AZBDR - Two Noobs, Two Mules, Two Weeks Off...

[Wierdrider 187]

You guys are awesome. 

[Beezzz 6]

thanks for keeping us on the trail with you.  great photos.

i would love to do this ride with my wife.

questions.  is rain or snow forecasted?  

how is the 650gs doing compared to the sertao, is the sertao a better setup for this trip?  

do you both of you have dirt bike riding backgrounds?  

[Dress4Less 162]

GREAT stuff! Keep it coming...dead snakes, ants and all!

[Travis Gill 0]

2 hours ago, Beezzz said:

thanks for keeping us on the trail with you.  great photos.

i would love to do this ride with my wife.

questions.  is rain or snow forecasted?  

how is the 650gs doing compared to the sertao, is the sertao a better setup for this trip?  

do you both of you have dirt bike riding backgrounds?  

Rain and snow? Oh yea! ? Day 7...

The standard 650GS has ~1.5 less suspension and a smaller front wheel making it seem to buck noticably more when the trail starts getting rough and rocky.

Day 7 also revealed a problem with the front fender on the standard 650GS; it quickly got caked with clay like mud.

Sertao better for the trip? I would agree but the Sertao also sits higher and that is a problem for Chantil who is 5' 3" tall. I wouldn't say the standard 650GS wasn't up to the task; it is. In comparison to the Sertao you just see some very minor shortcomings.

Dirt bike riding backgrounds? Nope. We have just bearly over a year riding experience. We did about 7 off-road trips to Otay Truck Trail, Corral Canyon, and Anza Borrego. I took a class with Gary of MotoVentures (highly recommended) and Chantil took a day class at Horizons Unlimited.

I felt like we were noobs before the AZBDR but we gained A LOT of experience during those 10 days. Chantil and I feel like average to intermediate skilled adventure riders - just enough to make us dangerous ? 

Hope that helps. Feel free to fire more questions our way ?

[Beezzz 6]

what a great trip.  well done.  pretty brave of both of you with your limited dirt experience backgrounds.  a trip like that and i was hoping hear a story where you both grew up dirt biking.  more please.

[Travis Gill 0]

AZBDR Day 4, Tuesday, April 26th:
27 miles paved + 49 miles dirt = 76 total miles


Map of Day 4.

Today was a short and long day. Short distance. Long hours. The trails were filled with rocks and included long sections of hills and descents. It was a challenge. Tempers were lost. Bikes were dropped. Bikes were broken and fixed on the trail. It was an 'adventure' day for sure.

Getting to Globe was pretty straightforward. The trail leaving Pioneer Pass Campground was wide and graded. Once in Globe we stopped by the grocery store and stocked up on trail food. We had a cold cereal breakfast at a nearby park under the virw of the large orange "G" painted on the side of the hill overlooking the town.


Entering Tonto National Forest.

After a relaxing breakfast, we continued north until reaching our next off-road section at Cherry Creek Road.


The lower part of Cherry Creek Road.

The beginning of the trail featured a lot of high desert cactus and cliffs. As we continued our climb we became surrounded by thick green trees, gently rolling creeks, and rocks. So many rocks. Rocks of all sizes and shapes. Stupid rocks.


Entering the beautiful Sierra Ancha Cliff Dwellings area.

This section offered beautiful scenery at every switchback making it a challenge to concentrate on the rock-filled trail.


Beautiful cliffs tower above the trail.


VIDEO - Riding through the wooded canyons.

For lunch we stopped at a great little shaded area. A lunch of champions.

We talked a bit to a guy who deove a Toyota Tacoma. He was enjoying the solitude along with his two dogs. He mentioned that it had been a decade since he drove up here last and was surprised at how rocky the road had gotten.

During our break we fixed a few things on the bikes. Chantil's left foot-peg and left hand-guard had taken a beating from being dropped on the rocky trail. In caveman style, I grabbed a rock and hammered the foot-peg until it was level. We also drilled (using the Gerber tool) a few holes into the plastic hand guard and used a trusty zip-tie to keep it in place.


Zip-tie fix.

It was just after lunch that I lost my cool. It was hot. We were struggling to get through the relentless rocky sections, and Chantil had dumped her mule and broken the zip-tie fix. Kudoes to Chantil for bearing with me. She's my stability in tough situations and I'm grateful to her for letting me vent.


VIDEO - Big rock in the road!


Moo Cow looking rather agitated at the mechanical mules. Chantil thought I was dumb to be worried about the cows and bulls but she wasn't the one riding the bright red bike! A twist of the throttle seemed to keep the bulls in line ?

Just before reaching AZ-288 we found a pasture area that looked like it had previously been used as a campsite.


Camp fire!

This was our first night where we had a camp fire and it felt GREAT, especially after such a long day of climbing rocky roads. The Mountain House Mexican Style Rice & Chicken was more delicious than you could imagine.

[sdspearo 0]

You've got camera skills...enjoying the pics as much as the write up!

[Travis Gill 0]

2 hours ago, Beezzz said:

what a great trip.  well done.  pretty brave of both of you with your limited dirt experience backgrounds...

I think the best advice we received before the trip was "take your time and drink plenty of water." More experienced riders could do the entire route in half the time. We took our time and went at a pace we felt comfortable with.

Also, to avoid confusion... The red bike in the pictures is the G650GS Sertao. I liked the red body panels and the signature of Alex Chaćon that was on our original G650GS so when we bought the Sertao the body panels were switched.

[Travis Gill 0]

29 minutes ago, sdspearo said:

You've got camera skills...enjoying the pics as much as the write up!

Thanks! Kind comments help motivate me to post more ?

[Travis Gill 0]

AZBDR Day 5, Wednesday, April 27th:
32 miles paved + 128 miles dirt = 160 total miles


Map of Day 5.

The trail from our campsite got much easier as he headed towards the AZ-288. I was expecting a paved road considering that highway designation. Turns out it is what they call a dirt highway. Okey doke!


Cows also use the wide open dirt road. I can’t recall how many cattle guards we crossed; maybe 50?

We are still in the Tonto National Forest, which seems to cover quite a lot of area considering the last sign was in the desert and now we are in the forest.

We reached the small town of Young where hospitality was large; seems to be the case with small towns. We ended up hanging out in front of the Cherry Creek store where we ate a cheap brand of Fruity Pebbles cereal out of camp cups with fresh milk from the store.


The joys of life on the road!

After Young, we continue north along the beautiful Mogolonn Rim. I was really surprised at how little tourist traffic there was on this section of the road, considering the beautiful overlooks off to the west.


Beautiful overlooks down to the Colorado Plateau.


Scary fall to my death! This is a rare picture where it looks worse than it is in real life.


An opportunity to take a group shot of us and the mules.

The trail continued north where the easily-traveled road made for some quick riding; we even shifted into fourth gear for some straightaway sections!


Coconino National Forest. The trees became larger and denser as we continued north.

On one of the fire roads we came across a building used by the forest service. It had a nice picnic table so we parked the mules and enjoyed a little lunch.


First break-down of the trip! The sporky-knifey thing broke on the thick peanut butter.

Before long we heard the distinct sounds of a couple thumpers heading our direction. This was the first time we had ran across anyone on adventure bikes. It turned out to be Pascal and Janine from Switzerland. They are a 25-year-old couple who shipped their DR650s to Canada and were exploring the USA. Follow then at: http://ertw2015.wix.com/ertw

As we continued north, the forest turned to prairie land.


The Serengeti, err, I mean the Arizona FS Road 82.


Some more GoPro images of us enjoying the trail

In the late afternoon just past Long Lake when we came across three guys riding 1200GSs. They were on their way to Colorado and were enjoying the detour of the AZBDR.


I followed two of the pilots for some spirited rocky sections of the trail. It was a joy to push myself a little bit faster than my previous comfort level.

We made good progress until reaching Winona Ranch Road. The wide open trail became more challenging as it narrowed, become more rocky, and required numerous small hill climbs. Chantil's mule was dropped hard enough on the rocks that the bolt holding the Bark-Buster hand guards to the end of the handlebar sheered. We removed the hand guard and continued along the trail hoping that she wouldn't drop it on the, now exposed, left side. She didn't!


VIDEO of us riding Winona Ranch Ranch Road well after dark.

It was well after 9 PM when we reached the gas station in Winona. I was tired enough that I just wanted to set up camp behind the pumps and call it a night.


Topping off the tank in Winona.

We found a hotel in Flagstaff but it required the traumatic experience of riding 9 miles at 80 MPH on a dark freeway with poorly adjusted driving lights (from being dropped on the trail). There is something about riding freeway speed after being on the trail all day that just feels weird. It's hard to explain.

I hate paying for hotels, especially when traveling because you end up paying a premium for the simple pleasure of a bed and shower. However, I was overjoyed to reach the Super 8 Hotel where we could take a little break from the trail and get some things fixed before continuing north.

[Travis Gill 0]

AZBDR Day 6, Thursday, April 28th:

13 miles paved + 54 miles dirt = 67 total miles


Map of Day 6.

I slept really well last night. There is just something about sleeping on a mattress that makes me just sleep better. After 4 nights of camping a hotel felt really good.

It’s not as if our camping sleep system is uncomfortable. If fact, I think it’s one of the most comfortable systems available with a very roomy and wide 20º Big Agnes sleeping bag, a 25 inch wide insulated air mattress that slides into the bottom of the sleeping bag, and a felt-lined camp pillow. I just sleep better on a real mattress.

We enjoyed the complimentary continental breakfast before we headed our separate ways to run some errands. Chantil went to find a garage that would help her tap out the broken bolt that was inside the threads of her handle bar. I went to find another bolt to replace the one that had sheared. I also went in search of a camping goods store to find a small MSR fuel bottle and some synthetic long johns to wear under my motorcycle pants in preparation for the expected rain and cooler weather.


Broken bolt that held the hand guard to the end of the handle bar.

We were able to get Chantil's hand guard fixed relatively quickly allowing us to pack the bikes and continued the BDR well before noon.


The weather report was a concern since the trails we were going to be riding were listed as ‘impassable when wet’. The rain looked like it would make things wet. We hoped for the best…

Shortly after passing north of Winona we were approached behind by the three 1200GS riders we met the day prior. The lead rider introduced himself as Paul. We talked about the concerns we had about the upcoming rain. They waved their good wishes and goodbyes before rolled ahead of us and over the horizon.


VIDEO: It seems everyday offers something different on the AZBDR.

Today was no different as we got to explore cinder cone volcano country. The roads were somewhat of a cross between gravel and course sand. It was fairly easy traveling, as long as you watched out for the sandier sections.


Enjoying the volcanic gravel roads.


You can see the consistency of the volcanic gravel on the road.


VIDEO: Riding through volcano country.


We stopped at the overlook of Sunset Crater Volcano for a short break.


VIDEO: Riding past Colton Crater Volcano.


See that. That’s not good weather for riding on roads that claim to be ‘impassable when wet’. How bad could it really be?

We continued north for as long as we could before we reached the clouds that continued to look more and more grey. We decided that we would rather set up camp before things got wet so we pulled off the road about a ¼ mile and set up camp.


All cozy in our warm and comfortable tent awaiting the impeding rain.

It wasn’t until about 4 AM the next morning that the rain arrived…

[Beezzz 6]

good write up.  more please.

[Dan Diego 40]

Really enjoying the RR write-up and photos. Keep it coming,

[Wierdrider 187]

Yes, keep it the photos and RR coming. ??

[Covered in Dust 162]

I'm doing this route soon, so the ride report is very helpful. Thanks for a great post and pictures.

 

CiD

[Travis Gill 0]

Just now, Beezzz said:

good write up.  more please.

 

Just now, Dan Diego said:

Really enjoying the RR write-up and photos. Keep it coming,

 

Just now, Wierdrider said:

Yes, keep it the photos and RR coming. ??

 

Just now, Covered in Dust said:

I'm doing this route soon, so the ride report is very helpful. Thanks for a great post and pictures.

 

CiD

Day 7 coming before the end of the night... It's going to be a muddy one!

[Travis Gill 0]

AZBDR Day 7, Friday, April 29th:


68 miles paved + 6 miles dirt = 74 total miles
 

Map of Day 7.

As soon as I stepped outside of the tent in my sandals I knew it was going to be a wet and muddy day. We quickly packed up in the hopes to get an early start on the trail and hopefully avoid too much mud. Packing the tent went much better than I imagined since the ground we slept on stayed relatively dry and we were able to get most of the water off the rain cover before packing it.

Although the going was muddy and sometimes a bit slippery, I still felt like we could make progress along the AZBDR route towards Cameron, AZ.
 

VIDEO: Good morning motovlog.
 

The Sertao was making decent progress as long as I kept the wheels spinning fast enough to throw the mud from the treads. However, if you got bogged down or started to slide then it became very, very difficult to get started again.
 

Chocolate donuts make for extremely poor traction.

Chantil was having an especially hard time. I just told her to keep on the speed and things would go better. However, she said she couldn’t because the front would slip around. I parked my mule and gave hers a ride. She was right, her G650GS is about 1.5 inches lower and has a fairing that sits really close to the top of the front wheel. It was extremely difficult to control and keep straight. I had to give it A LOT of power to keep it moving. Further investigation showed that the front wheel would not turn! The clay like mud was packed so tightly in the front fender that the front tire would just push through the mud. The rear was also packed so full that the poor 650 engine could barely turn the rear wheel. We decided to get off the trail as fast as we could.
 

Mud was on everything!

The highway was about 3 miles from the AZBDR route. Progress was excruciating slow because we would move a little, drop the bikes, clear the wheels and fenders of mud, and then move a little more. We removed Chantil’s front fender and it seemed to make things go a little easier.
 

VIDEO: Picking up the mules started to become A LOT of work.

We continued little by little, the 6 miles we covered took us about 3.5 hours. The hardest section was the last mile. It was exhausting. Hope was driven by the GPS slowly counting down our progress to the highway.
 

VIDEO: The last section of muddy road before reaching the gate to the freeway. You can hear the excitement as I approach pavement!
 

We were wet, muddy, and tired.
 

VIDEO: Cleaning the bikes of thick clay-like mud.

We decided to head north along the US-180 to the SR-60 where there was gas and hopefully a self-serve power wash for the muddy mules. The rain had stopped before we reached the Chevron station. My clothes were so muddy I was concerned that they wouldn’t let me into the touristy store to use the bathroom. I ended up washing my gloves and boots in the sink; earning me a few weird stares from tourists.

I really just wanted to get the bikes cleaned up. It was decided to return to Flagstaff where the closest pressure washer and reasonable priced hotels were. I would later regret this decision, but at the time it seemed like the right one.

So back we rode, via the US-180 to Flagstaff. During that 50-mile stretch of pavement we experienced sun, rain, sleet, and a little snow.
 

VIDEO: This section of road could easily be confused for Colorado. Nope, still in Arizona.

Once we arrived at the hotel in Flagstaff, we removed all the muddy bags from the mules and stored them in the bathroom until we could wash them in the tub. It was a mess. There was soooo much mud. If the mud were a red color, it would have looked like a murder scene in the bathroom and shower. Fortunately, it cleaned up pretty well. We also removed all the armor from our riding gear and tossed them in the washer. It took two cycles in the washer before they came clean.

We ended up staying in Flagstaff over the weekend since we had family that was passing through and thought it would be a nice place to have them layover for an evening.

[Bp619 104]

Awesome so far yeah that mud looks nasty I remember riding with my dad in ocotillo wells and had same problem anything under 10mph was very slippery and he just didn't wanna go above 5mph until I forced him and he realized it would clear the tires. Good thing no injuries keep it coming

[Beezzz 6]

Fantastic job.  why did one bike ride differently from the other.  front wheel size or tire difference.

[Travis Gill 0]

The standard G650GS has a front fender that becomes packed with mud and keeps the front tire from spinning. Also, 1.5 inches of less clearance from the frame and rear tire.

[Dress4Less 162]

GREAT stuff! More! More! More! Love the little Viddy's where there's an "open" meadow...the two of you ride through...and back to open meadow again...

[Travis Gill 0]

8 hours ago, Dress4Less said:

Love the little Viddy's where there's an "open" meadow...the two of you ride through...and back to open meadow again...

Funny! I should put the video on auto replay and reminisce. 

[Travis Gill 0]

On May 15, 2016 at 1:29 AM, Bp619 said:

Good thing no injuries... Keep it coming.

Amen to no injuries! I hope to write day 8 before tonight...

BTW, I just finished doing a short music video of all the footage we shot. I'll hold off  posting the video until after the ride report.

[Mikey777 44]

Awesome pics and write up so far.   I am taking notes.....

[HM berg 0]

Wow really like your write-up and pics hope to some day do that ride