The Three-Flags Classic

[Phil Tarman]

I'm leaving in about an hour to head for Tucson for the start of the Southern California Motorcycling Association's Three-Flags Classic. It's 952 miles, mostly interstate, down there. Thursday morning, we'll do the "Ride to the Fence." We'll go to Nogales and touch the fence that is the border, then have breakfast and ride back to Tucson.

There's a pre-ride banquet on Thursday night and we leave on Friday morning for the Torrey, UT, checkpoint. Saturday will get us to Twin Falls, ID; Sunday to Walla Walla, WA; and Monday to Harrison Hot Springs, BC. There's a post-ride banquet Tuesday night at Harrison Hot Springs, and then I'll head for home.

I'll be posting updates and pictures if I've got time along the way, otherwise those things will happen on Tuesday when I'm not soaking in the hot springs.

 

[scoop]

As always, be careful and enjoy the ride!!!

 

[Mellow]

Have fun Phil, this should be a pretty easy one for you. No camping.. LOL

 

[Phil Tarman]

Checking in at the end of Day 1:

I'm in Socorro, New Mexico. I left home at 11:30 and am 582 miles down the road. I got on I-25 11 miles from my house and haven't been off it except to get gas for the last 571 miles. Strange.

It was cool when I left Greeley and when I stopped for gas at Colorado City, I closed some of my vents. Then just before I got to Las Vegas (NM, not NV), I was in hard rain. The streets in Las Vegas were flooded and I sprayed water everywhere as I rode to the gas station. About 20-25 miles west of Las Vegas, as I was getting near the top of Glorietta Pass, I rode into more rain. It was pouring buckets, but until I got to the construction zone, I didn't have any trouble with it. But there was a one-lane section with barriers that lasted about a mile and the water was several inches deep in a few places. About 20 miles or so south of Santa Fe, the rain finally quit, but the roads were wet almost to Albuquerque. Right after I got to Socorro, it started raining again, but it's quit now.

In the morning I've got another 108 miles on I-25 before I turn onto NM-26 at Hatch and cut across to Deming, on I-10. About 370 miles to the hotel in Tucson.

It's supposed to get up to 97F tomorrow in Tucson, so I'll wear my LD Comfort garb.

Thursday morning, we "Ride to the Fence." Someone's made arrangement with the Border Patrol to let us park right next to the Fence that's the border. We'll leave Tucson at 7:30 and it's about 70 miles to the border. Then we'll eat breakfast somewhere in Nogales and go back to Tucson.

Here are some pictures from today: 1) a formation that probably has a name, but I don't know what it is. It's south of Trinidad and east of I-25 as you climb Raton Pass. 2) the BNSF tracks climbing Raton Pass. I used to see pictures of steam engines pulling a freight and passenger trains up this pass. IIRC it was the steepest grade on the whole Atcheson, Topeka, and Santa Fe line. Now the big EMD diesels make fairly short work of it. 3) I barely caught a glimpse of this train going up grade. 4) South of Springer, NM 5) South of Albuquerque.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Checking in at the end of Day 2:

Mileage for today: 375
Mileage for trip: 957
Mileage for year: 7,600
Total Mileage: 89,826

I'm at the Double Tree -- Reid Park in Tucson. Tomorrow we ride to Nogales to "Touch the Fence." We'll eat breakfast down there. It's about 75 miles and there's going to be some kind of ceremony at the Fence that's been arranged with the Border Patrol.

After we get back, we pick up our registration packet which will include our "Three Flags Passports." There's a BBQ and a riders meeting that's over by 7PM and then we leave the hotel between 3-6AM on Friday morning. We officially start by submitting a start card as we leave the hotel.

Today's ride was much nicer, weather-wise than yesterday's. It was probably in the mid-70s when I left Socorro and got into the mid-90s by the time I got here. But with LD Comfort gear, I was just fine.

There was some wind across the last 100 or so miles, but nothing like what prompts the warnings about dust storms reducing the visibility to zero. The instructions for those conditions is to pull off the highway and turn off your lights. I think if I did that, I'd get well away from the bike and the pavement!

Scenery was desert bleak and beautiful. Roads were interstate all the way except for a 46 mile stretch on NM-26 between Hatch and Deming. I saw a Border Patrol checkpoint about halfway across that.

I-10 between Deming and Tucson follows the route of the old Southern Pacific, although the SP was absorbed by the UP several years ago. Most of the trains I saw were either container cars stacked two-deep or automobile carriers.

The Three Flags folks are very well organized. This is the 35th repeat of the ride and they've figured out what they're doing.

Pictures: The first three are between Socorro and Hatch; the last two are between Lordsburg and Tucson.

 

[mikesim]

How come you're not using your Spot gizmo so we can track you like we did on your Epic Ride? I was hoping you would.

Mike

 

[Phil Tarman]

Mike, I'm using it now. I didn't think about the fact that I had to activate a new trip until last night. It started on Tuesday when I left the house. Here's the link: https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=b1bb53feae163a65c

To view the whole trip change the "History" tab on the left side of the page to display "All" rather than "One-Day."

 

[Comanche]

Keep 'em coming, Phil. Good read.

I rode through Raton Pass in July on the way home from Spearfish. The formation you took the photo of is part of Sugarite Canyon State Park in New Mexico. Just south of the state line, you can see an old ski lift. Once upon a long time ago, there was a small ski area there, but it didn't get enough snow and it wasn't close enough to a population center.

 

[Phil Tarman]

End of Day 1: Torrey, UT

Miles for Day: 683

Total Miles on Bike: 90,667

Miles for year: 8,441

Total for 3 Flags Classic: 1,798


It was a different kind of day. I'm in Torrey, UT, doing the Southern California Motorcycling Association's Three Flags Classic. Rode here today from Tucson. 684 miles, the last 40 as the sun was going down and we moved into civil twilight. I lost count of the black cows on the road and saw 8 deer.


I had met a guy yesterday and led him and a lady on a ride down to Nogales to "Touch the Fence." At the banquet last night he and another guy came up and Joe asked if they could ride with me today. He liked my pace and my smoothness on the way to Nogales. I said "sure."


We left the hotel in Tucson at 4:20 and rode to Payson for gas and a snack. That's when I learned that the other guy, Glenn Gelman, was a rabbi. We rode about 60 miles toward Flagstaff and I realized Joe and Glenn weren't behind me. I stopped and a guy in a truck stopped and told me that one of them had crashed. It was Glenn. He just went straight off the road and the Goldwing flipped. When I got back, an EMT had been the 2nd person to stop. He put me to work doing chest compressions but I couldn't do them very well because I couldn't get over his body. A trauma nurse stopped and some Harley guys, too. One of the Harley guys, the trauma nurse, and the man who had been in the first car took turns doing chest compressions. They do them differently than the did when I was an EMT. Now it's two hard compressions a second and no breathing.


An ambulance was there in about 20 minutes and helicopter about ten minutes after that. They worked on him for 15-20 minutes and then pronounced him dead. Joe was a long-time friend and he stayed and arranged to get Glenn's body back to LA in time for burial on Sunday as per Jewish law. 24 hours (not counting the Sabbath).


I couldn't help thinking of my friend Rick and what you went through on Labor Day weekend when he was riding with Paul, another friend, and Paul was killed in a crash. A week later, I had ridden to Paul's funeral and was riding home with Rick and another friend, planning to spend the night with Rick so he could process everything that had gone on. That was the night I wadded my first Concours into a little ball, made a trip to the ER and still spent the night with Rick.. No fun at all.

 

[seagrass]

Phil thanks for today's report, good to hear you are OK and very sorry to hear about Glenn.

I will keep you Joe and the others in my prayers as you deal with all the emotions that Glenn's death will inevitably bring.

Thanks for being there and please ride safely as you complete another great adventure.

 

[Mellow]

Darn Phil, that sux, very sorry to hear that.

Glenn was a rider and as such, we all know the risks, but that doesn't ever make it any easier to deal with. I think he would be happy to know you continued on with the ride but only if your mind is into it.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Glenn's family and friends.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I talked to Joe last night and, according to the Flagstaff medical examiner, it looks like he had a heart attack before the crash. That makes it feel a little bit better.

 

[banjoboy]

I am so sorry for Glenn and his family. Very hard on you I suspect. Good speed for the rest of your trip.

Terry

 

[Hugh Straub]

Glenn's unfortunate passing should be a reminder to those of us NT 700 riders who are no longer spring chickens, that a visit to a cardiologist for a serious check up just might be the best motorcycle safety precaution we can take.

Kind regards

Hugh

 

[EX Winger]

Sorry to hear of this. It makes for a somber 3 flags finishing. I didn't have the privilege of knowing this man but I doubt that he would want anyone to drop out of the event becaouse of this, I know I wouldn't.

Perhaps the cardiologist check up is a good idea, I got coerced into one before my Ohio trip in June and Spearfish in July. I am still playing games with them. MY BP med was causing me trouble and as soon as I was taken off of it things improved. I'm on two new pills and have a blood draw to precede Cardo visit later this month.

Should I have to check out I would rather go quickly on a bike than some of the more drawn out ways we all know about At least that way you can know I was doing what I loved to do. Just my personal .02 cents worth of thought.

Eldon
76 and teenage outlaw at heart

 

[mikesim]

Phil, I've been trying to follow you on Spot but the screen blanks out right after the website loads. Is anyone else having trouble? It worked great for me during your Epic Ride last year. I was deeply saddened to hear about Glenn. My prayers are with his family at this time.

Mike

 

[Phil Tarman]

Mike, try this link: https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=b1bb53feae163a65c

I just used and it worked for me.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Re: The Three-Flags Classic



Re: The Three-Flags Classic

End of Day 2: Twin Falls, ID

Miles for Day: 617

Total Miles on Bike: 91,284

Miles for year: 9,058

Total for 3 Flags Classic trip: 2,415

3 Flags Total: 1,300

It was a better day. I've got a couple of new Favorite Roads: UT-72 from Loa, UT, to I-70 between Green River and Salida, UT; UT-31 from Huntington, UT to Fairview, UT.

Great, great roads that linked places I've ridden a bicycle to (but I'd never been on either of those roads. Then UT-65 & UT-66, between west of Park City on I-80 and Morgan on I-84. Those I've ridden on a bicycle and the rain kept me from enjoying them as much as I could have. UT-39 east of Ogden to Woodruff is a road I've tried to ride but every time I've gotten there, it's been early May and the road hadn't been plowed clear of snow. Today, from a place called Monte Christo on to Woodruff was amazing...very little traffic and new pavement and a couple of hangers-on on an FJR and an ST-1300. I kept expecting them to pass but they just stayed behind me until they dropped off to join a gaggle of riders who were stopped for gas at Woodruff.

I stopped for a Subway breakfast sandwich in Huntington at about 8:30, bought gas in Heber City, and again west of Logan. Other than that, I didn't stop at all. I just, as they say, "Sat there; twisted that."

Tomorrow it's back roads in western Idaho and eastern Oregon to take us to Walla Walla, WA.

Later, "Dudes." I'm going to bed!

 

[mikesim]

Mike, try this link: https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=b1bb53feae163a65c

I just used and it worked for me.

No joy :^/. The website loads, the map appears briefly and then the screen where the map should appear reverts to the blue background that surrounds the text box on the left of the screen.... must be sumpin' with my 'puter.... durn! Have a great trip. Ride safe!

Mike

 

[seagrass]

Try clearing your cookies Mike as that will probably fix it.