Typical shot on the road

It's funny how you think of what your whole get up looks like rolling down the road. I've never seen a shot of myself rolling down the road full loaded down. I even look at this pictures and think, "how the heck can I sit like that for hours on end?" Well I do, I can, and I love it. Thank you to Maggie for taking these!

Off to the start of the trip saying goodbye to my wife.

I think I can pack more on

I love this shot. It sums up the feeling of being on the road solo with nothing more than adventure in front of you. 

More Gear that makes the adventure a little easier

So what's the best piece of equipment for the trip. The motorcycle! Really just about any will do just as long as you get out there. My saying for this trip and will most likely keep it is from Aerostitch. "The Road to Enlightenment is better on a BIke".  

 Just get out and explore! I love my baby. It got me into some very remote areas and now I really see how far this bike can take me. The range, suspension, and wheels all helped in the trip. The reliability is amazing. Even with laying it down a few times and rattling a few things loose it just kept rolling along like nothing happened. 

  The TKC 80 tires were incredible both on the road and off. Sure the knobbies don't hook up on the street like a road tire but once I got used to the difference in handling I could roll the twisty roads with a huge full load while grinning from ear to ear. After I got to Boise and a little over 2000 miles I figured with the dirt roads I still wanted to hit I needed more rubber on the rear tire. It didn't need to be switched out but I just didn't want to chance anything. 

   The Hepco Becker Aluminum cases are rock solid. And I mean SOLID. When hitting the deck the bags took it straight on the nose and you can't even see the mark. At speed they usually eject straight off the back but don't break anything other than maybe the lock. That's an easy fix with one or two zip ties. Zip ties are a must on any trip in my mind. I did have a bag fall off at 25mph when a cheep zip tie didn't want to work any more. The bag took quite the tumble and a few things did cover the road but nothing was hurt and when putting the bag back on I used a few extra ties. I never had issues again. 

 661 Body Armor was also cheap insurance to have. It breaths very well and is very easy to move in. Hold up to some pretty good hits. Now I'm looking forward to getting out on the motocross bike with this stuff. I also use their EVO shorts and knee pads and half the time forgot they were even there. Worth the extra cash for sure. 

 Joe Rocket Ballistic 7.0 Jacket was just about the best all around jacket I could ask for. From 115 in Palm Springs, which was uncomfortable yes but that would be even with nothing on, to 28 in Wyoming I was pretty happy to have this jacket. Even taking a few hits on the arm and shoulder you couldn't even see the scrape like it never happened. The Alter Ego pants were the the perfect compliment to the jacket. 

 When the sun is out or the speeds are low and the visor is up a great pair of shades is very nice to have. My Threshold Sliders were perfect. Fitting in the XD Helmet and very comfortable with perfect clarity. Also the lenses are interchangeable with yellow, amber or clear so if you know what the weather will be for the day you can be all set with the right optics. 

I feel very fortunate to have all the gear I did for this trip and looking forward to more in the coming years. 

Just a few bits I liked having for my trip

Here are just a few things that I really enjoyed having and worked very well on my last 3 week solo trip. There is more on my list but I figured these are some top picks and I hope this helps someone else figure out what they will pack on their next trip. 

Ergon Pack - It's like a Camelbak on steroids. I frame and ball let you move freely and can hold a bunch of gear, food, whatever you need. I'll have this with me for all my rides if I'm packing light or heavy

Also don't forget the NUUN's tablets for electrolyte replacement. Easy to use, easy to carry and doesn't get your Camelbak bladder nasty. 

Orikaso plate, bowl and cup. Light, compact, durable. Great stuff

Weller Butane Soldering Torch - Need to fix something, start a fire. This is it

How can you go into the woods without an axe? The Fiskars is Light, small and strong. Plus you can use it as a hammer. I know I'll have this one for a long time.

MSR Whisperlite stove was great to have. Worked great even at 12k. 

A great way to make coffee is with REI's french press mug. It sure helped me through a few mornings. 

If you need some light but can't pack a big lantern then the Black Diamond Orbit is great. If you're solo you really don't need more than this and you will most likely have your headlamp as well. It also has little hooks that I used to hang it from the top of my tent. 

I won't go anywhere without my Gerber Suspension. This little thing helped me out of a few jams while still using it for cutting up chorizo 

Favorite shots from Yellowstone to Missoula

To take a breather in Yellowstone was just what I needed. The perfect place to chill and just walk around. Here are some of my favorite shots through Yellowstone up to Missoula

The Free Heel and Wheel girls were so nice for letting me hang out and relax for a morning while I was able to get all coffee'd up and get online since I had my wireless card. It was also great to meet the IMBA Ambassadors. 

Going through Quake Lake, which is a tragic story, I found my way to Ennis and the Ennis Cafe where I had the best burger of the trip. That burger and fries were better than all of the $12+ burgers here in LA. 

. Then it was off to Rock Creek all the way to Missoula. I opted to not stay at the cabin along the route and go see my sister a half day early instead.

Please feel free to e-mail me at LoyalBMWAdventure@hotmail.com

More pix from the start of the trip!

   In my haste to get a few reports out I wasn't able to download all my photos of the trip. Here is the part two of the ride report!

    First stop on my trip was Zion. This place like all of the parks I vistited is magical. As I waited in line to get to my camping spot the weather was warm and sunny. 20 minutes later a thunderstorm rolled in and just as I got the rain fly on my tent the storm let go. Throwing everything in the tent I waited it out and then the sky cleared and I checked out the park. The bus system is great there and super easy to get around. 

 

Nice little rock slide in action

Going East through the park and then heading North and back West to Beaver Utah the terrain kept changing and was never boring to say the least. 

A few little adjustments with the gear set up along the way from the harsher parts of the dirt roads and I was back on my way. 

I went past Big John's Flat and up over the highest pass. The bike worked great and I couldn't believe I was up there. The ride down to Freemont Indian Park campground took forever but was worth every inch. 

The sand stone at the park was amazing. Never saw anything like this for the rest of my trip. 

My next day was to go over Mt Nebo, catch up with friends and then to Moosehorn Campground. Once again as with every night  so far I would be racing against the thunderstorms to get my tent up and gear covered. At almost 11k this would be my start of camping at altitude. 

The biggest day of the trip as far as going into a remote area and the longest day on dirt it would turn out to be the highlight of the trip. If you ever get a chance to go from LaBarge WY to Alpine by way of LaBarge creek rd. to Grey's River Rd. I highly recommend this. Just note that Grey's will be closed in 2010. 

Dumped the bike just trying to take a picture. Man I was tired

Near the Lunch Counter, Rode that with my fam when I was 12 yrs old or so

To keep rollin on the high from the dirt ride and river crossing the Tetons were very welcoming.