Chapter 1 – 2015
Background: In 2014 Bob Yaap and Jack Nesbitt were talking about our motorcycles and rides that we had been on. Jack suggested that we try to organize a gathering of our classmates for a destination trip of all those classmates that ride motorcycles. We gathered a list of those we knew were still riding motorcycles and we sent out a message to the Class forum and Class blog finding out if there was any interest.
We were pleased with the response by many classmates that were interested. Jack and I felt like it would be best to schedule our first classmate ride in the summer months and in the middle of the country. Jack suggested Taos NM which was near his home in Ruidoso NM and provided great roads for riding motorcycles. Jack secured the Taos Inn as our headquarters/accommodations for the trip and the date was for August of 2015.
One side story of our survey of interest was that of classmate Dale Smith and his wife Colleen who live in Oklahoma City. Dale told Jack that he would be interested in joining in on the ride. Jack asked him what kind of motorcycle he had. He answered that he didn’t have one yet, but he was looking forward to getting one! We’re not sure if he had ever owned one, but come August of 2015, Dale and Colleen arrived in Taos on their 3-month-old Can Am Spyder. They have been on all 4 of our rides so far, organized and planned our 2019 Northeast Oklahoma ride and now Dale owns 4 motorcycles and Colleen rides the Can Am Spyder by herself to the gatherings!
We decided to call ourselves the Gray Hogs (Harley Davidson Motorcycles are respectfully referred to as Hogs in the Motorcycle community)! I had my granddaughter who is an artist develop a logo and we ordered shirts, hats, patches (most motorcycle riders adorn their riding vest w/ patches of where they have been, unit patches from military units, etc.) and polo shirts. Here is the coin minted for the ’69 Gray Hogs!
’69 Gray Hog 1st Motorcycle Rally/trip to Taos NM August 20 – 23, 2015
We gathered at the Taos Inn for drinks, meeting and dinner on August 20th at the Taos Inn. In attendance from ’69 were:
- Jack & Mimi Nesbitt-Riding a Can Am Spyder
- Dale & Colleen Smith – Riding a Can Am Spyder
- Dan & Suzy Meischen – Riding a Harley
- Phil & Leti Brant-Riding a Harley
- Jim Russell – Riding a Honda
- Jim Bachta – Riding his 70’s vintage BMW
- Pete Miles – riding a rented Harley
- Bob Yaap – Riding a Polaris Slingshot
- Ed Johnson ’66 – riding w/ Bob in the Slingshot
Roger Balog hosted us on day 1 to a nice barbecue at his 2nd home in Red River, NM
Gray Hog Motorcycle Riders Get Started
Day one-Aug 21 We did a nice loop around the towns of Taos, Angel Fire and Red River. Angel Fire is a scenic valley with a Ski resort and a nice Vietnam War Memorial. We toured the Memorial which was originally built by Dr. & Mrs. Westphal in honor of their son David, who was a 1st Lt and killed in Vietnam in May of ’68. The Memorial is now run by the VA and is a must see, particularly by Vietnam vets visiting the area. Pictures of our group are shown below. The West Point Class of ’63 has a plaque honoring their classmates who fell in Vietnam.
From Angel Fire we drove to Red River NM and were hosted to a wonderful barbecue by classmate, Roger Balog at his beautiful cabin. On the way back to Taos Jim Bachta’s vintage BMW motorcycle had the clutch cable break. No clutch…no shifting…no go! Not Jim! He figured if he got the RPM’s just right, he could shift without a clutch. Difficult, if not impossible to do on newer bikes! Jim did it masterfully and made the 50-mile ride to the hotel safely.
On day 2 we drove down to Santa Fe to spend the day. Beautiful weather and a pleasant day in a unique town. One highlight was the local church that had a circular staircase that was not supported by a center pole! Quite the engineering fete and a great story of its construction.
We had a group dinner in Santa Fe and we were joined by Jack & Becky Gloriod who drove (their car) down from Colorado Springs. Jim Bachta and Jim Russell were unable to join us as they were trying to track down a clutch cable for a 45+ year old BMW. With no luck in finding the cable they decided to depart Taos early. Bachta drove approx. 400 miles back to Colorado Springs on his ‘clutchless’ BMW with Jim Russell traveling as his wingman. Bachta said it wasn’t that hard as most of the ride was on the freeway! Regardless, he is a true motorcyclist to say the least!
On day 3 we had an easy short ride to Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. It was a deep river chasm in the middle of the NM desert!
We returned to the Taos Inn for a group dinner the last night! On the next morning, we all departed for our individual homes! The first ’69 Gray Hog Motorcycle ride was in the history books, and it was a big success for all!
To see videos of the Gray Hogs, click this link: Gray Hog Motorcycle Riders – YouTube
Welcome to my OTHER home in Red River, NM. I met your classmate, Mike Taylor, there when we were 15 and we married the day after graduation. We’ve had cabins there since 1984 and consider it God’s promised land. Mike passed in 2013 but the family will keep the cabin and call it home. I enjoyed reading your article about the area including the VN Memorial, Angel Fire, Taos and it’s beautiful gorge and especially Red River.
Dear Gray Hogs Jack and Bob:
Thanks for your travelogue reminding me of my time in New Mexico in 1988, especially the glimpse of the Loretto Chapel and its unforgettable floating staircase, a true wonder!
Best regards & BOTL,
Bill Bahr, H-1 Hawg : )