The annual ride that I try to do with my friend Al intended to be in October this year - we planned to visit the Trinity Site in Alamogordo; the place where the first atomic bomb was detonated. No particular reason to go there except it was a destination and as a lot of my life has been impacted by nukes and governments that possess them thought it might be interesting to see where it all began. I evaluated that plan with a more close examination of our intended route and time of year and decided it wasn't all that smart. The weather can be unpredictable and the daily mileage requirements left no room for snow delays, or slippery October roads in the Rockies - plus it would have been cold.
Instead I planned a route through Utah over familiar roads, with enough time to unwind from work and rejuvenate. Normally I ride solo, or with Al but somehow this year other riders, some from work, and some customers from the shop got included. The process of including others is lost to an aged memory but I recall being nervous about the company of others, and the unfamiliar condition that being in a group presented me. When I ride I look forward to transitions - like night becoming day, or cold becoming hot. I seems to me the richest part of life occurs in times of transition and I set my mind to this event as it being a transitional thing for me. With that sorted I thought about my companions and adjusted the ride length for each day and altered the route to include the best of motorcycle roads I knew of and scenery to gawk at. In my view one can't go wrong with Nevada and Utah as the backbone of a grand tour I had in mind.
7 riders were signed on for the ride. My friend Al had a medical issue and a bike mechanical failure that prevented his coming. Another rider cut his ride short after a day to be with a spouse who had some disconcerting medical test results (all is OK). Another rider was out of town for the start of the ride but flew home in time to meet us in Moab after a couple of long freeway days. With that as a background I'll tell you how it went from my perspective. I'm hoping the others will add some of their experiences to this document as well.
Day 1 - Three of us departed our dealership about 0930 on Sunday morning after attending to some business and rode freeway from Fife, WA to Mountain Home, ID. I don't like freeway riding that much but there is no other fast way out of Washington or Oregon and I don't feel "released" until I'm in Idaho or California. Besides, I wanted to ride elsewhere and not waste time in my home turf. Dismal trip as I kept at the speed limit or maybe 5 mph over. I didn't want a ticket and sure enough there was a little police protection evident which went after the less cautious. I also didn't have my radar detector with me as I was riding a new motorcycle and testing different equipment that would not allow radar devices to be incorporated into the mix. So I went slow. Two riders left Seattle and were hours ahead of us. In a long time we met in Mountain home to briefly decide when to leave in the morning. 0700 sounded good to me.
Day 2 - As mentioned one of our party left for home, and the remaining four took off for Cedar City, UT south along highway 51. It was cold when we left, about 45 degrees and progressively became colder to 35 degrees on my bike's temp gauge.
Janet photo - no food or coffee, cold, but a big smile anyway!
By Mountain City Jen pulled over "gotta add some layers - cold - twisty bits coming up - I don't want to be rigid from the cold - we gonna eat in Elko?". Twisty bits were fun, and it warmed up a bit for transition 4 of the day. It had already been warm to cold, heated gear back to warm, and now the sun was shining. The tight corners enjoyed in contrast to the previous straight and narrow. Got fuel in Elko and descended on a restaurant for calories. Refueled we headed West for a bit and turned South for Nevada highway 50 and Eureka.
This is one of my favorite roads with a great surface and more transitions based on straight and flat high speed opportunities mixed with mountainous twisty sections.
The three "youngsters" took off from Eureka and I dawdled a bit. We met again in Elko. People were beginning to unwind and the rider banter included "neat road". I mentioned the rest of the ride into Cedar City was kind of uninteresting - but I lied.
Janet Photo - we negotiated several of these exchanges, straights and mountain twisty sections - she figured to get one shot before she ran out of the area.
Just more of the same up hill and down hill with straights and twisty sections to keep things interesting. It was hot, as Nevada should be, but September hot is way different than July hot - so nobody got dehydrated. At Cedar City we parted for the night. Jen, David, and Janet were prepared to camp. I was not, having decided to do motels with Al and Bob - both of whom had to abort the ride. So odd man out I headed for a cheap sleep and the three others went camping.
I don't know what they did for food but I ate steak and swam in the heated pool. Then fell asleep like dead people.
Day 3 - We agreed the night before to meet at Ruby's Inn outside Bryce Canyon NP. I got up early to ride highway 14 to 89 and then 12 to Ruby's Inn. The sunrise is magnificent sending rays of morning light onto the canyon walls and the temperature drops rapidly as I ascend to the high country about mid route 14.
There are deer all over the place - big ones and now the sun is in my eyes so I go slow, becoming a bit of an obstruction for the working guys who are headed to work in their pickups. Better to be hit by a truck than slam a deer I can't see - and I pull over anyway to let the boys go by. I eat breakfast at Ruby's and grab some coffee to nurse outside while people watching. I don't dawdle like this on rides and fight the urge to just take off.
The others are delayed by a motorcycle accident - rider with no helmet got whacked in the head. I think the unofficial term was DRT - Dead Right There.
Photo by David
After some group time I rode ahead to Torrey while the others visited Bryce Canyon.
Janet Photo - Bryce Canyon
The F800ST I'm riding is becoming more familiar and I have an almost orgasmic ride. I'm used to riding bikes with twice the power and discovered I have to shift the 800 down to 3rd and 4th to have the juice for a good roll on out of a corner. I also learn, because of the conventional suspension the 800 has, that I have to set the bike up differently for a corner. It was frustrating yesterday trying to ride the F800ST like a K1200S, but now I am adjusting in the right direction. Feeling like a hot shot until a guy on an ST1300 blew by - better rider - hence no orgasm. I do contend with a rain storm for about 20 minutes but that just made the Cappuccino in Torrey all that much better. I know the area around Torrey so rode a twisty road while I waited for the group and arrive just as they roll in. Nothing but big smiles from the others.
Photo by David
Janet Photo - Rain in the background
The road from Bryce to Torrey is a biker's dream. Jen says through a huge grin "that was some serious adult fun".
I'm enjoying this. My wish was for each of us to ride our own ride and gather at night. In this way my companions could sort of discover things in their own way without a tour guide to say stop here, and watch out for that, and so on. It seemed to be working. Given that assurance, I suggested they have cameras at the ready as they headed South into Capital Reef (they did) - I was headed for Blanding, UT and a motel reservation - they for a campground along the way. Adios.
Photo by David - Part of Capital Reef
Janet Photo - Capital Reef
Janet Photo - Capital Reef
Apart from being held up by a motor-home for a few miles, I had the road to myself. The temperatures remained high and as I rode I hoped I would get more of the rain - it was in my path. Sure enough I would get a shower and cool off and then dry out for a few miles, then another shower, and so on. Talk about transitions - I felt intoxicated. The beauty of the Glenn Canyon area is overwhelming and I stop many times to take it in.
Photo by David
Doing so consumes daylight and I run out of it about 50 miles from Blanding. Once again I slow for deer and there are so many I figure maybe deer whistles could be a good thing after all. It is very windy, and raining when I enter Blanding and it is late. I do score a premium can of Spam and a cup of disgusting coffee at a gas station mini mart, and again sleep soundly.
Day 4 - I'm up early and headed for Moab, UT. Rick has arrived and is in the Motel 8 so I head off to meet and have breakfast with him. The short ride of 78 miles is warm and sunny with the landscape littered with interesting and unusual rock formations. Utah is truly a state full of scenic eye candy and before I know it the trip is over. Desperate for coffee, I pull into a McDonalds and then call Rick. We are having breakfast a few minutes later. We discover that today is our birthday - he 55 and me 60. Cool!
21st Century devices like cell phones and text messages let us know the others are behind a few hours and they request we find them a campground. Some local inquiry reveals the best place is about a mile from the motel - so reservations are made. Rick brews Marty some birthday coffee and we wait for our friends who arrive in about an hour. The clinician in me won't allow questions like "what's your favorite food" or some such as a ploy to learn about people. Instead I just listen. I learned that Janet does not like leaf blowers - really dislikes leaf blowers. I think the maintenance dude knew it too as he dutifully blew leaves all around our camp spot. He could have blown them in other places an acre or two away but, perhaps contracted by the Mob, rearranged them in our area. he he.
Some of us cooled off in the pool, Jen and I went to town for calories. Then rounded up the others for a tour of Arches National Park. On an earlier visit I met this guy:
Always need bike pics:
This was an all BMW ride. A GS, an RT, a GT, a K1200R, an R1200ST, and an F800ST. Of course the pretty women got in the way of the bike pic :)
Riders get hungry, and some had not eaten since the morning, so we rode back into town for calories and a good night's sleep. The group has rested and is ready to ride in the morning.
Day 5 - We depart along a scenic and twisty byway South of Arches NP that joins the freeway just West of Colorado. There are lots of blind corners and some where you just have to take it on faith that the road continues on the other side of a small rise. In a couple places the road does continue - but in another direction. Pucker factor is elevated. That leads to a discussion about how one reacts "My toes tend to curl around the foot pegs" says one. Marty just gets into his vowels.
We head North on Colorado 139 but have to wait for an accident to be cleared from the road - no way around it. Rangley Colorado gets reeled in and we head for Vernal, UT for a lunch.
Janet Photo
Janet Photo
After that we pound along Route 191 headed for Rock Springs, WY. 191 has plenty of high speed U turns and near the the mid point present high speed sweepers that delight us all. Transitions - the day's ride has been nothing but.
I'm amazed how Washington residents can find a Starbucks coffee shop - their sensorium is tuned to where they might be. At the Starbucks shop there is a discussion about where to stop for the night. One Wyoming resident offers just about all the campgrounds the state may have as good places to go to. Just being helpful, but I think - based on her facials - his wife just wanted him to quit being helpful to Janet and physically pulled him out of the planning. I made for a motel and the rest headed out into the darkening Wyoming. The plan is to meet in Lander, their assumed destination.
Day 6 - I'm up early to be at our 0900 rendezvous. By the time I get to Farson about 35 miles away, I'm freezing. All my stuff goes on including the Gerbing Jacket and winter gloves. The ride to Lander is stunning as the sun comes up. There are antelope all over the place - always magnificent - and color to warm the transitioning soul. The temperature drops to around 35 degrees then warms to 45 as I get into Lander. The rest of the group arrives at the appointed time and are similarly chilled having ridden from Farson - which is as far as they got the night before. (Hopefully one of them will tell the story). After food we headed for Cody, WY. There we decided to ride the Chief Joseph highway and turn right over the Bearthooth Pass for Red Lodge, MT.
Anyone who has ridden these two roads knows the kind of fun a person will have on a motorcycle.
Photo by David - Chief Joseph Highway
Calories are obtained in Red Lodge - one of those Western towns converted to the tourist trade.
Photo by David
David, Rick, Janet, Jen, Marty - I tried to smile, honest!
A fun 2 lane road, Route 78, takes us to the freeway and we pull in for the night at Livingston.
Day 7 - The group will split up today. David rides to Seattle. Rick, Jen, and Janet for fun on Flathead lake. I decide to have some solo time and explore. We say our good bye stuff after breakfast and go our separate ways. I ride South past Yellowstone NP and into Idaho and turn off near Idaho Falls for Arco and highway 93. Desolate road. No wonder there are energy research facilities (probably nuke) out there. Arco, ID is small and uninviting so I motor North. Highway 93 is well worth the ride. Much of it climbs to sub alpine levels and is lightly travelled. After a while the road descends and begins to follow the Salmon River. Twisty, Twisty, and fun, but there are the ever present deer to be aware of. Salmon, ID looks like a nice town to spend the night and I score a cheap motel room and a good meal. I also meet some customers from our shop and spend the early evening discussing the virtues of the F800ST.
I have grown to really like this bike. Ridden appropriately, it will carve corners with the best of sport touring bikes and has enough snot to hit the ton in 3rd gear. It got to 121 without trying hard and 126 before I decided to back off - though there was still power available. Fuel economy is excellent getting 63 mpg on twisty roads with an average speed of 63 mph for the tank. On the freeway we see 53 mpg at anything over 75 mph. There isn't a lot of weather protection but the little fairing moves the wind around enough and the wind screen keeps the bugs off the chest. There is a flat spot in the power band around 4K rpm so one has to ride around that and my aftermarket pipe helped diminish the effect, but it requires one to drop a gear or two to get the revs into a useful range - do that and hang on - there is a nice bump at 5K. I found the saddle to be OK but after my butt got hot it became torturous. Initially I though to get a peg lowering kit - and I may still do that - but I think the best solution is to raise the saddle by adding sheepskin or foam. The BMW luggage is interesting - it works well but I had to figure out how to get the most out of it as the dry bag liners take up a lot of room. All in all a great motorcycle.
Day 8 - My plan for the day is leave early 0600 and ride to Hamilton, MT for breakfast, and then ride highway 12 through Lolo Pass and across Washington to White pass and then home. It started out fine. I motored along at 50 in the dark watching for deer and I pulled over to let a big truck get by. He honked his thanks and I trailed along at an elevated speed assuming he would flush the deer off the road. I got warnings from the driver as he'd turn on his 4 way flashers to alert me to danger. I'd slow and he'd continue.
It was just beginning to show some light as I dropped a couple gears and pitched the bike into a left hand sweeper. There is a Jersey barrier on the right shoulder and the Salmon river on the left and the corner tightens mid way through. The 4 way flashers come on as I press into the corner and I quickly scan for deer - but it isn't deer. There had been a rock fall and some had spilled over the jersey barrier onto the road bed. I rolled off as much as I could but hit the biggest rock of the lot. I had a wild ride with a tank slapper and basically out of control motorbike between my legs for a bunch of seconds. It stopped about a foot from going into the river and me un-assing it. Bummer. End of ride.
(Note - I rode this section in April 2008 and had a good look at the corner where I hit the rock. I travelled a lot farther in an out of control state than my memory had registered. I guess my speed on impact with the rock was much greater than I assumed. I'm a lucky dude for sure).
Front wheel - little crack in the rim
Back wheel
We motorcyclists tend to think of roads in terms of their beauty, or quantity of, and quality of, twisty bits. I learned that tow truck operators view the road as a revenue stream. The fellow who got me to Missoula, MT pointed out all the places that bikers tend to wad their bikes up, or hit deer. Same went for cars and motor-homes. A transition in perspective.
I flew home - an unwelcome transition from riding as I hate flying. Well, I got my bike home after it was repaired. The folk at Big Sky BMW Kawasaki in Missoula did me right. They ordered my wheels VOR to get them from Germany as soon as was possible and ordered the brand of tire I wanted. Flew over to Missoula on a rainy Sunday and the owner of the shop opened his store up so I could ride home on Monday (they are closed on Mondays). Customer service of the highest order so, just like the shop I work in, you get BMW service out of the Missoula store too.
It was very wet with a prediction for snow, so following Nate's advice I rode the freeway home. Not what I wanted to do on a wet freeway with fresh tires but no options. I stalled the bike a couple times leaving the parking lot, and then had a talk with the bike - thanking it for not kicking my ass into the Salmon river. After that it ran like a top all the way home. No slipping or sliding, no funny stuff, just a fun predictable bike again. I got cold and stopped for food by 10,000 Silver Dollars just before the pass into Idaho. Then made it to Spokane where the rain stopped until Easton in Washington where it resumed in force for the ride over Snoqualmie Pass. The wind through central Washington was intense - more demanding than usual - but the bike did OK with it, just consumed a lot of gas.
Observations: I had a revelation of sorts. Simply put I can enjoy solo riding when in the company of experienced adult riders who appreciate and value each other's needs as a rider. There was no deep philosophical content to conversation - fact there wasn't much conversation - just commentary about the road and what it was like. I can manage that. I made a huge personal transition as I'd like to ride with these folk again. I damned sure need to get a ride in with Al - its been two years now - not good for us.