Reise - For Adventure on the Trans America Trail

[davenoseyparker]

Whats the chance of road maps or if possible Garmin tracks.
I just gotta do it,

Thanks for taking so much time to put this altogether for us to armchair fantasize.

Keep those knees in the breeze

[YnotJP?]

[quote=davenoseyparker]Whats the chance of road maps or if possible Garmin tracks.
I just gotta do it,



Boy, are we going to open that Can Of Worms again?

[wparkinson]

Originally Posted by davenoseyparker

Whats the chance of road maps or if possible Garmin tracks.
I just gotta do it,

Thanks for taking so much time to put this altogether for us to armchair fantasize.

Keep those knees in the breeze

http://www.transamtrail.com/

Go here.....

[Exile]

Originally Posted by Abenteuerfahrer

No show pictures for me too.....did your subscription to 'seekingzero.com' expire????

Sorry about that. I had some really crappy internet so I typed all the html on my own and pasted it with my phone. I guess I misnamed the pictures. I will have them up tomorrow hopefully. We are in Eureka, NV on our way to Battle Mountain tomorrow. Seekingzero.com is my domain and website, no subscription to worry about.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by NOTAR_520

Please give us more about this picture, it's not a very normal stopping point(loose and steep,lol)



Keep it coming, Great stuff Less and less Internet available as yo go West, but we'll wait for the pictures and story.

Rock on

I can't remember why I was pointing but I stopped because there was a large metal pipe sticking out that I didn't want to hit and I had lost momentum too. I had to back down to where the photographer was to get started again.

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by Exile

We are in Eureka, NV on our way to Battle Mountain tomorrow.

Out of there by 4 AM and you can make Denio Junction by dark.

Seriously, it's gonna be smokin' hot tomorrow..you won't like the section after Battle Mtn in the heat of the day, save that for the next morning.

[Exile]

From Monticello, we treked the 100 miles to Moab to get our tires changed at Arrowhead.




And ran into some problems with the route...this is at mileage 45.13 on the maps. The road no longer exists. We took the paved way around and met the trail again at 50.13.





The Aspen trees were thick as we climbed our last mountain before Moab.










Finally things started to look like Utah.










Moab at last, and a great little burger stand.



After eating we got to Arrowhead Motorsports so that Fred could change our tires. Fred isn't the friendliest person but was very helpful. After changing our tires, which he made look ridiculously easy, he helped me weld up my rack so that we could continue on.







We put Dunlop D606's on the bikes, front and rear. When we started we went with a 606 rear and Pirelli MT21 front. After riding on the 606 front, I can say that the MT21 has a harder compound and lasts longer. The 606 is the much better off-road front and handles better in the dirt and gravel. My .02.

From here we stayed in Moab and rode the White Rim Trail the next day.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by DIRTDUC

When you come out of Eureka Nevada you will find the first section blocked off by mining pit expansion...(the bit where it says ..follow pipeline on your left and then go over second pipeline and turn right...alll blocked by new fencing).. I went on the pavement out of Eureka and joined back up where it says..cross the highway and go .52 miles..??? and take sharp left turn..the mileage is just from memory..

In Eureka at mileage 214.63, you will want to head north on US50 until mileage 228.78. The trail through has been fenced off for a mine about 2 miles in.

[Exile]

After a restful sleep at the Rustic Inn in Moab, we headed out for the journey around the White Rim Trail 30 miles out. It is suppose to take all day and them some if you go the speed limit of 15mph...but we accomplished it in about 6 hours. It was nice to ride without all the bags and gear.




The first hour or so we had some big "puddles" to go through. This one was slick.




For Chris...



The rain followed us along our trip next to the Colorado River keeping it cool and overcast the whole day.












We got to play in the mud and the girls got dirty.










Rain behind, clear ahead.


















I'm not defacing the canyon...I just really had to go.





This was a steep bit of a rocky climb.

















Then we found some fun...and exploited it to its full potential.



And I mean full potential...I probably should have upgraded my front suspension.










After so many pictures, the rain was starting to catch up.




But then we found Muscleman Arch and had to stop again.







Then we had to get back out of the canyon.




An excellent day with no crashes and the last good day we have had...

[red neckerson]

Thanks for sharing your ride and the great photos. It would've been easy for you NOT to tell the truth about your wreck with the truck. Props.

[ke4yyq]

Man, what an awesome report. Will be going out to do more of the trail sometime end of August. I did from the start to Fort Smith last year and had a blast. Thanks for all the pics. It helps to see what is coming up.

[Mezo]

This thread gets a five star in my opinion.

Fantastic shots of the landscape mixed with some humor (pissing in the canyon) and great action shots of the mighty DR in action, brilliant work guys.

And you have to love the "Fred's" of this world in remote locations, grumpy as hell but they will always help you in the end.

10 out 10 on effort & ride reporting.

Mezo.

[saha6818]

Thanks for sharing! This is a fantastic read on an otherwise boring Sunday. I will wait impatiently for the next installment.

[Blazer1717]

Wow, Good to see you guys hanging in there. Suzy and I met yall just west of Telluride. We were on the ktm dirtbikes, from Bama and Deal's Gap.

Yalls DR's and hard luggage were beginning to show the wear and tear of the trip. What fun huh? You guys have the right attitude for sure. Glad I finally had the time to check out your report,,good job.

My offer to haul a your bikes back east is still good. I"m soloing the T1 of Idaho in a week or so, then trail riding around Idaho for a while. Will be headed home around Sept. 1st, probably back thru Colorado.
Good luck and enjoy your adventure!

[Exile]

Your wait is over. Here is the rest of Utah. I am working on Nevada now up to Battle Mountain where we are currently staying.

After our day of "rest" we left the Rustic Inn and hit the trail up to Salina, UT.





After getting gas and food, the trail took us up what had to be a 40 degree atv incline next to I-70 to follow this old deserted road.


Then to the entrance of Black Dragon Canyon and the start of my bad day...







First I couldn't get up this rocky incline. Got pissed at Chris for not helping me. That didn't help anything.











And then I had my first spill.



It was upsetting.




And then again.



And then again here. This one was bad. Too fast in the sand and I crushed my right, injured, leg under my side box. I think the boot saved it from breaking.





And again.



My crash total was somewhere around 7 or 8. Needless to say I was worn out after the first crash. I was ready to get on I-70 and head home. But I stayed with it.

We got out of the canyon finally and spent the rest of the time winding our way through an area with volcanic black rock all over.





Then we wove around and under I-70 to Salina, UT for the night.



And through two rock tunnels.



The next day from Salina, UT to Baker, NV was awful. Just suffering through the dust until Oregon.

We followed this canal to some ATV trails.







Here was my fix for yesterdays spill.









This was the 30-35 degree rocky downhill we had to take. Now I love near death experiences as much as the next adventure rider but not so many so close together...



No amount of engine deceleration and/or braking will slow you through this slick, steep corner. I took this at about 30 mph.





After almost dying, it was on to the straight and flat for a while.





Finally we got a break from the unexciting to play around on the dry lakebed of Sevier Lake.






Later, we stopped for shade by Crystal Peak.



Eventually we made it to the spec of green in the middle of The Great Basin that was Baker, NV.