plainjaneFJC
Deplorable
Love the report! What’s the white crew cab we see in the photos?
Love the report! What’s the white crew cab we see in the photos?
Breckinridge turned out to be a 3 day layover as two members needed to look into fixing their vehicles. Joe spent one of the days driving to Denver for two new catalytic converters and Cowboy started looking for parts to fix his AC. A few even made it to REI for camping supplies. I ended up washing the Jeep while Greg had his front windshield repaired due to flying rocks.
Otherwise we just hung out enjoying the day.
Gary, having only 4 weeks for the trip, decided to head home a bit early (maybe to repair his cat) so we said our goodbyes and he was off.
I just found this and read the whole thing in one sitting. My hat's off to you all! Lat summer we did a good portion of the HOTW trail. But it was nothing like this. 51 days, wow! I think that I was gone from Spokane for 14 on that trip. Our whole adventure was around 2,800 miles. You drove a good chunk of that distance just to get to your starting point in NM.
I'd love to get together with you here in Spokane and talk about the trip, equipment, etc., over a beer or two some time.
Dale
Dang, you're making me more jealous by the minute! I wish I could get SWMBO to do Baja some winter. Let me know when you're back up here. I really want to share notes with you. Putting together a group to do the IDBDR next fall. It would be great getting some input from one who has been there.We are currently in Baja until April but should be back in Spokane sometime in the summer/fall. I needs to warm up there first
Dang, you're making me more jealous by the minute! I wish I could get SWMBO to do Baja some winter. Let me know when you're back up here. I really want to share notes with you. Putting together a group to do the IDBDR next fall. It would be great getting some input from one who has been there.
Dale
He said he was averaging 22 mpgI believe it's the Volkswagen Amarok with a diesel engine - gnel brought it up from Mexico. The VW has great milage as I only saw it being filled once maybe twice for the whole trip.
As a touring cyclist and mountain biker and a member of the Adventure Cycling Association I was excited when they published the maps and guidebooks for the Great Divide Mt Bike route in ‘97 and I wanted to ride the route but due to work and family commitment couldn’t take two months off to cycle it. Being an Adventure Motorcyclist as well I decided to ride the route border to border on my BMW F659Gs Dakar In 2001. As far as I could tell at that time no one had ridden the route by motorcycle and I called Clement Salvadori who writes for Rider Mag and pitched the idea to him and he was all over it. We met in Roosville MTon the 4th of July ‘01 and rode the whole route in 8 and a half days down to Antelope Wells. We bypassed the non motorized singletrack sections in MT and were cranking out 300 plus miles a day. At one point in the Red Desert in WY I stopped and said to Clement “man, this is like doing the Dakar rally with bags”.
In 2003 April issue of Rider magazine the article he wrote about our first running of the GDR (I prefer to not refer to it as the CDT as the route and maps we followed were due to the work the ACA put years into creating it) and the motorcycle world was turned on to what Clement said in the article was”the best ride he has ever done in North America”. I’d have to agree. Whether by mt bike, motorcycle or overlanding rig it is an epic journey through some of the most beautiful scenery to be found in our country.
In 2007 I spent 10 days cycling the Colorado section of the route mostly solo but my son went along for three of the days. Even in ‘07 I think I saw more motorcyclit’s doing it than mt bikers. I know that if we hadn’t done it back in ‘01 eventually someone would have figured out what a perfect route this is for adventure bikes to ride but is gratifying to know we set something in motion that has become a important goal over he years for overlanders on two or four wheels.
My wife and I are going to try and get away this summer and do it again in our e350 Sportsmoble 4x4 camper van. It’ll be cool to see it again after 21 years.