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Team 5150 rides the Utah BDR

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Anyone that has planned a extended ride with a few guys knows the amount of work that goes into it. It's seldom easy. But it's usually worth it. Such was the case again this year for team 5150 (with the exception of Jeff, "justtwobeers", who couldn't make it) as we took on the Utah BDR. The planning started at the end of our Arizona BDR ride last June and continued right up to our departure day, Monday September 11th (Never forget, never surrender). The month or two leading up to the ride got a little complicated at times, per usual, because of schedules, but we managed to plan 8 days in September when we could all get away. And so it was set in stone. Until we found out about the passing of our friend, riding buddy, and fellow SDAR member, Arnie Fry. None of us wanted to chance missing his memorial service but after discussing it as a team, we knew deep down that Arnie would not want us to cancel a trip like this...so we decided to ride on and dedicate the ride Arnie.

We were originally planning 8 days to cover the Utah BDR. One day to drive out to Mexican Hat, Utah, where we would park the truck, 5 days to complete the ride, and 2 days to get back to the truck and eventually home. We didn't know it then, but it wouldn't quite work out that way. It seldom does when planning a trip like this that starts in the desert and ends in 11,000' mountains and covers 8 days in September. Too much can happen. Too much can change. But that it one of the challenges that attracts me to these types of rides. It's a challenge to figure out the minimal amount of stuff you can pack on a small bike to keep you alive while encountering variable terrain and conditions. And believe me, we experienced that. From 95 degrees and sunny in the Lockhart basin to mid 30's and raining in the "Strawberry" mountains. At times we were hot and almost out of water and at other times we were freezing and wet to the core (at least I was...Frog Togs are on my short list). But we survived. We made it home and have memories for a life time.

Day 1 and 2:

Monday, September 11th, CID was already out in Lake Havasu and Mikey and I were in San Diego. Mikey picked me up at my house around 2pm and we headed for Havasu to meet up with CID. We pulled into town around 6:30 pm. We went out to dinner and made a last minute stop at Walmart for essential camping supplies...i.e. beer and Mountain House creme brule. We crashed out at CID's place and got up and on the road by 6am.

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Around 2pm on day two, we pulled into the small town of Mexican Hat, Utah. We asked around about a place to park the truck for a week and were directed to a nearby dirt parking lot used by local rafting enthusiast to park their trucks after launching their rafts. It wasn't exactly secure and it was unknown at the time if the truck would be okay there while we were gone. But we were too excited about getting on the trail to be too concerned about it at the time. So we unloaded the truck, geared up, and hit the trail.

We started by riding north on 191 and exited at Valley of the Gods trail head. We rode through there (see pics below) with our ultimate destination of Muley Point in the distance (3rd pic), where we had planned on camping for the night.

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It only took 1 1/2 hours or so to get to Muley point and there was a couple hours of sunlight left we decided to carry on. We rode for another hour or so and decided to camp at a secrete spot CID had scouted out last time he was in the area. We pulled in there and set up camp for our first night on the trail. It was a very amazing spot, very private, and no other humans could be seen or heard....that's my kind of place. We set up camp, cranked out some Mountain House meals, cracked a beer, and made a toast to Arnie. It's definitely part of the trip I'll never forget. 

First day camp:

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 To be continued.....

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Looks great so far! Just the riders alone would make this a great ride.

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20 minutes ago, Bagstr said:

What Does BDR stand for? Is that Northwest lingo?

Backcountry discovery route. Check this out:

http://ridebdr.com/

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This trip was in the works from last year as soon as we finished the AZ BDR.  We went back and forth about big bikes versus small bikes, eventually setting on small bikes since we wanted to do the expert sections without bashing up the bikes too badly.  CiD has lots of experience with small bike adventures, but this was a first for LB and me.  

The after action motto for this trip was "live and learn".  We definitely figured out what works and what does not as far as equipment/gear goes.  We also learned a lot about our clothing choices too, especially when encountering really cold rain.  Each one of us would have preferred improvements in our riding clothing.  I wore Klim Overland pants (waterproof, but with zippered vents fore and aft) and a Klim Stowaway gortex shell (waterproof).  I stayed dry during rain, but my hands were freezing since my gloves were not waterproof.  Better gloves is on my need to buy list. 

Some of my pics from Day 2 (Day 1 on BDR).

Bikes loaded up in Havasu City, AZ and getting our Starbucks for the long drive to Mexican Hat, Utah.20170912_061157.thumb.jpg.122df52ee3cda49d9878f3f3ff63d01c.jpg

Crossing the border from AZ to Utah!

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When we unloaded the bikes in Mexican Hat, I reached into my left front Wolfman bag to get my DeLorme InReach out and found the screen got crushed during the drive out as the bikes shifted in the truck.  (I will post up how the repair process goes).  Wasn't a great start of my day and then had trouble getting the KTM EXC 350-F to start in the blazing Mexican Hat heat. This cold start plagued us throughout the trip. I can usually kick start it to turn it over, but I tore up the ligaments in my right ankle a few years ago and my ankle has never fully recovered, so kickstarting can be excruciating and a potential ride ender.  We tried a bunch of different methods to get the bike to start regularly during the trip, but nothing really worked. (Bowers method of slight twist of throttle, LB method of three blips of throttle before ignition, using the cold start switch, etc.).  Once the bike is warm, it fires right up but the cold starts in the morning were a pain in the...

As LB noted, Cid found a great campsite for Day 1.  I went to grab my Canon Sureshot to snap a few pics and the lense jamed.  Second piece of gear failure.  All in all ...day one was some fantastic riding going through the Valley of the Gods and some high desert scrub.  

CID's camp spot for nite one.

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Chillin' with the boys and toasting Arnie.  We spent the evening telling tales and watching satellites.

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Day two was probably my favorite day. We started out early, which is typical for us. We are definitely on the same page when it comes to getting up, packing up, and getting on the trail by 0700 hours. We're there to ride and we like to do long days on the bike. Last year we did the Arizona route in 3.5 days and planned on doing Utah in 5 or less. We had 250 miles planned for the day. Our destination...Moab.

We took off and rode back down the mountain and then headed north. After heading north on some desert scrub area along a river, we started up the next mountain range. I love the mountains and the views:

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The conditions were epic. There obviously been rain on and off for a couple days so the ground was just right. Not too wet and not too dry. Small puddles here and there, very little dust, and overall good traction. On the way down the 1st mountain pass of the day, I was following Mikey at a pretty good pace. I had a front row seat as he came into a right hander too fast and slid off the road. The dirt was soft and the landing wasn't too hard. But it was official, Mikey earned the honor of being the 1st rider down and would soon be sporting the "rabbit" that CID carries with him and mounts on the bike of the 1st rider down.And as is customary with this group of "professionals" we are obligated to take a photo and post it on the internet.

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Mikey was not hurt so we carried on. We still had to get down this mountain, crest another one, and then conquer the Lockhart basin (toughest section of the UBDR), which was still ahead of us. We started encountering rain not long after this. We finally pulled over and CID and Mikey donned their rain gear. CID looked at me and asked if I was going put mine on and I said no. I was pretty sure we were almost out of the rain and I was right. It stopped raining almost immediately after we started going again.

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We finally found ourselves on some slab and heading north towards the start of the Lockhart basis section. It started heating up and got up to about 95 degrees. We made a quick stop at "newspaper rock" to view some petroglyphs, which CID obviously has an affinity for.

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From there we headed downhill to the lower elevations of the ride (i.e. hottest section). Mikey and I had not done this section before and had no idea what to expect. CID had, which I can tell you is definitely an advantage. This section is slower than everything else on the BDR and there are a couple technical sections. I didn't have any issues with the route itself, I did find myself running low on water about 1/2 through (water bladder now on the list). Since I had no idea what lay ahead of me, I started rationing water. I ended up making it through this section though with a few sips left (I had almost a gallon of water at the start of day). We ended up finishing this section and pulling into Moab at 630 pm just as a thunder storm pushed through.

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Views of the Colorado river from the Lockhart basis trail:

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Thanks to FB, I learned that a cousin of mine that I hadn't seen in 35 years, was also camping in Moab at Slick Rock campground. CID and Mikey agreed to stop by the campground with me so I could see him. It was very cool to see my cousin Mike and get caught up on the last 35 years.

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To be continued....

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Oh man...this is epic already! Keep it coming boys! :thumbsup_anim: CID needs to get those new white boots CID...;)

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A word about the first wipe out.  That corner looks huge in the photo, but it wasn't.  We were hauling ass through that section playing flat tracker and the tight right hand turn snuck up on me.  There was a stump and collection of trees on the outside corner and rather than risk hitting them I put the bike down in the dirt.  I was laughing as I did it knowing that I just earned the bunny, which I kept for the rest of the trip.

Day 2 on the trail was absolutely the most fun but also the most challening and frustrating at times.  Lockhart Basin is one of the designated expert sections of the Utah BDR.  It isn't extremely technical on small bikes but it is rocky.  The trail beats on you and your bike after a while.  My small bike gear packing skills could have been much better in this section as LB called me back to pick up my rear dry bag and beer canister that flopped off...twice.  (Tells you how rough the terrain was when we were trying to move quickly through the section to get to Moab).  When the dry bag came off, it bent my right rear turn signal into the exhaust and melted it off. (Fail). The dry bag also melted through and got torn up (Fail, Fail), which I taped up that night with Gorilla tape.  When I was relashing gear in the hot sun the second time, my kickstand broke off the bike. (Fail, Fail, Fail).  As long as the bike was running, we were still moving on but not having a kickstand for the rest of the trip made for some interesting parking scenarious.  (Considering my Delorme and camera broke the day before, I was beginning to think somebody put a curse on me).

It had rained on the basin and there were some decent size mud pits and puddles here and there.  The red Utah mud is extremely slick, which I soon discovered.  I wiped out after hitting a 20 foot puddle and was down before I even realized it.  Second dump of the trip.  No injuries and nothing broken.  I also tipped over when descending the Lockhart Basin waterfall which is the most technical part of the ride.  I took a crappy line and hit a boulder with my front tire.  No injuries and nothing broken, but we were all getting tired, thirsty, and were ready to get out of Lockhart Basin.

My pics from Day 2

Packing up camp...needed way more straps on my bag. (Kickstand's life was short lived after this photo).20170913_081534.thumb.jpg.1efefab76f158822ae3fc8f20beb62e0.jpg

Checking phones and tracks...

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LB's command pose.

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At a summit and soon to get rained on.  We could hear thunder in the distance. (Right rear turn signal still there but its life was soon to end).  There were all kinds of wild turkeys and deer in this area.

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LB looking for the meaning of life in there somewhere.20170913_143922.thumb.jpg.96d563ca913bdbfcdb8c5a50adac0a41.jpg


 

 

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Excellent. Looks like a great time. Utah is the best!!! CID - Sorry I couldn't help with your radio charger. Got my dates mixed up. Won't be in Utah until next month:confused:

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This is what it's all about.  Definitely jelly!

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Lockhart Basin is awesome and that waterfall section is Whoo Hooo! 

 

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Really fantastic ride.  I'm drooling on my keyboard......

Thanks for sharing the great pics.

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I am going to beat LB to the write up on Day 3 on the BDR, but will keep it brief. 

As we started off the day, we knew we might have some weather issues as we rode north out of Moab. The more and more we motored, things got progressively worse as we rode around dark clouds, lightning strikes, and downpours visible on the horizon.  We stopped for gas and lunch in Green River and we spent a good chunk of our afternoon looking for the elusive Nine Mile petroglyphs that were on CID's bucket list, which unfortunately we never found.  We had a fun time cruising around looking for them though.  By the time we gave up looking for them, we were experiencing a full deluge of rain.  

We continued onward up Arglye Creek Road which has a cool little valley that runs along the bottom of it.  There were lots of homesteads, horses, cattle and deer in this area.  We continued up Arglye until we came to a USFS campground where we stopped for the evening.  CID and LB did not have waterproof pants on and got drenched.  I stayed pretty dry, but my hands were freezing. We were all pretty cold at this point and happy to get off the bikes.  Fortunately, the rain also let up for most of the evening.    

LB got a fire going and we gathered around it to dry out our wet riding gear.  CID ended up melting his credit card which was in his leg pocket and burned a hole in his gloves. After we sacked out, it poured most of the night.  We found out in the morning that LB left his armored riding shorts out in the rain all night.  CID and I about busted a gut watching LB pull on cold, wet riding shorts!  I think his boys shrivled up never to be seen again.  

My pics...

LB checking oil at Crescent Junction, Utah

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Cool rock with petroglyphs.  "E.D. Brinkerhoff 1925" was also etched into the rock.  I am related to the Utah Brinkerhoff's on my Mom's side, so that was kind of cool to see.  The newer graffitti sucked. (Note no kickstand anymore).  

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Same rock on the back.

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CID and LB drying out their pants.  CID made up Backpackers Pantry Creme Brulee for desert that night...Tasty!

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Heat and water sapping technical sections to water coming from the sky. Good stuff.

All I could think when CID melted his credit card was - C-Daddy'd be out of "camping gear" at that point. :lol:

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Valley of the gods

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Top of Mokey DugwayP1100523.jpg

Obligatory boot pictureP1100527.jpg

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Just caught the beginning of fall colorsP1100550.jpg

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Deer everywhereP1100554.jpg

Mike was looking a bit tired at this pointP1100561.jpg

Three amigosP1100562.jpg

Nice place to campP1100589.jpg

LB enjoying morning coffee and the viewP1100605.jpg

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And the Bunny Award goes to Mikey!P1100626.jpg

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    Nice Boots!     Looks like you'se guys stopped at Muley after all,,, On return??

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24 minutes ago, Bagstr said:

 

    Nice Boots!     Looks like you'se guys stopped at Muley after all,,, On return??

We're getting there... :heh:

Nice pics, CID. Especially the LB money shot!

I'm trying to think of things my riding bros left out....hum...

Mike and CID covered most of Day three. It started out good. I enjoyed the ride across the open plains north of Moab with a good mix of riding; from sand washes, high speed gravel roads, and a few spots of tight "single" track sections with some washouts. During a 5th gear section, I saw something coming out me from my peripheral vision. It startled me as I looked over and saw some type of wildebeest with long sharp horns charging me. I hit the binders and started sliding sideways as it jumped across the path just in front of me and kept running. I pinned it and got the heck out of there...I don't dig wildebeests... :heh:

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It was a wet day. A day of side trips for dinosaurs and petroglyphs. And a day to make decisions. We ended up on top of a peak pondering our fate. Off in the distance, major lighting strikes, thunder, and heavy rain was telling us to get the hell out of there.

Thunder storm in the distance:

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We are not stupid, so we got the hell off the peak and headed back down into a valley, where we began looking for a camping spot. Unfortunately, the next 20 miles went through private property, where no camping was allowed. By now it was raining hard, we were soaked, cold, and a little tired (10 hours in the saddle). We pushed forward until we found the campground Mike noted above. We set up camp, got a fire going, and laughed and danced (well, CID danced, sorry no pics...it was raining, remember) while we drank whiskey and ate creme brulee.

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To be continued....

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I just remembered a little tidbit from the previous day. I was riding sweep and as I came around a corner I smelled smoke. I assumed there was some type of fire (duh) nearby. As I continued down the trail I came upon a couple KTM's (Mike and CID's) parked on the side of the trail. Being a former detective, I deduced that something was amiss, and pulled over myself, only to find my heros, Mikey and CID, desperately trying to put out a smoldering fire in a tree. Unwilling to waste my precious water on the fire, I decided to take pictures of the 5150 smoke jumpers in action:

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It was pretty clear the tree had been struck by lightening. These guys did their good deed for the trip.

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Dang! Them is some purty white boots!

And the rest of the photos were great, too. Really enjoyed this RR, guys. 

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18 minutes ago, Dan Diego said:

Dang! Them is some purty white boots!

And the rest of the photos were great, too. Really enjoyed this RR, guys. 

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I went back and forth about taking new boots on a multi day trip but it was the right decision. These 11.5's are way more comfortable than my old 12.5 boots. Much wider toe box, that my little toes really appreciate at the end of a long day.

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This was the 2nd year in a row that rain caused me to not finish the UTBDR. I always like to finish what I start so this is going to bug me for another year. Last year Kug, Tracy, Bagstr and myself made it about 1/2 way to Green River before the rain got us. This year Mikey, Loren and myself made it just short of Soldier Summit before the rain and cold made us turn around. We would have camped for a day if it looked like the rain would pass but the forecast called for a few more days of rain so we headed south. I might just wait until summer next year and start up in the mountains where we left off to finish this ride.

 

The top speed was on the dirt road leading to the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry. It's a pretty cool and out of the way place and a couple of us were glad we stopped there.

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The 500 had a little bit left but not much.

 

CiD

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