I'm just here for the mountains - the Great Divide Ride 2017

[Simmons1]

Very cool, who's did you go with? The stock fender hasn't been a problem for me yet, but only had a single rain ride so far and that was hill country sand with a touch of surface clay, no thick mud yet.


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Camel. After helping pick up bikes and watching people remove front fenders on the way to Jalpan last year I knew the low fender was going away on the AT as soon as an option was available.

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[Vinny]

:clap

 

[dcflying]

I mounted a brand new Dunlop 606 on the rear and I had a very well used TKC80 on the front

Thank you, can you tell me which terrain you think the 606 worked best in (sand, gravel, hard pack, big Rock)? I am trying to decide between the k60, 606, TKC80 or just continue with the 6days knobbies it came with. TBH we ride it about 50/50 or so but have not done anything over 200 miles on it at any one time. The knobbies slow us down on the pavement for lots of reasons.


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[dannyboy]

Richard
How did you get back to Silver City NM from Steamboat Springs?

I hope to make this next year.

 

[Trail Boss]

Richard
How did you get back to Silver City NM from Steamboat Springs?

I hope to make this next year.

We did not return to Silver City after leaving Steamboat Springs. Bob and I enjoyed a vehicle supported ride.

Tricepilot Bob and I trailered from Austin to Silver City, rode to Steamboat Springs, and then trailered back to Austin. My wife, accompanied by our daughter and grandson, drove the vehicle/trailer with our extra gear to the next destination each day.

 

[Liteitup]

Pulled into the driveway at 5am. Left Mexican Hat, Utah around 7am Utah time, had the bike loaded in the truck and on the road from Silver City about 3:30 pm. Long day, short nap in a rest area near Colorado City TX.

Had a great time.

So when does an adventure begin?
After the first drop? check, first day
After multiple drops(all very low speed, no damage)? Check, also first day. And second. And fourth day.
After finishing the day's ride at 9pm? After starting around 8-8:30 am? Check, second day.

Maybe the adventure really begins after the last day of the scheduled ride when you pull up to gas pump and discover you don't have any money, credit cards, or ID. 1100 plus miles from home, not counting the miles to get to the truck and I have 82 cents to my name. That's when it really got interesting for me.

 

[Trail Boss]

Facts and figures:

39 riders participated in the Great Divide Ride.

I saw a few KLRs and DR650s, a KTM 690, a DRZ400S, and two KTM 500 EXCs, but the majority of attendees were riding big adventure bikes.

Only two groups had vehicle supported rides. One group (that I know of) trailered to Albuquerque and left their vehicle there for the return trip home. I believe everyone else pretty much rode their adventure bikes to Silver City, rode the GDR, and then rode back home (or kept going north).

Altitude ranged from about 6000 to a bit more than 11,000 (Indiana Pass - the highest pass along the entire continental divide ride route). We spent most of our time riding in the 7000-8000 feet range.

There was very little snow. Despite about 200% above average snowfall over the winter of 2017 and a large snowstorm that dumped on Colorado about two weeks before the trip, we actually saw very little snow. All of the passes were open and most didn't have any snow at all.

The weather was perfect. It was mostly in the 50s in the mornings and 80s in the afternoons. It was downright hot the first two days in New Mexico and I was glad I was wearing my mesh gear. The temps in the New Mexico section must be brutal in July and August. The temps were quite pleasant once we left the New Mexico desert. It was cold (30-40s) at 10,000 feet and above but we didn't stay at those elevations very long, so it wasn't an issue.

We did not get any rain and there had apparently been very little rain in the days prior to our arrival (i.e. no mud or standing water puddles). It was sunny every day.

The dirt roads on the main route on days 1, 3, 4, and 5 were easy (and boring) class 1. Day 2 was the exception - it had the only interesting and challenging riding of the entire 5 days. The first half of the day included about 60 miles of sandy desert riding which was great fun on our 500 EXCs but probably increasingly less fun the heavier the bike. The afternoon of day 2 included a steep and rocky class 3 climb that proved to be quite a handful for those on the big adventure bike, followed by 20 miles or so of rocky and sandy class 2 riding.

Days 1-3 included harder dual sport sections off the main route. My group only rode the dual sport section on day 1. It was a mix of class 2 and 3 and included multiple water crossing, a steep, rocky class 3 climb, and a fair amount of class 2 riding. The class 3 stuff was hard on the adventure bikes.

The routes on four of the five days were too long. Those four days were 200+ miles, which was completely do-able on the mostly class 1 roads as long as you started early enough (8 am) and nothing went wrong (flats, crashes, bike problems, difficult terrain, etc). But something always goes wrong. The first day my group didn't finish until nearly 11 pm. Which delayed our start on day 2. Which caused us not to finish day 2 until about 10:30 pm.

One man's opinion: It was not as scenic or fun as I expected. I wouldn't do it again. If I were advising someone else that was intent on doing it, I would tell them to skip day 1 and start in Grants, NM. Day 2 was the highlight of the trip for me because the riding on day 2 was quite fun. The rest was pretty much uninteresting class 1. New Mexico had the most varied terrain. Colorado had the best views but they were not better than what you could see riding the pavement in the same area. Don't take my comments wrong - I'm happy that we did this ride. But, for me, the scenery was not enough to overcome 900 miles of class 1 riding (I have a strong preference for class 2 and some class 3 riding).

 

[Trail Boss]

Friday

Tricepilot Bob and I were travelling together to Silver City along with our support crew of my wife, daughter, and grandson. We loaded my trailer with our two KTM 500 EXCs and headed west on Friday afternoon to Ft. Stockton.

Our plan consisted of two days travelling to arrive in Silver City, NM and the start of the GDR. We broke the 12 hour drive into two days because a) both my wife and I worked half a day on Friday and b) to make it a little easier on my 9 year old grandson.

We stopped at a convenience store along the way that had an entire wall of holsters. Wow! How many holsters do they sell annually that they need an entire wall? It was amazing. And, they now have a new sheriff. And deputy.

Another convenience store had their own bear. A very big bear. Which decided to eat my grandson. So, I repeatedly punched the bear in the head until he changed his mind.

Chik-fil-a has fresh squeezed lemonade. And good ice cream.

Family fun at the hotel in Ft. Stockton

Even the most infamous bounty hunter scum in the galaxy needs downtime. This is Boba Fett's weekend ride.

Finally, after a million dad jokes and 800 miles we arrived in New Mexico. Only a few hundred miles remain till the start of our ride.

Once we arrived at the hotel in Silver City, Mrs. Trailboss (Connie) set up shop and started check-in procedures. Oddly enough, whenever I run check-in by myself I don't have anywhere near as many riders hanging out around me. Hmmmm...

Our 500s, ready to go.

 

[Trail Boss]

After check-in was complete, we went in search of a meal and sightseeing in downtown Silver City.

New Mexico style architecture

Look who we ran into taking pics in downtown Silver City - the living legend himself, Milton Otto, world's foremost adventure dentist

In search of cold cerveza, I spotted this sign on the sidewalk and knew my quest was near its end.

The sign led us into a 100 year old brewery with a very cool vibe and some live music.

We didn't stay out long though because we knew that tomorrow was going to be a long day. What we didn't know was just how long it was going to be...

 

[_RG_]

Very nice!

We'll be using some of the CDT to come down from Idaho through Montana and Wyoming in a few weeks. The route up - CO, UT, ID are BDR trails. The ones I've ridden range from mild to wild. By the time we turn south at the Canadian border we'll likely be looking for some class 1 and 2 relief or will have managed to break some stuff in the process. Should make for a grand adventure.

Thanks for taking us along on your ride. Keep the pix and tales coming.

 

[jetdr21]

Pulled into the driveway at 5am. Left Mexican Hat, Utah around 7am Utah time, had the bike loaded in the truck and on the road from Silver City about 3:30 pm. Long day, short nap in a rest area near Colorado City TX.

Had a great time.

So when does an adventure begin?
After the first drop? check, first day
After multiple drops(all very low speed, no damage)? Check, also first day. And second. And fourth day.
After finishing the day's ride at 9pm? After starting around 8-8:30 am? Check, second day.

Maybe the adventure really begins after the last day of the scheduled ride when you pull up to gas pump and discover you don't have any money, credit cards, or ID. 1100 plus miles from home, not counting the miles to get to the truck and I have 82 cents to my name. That's when it really got interesting for me.

Phil, your not alone its a bad feeling...

 

[Cycledelic Relic]

A situation like that (loosin your wallet while on a trip) ....calls for all the various scenarios you can wrap your brain around.....and then some......

Luckily its sometimes the "and then somes" that can make all the difference in the world...... Right Phil???

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[dcwilcox]

Great stuff guys! Im in Albuquerque set to fly home tomorrow. I'll post photos and the link to my ride report then

 

[Liteitup]

Friday morning I gas up in Steamboat and take off for the west. Every year I go to Colorado and say I'm going to Utah, every year it's too hot and I stay in Colorado. Not this year, I'm going. I don't care how hot it is, this is the year.
I pull into a convenience store/gas stop in Rangely, CO about 9:30am. Pull the helmet and gloves off, reach into my left pocket.....two tubes of lip balm and a pocket knife is all I find. What I don't find is my money clip w/ a couple of hundred dollars cash, credit cards, atm card, drivers license, insurance cards, basically everything you need. Apparently I left it in Steamboat(not likely) or I forgot to zip up that pocket and it fell out in the 154 miles between Steamboat and Rangely(more likely).
I sit down to collect my thoughts. I look up and call the station in Steamboat. No one has turned it in, they go look near the pump I was at, it's not there. Well, that saves me a trip

Ok, I'll find a bank and have funds transferred from my bank. I find Bank of the San Juans a couple of blocks down on main street. Surprisingly, there's a bit of a crowd, two people in front of me and one comes in behind me. Since my request is going to be a bit on the unusual side, I consider letting the man behind me go before me. Luckily, the line moves quickly and before I decide it's my turn.

I step up to the teller. " Hi, I need some advice. I've lost my wallet. Cash, credit cards, ID, everything. I'd like to see about transferring money from my bank to here. Can you help me?"
The teller is a young lady and very nice. "I can't do that if you don't have an account here"
"I'll open an account."
"You can't open an account without an ID."

By now, the man behind me and myself are the only customers. The other teller comes over and offers that maybe I could use Western Union. She calls the hardware store in town that does western union and asks if I can set up a password instead of an ID. No such luck, no ID means no funds.

Feeling fairly defeated and completely frazzled, I go sit in the lobby and pull out my phone. I'm trying to decide who to call or what to look up when the gentleman that was behind me comes over and sits down beside me.
"Tell me your story again."
I go through the whole spiel again...gassed up in Steamboat, lost wallet, etc.

"How much do you think you need?"
"I can't take your money." About then I realize that I'm going to have to take someone's money. "I don't know. I'm two nights from my truck and then home, gas to get there, gas for the truck to get home, something to eat..."
"$500 get you there?" And he opens up his wallet and pulls out 5 crisp, new hundred dollar bills.

I thank him,get his info so I can mail him a check. I try to give him my name and info.
"It doesn't matter." He's already figured out that I'm either going to send the money back or I'm not. Having my possibly made up info isn't going to change whether or not he gets repaid. I shake his hand, thank him again, and he leaves.

I ride to Mexican Hat, spend the night. I decide that I'll ride to Silver City the next day, retrieve my truck, and drive straight through. I'm not sure $500 is going to be enough for two nights and gas. I think it will, but what if something else goes wrong?
I leave Mexican Hat about 6:30 am Saturday and I'm pulling in my driveway at 5 am Sunday.
And I have $138 left. Another hotel room would have almost wiped me out.


TL;DR
I lost my money and ID and a complete stranger gives me $500 to get home. And won't take my info.

There are still good people in this world. I ran into one of them Friday.
What would have happened if I had let him go before me at the bank? He'd have never heard my story and I guess I'd still be there.

 

[Cycledelic Relic]

Que the Carl Malden commercial......
WHAT WILL YOU DO....WHAT WILL YOU DO...

seriously ... Ive met people like this on several different occasions.... There are still many good folks out there...

Kinda makes your day when ya meet one ..... Makes your life a bit better for it

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[jetdr21]

Friday morning I gas up in Steamboat and take off for the west. Every year I go to Colorado and say I'm going to Utah, every year it's too hot and I stay in Colorado. Not this year, I'm going. I don't care how hot it is, this is the year.
I pull into a convenience store/gas stop in Rangely, CO about 9:30am. Pull the helmet and gloves off, reach into my left pocket.....two tubes of lip balm and a pocket knife is all I find. What I don't find is my money clip w/ a couple of hundred dollars cash, credit cards, atm card, drivers license, insurance cards, basically everything you need. Apparently I left it in Steamboat(not likely) or I forgot to zip up that pocket and it fell out in the 154 miles between Steamboat and Rangely(more likely).
I sit down to collect my thoughts. I look up and call the station in Steamboat. No one has turned it in, they go look near the pump I was at, it's not there. Well, that saves me a trip

Ok, I'll find a bank and have funds transferred from my bank. I find Bank of the San Juans a couple of blocks down on main street. Surprisingly, there's a bit of a crowd, two people in front of me and one comes in behind me. Since my request is going to be a bit on the unusual side, I consider letting the man behind me go before me. Luckily, the line moves quickly and before I decide it's my turn.

I step up to the teller. " Hi, I need some advice. I've lost my wallet. Cash, credit cards, ID, everything. I'd like to see about transferring money from my bank to here. Can you help me?"
The teller is a young lady and very nice. "I can't do that if you don't have an account here"
"I'll open an account."
"You can't open an account without an ID."

By now, the man behind me and myself are the only customers. The other teller comes over and offers that maybe I could use Western Union. She calls the hardware store in town that does western union and asks if I can set up a password instead of an ID. No such luck, no ID means no funds.

Feeling fairly defeated and completely frazzled, I go sit in the lobby and pull out my phone. I'm trying to decide who to call or what to look up when the gentleman that was behind me comes over and sits down beside me.
"Tell me your story again."
I go through the whole spiel again...gassed up in Steamboat, lost wallet, etc.

"How much do you think you need?"
"I can't take your money." About then I realize that I'm going to have to take someone's money. "I don't know. I'm two nights from my truck and then home, gas to get there, gas for the truck to get home, something to eat..."
"$500 get you there?" And he opens up his wallet and pulls out 5 crisp, new hundred dollar bills.

I thank him,get his info so I can mail him a check. I try to give him my name and info.
"It doesn't matter." He's already figured out that I'm either going to send the money back or I'm not. Having my possibly made up info isn't going to change whether or not he gets repaid. I shake his hand, thank him again, and he leaves.

I ride to Mexican Hat, spend the night. I decide that I'll ride to Silver City the next day, retrieve my truck, and drive straight through. I'm not sure $500 is going to be enough for two nights and gas. I think it will, but what if something else goes wrong?
I leave Mexican Hat about 6:30 am Saturday and I'm pulling in my driveway at 5 am Sunday.
And I have $138 left. Another hotel room would have almost wiped me out.


TL;DR
I lost my money and ID and a complete stranger gives me $500 to get home. And won't take my info.

There are still good people in this world. I ran into one of them Friday.
What would have happened if I had let him go before me at the bank? He'd have never heard my story and I guess I'd still be there.

Phil, I went to the closest Wells Fargo branch (Frisco) after I had canceled the card and they were able to work with me to get money despite having no ID.. Also I learned they have a new feature on their mobile ap that allows you to make one withdrawal a day without your card.. So with that kudos to Wells Fargo...

 

[miltonotto]

Jon Smiley donated his truck and trailer for the Austin to Silver City bike haul.

Overnight in Van Horn

Check in, Silver City

 

[miltonotto]

Incredible stoy, Lightitup

 

[Liteitup]

Phil, I went to the closest Wells Fargo branch (Frisco) after I had canceled the card and they were able to work with me to get money despite having no ID.. Also I learned they have a new feature on their mobile ap that allows you to make one withdrawal a day without your card.. So with that kudos to Wells Fargo...

You're the second person to mention Wells Fargo. I've always preferred hometown banks, maybe it's time to rethink that. He mentioned that he could send money to me at any branch, not sure if they could work around the no ID thing. Something to check on.

 

[Simmons1]

I take pictures of all the important documents in my wallet and store them in my smart phone. Photos may not be the real thing, but I figure they are better than nothing if someone needs I'd.

I also keep a stash of emergency cash some place other than in my wallet when traveling.

 

[kubotamiketx]

That is a great idea about pictures, hadn't thought of that... I stash a few bucks all over. My kids learned a long time ago to find an old camelbak of mine if they needed cash without having to ask


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[JoToPe]

The GDR Chronicles of JoToPe, dualsportrider and Jampad. June 9th, 0600 hours, me (riding a black KLR 650) and two of my sons, Joe and Tom (SV650), met dualsportrider (blue F800GS) and Kilgore 74 (orange F800GS) at Outlaw BBQ off Dennis Road in Weatherford for coffee and breakfast tacos just as a thunderstorm blew in from the west. We gulped our coffee, chewed down some delicious BEC tacos and headed west on I-20 in the middle of a downpour, while my sons returned home to Burleson. Reaching Abilene for our first fuel stop a little while later, I had the foreboding thought that something just wasn’t right (foreshadowing). When we arrived in Snyder, we met Jampad (white KLR 650) and continued west. About 20 miles east of Seminole, my KLR started spurting and quit on me. I checked the tank for gas, which it had plenty, started it back up and kept riding west. This happened four times before I decided to do some investigation. It was time for the Seafoam treatment! dualsportrider and Kilgore 74 rode ahead to fill up the 2 gallon Rotopax dualsportrider brought and made a return trip. While me and Jampad were changing the air filter and checking the fuel line and filter, Dennis (black S-10) and Dan (blue Explorer) pulled up to check on us a few minutes before dualsportrider and Kilgore 74 got back from the gas run. Got the KLR going and headed for Cloudcroft.

 

[JoToPe]

Arriving in Cloudcroft we found an entire TWT contingent: JMTex (800XC), TossingLead (Tiger), misterk (NC700X), Brett, DeerSplitter (800GSA), Collin228 (R1200GS), and a few more names I can’t recall were already there. The park host, Mark Simmons, had spread the story of last years botched NMBDR attempt that me, my son Tom and Jampad started but was done under by a rock through the water pump. I almost felt like a legend hearing the story repeated. On our first night we camped under the stars of NM and felt the slight chill of the mountain air. Kilgore 74 fixed everyone up the next morning with fresh ground Rutamaya coffee made from the Bialetti Moka Express. Loaded and ready, but not the first to leave, we pushed on to Silver City and met up with Simmons1 (tricolor Africa Twin), TossingLead and jetdr21 (black S-10) as they were finishing up at White Sands National Monument. After an ice cream fix at the gift shop, we made our way through the desert on US-70W to Las Cruces, north on 185 through Dona Ana, Hatch and 152W to Hillsboro. With Simmons1 at the lead, we rode on through the Gila National Forest finally arriving in Silver City late afternoon. No one wanted to camp that night, so we got a room at The Drifter Motel, where Mr. And Mrs. Lee were all too happy to accommodate us. dcwilcox (DR650), Kilgore 74 and Collin228 were already there. For me and Jampad, the work was just beginning as we set about changing to 15T countershaft sprockets in anticipation of the weeks ride through the GDR, and dcwilcox was spooning on new rubber as his last foray through Big Bend left little tread to finish this ride to come. Here's my photo album of the trip. https://richemerson.smugmug.com/2017-GDR/i-ZvHBvXF/A

 

[misterk]

Here is what my group looked like

In Wednesday we headed n from del Norte going to salida.....easy day.

My ride ended with this

Broke right fibula. Told the guys I was going home. Rode 800 miles non stop. Healing well, only needed a walking boot.

I spoke to Chuck today, the above f800, he has surgery tomorrow in his clavicle.

I would do it all over again, just on a different bike lol

I am doing a ride report on adv. I will post link when I get it done.

 

[miltonotto]

Downtown Silver City, NM

Day 1

Unknown riders

A flat in the woods. Mark went right to work,
Bob checks in with the rest of the universe

No biggie, right?

Don't forget the spacer

We pretty much thot that was it.

As it turned out, we dismounted and remounted tubes 7(?) times.
The spare was old with more than one hole.
That or we were doing a horrible job with the spoons.
And the patches didn't work.
Finally Richard donated his spare tube (new) and we were on our way.
This little fiasco cost us 3 hours or so

Then there was no gas.