I live only a few hours' drive from Soda Springs, Idaho, so I've thought for a long time it would be fun to stop in and meet the fellas from that town: Callshot and Sixshot, two of the great, distinguished members of this forum.
I pass through the area on my (usually) annual motorcycle tour of Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and the Cody, Wyoming area, which are some of my favorite places on our planet. Two years ago, I almost got the chance to stop by and meet Dick (Sixshot) on my way through, but the timing didn't work out.
This year, I planned a little more carefully and pulled it off. I essentially just invited myself to drop in on these guys a few weeks ago, and they were very accommodating. Speaking with Steve (Callshot) on the phone before my trip, I said I had always wanted to meet him and shake his hand. In typical self-deprecating humility, he told me, "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." I wasn't.
We spent a heckuva nice afternoon together. The three of us ate huckleberry milkshakes, went shooting at their excellent range (I envy them for this place, which is maybe 5 minutes from their houses--a little more if the traffic light in town is red.), and sat down in the backyard for some more chit-chat and delicious watermelon.
I left Soda about 5:00 PM headed toward Jackson via Freedom (yeah, that Freedom) and promptly got absolutely soaking wet in a downpour. I wouldn't describe it as rain so much as the sky opening up and dumping an ocean's worth of the biggest drops I've ever seen, plus some hail just to make it interesting.
The whole trip was great, and I might describe more of this adventure later, but I'll say right now that Callshot and Sixshot made the first day thoroughly enjoyable, and I can testify that these two are every bit as nice as I'd expected, based on what others have reported.
I'll post some photos later, hopefully tonight.
I pass through the area on my (usually) annual motorcycle tour of Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and the Cody, Wyoming area, which are some of my favorite places on our planet. Two years ago, I almost got the chance to stop by and meet Dick (Sixshot) on my way through, but the timing didn't work out.
This year, I planned a little more carefully and pulled it off. I essentially just invited myself to drop in on these guys a few weeks ago, and they were very accommodating. Speaking with Steve (Callshot) on the phone before my trip, I said I had always wanted to meet him and shake his hand. In typical self-deprecating humility, he told me, "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." I wasn't.
We spent a heckuva nice afternoon together. The three of us ate huckleberry milkshakes, went shooting at their excellent range (I envy them for this place, which is maybe 5 minutes from their houses--a little more if the traffic light in town is red.), and sat down in the backyard for some more chit-chat and delicious watermelon.
I left Soda about 5:00 PM headed toward Jackson via Freedom (yeah, that Freedom) and promptly got absolutely soaking wet in a downpour. I wouldn't describe it as rain so much as the sky opening up and dumping an ocean's worth of the biggest drops I've ever seen, plus some hail just to make it interesting.
The whole trip was great, and I might describe more of this adventure later, but I'll say right now that Callshot and Sixshot made the first day thoroughly enjoyable, and I can testify that these two are every bit as nice as I'd expected, based on what others have reported.
I'll post some photos later, hopefully tonight.
