UTADV

It was during my daughter’s wedding reception at our home, December 2019, when I teased the idea of doing an extended motorcycle trip and asked if she’d like to join me. The idea at the time was to go north, a direction we’ve seldom gone, to Yellowstone, to Glacier, into Canada up to their Glacier…

WCS: First Aid

I have a setting in my brain that goes to worst-case scenario (WCS) in just about any situation that disrupts my illusion of any kind of certainty, especially when adventuring on a motorcycle. Add to that a couple of medical conditions that require a bit of special handling on my part, especially in trauma conditions,…

The $15 Tool Roll

Any new (to me) motorcycle that finds a home in the barn goes through a shake down; all fairings, panels and shrouds removed and all connecting hardware checked for proper torque. It’s through this process I assemble the tool kit for the bike. Every tool I use in the shake down goes into the kit…

Packing for the PNW

Prepping this trip hasn’t been without its challenges. Planning and organizing a 3500 mile trip for two on two ADV bikes, camping most of the way works my OCD in ways nothing else does. And I’ve arguably had too much time to do so, starting in December of 2019, pre-coronavirus, with a launch date in…

TigersX2

Adding another Tiger for our upcoming PNW trip.

Slabbing

If you hit the overpass crossing of Twenty-first South at I-15 early in the morning you’ll come across a heavenly smell of baking bread, but only on a motorcycle. Spanish Fork’s Canyon winds will try to tip you to the west and the current’s even more fierce at Nephi. UDOT’s finally smoothed out that bucking…

The Burr Trail from Halls Crossing

The scenery is incredible, more rewarding for me than Valley of the Gods in terms of its geological variety.

Valley of the Gods and Moki Dugway

One hundred seventeen miles to the south on Highway 191 is the turnoff for Valley of the Gods. I stopped in Blanding along the way to hydrate and fill up my Camelback with ice and I’m glad I did. Staying ahead of dehydrating is the trick for me.

The Shafer Trail and Potash Road

A rider on Softail passed me at this point ascending the trail, boosting my confidence. I felt a bit overdressed compared to his shorts, wife-beater and bare head. To his credit he wore sunglasses and fingerless gloves, but those were more accessories than gear.

Bountiful to Big Sur to Bonneville

It was amazing to watch her in my mirrors and see her confidence gain while she sorted out her new ride. It was terrifying to watch her in my mirrors as we got on Highway 1 and fought the winds coming off the coast.

On the Border

I thought while I fought the crosswinds’ relentless rattling, why do I subject myself to this? These conditions, the mechanical panic of being stranded, or having critical gear fly off the bike due to my own stupidity.

Stansbury Island

This is where I discovered I wasn’t alone as I thought, though the good souls visiting the eddy would not have been ideal to ask for assistance since they were all naked. Yep.

Virgin

I’ve been in between bikes for too long, which is long enough to question my skills, though I’ve been riding for more than thirty years. And that’s probably a good thing, taking toll of all abilities motorcycling. This isn’t something with which anyone wants to get completely comfortable. Add a new bike to the fray…

SLC to 143

This A/B living is interesting in what it does to my psyche. A being home in SLC and B being back in StG. It’s the transitions that give my noodle pause, the in-between, the commute where time and miles are now measured in thoughts instead of per-hour. Thoughts like hoping the lawn hasn’t overgrown beyond the mower’s…

50/50 to 80/20

Not one pic from this commute. As the KLR climbed the switchbacks to the Zion tunnel the sunrise light was dappled against the canyon’s west walls where there’s a discernible tree line. The light hit it perfectly creating this amazing highlight running along the lower third of the mountain leaving the rest to go to…

keep your cool

Great tips about hot weather riding.

Skutumpah

Too used to Highway 9, a road through pioneer history, and another flat.

Nebo Loop

Took my breath away and the air out of my rear tire.

StG to Tooele

Motorcycling forces me in to and out of my seat and that’s a good thing, a rose-smelling thing, except on this trip, my initial stop was to smell the smoke.

A Step on the Grand Staircase

Then it all changes. As the road approaches the Cottonwood Wash, the earth shifts gears into Technicolored terrain and formations.

Highway 89 Return

A motorcycle is an amplifier, it magnifies everything that runs across your nervous system.

Highway 89 Grind

If you want to be immersed in Utah’s funky rural contexts, 89 is the most expedited way to do so.

Sorting out: Emigration to Sheep Bridge Rd

As the KLR climbed I was reminded what it’s like to feel temperature change, something we’re mostly insulated against in the cages of our cars.

The KLR650 Commuter

I’ve wanted a BMW GS forever, but the KLR’s simplicity was more attractive to my pragmatic side.

Prep Notes on a Used Ride

Forrest Gump would have something to say about buying a used motorcycle, much like a box of chocolates.