Overnight Motorcycling Ride Report

[Greg]

This was a solo ride and the weather was forecasted to be bad, but I came across a few folks during the ride that made it fun and the weather held out, for the most part. I rode from my home in Fruita to Glade Park, then over the UT/CO border and out to Granite Creek. From Granite Creek, I rode over to Sheep Creek road and down to Gateway, then headed up John Brown canyon to the La Sal mtns and into Moab. Day 2 I headed up 128 past Dewey Bridge, caught the Kokopelli trail back to Rabbit Valley and onto home in Fruita. It was definitely an adventure! I learned some things, like what not to do. Besides a few dumb mistakes on my first overnighter, it was a great ride.

Lesson 1- Having a luggage rack and 2 bungee cords is not a sufficient method for securing gear for rocky trails.

Lesson 2- Too much speed, riding tired and a hard-packed road with pea gravel on top can sometimes equal a low-side.

Lesson 3- The Delores Triangle area is amazing, and remote! Neet to make more trips out there for sure!

Lesson 4- I have a GPS, I need to use the GPS, marking major turns on my route would be a good start.


I left my place about 9AM on Fri, on my way thru Glade Park I came across a Lynx in the road. It was a BIG cat, I saw one a year ago on the Hideout Road near Fisher Valley and it was much smaller. Very cool way to start the trip. I did miss the turn for Sheep Creek Road, which is right next to Steamboat Mesa. I was enjoying the view out there, ended up having to backtrack several miles. While doing so, some of my gear loosened up and fell off back, as well as having the sleeping bag get hung up in the rear tire. Tore up the bag a bit, which pisses me off. I need to get some proper dual-sport luggage, 2 bungee cords just don't cut it!


Bike loaded and ready to go-

Granite Creek looking pretty dry-

La Sals in the distance-

Some menacing clouds-

Looking down on the Delores River-

Soon I was back on track and heading down the amazingly steep Sheep Creek Road... this was all new to me which was great, but seeing this hill from the top was a bit intimidating!

Down in the Valley, heading towards Gateway-

Continued...

 

[Greg]

I made it to Gateway after 2PM and took a break for lunch. When I pulled in a saw 6-7 other dual-sports and their owners were hanging out on the porch, also grabbing a bite to eat. After some casual conversation with the group, I met Cloud9 from AdvRider.com, riding his XR650.

They headed out and after 15-20 min, I did also going up John Brown canyon, on the way to the La Sals.-

After getting close to the La Sals, I headed to Sand Flats road, where I planned to setup camp for the night. On my way down the road I passed a few slow-moving vehicles, most of them pulled over once they realized there was a motorcycle behind them. I'd pass and wave at each one, since they were being polite. After passing 3-4 vehicles I come upon a Volvo stationwagon which was moving faster than the others... I hung behind them for awhile, eating dust. They weren't willing to slow, so I waited for a good opening to pass them. As I made my move, I saw the driver recognize I was there... she moved over but still didn't slow down. I got past them and came into the following curve. I had too much speed and realized it, but made it thru the curve alright. Just as I exited that curve, there was another curve going the opposite direction, which tightened mid-curve. I knew it wasn't going to be good... the road was very hard-packed and had a layer of pea gravel on top. I got on the brakes and the rear locked up right away... I was already on the front brake, but I grabbed more and the front tire washed out right away. I was probably going 35 MPH and kind of rode the bike down as it low-sided. It was totally my fault, I didn't have to pass and I wasn't prepared to scrub the speed before the next corner. I accept full responsability for the incident.

I picked up the bike, quickly assesed any damage to be bike and myself as the Volvo slowed behind me. The 2 girls actually have me attitude about the accident! I would have expected them to ask if I was OK, but they did not. I was ATGATT and had no signs of injury, but the bars on the bike had been bent. I started the bike and was about to leave when the Volvo started to pull ahead... the driver looked me dumbfounded, wanting to get ahead of me. Uhhh... I passed them for a reason. So after a brief exchange, I pulled out ahead of them.

I stopped at a campground close to the Slickrock trailhead and the winds were really picking up. Sand was blowing around and the gusts of wind really had me 2nd guessing the camping plan. I stayed for about 30 min to see if the winds would die down and they did not, so I decided to get some good rest in a hotel. I rode into Moab looking for a warm bed out of the sand and a hot meal. The Moab Brewery fit the bill for dinner!

The following morning I headed out the door about 9AM, heading North to Hwy 128. Shortly after passing the Dewey Bridge I turned onto the Kokopelli trail. I had not ridden this portion of the Koko so I wasn't sure what to expect. It wasn't bad, actually it's a neat section of trail! There's one part where the trail is right next to the Colorado river and the brush is so thick you can't see the trail. That was interesting to pick my way thru, glad nobody was coming the other direction!

Overlooking the Rabbit Valley area-

More Koko-

It didn't take long to make it home, I figure I hit the trailhead off the 128 just before 10 AM. I made it home to Fruita by 12:30 after avoiding the freeway and taking a backroad to the 6 and 50 highway. The winds on the highway were huge, I was getting blown all over the road. It wasn't far to my home but the ride was not dull. The forecast called for rain on Saturday, but I saw nothing but a few drops. I planned for rain and with the gear I had on I was a bit warm. In the end, it was a great time. I hauled my camping gear around for no reason, but it was a good test and I learned that I needed to alter my camping gear setup. In total it was almost 300 miles over 2 days, with about 75-80% of that being in the dirt. I'm looking forward to the next trip out that direction.

Here's the photo album if you'd like to see all the pics- http://greg-catherine.smugmug.com/gallery/6211552_yUB7N#391627500_ed2KR

Hope you enjoy the RR, I enjoyed the ride!

 

[Tacoma]

That looks like an awesome ride!!! Nice pics.

 

[muleskinner]

Looks like a blast Greg.

 

[BumpaD_Z28]

nice pics ! looks like a GREAT ride

~DaVe

 

[notajeep]

You are my hero! Really. That is a sweet ride.

 

[spencurai]

I am way jealous of that ride...looks a blast even with the spill. The whole thought of laying the bike down has pushed me even farther into the jap bike category methinks...I get far too adventurous on an enduro type bike and dump em a lot.

 

[Greg]

Thanks guys, I'm looking forward to the next trip out there. If it's warm enough I'd like to try another overnighter before winter. Would be nice to have some company!

I am way jealous of that ride...looks a blast even with the spill. The whole thought of laying the bike down has pushed me even farther into the jap bike category methinks...I get far too adventurous on an enduro type bike and dump em a lot.

Yeah, that's one more reason I went with something that leaned more towards a dirtbike. It can shake off damage, less fairings and body parts. I was kind of bummed about the accident, felt stupid about the whole situation but that's what can happen in a matter of seconds when you drop your guard.

Damage to back of bike, few scrapes on the rack. I think the blinker fell off before the accident, it had been damaged and loosened on a previous trip before the rack was installed-

The hand guards did their job-

My left knee hurts, I think the wreck caused me to bend my leg a direction it wasn't supposed to go. Other than that, I had no scrapes on my pants, gloves, helmet, etc. I think I pretty much surfed on the bike until it stopped. I was wearing full riding gear, MX boots, kneepads, padded shorts, riding pants, armored Joe Rocket mesh jacket, full-face helmet and riding gloves. ATGATT = All The Gear All The Time.

 

[Corban_White]

Looks like a great ride Greg! Just a thought, why not just put your gear in a backpack? That amount of gear looks like you could fit it into a smallish school type bag. Just me but I find that it's easier to control the bike with a little extra weight on MY back rather than the back of the bike.

 

[Corban_White]

Oh, and for the blinkers, I like these 'cause of the price and they are pretty low profile-don't brake off quite as easily.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/5-Mi...m14QQhashZitem310091094264QQitemZ310091094264

 

[Tacoma]

Lowsiding is not good for knees....

 

[Skylinerider]

Nice trip. Makes me want a bike even more.

 

[Greg]

Looks like a great ride Greg! Just a thought, why not just put your gear in a backpack? That amount of gear looks like you could fit it into a smallish school type bag. Just me but I find that it's easier to control the bike with a little extra weight on MY back rather than the back of the bike.

I was also wearing my Camelback, which was packed with water, snacks & food, a small stove and an extra shirt. I really want to set this bike up for 3+ day rides, so I like the idea of the rack. Honestly, I didn't notice any weight back there, just a lack of securing it.

Oh, and for the blinkers, I like these 'cause of the price and they are pretty low profile-don't brake off quite as easily.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/5-Mi...m14QQhashZitem310091094264QQitemZ310091094264

If I would have had the rack on before the first drop, my blinkers would have been fine. It sticks out past the rear blinkers by just a bit. Still, those look pretty decent, thanks for the link!

Lowsiding is not good for knees....

Yeah, I didn't hit my knee... pretty sure at least. Just bent it the wrong way. :-\

Nice trip. Makes me want a bike even more.

They're fun, addicting for sure. I wish my wife could go along, but I don't know that she has the skills to ride where I like to go and I don't like the idea of her on a bike. If I get hurt, I'm OK with that. If she got hurt riding a motorcycle, I'd feel horrible.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Very cool! I'm looking forward to similar trips

The wind down that way was BRUTAL. We got beat to death by the wind Friday night and all day Saturday... finally tapering off Saturday night for a pleasant but COLD camp. I can only imaging being on a bike. That said, I saw a dozen KTM's blasting out of the Swazey Cabin area yesterday, I was thinking about your trip when I saw them blast by

 

[BroncoMama]

Looks like you had a fabulous time! Way to enjoy a beautiful fall, I'm jealous. Well, not of the motorcycling, but of the being outside!

 

[Meat_]

The LaSals are probably rockin their colors by now.... wish I could go down and see them

 

[Greg]

Very cool! I'm looking forward to similar trips

The wind down that way was BRUTAL. We got beat to death by the wind Friday night and all day Saturday... finally tapering off Saturday night for a pleasant but COLD camp. I can only imaging being on a bike. That said, I saw a dozen KTM's blasting out of the Swazey Cabin area yesterday, I was thinking about your trip when I saw them blast by

It was fun Kurt, I was looking forward to camping just to make the trip that much more, but with that wind I wasn't going to get any sleep. A MC tour of the Swell into the Fish Lake area would be an absolute blast. Take 4-5 days and just explore. Get yourself a bike!

Looks like you had a fabulous time! Way to enjoy a beautiful fall, I'm jealous. Well, not of the motorcycling, but of the being outside!

It was fun for sure!

The LaSals are probably rockin their colors by now.... wish I could go down and see them

The colors weren't that great that I saw, seems like it must have gotten cold too fast and killed the leaves off. So, you're not missing much.