The Top Five Southern Colorado Motorcycle Roads

By Mike Huber

As an avid motorcyclist it’s easy to appreciate the beauty in each state and for many riders discovering amazing roads that many would overlook can become second nature to us.  Some might even say it’s an art form.  Throughout this vast and beautiful country called the United States of America we are fortunate enough to have a plethora of both paved and dirt roads that are meant to be sought out like the Ark of the Covenant.  These roads are meant to be experienced intimately the only way they can be, on two wheels. Experiencing them on a motorcycle can become a thirst that is never quenched, and although each state has its own unique characteristics, ultimately some will stand out more than others. One state that has that effect for me is Colorado.

Colorado is one of those states that as soon as you ride past the “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign the roads seem to present themselves to you like a feast on a golden platter with an endless amount of wine.   The rides we will review can each be completed in one or two days and are best ridden between late April and early October.  To help with prioritization since there are so many incredible rides we have developed a very complex mathematical rating system of 1 to 5 wheelies (5 being the highest).  The rating uses the following criteria:

    • Road conditions
    • Diversity of riding options
    • Activities along the route
    • Abilities to disperse camp/hotel access
    • Scenery

Route 550:  The Million Dollar Highway

Rated 5 Wheelies

Road Description.  This loop may be one of the greatest roads in all of North America. The road is paved and in immaculate condition.  It combines some of the tightest switchbacks one can expect to experience on a motorcycle. The full route per the map is ~355 miles and can be done in 1 day, but highly recommend taking at least 2-4 to fully experience and immerse yourself in this beautiful part of the country.  There are endless forest roads off 550 to get your fill of dirt riding littered with an infinite amount of beautiful dispersed campsites. Also some wonderful old mining towns rich with history, hiking, restaurants, hotels, and hot springs.

Points of Interest.  There’s no shortage of amazing places to stop along this road.  Below is a small list of the places you should not miss along this route.

    • Silverton is a great little mining town with wonderful people.  It’s a perfect place to load up on supplies if you are camping.  You can warm up after getting some miles in at the Brown Bear Café.
    • Ouray is a beautiful mountain town with several hikes to waterfalls, hot springs, and some wonderful restaurants. My favorite is the Ouray Brewery.
    • Rico is a really tiny town which consists of a great hotel and bar called the Enterprise Bar and Grill, with wonderful people, great food and cold beer.

Where to Stay/Camp.  There is an immense amount of national forest land that can be used to camp on along this loop.  Really any dirt road you ride down will guide you to an epic campsite next to a creek. This makes for a relaxing post ride time to wind down in a hammock, while having a refreshing beverage. The towns of Silverton and Ouray have several hotels that are right in the heart of the town and a short walk to tourist activities and restaurants.

Off-Roading.  There is an endless amount of dirt roads to find here, this goes from flat well-groomed forest roads to find a campsite to the technical challenging mountain passes like Engineer or Imogene Pass (which I have not done due to the size of my GS1200 and conservative riding style).

Out of so many outstanding rides in the state of Colorado, the Million Dollar Highway should be on the top of any list.  This road and area really earn that 5 Wheelie rating due to exceeding each standard for riders of all ability levels. There are so many sights to see along this route that you will never tire of absorbing the beauty that surrounds you in this part of the state. If you are fortunate enough to have the time, doing the loop in reverse can be a great way to add a few more days to your adventure.

Mesa Verde National Park

Rated 5 Wheelies

Road Description.  As soon as you enter Mesa Verde National Park the road begins screaming up in elevation with some incredible views overlooking the valley below you will almost have a sense of vertigo overcome you.  What is wonderful about this feeling as it goes on and on as you travel through the park.  Although the distance from the park entrance to the furthest point is only 28 miles, those miles are filled with numerous overlooks and pullouts that can make this seemingly short ride take 2-3 days.  This is especially true if you are taking in the hikes along the way.  The only piece of concern for this ride is the numerous road snakes in some areas of this ride. Otherwise its full enjoyment as you have a 360 view of the valleys below that outstretch clear into Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Points of Interest.  Since this is a National Park there are ample amounts of short hikes and tours to break up the day(s) you spend in this magical location. A few of the more popular ones are outlined below:

    • The Cliff Palace requires purchasing a tour ticket at Park Visitor Center, but even without one you can walk to the overlook to get a spectacular view of the houses the Hopi built into the cliffs which are all but hidden except from this vantage point.
    • The Balcony House also requires a tour ticket but is well worth it as you can walk through the ruins and really get a sense of the
    • The Knife’s Edge Hike is a great 2-mile hike with little elevation next to Morefield Campground that has incredible sunset views, which enable the rocks to really light up and glow.

Where to Stay/Camp.  Morefield Campground- This is the only campground in the park so making reservations ahead of time is recommended. It is one of the better National Park campgrounds I have stayed at and includes free showers, great Wi-Fi from most campsites (antennas are off the bathrooms), and a launderette, gas, and fully stocked store for all your camping and souvenir needs. There are also several wonderful hiking trails right next to the campground.

Off-Roading.  This is one of the drawbacks of a National Park, as there is no off-roading permitted within the park boundaries.  The beauty and activities from hiking and riding makes up for this shortcoming.

Route 65: Grand Mesa Scenic Byway

Rated 5 Wheelies

Road Description.  Yet another beautiful Colorado mountain road filled with switchbacks that rise in elevation and bring you to over 10,000 feet up and onto the World’s largest Mesa. There are several pullouts along this route to take in the views, but no gas stations from Cedaredge to Mesa (50 miles, but can be close to 100 miles if you are doing the off-road portion) plan accordingly.

Points of Interest. The main point of interest the mesa itself and the amazing views, alpine lakes, dispersed camping, and off-roading.

Where to Stay/Camp. Dispersed camping is plentiful along Rte125 where you can get a lakeside campsite with little issue and make it your own paradise for the evening as you watch the sunset glistening off one of the many alpine lakes. There are also plenty of campgrounds along this way if you are looking for less primitive camping.  Hotels are scattered along this route in the towns of Delta, Mesa, or driving to up Grand Junction for a greater variety of lodging.

Off-Roading.  Route 125 Surface Creek Road is a great 15-mile loop.  This road has you experience the mesa while passing crystal clear alpine lakes with numerous dispersed camping areas.  There is also a 10-mile dirt road in great condition to visit the Lands’ End Observatory. The views off the mesa looking down on the plateau can allow you to see into Utah on a clear day with awe inspiring views.

Route 141: Grand Junction to Naturita

Rated 4.5 Wheelies

Road Description.  This is a low elevation beautifully paved road that is 105 miles long.  This road will have you leaning your ride until you feel the mist kissing your windshield from Dolores River as you pass amazing rust colored mesas that stretch into the sky and rival that of Monument Valley. The road has very little traffic which will allow you to enjoy some solitude as you embrace the scenery you ride through. The only reason this route is rated as 4.5 is the lack of amenities.

Points of Interest.  This road is in quite a desolate area, outside the tiny town of Gateway.  Gateway Canyons General Store is owned and run by the preacher of the church next door to it.  This is the only place to gas up between Grand Junction and Naturita so be sure to check your fuel levels.

Where to Stay/Camp.  Dispersed camping here is plentiful but mainly in one area just south of Grand Junction, Divide Road. This road is a steep switchback dirt road that connects to numerous other roads which are great fun exploring for campsites to settle down in.  There are numerous dispersed sites with beautiful views over the canyon in which you can see the Dolores River running far beneath you.

Off-Roading.  Divide Road also encompasses numerous off-roading opportunities that sprawl out across this mesa.  This is a perfect place to explore for that unique dispersed campsite while hitting some fun dirt to enhance your day.  There are however areas of slippery clay, so if it is raining it can become slick in portions of this road.

Routes 160 and 149: Pagosa Springs to Lake City

Rated 4 Wheelies

Road Description.  This route consists of 45 miles of a four-lane highway on Route 160 that will have you summit at over 10,000 feet.  The road will then drop you into South Fork, Colorado.  This is where you will turn left onto Route 149.  Route 149 will quickly whittle down to a tighter and quieter road for the next 75 miles, which are filled with mountain passes. South Fork is the only town between these areas so make sure you gas up and grab lunch before heading onto the second part of this amazing road.  The next portion will have you speeding across lower elevation prairies and then climbing high into the mountain tundra that will resemble something from another planet before descending into Lake City.

Points of Interest.  I specifically wanted this trip to begin (or end) in Pagosa Springs so you have an opportunity to experience the hot springs in Pagosa.

Where to Stay/Camp. Throughout the ride there is no shortage of camping in both dispersed and paid locations. In Pagosa there are numerous hotels. I prefer the hotel directly across the street from the spa as it is much more affordable then the spa and in a great location.  For Lake City, the Matterhorn is a beautiful Swiss style motel which will allow you a solid night’s sleep at a great price. It’s a perfect spot to recharge if you are going to take on some of the more challenging off-road portions in Colorado the following day.

Off-Roading.  Lake City is the starting point for some of the more serious off-roading mountain passes, such as a few of the most popular passes including Cinnamon and Engineer.  Both of these passes surpass 12,000 feet.  If you crave technical off-roading challenges with views that can’t be beat, these are the two passes I recommend.

Conclusions

Southern Colorado is a rider’s paradise, and a region that should not be missed for riders of all experience levels. Other avid motorcyclists have also recommended these roads to me, which reinforces my approval for these routes and motivated me to write this comprehensive layout to help others. I hope this breakout has been helpful and serves as a reason to visit Southern Colorado and have the riding experience of a lifetime.

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ExNotes Long Term Test: Vevor Diesel Heater

By Joe Gresh 

Towards the end of last year’s heating season the Vevor 12-volt, 5kw diesel heater started shutting down and giving an error code. The big blue, start/stop button on the front of the machine blinks the code number between pauses. I counted an error No. 8, which the owner’s manual said was a problem with the temperature sensor. This was a little disappointing because I had only run 10 gallons of diesel through the heater. (It runs a long time on a gallon, like 8 hours) I didn’t mess with it at the time as it was warming up and I was busy doing other vital, yet unimportant tasks.

Fast-forward to winter, 2024 and it’s cold again so I figured I’d better fix the heater. I looked up a new temperature sensor for $4 on Amazon and after waiting a few weeks the thing came all the way from China. Installing the new temperature sensor changed nothing. The heater kept shutting down with an error code No. 8.

Utube Academy provided some more ideas, one of which was the fuel pump was not functioning good enough to keep the fire going.  I bought a new fuel pump on Amazon for $18 and installed it. After bleeding the air out of the pump the heater turned on for a few minutes and then shut down showing error code No. 8 again.

Another Utube suggestion was that the glow plug was bad, failing to ignite the diesel fuel. While looking up the glow plug @ $19 I found a complete new heater for $90 with free delivery. I stuck the new heater in the shopping cart and it showed up a few days later.

The new heater was almost an exact duplicate of the Vevor unit and in fact it had a more advanced keypad display instead of a blue button. The replacement unit swapped out easily and in no time I had heat in the shed.

A few more weeks passed and the new glow plug showed up. Taking the unit apart to gain access to the plug was easy and I pulled the wires off of the glow plug so I could put a socket on the thing. That wasn’t a good idea. Turns out the wires are non-removable and you need a special 12mm slotted deep socket to unscrew the plug. When I pulled the wires off I actually broke the glow plug ceramic. The special socket for the plug was helpfully included in the box with the new glow plug. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this before destroying the old glow plug. That’s just how I roll.

None of this mattered because once I started taking the heater apart I noticed the exhaust port was almost plugged with diesel soot.

It was so clogged I had to take the fuel feed pipe and the combustion chamber apart to clean out all the soot.

The gaskets tore when I dismantled the fuel feed and the combustion chamber so I had to order new gaskets from Amazon @$16. If you’re keeping count I now had almost as much in parts as a heater costs.

These Chinese diesel heaters are pretty simple to work on and after cleaning the combustion chamber and exhaust pipe it was only a few minutes to put the whole thing back together. I rigged it up for a test run and the heater put out plenty of hot air and ran for as long as I wanted to hear it run. It seems to be fixed but I don’t understand why it sooted up so soon. Maybe there was another issue that I have inadvertently fixed while swapping out parts? Maybe not. Keep clicking on ExhaustNotes and I’ll report on this situation as it develops.

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The Legendary Fung Wah Bus

By Mike Huber

Ok, so throughout my life I have tended to do a LOT of dumb stuff.  Almost daily anyone around me is questioning how I am still alive. This is no exaggeration, but there is one activity I partook in that is by far the most reckless.  That is riding on the Fung Wah Bus.  Recently I was in a bar in Boston (yes, imagine that) and I was telling the story of the Fung Wah bus, which entertained the entire bar for close to an hour. My stories of this legendary form of transit must have been quite epic  as when cashing out I was told my entire tab had been paid.  So I thought a write up on my experiences around this hazardous mode of transportation would make for a fun read.

The Fung Wah Bus isn’t in service anymore for reasons described below.  It was a $10 bus ride from South Station in Boston to Chinatown in New York City. I was 27 years old, living just north of Boston.  A close friend was in New York City.  The bus always arrived on time, there was no hassle with airports, and it was just easy.

I was alerted to the dangers of this bus when I arrived to work on Monday.  My manager asked what I had done that weekend.  I replied I had gone to Manhattan to hang out with a friend.  He asked how the flight was.  “Flight?” I asked.  “I didn’t fly. I took the Fung Wah Bus.”  He doubled over laughing and said he paid me enough to do better, which was followed by several explicit adjectives.  I still heard him ranting about it an hour or so later.  I was a bit taken aback.

It didn’t take long for me to realize the history of this bus and the numerous safety violations and failed inspections that made taking this bus not only risky, but in hindsight, downright dangerous.  Massachusetts had even shut the service down a few times over the years.  These busses were flipping over, catching on fire, and wheels were falling off.  Outside that, though, the busses ran on time, no matter the amount of traffic or weather conditions.  They had this trip down to an art.  It was so honed that once when I was stuck in traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway, a few cars in front of me I spotted a Fung Wah bus.  Here’s my chance!  I followed it off the expressway as it zigged and zagged through the narrow surface streets until it returned to the now less-congested expressway. I felt like a running back following a lineman as a blocker until I could see the end zone. What a rush!

With it being a 4-hour ride, the driver would always stop at a Roy Rodgers Restaurant for a few minutes to allow you to stretch, grab a bite to eat, and pray to the God of your choice for a safe remainder of the trip. To this day having driven that stretch hundreds of times in my car I never saw that restaurant unless I was on the Fung Wah.  Wherever the bus exited the highway, we all went into Narnia.

At the end of the day the Fung Wah never disappointed and although the bus was decommissioned like Old Ironsides, it provided some great stories and an economical way to get to New York City.  As I sat in a Boston bar finishing my Sam Adams, I was thankful to the mysterious patron who got my tab.  I am fortunate that this experience (riding the Legendary Fung Wah Bus) crossed my path.

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Removing Stuck Cases

By Joe Cota

A problem that sometimes occurs when we reload is that a case gets stuck in the decapper/expander die (also known as the resizing die).  This can result from not adequately lubricating the case prior to running it into die, or not cleaning a new die prior to use.  The case gets stuck in the die, and when you attempt to extract it on the reloading press down stroke, the shell holder deforms the case’s rim and it pulls free of the shellholder.   Getting the stuck case out can be problematic.

A friend just bought a new set of Lee .223 dies and forgot to clean out the decapper/expander die.  The result was a stuck case (as you can see in the photo above). Here’s the easy way to remove stuck cases using tools that can all be bought at your local hardware store.

1. Remove the die and take off the pin retainer using the proper 1/2″ box and 3/4″ open wrenches. No crescent wrenches, pliers or vice grips!

2. Put the die in a well-padded vise and knock the pin down with a brass or hard plastic mallet. The brass mallet or brass punch works best.

3. The expander pin will remain in the case. It will be loose and rattle around a bit, but still trapped inside the case.

4. Use a small tubing cutter to remove the base of the case.

5. Clean up and polish the expander pin using a non-abrasive wheel or a Scotch Brite pad with soap and water. Get all that factory gunk out of the sizing die body too. I use brake cleaner, but WD 40 will also loosen the factory crud.

6. Reassemble everything with the pin lining up with the top of the retaining nut. Secure VERY tightly again using the proper wrenches.

Your die will now be better than new because the factory gunk is gone and the expander pin has been polished.

Make sure to use a good case lube on all bottle necked rifle calibers. I’m not a huge fan of the white Lee water soluble case lube but it works. I prefer to use spray lubes such as Lyman or Hornady One Shot.

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The Wayback Machine: Whale Sharks in Baja!

By Mike Huber

Joe frequently posts of the magical experiences in Baja and one he focuses on heavily (for good reason) are the tours in Guerrero Negro to see the gray whales and their babies. Having experienced that twice I concur with Joe’s description of this fabulous encounter, however, the tour operators for the gray whales won’t let you disembark the panga to swim with these giant mammals. I know this because I have asked to jump overboard to swim with the whales during both tours I was on. This to me (with my ever-questionable judgment) seemed like the next logical step in being able to enhance the experience.

Two weeks ago, as I entered La Paz I instantly was drawn to the many advertisements for tour companies offering opportunities to SWIM WITH WHALE SHARKS! This was what I was yearning for! A tour boat will bring you out to a marine preserve, provide you with a safety briefing, a wet suit, flippers, a mask, and snorkel and you are ready to swim with whale sharks. The boat will approach these fish (they are the largest fish in the world growing to upwards of 40 ft).  We were ready to go with legs hanging over the panga as it slowed down near a whale shark and one by one we jumped off the boat into the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez. It was very much like exiting an aircraft as a paratrooper.

Once in the water the guide, who is also in the water with you will point out the whale sharks (in case you cannot spot a 40-ft fish).  You can see these magnificent sharks swimming and grazing on krill. We were fortunate enough to have several around us, which got a bit harrowing as they were almost vertical in the water spinning like some type of aquatic ballerina while drawing in water filled with krill. As we began to close in on them we can feel ourselves being pulled into their mouth like a whirlpool.  I instantly became aware of their size and power.

It was at this moment I am certain the people topside heard some colorful Bostonian language being funneled up through my snorkel when I was too close for my own comfort. The whale sharks are peaceful and aware you are there and not a threat to them, but they are also aware they are bigger, better swimmers, and you are in THEIR habitat. One thing to keep in mind is that they will not move for you and if you get in their path, they may push you or run you over. This was an incident we all clearly wanted to avoid.

There were only four of us on the tour and we performed four dives over about 2 hours.   Their overwhelming size and our proximity to the whale sharks never got old, and our adrenaline never died down. We used Red Travel Tours out of La Paz.  Our guides Siyad and Mario were well informed and they had a passion for ensuring we had a once-in-a-lifetime experience while respecting nature. They were both genuinely as excited as we were when swimming with the whale sharks and educating us on the ocean they live in. For anyone traveling in Baja this is an experience and a tour company you want to go with to see whale sharks.

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A Custom Shop Model 504

By Joe Berk

The good news is when I was recently on the range with my Remington Custom Shop Model 504 the air was dead still and I had the range to myself.  The bad news is the 5-shot 50-yard groups were just so-so, and I didn’t have anything to blame that on but myself.  Well, maybe.  I only tried two kinds of ammo (an old box of Remington Target 22 and a new box of CCI standard velocity ammo).   You have to play around trying different makes (just like you would experiment with different reloads) to find ammo that a rimfire rifle really responds to. I’m not there yet. But I’m having fun along the way.

Representative 5-shot, 50-yards groups from the Custom Shop Model 504. I’m expecting to see groups in the .250-.300 range from this rifle (I’m not done yet).

Sue and I were in Rapid City, South Dakota, several years ago exploring Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills.  We took a lot out of that trip…we saw Mt. Rushmore during the day and in the evening, we saw bunch of stuff in the Black Hills area, we went out to a little-known Minuteman Missile National Park, we saw the Badlands, we stopped in Wahl Drug, we went to Devil’s Tower, and of course, I had to check out what I now know to be one of the best gunshops in the country:  Rapid City’s First Stop Gun and Coin.  I could have spent the entire day there, but we had other things to see and do.  After our visit, I started checking out what First Stop had listed on Gunbroker.com, and it wasn’t too long after that that I saw a Remington Custom Shop Model 504.

High end walnut, as is appropriate on a Custom Shop Remington rifle. The recoil pad might be more appropriate on a .416 Rigby, but it looks great on this rifle.

I didn’t even know what a Model 504 was, I’d never handled or shot one, but I knew what the Remington Custom shop was all about.  The rifle had my interest.  It was not cheap, but that was maybe a dozen years ago and when you see a Custom Shop Model 504 come up for sale today (which hardly ever happens), the ask is about three times what I paid.  I’ve never seen another Custom Shop 504 in person; I’ve only seen them on the rare occasions one appears on Gunbroker and in a couple of Internet reviews.

Remington wanted a high end .22 bolt rifle in the early 2000s to compete with the offerings from Kimber, Browning, Ruger, CZ, and others, and the Model 504 was the result.  Remington had three versions:  A Sporter model, a heavy barreled Varmint version, and the Custom Shop 504 you see here.  Remington built the 504 from 2004 to 2007.   The Custom Shop Model 504 was the flagship and it had it all:  A machined steel receiver, a highly polished deep blue finish, a free-floated barrel and glass-bedded action, highly figured walnut, a subtle forearm tip, a super smooth action, cut checkering, a recoil pad that might be more at home on a .300 Weatherby, and a barrel from the super-exotic Remington Model 40 target rifle.  I didn’t know any of this at the time I hit the “buy now” button, but I knew any Remington Custom Shop rifle is a collectible item.

The Model 504 receiver is glass bedded.
The Custom Shop markings on the 504 barrel.
A very subtle forearm tip.

My rifle came with the rings of unknown origin and Bausch and Lomb mounts.  I first mounted Bushnell scope, a scope set up to be parallax free at 100 yards.  But I typically shoot a .22 at 50 yards.   I next put an old Weaver 4×12 variable scope (adjustable for parallax) on the rifle, and when I adjusted for 50 yards it had no parallax.  I don’t know how repeatable that old scope is (and as you’ll notice from the photo above, the groups seem to move around a bit), so one thing I’m going to do in the future is put another scope on the rifle, mostly likely Mueller’s 4×12.  I have a Mueller scope on another rimfire rifle and I know it is good.  I like the looks of the old Weaver the 504 is wearing now, but when I tried adjusting it, there didn’t seem to be much correlation between the adjustments I was making and where the bullets were going.

The Weaver scope mounted on the Model 504.

Something that had me scratching my head are the plastic inserts on the scope rings between the scope body and the rings.  I’ve never seen this on any other rifle, but from what I’ve read on the internet, they work well for other shooters (even on heavily recoiling rifles, which a .22 is not).   The scope appears to be secure.

The plastic scope ring inserts. I had never encountered this before.

The Model 504 magazine is apparently scarcer than an honest politician.  Only one magazine was included with my rifle.  Now that I am shooting it more (it’s no longer a safe queen), I thought it might be a good idea to pick up a couple of spare mags until I saw their price.  When you can find one on Ebay or Gunbroker, they go for around $200.  I think I’ll be careful with my one magazine and keep looking; maybe I’ll get lucky and find one in a gunstore’s discounted junkbox (most old line gunshops have these).

The difficult to find and very expensive Model 504 magazine.
High end walnut, starboard side.
High end walnut, port side.

It may be that the Model 504 is just not that accurate.  My findings are consistent with what other 504 reviewers have published (in fact, my gun is turning in tighter groups than what others have previously published).  Recognizing that the Custom Shop model used the same barrel blanks Remington used for the Model 40 .22 rifle, I would have expected more.  Maybe it’s there and I just haven’t found it yet.  At least that’s my hope.

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Lipsey’s Ultimate Carry J-Frame

By Joe Berk

Good buddy Paul sent this very recently released video from Lipsey’s to me last night:

The video is just under 10 minutes long and it’s worth watching.  To me, this new J-frame Smith addresses most of the shortcomings I’ve noticed with my concealed carry J-frame revolver.   Here are my thoughts:

    • I like it.
    • The ideal of a .30 caliber 6-shot is intriguing (in addition to the 5-shot .38 Special version Lipsey’s is also offering).  I know most concealed carry handgun encounters are settled in less than two shots, but having an extra round (one over the standard 5 shots) makes sense to me.
    • I notice the grips don’t go below the bottom of the grip frame, which would be a problem for me.  Getting my little finger caught under the grip frame is what makes shooting a J-frame revolver uncomfortable (in fact, it’s downright painful after a shot or two).  I do like the G10 material grips, though.  I have those on my Sig Scorpion 226 and it is the best grip material ever, in my opinion.  I would like a set of G10 grips that extend lower than the bottom of the grip frame, like the Altamont grips I put on my J-frame.  These would be very comfortable.
    • The sights are a much-needed upgrade.  The stock Model 60 and other J-frame sights are a joke.
    • The aluminum frame means light weight, which I guess is good for carrying the gun all day, but those little J-frames can have fierce recoil.  My stainless steel Model 60 packs a punch; the aluminum version recoil will be worse.  I suppose the assumption for most is that the gun will be carried more than it is shot, and that makes sense.  But, still, that’s going to be a lot of recoil.

It will be interesting to see what this new Lipsey’s/Smith and Wesson J-frame revolver costs and if it gets approved in California.  My prediction is that Lipsey’s will later release a .357 Magnum version (not that anyone would need it, but it would probably sell well).  I also predict a 9mm version.  9mm is the most popular centerfire handgun cartridge in the world, and I believe a 9mm version would sell well, too.

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ExNotes Book Reviews: Ed Nordskog’s Works

By Joe Berk

Arson investigation is a highly technical field, so I was naturally interested when a friend (a retired arson investigator) told me about what he used to do.  He described what’s involved in determining if a fire occurred as a result of arson and he lent two books to me (Torchered Minds and The Arsonist Profiles).  I couldn’t put either down.   They are fascinating reading.

Ed Nordskog wrote Torchered Minds first; The Arsonist Profiles followed.  Although initially intended for arson investigators, Nordskog’s writing makes them fascinating reading for anyone.  A few of the concepts Nordskog develops in his books include:

    • Many fires are not recognized as arson.  Police often do not investigate smaller fires, dismissing them as either accidental or inconsequential vandalism.
    • Fire departments are not good choices for investigating arson; that task is more appropriately assigned to police agencies.
    • Surprisingly (or perhaps not surprisingly), in more than a few cases firefighters are arsonists.  The same things that attract firefighters to their profession are the things that sometimes cause people to become arsonists.
    • Serial arson is a much more prevalent crime than most people realize (including most police departments).
    • By the time serial arsonists are convicted, they have most likely set hundreds of other fires.
    • Physical abnormalities and having been the victim of child abuse are often present in the backgrounds of serial arsonists.
    • Revenge is frequently an arson motive.  Arson for profit (with the arsonist committing insurance fraud or being paid by others to do so) is another common motive.
    • The Hollywood portrayal of arsonists being sexually excited by fire is bunk; Nordskog never encountered this as a motivation in any of his investigations.

Both books have descriptions of the arson events, the investigations, the outcomes, and Nordskog’s evaluation of the arsonists and their motivations.  Nordskog did much of his work while a member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; many of the events he describes in his books are crime sprees I saw in our local news as they were occurring (for me, that made the books even more interesting).  Arson investigation may not seem like an interesting topic, but Nordskog’s ability to tell the tale and characterize arsons by initiation method, arsonist motivation, and other factors makes for great reading.  Trust me on this:  Torchered Minds and The Arsonist Profiles are fascinating books.

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Geezy Rider

By Joe Berk

I like that title.  Geezy Rider.  It kind of says it all.  A close runner up was “You might be a geezer if…”

We haven’t blogged a listicle in a while and I thought it was time.   Sue and I like to entertain and we had three couples over for dinner recently.  Everyone was our age (which is a nice way of saying we are all geezers), we all came from similar backgrounds, we all have grandkids, and we all travel.  Those commonalities notwithstanding, the conversation centered on the same topic it always seems to center on these days when I’m with my geezer buddies:  Getting old.   Some of you might be thinking that you don’t want to read about old people, but you might already be one.  So how do you know?   Well, here we go.  You might be a geezer if:

You get senior discounts without asking.  When you do ask for the senior discount, no one asks to see your ID.  You sometimes find yourself thinking that 55 is too young to be considered a senior citizen.

A good night’s sleep is based on how many times you had to get up to take a leak, you wonder how in the world taking a leak on the side of the road ever became a sex crime, or you plan rides at least partly based on restroom locations.

You know more doctors than motorcycle dealers, and you have a different doctor for each organ in your body.  Sometimes you realize you can’t make a planned ride because you have a doctor’s appointment that day.

You look at other people at a motorcycle event and think they’re really old, and then you realize you’re the same age as they are.

You’re on a first name basis with the Costco people who give out free samples.

You can identify pills without seeing the bottle, a day on the bike is routinely preceded by a couple of Ibuprofens, and you have a pill container organized by day.  Forget penicillin; you know that Sildenafil and Tamsulosin are the true wonder drugs.

You no longer use a tail pack or have a sissy bar because it’s easier to get on and off your motorcycle.  You may have pondered where to attach a cane on your motorcycle.

You buy motorcycle clothes a couple of sizes larger because the damn manufacturers are making them smaller these days.  You buy riding gear with pockets big enough to hold baby wipes.  You substituted food for sex years ago and now you’re so fat you can’t get into your own pants.

You stopped worrying about helmet hair decades ago and when you get a haircut you find yourself thinking about the cost in terms of dollars per hair.  You haven’t carried a comb in decades.

You watch news shows based mostly on which ones you don’t shout at.

A motorcycle’s weight is more important to you than 0-to-60 or quarter-mile times.  You and your buddies talk about cholesterol, A1C, PSA levels, and medications instead of motorcycle performance specs.

When it’s time to change your oil, you think about where it’s going to hurt the next day because you have to get down on the floor to reach the drain plug.  Ibuprofen is a normal part of your oil change equipment.

You don’t think there’s anything particularly wrong with a motorcycle in a handicap parking spot.

You don’t like to ride after dark and going to bed by 9:00 p.m. seems like a perfectly normal thing to do.

Easy Riders or The Great Escape is on TV, and you don’t even need to think about it.  You’re going to watch it again.

A new movie stars Clint Eastwood, you know you’re going to see it, and you don’t need to know what it is about to make that decision.

So there you have it:  My take on how to assess if you are a geezer.

Now get off my lawn.

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Medicine Bow, Wyoming

By Joe Berk

We were a swarm of 250cc bees bound for Medicine Bow, Wyoming.   I didn’t know why that excited me and I didn’t know what to expect, but the place sounded romantic.  Not romantic in the sense of female companionship; it was instead the romance of the Old West.  Medicine Bow, Wyoming, and we were headed there on our single-cylinder Zongshen motorcycles.   We had been on the road for a week, showing the American West to our Chinese and Colombian visitors.  It all started on the other side of the world in Chongqing when Zongshen asked if I could take them on a ride though America.

Wow, could I ever.

Susie took this photo as I was showing the Zongshen execs where we might ride in America. The guy on my immediate right is good buddy Fan, who follows the ExNotes blog.

Medicine Bow.   It had a nice ring to it.  I was thinking maybe they had a McDonald’s and we could have lunch there.   I think the reason Medicine Bow sounded so intriguing is I had heard it maybe dozens of times in western movies and television shows.  Medicine Bow was one of the major destinations for cattle drives in the 1800s, where cows boarded trains for their one-way trip east, where they would stop being cows and become steaks.  An average of 2,000 cows shipped out of Medicine Bow every day back then.   That would keep McDonald’s going for a day or two (except there were no McDonald’s in the 1800s).

The very first western novel.

I was surprised when we buzzed in.  Medicine Bow is about five buildings, total, none of them was a McDonald’s, but one was the Virginian Hotel.  It’s the hotel you see in the photo at the top of this blog and as you might imagine there’s a story to it.  You see, back in the day, the first western novel ever was written by a dude named Owen Wister, and the title of his book was The Virginian.  It was later made into a movie.  The story is about a young female schoolteacher who settled in Medicine Bow and two cowboys who vied for her attention.  When the historic hotel was later built in Medicine Bow, what other name could be more appropriate than The Virginian?  And about the name of the town, Medicine Bow?  Legend has it that Native Americans found the best mahogany for making bows (as in bows and arrows) in a bend (a bow) along the Medicine River, which runs through the area.    I can’t make up stuff this good.

I was the designated leader of the Zongshen swarm on this ride. My job was easy.  All the mental heavy lifting and deep thinking fell to good buddy and long-time riding compañero Baja John, who planned our entire 5,000-mile journey through the American West.  John did a hell of a job.  The roads he selected were magnificent and the destinations superb.  It’s also when I first met Joe Gresh, who was on assignment from Motorcyclist magazine to cover our story (more on that in a bit).

Big Joe Gresh, or “Arjiu” as the Chinese called him, on our 5000-mile ride through the American West.

Back to Medicine Bow, the Virginian Hotel, and a few of the photos I grabbed on that ride.  The place is awesome, and the Virginian is where we had lunch.

Lunch at the Virginian. That’s Gresh on the right, and Juan and Gabe (two dudes from AKT Motos in Colombia) on the left. A few months later I rode with Juan in Colombia, another grand adventure.

After lunch, we wandered around the hotel for a bit. It would be fun to spend the night in Medicine Bow, I thought.  Dinner at the hotel and drinks in the bar (as I type this, I can almost hear someone on the piano belting out Buffalo Gal).    I will return some day to check that box.

The lighting isn’t great in this selfie (of sorts). Yours truly on the old D200, Lester, and Mr. Zuo. Lester is a teacher in China. Mr. Zuo owns a motorcycle jacket company in China.
Bison.   We saw a few live ones in the next couple of days.
Who’s a good boy? That’s Baja John and Lester, taking a break after a great lunch at the Virginian Hotel.  Lester came to America as a vegetarian.   That lasted about two days.   He sure enjoyed his hamburger at the Virginian.  He told us he wants to be like Baja John when he grows up.
Yes, there are moose in Medicine Bow, along with mountain lion, bear, elk, deer, and a host of other animals.  Theodore Roosevelt hunted this part of the world.
A Virginian Hotel hallway. I think you can still stay here overnight.
Hotel hallway art.
Even a public telephone.

The Virginian Hotel bar was indeed inviting and I could have spent more time there, but we were on the bikes and my rule is always no booze on the bikes.  I grabbed a few photos.  We had more miles to make that afternoon and more of Wyoming awaited.

The Virginian Hotel bar. It looks like it would be a fun spot to have a beer or three at the end of the day.
Photos and artifacts on one of the Virginian Bar walls.
A mural in the Virginian Hotel bar

The Virginian Hotel owner (who looked like he could have been someone right out of Central Casting) saw our interest in photography and showed us this photograph.   He told me only six or seven copies of it exist.  Spend a minute reading the writing…it is amazing.

There are more than a few interesting characters depicted in this photo.

Medicine Bow was a fun visit, it is a place I would like to see again, and it has a palpable feel of the Old West.  It was a place where we could have stayed longer, but after lunch it was time for Happy Trails and we were on the road again.   I felt like a cowboy, I suppose, swinging my leg over my motorcycle.  Instead of “giddy up” it was a twist of the key and a touch on the starter button; the result was the same as we continued our trek west with Frankie Lane’s Rawhide on repeat in my mind:  Keep rollin’, rollin’ rollin’, keep those motos rollin’…

In a few hours, we’d be riding into the sunset.  Lord, this was a fantastic ride.

Here are a couple of videos you might like.  The first is about Medicine Bow, the second is Joe Gresh’s video covering the ride.  And one more thing…don’t miss Joe Gresh’s magnificent story about our ride in Motorcyclist magazine.

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