CBAT and a Nomad Ride the Great Divide, Part 1

[The Bruce]

I’m loading up to leave on what I hope to be an epic adventure for my 50th year since arriving in this world. Planning started well over a year ago. Can't say exactly when. I read a thread over on ADV Rider and could not get the ride out of my mind. So, I started the wheels in motion. Originally developed for mountain biking, The Great Divide Route was put together by the Adventure Cycling Association. It was soon being used by motor bikers, with some slight modifications, as a border to border ride, mostly off of paved roads. The route crosses back on forth over the Continental Divide using jeep trails, forest service roads, county roads, and a few highways. There are some paved sections but they are kept to a minimum. Time restraints would limit this trip to two weeks total so we would not make the entire route, the rest we'll save for another ride, already have an idea for that. Our plan covers the route starting from the Canadian border at Rooseville, MT to Salida, CO. A little over 1600 miles of back country riding. I have a proper machine, 2000 Suzuki DRZ 400S, and got to work on her replacing and improving worn out stock bits and pieces with this trip in mind. The DRZ now has 22,000 miles on the meter. I purchased proper luggage for the mighty DRZ, Dirt Bagz and Wolfman duffle. I ordered the maps I would need from ACA and started plotting the routes in Mapsource for transfer into the Zumo 550. (This trip was the deciding factor in purchasing the Zumo and SPOT.) I could have used tracks from those who have gone before but part of the fun in prep was plotting the route. I have a track from Big Dog Adventures also stored in the Zumo just in case.

Now that I had a plan, I just had to convince someone else it was a good idea. First to give the stamp of approval was my wife of 29+ years, Sandy. She will be playing a major role in the logistics of the trip. Getting to and from the trail is one of the logistical challenges when riding dirt bikes on a tight schedule. Hauling saves a tire change and several days in transit. We are going to trailer the bikes to the northern border then she will take the truck/trailer and meet up with us in Salida. She will be hanging out with her parents who are meeting her in Idaho the day we start our ride. Our grown and well armed kids will be holding down the fort at home. I hit up all the usual suspects last fall, the guys I normally ride with, so that any who wanted to go could arrange their vacation around the ride. One took the bait, Perry, a.k.a. NomadicFireman. Three riders would have been a little better for the worst case scenarios but two makes for easier planning and decision making on the fly. Perry and I have ridden many miles over the years so I know there won't be any personality issues. Perry will be on his trusty 2004 KLR 650 with 30,000 miles on the odo. He took care of his biggest issues, doohickey (which was broken BTW)and valves, and he added a center stand and oversized front brake.

We made a dry run trip to test the bike setups and gear load we would be taking on the big trip. An overnighter to Junction and back. Everything worked great. Confidence was boosted. Final prep started a couple weeks ago. Finally time to install the tires that had been waiting patiently in the garage for about 6 months.

Some previous bits necessary for a long ride on a DRZ.
A well used (with the help of the previous owner) bash plate under the motor.


Right side case saver (these were on the bike when I got it) with wide foot peg.


Left side case saver, +1 inch shift lever to fit my #12 boots, wide foot peg.


Racks; Turbo City rear with Dirt Bagz side. Tire lever bungied (replaced zip ties) to the rack.


4 gallon Clarke tank, requisite web stickers on the side panel. Wolfman Enduro tank bag.


The old rubber, worn but a few miles still left on them. Not near enough for this trip.
rear

front


Ahhh, new Maxxis Desert IT knobs.


front

rear


The final touch on the bike was one more sticker on the light shroud. Courtesy of ACA.


With less than a week till blast off I started gathering the camping and riding gear that would be used on the trip. We will be camping as much as we can stand so the load is a little on the heavy side but not too bad. That's one reason some of the guys didn't bite on the ride. They wanted a soft motel bed every night. Most meals will be at cafes along the route so food prep is only as a last resort if we are caught out somewhere. I assembled gear on the dining table we seldom use.



It looks like a lot but it's what I took on the Junction trip so it’ll do for a week or more camping on the trail.

We are leaving tomorrow morning. SPOT will be active if you want to follow our progress using the link in my signature. Sorry, we don't have technology to give updates along the route so you'll have to wait 'till we're done for photos and the ride report. If we have WiFi in hotels on the way up I may post a few pics and …..whatever. Wish us luck!

[TexasShadow]

Awesome!! I'll be following you (vicariously).

[The Bruce]

Originally Posted by TexasShadow

Awesome!! I'll be following you (vicariously).

Good luck on selling Sherpie. Back in a couple of weeks.

[M38A1]

Hey guys.... Have a wonderful and safe trip. This one sounds like a blast!

[poser]

Good luck!
Some day I hope I have the time to do a similar trip, untill then I'll have to get by with ride reports.

You guys ride safe! And take lots of pics.

[gotdurt]

Originally Posted by CBAT

We will be camping as much as we can stand so the load is a little on the heavy side but not too bad. That's one reason some of the guys didn't bite on the ride. They wanted a soft motel bed every night.

My kind of trip

[JasonJ]

what a great trip, have fun!

[Soozy]

I will be in Buena Vista when you guys hit Salida. Let me know if you want to take a day to whitewater on the Arkansas. Or camp at the at the TeePee Town near the Cottonwood Pass on the divide. I am well connected in the area.

[SeanFromTX]

[The Bruce]

Originally Posted by Soozy

I will be in Buena Vista when you guys hit Salida. Let me know if you want to take a day to whitewater on the Arkansas. Or camp at the at the TeePee Town near the Cottonwood Pass on the divide. I am well connected in the area.

How 'bout that. Thanks for the offer. Done that too many times already on backpacking trips with high school kids. If we have an extra day I'm think more of hitting 4 or 5 of the mountain passes west of Salida.

[Soozy]

Do it! You will have a blast.

[The Bruce]

WiFi is working in the La Quinta. So you get an update from Amarillo. Perry was working his shift in Fire Dispatch last night and had to hold over a couple hours so we didn't get out of town until 0940. No problem, it's a "short day". Got to Brownwood just in time for lunch at Underwood's BBQ Cafeteria. Good for traveling since you don't have to wait for your food and it's much better than the Taco Bell across the street. I must not have been in full travel mode as I forgot to snap a photo of the rig out front. I'll try to do better. All was well until about 15 miles west of Childress. I felt a shudder and the truck started to wobble like a tire was BAD out of balance. It was pulling straight and easy though. I slowed to about 55 and the shudder went away. Not satisfied I pull to the shoulder in a safe spot to check. Here is what we found.





Let the adventure begin. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you must have a spare for your trailer as well as your tow vehicle. The tread was completely gone except for a few bits on the sidewall. A short roadside pit stop of 20 minutes and we were back on the road.

Arrived in Amarillo around 7 pm and decided on The Big Texan, home fo the free 72 oz. steak. I couldn't get a good photo with the truck and restaurant due to low angle of the sun but this is the hotel next door.



And we were treated to the show as a guy was working on his free steak and had about 25 minutes to go when we sat down. The big slab o' beef is free if you consume it, a side salad, 3 fried shrimp, a baked potato and a roll in 60 minutes. Otherwise it's $72. Perry walked over to check it out but saw he wasn't going to make it, just too much beef left, and the sides. He was working on a piece about the size of a 20 oz. NY strip and still had the sides.



Our much smaller steaks were cooked perfectly and seasoned well. A good place to get a good hunk of meat. And lots of dead heads on the wall. If you are in the area around dinner time, I recommend it, at least once.

That's our day. Thanks for the comments and well wishes. See you next time.

[CeeBee]

Originally Posted by CBAT

We are leaving tomorrow morning.

Hello Bruce,
Hope we run into each other! A friend and I are leaving Alb., NM the morning of the 28th and heading north on the divide route. Stopping in Buena Vista CO. for the West Fest (Advrider) which starts the 30th and ends the 2nd. Will spend a few days there then continue on north.
Who knows? maybe run into each other.

Soozy said: I will be in Buena Vista when you guys hit Salida.
Are you going to West Fest? If not, hope our paths cross.

[TWTim]

[Soozy]

I think I hit town on the 1st...I am not going to West Fest, but the town is one main street and I am on a Burgman wearing a high viz yellow jacket. I think there are two gas stations.

I may come visit. The owners of Arrowhead are very nice folks.

And the offer to get you guys on the river still stands.

[The Bruce]

Originally Posted by CeeBee

Hello Bruce,
Hope we run into each other! A friend and I are leaving Alb., NM the morning of the 28th and heading north on the divide route. Stopping in Buena Vista CO. for the West Fest (Advrider) which starts the 30th and ends the 2nd. Will spend a few days there then continue on north.
Who knows? maybe run into each other.

Soozy said: I will be in Buena Vista when you guys hit Salida.
Are you going to West Fest? If not, hope our paths cross.

Wow! Texans are everywhere. We'll look for you. I plan to stop and chat with every bike I can along the way. Have yourself a great trip.

[The Bruce]

Well, we made it to Billings, FINALLY. What a day. On a bike it would have been an iron butt but that's all I'll say about that. We arose in Amarillo at 0dark30 and hit a Denny's next to La Quinta for a good b'fast so we could be at the Walmart at 0700 when they opened. I wanted to replace the blown tire....just in case. It was 0840 by the time we were rolling north in the rain.

We made good progress through the rest of Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and part of the way through Wyoming when it happened again.





The other tire, same brand as the first that went, Seiberling I think, threw it's tread. By now we are good at changing these thing so 10 minutes later we were rolling again. A quick check on Zumo and a call to Walmart in Casper and we were set. I got one to match the one we got in Amarillo, should have done that in when I got the first one , and we were ready. This put it about 1800 local so we asked the nice lady at the counter for a diner recommendation. Here is what we got.



Doesn't look like much and I would not have picked it on a drive by but it was really good. I had a burger, hand made fresh, Perry and a wonderful looking Rueben, and Sandy had a Chili Chese dog with an extra long gourmet type dog and homemade chile. It was delicious, I had some of her leftovers for desert.

Back on the road and continuing north, it was midnight local when we got to our reserved room Billings. Good thing I did the reservations, the town was full up. Here I am representing.....



I'll take this sign at our hotel as a good omen.



On to Eureka!

[poser]

I can't decide if reading this makes my day stuck behind a desk easier, for the mental escape. Or harder, because I'm stuck behind a desk and not able to take an adventure.

Can't wait till you guys get back and we see some pics of miles on the bikes

BTW, what is that piece of PVC pipe bungied to your rack? Is it to prop the bike up for fixing a flat?

[TexasShadow]

Are you guys itching to get on the dirt like I am for you guys to get on the dirt?

I will be very interested in reading how your DR does on the trail, along with the gear and mods. I'm more inclined to go with the Ortlieb roll dry sidebags than Dirtbagz, but still considering options. Am curious to hear how they tested out for you.

Kudos for choosing to camp on this trip!

So, who's driving your truck/trailer south from Montana? Or does it have autopilot?

Have fun!

[Rman of 237]