Strat's Big-Assed ADV Tour, 2022 Edition

[89fj]

excellent

 

[supaflyryan]

How are your buddies' experiences with the Turtle vests?

 

[budman]

Long days Strat!!!

Good stuff... enjoying it!

 

[gixxerjeff]

This is so awesome!
Thanks again for your fine words and pictures.
I loved the frisbee tagging along for the ride, as if there will ever be enough surplus energy to utilize it.
(and style points awarded for coining the term "African triplets"!)

 

[budman]

Love all the riding pics... and I admit... I like the goofy pictures above the urinal

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Wow, this looks like fun! Also, the first time I saw Zebras while riding Matole Road I started to wonder what exactly I'd eaten for lunch... Keep the pics coming!

 

[stratslingr77]

I'm still alive and on the road. I've had a lot of big days that haven't left a lot of time to update this ride report. I'll update as soon as I can. In the meantime, here's a teaser:

 

[SFMCjohn]

^^ super-awesome pic!

 

[budman]

Riding is better than posting. Nice pic.. another beauty.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Oooooo

 

[1962siia]

Noice! Looks like an epic ride!

 

[stratslingr77]

How are your buddies' experiences with the Turtle vests?

Three of the four riders in this group wear them and they like them. I'm the off man out and they're pressuring me to join the club.

 

[two wheel tramp]

This thread needs a pie picture.

 

[stratslingr77]

Ok, where did we leave off? Oh yeah, I had just landed in Baker City, OR in the last episode. So...day 3...

We left Baker City through se rolling hills and valleys towards the little town of Halfway, OR. This is wide open country out here--so much room to breathe!

We stopped for cappuccinos and pastries in Halfway...cute town and friendly locals

Fully caffeinated, we continued on into Idaho and followed the Snake River for a spell. The roads along the snake are SOOOO awesome to ride!

We continued on Hwy 71 into Cambridge and stopped for gas. Jason's nickname is "The Mayor" because he makes friends everywhere he goes. Here, he's showing a local kid around his Africa Twin.

We then headed north on 95. Here are the Africa Triplets on a roadside break.

A short while later, we found ourselves following the Salmon River into Riggins. Jason needed a nap so we took another break...

What came next was pure motorcycle nirvana: White Bird summit! The sun made an appearance for the first time that day. The only thing on that road besides us were some horses.

 

[stratslingr77]

After White Bird, we threaded our way into Kooskia via a number of windy mountain roads and a few rivers I've since lost track of. In town, we met up with the fourth rider in our party, Michael, who crushed the miles in from Seattle on his new GSA Rallye.

We had hoped to get a lunch in Kooskia, but since it was July 4 and getting on in the day, nothing was open except the local watering hole...and when we stepped in, it was reminiscent of the Star Wars bare scene. We didn't stay. Instead, we grabbed some rather underwhelming sandwiches and made for the Lolo Pass. All 99 miles of glorious sweepers following the Lochsa River deep into a canyon.

...and crossed into Montana

With daylight rapidly fading, we made camp at a small campground on the Montana side of the pass.

 

[stratslingr77]

Day 4, July 5:
At 347 miles, this was a short day--almost ALL of these miles were ridden next to a river. Gorgeous day of riding!

We broke camp and rode into Missoula for a late breakfast across from the courthouse.

Then caught Rock Creek road about 20 miles east of Missoula. This is a dirt road that follows Rock Creek deep into the wilderness.

We took a trailside break next to the river. The cold water felt so good on my face!

...and opened up our throttles on the wide, flat road as the valley opened up.

And then headed west over Skalkaho Pass. More dirty goodness!

... before following the Salmon River into Stanley, ID.

We finished the day with Ribeyes and beer. You get long daylight hours in Idaho. It was 10:30 pm when I took this pic.

 

[stratslingr77]

Day 5:

The day got off to an interesting start...my TPMS display unit started beeping in the middle of the night to indicate my front tire pressure had gone down to 19 PSI. This was supposed to be a big-mile day transiting parts of Wyoming and Colorado with a planned end point somewhere in the vicinity of Flaming Gorge. Everyone was a little tired and I think Jason was feeling a little pressure to get everyone moving. We gassed up before leaving town and I topped off my front tire before dropping my bike at the gas pump because I forgot to check the kickstand was all the way down. We finally got going southbound on Hwy 75 over the Galena Summit past the guy on the Multistrada going the other way, pumping his fists in the air. He was clearly having a great time!

...and through Sun Valley and stopped at a McDonald's in Ketchum for a quick breakfast. A few miles further down the road in Carey, Jason said he was feeling sleepy and needed a micronap. He told us all to continue on to Alpine, WY and he'd meet us there. Ed decided to stay with Jason, but Michael and I continued. My front tire pressure was dropping very slowly. On the run into Arco, ID, my front tire pressure started dropping quickly. I pulled into a gas station just outside of town and tried to air up, but it wasn't holding any air pressure at this point and I couldn't find any punctures.

While I was messing around with my tire, Jason pulled up without Ed. He hadn't realized Ed had waited for him back in Carey! We got Ed on the phone and told him to meet us in Arco. He was already on the road so it wouldn't take him too long to catch up.

Luckily, Google showed a Honda dealer literally a mile away, and I was able to limp the bike in to their service department for a fix. My 3M tubeless conversion tape had failed up front and air was leaking from one or more of the spoke nipples so they popped in a tube and had me on the road in short order. Thanks guys!

The whole time we were at the Honda dealer waiting for my bike, Jason was stewing...when we were all ready to go, he announced he wasn't having fun, he was a liability because of his constant fatigue, and he was turning around and headed home to Washington. We all stood around kind of dumbfounded since he's the one who organized this ride in the first place.

I think I was the first to speak up and say that I was going to keep going. Ed decided he wanted to backtrack to Hailey to meet up with a female acquaintance he'd met at the Un-Rally a few weeks ago, and Michael said he, too, wanted to continue. Jason and I had planned out the route and created Gaia tracks before the trip, so Michael and I decided to continue following the Gaia tracks for the time being. So we all parted ways in Arco, ID and Michael and I continued on to Alpine, WY.

 

[stratslingr77]

From Alpine, we got on Forest Route 10138, a 97 mile stretch of dirt through the Bridger National Forest that connects to La Barge, WY. The first 10 miles or so felt like riding on marbles, but then the gravel gave way to dirt with better traction and the ride become really fun. It was really something, being that far out in the wilderness...

We rejoined pavement and civilization under a setting sun a few miles outside of La Barge and turned left on Hwy 189 to get gas in town and scout out some possible dinner options. Michael hit a gravel patch pulling out of the intersection and dumped his shiny new GSA on its left side, causing damage to one of his Lonerider panniers and scrapes to his crash guards. Otherwise, bike and rider were no worse for the wear so we rode into town for gas. Then, at the gas pump, he dropped his bike again...no damage, but it's safe to say we were both pretty tired.

That time of the evening, everything was closed, but some locals pulled into the gas station and recommended the Fontenelle Creek Campground on the Fontenelle Reservoir, which is fed by the Green River, so that's where we bedded down for the night and had Mountain House meals for dinner. It was a pretty mild evening and we were treated to pretty skies as the sun went down.

 

[stratslingr77]

Day 6: Fontenelle Reservoir to Moab

I cracked my eyes open in the morning to see hints of daylight streaming into the tent and bolted upright because I wanted to catch the sunrise over the lake. The motion of sitting upright quickly caused the legs of my ultra-light cot to disconnect from the side rails, all but confirming for me that it was time to get my ass out of my sleeping bag.

...and I did catch that sunrise with a leisurely cup of coffee, a welcome change from the day before when we were hustling to get on the road.

We broke camp and headed south, entering Utah en route to Flaming Gorge.

From Vernal, we took Hwy 40 eastbound and dipped out toes into Colorado

We passed through Dinosaur before stopping in Rangely for lunch. It was getting pretty hot outside at this point so we enjoyed a long lunch in the air conditioning at a local cafe. It was here, the idea was hatched to ride the White Rim trail the next day. We both got on our phones and secured permits...

After lunch, we continued south on Hwy 139 and soon found ourselves climbing Douglas Pass. It was a real pretty ride with nice pavement and the cooling temperature as we gained altitude was welcome. At the top of the pass, we saw a forest service road extending east and wondered..."where does that go?" We followed it for several miles along Pike Ridge before turning back for the ride down into Moab.

After exploring Pike Ridge for a bit, we rejoined Hwy 139 for the long descent into canyon country and caught Hwy 128, which follows the Colorado River into Moab.

At this point of the trip, my bike has developed quite the patina of smooshed bugs, dirt, and road grime.

We found a great campsite in Moab!

Somebody mentioned earlier that this thread deserves a pie shot. I never did get pie, but how about a prime rib shot?

 

[Cabrito]

Good stuff! Nice to see you're keeping the AT upright for the most part.

Riding long days for multiple days is hard if you're not used to it, and I'm sure your friend was just a bummed out about quitting as you were.

Loving the ride report.