ADVrider - Riding the Rim!

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- - Riding the Rim! (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=794373)

:uhoh:uhoh:uhoh:uhoh

Great pics!!! :thumbup:

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1) Thanks for doing this Supah! The geology out there is mind boggling for this geology student.

2) If anybody quotes that first post and just says "Cool trip bro!" They deserve to be banned. That was a seriously long post!

Why did your ridining "Buddy" leave you??

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anticyclone (Post 18775170)

1) I love geology; it fascinates me. I took two geology courses at USM; the second I didn't have to take.

2) Yes, I should have broken it down a little more. I will consider that as I post for the next several days.

Cool trip bro!

But if you REALLY wanna make a trip more interesting..... Take Doc LeWall.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=590170

Seriously, Awesome report!:thumb

Only a 'local' like myself who has 'been there--done that" can appreciate your talent as a photographer---super pictures. Also you must be one hell of a bike rider to handle that much gear packed on the bike? Can't believe you needed all that? (the porta-potty was a little much though----assume you had one in there somewhere though I couldn't find it in the pictures anywhere? ) :rofl:lol3

Great report Supha....thanks! :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by joenuclear (Post 18776421)

Cool trip bro!

But if you REALLY wanna make a trip more interesting..... Take Doc LeWall.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=590170

Seriously, Awesome report!:thumb

Thanks! Doc seems like an awfully interesting fellow, but with his bad luck and mine with flats, I'm not sure that would be a good idea (I'm about halfway through your TAT RR)!

More to come!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deseret Rider (Post 18776551)

I appreciate the nice compliment! Porta potty; that's funny! I know, I have got to re-structure and really contemplate the stuff I take. I think maybe it would be better to get the weight into the saddle bags which would make it a little lower. The problem is that my tent and my chair are a little long to fit in the saddlebags. I'm going to spend some time researching how everyone else distributes their stuff. You got any insight?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRZ Charlie (Post 18776665)

Great report Supha....thanks! :D

Thanks Charlie! Looking forward to getting together with you again!

Day 5: Missing Canyon Road, Flagstaff:

Now that I was alone, I had to make some quick decisions. I knew my bike was running poorly, so, I needed to get somewhere for an air filter and possibly put the bike in the shop. Oh yeah, my rear brakes were squealing even though it appeared to me there was still plenty of pad left.

After doing some research, it appeared as though there was a KTM dealer in Flagstaff, so my loose plan was to get to Big Water where hopefully I would have enough cell service to find out if Northland Motorsports would have an air filter. But first I had to get to Big Water. I made a route that took me on Cedar Wash Road, Hole in the Rock Road, Missing Canyon Road and Warm Creek Road into Big Water. If I was to go to Flagstaff from Big Water, I would just jump on Highway 89 and hustle to Flagstaff.

I loaded the bike and made tracks:
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0742-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0743-L.jpg
Were those “walking” feet or “paddling while riding” feet?
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0744-L.jpg

Either way, I still suck at riding in deep sand and made my own “paddling while riding” feet marks.

Getting nice again:
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0745-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0746-L.jpg
Oh hell, what happened to the road?
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0748-L.jpg
I was so far down this sandy road, I didn’t want to turn around. That’s an arroyo down there and the picture does not define the ten or twelve foot walls. Of course, it’s essentially a dry river bed, so it’s all about the deep sand!
Looking back at the overburdened beast:
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0747-L.jpg
There were tracks through the arroyo and I thought that maybe, just maybe, the path would get out of there pretty quick. I went forward and down into the arroyo. What a mistake that was. Deep, deep sand; I made a couple hundred yards and realized that if I didn’t find my way out of here and quick, I was going to burn up my clutch trying to keep this rough running beast moving through the sand.

I dismounted the bike and walked a hundred yards or so until I found a spot that someone had used to climb up out of the arroyo. I walked up, took a look around and found the road a couple hundred yards away. It was then that I realized I had taken a wrong turn! If I could just get to this spot and up the hill, I could make that couple hundred yards to the road.

I almost made it:
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0749-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0751-L.jpg
I knew the only way I was going to get out was to get the rear tire on the flatter ground. I unloaded the bike and knocked the goat wagon over. After much pulling and dragging, I was able to get the rear tire up on flatter ground and pick the bike up:
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0752-L.jpg
I re-loaded the bike, paddled my way across the sand to the road and was on my way. I think that whole episode cost me over an hour. I realized I should pay closer attention to where I am going!

Fantastic scenery!
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0753-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0754-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0755-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0756-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0757-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0758-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0759-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0760-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0761-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0762-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0763-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0764-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0765-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0766-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0768-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0769-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0770-L.jpg

Day 5 continued....

After I had climbed from the canyon and passed through some switchbacks, I hit some fast gravely, rocky road. I passed two jeeps heading in the opposite direction; I was a little surprised by the first one since I hadn’t seen anyone all morning. I was clipping along after the second Jeep, when I realized I was about to encounter rock in the road. The gravel road sort of dipped down at the base of the rock road and I knew I was about to have a hell of a jolt if I didn’t slow down. So, I started down shifting quickly and braking some; I hit the rock fairly smoothly, but as I started to climb back up, while modulating the clutch, either I didn’t give it enough gas or the coughing, sputtering basterd just couldn’t stay cranked. Either way, the engine ceased to run and all of my forward momentum was lost; I dropped it.
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0771-L.jpg
Gear removal time for the second time this day. I simply could not lift the bike with the big Wolfman bag on the back, the two gallons of gas, and the five or six liters of water, plus the gear in the saddlebags; some of that had to be dismounted before even thinking about lifting the bike.

About the time I had gotten the bike to a flat spot ahead, the second Jeep I passed came rolling up to the base of the hill. I still had gear strewn about the path and at first I didn’t recognize that it was the second Jeep I had passed. I ran to the gear to move it and once I did, I frantically waved them by; I hate to be a burden to anyone!

Next thing I know, a younger and older couple exited the vehicle and were walking my way. Turns out, they had seen the whole episode from the switchbacks and had rushed back to help me. I was very grateful for the effort but assured them that the hard part was over. The older gentleman, in his broken, but very passable English was very concerned about me and kept grabbing my arm and shoulder asking if I was ok. I assured them that I was and thanked them profusely. Soon, they believed me and made their way back to the Jeep. They watched as I slung the big Wolfman over my shoulder and hiked it to the bike, then, they turned the Jeep around and were gone.

Isn’t it experiences like this that keep your spirit bouyed? I know that most of us might have done the same thing, but how nice was it that they really wanted to make sure I was ok?

More geography pron!:
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0772-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0774-L.jpg

http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0775-L.jpg

http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0776-L.jpg

http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0777-L.jpg

http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0778-L.jpg

http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0779-L.jpg

http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0780-L.jpg

http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0781-L.jpg

http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0782-L.jpg

http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0783-L.jpg

http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0784-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0785-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0786-L.jpg http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0790-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0789-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0791-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0792-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0793-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0794-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0795-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0796-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0797-L.jpg

Wouldn’t you love to have been there when these big boulders rolled off the hill?:
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0798-L.jpg
http://supahflid.smugmug.com/Motorcy...IMGP0799-L.jpg