WEST FEST 2009 - Buena Vista, CO.

[Crawdaddy 96]

It's settled. The next ADVRider "West fest" will be held in Buena Vista, CO. I rode through Buena Vista on my way back to San Diego from Denver last month.....I've been thinking about my return to CO. ever since I got back from CO.

ADVRider link with details about the event/photos of the area: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=389392

Plenty of time to stash some $$/vacation days......and prep your significant other for the "it's all about me" vacation you'll be taking with your internet riding buddies next summer.

Periodically compiled/maintained "in" list

Crawdaddy - waffling, it's a time/expense thing NOT a desire thing

HumptyThumty

Zenosan

KLRoger

Ensey (Coming across from Oklahoma - See you on the Alpine Loop )

Strega

Jaynen - waffling, it's a time/expense thing NOT a desire thing

Tlking6

[Crawdaddy 96]

Plenty of time to stash some $$/vacation days......and prep your significant other for the "it's all about me" vacation you'll be taking with your internet riding buddies next summer. [/size]

Any other questions?

[humptythumty 0]

Chris,

West Fest looks like an awesome event. Are you planning on riding the 620 out there or trucking your smaller bike? If your riding out would you take some detours on the way out or back or make it a straight shot?

July is a long way off but for now I’m planning on going. I’ll be riding from my home and doing the tent thing.

My rear tire is wider then that trail in your picture.

Wayne

[Crawdaddy 96]

Chris,

West Fest looks like an awesome event. Are you planning on riding the 620 out there or trucking your smaller bike? If your riding out would you take some detours on the way out or back or make it a straight shot?

July is a long way off but for now I’m planning on going. I’ll be riding from my home and doing the tent thing.

My rear tire is wider then that trail in your picture.

Wayne

I'm planning on riding over......Westfest is Thursday-Sunday..........haven't given the route much thought.....plenty of time to figure it out.......I'd probably leave the weekend prior to give myself plenty of time to get to Beuna Vista.......I'd like to ride through some areas I haven't seen/ridden through before on the way over........kind of serpentine my way over (the Adventurer's route is NOT a straight line/freeway shot ).....that being said, there's nothing but heat between here and Flagstaff that time of year......might leave at O' Dark Thirty AM while it's still cool and bee-line towards Sedona, AZ. on pavement (primarily) the first day.......maybe take a Northern route after Sedona/Flagstaff and head up towards the Grand Canyon/Lake Powell/Glen Canyon National Park....then ride the Burr Trail (see below) out of Glen Canyon up along the Capital Reef National Park before turning due east through Canyonlands National Park.......after that I'd probably re-ride a portion of the Alpine Loop in and around Lake City before cutting over to the campground in Buena Vista sometime Thursday......

Combo of light camping (rolling out a bag if the weather is right) and/or hoteling depending on conditions/mood and whether I'm traveling solo or with others to share room costs and make a steady diet of cheapo motels affordable.......I'd definitely prefer hotels/showers/coffee each evening/morning.....perhaps also stay with friends and/or other ADV riders along the way in various places to save a few $$ (Tent Space thread on ADVRider)

[Zenosan 2]

Chris

I spend a good part of the year at my house in Page Az. Page to Burr Trail is where I do most of my riding. I can show you some great wilderness roads in Grand Staircase Escalante and the north end of Lake Powell. I have some maps of the area that might help.

Don

[Crawdaddy 96]

Chris

I spend a good part of the year at my house in Page Az. Page to Burr Trail is where I do most of my riding. I can show you some great wilderness roads in Grand Staircase Escalante and the north end of Lake Powell. I have some maps of the area that might help.

Don

I may act dumb sometimes but I'm not stupid ......do you think it's a coincidence that I put in a comment about possibly routing through Lake Powell/Burr Trail??? ......nope , I remembered that you had mentioned owning a house in Page when we rode together a few weeks ago .....glad you took the bait .......I'll definitely be tapping into your local knowledge of the area when I set up my loose game plan for another AWESOME ADVENTURE RIDE in ~10 months.....

[RogerTOWM 0]

Chris,

Will you PLEASE quit posting these pictures? You are getting me in trouble! I will not be employed 10 months from now. My wife sees me mesmerized by these pictures and then she starts hitting me, shouting “No, you will not have any money!”

That being said I’ll try to be there for this one.

[Crawdaddy 96]

Will you PLEASE quit posting these pictures?

Here's the short answer: NO!

Did I mention all single track just outside of Buena Vista in Taylor Park? :

[bikeslut 1]

chris; there is "challenging" and there is "ornery" NOW you are being the latter...

beautiful areas around there... regarding your O dark thirty plan... good plan but keep an eye out for critters! I applaud you for riding to the event!!

Sally

[ADV Bum 205]

If riding from here, how long in total will the trip end up being? If riding from here, what type of tires will you guys be using considering the amount and type of offroading you want to do?

[bikeslut 1]

.I don't know but its a lot

[Crawdaddy 96]

If riding from here, how long in total will the trip end up being? If riding from here, what type of tires will you guys be using considering the amount and type of offroading you want to do?

Too early to tell .....no plan yet .......early guesstimate is about 10 days minimum/2 weeks maximum (depending on route over/back).......maybe ~2.5K total miles?

Tires: I'll probably stick with MT21 front/D606 rear on my 620.........I have ~2.4K miles on a MT21 front and ~2K miles on D606 rear at the moment (just snapped the pics in my garage).......surprisingly, both tires still have some life left in'em......there's about a quarter inch of knob remaining in the centers of each tire (measured using a quarter in the pics below for perspective.....in both cases, the current tread depth measures from the bottom of a quarter to the branch the American Eagle is standing on).....plenty of knob on the edges since the bulk of the miles on this set of tires have been paved.......I just rock'em up to ~25+ PSI on the pavement (road/dirt ratio on current set is about 75/25)......both tires perform fine in the dirt.....I'll be throwing another ~250 "dirty" miles on'em in Bishop two weeks from now at the Bishop 3 day....figure I'll throw on a new set before LA-B-V in November......by that time I'll probably be over 3K miles on the rear and close to 3.5K on the front.....no complaints about that sorta mileage/longevity.....

MT21 Front:

D606 rear:

[humptythumty 0]

If riding from here, how long in total will the trip end up being? If riding from here, what type of tires will you guys be using considering the amount and type of offroading you want to do?

I haven’t rode with knobbies on my big bike yet so I don’t know what kind of mileage to expect or if I will like riding long stretches of pavement with them. Fortunately I have a lot of time between now and July to figure out what the hot set up would be.

That being said I would like to start and finish on the same set of tires and I’m thinking the knobs would be the best choice.

It would be good to hear the opinions of other big bike riders especially one’s who have done this type ride on what they feel would be the best tire choice.

[Crawdaddy 96]

I don’t know if I will like riding long stretches of pavement with them.

You probably won't be too crazy about the ride on pavement with knobs, but the pay-off should be realized once off-road.....

I'd be interested to hear what tires Randy used on his 950 for TAT?

[Ensey 0]

I'm thinking......................maybe a reunion pic at Animas Forks and then on to West Fest..................

[Crawdaddy 96]

I'm thinking......................maybe a reunion pic at Animas Forks and then on to West Fest..................

I like the way you're thinking

[Kevin 0]

I'm thinking......................maybe a reunion pic at Animas Forks and then on to West Fest..................

I like the way you're thinking

It sure would be nice if our trial system(s) here is So Cal had street/dirt signs!

[KTMrad 512]

I don’t know if I will like riding long stretches of pavement with them.

You probably won't be too crazy about the ride on pavement with knobs, but the pay-off should be realized once off-road.....

I'd be interested to hear what tires Randy used on his 950 for TAT?

The only good tire for dirt and street on the big bike is the Continental TKC80.

On the way to the start of the TAT in Colorado, I put on a used Skorpion rear tire I had in the garage (MT90)....great 80/20 tire, works decent in the dirt. (I've ridden thru Fish Creek and the Dropoff on the Skorpion, and all over the desert with one.)

In Pueblo Colorado, had a new TKC80 waiting for me and swapped tires day before the start of the TAT.

On the TAT, I had another tire waiting in Ely, Nevada which was half way throught the TAT. Then I wore out that TKC by the end of the TAT in Oregon, picked up another Skorpion rear in Medford, Oregon for the ride home.

On these types of trips, it's important to plan on being able to get a new tire at a shopr, or have tires shipped in advance, then plan on having them swapped somewhere or changing them yourself. It's a bitch on the 950 changing the rear tire, so I have the shops do it.

[Crawdaddy 96]

On these types of trips, it's important to plan on being able to get a new tire at a shopr, or have tires shipped in advance, then plan on having them swapped somewhere or changing them yourself. It's a bitch on the 950 changing the rear tire, so I have the shops do it.

Agreed - I arranged for a rear 606 to be waiting for me in Durango when I rode the 620 back from Denver.......in hindsight I probably didn't need it as the 606 on the rear now is wearing much better/longer than I thought it would......but at the time I wasn't sure what the wear/life would be so I prearranged it.....better safe than sorry......

The Westfest trip will probably be about ~2500 miles.....I think I'll be fine for the duration if I start off with a new set here in San Diego before I (we?) leave......but I'm sure the bigger/heavier bikes burn through rubber faster than my Adventure Jr. 620.....

[Zenosan 2]

On these types of trips, it's important to plan on being able to get a new tire at a shopr, or have tires shipped in advance, then plan on having them swapped somewhere or changing them yourself. It's a bitch on the 950 changing the rear tire, so I have the shops do it.

Agreed - I arranged for a rear 606 to be waiting for me in Durango when I rode the 620 back from Denver.......in hindsight I probably didn't need it as the 606 on the rear now is wearing much better/longer than I thought it would......but at the time I wasn't sure what the wear/life would be so I prearranged it.....better safe than sorry......

The Westfest trip will probably be about ~2500 miles.....I think I'll be fine for the duration if I start off with a new set here in San Diego before I (we?) leave......but I'm sure the bigger/heavier bikes burn through rubber faster than my Adventure Jr. 620.....

Hi Chris

Are you still planning a loop through Page and Grand Staricase? I spend most of my symmers in Page and I would need to know your dates for this leg. My wife usually schedules guests (friends relatives etc.) to entertain for the whole summer and has a detailed callender of guests. Let me know if you can pin this down for dates and number of participants. There are plenty of low budget motels in Page and I own some land next to Grand Staircase in Big Water, Utah (about 15 miles from Page) where the camping component of the group could camp.

Also, my next door neighbor in Page owns the Honda dealership in Page. I ride with him often. He does regular group rides. We might we coordinate yours with one of his group rides. They like 4wheel drive utility vehicles for their wilderness rides but bikes are ok too.

Keep me posted if you think this leg of the trip works out for you and the group.

Don

[Crawdaddy 96]

Hi Chris

Are you still planning a loop through Page and Grand Staricase? I spend most of my symmers in Page and I would need to know your dates for this leg. My wife usually schedules guests (friends relatives etc.) to entertain for the whole summer and has a detailed callender of guests. Let me know if you can pin this down for dates and number of participants. There are plenty of low budget motels in Page and I own some land next to Grand Staircase in Big Water, Utah (about 15 miles from Page) where the camping component of the group could camp.

Also, my next door neighbor in Page owns the Honda dealership in Page. I ride with him often. He does regular group rides. We might we coordinate yours with one of his group rides. They like 4wheel drive utility vehicles for their wilderness rides but bikes are ok too.

Keep me posted if you think this leg of the trip works out for you and the group.

Don

Too early to tell which knuckleheads will join me......so far it's me and Wayne (HumptyThumty).......I figure DigDug and Roger might be talked into joining us (Alaska Trip Training Run......unless they actually go to Alaska).....perhaps a few others as well....

Haven't given much thought to the route over yet........day one will probably be Sat July 25 and it'll be a paved blitz through the heat over to Jerome or Prescott/Sedona......West Fest is Thursday July 30th - Sunday August 2nd......so that probably puts us in your neighborhood on Sunday the 26th.....Burr Trail on Monday the 27th so we can make our way over to Silverton or (?) on Tuesday the 28th and ride the Alpine Loop on Wed the 29th to Lake City or (?) before rolling into Buena Vista on Thursday the 30th......I need to look at a map and fine tune things....we could also stop by your place on the way back.....

[Crawdaddy 96]

I broke out the clout (credit card) and called the campground........good thing I did because there was only one cabin left for the weekend of the West Fest event.........so I went ahead and reserved the last "rustic" cabin available for Thursday night the 30th through Sat night the 1st........sounds like it's basically just a SMALL wooden box with double bed (MINE) and a bunk bed......looks like Humptythumty will be getting the bottom bunk since he's the only other "commited" player so far.....

Link to campground: http://www.arrowheadpointresort.com/rustic-cabin.html

The West Fest entry fee is $60 but you get to deduct $10/day if you're in a cabin......so the entry fee for me and Wayne will be $30.......we *might* be able to fit one more in the cabin (might be pretty snug with 3......we'll have to evaluate when we get there......if it's raining we WILL squeeze three in there regardless)......so speak up if you like it on top (and I don't mean that in a sexual way .....I'm referring to the top bunk!).....in a worst case scenario you should still be eligable to get $30 off the entry fee because you'll be associated with a cabin rental (whether you're actually staying in the cabin or not.....I think )

Another teaser pic of the local trails:

[Strega 0]

Damn that's a pretty pic.

[Crawdaddy 96]

Hi Chris

Are you still planning a loop through Page and Grand Staricase? I spend most of my symmers in Page and I would need to know your dates for this leg. My wife usually schedules guests (friends relatives etc.) to entertain for the whole summer and has a detailed callender of guests. Let me know if you can pin this down for dates and number of participants. There are plenty of low budget motels in Page and I own some land next to Grand Staircase in Big Water, Utah (about 15 miles from Page) where the camping component of the group could camp.

Also, my next door neighbor in Page owns the Honda dealership in Page. I ride with him often. He does regular group rides. We might we coordinate yours with one of his group rides. They like 4wheel drive utility vehicles for their wilderness rides but bikes are ok too.

Keep me posted if you think this leg of the trip works out for you and the group.

Don

First cut at a VERY PRELIMINARY/LOOSE plan:

Saturday - 7/25 Ramona to Prescott

Sunday - 7/26 Prescott to Page

Monday - 7/27 Page to Green River

Tuesday - 7/28 Green River to Moab

Wednesday - 7/29 Moab to Ouray

Thursday - 7/30 Ouray to Buena Vista

Friday/Sat - 7/31 & 8/1 West Fest!

Sunday - 8/2 Buena Vista to Delores

Monday - 8/3 Delores to Glen Canyon

Tuesday - 8/4 Burr Trail to Page

Wednesday - 8/5 Page to Jerome

Thursday - 8/6 Jerome to Ramona

[Zenosan 2]

Hi Chris

Are you still planning a loop through Page and Grand Staricase? I spend most of my symmers in Page and I would need to know your dates for this leg. My wife usually schedules guests (friends relatives etc.) to entertain for the whole summer and has a detailed callender of guests. Let me know if you can pin this down for dates and number of participants. There are plenty of low budget motels in Page and I own some land next to Grand Staircase in Big Water, Utah (about 15 miles from Page) where the camping component of the group could camp.

Also, my next door neighbor in Page owns the Honda dealership in Page. I ride with him often. He does regular group rides. We might we coordinate yours with one of his group rides. They like 4wheel drive utility vehicles for their wilderness rides but bikes are ok too.

Keep me posted if you think this leg of the trip works out for you and the group.

Don

First cut at a VERY PRELIMINARY/LOOSE plan:

Saturday - 7/25 Ramona to Prescott

Sunday - 7/26 Prescott to Page

Monday - 7/27 Page to Green River

Tuesday - 7/28 Green River to Moab

Wednesday - 7/29 Moab to Ouray

Thursday - 7/30 Ouray to Buena Vista

Friday/Sat - 7/31 & 8/1 West Fest!

Sunday - 8/2 Buena Vista to Delores

Monday - 8/3 Delores to Glen Canyon

Tuesday - 8/4 Burr Trail to Page

Wednesday - 8/5 Page to Jerome

Thursday - 8/6 Jerome to Ramona

Hi Chris

This looks doable. Depending on how many you get to sign up and how my wife's plans end up I may be able to accomadate a couple of people sleeping on the floor. I may ride with you the Page through Burr Trail leg, take the ferry from Bull Frog across the lake and go back to Page the southern route. If someone wants to do a short version of your trip they could join me. This is all tentative of course.

Don