Gettin' Dirty with the Wans: 8400 miles - UTBDR, KLIM rally, Canada, WABDR, OBDR +

[LittleWan]

Thanks, Dave62538675309! Hi ROAD DAMAGE!
Glad you guys are enjoying the videos

Originally Posted by bc_seattle

You have me completely stoked for the WA BDR which I'm going to try to sneak away and do in early Sept.

bc_seattle

Thank you, bc_seattle!
We're happy you like the report so far!

Have fun on the WABDR - sorry it's going to be a while before I get to that part of the ride...







That reminds me,
I really wanted to leave a safety cone on the WABDR, but totally dropped the ball.
Couldn't find the geocache at Cold Springs Campground.
Has anyone heard anything about that waypoint?
it was mentioned in the WABDR dvd, but we couldn't find any info.

Thought about leaving it up on Bethel Ridge,
then completely blanked once we were up there.



Anyway, I ended up leaving that last cone on the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route instead.
I'm afraid that the riding season will be over by the time I get to the OBDR portion of this report.
It seems like a lot of people are going to be doing the OBDR in september,
so I'm going to spill the cone info early...





Get thee to Frazier Point Lookout...







Sit at the picnic table and look where BigWan is pointing...




See those guys?





Check the tall one







Hopefully an inmate will find that before a squirrel does...



Don’t forget to let us know if you get it!
Pics would be nice.
If you think about it, leave something for the next person....





Happy cone hunting!

[dave6253]

Originally Posted by LittleWan

Thanks, Dave62538675309! Hi ROAD DAMAGE!
Glad you guys are enjoying the videos

Oh, I've got your number.

[Rwelch360]

Report is great so far, loving all the awesome pictures. I really enjoyed the Tilts in the silt. Should get one framed up like those motivational posters people put up in their offices and cubes around the world. But instead of some tacky motivational saying underneath you could just put "Awesome".

Looking forward to reading some more installments. I myself just got back from our beach house. So I had to get myself all caught up.

[LittleWan]

Heh, Dave.
catchy song, eh?



OK - I heard back from the finder of the Eagle Canyon cone...
he said I could go ahead and post this photo for him:





Thanks, Honkey Cat! Congratulations on finishing the TAT!




Hi Rwelch360 - glad you're all caught up!







Day 11: 7/2/12
Salina, UT to Valley of the Gods, UT (via Mexican Hat) 353 miles




We left the Super 8 and headed onto Gooseberry Road.
Crap, it looked like dirt on the map...





It was, eventually.






here's the blurry map for today:













Things were going great until we got a flat






This is no way to make up the miles...












Our cheap electric pump is on its last legs.
Got enough air into the rear to make it to Loa...
and a shop with a compressor.






Loa or Teasdale?






Stopped for lunch in Torrey.
Slackers!













Got the special.






Burgers and sweet potato fries.






Cows on Hwy 12.
Aww, now I feel bad about the burgers...






Burr Trail (also known as Notom-Bullfrog Road)






Started off paved...












Then turned to dirt





































Glen Canyon Recreation Area
We thought it would be fun to take the ferry across Lake Powell.
I don’t know where we got that idea...





Once we paid our $15 and got inside the park,
we had second thoughts.
Apparently, we got there just in time to watch the last ferry depart.




We asked the guy at the launch ramp what there is to do at Lake Powell.
“Um...you could go eat at the restaurant...
you could...hmm...Yeah. There’s not much to do here.”


Screw this.
I don’t want to spend our anniversary here.
This place sucks.


We were leaving anyway, even if we ate the $15, but BigWan decided to ask for a refund.
He got it!






We’ll take the loooooong way around the lake.






Crossed the Dirty Devil River.
























Jacob’s chair





Cheesebox Butte.
heh.

[kaia]

i rode some of that same area a few years ago in UT (bryce, boulder, panguitch, burr trail), but was stuck to the slab due to a tire blowout on the burr trail that ended up my trip, and had me limping home. it's awesome to see the dirt side of things, and now with a proper steed... i'll have to go back!


i've got the 150 size of the k60 on my 990s, and even though it's been mostly slab since i got it on there, it seems to be wearing well... i've heard multiple other people mention that they also got horrible wear out of the 140 size of the k60, the 150 has a slightly different tread pattern, and is supposed to wear better. dave6395 has a pic somewhere in the middle of his recent alaska rr of the 150w k60 rear after 4k miles, and it looks nothing like how yours turned out.


awesome report so far, keep it coming!

[sierrasommets]

I'm enjoying this RR much the same as the TAT. Can't wait to get out there, keep it coming!

[LittleWan]

Originally Posted by kaia

it's awesome to see the dirt side of things, and now with a proper steed... i'll have to go back!

Hi Kaia!
Again, congratulations on the bike!
Yeah, I saw Dave's photo - that was 4800miles.
CJ got 7000 (out of a 150), which is what inspired Matt to try a K60 in the first place.
Oh, that 140 got way worse.
You should see it after Lockhart Basin!

Originally Posted by sierrasommets

I'm enjoying this RR much the same as the TAT. Can't wait to get out there, keep it coming!

Wow, 3 years of lurking and that was your very first post!
I'm honored. thanks for signing in!





Day 11: 7/2/12 continued
Salina, UT to Valley of the Gods, UT (via Mexican Hat) 353 miles



We ended up doing the Moki Dugway twice.
But the light was prettiest in the evening.




















































Mexican Hat, the rock.





Mexican Hat, the town.
Got gas and some drinks.





It was so mucking hot. Must have been 100°F
and Matt kept talking about grape slushees.
Mmmm...grape slushees are so cold and so delicious...
WTH? it was torture.
This was the closest thing we could find. Grape powerade...






We were spending the night in Valley of the Gods.





Funny names for the rock formations.






Seven Sailors






That one on the right looked like Homer Simpson in a bathtub.






That's the sitting hen, way out there...




















We liked this spot.






It felt like we had the entire valley to ourselves.





What a fantastic place for an anniversary.



This was our 15th wedding anniversary, but I always count the time we were living in sin, etc...
We've actually been together for 21 years.





This was so much better than being surrounded by yahoos at Lake Powell...






We didn't have a table, so we sat on these rocks and looked out over the valley.



I didn't notice that Matt was in that photo until I was uploading pics for the report!
He's not doing anything bad, he's just in his skivvies. Honest!



It was so hot, we took off our riding gear and hung out in our underwear.
At one point, a big white van (the kind they use for church groups) was headed our way...

me: oh, crap - where are my clothes?
Matt: Relax, they aren't coming over here.
me: and if they do??
Matt: No worries, we'll just say, "Oh hai, we're in our bathing suits!"



Oh man, the voice he used for that was so mucking funny.
That "oh hai" cat voice is pretty close, but not perfect.
heh.
Anyway, "oh hai, we're in our bathing suits!" got a lot of use on this trip.
We got pretty loosey goosey about bathing in rivers and lakes.
and running around in our underwear on the side of the road.





We had astronaut fajitas for dinner, but I forgot to take pics.
Here's what matt picked up for our anniversary dessert.
I had just mentioned that I hadn't see a whatchamacallit since the 80s.
OK. I'm good for another 25 years...






We sat on the rocks and watched the sunset...





After the sun went down,
the moon came out.
Valley of the Gods is just as spectacular by moonlight.

(not that you can tell from my crappy photo. oh well).










This Utah Backcountry Discovery Route is good stuff...

[ROAD DAMAGE]

Hey Wans,

HAPPY 15th ANNIVERSARY !! Wow, 21 years is quite a "good run" these days.

According to Norman DeLorme ................ your anniversary also happens to be ........ MY birthday!


Still having all that fun together after 21 years. COOL!

BTW, you both still look like "punk kids" to me. Must've gotten together when you were 8 or 9 years old, huh?

[dustyrider]

Drove through Valley of the Gods a few years ago. Somehow, I didn't know you could camp there. Way cool.
Loving the ride report.

[GISdood]

Originally Posted by LittleWan

Cows on Hwy 12.
Aww, now I feel bad about the burgers...

Really enjoying this RR!

But... did you consider that maybe the burgers came from one that didn't get off the hwy quite quickly enough?

I keed, I keed!

[kaia]

Originally Posted by LittleWan

What a fantastic place for an anniversary.



[/COLOR]This was our 15th wedding anniversary, but I always count the time we were living in sin, etc...
We've actually been together for 21 years.

happy belated anniversary - definitely an awesome way to spend it!

[Bob]

Great picture!

[Rwelch360]

Great Picture! Really cool way to spend your anniversary. 21 years is a long time! My wife and I are on a similar road but only married 5 years next wednesday, but been together for 11. Seems like now a days most couples stay together 1 year.

[dustyrider]

Originally Posted by LittleWan

What a fantastic place for an anniversary.



This was our 15th wedding anniversary, but I always count the time we were living in sin, etc...
We've actually been together for 21 years.

You two look like a couple of happy teenagers.

[LittleWan]

Hey, thanks for the anniversary wishes, you guys!!

Not to mention all the kind words.
Nah, we're old - the evening light was just VERY flattering.
it takes YEARS off.
(I even asked matt if he had retouched that photo. nope.)
Wow. Wish I could have that Valley of the Gods sunset just follow me around...


And did you know that 7/2 was also Dave6253's anniversary?
Matt and I were roasting in the desert while Dave and Helen were up in the Arctic Circle!
(see day 11 or so in Dave's WAY UP NORTH RR. I'm in the middle of video hell and can't get the link right now)


Happy Belated Birthday, ROAD DAMAGE!

Originally Posted by GISdood

Really enjoying this RR!

But... did you consider that maybe the burgers came from one that didn't get off the hwy quite quickly enough?

I keed, I keed!

GIS......doood!
That video was just...wrong.
all kinds of wrong!


thanks for the contribution!







Day 12: 7/3/12
Valley of the Gods to Monticello, UT 167 miles



Whew, was it hot last night.
92° at 10:30 pm.
Guess that explains why we have the place all to ourselves...





It was still awesome.


Hey, look what BigWan gave me for our anniversary!
A rock!




He found it this morning.
I think it’s hematite.
It’s all pretty and polished, obviously tumbled. Hmmm.
Some hippie must have dropped it here.



I hope it’s not going to be like one of those cursed tikis on the brady bunch...
(those guys on scrubs are idiots. it’s not “nah nah nah nah,”
it’s “dooodle eee oooh!”)



Anyway.
Thanks, mr. honey! (Gale B.T., I still use that one!!)
I love my anniversary rock.



We had coffee and nasty astronaut eggs for breakfast.
Seriously. Ugh.
They look better than they taste.












After choking that down with more coffee,
we got on the trail.


Ah, it was just as beautiful today.





So, we’re on Section 1 of the Utah Backcountry Discovery Route.
Video trailer here
GPS tracks available here.
Butler map here.






We don’t have a smart phone ($10, remember?), so we couldn’t use those thingies on the UTBDR map.
I guess they play video? Dunno.
Anyway, now that we’re home we can see the videos of the stuff we missed.

Like the ancient ruins in section 1.












Back up the Moki Dugway...
































Wow, Duke really gets around!




















Snow Flat Road - the UTBDR guys really liked this one.
Lots of sloooow motion video of snow flat throughout the trailer and dvd...






it was okay, I guess.












Very Utah.





But, after all the rock steps and sand in the San Rafael Swell (Black Dragon, Cat Canyon, etc),
Snow Flat seemed pretty tame.



next time - Make silt your favorite!



OK, all of a sudden Lockhart Basin and the Porcupine Rim Trail are coming up.
I need to streeeetch this day a little bit....so we can get the video done.


if you're bored, you can go watch some old videos...