7 days on the Road: Arches National Park
7 Days on the Road. The last day of Motos in Moab, hit up Arches National Park then made my way to Wellington. About 15 miles outside of Wellington I came upon a pair of girls who ran out of gas and ran into town to get them a gas can and some gas, and followed them back into town. Karma Points Achieved.
I ended up sitting and talking to the people working at the gas station, who told me to go hang out with the people working at the restuarant next door, who then hooked me up with the hotel it was attached to so I could camp in their park area. I even got a shower! Winning.
9 Mile Canyon, Utah with my new friend Dan!
8 Days on the Road. I woke up to find my new friend Dan rolling out his KTM next to where I slept in Wellington. Turned out he was also riding Nine Mile Canyon that day AND he was from Missoula. So we explored a bit, and I got him good and lost :D
He turned back to find his road, and I made it to Kamas and camped in the Wasatch National Forest and froze my ass off.
Take notes kids, always pack like it's going to be cold as hell. If it is warm, appreciate how lucky your smart ass is, and take layers off.
The family that adopted me in Victor ID, when I crashed their party late into the night.
Wasatch National Forest, Utah - Froze my ass off. Take notes kids, always pack like it’s going to be cold as hell. If it is warm, appreciate how lucky your smart ass is, and take layers off.
Day 9: Rode through Bald Mountain Pass and froze my bum off while oggling the five foot snow walls on either side of the road.
Crossed the Wyoming border at least three times, then made a wrong turn at Alpine and ended up in Victor ID instead of Jackson WY. When I stopped to ask the gas station clerks where she thought would be a good place to camp for the night, they shrugged and told me to drive up a random road and camp on the side.
I was on my way out of town to find said spot when I saw the sign for Moose Creek Ranch with the blue bed symbol and thought they had to have a place for me to camp.
When I pulled in, I found these lovely people from Walla Walla, who informed me the owners had left for a graduation and that the whole place was booked for a wedding all weekend.
They invited me to have a beer with them while I waited for the owners, and eventually just invited me to be apart of their group and camp next to their RVs. When the owners did arrive they just assumed I was apart of the wedding party. Almost didn't want to leave them Thursday morning, they were pretty awesome people.
Zito. The Wedding Crasher.
Teton National Park, WY
Day 10: Made my way over Teton Pass to Jackson WY and into Grand Teton National Park which was freaking amazing!
Sitting in line to get into Yellowstone National Parkwas a little dissapointing in comparison. However, a crow did land on my bike when I took a break near Old Faithful which was pretty awesome.
In total did 346 miles from Victor ID to Deer Lodge MT. Didn't quite make it to the valley but I got close. Coudln't feel my feet by the time I stopped.
Don't ride fatigued guys, it's bad news.
Brother to the rescue, at Woodside, Montana
Arrived back in the Bitterroot Valley on June 3rd. Couldn't really do anything on the bike since everything is closed, so did a little running around with Lazarus.
Ran out of gas running into Corvallis, and the beautiful Ruby helped me push it the last leg.
Did a little back road scouting, which was pretty fun until I got back into town to fill up and the bike wouldn't start. Battery was dead. Gary came and rescued me, but we had to jump it three times to get it back to the house. Hopefully it's an easy fix, brother thinks he knows what went wrong.
Still have to get tires, put on crash bars, change the oil, work out the new electrical bug, and hopefully fix a couple other things that have popped up.
Keep your fingers crossed for me 'n Lazarus.
Lazarus's Stator
Kickoff for the Pilgrimage was delayed for two weeks.
Lazarus’s stator kicked the bucket, but at least we knew what was wrong and I ordered a new one. Ordered new tires (extremely painful financially but it was worth it), got all the oil and filters ready for the oil change (which can’t happen till after the new stator is in.)
Also thankful for my small attempt at adulting foresight to leave a week and a half buffer for myself for when shit broke and it did! At least it broke while I was still home right? hahahaha
Dad and I after a successfully test run, Painted Rocks State Park, Montana
..And Then Success.
After 13 Days off of the road, Lazarus is finally road ready!
It only took 1 Stator, 1 Staor Gasket, 6 Carburetor Rebuild Kits, 2 New Tires from Al’s Cycle in Hamilton, 2 Crash Bars, 1 USB Battery Attachment, 1 Luggage Rack, 1 Oil Filter, 4 ltrs of Oil, 1 Tank Bolt, 1 Air Box Bolt, 1 Rattle Can of Clear Coat and 50+ hours of work from my amazing brother Gary, my father, and myself.
Had a nice 120 mile test run to Painted Rocks, MT that doubled as my first father/daughter ride. Everything ran smoothly which means Pilgrimage can finally begin!
Keep your fingers crossed for me!
PS. Big thank yous to my sponsors Wolfman Luggage Butler Motorcycle Maps, Gregg & Ellis Landscape Designs, and ICON 1000 for my amazing gear and support that’s making this trip possible!
And also to Gear Up Every Ride for my new Nelson Rigg USA rain gear that got thoroughly tested.
Last but not least make sure you friend me on REVER to follow my progress!