August 16th
We awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of our bikes crashing to the ground and the sound of claws tearing apart the bikes. As we lay there trembling in our little hammocks I realized that I shouldn't mislead you like this.
It was freezing cold in the morning, there was frost over everything, so we packed up as fast as we could and headed towards Dillion for some hot breakfast. Found a diner and I drank more coffee in one sitting then I had in all my previous years put together. Weird what the West does to a person. =) When we hit the road again it had warmed up to 50 degrees and it felt wonderful! Into the mountains we shot for the story of the day. A big hill climb on Fleecer mountain. What makes this hill challenging is it's length and the loose gravel the whole way up. It really wouldn't be to hard without all the weight we had with our luggage and low offroad gears. Duane headed up first and looked like a cowboy trying to ride a bronco. The loose gravel had him flying all over the place. He hung on though till just about the top, high enough that Ty and I could hardly see what was happening way up there, were he laid it over. Ty tried next and puttered right up for the most part. He had a low first gear and the best tire among us. So that leaves me. I didn't have a lot of confidence after seeing how the other bikes handled because my bike was geared higher and is much heavier making it hard to handle. So up I went, about a third of the way, till the first real steep part, were the bike thought it knew best and started flying all over the place and ended up sideways on the hill and stalled. Well anybody that rides motorcycle knows what happened next. The bike and I started rolling down the hill, me first and the bike chasing me. I managed to stop it after about three rolls and picked it up and nothing was broke at all. These bikes are tough buggers for all we put them through. Duane ended up coming back down and trying again and made it up about the same distance as before, but with Ty's help he got going again and made it to the top, I headed back down the mountain and drove around and met them on the other side. I wasn't going to push my luck and have something major break that would cost me the rest of the trip.
We carried on, on some nice dirt roads and make it into Butte MT(pronounced butt by Tyler :D) where we decided to change our oil again. After riding around town for awhile we found a dealer and took care of that job in the parking lot. Our GPS lead us into National Forest ground next were we found a nice place to camp and even had our first campfire of the trip on the last night of camping on the CDT. We thought it best not to cook anything after last nights grizzly experience. :D
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Words really can't express, but I did try =)
August 15th
The motorcycle dealer we planned to get tires at opened at 9 so we showed up just a little after and each of us found a tire that suited us. Till we got the tires changed and some lunch it was about 1 in the afternoon. We headed up through Idaho to Montana and into some of the most beautiful country we’ve been through yet. We did a little detour on a mountain called the Gravelly Range. The road went up through the valley, then climbed up to near the top at 9500 ft and came back down the top of the ridge making a 75 mile loop of stunning scenery. Sadly we don’t have many pictures of this because Duane’s camera’s battery went dead and mine and Ty’s died. Tylers died of old age and the other day I dropped mine at 60 mph and it didn’t survive. 90 percent of my pics were taken on the bike while moving right along so I guess it was just a matter of time till it hit the pavement. Anyway it was a awesome ride way up in the Rockies as the sun was setting in the west shinning amber rays down over the rocky peaks stretching into the sky. It was breathtaking to see and it did literally take our breaths away because of the height and the fact that it was about 40 degrees and windy enough to blow you off the road. I did manage to ride to an old snow drift from last winter and make an snowball. Till we worked our way down the mountain the sun had made it’s journey down below the mountains in the west. So we headed up the valley towards Dillion, MT. As the moon started peaking up in the East we cooked some soup and ramen noodles for supper and then drove a couple miles down the road from our food to camp because apparently we are in grizzly country. I’m not to worried about them but better safe then sorry, especially since none of us are packing any heat because of wanting to come home through Canada.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Found the Tetons
August 14th
Not to much exciting happened today, which I guess is a good thing for us but makes a boring blog entry. Had a lot of pavement today up to the Moab Junction just south of the toll gate to get into the Tetons National Park. We decided we didn't feel like paying 20 bucks per bike so we headed south to Jackson Hole, WY. Found a camp site just across the Idaho line and headed for there. We settled in around six and plan to try and find a dealership that has some new tires as ours are wearing down much faster then we anticipated. Looking to then get into Montana tomorrow.
Not to much exciting happened today, which I guess is a good thing for us but makes a boring blog entry. Had a lot of pavement today up to the Moab Junction just south of the toll gate to get into the Tetons National Park. We decided we didn't feel like paying 20 bucks per bike so we headed south to Jackson Hole, WY. Found a camp site just across the Idaho line and headed for there. We settled in around six and plan to try and find a dealership that has some new tires as ours are wearing down much faster then we anticipated. Looking to then get into Montana tomorrow.
More flats =(
August 13th
Sleep in till eight and got loaded up and ready to go by about 9:30 and discovered that my back tire was flat. Slightly frustrated we took the wheel off and decided to let the Yamaha dealer next door do the hard work when we learned they had opened up. Hit the road by 11 and headed into the rolling high country of Wyoming. The sand/gravel roads afforded fast running. We saw a least 100 antelope through this section of the ride. Several of which were very nice buck. We made it up to Pinedale, WY and guess what I got. Another flat in the rear tire. The hole in the tube was at the same spot as the last one which made us suspicious of a piece of metal in the tire which was rubbing holes in the tube. Turns out we were right as we found a small piece of wire in the tire. Patched the tube and put it all back together and it was 7 pm already. Headed into the mountains to find some National Forrest ground for some free camping and called it a day at around dark.
Sleep in till eight and got loaded up and ready to go by about 9:30 and discovered that my back tire was flat. Slightly frustrated we took the wheel off and decided to let the Yamaha dealer next door do the hard work when we learned they had opened up. Hit the road by 11 and headed into the rolling high country of Wyoming. The sand/gravel roads afforded fast running. We saw a least 100 antelope through this section of the ride. Several of which were very nice buck. We made it up to Pinedale, WY and guess what I got. Another flat in the rear tire. The hole in the tube was at the same spot as the last one which made us suspicious of a piece of metal in the tire which was rubbing holes in the tube. Turns out we were right as we found a small piece of wire in the tire. Patched the tube and put it all back together and it was 7 pm already. Headed into the mountains to find some National Forrest ground for some free camping and called it a day at around dark.
Ty blames it on the full moon...
August 12
Woke up to a frigid morning, there was a touch of frost on our bags. We all have 20 degree sleeping bags so we stayed warm overnight but in the morning was another story. It was cold getting ready to go and we had pretty much all clothes on and that did the trick as we stayed warm as we started riding. Rolled into Steamboat Springs, CO around lunch time and did some shopping and connecting with home. Hit the road around 2 and we decided to do an alternate track instead of burning up the paved road. Well, that turned out to be a very fun one but it wasn’t with out it’s problems. The trail turned into a very rough and sometimes single track path. We were totally fine with that but our luggage kept getting in the way with how we would have liked to ride. Our first incident came when Tyler tried to go around a slight turn and dumped it. Nothing was broke so he picked it up and did the same thing 20 ft later and then realized that his front tire was flat, which was why he kept laying it over. Half hour later the tire was fixed and we were rolling, I mean bouncing, down the jeep trail. I was in the lead and came to a stream crossing. I’m not sure what I was thinking because normally I am a very conservative rider and am not into do anything to risky. But I apparently didn’t think this over as soon as I went in the water was up to my motor and I was bouncing over large rocks and dumped right in the stream. So a clean bike and two water filled boots later I was across. The reason I’m not sure what I was thinking is because just up stream there was a small bridge that we could have fit across, Duane and Ty did after I dumped it in the creek. So we carried on as the sun was falling. Our next incident was with some very sticky mud. I came to a spot on the trail that had some potholes in, which were full of mud. Worked my way threw them but Tyler wasn’t so lucky. He sank his back wheel in a pothole and it took all three of us to get it out. Here is what it looked like.
Well it was dark when we found pavement again and with my cold feet and last nights cold in the back of our minds we wussed out and decided to get another hotel for the night. The closest hotel was in Rawlings, WY so we steamed up the road for fifty miles to Rawlings. We got into our room about 10 p.m.
Woke up to a frigid morning, there was a touch of frost on our bags. We all have 20 degree sleeping bags so we stayed warm overnight but in the morning was another story. It was cold getting ready to go and we had pretty much all clothes on and that did the trick as we stayed warm as we started riding. Rolled into Steamboat Springs, CO around lunch time and did some shopping and connecting with home. Hit the road around 2 and we decided to do an alternate track instead of burning up the paved road. Well, that turned out to be a very fun one but it wasn’t with out it’s problems. The trail turned into a very rough and sometimes single track path. We were totally fine with that but our luggage kept getting in the way with how we would have liked to ride. Our first incident came when Tyler tried to go around a slight turn and dumped it. Nothing was broke so he picked it up and did the same thing 20 ft later and then realized that his front tire was flat, which was why he kept laying it over. Half hour later the tire was fixed and we were rolling, I mean bouncing, down the jeep trail. I was in the lead and came to a stream crossing. I’m not sure what I was thinking because normally I am a very conservative rider and am not into do anything to risky. But I apparently didn’t think this over as soon as I went in the water was up to my motor and I was bouncing over large rocks and dumped right in the stream. So a clean bike and two water filled boots later I was across. The reason I’m not sure what I was thinking is because just up stream there was a small bridge that we could have fit across, Duane and Ty did after I dumped it in the creek. So we carried on as the sun was falling. Our next incident was with some very sticky mud. I came to a spot on the trail that had some potholes in, which were full of mud. Worked my way threw them but Tyler wasn’t so lucky. He sank his back wheel in a pothole and it took all three of us to get it out. Here is what it looked like.
Well it was dark when we found pavement again and with my cold feet and last nights cold in the back of our minds we wussed out and decided to get another hotel for the night. The closest hotel was in Rawlings, WY so we steamed up the road for fifty miles to Rawlings. We got into our room about 10 p.m.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Its getting cold!
August 11th
Got going around 8:00 and headed up through the valley. Ran on lots of gravel roads through the rolling foot hills of the Rockies which was all cattle country. Later in the day we finally came to a road leading up into the mountains. It took us up to over 11,000 ft. and we found a rocky trail going farther up the mt. Being the adventure riders we are we headed up. We managed to climb up to 11,900 ft till it got to steep for our bikes in the high altitude. There was a storm brewing in the west so we thought it best to get down off the mountain and as we came down in to Breckenridge, CO it was dumping rain down up on the mountain tops. Rolled on to Dilion, CO and then up past Kremmling, CO to a national forest campground on top of the mountain which was 9,000 ft in elevation and very cold.
I threw up a bunch more pictures up.
Got going around 8:00 and headed up through the valley. Ran on lots of gravel roads through the rolling foot hills of the Rockies which was all cattle country. Later in the day we finally came to a road leading up into the mountains. It took us up to over 11,000 ft. and we found a rocky trail going farther up the mt. Being the adventure riders we are we headed up. We managed to climb up to 11,900 ft till it got to steep for our bikes in the high altitude. There was a storm brewing in the west so we thought it best to get down off the mountain and as we came down in to Breckenridge, CO it was dumping rain down up on the mountain tops. Rolled on to Dilion, CO and then up past Kremmling, CO to a national forest campground on top of the mountain which was 9,000 ft in elevation and very cold.
I threw up a bunch more pictures up.
Up up and away!
August 10th
Left camp, which was just outside Cuba, NM, about 8:30 and started climbing up through the mountains on a very wash boarded road which made for a very annoying ride. A road that is wash boarded is when very small ruts develop from heavy log trucks starting and stopping and when on a cycle it shakes and vibrates everything including the driver. We wound in and around the mountain range till eventually the road rose above 10,000 ft which was cool at the time. (we didn't know what was coming) Bumped into a herd of Elk, several cows and a couple decent sized bulls. Came to a small hill which was totally covered in rocks, normally we would have been ecstatic about a road like this, but with 50 lbs gear on the back the road presented a challenge. But we made it through with no problems. Kept pushing on through some of the most beautiful country one can imagine still at high elevation. Eventually we crossed the New Mexico boarder into Colorado still high in the Rockies. What we rode through next is really hard to describe with words! It was awesome!!! Winding around a dirt road up above 10,000 ft looking out into huge gorges, valleys, and up to the high peaks stretching into the sky. Riding along totally enjoying ourselves we came upon a high mountain roundtop with a weather station tower on top. Seeing a road winding up, we couldn't resist! So up we went bouncing over rocks trying not to fall off the edge because it was a looong way down. Burr!! It was getting cold and very windy way up here. As we pulled up onto the top 1.8 miles of uphill later the gps read 12,660 ft!!!
We were pretty excited to make it up that high and it was very easy to tell the air was thin because walking around the top a bunch had us breathing heavy. We headed down the round top and kept going down, down, around, and down and bashed into the feed store in downtown Del Norte, CO. After asking around about camping we found out the liquor store in town let bikers camp in the lot beside the store so that is were we set up camp for the night since the next closest place was a good 45 min away.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)