Archive for December, 2006

More good friends…

Saturday, December 30th, 2006


The great aspect about rain in Big Bend is the scenery suddenly having new strokes from Mother Nature’s brush. No more uniform blue skies, but a constant changing background, Big Bend comes alive more than ever and the wind constantly moving those cotton balls around provides amazement and candy for the eyes… and the soul. The other aspect is… the mud!… As I walk my first steps I am suddenly taller as every few feet the Texas mud is building up a new layer of sole!
I feel like the man on the moon but I am not bouncing! Riding is limited to the black top… no expert is going to have the ability to go anywhere off road today… two wheels… three wheels or even four!

Taking advantage of down time, anticipating the arrival of David and Mike from the Houston area, I finally have time to put the pieces together for an evening meal… when a comment was made the other day that my handle BeemerChef was going to be striped of the word Chef… my inner senses of my lifelong passion, playing with this multidimensional Art, had their hair raised in exclamation… will fix that tonight… And sure enough a new caravan shows up… dually diesel, covered trailer… this is the real thing with some real bikes for the real terrain surrounding us.
David and Mike are here… Triumph Tiger… KTM 950… dirty… oily… used and abused… Ah!
nice… very nice…

The camaraderie is instant… David is an young old timer, he was very instrumental in my coming here, this is not his first rodeo in Big Bend, he goes way, way back, and there is not a single road or trail that are unknown to him. And if there were unknown… well… he has made his own in the past… One look at his spare wheel and tire and I realize that they have some serious riding in mind… 1″ raised knobbies… all terrain?… anywhere… anytime… It does not take them too long to take off… for the dirt. Has the slime dried out a bit…no… but that is not going to hold them back!
Quick ride toward Lajitas… they return not too long after… one side of his suit is already covered with mud as the story goes… going uphill, started sliding backwards, decided to lay it down… makes sense… right? Anyone in their… right mind… would have taken that decision.
Byron and Anna return from their own excursion… it had snowed the night before up the Basin… they went for a look… and as they see the new comers, they know each other… familiar faces… we are a large community which seems so small as we keep on bumping into the same faces on a daily bases!
And yes… David and Mike are a comedy team… Mike is the leader I think… well, I know…
And the laughter, and the jokes, the stories and the lies are running smoothly while dinner is being prepared.

It turns out that we have a true food afficionado here, as the trailer door opens up I have a glance at all the ribbons belonging to Dave’s past path into the BBQ and Chile contests! Impressive… many dozens are pinned… and suddenly… I don’t know if I want to grill this chicken anymore… and be judged by a man that has himself judged the best in competition!

But we are amongst friends here… we have minimal resources… all the excuses are here, only not to have high expectations… and it was a fine dinner… more Rice Pilaf and a Vegetable Medley with a hint of chile powder and olive oil… the chicken had been marinating in a lime and hot sauce mixture and as David provided the charcoal, all was fine… Mike the vegetarian added his own couscous in a bag… did I mention we had a great time?

And the laughter did not stop all night as Byron provided dessert in the form of walking to the near by restaurant/store located on the premises… and graciously picking up the tab for all of us…
Peach Cobbler, Pecan Pie and Texas Pie for me… yes… all topped with huge amount of Ice Cream and much more laughter with the server, we have been a familiar group by now, with new faces everyday fitting right in the comedy team we turned out to be! You will have to excuse Mike who obviously was in deep thoughts savoring his own dessert!

The proof is in the picture… Byron was lighter by another $20 bill… the entertainment alone was worth more than that!… More laughter back to camp, dual propane outdoor heater provided by who else but David… the gadget man! And… it was time to call it a night for some rest to get us ready for the next unplanned day! I often think about the path of my lifestyle’s decision… living on the road… not much riding today… almost none to speak of… but what a great time… such scenery… great food and best of all “Great Friends”… If anyone has any doubts about following my footsteps, do not hesitate… you will never look back!… unless you think you will miss the daily traffic, the four walls and all the obligations that come with it. I cannot be responsible for your actions!

Till later…

Ara and Spirit… the happy dog with new friends!… he even got to play frisbee today!