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Just got back from this trip and figured I'd do a quick writeup...
Saturday June 28: Gwynne offers a ride to Yellowstone. I decide to replace the chain on my SV1000 before the trip, only to find a leaky clutch slave. No way I can get the part in time.
Sunday June 29: I get in touch with my mom, and get permission to ride my late father's SuperDuke. It's a similar bike to mine, although it has some differences. At the beginning of this trip it had 41xx miles on it, and a fairly fresh set of S20s. Now it's at 70xx with a rear almost showing cords. However, it did admirably, with mountain passes up past 11,300ft. It stumbled a little around 3800rpm at altitude, which it doesn't do at sea level, but it wasn't hard to ride around or through the stumble.
Monday, June 30: Pack for the trip. Drive the car from SLO to Berkeley. Find the tank bag for the KTM. Realize it's smaller than I expected, pack less. Inventory: 1 pair jeans, 4 pairs socks/underwear/tshirts, Cyclegear Heat Out upper/lower, 1 piece leathers, Sidi Vertigo Corsas, helmet/gloves, small snacks/5 hour energy, plug kit, toothbrush, deodorant. Ride over to Gwynne's, toss the bike in the truck. Leave at 7:30 or 8pm. Drive until it's almost getting light out again in Eastern NV, not yet to Elko. Pull over and nap for an hour and a half. Deal with a massive dog that isn't very happy most of the time.
Tuesday, July 1: Wake up when it starts getting lighter out, maybe 5:30am. Hit the road again. Keep going until we get there, 6:30pm? Continue dealing with dog. Unload the KTM. Ride 100 miles to Hoback Campground, freeze my ass off sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground. http://goo.gl/maps/xNfmi
Wednesday, July 2: Wake up early, cold. Hit the road before 6am because there's nothing else to do. Grab coffee and a breakfast burrito in Daniel, WY. Warm up for the better part of an hour, as my fingers had been pretty damn frozen (painful and numb). Continue down 191 through Flaming Gorge to 40 past Dinosaur, into the mountains, up past 11,300ft in passes. End up at my aunts' house in Denver to find out they're getting married in less than a week (Tuesday July 8) but that I don't have the time to stay. http://goo.gl/maps/hQklX
Thursday, July 3: Hang out, catch up with people. Drive down to a National Forest to go shooting with my cousin, get caught in a serious thunderstorm. Lightning hit less than 100yd away, I could taste it even in the truck.
Friday, July 4: Go on a ride with someone from the internet who lives in Fort Collins. Go through Estes Park to Lyons for lunch. He had to work at lunch, so my cousin and I decided to try shooting again, this time in Pawnee Grasslands. It was dry when we showed up, but started raining right away. After a little rain it paused, but didn't look like it would stay away. I decided it would be a good idea to leave. When I tried to do so, I found that the road had turned to muck for a few hundred yards. It was sticky enough that it jammed between my front tire and fender, and the bike decided to take a nap. Normally when you're sliding around gassing it helps, but when the front tire is locked it just makes it worse. Oops. Luckily, no damage to it that I could find, or to me (other than a bruised ego). However, the shift lever somehow flipped around so I couldn't downshift at all. It took a few upshifts to find that, leaving the bike unrideable and I didn't have tools with me. I called the aforementioned internet friend and he hooked up his trailer and came and got me out. He brought an allen wrench so we could get the shift lever back in place, and we cleaned up the bike (not to pristine, but so dirt didn't get in the way - it wouldn't stay pristine anyway). Chain got special attention, of course. Got back on the bike and rode back down to Denver. http://goo.gl/maps/IwSKo
Saturday, July 5: Relatives in town from WY, hung out and caught up with people.
Sunday, July 6: Got out the door around 7:30am, later than I wanted because my sleeping bag had been locked in the truck. Rode through a few mountain passes on the way through the mountains, bike continued to do reasonably well at altitude. Maybe it felt like an SV650, but that's to be expected up there. 285 and 50 were pretty and reasonably fun. Million Dollar Highway was pretty, but slow with lots of traffic. Good for some riders, not quite what I was looking for. After Cortez, and in NM/AZ, it sucked. I've now ridden in AZ twice and haven't liked either time. Got into UT and it got prettier and more fun. 163 had what they called "unimproved road" which scared me, but it was well graded and very easy. Ran into a couple on F800GSs on it. Decided to spend a bit more than I wanted for a motel in Hanksville rather than camping after a 700+mi day. http://goo.gl/maps/takV6
Monday, July 7: Hit the road around 7am. When I left Denver, after the mud fiasco, I decided not to do dirt. At the start of the day, and feeling good, I saw a sign pointing to Burr Trail. What I didn't realize is that this wasn't the normal way in, and was probably less pretty and more difficult than the typical way. I did something like 40mi off pavement, with plenty of washboard as well as silt/sand. My entrance was through Notom. Once I got to Burr Trail itself, it got significantly easier. Very pretty. I wouldn't suggest the Notom entrance on street tires/suspension, though. Once Burr Trail went back to pavement it was fun, although posted at absurdly low speed limits. I'm glad I didn't get caught. Got back on 12, and got stuck in traffic. Saw the turnoff to Devil's Backbone, which had been recommended. Also pretty, and much less challenging than Notom. However, it was very slow in places. 48 miles total, all gravel. Got back to pavement, and made my way down (through very pretty areas, around Bryce Canyon National Park) to Zion. Traffic sucked, as expected for a National Park. Before getting into Enterprise I went through a pretty nasty thunderstorm. Got thoroughly soaked, which I wasn't prepared for. Out on NF roads, I ended up taking a wrong turn resulting in significantly more dirt mileage. 40 miles on gravel got me out to 93. Lots of it was washboarded, with significant tirespin. Inspecting my back tire at a gas station scared me, I was on the wearbars on a tire that was at 37psi cold that looked fine that morning. I rode up 93 to Ely, NV slower than I wanted to, to save the tire. It was early but I decided after a few very draining roads that I would get to bed early, so I had a few beers and got to bed early. http://goo.gl/maps/npKcs
Tuesday, July 8: Hit the road a little before 6am. I hoped I would be able to find somewhere in Reno with a tire, but after help from a friend and calling around I didn't have many options. 40 wasn't as lonely as I had expected, although it was quiet for a federal highway. My tire did incredibly well on the way across 40, due to lower speeds than I wanted to do and cooler early morning temperatures. I'm pretty sure it was the gravel roads and wheelspin that ate the tire more than anything else, but I didn't know that until I got more miles on the tire after finding it pretty much done. At the point that I was in Reno with no cords - or even pre-cord peeling - I decided to try to get home on the tire. It made it in the end, without many pics. http://goo.gl/maps/tivzG
Thanks to Gwynne for the ride out to Yellowstone, and to Beau for help finding somewhere with a tire (even if it didn't end up happening).
The bike, loaded up in Gwynne's truck
Sunset, I think this was in the valley somewhere
Dawn in Eastern Nevada. Some offramp from 80, somewhere before Elko (where we stopped for breakfast at ~6am). We napped for an hour and change as both of us were too tired to drive.
Somewhere in Idaho I think
Out of the truck, with the prize in the truck
The prize
Somewhere between my campsite and Daniel, WY. Warming up in the sun as it got pretty chilly at night and I was sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground. I woke up early, maybe 5:30, got on the road around 6. The nearest weather station to the campground hit 34 that night, and most of my fingertips were numb and painful by the time I got to breakfast. Being up past 6000ft it gets cold quickly.
This was off 191, not sure if it was still WY or if I was in UT by then. Either way, near Flaming Gorge.
More from the same area
And another
Saturday June 28: Gwynne offers a ride to Yellowstone. I decide to replace the chain on my SV1000 before the trip, only to find a leaky clutch slave. No way I can get the part in time.
Sunday June 29: I get in touch with my mom, and get permission to ride my late father's SuperDuke. It's a similar bike to mine, although it has some differences. At the beginning of this trip it had 41xx miles on it, and a fairly fresh set of S20s. Now it's at 70xx with a rear almost showing cords. However, it did admirably, with mountain passes up past 11,300ft. It stumbled a little around 3800rpm at altitude, which it doesn't do at sea level, but it wasn't hard to ride around or through the stumble.
Monday, June 30: Pack for the trip. Drive the car from SLO to Berkeley. Find the tank bag for the KTM. Realize it's smaller than I expected, pack less. Inventory: 1 pair jeans, 4 pairs socks/underwear/tshirts, Cyclegear Heat Out upper/lower, 1 piece leathers, Sidi Vertigo Corsas, helmet/gloves, small snacks/5 hour energy, plug kit, toothbrush, deodorant. Ride over to Gwynne's, toss the bike in the truck. Leave at 7:30 or 8pm. Drive until it's almost getting light out again in Eastern NV, not yet to Elko. Pull over and nap for an hour and a half. Deal with a massive dog that isn't very happy most of the time.
Tuesday, July 1: Wake up when it starts getting lighter out, maybe 5:30am. Hit the road again. Keep going until we get there, 6:30pm? Continue dealing with dog. Unload the KTM. Ride 100 miles to Hoback Campground, freeze my ass off sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground. http://goo.gl/maps/xNfmi
Wednesday, July 2: Wake up early, cold. Hit the road before 6am because there's nothing else to do. Grab coffee and a breakfast burrito in Daniel, WY. Warm up for the better part of an hour, as my fingers had been pretty damn frozen (painful and numb). Continue down 191 through Flaming Gorge to 40 past Dinosaur, into the mountains, up past 11,300ft in passes. End up at my aunts' house in Denver to find out they're getting married in less than a week (Tuesday July 8) but that I don't have the time to stay. http://goo.gl/maps/hQklX
Thursday, July 3: Hang out, catch up with people. Drive down to a National Forest to go shooting with my cousin, get caught in a serious thunderstorm. Lightning hit less than 100yd away, I could taste it even in the truck.
Friday, July 4: Go on a ride with someone from the internet who lives in Fort Collins. Go through Estes Park to Lyons for lunch. He had to work at lunch, so my cousin and I decided to try shooting again, this time in Pawnee Grasslands. It was dry when we showed up, but started raining right away. After a little rain it paused, but didn't look like it would stay away. I decided it would be a good idea to leave. When I tried to do so, I found that the road had turned to muck for a few hundred yards. It was sticky enough that it jammed between my front tire and fender, and the bike decided to take a nap. Normally when you're sliding around gassing it helps, but when the front tire is locked it just makes it worse. Oops. Luckily, no damage to it that I could find, or to me (other than a bruised ego). However, the shift lever somehow flipped around so I couldn't downshift at all. It took a few upshifts to find that, leaving the bike unrideable and I didn't have tools with me. I called the aforementioned internet friend and he hooked up his trailer and came and got me out. He brought an allen wrench so we could get the shift lever back in place, and we cleaned up the bike (not to pristine, but so dirt didn't get in the way - it wouldn't stay pristine anyway). Chain got special attention, of course. Got back on the bike and rode back down to Denver. http://goo.gl/maps/IwSKo
Saturday, July 5: Relatives in town from WY, hung out and caught up with people.
Sunday, July 6: Got out the door around 7:30am, later than I wanted because my sleeping bag had been locked in the truck. Rode through a few mountain passes on the way through the mountains, bike continued to do reasonably well at altitude. Maybe it felt like an SV650, but that's to be expected up there. 285 and 50 were pretty and reasonably fun. Million Dollar Highway was pretty, but slow with lots of traffic. Good for some riders, not quite what I was looking for. After Cortez, and in NM/AZ, it sucked. I've now ridden in AZ twice and haven't liked either time. Got into UT and it got prettier and more fun. 163 had what they called "unimproved road" which scared me, but it was well graded and very easy. Ran into a couple on F800GSs on it. Decided to spend a bit more than I wanted for a motel in Hanksville rather than camping after a 700+mi day. http://goo.gl/maps/takV6
Monday, July 7: Hit the road around 7am. When I left Denver, after the mud fiasco, I decided not to do dirt. At the start of the day, and feeling good, I saw a sign pointing to Burr Trail. What I didn't realize is that this wasn't the normal way in, and was probably less pretty and more difficult than the typical way. I did something like 40mi off pavement, with plenty of washboard as well as silt/sand. My entrance was through Notom. Once I got to Burr Trail itself, it got significantly easier. Very pretty. I wouldn't suggest the Notom entrance on street tires/suspension, though. Once Burr Trail went back to pavement it was fun, although posted at absurdly low speed limits. I'm glad I didn't get caught. Got back on 12, and got stuck in traffic. Saw the turnoff to Devil's Backbone, which had been recommended. Also pretty, and much less challenging than Notom. However, it was very slow in places. 48 miles total, all gravel. Got back to pavement, and made my way down (through very pretty areas, around Bryce Canyon National Park) to Zion. Traffic sucked, as expected for a National Park. Before getting into Enterprise I went through a pretty nasty thunderstorm. Got thoroughly soaked, which I wasn't prepared for. Out on NF roads, I ended up taking a wrong turn resulting in significantly more dirt mileage. 40 miles on gravel got me out to 93. Lots of it was washboarded, with significant tirespin. Inspecting my back tire at a gas station scared me, I was on the wearbars on a tire that was at 37psi cold that looked fine that morning. I rode up 93 to Ely, NV slower than I wanted to, to save the tire. It was early but I decided after a few very draining roads that I would get to bed early, so I had a few beers and got to bed early. http://goo.gl/maps/npKcs
Tuesday, July 8: Hit the road a little before 6am. I hoped I would be able to find somewhere in Reno with a tire, but after help from a friend and calling around I didn't have many options. 40 wasn't as lonely as I had expected, although it was quiet for a federal highway. My tire did incredibly well on the way across 40, due to lower speeds than I wanted to do and cooler early morning temperatures. I'm pretty sure it was the gravel roads and wheelspin that ate the tire more than anything else, but I didn't know that until I got more miles on the tire after finding it pretty much done. At the point that I was in Reno with no cords - or even pre-cord peeling - I decided to try to get home on the tire. It made it in the end, without many pics. http://goo.gl/maps/tivzG
Thanks to Gwynne for the ride out to Yellowstone, and to Beau for help finding somewhere with a tire (even if it didn't end up happening).
The bike, loaded up in Gwynne's truck
Sunset, I think this was in the valley somewhere
Dawn in Eastern Nevada. Some offramp from 80, somewhere before Elko (where we stopped for breakfast at ~6am). We napped for an hour and change as both of us were too tired to drive.
Somewhere in Idaho I think
Out of the truck, with the prize in the truck
The prize
Somewhere between my campsite and Daniel, WY. Warming up in the sun as it got pretty chilly at night and I was sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground. I woke up early, maybe 5:30, got on the road around 6. The nearest weather station to the campground hit 34 that night, and most of my fingertips were numb and painful by the time I got to breakfast. Being up past 6000ft it gets cold quickly.
This was off 191, not sure if it was still WY or if I was in UT by then. Either way, near Flaming Gorge.
More from the same area
And another
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