A GREAT Divide Pandemic Adventure

[cal scott]

Enjoying the write up and the photos. Thanks for sharing

 

[berth]

It's a great thread. Good work. We all live vicariously through others struggles .

How did you use your recovery system? What did you anchor it to?

 

[GreenHornet]

It's a great thread. Good work. We all live vicariously through others struggles .

I wish I were still out there struggling.

How did you use your recovery system? What did you anchor it to?

I actually only used it one time in the mud. I was able to tie it to a big lava rock. I found that if I unloaded the bike (which was recommended before using the recovery system), I could eventually figure out a way to lift it up without using the system and it was much quicker.

Enjoying the write up and the photos. Thanks for sharing

Gorgeous! Good for you for going through your stuff and sending a pile home, and for keeping on keeping on!

Thanks Daniel I'm glad I kept going. This was one of the best experiences of my life.

Every time I hear this song, I think of Colorado and vice versa.
[youtube]7asb7B3cH-o[/youtube]

 

[SFMCjohn]

It's a great thread. Good work. We all live vicariously through others struggles .

How did you use your recovery system? What did you anchor it to?

I actually only used it one time in the mud. I was able to tie it to a big lava rock. I found that if I unloaded the bike (which was recommended before using the recovery system), I could eventually figure out a way to lift it up without using the system and it was much quicker.

your recovery-system/lava rock pic is awesome:

This time, I was really struggling. I couldn't seem to get my bike upright because I couldn't get my footing. I'd get her partially lifted, then I'd just slip in the mud. I couldn't get any traction. Hmm. What to do.
Oh, luckily I had the foresight to have purchased and brought along the Best Rest Motorcycle Recovery System. Now if only there were some kind of anchor point. Oh wait, the myriad of lava rocks might be just the ticket.

Success!!!. Of course, I had to completely unload my bike to right it, and this took no less that 2 hours of effort.

impressive! and fun writing ...

my issue would be dropping my bike just even a foot or two downhill and off the road and I’d be unable to drag it back uphill by myself, unloaded or not.

I did switch to Vibram luggs when I had to have by boots re-soled, which was much better for picking bikes up in the mud than the speed soles they came with ...

 

[GreenHornet]

your recovery-system/lava rock pic is awesome:



impressive! and fun writing ...

my issue would be dropping my bike just even a foot or two downhill and off the road and I’d be unable to drag it back uphill by myself, unloaded or not.

I did switch to Vibram luggs when I had to have by boots re-soled, which was much better for picking bikes up in the mud than the speed soles they came with ...

Thanks for the tips John. Not sure what those are, but something to look into. Luckily I never ended up off the road. I was mindful to not get too crazy most of the time because I had no one to save me. But i ended up sometimes realizing I was going 70mph down fire roads in Colorado

 

[SFMCjohn]

Thanks for the tips John. Not sure what those are, but something to look into. Luckily I never ended up off the road. I was mindful to not get too crazy most of the time because I had no one to save me. But i ended up sometimes realizing I was going 70mph down fire roads in Colorado

just full-on soles like you'd find on hiking boots ...

I went from this sort of motocross style sole:

to this:

just made a huge difference, for me, trying to pick up a heavy or loaded bike in the mud.

the style of sole in the top pic is for expert guys who may want to put a foot down going fast around a turn, I guess. figured out I have no business putting my foot out or down or off the pegs at all on my KLR when it's moving, anyway.

the roads I worry about bouncing off of and down a berm/embankment at relatively low speed are the steep, steep, bouldery, downhill gnarly high clearance stuff (like you have some pics of in NM).

anyway ... carry on, CO is looking like my cuppa tea so far, maintained road wise.

 

[GreenHornet]

Day 8 Del Norte to Sargents to Silverthorne

Passed a bunch of cool rock formations

Good thing no one was barreling down the towards me. New Mexico was pretty empty on the CDT, but traffic picked up in Colorado. Lots of side by sides, and 4x4s. I even started to see Adv types all traveling from the north.

Time for another nasty food pic . I felt there was ample time to grab some lunch and gas in Gunnison.
Bison meatloaf, salad, and fried pickles

I was making great time burning thru this state as the roads were great. Smooth, lots of visibility, and found myself going highway speeds.

Sargents was a dinky little town and it was early, so I decided to do another 2 fer. The final drop into Silverthorne was awesome minus the mountain road speed limits. I saw this before in Colorado, where the speed limit is 30mph in some of the finest twisty sections. I ended up on some pavement dropping into the valley, and several less than judicious passes later, had some fun decimating the posted speed limits.

Not sure what lake this is but it looked nice as well as busy

The towns namesake or maybe the lake came second. Lake Silverthorne.

 

[GreenHornet]

Considering I had just ridden close to 300 miles, I really wanted a hotel room. Silverthorne is a ski resort town and after haggling at the Embassy Suites, I could do no better than $250 for the night. I opted for the La Quinta at $170. All they had left was on the 3rd floor.

The La Quinta welcoming committee.

So thankful they had luggage carts. I can't remember if I did one or two trips to get all my junk to my room

I might as well talk about what I brought along for personal defense. Mostly it was to assuage my somewhat irrational fear of being eaten by a grizzly. I think right about this time in my trip there was this news story circulating about a guy in Alaska working a one man mining claim. He was living in a tin shack and was getting attacked daily by a grizzly. Eventually, he was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter that saw SOS on the roof of his shack. I never got around to getting the bear spray but I did have something that made me feel better for predator defense of any kind. There was always the chance of running into nefarious creatures of the 2 legged variety as well. I was after all, way in the back country all alone for extended periods of time.
I made this purchase specifically for this trip. Freedom Arms Model 83 with 4.75 inch barrel chambered in .454 Casull. After I took it to the range for the first time, I decided to get it ported and got it back just in time.

 

[ripter]

LOL hand CANNON

 

[GreenHornet]

LOL hand CANNON

Wild West necessity

 

[GreenHornet]

Day 9 Silverthorne to Steamboat Springs

I located a Polaris Yamaha dealer in search of a dual sport mirror. All they had were the little Acerbis dental mirrors. It was pretty much useless, but mostly i wanted it for ticket insurance. But if I held it just right with my left hand I could twist it to get a vibrating image of the road behind me.

I kind of cheated including the Silverthorne Lake pictures in Day 8. I passed the lake on the way in to Silverthorne, and made note of the scenic viewing turnout on the freeway, but was itching to find some lodging before dark. I went and took the pics of the Lake the next morning. So here's one I missed.

Evidence of the drought was in effect at all the reservoirs

Some lake near Parshall, it looked inviting but also flashing drought signals. There were some people camping and boating etc.

 

[GreenHornet]

I had to stop and check this out. Turns out it was an Alien communication station.
Basically, an extension of SETI.

Danger Will Robinson!!!

The mighty Colorado River. I had crossed it once before, and I guess I always pictured something much larger. It seemed smaller than the American River, not much larger than a big stream.

Pano

Actually, the coms van was some kind of radio relay for a kayak race down on the river. I never saw the kayaks tho.

 

[GreenHornet]

Eventually the route took me up this mountain with some spectacular valley views.

The descent down the other side was the most treacherous of the trip so far. It was narrow, steep, and rocky with a drop off to the left. Luckily, I didn't get any pics.

This was the only section that I had some trouble with the GPS Kevin tracks. After the descent the tracks seemed to go off into the grass. If I looked really hard I could see an overgrown track. I think at some point there was some kind of "road" there but now it was just vegetation. I didn't really have much choice but to stick to the main track I was on and eventually it met up again with the GPX track. So that one was no biggie

A bit further on tho, the GPX track had me on some rocky single track. I was skeptical that this was the route but my Garmin was telling me I was following the right track. Eventually, there was a blockade.

I was determined to follow the GPS so I was able to get around the tree only to find the trail ended here. I guess the tree was put there to stop idiots like me from trying to follow the CDT tracks. So I had to go back around the tree. I hit the highway for a bit and could tell that I could take the highway to Steamboat Springs but I didn't want to do that. Eventually, I just followed a county road into a warren of dirt roads and houses and was able to link up with the GPX track again.

Made it to Steamboat Springs relatively early and picked out a place for dinner. They weren't open yet but they let me chill in the outdoor dining area until they opened.
Steamboat Springs was pretty cool. It's a bit of a hipster type town, which meant lots of cool food options. A good part of the town smells like sulfur due to the numerous springs in the area.
This was the best meal I had my entire trip.

The refreshing drop of lemon

Buffalo Shepherd's pie and sautéed brussels sprouts. YUM

I made reservations at the KOA just outside of town for like $50 and then headed for a soak. I had to take pictures here surreptitiously so people didn't think I was a creeper. The pools weren't empty by any means.

Home for the night

I had noticed one of my LED lights was vibrating a lot and upon further inspection found that the mounting bracket had cracked. So time for another filed repair.

 

[berth]

There was indeed a sense of accomplishment getting through New Mexico, and in retrospect I wouldn't change much. There's something to be said for overcoming adversity, and realizing your goals. But in the thick of it, I can't say I felt like I was having the best time.

I always like to say: "Adventure is a bad trip remembered fondly."

 

[Cabrito]

Excellent!

Now aren't you glad you didn't just go home?

I know personally I don't need to see anymore pics of your hairy chest but I'm sure some people are digging it...


Love the field repair with the gorilla tape

 

[GreenHornet]

I always like to say: "Adventure is a bad trip remembered fondly."

Interesting.

Excellent!

Now aren't you glad you didn't just go home?

I know personally I don't need to see anymore pics of your hairy chest but I'm sure some people are digging it...


Love the field repair with the gorilla tape

I'm def glad I continued on. Hey, it's a PG thread I think that's the last semi nude pic.
Good eye on the Gorilla tape I don't know if it's stronger than duct tape but it did the job.

 

[SFMCjohn]

how much does it hurt to fire that pistol, if you aren't used to it?

speaking of putting hair on one's chest ...

 

[GreenHornet]

how much does it hurt to fire that pistol, if you aren't used to it?

The first time I fired it was a bit rough.

After I got it ported it was much better. At least that's what I thought. I didn't get bruised after porting. I also rented a .44 magnum with a 6" barrel for comparison and the recoil felt worse on the .44 after porting

 

[buellistic]

Somthing like this available at any hardware store should fix that one
And prevent the other one from braking later..

 

[SFMCjohn]

The first time I fired it was a bit rough.

that pic is basically what I imagined my hand would look like after I tried to shoot that handgun! "owch ..."