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3 Jul 2010
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Brighty in the USA
This will be my first attempt at a live ride report. Hope it turns out well. I arrive in Phx, AZ from England on 11th July and pick up my leased Suzuki DRZ400. I intend riding an anticlockwise loop of the Continental Divide, Lolo Motorway/Oregon Discovery Trail and western Trans Am Trail. Something like this:
Green: CDT
Purple: western TAT
Light blue: ODT
Yellow: Lolo
Dark Blue: Magruder
Planned Timings:
Sun 11th July: Arrive Phoenix, AZ from England and do final tweaks on bike
12 July: Head East and meet Continental Divide Trail at Pie Town, NM (I like the name)
13 July to 23 July: Ride north on the CDT, possibly with side trip on Maguder
Fri 23rd July: Park bike in Missoula, MT and fly to SFO, CA Vacation with family in SoCal
Mon 9th August: Fly LAX back to Missoula, MT
9 Aug to 27 Aug: Head south west connecting Lolo Motorway with Oregon Discovery Trail to where it meets the TAT, west to the Pacific and double back and ride the TAT south east to CO
27 to 29 August: (Tentatively) Attend Horizonsunlimited Colorado meeting at Silverton, CO
29 Aug to 02 September: Start heading towards Phoenix, AZ
Fri September 03: depart Phoenix, AZ back to England
Here's a pic of the bike on the beach just north of Todo Santos, Baja California a little while ago:
Will write more when I arrive in the States.
cheers
Chris
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4 Jul 2010
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This is a great route! Going the whole way Solo?
Colorado should be epic. The passes around Silverton are world class. Utah too has great riding. I love the areas around Moab. You've got a lot of ground to cover on a DRZ. I hope your butt is in shape to make it!
If the heat is dogging you ... you could escape to the coast. It will be 30F degrees cooler. Probably foggy.
I just returned from a ride up to North California, Oregon, Idaho and down again into Nevada's Black Rock Desert. 3000 mile ride. Nevada is quite amazing. I've never followed those cross country trails (TAT et al). Sounds like a challenge! Love to read a RR with pics and details on how you found your way.
We just did Guzzi rally (mostly road ride) and a improvised Hot Springs tour. Mostly all camping. Hot Springs are a good way to bring you back to life after a long day in the saddle. There are thousands out there. Lots of Mossies in the lowlands. Fewer buggers up high.
Safe going!
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4 Jul 2010
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Hee hee - funny you mention Pie Town - I thought exactly the same thing! It's worth stopping here for a slice or two:
The riding from here due north to Durango is excellent too!
J x
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5 Jul 2010
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Lolo...?
Chris....
If you're on the Lolo Motorway south of Missoula and need an overnight, I'd recommend Lochsa Lodge. There's a Park campground and good food at the Lodge. You're also just a little way north of Lowell and the turnoff to Selway Falls. Near the end of the road to the falls, you can climb up and along FR 443 ending up at Elk City, which is near the western end of the Magruder Corridor .... you could then head east along the Magruder to Darby then loop back up toward to Lolo and use the Lolo Motorway from right near the Lodge heading back west toward Kamiah.
Just more options
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6 Jul 2010
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It would be a shame to get this close to canyon lands and not ride through Zion and Bryce National Parks, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon (Do the north side and have it almost to yourself)
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6 Jul 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Smokechaser
It would be a shame to get this close to canyon lands and not ride through Zion and Bryce National Parks, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon (Do the north side and have it almost to yourself)
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Hi Smokechaser
Thanks for your suggestion. This is meant to be an off-pavement trip and this way I'll get to see a lot of different facets of the USA and avoid most of the main tourist areas. FWIW, I've already visited all the sights you suggest in a previous trip.
cheers
Chris
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14 Jul 2010
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12 and 13 July 2010
Monday 12 July 2010: sorted bike stuff. Bloody hot. Conveniently air con has been invented…
Bike in Mike’s kitchen being sorted
Tuesday 13th July: Rode Phoenix, AZ to Pie Town to Grant’s, NM: about 400 miles.
Who ate all the pies?
Fixing water pump seal in motel bathroom.
Tomorrow, north towards to Colorado. Hopefully with much more dirt than today.
Later
Chris
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16 Jul 2010
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14 and 15 July 2010, Grants, NM to El Rito, NM to Salida, CO
14 and 15 July 2010
Grants, NM to El Rito, NM to Salida, CO, about 400 miles. El Rito to Salida on pavement because my front tyre is sh!te. Tomorrow in Breckenridge, CO I hope to get something decent on the front…
Big skies, near Grants, NM
The first 100 miles of dirt today start here
GB biker
The only human I saw in 100 miles. And friendly at that!!
About the only things in common with my bike are 2 wheels and an engine…
Le Rito, NM
Great food
After a night camping in the forest
They don’t make em like they used to
On the Cosmic Highway, south of Salida, CO. Note the stars and stripes shorts. That’s how you can tell UFOs
Hang loose
Chrisp
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16 Jul 2010
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Nice one Chris, wish I was doing that..... 
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17 Jul 2010
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Excellent!
Hey, those old Caddies with the Big Fins are worth a real fortune. Good investment if cheap enough. Nice pics!
Looks like you've got a 50/50 front tire on there? (GP-1 or something?)
Not great in sand for loose stuff.
Maybe you can snag a decent knobby tire? TKC's are expensive but last. T-66 probably not common. MT-21 pretty commonly available. But wait ...
I got an idea: A very common yet VERY GOOD tire for both dirt and street is the Dunlop K739. Came stock on my old XR250. Great on pavement and dirt! (not a DOT tire)
The 739 came stock on several XR Hondas some years ago. I found out (by accident) the front K739 works damn good on pavement. Several friends now run them on their bigger dual sport bikes. (KTM, Honda XR650R, DRZ) It's a knobby tire but somehow works well on pavement too. Not sure how it will last. It is fairly common tire at any dealer that carries tires. Might just be sitting there. Most pure dirt only knobbies are crap on the street, not so the K739 Dunlop.
Good luck, safe riding.
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17 Jul 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chris
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Fixing water pump seal in motel bathroom.
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I have to give it to you, it would be tough getting a GS into any hotel bathroom  ...  . But, you wouldn't have to worry about a water pump either  .
Cool report, keep it coming 
__________________
Thomas
"Hey, ...I'm just ridin' shotgun" 
Last edited by T.REX63; 15 Aug 2010 at 03:10.
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19 Jul 2010
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Jackson, Wy.
Made it to Jackson, Wy. Staying with old friends. Just spent last few hours dismantling whole right side of bike to fix BIG water pump leak. Now everything is bolted back together. Will add rad fluid again tomorrow/Monday morning. Wish me luck that it stops p!ssing out everywhere. Pictures to come...
Also, now got a Dunlop D606 on the front (matching the back) and things feel much less scarey.
Off for more  s, so no time to upload pictures at the moment...
Chrisp
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20 Jul 2010
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16 to 18 July: Salida CO to near Clark CO to Atlantic CIty WY to Jackson WY
Rode long and hard. New front tyre in Breckenridge, CO. Man, the bike feels much better.
The bike handles so much better in the dirt.
Water pump leak got worse and worse. Attempted repair job not successful.
Bike been at repair shop all day. Luckily they had parts. Hopefully finished
Tuesday morning. It would be nice to ride this dirt bike on the dirt rather than
taking the highway everywhere because if I break down, I'm close to someone
who can help me.
The USA is big. This might seem obvious to most Americans, but coming from
Europe you can forget. Big land, big skies, big scenery, pretty scenery.
Superb... (except the bit between Rawlings, WY and Atlantic City WY)
Who said the Yanks can't make good !
Tyre change
No comment
You need to know Cockney rhyming slang (and have purile sense of humour) to find this funny
Tree lined alley
What views...
I think he thought I had sugar
The storm passed me by, Atlantic City YW
Chain lubing at sunrise
The sign says it
X ing x4
More X ing
There's a story to do with this moose (metal). In winter 1995 I sneaked up
on it to get a close up picture. My friends were in hysterics. It took me 5
minutes to realise it wasn't real!
DRZ crank case cover
cheers Chris
Last edited by chris; 20 Jul 2010 at 07:00.
Reason: can't keep my CO and WY apart...
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23 Jul 2010
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19 to 22 July 2010 Jackson WY to Missoula MT
On Mon 19th the bike spent the day at Bob’s Quads in Jackson WY. If you’re stuck with a busted bike close to Yellowstone, you could do a lot worse than ask Bob for help. Real good and competent. Water pump is now sorted, hopefully for the remainder of this trip. My friends Rob and Molly were great hosts. Super big thanks.
The last time I was in Jackson WY visiting Rob was in the summer of 2000 and my then bike broke down too! See Chapter 12 The Big Trip This time I turn up and the current bike is struggling… Both people who fixed the respective bikes were called Bob. Also my tyre problems, mentioned previously involved the brand Golden Boy, Made In China POS, see Chapter 6 The Big Trip Too many parallels.
The trip past Yellowstone and through Idaho and into Montana was fun. Here are some pictures:
Nice furniture at the antique shop where Rob works
Yet again outside the GAY Million Dollar Cowboy Bar: 334_Sorry_I_only_have_10p
Teton Mountains
Straight on on Idaho Track 001
Disused railway bridge on Track 001
Great paddling and fishing country
You ugly too…
Waiting for the storm to pass from west to east., near Bannack State Park, Montana
Time for a bath
Light weight axe. Overweight is under prepared as Chris and Dave of Adventure-spec: off-road motorbike gear, UK, road touring, rally, rallye, RTW, Stan Watt, GiT, Guard it Technology say…
Just after sunset, Bannack, MT
Lots of these en route
Harley Bingo Wings, Missoula Montana
I’ll be out of touch now for 2 weeks while vacationing in southern California with my wife and son. I’m sure you don’t want pictures of Disney World and other random theme parks… Back in the road around 9th August, heading south west along the Lolo Motorway and the Oregon Discovery Trail and back to CO on the TAT.
Cheers
Chris
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15 Aug 2010
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Lolo Motorway and Oregon Discovery Trail 10th to 13th Aug 2010
Lolo Motorway and Oregon Discovery Trail 10th to 13th Aug 2010
Right, I'm back. Bet you missed my missives, or not...
Had a great time in California doing the family thing. So to start us off, here's a little quiz. Kind of audience participation thing.
Which of these Californians floats your boat the most:
A. Hollywood girls
B. Venice Beach Girl
C. Disneyland "girl"
D. Disneyland Boy: bet he looks good in chaps on a Honda C90 (If you like that sort of thing...)
Or maybe he could ride this: Ideal for a round the world trip?
So, who's your favourite?
Anyway, I forgot, this is a biking ride report. Sorry.
A vast selection of s in Missoula MT. I left 18 hours late because of a big rain storm and the s drunk with Lance and Lisa. Lance was a great host who super helpful looking after my bike while I was in CA. Thanks mate!
Lance in deep contemplation at Garaj Mahal, Missoula
It was cold, but not too damp on the Lolo Motorway in Idaho
In transit to Walla Walla for the start of the ODT: This pic looks familiar
328_Little_and_large_Idaho from my Round the World trip 10 years ago...
The rain eventually came
After the rain comes the sun
Not much happens in Ukiah OR, a bit different from the 6 lane parking lot that is I-5 through LA
Saw nobody for 3 hours
Wilderness
A 100 foot ford to cross at 7pm in the evening. After my experiences with the Corwen Carwash in north Wales a year or 2 ago, I walked the bike across. There was nobody within 30 miles who would help pick up my bike out the river if I dropped it
Planning the next day's journey
Wilderness II
The nice lady in the fire lookout tower who told me all about what's needed to track fires. I told her about riding Enfields
in Ladakh, northern India
OK, that's it for a day or 2. Off for more riding
One last thing: I saw this shop window at Disneyland, so I've changed my name:
Sincerely Randy
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Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
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Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
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helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
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