Colorado Riders Thread

[Valkorado]

   EXCELLENT idea,  Damon!  A well deserved tribute and legacy.  Looking forward to it...

[Valk-Obsessed]

What are the dates for the Darby ride again?

[Misfit]

August 31- September 2  

[MarkT]

I posted this on the Gen board as well - just in case here's a repost.

The very best Colorado riding is in range of Montrose.  The Colorado Valkyrie club the High Country Cruisers (now gone)  based our big summer ride-in every year there for years.  Also a couple VOA ride-ins were there - one hosted by Joe Cocker (at his town Crawford nearby, N of the fabulous Black Canyon of the Gunnison road Hwy 92).  Riding Grand Mesa, the Colorado Monument, riding the Dolores River, and the roads to Telluride, Cortez, Durango, Silverton and back. The Discover Car Museum in Gateway is FABULOUS and worth the trip alone.  Then follow that with the Dolores river ride!  I know all those rides and would be glad to lead a couple.  Also I will bring my cargo trailer and Patron / Grand Marnier Markarita fixins for evening relaxations.  Not to mention the tunes via Pandora and my huge 9350 mostly oldies eclectic mp3 collection played on Jade on a charger!  Hafta bring some of my homemade salsa and chips with the hootch...

OK my reserves are in, Christy at Rodeway knew nothing about the discount apparently the mgr didn't tell her yet. She should know tomorrow after he comes in.

Jen remembers us - we stayed there on the ride we lost Darby - she remembers him asking for a coffeepot for his room.  Also remembers our Markarita party and the tunes and is all set to set us up well for the same - kicked back relaxing with good friends tall tales Patron and tunes!  Hope Bruce can fit this into his rides.

[DarkSideR]

Rider down!

Brewer went down on Monarch pass, and is currently in Hospital in Grand Junction. He fractured collar bone, scapula and 5 ribs...

Thoughts and prayers for David.

[Valkorado]

Rider down!

Brewer went down on Monarch pass, and is currently in Hospital in Grand Junction. He fractured collar bone, scapula and 5 ribs...

Thoughts and prayers for David.

Dang!  Sorry to hear about this,  another really good dude down.  Prayers out for Dave's complete recovery.   Any details on the accident?  Thanks for letting us know Josh,  please keep us posted on his condition  and if there's a way we can send cards.

[MarkT]

Brewer is in St Mary's in Grand Junction.  Rm 324.  Name David Gilbreth.  Addy of Hosp 2635 N 7th St
Grand Junction, CO 81501.  Hosp Phone number (970) 298-2273

BTW the reviews of the hospital are bad.  See https://www.yelp.com/biz/st-marys-medical-center-grand-junction?adjust_creative=duckduckgo&utm_campaign=yelp_feed&utm_medium=feed_v2&utm_source=duckduckgo&hrid=HHBboW7cp4GsMUdcVdsHwg

Dave says he's beat up.  He is texting on his phone.  Don't want to post that info here.  PM me and I'll give you his cell #.

Mark

[MarkT]

bump

[DarkSideR]

Update on Dave.

Yesterday (July 30th) Dave had surgery to repair his collar bone. Surgery went well and he is recovering today. Plan is to be able to go home Aug. 1st if no complications. Meaning, he takes his post surgery dump .

Today (July 31st) I picked up his bike from the wrecker in Gunnison. Once I got it to my house I sprayed it off (super dirty), put the battery on a charger, and pulled all the spark plugs (which smelt like gas). Damage is only on the left side (except for the bent key in the ignition). Bent this, scraped that, etc.. she'll need some work but I don't think it'll be totaled. After the battery charges up I will try to turn her over with the plugs out. If all goes well I will see if she'll run.

[Disco]

Thanks for the update, Josh.   

Good on you for retrieving his bike.   

[MarkT]

Good on ya Josh.  Hope Brewer can recover enough for the Darby ride.  A goal to look fwd to.

[DarkSideR]

Dave's bike lives!

No gas squirted out of the cylinders, so I put the spark plugs in and she fired right up!

She'll need;
- Headlight mount
- Headlight (I got Dave covered here)
- Left upper and lower windshield brackets
- Tourer windshield trim
- Windshield
- Handlebar
- Left engine crash bar
- Clutch reservoir
- Left mirror
- Left Saddlebag lid painted
- Front fender painted, and tweaked (a bit out of whack)

I'm going to print off all the OEM parts list off the microfiche to get the Insurance Adjuster started.

[Tailgate Tommy]

You're a guy man Josh!

[DarkSideR]

You're a guy man Josh!

Umm, how am I suppose to take that? Yes, yes I am a guy  .

Replace "guy" with "good", awe makes sense.

[Tailgate Tommy]

yes, good

[MarkT]

What are the dates for the Darby ride again?

Fri-Mon Aug 30-Sep 2

[Brewer]

Hello all, Thank you for the well wishes ad support. Many thanks to Josh got the bike recovery.

Released from hospital Friday Aug 2.
Fractured at least 5 ribs, scapula, clavicle, some organ damage. Surgery to correct scapula & clavicle  then re-inflate a post surgery collapsed lung. 7 day stay in the hospital.
Very good level of care.

Heavy rain, recent road construction. New asphalt with tar sealant. Entered a left hand corner aprox 35 mph. Front tire lost traction, I righted the bike to recover but ran out of road. Left the road on the 'mountain' side with a hard stop in the ditch.

Several good Samaritans stopped, many ems pros and off duty. On duty pros made it from Gunnison in about 30 minutes.
Stop for images in Gunnison, the local medical staff indicated they would prefer the trauma center in in Grand Junction.
Short air transport to St Mary's with alternate landing at municipal airfield due to weather.

I have a firm lifting restriction on my left arm for another 5 weeks and likely limited activity for a period after that.
Multiple follow up sessions with medical pros and physical therapy.

All of my recovery team stressed my scenario would have been much more challenging without the gear. I had no road rash and the trauma was at least in part reduced by a padded riding jacket.

Here is my plug for wearing the gear.

Cheers
Brewer

[Valkorado]

Glad you're home Brewer!   

[Disco]

Thanks for the update, Brewer!  Now, it's all about steady progress with NO setbacks.

[MarkT]

Hey David.  Good news sorta.  Maybe see if you're up to hoppin in a cage to schmooze with us for at least part of the Darby chillin.  I know, uncomfy sleepin with the ribs and all.

[Valkorado]

With much regret we are backing out of the Darby Ride this year.   This cursed accident has really set me back physically and emotionally.  We would like to donate to the Children's Hospital n Darby's name,  Tommy please let me know how.   Really going to miss this great ride and seeing everyone,  hopefully next season Ruby will ride again...

Will cancel Montrose rooms today.   

[Brewer]

Seth,

What happened?

[Valkorado]

Rear ended Dave.   Sure was lucky,  but my head neck and shoulders aren't happy about it.

No broken bones thankfully but whiplashed hard and having some issues.  Looks like P.T. is on the horizon.   Hope you are healing up bud!

[Brewer]

bummer about getting hit.
All the best for a recovery. So far I am doing well but it is slow. Many years past 20 when I bounced back better

[jdp]

I live on the east coast but love to ride from Denver on out west, trying to ride the million dollar hyway around silverton and ouray, what’s to best time of year to hit this ? I know the snow hits this area pretty much

[Valkorado]

I live on the east coast but love to ride from Denver on out west, trying to ride the million dollar hyway around silverton and ouray, what’s to best time of year to hit this ? I know the snow hits this area pretty much

If you want to catch the fall colors and crisp mountain air about two weeks from now should be prime.   Prep for below freezing mornings, (usually) sunny mild days and lots of traffic!

[Misfit]

Labor Day weekend every year, for the Darby Ride For Kids. Come join us next year. 

[J.Mencalice]

Summer's comin'.  Daylight savings time, March 8th.

https://www.outtherecolorado.com/colorado-ice-cream-road-trip/

Yum.

[Valkorado]

Summer's comin'.  Daylight savings time, March 8th.

https://www.outtherecolorado.com/colorado-ice-cream-road-trip/

Yum.

I'll be happy with springtime and seeing the glaciers recede.  Good idea on the I scream but we also need PIE!

[EZRiderF6C]

MarkT,

I didn't know you were a member.  I would have gone out there with you.  I moved out of Colorado in 2018.  BLGC is a beautiful club/property.  I was a member for a while but they couldn't handle my needs so I joined NRA Whittington in Raton, NM. There is no club in Colorado that can handle 50BMG and NRA Whttington was only 3 hours from Denver and had campgrounds and could handle _everything_.  55,000 acres and every kind of hunting, museum, etc.  $50 annual family membership at the time.  Excellent Cabins to rent and RV hookups, etc.

I fondly remember coming out to visit you at your place.  You are very gracious.  Do you still fix factory pipes and make them sound good?  I have a set of factory pipes in good condition and I would like to have them fixed.  Can you message me privately?

Thanks,
David

Yesterday some of us were talking about guns and I mentioned I'm in the Ben Lomond Gun Club which is 33 mi E of Franktown off of Hwy 86, 5 miles S on cnty 105.  There's a Plasmacam cut-out metal sign clearly marking the turn.  There are over a dozen ranges out there on the 560 acre shooting facility, covering .22, pistol, high powered rifle, shotgun, and archery.  Presently the hi-power range is out to 600 yds but this season they are adding a 1,000yd range.  They have a lot of organized competitions and fun shoots.  They are setting up sanctioned long range rifle competition matches.  Already have steel challenge matches.  I built two thousand-yd rifles I haven't shot there yet, and just picked up a Weatherby 300 win mag with Leupold VX3 3.5-10X50 scope, factory guaranteed 1.5 MOA on which I fully floated the barrel and installed a Timney trigger - I'm expecting < 1 MOA.  FYI that was Chris Kyle's preferred sniper round up to 1,000 yd when he would switch to an AI .338 Lapua magnum.  Love to have that one but it's really spendy around $10k and so are the cartridges.

I don't get any benefit if you join - no discounts etc for me.  However you can be my guest and shoot with me if you want to check it out.

Anywho, BLGC has a large membership, chapters in Calhan, Colorado Springs, Elizabeth, Franktown, Littleton, and Tri-Lakes; with monthly meetings - I usually don't bother - attendance not required.  Members can shoot at the range anytime, sunrise-sunset, and shoot anything up to and including 50BMG. Membership in the NRA is required - they want members to support 2A and the NRA is the biggest protector of those rights. BLGC membership is inexpensive - annual family dues is now $120 and is pro-rated if you join after January.  Very reasonable.

To join, it might be easiest to drop in on one of the chapter meetings.  Franktown's is this coming Tues at 7pm at the fire station just S of the 83-86 intersection. You can even join the NRA at that meeting if you aren't already a member.  Or just do it online.  The other chapters meetings are given at https://www.blgc.org/main-2/chapters/

The club's web site is https://www.blgc.org/  The range looks like this:




From the blgc.org website, the history page at https://www.blgc.org/club-history/

In 1947 a group of men in Palmer Lake, Colorado formed the Palmer Lake Shooters, an informal group of fellows who were bonded together by that mutual respect for firearms. In the years that followed many of the members, busy with their lives and families, either lost interest, moved away or otherwise dropped out and eventually the club became a distant albeit fond memory in the minds of those who were still alive to remember it.
In 1982 there still burned an ember in the hearts of two former members who still remembered what it was like to socialize around guns and shooting. Two men, Lowell Stanley and Duane Hanson met in April of that year in a store owned by Herb Bache in Palmer Lake and agreed to resurrect the club and try to recover those lost values. At first, they met weekly, in the evenings, around a pot of coffee at the then new Village Inn in Monument, Colorado. After many long evenings pounding out bylaws, structure and incorporation paperwork, their labors bore fruit and the Palmer Lake Shooters, now renamed the Ben Lomond Gun Club was born again.

At that time, the Palmer Lake town fathers embraced the club and not only granted an annual lease on property for a shooting range but allowed the club to hold its monthly meetings in the Town Hall. In the years that followed they built a very nice range and grew to several hundred members, mostly from the Colorado Springs area.

By 1990, even the small town of Palmer Lake was affected by the antigun agenda and not only was the now politically incorrect Ben Lomond Gun Club not welcome at the town hall, the town council refused to renew the lease on the shooting range for 1991. The evil gun lovers were being banished from the community and driven into the hills where they were no longer a threat to women, small children and neighborhood dogs. At long last, peace was restored to Palmer Lake.

Realizing that the only permanent solution to the location for their shooting range was to ultimately own the land upon which it resides, the club leaders set about the task of finding a suitable location for a new range. Hopefully there would be enough money in the club coffers to purchase a site where property values had not yet been impacted by the population explosion and skyrocketing costs of land in the Colorado Front Range. In June of 1991, after many months of searching and heated debates among the members, the club finally purchased a 560 acre cattle ranch 4 miles North of Ramah, Colorado. That’s about half way between US24 and Colorado Highway 86 on Elbert County Road 105. Although the treasury was several thousand dollars short of paying for the land, the club sold bonds and a limited number of life memberships to its members to raise capital. The final amount needed was obtained from the late Lt.Col. William B. (Bill) Watson, USMC ret., who gave the club a private mortgage. At last, the Ben Lomond Gun Club had a home for its range at the Ben Lomond Ranch.

The turmoil surrounding the loss of the Palmer Lake range, the subsequent search and selection of the new facility and the relocation of the monthly meeting place to various locations in an around Colorado Springs extracted a heavy toll on membership. With about a third of its members left, land rich and cash poor, the club set about the task of building and paying for its new facility and rebuilding its member base. With much hard work and long hours, the members managed to plant hundreds of trees, build miles of terraces, three dams, over three miles of roads, multiple pistol berms, high power rifle ranges and a three story sporting clays tower. They restored one ranch house to a clubhouse and restored a second ranch house to caretaker’s quarters. By November of 1996 they doubled their membership, paid off all mortgages and bonds, and owned the property outright with no debts and nearly $25,000 in the bank.

Never intending the facility to be an unsupervised plinking area, the leaders of Ben Lomond soon realized that the overhead for the facility and eventual staff could not be met with a few hundred members. It would require several hundred or even a few thousand members to generate enough use and revenue to fully staff and run the Ranch. Moreover, the club did not want to restrict its membership to the Colorado Springs area choosing instead to accept members from anywhere in Colorado. This decision greatly affected the structure of the club because eventually the demographics of the club would mimic the demographics of the area from which it draws and the base of the club would shift from Colorado Springs to the South Denver area in much the same way as it had shifted earlier from Palmer Lake to Colorado Springs. Obviously, the Colorado Springs members were justifiably not to excited about losing their club to Denver.

This reality, coupled with the logistics of finding a place for regular meetings of several hundred members and the long distances some would have to travel to attend meetings resulted in the restructuring of the club into individual chapters, effective January 1, 1998. Now members could meet with their neighbors within a few minutes of their homes in groups of a few dozen people, which could more easily be accommodated. The added bonus, however, was that these chapters could field shooting teams in competition with each other and they might be able to return to those times when folks used firearms for fun and social interaction.

Today, the Ben Lomond Gun Club is a family of over a thousand Members who attend regularly monthly meetings at Chapters in Calhan, Colorado Springs, Elizabeth, Franktown, Littleton, and Monument.

So, if you are looking for a place to shoot, visit the Ben Lomond Ranch as our guest. If you are looking for some friends with whom to socialize and participate in your favorite shooting sport visit your nearest Chapter and join Ben Lomond Gun Club. If you are looking for a reason to get involved, how about helping to restore those lost values by doing what you can to insure that when the Torch of Freedom is passed to the next generation it is burning as bright as it was when it was handed to us.