2012 West Coast Discovery

[DaveWave]

Docking Pilot,
Have to ask how you like the Wolfman Expedition bags. I have a DR650 myself and can't decide whether to get the Expedition bags or add some Seahorse cases to the Wolfman racks for around town and exploring the backroads around SE Idaho. Thoughts?

BTW- I did a lot of dirt biking around the Stevenson, WA area where I grew up…loved riding that area.

[johnpitts01]

Originally Posted by sallydog

nice one. if someone wanted to duplicate your ride is there anything you would you tell them to do differently? what dates were you actually riding?

Up to this point in the ride report - no difference. I would not propose anything different.
Definitelly ride the route north to south. A couple of upcoming sections you won't want to be riding in the opposite direction.

And you might want to do something a bit different the last few days. Dont want to spoil the upcoming report from the Cap'n.
We went the first two weeks of September. The beginning of the ride was Labor Day Weekend.

Last bit of advice - take a light bike. While Mike P did it on the big GS it is not a trip for everyone to make on a big bike. Mike is the youngest and strongest of our group.

One more thing. I dont think you will see any other ride reports of someone or a group doing the WABDR and the OBDR back to back. It's a workout.

Someone asked about the Wolfman bags. The Ortliebs I have on the WR have been with me now a number of years and have a hole here and there as well as some of the straps are broken. Before this trip I ordered the Wolfman racks as I am sure to replace the Ortlieb's. I just bought the Wolfman's from an inmate. Great bags for this kind of riding.




I told ya DP was gonna tease us. Gonna keep everyone hangin on while he is sailing some stupid ship or something.

[DockingPilot]

Sorry I had my hands full


Day four up in a bit fellas !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BanhXeo]

IN!

[johnpitts01]

[QUOTE=DockingPilot;20662834]Sorry I had my hands full


Every time I see these photos from Docking Pilot I am in awe of what he does.
For you boys that don't know New York and Newark ports its hard to describe. He has to maneuver these ships under a bridge, through channels and finallly into a berth with little more than the size of a car to spare at any time either above below or to the sides of the ship. Freakin amazing.

[DockingPilot]

Originally Posted by telejojo

Hane not read the whole yet but how much did it cost to ship bikes there and back ?,I'm thinking about the same thing.

About $1000 round trip

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by johnpitts01

Every time I see these photos from Docking Pilot I am in awe of what he does.
For you boys that don't know New York and Newark ports its hard to describe. He has to maneuver these ships under a bridge, through channels and finallly into a berth with little more than the size of a car to spare at any time either above below or to the sides of the ship. Freakin amazing.

We could use him out here, somebody keeps running into the Golden Gate Bridge.

[DockingPilot]

Day 4 We leave Wenatchee by riding up Beeehive reservoir which is the detour route around Mission Creek. We knew by monitoring the WBCDR thread that most guys were detouring around it, as did we.
The washout we avoided:


The pre programed route around


Nice easy way to start the day. It would not stay that way however


The Panzer Brigade ready to roll








It was so amazing up there, the vista, the weather, Mike and I just had to pull over and pop the helmets. It was that nice a morning.








We move on


Some good rutting. We were fortunate enough to be here when it was very dry.


We come up on Haney Meadow








I start to notice just how tall and big some of the trees are getting ! (The Redwoods in Cali will dwarf these in a few days)




OK,
Touratech highlights in their WABCDR promotional video what lies, unbeknown to us, right around the corner.
1st we catch this glimpse of Mount Rainer


and then....

[bigdon]

Ohhh Nooo !

[DockingPilot]

And then we round the bend to find ourselves on Table Mountain with a grand view. There weren't many words being spoken at 1st, just captureing the view of Mount Rainer.












John jumps on the WR and back tracks looking to see if he can get on that point. And 15 mins later, we spot him.




This is Mount Stewart, Washington States tallest granite peak.


After taking a nice break here enjoying Washington State in all her glory, we her a low rumble..........
Lunch in Ellensburg ladies!

[DockingPilot]

Brucee with thoughts of hot pastrami on rye


Mike whizzes by..............


After a short bit we decend into Ellensburg where we stop for lunch. If I remember right, it was about 1130.


Johns asks about an oil change but they only have Crisco.
He declines


All of us high on the day discuss our plan for the rest of the today. We want to make Bethyl Ridge and make camp. Could we make it before nightfall ?
Mike is also telling me "don't look now, but over your left shoulder is some guys crotch"


We decide we are going to make a stab at Bethyl Ridge. But we need grub, so we boogie down to the local super market and do a little shopping.


We quickly fuel up and leave Ellensburg behind us............

[DockingPilot]

We set out for the much touted , challenging 'steep and rocky sections of our trip starting with Umtanum Ridge on the Old Durr Rd.

But 1st, I just had to have Chevron with Techron since we can't get it here in NJ (so Im a little anal), the other grabbed 1st gas available. Consequently I was a good 15 minutes behind them. Again, never an issue with us, in fact we kinda relish it

Alone, I can see a ways and know the 3 musketeers are pretty far ahead. The landscape turns rocky, lunar, alien like if you follow me.
Feeling alone, I shut the bike off to feel ...................even more alone. Except for the solar winds......eh, I mean except for the wind, there was dead silence. Just the slow crackle of my cooling DR650 single.
I was just loving life right now fellas. I tell ya. It's moment like this that are very rare for me.




Down in the bottom of that gulch (Devils Gulch ?) is a creek and small oasis from the sun baked rocky almost desert like landscape.
I was all alone with my thoughts........

"They had been through of course, their tracks giving them away to my keen eye. I would hunt them down like dogs and gain the bounty on each of them outlaws"......
Oh, ah, never mind that.




Heres some shot of the boys prior to my arrival at the creek.




Now me having a better eye for entertainment then my partners
actually took the trouble to shoot video. True, they were way out ahead, I was alone, this is all true.
Whats that ?
How did I soot the vid if I was alone ?
oh, ah, ahemm, lets not worry about that, just enjoy the clip eh.

[DockingPilot]

After I get done playing "Manhunter" , I catch up to the bastards. Seeing the mighty DR, they quickly give up knowing there is no escape.
Actually I think I heard "gee Reinbold we thought you stayed to take a bag boy job at the grocery store".



Yea, lunar.


We gear up. What lie ahead would test tire, rider and suspension.


One of us out ahead, negotiating a rutted track littered with baby head rocks and steep inclines and declines.

[DockingPilot]

The WR
This was the good part of course, affording me a chance to dismount to take some clips.










This section was a workout. Keeping fully loaded bikes under control took all your attention. I can only imagine what it was like for Mike.
But, was only a warm up. Today would prove to be a long one.
After we were through and came to trees again, we took a break. Drinking most of our needed water.


If we were camping tonight we would need to replenish our water supply.
But where ? There nothing out here.
Follow me girls, Ill find ya water



I pull into the 1st farmhouse I see that doesn't look like a doomsday prepper lives there.
I ask the kind lady if we could have some water. Just a little?

She spots the Jersey tags and Mikes "I love Snookie decal"
ah oh......

"well, I suppose you can have some of the horse water" "but not too much, my animals get thirsty you know"

I thank her, "thank you mam" and gently, slowly walk to the barn and fill our Camelbaks to the brim.

"

[F1johny]

Lake Chelian ? looks just like Lake Chelan hmmmmm got find this one