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

[Hobbes950]

When I first started riding it was as a pillion and the advice given to me was that I should be like a "sack of potatoes," and I took that advice to heart. Then when I got my own bike soon after, I gave my friend a ride. I was 125 pounds, he was 230 pounds. We went through a corner and he was steering the bike. Nothing hits home more how important a good pillion is than to be turning left on a right hand corner just to keep from going down.
I don't see how you keep from bonking helmets all day long on trails like that. I hate bonking helmets.

[pyrate]

That was impressive!! Two up riding in the dirt on single track. :freak y

Originally Posted by LittleWan

Exactly!


It was a special treat for us - we never get to see ourselves ride.
A photo here and there, but mostly on the slab or on some tame gravel.
Radek had a GoPro and he's fast.
It was a winning combination!






Wow, that was awesome!
A super fun trail and a stoked playmate are always a blast.

But, then, to get nice riding footage on top of that...


Thanks, Radek!!

[live2ridetahoe]

Originally Posted by Uller

Wans, I think I have lurked through almost all of your ride reports....must finally add something that I don't believe has been mentioned before.

While I wholehartedly agree with the statement above, I must add that not enough admiration has been given to Kelly for her ability (and nerves) to hang on back there and work with Matt well enough for him to "do what he does" while riding like that. I could only imagine it while reading some of your ride reports/videos before, but, with the video from Radek from behind.... Wow. Nice job holding on back there!!!!!!

Can't wait for you both to get to the WABDR.

I totally agree!! This ride report is great because of the teamwork of this amazing couple. Matt does the driving, Kelly does the riding and the storytelling. This is one of my favorite ride reports because it is two wonderful people having fun together, exploring together, and getting out there and living life and riding a moto.

Thank you for taking us along on your journeys.

Jeff G.

[Nacho911]

Jesus,
Wee Wans, you guys are hard core. Funny how anyone behind you has trouble keeping up as a single rider.
I grew up in Kelowna. The KVR (kettle valley railroad) from Kelowna to Naramata/pent icon is great too. There is a small resort up there called Chute Lake Resort. Makes the best pies, and home made hamburgers to die for. Like last meal prisoner request type meal. Yum!
Re: Washington BackCountry Discovery Route. We did it in August. Stupid hot 37c. Watch out for the section that climbs to the top of some foothills with.plenty of baby head like lava rock. After the electronic stuff at the top of the ridge, the ridge goes on forever. Plenty of rocks make the entire day tiring. 100% focus on long ride, lots of washout too. Sandy and rocky. One section goes down and right but hides wash out and ball bearing rocks well to the bottom. At the top is a little hidden bypass through most of the harsh stuff. It follows fairly parallel to the bad down hill section. The steepness, and ball bearings make it almost impossible to keep control and speed and it is really like being on ice. You'll know your there at the top of this shit section because looking to the bottom appears a nice open range like road splitting hard left, and a nice looking roadway keeping top of the ridge. Once you begin going down that main trail hill it is hidden as it is kind of hidden in the scrub brush and indented into the ground deeper that its sides. once you start down that bugger you kind of committed and now screwed, and cant get out the sides as it begins to hook right and begins the steep descent. We felt this day was miserable. Heat and focus drained us. Much beer was drank later that day.

Ride safe you guys. Your ability is legendary!

[rburkat]

Originally Posted by LittleWan

Kelowna to Mad Radek’s Man Cave 306 miles (492 km)[/SIZE]

Hi guys! Welcome to BC. It was great riding with you and showing you around. You have so many photos and videos of our riding together and its cool to re live it.

I'm looking forward to the next section

[redog1]

When she'd FALL ASLEEP! But then we weren't in the dirt either.

[LittleWan]

Originally Posted by Rwelch360

"If we can make it..."

Dun Dah Dun Dun. Dun Dah dun dun Daaaaa!

p.s.- when i got home from work today Landon told me he had to tell me a secret, so i bent down to listen to his secret and he whispered into my ear "Oh Hai!" I fell to the floor laughing my ass off!

Kids....LOL

Hee, that's hilarious!
I love that Landon loves "Oh hai!" so much!
Just don't let him see some of those other videos -
Can you imagine what he'd pick up from those Deadwood videos??
"Oh hai, you corksoaking mother brother!"

Originally Posted by NoVa Rider

Again, amazing footage.

If only you had a "real bike".

Originally Posted by redog1

My wife and I used to bonk helmets....When she'd FALL ASLEEP! But then we weren't in the dirt either.

A "real" bike and the slab =
I actually fell asleep on the autobahn one time...
It was too smooth!

Originally Posted by dustyrider

Kelly, if you only knew how much influence you have on the ride. Most of us hanging onto the bars have had the bejabbers scared out of us by an unruly passenger at one time or another. You are a superb rider.

Originally Posted by Uller

Exactly! If Matt can't tell you are back there while riding through THAT at that pace, your are soooooo much better of a Pillion Rider than you give yourself credit for.

Originally Posted by pyrate

That was impressive!! Two up riding in the dirt on single track.

Originally Posted by hobbes95821

When I first started riding it was as a pillion and the advice given to me was that I should be like a "sack of potatoes," and I took that advice to heart. Then when I got my own bike soon after, I gave my friend a ride. I was 125 pounds, he was 230 pounds. We went through a corner and he was steering the bike. Nothing hits home more how important a good pillion is than to be turning left on a right hand corner just to keep from going down.
I don't see how you keep from bonking helmets all day long on trails like that. I hate bonking helmets.

Aww, thanks you guys!
Us dirt pillions rarely get enough credit, so I appreciate the kind words!


Believe me, I know all about the "Power of the Pillion!"


I could make us crash any time, any place!

Just by tensing, resisting or shifting at the wrong time.
Even though Matt says he can hardly tell I'm back there most of the time,
he's so sensitive to my movements, he knows which hand I'm holding the camera in!
If my foot slips off its peg at speed or in technical bits,
it can really muck us up.
I am acutely aware of my role in our safety.


I guess I wasn't communicating very well, but it is Matt's skills that get us through that stuff,
Including my FAITH in matt's skills.
That faith and trust in his abilities help allow us to go fast in the gnarly bits.


I'm able to resist the instinctual urges to steer or control the ride, only because I know Matt can do it.
A rider-pillion (who spends more time on her/his own bike) would feel the loss of control and want to bail when things get ugly.
(in mud, rocks, sand, silt; or when we're sliding in corners)
That person would know the signs of impending doom and get the hell off the bike!
I know I feel it...
But, because I have faith,
and because I turn off my brain on these rides,
I can stay on (without tensing up) and Matt takes us through it.
Usually.


It definitely is a team effort.

So, thank you all for the applause and huzzahs!
I appreciate your appreciation!
<----- kidding! what I really wanted was a curtsey, but they are lacking in the smiley department...

Originally Posted by live2ridetahoe

I totally agree!! This ride report is great because of the teamwork of this amazing couple. Matt does the driving, Kelly does the riding and the storytelling. This is one of my favorite ride reports because it is two wonderful people having fun together, exploring together, and getting out there and living life and riding a moto.

Thank you for taking us along on your journeys.

Jeff G.

wow, thanks Jeff!
I'm doing another curtsey just for you!
Wearing a tiara and everything!

Originally Posted by Nacho911

Jesus,
Wee Wans, you guys are hard core. Funny how anyone behind you has trouble keeping up as a single rider.
I grew up in Kelowna. The KVR (kettle valley railroad) from Kelowna to Naramata/pent icon is great too. There is a small resort up there called Chute Lake Resort. Makes the best pies, and home made hamburgers to die for. Like last meal prisoner request type meal. Yum!
Re: Washington BackCountry Discovery Route. We did it in August. Stupid hot 37c. Watch out for the section that climbs to the top of some foothills with.plenty of baby head like lava rock. After the electronic stuff at the top of the ridge, the ridge goes on forever. Plenty of rocks make the entire day tiring. 100% focus on long ride, lots of washout too. Sandy and rocky. One section goes down and right but hides wash out and ball bearing rocks well to the bottom. At the top is a little hidden bypass through most of the harsh stuff. It follows fairly parallel to the bad down hill section. The steepness, and ball bearings make it almost impossible to keep control and speed and it is really like being on ice. You'll know your there at the top of this shit section because looking to the bottom appears a nice open range like road splitting hard left, and a nice looking roadway keeping top of the ridge. Once you begin going down that main trail hill it is hidden as it is kind of hidden in the scrub brush and indented into the ground deeper that its sides. once you start down that bugger you kind of committed and now screwed, and cant get out the sides as it begins to hook right and begins the steep descent. We felt this day was miserable. Heat and focus drained us. Much beer was drank later that day.

Ride safe you guys. Your ability is legendary!

Hi Nacho911!
Wow, that section of the WABDR really made an impression on you!

OK, it sounds like you think we're doing this live - I appreciate the warnings, but we already did the WABDR!
Probably around the same time you did...
I think you're describing the rocky section around Ellensburg, right?
Near the radio towers or whatever they are...
We were there on August 5th, it was 102°F (38.9°C)



We might have video of that part, but I'm not sure...
stay tuned!

Originally Posted by rburkat

Hi guys! Welcome to BC. It was great riding with you and showing you around. You have so many photos and videos of our riding together and its cool to re live it.

I'm looking forward to the next section

Hi Radek!
BC was unbelievably awesome, and I know we only had as much fun as we did because we were with YOU!
Grazie mille for your GoPro footage and your pics, too - they add so much to the story.

I don't think Matt and I heard the part about "IF we make it..." until we watched your raw footage.

Haha, the next section.... Wooooo!



Okay, you guys, that next section is coming up...
I just need another cup of coffee and time for the video to finish uploading...

[LittleWan]

Day 37: 7/28/12 continued
Kelowna to Mad Radek’s Man Cave 306 miles (492 km)






Off we go, towards the Traverse...






It was a *little* overgrown...






Checking to make sure we’re still following him...






















Oh no!







The trail was blocked by this giant stump/avalanche...







The new way was through these boulders...







And then across these rocks...







Radek’s bike was on the old part of the trail.






So, that’s what Radek was seeing.



Meanwhile, all we could see was this:






Our bike was in a precarious spot and we couldn’t use the sidestand.
matt didn’t want to lay it on its side, so he left me holding it up while he went to go check things out.


Because of that, I missed taking a lot of pics.
I tried to take photos by sticking my arm waaaaay out and clicking the camera,
but there were too many shrubs and stuff.
I only got a couple.




Luckily, Radek had his helmet cam on.



The guys had to move a giant stump...







And pull his bike up.
Radek doesn’t use crashbars, so there isn’t much to hold onto...







While I was waiting, I noticed that our crappy mirror was gone!



Turns out it got whacked and came loose during one of those hillclimbs.
Matt took it off and put it in his pocket.




Radek’s bike was now on the new “trail”







Our bike was next.
Matt and Lica started stacking rocks in preparation.



Now I was off of sidestand duty.




It was a tight fit!







Ooh. Nothing like the sound of metal whacking rock.







The sun was going down, so the light was really funky...







Action shot!







Look at this kick ass teamwork!





Thanks, guys!
When it’s just me and matt, we bust our butts moving the schoolbus.
With 3 big strong guys on the job, I just try to stay out of the way.





After our bike was through, it was time for Lica’s bike.
His standard 990 sits much lower than our S.
He needed extra rocks.
OK, I can help with that.







Pretty soon, that stack will be as tall as me!







Here’s how it looked on the other side.







Go, Lica!







Another tight fit...








Who says these bikes are too big?







More KTM-power awesomeness







Radek's a great host, always taking care of his guests.







Woooo! Happiness is getting your 990 through the rocks without breaking anything.







What a relief!






I tried to tell the story with pictures, but they just don’t cut it.
You need to see the video for this!





They did it!


Now that the 3 bikes were back on the trail,
all we had to do was make it across the single track in the next part.
Oh.
That’s all...

[HardWorkingDog]

"...[Oh hai]...it looks like there's an avalanche here!"

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by HardWorkingDog

"...[Oh hai]...it looks like there's an avalanche here!"

Oh hai, a cliffhanger.

[Hobbes950]

Those bikes are not made for portaging that's for sure! Wearing all that gear is pretty crazy too! I like when you can hear all the heavy breathing. I bet you slept well that night!

[Reddog*]

Thanks for the time you take with these RR

Originally Posted by LittleWan

I could make us crash any time, any place!

That just really made me laugh, love your writing style.

[sion]

awesome teamwork...

[DARKRYDER]

Holy !@#%&*, that's some serious riding, you guys are really pushing the limits. I want to ride B.C. now! Keep it coming

[LittleWan]

Originally Posted by HardWorkingDog

"...[Oh hai]...it looks like there's an avalanche here!"

Originally Posted by larryboy

Oh hai, a cliffhanger.

Oh hai, a new catchprase !!

Originally Posted by hobbes95821

Those bikes are not made for portaging that's for sure! Wearing all that gear is pretty crazy too! I like when you can hear all the heavy breathing. I bet you slept well that night!

Matt and I usually keep our helmets on so we can keep talking.
yep, slept great!

Originally Posted by Reddog*

That just really made me laugh, love your writing style.

Hi, Reddog*, glad you're enjoying the report!

Originally Posted by sion

awesome teamwork...

Thanks, sion!

Originally Posted by DARKRYDER

Holy !@#%&*, that's some serious riding, you guys are really pushing the limits. I want to ride B.C. now! Keep it coming

Hey jeremy!
Thanks! Yeah, BC is pretty incredible.








Day 37: 7/28/12 continued
Kelowna to Mad Radek’s Man Cave 306 miles (492 km)






Time to tackle the next stage of the traverse...








There goes Radek...















The trail's pretty overgrown.








It was hard to see the rocks and branches that occasionally blocked the path...
We were kinda glad Radek was going first!





It was overgrown single track through the bushes for a while,
then it opened up to stunning views (of fog, mostly, but still breathtaking) and scary cliffs.




Radek was waiting at the overlook.






Radek had cautioned that I should walk across the loose, rocky parts.
These were the drop offs that he warned about
(“if the bike goes down, we’ll be there a couple of hours”).
Looking at them now, I think he meant, “we’ll be there all night.”







He was taking photos and video when matt got there. "Isn't this amazing?"






Admiring the view.






Hey guys!








The view was really cool.







Looking down at the fog...







Happy!






Even happier!






There were more loose rocky sections, so I kept walking.








If Radek hadn’t been so worried, Matt probably would have been tempted to try this stuff 2up.






It was questionable, though.
The camera doesn’t adequately capture the steepness.








Looking down to the left...that’s a long way down...








I like this shot, the trees look like they’re falling off the mountain.







This was another section that worried Radek.
He stopped to tell us to “be cool! be cool!”
The drop off doesn’t show up very well at this angle...







Maybe you can see it better from this side.
It was pretty sketchy....
Loose, steep, and straight down...







Maybe I’ll put the video here...
It’s hard to appreciate the steepness and the views through pictures.
HD Video captures it best.
Don’t worry, it’s a short one and it goes nice and fast.






After the steep loose sections, there was more narrow single track.
I think there was still a drop off to the left, but it was harder to see it with all the bushes.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Matt stopped and told me to hop on.







I think he was tired of having to go my walking speed.







The trail almost disappeared here...







Boulder on the right, some kind of drop off on the left...







Radek was so relieved to see us!







High five for Lica!








High five for us!







Nothing beats the exhausted high of completing a scary, difficult trail on a huge bike.






We still had a long, steep descent down to the valley.
But it felt like a super highway after that single track!



It’s hard to believe we had started off the morning in Kelowna!
Man, what a long day.







It was 10:30pm by the time we were back at the man cave, and ready for dinner.
Most of the restaurants were closed by then,
so we drove around til we ended up at Earls.





I took this lousy photo at the entrance, then put the camera in my pocket and completely forgot about it.





Oh well.
We had the most delicious and satisfying cold beer on the planet,

and some tasty food stuffs.
I think I had a veggie quesadilla.



We had fun discussing the day’s ride and rehashing all the madness.
Everybody was a little over-stimulated.




Then, it was back to the man cave and right to bed.
We all needed our beauty rest...


The next morning we’d be doing Day 2 of Mad Radek’s Canadian Lunacy Tour!