Touratech Rally West '26

[myblunt]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share my little summer adventure I had going up to Touratech Rally West. Previously I was using this post to see if anyone else from the forum here was going. For those that don't know, Touratech is a major manufacturer of expensive bits and bobs for adventure bikes, and to encourage everyone to get out and ride, they host two rally's. Rally West, in the Pacific Northwest, and Dirt Days in the northeastern part of the US. It's a typical motorcycle rally, so there's a vendor marketplace, demo rides, cold showers, power point presentations and training opportunities, and food trucks.

The Rally takes place in the small town of Plain, Washington, about 30minutes outside of Leavenworth. If anyone's ever been, then you'll know that it's a beautiful town, done up in the German Fach Werk style of construction. If you're interested, I can attest that this area is a dead ringer for the Austrian Alps. I think if I hadn't have had the opportunities to travel for work and have been able to explore that part of the world, it would have never occurred to me that visually, the town of Leavenworth looks and feels the same as being in Austria in the Alps. The rally typically runs Thursday the 25th through Sunday the 28th, in that 4th week of June.

For personal reasons I didn't leave the bay until that Wednesday, making for some longer mileage days.

Day 1 from the Bay to Crescent City. 411 miles - If anyone's forgotten, sometimes simple is the easiest and delivers the best balance of getting there vs. getting lost. 101 north of Geyserville becomes better and better. It's truly a remarkable road, turning into a well paved set of twists and turns the further you go. It allowed me to keep a very nice pace, for which a fully laden GS enjoys. I took some time to make a small side trip and ride through the tree in Chandler. A giant that has stood the test of time.



There's a Safeway in Crescent City which was probably a good idea but I went past without realizing it. Fortunately I had already eaten and was just looking for basics, water, and snacks for camp. I found a gas station with a general store in Gasquet, stocked up, and then made camp at Patrick Creek along the 199. There's no cell service there, but I had brought my Starlink Mini. Powered from my Anker 26k battery pack, this was super handy. Checked in with home and settled into camp for the night.

Day2 - Patrick Creek to Biggs Junction, 403 Miles

Riding up the 199 is pretty fun. In fact, I believe that California has the best kind of sport touring riding, and it's easy to forget that California is blessed compared to what the rest of the country looks like. Occasionally I have to travel to HQ for work, so I find myself in places like Jupiter, Florida, absolutely gobsmacked at how flat and straight everything is. Not to mention humid.



I woke up the next morning and hit the road, headed for Grant's Pass. A quick fuel stop then it was onto highway 5 to Medford to pickup highway 62 and start heading north again. This brought me out into Umpqua National Forest and around Crater Lake National park. Travelling through this part of Oregon is special. The forests are quiet and cool, with the trees towering over you. In a year prior I had taken a portion of the TAT which connects Crescent lake junction and Deschutes national forest through to Diamond lake. That was a fun, easy dirt road, which climbed and climbed the north side of Diamond Peak. To the point of snow, in late June! On that trip, I had run into a Father and Son, in the wilderness. The son was on a KTM 1290 and the Father on a DR650. They had started their journey weeks prior in Virginia and had been traveling the TAT. They were nearly there, to the Pacific. As I continued to crest the pass on Diamond peak, I don't recall seeing their tracks, but justified to myself that they had just passed through, so it's fine, I can do it! On the south facing slope, I found that the sun had melted all the snow, but created a water feature approximately 25 yards long, which the GS conquered with ease.

This trip, there would be none of that, It was only Day 2 and I had a full day of riding to get there. Coming around Crater Lake, I joined the 97 northbound in Beaver Marsh. It is inevitable, to get the miles, one must do the slab. I only took two pictures this day, both on my iPhone. When I departed Patrick Creek and when I arrived in Biggs Junction.

This year I stayed on highway 97. I had thought that it was a possibility that I would extend and go for the 600 mile day, so diverting onto the 197 and travelling through Maupin wasn't necessarily the most direct route. I had done the Maupin route twice before, and have become quite fond of the Imperial River Company, in Maupin, Oregon. Along the Deschutes river, the Imperial River company hosts a hotel, rafting company, a restaurant, and is a very nice place to put up for the night, if you are lucky and can get a room. Having no plans, the alternative was to camp at the city park along the BLM Access road by the river. Maupin is a small town, set on a hillside overlooking the river, and came into existence supporting the river and rail based trade route between Bend and Washington. Nothing better than jumping into the frigid waters from the dock at the Imperial River Company and being swept downstream, to the city park boat and water access where you can get out. For strong swimmers only, mind you.

The journey north, wound out along what I would call high plains, a fairly straight and uninteresting road across a desolate piece of country, with some high crosswinds challenging the GS. Storm clouds dotted the afternoon sky, easily seen for miles in the wide open country. A quick check of the weather radar showed rain squalls moving across the north west. As I got closer, I realized the timing of it all wouldn't be prudent. I would arrive at the rally grounds at around 9:30Pm, with gates that close at 10pm every night. Not only that, it would be raining, and I would have to setup camp in the dark and in the rain. Being the reasonable person, I decided to stay overnight in Biggs Junction.

Biggs Junction is a truck stop along highway 97, with a Pilot and a TA Express travel center. Overlooking the Columbia River, it is located upstream from the Dalles Dam, and downstream from the John Day dam, just west of Celilo. The Columbia River has it's own share of history, but more impressively, this is the start of the Pacific DC Intertie. The PDCI is a 3.2gigawatt High Voltage DC transmission line with converter stations in Celilo, Oregon, and Sylmar, California. A project by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the PDCI brings power from the hydro on the Columbia River (from Bonneville Power Administration BPA) to Los Angeles, via a 846 mile overhead transmission line. The project was authorized by JFK in 1961 and was completed in 1970, using mercury arc valves. It supplies around 40% of the power to the Los Angeles basin.

After considering my options, I decided a cheap motel room at the Biggs Motel by the Pilot truck stop was probably the best option. The room itself wasn't bad, the shower was adequate, and by all means I have seen worse budget rate hotel rooms in Mexico. The freight train only came by a couple times but by midnight I was out cold.

 

[myblunt]

Day 3 - Rally Time! Biggs Junction to Plain WA - 189 miles

I woke up to the sunlight glinting through the curtains, and the freight train rumbling by at around 7am. Conveniently the motel adjoins the parking lot for the truck stop so coffee and a cinnamon roll were in order before getting geared up for the day. Packing was easy. For hotel stays, the only thing that needed to come in was the tank bag and roll top duffel on the back of the bike. The aluminum panniers locked were secure enough and only got unpacked when setting up camp for the evening.

I had brought most of the basics, a tent, a chair, air mattress, inflatable pillow, sleeping bag, a coffee mess which consisted of a kettle, MSR pocket rocket and fuel, coffee bean grinder, AeroPress Travel, and a cup. Beyond that I had my work ipad, school laptop, starlink Mini, a book, some face wipes, my camera, a Hydroflask water bottle, a camo tarp (aquaquest), and an 8' tarp pole.

Most of the time, people say that there's some things which end up dead weight on long travel. I agree. This is true. I ended up not using my camera, simply because it was locked away in a pannier. With the rolltop across the seat, it wasn't readily accessible. Neither were the snacks. I only ate my snacks when I was at camp and the boxes were open. If I wanted to take a picture, I simply reached for my iPhone. I had debated earlier on in the year if a mirrorless camera was even necessary. My sister had purchased a fuji XT camera for her trip to Jordan. Much smaller, and the travel photos were amazing. Also is the dilemma of riding. You don't want to stop, and making frequent stops to take photos is not ideal when you've set a goal of covering long distances. The balance is having a camera accessible in the tank bag during those stops. I think for Christmas this year I would get a larger tank bag, one that carries my camera gear. The online image quality is enough that for the travel vlog photos, 35mm, an iPhone will do just fine. I just bought a 70-200mm Canon F4 compact zoom which is attached to the camera. I think this would be a good combination to use. I don't regret not taking more photos, and there were parts of the trip which were enjoyable, but there's always a balance. To get there, while managing prior commitments, balancing work/life to make sure the family is set at home before running off for a week.

The bridge across the Columbia river is easy to navigate from the hotel. Across to Washington and a short climb up the switchbacks and I'm back on the route across the Yakama Indian reservation. Highway 97 gives way to Interstate 82 in Toppenish, and carries me through Yakima into Ellensburg before I hop off to rejoin the 97. A quick stop at the truckstop for more coffee and gas, I ran into a gentlemen travelling south on a WR450. He asked if I was headed to the rally. "Yup, sure am!" he was travelling home headed south, after having spend the first half of the week setting up the rally and pre-riding all the trails. I'm very grateful to him, and the small army of volunteers who volunteer their time and effort to make this event possible. From checking people in, to taking out taking out the trash, the rally is put on by a dedicated group of volunteers.

Across the flat open plane north of Ellensburg, Highway 97 winds its way through a wind farm, before turning north to the townsite of Liberty, climbing in altitude, through a valley in the forest. This is a beautifully paved road, and with little traffic, can lead to some nice high speed sweepers.

I've arrived. 97 ends in Peshastin, the gateway to the alps. Towering mountain landscapes dwarf the community of Leavenworth, along the Wenatchee River. I scoot through town and hang a right onto the Chumstick Highway, a quick 20 minute run out to Plain. Adventurers are everywhere, and I think by Friday, most have agreed to stop waving at each other. Bikes of all kind are present. BMW's, KTMS, Yamahas, Honda, Husqvarna, Suzuki, and the list goes on.

The Rally is held in a field. A farmer's hayfield which has been marked out with flags, and are about 50 acres of land. Across from the field is a hardware store, a restaurant, and a general store with 4 gas pumps, the old fashioned kind with the flip up levers from the 80's. The people in town are friendly and welcome this event once a year. For a week, the town is invaded by about 2,000 rally goers on fully kitted ADV bikes, who have come to have a good time. There are all kinds at the rally, the young, the old, the ones who truck the bike up, people in RV's, and everyone's come to have a some fun. Arrival is simple. You pull in, sign the waver, then they find your name on the list and give you and your bike a wrist band. Then you're turned out into the field to find a spot to pitch your tent to call home for the weekend. If you choose the middle of the field, then the sun can make things really warm in the afternoon, so I tend to go for left field, where as the day draws long, the trees from the Black Forest experience cast shade.

My tent is a tent. I think I spent all of $100 on it, it's the Naturehike brand off Amazon. It's a knockoff of a much more expensive version from MSR, which happens to be pitched next to the spot I chose. I can't tell the difference, the materials look the same, and it's worked pretty well thusfar. More importantly, the poles collapse to about 16" and I can fold and pack the whole thing into an 8L drybag, only taking up 1/4 of the volume of one of the panniers. The only challenge is bringing a lightweight ground tarp to make an entry. A low profile tent, one must get down on the ground and crawl into it, and at my current age, I'm finding out I'm not the 25 year old I used to be, and crawling on the ground to get into the tent without a ground tarp became a little bit annoying. It is a very durable tent and I'm confident it would keep the rain out.

After setting up camp, I went back into town to seek a solo dinner at one of the restaurants, and then went back to camp to settle in for the evening. It was quite early, and I sat reading my book that I had brought. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. It recants the story of Chris 'SuperTramp' McCandless, a story I had only heard about but not read the book yet.

While I was sitting there, I was approached by some dude who wanted to know about my bike. It looked very familiar, a friend of his had one and had sold it recently. His name was Grant, and I came to know Dustin, Jay, and his highness Geoff. Grant, Dustin, and Jay were all aboard BMW's, and Geoff rode a Triumph Tiger.

Many people say, when you travel solo, you become more approachable. I find this to be accurate. It's a bit intimidating, a little scary, but fun. I think honestly there's a 0.001% chance it's a serial killer, and for the most part, more likely to perish because of an unfortunate accident in a harsh or difficult situation than anything else. In my travels, thus far, I haven't found anything of note, although there was a guy at a gas station in New Mexico who tried to sell me a burned DVD copy of some movie. It was unfortunate that I wasn't carrying a DVD player with me, and I had to turn him down. Afterwards, the station attendant told me to be careful and cautious around that guy, he would take the money and mix the hand sanitizer in with a bottle of Sprite and drink it till he was blind.

Grant invited me to ride with the group in the morning and get to know everyone, and of course I accepted.

 

[myblunt]

Day 4 - Touratech Rally, Saturday

Saturday is the day 3 of the rally. The gates open Thursday at noon for the intrepid travelers who arrive on time. An orientation is held in the evening. On Friday most people start to explore and find their way around, going on the rides, or exploring the market. By the time I arrived on Friday, most of the fun merch was sold out. No hoodies or jerseys left. Fortunately I had pre-ordered some tee-shirts and there were some pins available. The pins are fun, I've never really though about collecting rally pins, or where I would put them, but I've got a hat that I bought in Bamburg Germany which I've been putting the pins in and it seems to be making sense. I think I'll keep that up and see where it goes. I didn't bring the hat to the rally, as it's a very awkward thing to travel with on a motorcycle. The swag bag is pretty underwhelming. A sticker, an info card with phone numbers incase you get hurt, and a cup. The cups are nice. I've got a little collection going.

I woke up on Saturday to the sound of drizzling raindrops on my tent. The cold had driven me deep into the bag where I was nice and warm, but I did not want to come out. Inevitably, nature won, and I had to emerge from the tent, on my hands and knees, to go use the porta-potty. The grass was covered in the morning dew, and the site was quiet still. It was still early, about 6:30am, slightly overcast, and spritzing just a bit, enough to make some noise on the tent. I made some coffee and had a packet of instant oatmeal, still fumbling around with my boxes on the ground, trying to get organized enough to use one as a table.

One attraction at the rally is the rides. Ride number 1 is easy, all pavement and for beginners. Ride number 16 is for hardcore enthusiasts on middle weight adventure bikes, is 200 miles of single track with 10,000ft of elevation change and should take about all day to complete. And Ride number 8 is somewhere in the middle. Intermediate, about a 3 hour commitment, mostly fire roads with some two track, a technical challenge thrown in for good measure, beautiful scenery, and generally can be accomplished on all makes and models. Touratech and a small team of volunteers local to the area spend the month ahead planning the rides, scouting the trails, seeing what's open or closed, or needs to be cleared, and curating a library of rides for everyone to enjoy while at the rally. A typical rally day for me, since I'm a morning person, consists of breakfast, then going for a ride, lunch, then open format. In years past it's been hot, so after lunch activities involve drinking, going to the lake for a swim, renting the stand up paddle boards, and then back to the rally grounds for evening/after dinner entertainment and give-a-ways.


Around 8am, I meet up with Grant, Dustin, Jay, and Geoff, and walked to breakfast. Did I mention slightly awkward? I think the only way to have made it less awkward would have been to do intros and icebreakers like they do in corporate meetings where they smash groups of people together for teambuilding. Soon enough tho, breakfast came, and it was time to ride. I don't recall which ride this was exactly, something like 6 or 7, but it was fun. A ride across the old bridge on the way out of town, and then up into the hills on the fire roads. I nearly lost it in a patch of sand while transitioning from one road to the next, it looked like dirt but obviously was softer than expected. I think everyone was very proficient riders, with Dustin and I ending up being more comfortable at speed on the dirt than the rest. By the time lunch came, the awkwardness had passed and we all have a group text where everyone spontaneously posts about motorcycle and life. Turns out Grant just got supported by his congregation to become Bishop, and after the rally, Jay went on to ride his GS to Deadhorse Alaska.

After lunch, the group split up. Jay went to go test ride bikes, Geoff went to go listen to lectures, Dustin took a nap, I went to wander the marketplace and get some sausages, and Grant was off doing similar. At the giant loop tent I found the solution to carrying water, a 2 gallon 'Cactus Canteen' hydration bladder. With the webbing it can be strapped the tail rack of the bike, and I can have water for camping! Previously I had carried 2 liter MSR fuel bottles in a bottle carrier. A great idea at the time, I discovered that 1 liter of fuel is a drop in the bucket for a thirsty GS. Each bottle would get 20km of range, or 12 miles. Two gallons of gas would be more appropriate vs. 2 liters. For a smaller bike, the bottle holder and liter of fuel would go a long way, so I donated this to the SheADV tent for them to use as a raffle give-away. My new water bladder would be much more useful on the back of the bike.

Geoff had to pack-up and leave to go to a wedding, so when I got back to camp, he was breaking it down. It was at this point I realized he had a suit in his pack and was multi-tasking. Adventure in the morning, wedding in the afternoon. Dustin and Grant both went with me into town for an early dinner at one of the breweries in town. We wound up at the Blewett brewing company, a bustling establishment with a good assortment of hazy IPA and wood fired pizza and wings. An excellent choice, as I was able to have some hazy, and my company was able to have the house brewed root beer.

This has to be the longest day ever, because I still wasn't done! After pizza, we returned to the rally site in time for the slow races and evening giveaways. I bid my farewell to the group, to stay in touch, as we parted that evening. Sunday was a travel day for me, so I would be waking up and having breakfast when the diner opens at 6:30am. I was really fortunate to have met everyone and feel like I made a small connection.

 

[myblunt]

Day 5 - 200 Miles, Comox, BC

I woke up to the sound of drizzle again. It was 5AM. I briefly considered my options and decided to get on with it. It was just a light morning sprinkle. I got up and broke camp. One of the more useful items I brought with me this time was a tent stake hammer. It made short work of putting tent stakes in the ground, was the fancy light weight aluminum one, and it had a claw useful for pulling tent stakes out of the ground. I though it was a brilliant piece of kit, as some would say. As I packed up camp, I lamented that I hadn't used my tarp pole and decided that it was a good idea that didn't take. Maybe another trip. I still had hopes that the tarp would be useful but hadn't camped in the trees where it would be deployed as a shelter against the elements.

Today I would be continuing my travels north, to visit my sister in Comox, on Vancouver Island. A short trip to the border, and then on the ferry.

Prior to embarking on the journey I had chatted with my sister about camping up north and she mentioned bears. Get a bear proof food jar or bear spray. It was just not something I was used to. During the rally I mentioned this to the guys and they recalled a hiker who was eaten by a bear. An empty can of bear spray found near his remains. Maybe this bear liked them spicy. I finished packing my tent into it's bag and loading the bike. An hour and I was ready to go. Timing was perfect, the cafe had just opened so I headed over to be one of the first in line for breakfast.

The Old Mill Cafe is a small cafe, with home made pastries and typical breakfast foods. During the rally they run a buffet special, $20 and all you can eat from the line, sausages, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and pancakes. It's perfect. I had a sausage egg and cheese sandwich and a coffee, and met some guys from California. They were good to chat with over breakfast being from the bay area. One gentleman was considering purchasing a GS, for his use in the states, while his other GS is garaged somewhere in Europe for when he's abroad.

After breakfast and pleasantries, I departed, northbound to catch the 12:30pm ferry out of Tsawwassen. One last run down the Chumstick Highway to Leavenworth to catch US Highway 2 out of town. As I left town, the sun gave way to clouds, which began to darken. Not an hour into the ride but I'll be darned as a black bear comes tumbling out of the woods, right infront of me. Stunned at the sight of the animal I just stared at it, until I registered I should probably get on the brakes a little before it becomes more of a situation. The bear saunters across the road and off into the woods. Why did the bear cross the road? Idk but that's a first for me on animals that have darted out infront of me. I've had foxes, squirrels, and birds. Now a bear. It got cold as the highway wound up in elevation towards Steven's pass. Although not very high, in contrast to some of the passes in the California Sierras, at 4,061ft, it was plenty cold as I worked my way across the Cascades mountain range. The sky broke and it started to rain. I pulled over and put on all my layers, and my rain pants.


The weather didn't let up until I got to Snohomish, Washington, where I found a coffee place to pull over and strip my layers off. Fortunately, the rain would stay away for the rest of the day. I was definitely not used to how cold it's been this trip. I made my way North on highway 5 to the Peace Arch border crossing in Blaine Washington into Canada. Some basic questions, but ultimately less than a couple minutes spent to cross into Canada. As I arrived in Tsawwassen at the ferry terminal, I was just in time for the ferry, and put into the motorcycle lane. A gentleman on a F650 GS Dakar was there, loaded for adventure with numerous drybags, checking his gear and organizing it amongst the bags as one does while waiting for the ferry. Although I don't recall his name, he lived in Comox, just a block from my sister's place, and had just returned from Deadhorse Alaska. He had done the trip in 14 days, and mentioned that at some point it was just 5C (41f) all the time, and that the sun never really went down. It sounds like he had an incredible time.

The ferry arrived, and we were directed to drive aboard. In the hold, no straps were given, but chocks to place on the high side of the bike, to prevent it from toppling.


The 2 hour ferry ride from Tsawwassen to Duke Point in Nanaimo was interrupted by the Captain coming across the tannoy system of the ship. He announced that the ferry had been directed to render aid and participate in a search and rescue effort in the Strait of Georgia and that the ferry would be diverting from it's planned course. Of course he apologized for the delay but stressed the importance of the law of the sea. I finished my meal and made my way topside to find a search and rescue operation in full swing. Not knowing what we were searching for, but diligently searching for any sign of a person in distress, most people aboard the ferry were topside, watching the water.

Ultimately there were no results and after an hour and a half, the ferry was released by the joint recovery center and allowed to continue on. Afterwards, a news article published that 6 people were lost at sea when a sailboat tour suffered an incident in the Strait of Georgia. 3 additional people were recovered and I believe survived the event. A tragic reminder to the fragility of human life.

Arriving in Duke point, I rode off the ferry and joined the motorway headed north from Nanaimo to Comox. A big, sparsely populated 4 laned highway with tall pine trees stretching endlessly to the left and right kept my thoughts company for the remaining hour up to my sister's apartment.

Day 6 - Victoria BC to Kelso Washington - 560km (347 miles)

It was good to see her, if even only for a night on the couch. I had some scented incense wood matches she had left at my house which couldn't be returned via mail or air. I was in the neighborhood, relatively speaking. We had coffee and breakfast the next morning out in town at some fancy breakfast place downtown. She took me by her work to meet her coworkers, and then back to the apartment. I figured out that if I left right away after breakfast, at noon, then I would be able to make it to Victoria to catch the Black Ball Ferry to Port Angeles. I packed up and loaded the bike and bid them farewell as I pointed my bike south for the first time in a week.

I figured this was what Alaska might look like. A long straight road with pine trees. I had seen this before. It was very similar to roads I had traveled in New Hampshire, and parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut. I was thinking, hey this reminds me of the time I drove my car up Mt. Washington. As I neared Victoria I realized that this was the urban center on the island. The further north up island you go, the more remote and sparsely populated it gets. the population on the island is concentrated in Victoria, at the very southern point. I found the ferry terminal after a jaunt through the city center, and arrived just on time. I was able to purchase a ticket and was let into processing. The customs agent asked me why I was late, I proffered that I was merely just-in-time.

After showing the passport, you get directed to the office in the lot. Thru their you fill out a short form customs declaration and they issue you a ticket with a lane number, and you return back to your vehicle. Arriving early is definitely recommended, if you were to be travelling in a car. Seeing that motorcycles are first come first serve and unable to make a reservation, arriving on-time, about an hour before the ferry departure, is just about right and should pose no difficulties, in my opinion. Both BC ferry and Black Ball ferry typically have the capacity to handle walk up motorcycles.

The Black Ball Ferry is the MV Coho, and has been sailing the route since 1959. The ferry crossing takes approximately 90 minutes to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and impressively enough can transport 115 vehicles, including large American semi-trucks and trucks with their 5th wheel travel trailers. Motorcycles are tucked in along the gunnels, with chocks and a rope to tie off the bike. As I came to find out, once out in the strait, approaching Port Angeles, the vessel begins to roll with the swells of the pacific ocean. A pod of whales came by to my excitement. I was disappointed I didn't have my camera ready, as it was safely locked up in the panniers under the roll top bag.



The ship pulled into Port Angeles, Washington at around 3pm. As I was un-rigging the rope I noted a puddle on the deck of the boat, just behind my front tire. Odd, but maybe it was there before. After a quick chat with CBP, I was back on highway 101, going the opposite way, southbound through Skokomish, and away from the hustle and bustle of Seattle. I rejoined highway 5 in Olympia and felt that the journey had come to it's conclusion, and that the only thing left to do was to go home. I put some music on and settled into the journey south.

A long time ago, I learned or acquired this philosophy. I don't recall who, or where. It's the thought that there's three parts or phases to the journey. In the first phase, much like a rocket going to space, there's a lot of preparation, then a countdown which leads to blast-off. Its this launch into the journey where the traveler has to achieve a certain velocity, a certain amount of energy is needed to escape the reality which is the day to day life. Its only after this energy has been put in to the system that the journey feels like it's begun, you've achieved escape velocity, you're on the trip now, and you begin to live that day to day adventure. Once the mission is completed it's time to begin the journey home. You have to spend some time and invest into re-entry. If you come in too hot, you bounce right off or burn up. Like most of my trips, the turning point to travel home is a solemn commitment to return to the day to day life. Play time is over. Just get on with it, and a little physical challenge, a little endurance test to distract myself from the fact of the end.

The weather started to turn the sky grey so I made the decision to stay in a motel for the night. I pulled over in Kelso Washington and obtained a budget room at the Motel 6. Hey, I get a discount and they did leave the light on. The room wasn't bad at all, comparable to the room in Briggs Junction. I didn't bother to turn down the bed, I just throw my sleeping bag ontop.

 

[myblunt]

Day 7 - RTB - 681 Miles

I woke up and when I opened the blinds, I saw that it had rained. Smart move staying in the hotel. I packed my stuff up and drove over to the Starbucks by the freeway on-ramp to get some coffee and a bite to eat. I looked at the map, anticipating the tail end of rush hour in Portland, deciding to take the 205 around the city center, rejoining the 5 south of Portland.

Slabbing it is pretty much the rest of the story. Somewhere south of Eugene, I stopped at a rest stop to take a break and eat some of the camp food I had left. I had brought it so it should be eaten. Chicken curry and rice, and it was pretty delicious. As I was eating I was taking a closer look at the bike and noticed that mysterious puddle again. But now in the daylight, I could see the associated mess on the front fender and grime caked on the front engine cover. My front shock had let go. That's a bummer. with 59,000 miles on the bike too. I think what did it in was the technical section of the ride I went on, and I hadn't noticed anything until now. The shock was gone since Sunday.

Dustin was leading us through the forests above Lake Wenatchee and the fire road degraded into a tight two-track trail heading downhill. This was fine until the switchback, when I came around the curve and saw nothing but baby-head sized boulders on the downhill, and just gobbled them all up with the front end. Nothing unusual, and I have put the GS through this type of torture in the past, but as advertised, the factory shock has it's limits. The OEM factory replacement is also $2500. That's crazy.

At some point, in Grant's pass, I realized that the shock had stopped leaking oil because there was no more oil to leak. At least that's done. I had also filled my 2 gallon bladder from the soda fountain water at a gas station, and felt pretty smart that I had gotten free water. I rode the remaining 528 miles with no rebound or compression damping, just free floating on the front spring, avoiding any potholes. I set the cruise control and accepted my fate, to proceed with caution and no front suspension until I got home. Fortunately I came into Corning later on in the afternoon, having ridden through Shasta during the afternoon hours, so I avoided some of the heat of the day. I made Dunnigan by dusk, and two hours later, was pulling into my driveway, around 11pm.

Parting Thoughts

I enjoy travelling by motorcycle. I had a good time on the trip. I was able to clear my mind. I was excited to see the family when I got back. Going it alone wasn't horrible, because I was able to travel at my own pace, find my own company, make friends, and change plans on a whim. I feel like it allowed me to find my own pace after pushing myself a little. To free myself from the "I have to do this" mindset and form more of a "I want to, can, do this" philosophy. As unfortunate as it was that the front shock let go, it did well for 60k miles. And it is possible to do the last 500 miles on the spring only. I've since purchased the front Tractive shock from Ted Porter's Beemershop. The aftermarket shock presents as much beefier, and Ted assures I will love it after consulting with him on the phone about my riding style. It was a little bit of a challenge to do the trip in 7 days, but I couldn't leave earlier and need to get back soon. I found out that a little bit of padding to sit on made a huge difference in durability of the seat on the GS.

Shortly afterwards I would hear from Jay that he had made it to Deadhorse, in the Arctic circle, from his home in Portland, in a record amount of time, 6 days. I think that worked out to be 450-500 miles a day. I think that there are long distances which allow you to take in the scenery without stopping once you get that far north. One of these days maybe I'll be able to do that trip. I'll ride to the Touratech rally then keep going north until I get to Deadhorse. It's only another 6 days north of where I was, 14 days for the round trip. Maybe my boss will let me work remotely a couple days a week.

Over the course of the 7 days, I camped 3 nights, couch surfed 1 and spent $200 on motel rooms ($100/night). I only ate dehydrated camping food once. I really noticed that I way overpacked, only needed to bring 3 shirts, 4 socks, and 3 underwear. I never used that tarp pole and only took two pictures with the nice camera. I did my school work and touched my work Ipad once... Ignored it the rest of the time. The starlink mini fit in the lid of the pannier and all things considered is worth carrying around. It doesn't weigh much. My In-Reach Mini2 was activated and worked pretty reliably. At maximum efficiency (55-60mph) I was getting around 54mpg, 250miles a tank. at 80mph it was substantially less, closer to 40mpg, 175-200 miles per tank. Gas was something like $2.05 a liter in Canada which was same as California prices. I think if I'm going to ride further, I should look at some padding for the seat. I only needed to bring 2 camp meals for backup. I was pretty good about finding dinner before heading to camp. The snack situation was fine.

I'm currently laid up with the flu so having nothing to do and it being about 100F outside I decided to write this up. I hope you like it and I'll see you out there on the road!

 

[myblunt]

I put video media on my TikTok - Mikes MotoVlog on TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7666658452667632927

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7661744410123652382

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7659767857110207774

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7662527186594843934

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7659229681761258782

 

[PaulR]

Thanks for sharing this adventure.
I going to read more later tonight and watch all the videos.
Inspirational for sure thanks again and I’m glad you made it home safe.
PaulR

 

[SFMCjohn]

reallly enjoyed the ride report, you got a ton of stuff into seven days … plus, Freebird!

 

[myblunt]

Thanks for the support!

 

[2legs2wheels]

Thanks, loved the write up.