2. The Seed Is Planted

August, 1973 found us headed for the Colorado Rocky Mountains; not on motorcycles -- that would come years later -- but in a 1962 Willys Jeep station wagon pulling a home made trailer with 55 gallons of gasoline in tow. This was the time of the great gas shortage (?) and we were goin' to the mountains! Gasoline was hard to find so we planned to buy it where we could find it and use the gasoline in the barrel as a reserve insurance policy. This is how Miss Judy and I work and play. When we decide to do something, we do it. Our mission in life is to store up enough memories to see us through the grey times. Hey! Life's too short to dance with ugly girls!

We were living in Western Kansas then. We were only four hours away from the cool high reaches of the Colorado mountains. We had both worked hard for a long time and were ready to get away from it all.

The second day out we reached Taylor Reservoir late in the afternoon. We camped in those days and we were looking for a suitable site when we spotted a place on the side of the mountain that we liked. Since another camper saw it at the same time, Miss Judy leaped out of the Jeep and did a sub ten second 100 yard dash to secure the place for us. We set up camp, fixed a good supper over an open fire and met our neighbors who would become good friends.

They had wondered how our little Jeep could walk away from their big Ford pickup on the steep grades. Their amazement was explained when they realized that under the hood of the little Jeep was a l967 Chevrolet 327 engine with hot rod heads, 4 barrel carb, dual glass packs and all that stuff. Linked to a very low geared rear end, it was deadly in the boulevard stoplight wars; even eating up a Pontiac GTO Tri-Power one night down in Texas.

While it had plenty of power to pull the steep mountain grades it unfortunately had gas mileage that was correspondingly low. Of course, we didn't brag about that fact!

Our new friends, Bill and Sue, were from Arlington, Texas. Naturally the universal Texan-to-Texan law was invoked and we spent the next few days agreeing that Texas was indeed a fine place and traveling together. They had pulled a trailer to the mountains also. Their cargo was not gasoline but a new l973 Yamaha RD 350 motorcycle. This was how our interest in motorcycling first began.

Bill and Sue planned to ride across Cottonwood Pass the next morning on the 350 and asked if we would accompany them in case they had problems. Cottonwood Pass was 36 miles of gravel road -- a challenge even on four wheels, let alone two. But this guy was a fast rider. We'd occasionally catch a glimpse of a yellow rain suit or the flash of a white helmet through the trees as they ascended the mountain. It was exhilarating to watch them fly through the tight gravel turns. We trailed them over the pass, stopped for coffee in Buena Vista at the bottom of mountain, then parted company and promised to write. As we drove away we did not realize a seed had been planted..

FOUR YEARS LATER, WINTER, 1977:

During a Christmas visit with Judy’s mom, the subject of the mountains came up -- the seed began to sprout. Upon returning to our home which by now had been relocated to Topeka in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas (and a long way from the mountains), we made a decision that come next summer we were gonna cross Cottonwood Pass again -- only this time we'd be on two wheels. Little did we know that the adventures were just beginning. The misadventures that follow should be entertaining not only to motorcyclists, but to innocent men and women as well. Hang on tight, folks! It’s a fast ride.