida a la interacción personal because as it turned out I happened to sit next to a Mother and her adult son who, by an amazing coincidence both had the same names as my mother and I; "Ken" and "Mom".  I really enjoyed the excellent conversation and a pretty good burger as well!

Then its 5am the next morning and I can't get back to sleep, so I'm on the road a little after 6am, riding on a gusty-windy, intermintently rainy day through John Day - Boise - Twin Falls,  Wells, Nevada, and Wendover, making several stops for short naps and caffeine.... and then  finally home at 10:20pm....the return miles which (according to google maps) ends up being 678 miles...it is a good thing I decided to relax and take my time! LOL

During a gas stop at Wells I meet one of those families that just make you feel better about the future. Dave, his beautiful wife, and a van full of clean, well behaved children (I should add 'adventureous' children!) are off on a vacation to the Redwoods - Safe travels my friend! Darn it all, I didn't get a picture of the family!

Dave rides a Royal Enfield Himilayen and had I been less rattled by the miles, rain, and wind, I would have invited him to the Cache Gathering in South Dakota next week. SD Spearfish KOA June 17 - 21     https://www.facebook.com/groups/548877241830226  But I'm doubtful he'll be home from vacation by then.

Bight rainbow over Wells.

This trip ended up being a few miles short of 1900 miles. I've had some other short trips since my eye problems, but struggled at various times while riding.  However, this trip finally gave me some absolutely solid, no doubts at all confidence that my vision problems might possibly be behind me, maybe...at least I hope so!

Life is sometimes foggy and hazy but mostly life is GOODer than heck!

Kayaks

Giving the bikes a rest my brother and I go south to St George to do some kayaking.

We end up going to Sand Hollow and had a good time paddling on the lake, going around the island was especially fun.

We also visit artsy Kayenta, Ut and walk the Labrynith there

Lots of fun art to see..

.......and we did some shopping for personel protective equipment...

I was strong and didn't buy the helmet.

I was even able to practice kayaking in our room...

A 4 day trip....lots of laughter and fun....didn't fall in the water even once!

Life is awesome!!

 

Do you know the way to Santa Fe...

Eldest son Will, had a business conference to attend in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He invited me to ride to that conference with him and I accepted of course then Beverly invited herself to go along with us. ....Which also of course is just fine with me.

Our first night was in Moab UT

Then some back roads to Pagosa Springs.

 On our way we stop at newspaper rock south of Moab, and read the daily edition, haha.

At Pagosa springs we get a unit right on the edge of the lake and enjoy the wonderful scenery that night.

Will chooses cereal for dinner, and made such quick work of that bowl he must be a cereal killer...

Off our deck at dusk

And.... then we're on our way to  Santa Fe.

 That night after getting settled in we went out to eat at the famous plaza.

The next day walking to the plaza Beverly and I go to the St Francis of Assisi cathedral

And we spend a couple of very enjoyable hours wandering and window shopping around the plaza. 

The 'Plaza' is a nice place, but expensive! I was planning on picking up a painting while there, but we neglected to sell our house before we left so we could afford one..... ;)

A relaxing two days later the conference concludes and it's time to turn our noses homeward

We start on our return trip leaving Santa Fe mid morning for the short but colorful ride to Pagosa springs.

157 miles 

Will spies this cool bridge and thinks we should get a picture by it..... good call!

We are lakeside again at Pagosa Springs.

Early morning at Pagosa.

The beautiful scenery inspires Beverly to do some painting.

Then with about 1250 miles under our belts and we arrived home!

I'm very happy Will decided to ride instead of fly... another good call! I had a great time on this trip, I hope Beverly and Will enjoyed it as much as I did!!!

Thanks for stopping in and reading!!

See you next time.

Chama, NM

The Plaza

In the room at Pagosa

Somewhere along the way

Ditto