Just my usual two day commute returning from working in Browning Montana back to Nederland Colorado. My 2015 R1200GSA loaded with camping gear is perfect for the incredible scenery in between.
I drop down through Jackson Hole near Teton and Yellowstone National Parks,and camp in the bear country around Dubois Wyoming. Next morning a couple Starbucks Vias establish a therapeutic caffiene level and I'm off. Only 27 degrees, so the heated grips and trusty Widder vest arm chaps and gloves are set to full boil - ahh my own hot tub on wheels. Later I’m singing along down from Rawlins Wyoming on 71 - eventually called Sage Creek Road. Lots of deserted gravel miles with an occasional big Ford crawling along to pass. Oh, and a huge group of construction equipment that I work through without issue to get to 70. The plan is to turn left from 70 down 129 - another deserted gravel road through gorgeous aspen groves , and work my way down through Steamboat then Rocky Mountain National Park.
So I take the left too soon. I’m on National Forest 807 heading to Battle Creek Campground. Kind of a nice not too bad fire type road initially. Insidious increases in ups and downs with more serpentineness start to creep into the ride. No worries, got Amy Winehouse playing in the buds, the the GS’s great suspension and tractorlike power are really shining.
Here comes a pretty good uphill. Rocky and rutted. Hmmn, agressive, assertive, tentative? With a load of camping gear on, I’m not exactly a true dirt bike yah...
Continental TKC 70 on the rear with about 70% wear, spins out. I’m in enduro mode, but not full pro, so traction control wimps the motor. Front very worn Anakee bumps a rock, jerks hard right, and over the bike goes to the left. Doh! It’s the first crash on the new GS. I’m 54, with both hips replaced - not as tough as I used to be, so the bike’s way too heavy loaded up to get back up. Ok, time to unload. Off come the side and top cases. Tank bag too. It’s about eighty degrees with shiny sky, the warm Aerostich Roadcrafter’s got to go as well. Up the bike finally comes. Using the front brake and the clutch with first gear so I can keep both feet down, I ease the bike down the hill about 50 yards to some levellness. Ok here goes. Rev, zoom, motocross action and up the hill I go to the top. Really should have turned around here and got the hell out in retrospect. Park, hoof down and up 100 yards each way three times to port everything up to the bike. Whew, water guzzle time!
All loaded up, head out. Big hill in rear view. Miles more of Amy and GS magic. Now the downhill. More rocks and ruts. Stop to pick a good line. Bike’s sitting high in middle of ruts, so out goes the right foot to balance. Well the ground’s too far away low, and I’m leaned way over pointing downhill. Too much lean and too much weight to push back center, so I just have to let it go over. Now the right side of the bike gets the scratch treatment. DOH! A few choice words, and it’s time to unload again. After barely righting the bike, I get it rolled down the hill via rocks ruts etc to a flat spot. Three hikes up and down with the gear, load it up, quaff heavily and off we go again.
A few more miles, now it’s time to cross a creek. Looks to be about 75 feet wide, and maybe a foot deep based with various sports sized rocks. Endure mode traction control keeps kicking in wimping me out in the water. After switching to full promode, I let er rip and get across. The feet are wet, but cool, awesome I’m on my way.
Up the hill out of the creek basin I go. The road’s looking better now like a mellow fire road should. Round the corner, and in the road sits a fallen aspen tree of the large kind. Looks to be 15 inches at the base easy. It completely blocks the road, and it way too high to roll over - what I would give now for my Honda XR650. Park, doff warm clothes, grab survival knife and tiny Leatherman saw, and prepare for hours of works to cut the tree. Very thirsty, so go to open top case with water. Hmmn, no topcase to be found. Guess I didn’t lock it down right, so it’s gone way back on the trail. Head back, cross river etc? Screw that! Hoof down 1/2 mile hill to creek. Quaff very satisfactorily deep draughts - giardia? Whatever at this point. Back up to the bike I hike. On the other side of the aspen tree now sits a Polaris diesel side by side with two ranchers and a cattle dog - no saw though. They’re working to pull the tree with the winch to no avail. Howdy fellers! After giving up on cutting and pulling the huge tree, they are able to drive around the top of the tree going down the hill, and up the other side where I’m parked. I pet the dog the whole time. The three of us manage to lift the bike over the tree, and whew I’m above it. Cool, get dressed and off I go again. Thanks a bunch guys!
Back to the plan, I’m on 129. Nice wide smooth gravel for about 50miles leads me eventually into Steamboat. Too late in the day, and I’m too far gone, so Holiday Inn it is.
Back on the asphalt the next day, not only is my nice new shiny GS not so anymore, the handlebars are cocked to the right about 5 degrees - uhh musta bent sumthin… Rides good, no shakes. It does turn differently left than right through the sneaky snake corners of Rocky Mountain National Park though.
Home I make it. Hauling the GS down to Foothills Motorcycles in Lakewood in the back of my Frontier is a bit humiliating, but it could be much worse. After a front end realignment, a bunch of new parts, and about 6 grand from insurance, the GS ends up good as new. New topcase is on with some deep sharp Metzler Karoos ready for next time. Parked in the warm shop till spring - I can’t wait to do it again.
I drop down through Jackson Hole near Teton and Yellowstone National Parks,and camp in the bear country around Dubois Wyoming. Next morning a couple Starbucks Vias establish a therapeutic caffiene level and I'm off. Only 27 degrees, so the heated grips and trusty Widder vest arm chaps and gloves are set to full boil - ahh my own hot tub on wheels. Later I’m singing along down from Rawlins Wyoming on 71 - eventually called Sage Creek Road. Lots of deserted gravel miles with an occasional big Ford crawling along to pass. Oh, and a huge group of construction equipment that I work through without issue to get to 70. The plan is to turn left from 70 down 129 - another deserted gravel road through gorgeous aspen groves , and work my way down through Steamboat then Rocky Mountain National Park.
So I take the left too soon. I’m on National Forest 807 heading to Battle Creek Campground. Kind of a nice not too bad fire type road initially. Insidious increases in ups and downs with more serpentineness start to creep into the ride. No worries, got Amy Winehouse playing in the buds, the the GS’s great suspension and tractorlike power are really shining.
Here comes a pretty good uphill. Rocky and rutted. Hmmn, agressive, assertive, tentative? With a load of camping gear on, I’m not exactly a true dirt bike yah...
Continental TKC 70 on the rear with about 70% wear, spins out. I’m in enduro mode, but not full pro, so traction control wimps the motor. Front very worn Anakee bumps a rock, jerks hard right, and over the bike goes to the left. Doh! It’s the first crash on the new GS. I’m 54, with both hips replaced - not as tough as I used to be, so the bike’s way too heavy loaded up to get back up. Ok, time to unload. Off come the side and top cases. Tank bag too. It’s about eighty degrees with shiny sky, the warm Aerostich Roadcrafter’s got to go as well. Up the bike finally comes. Using the front brake and the clutch with first gear so I can keep both feet down, I ease the bike down the hill about 50 yards to some levellness. Ok here goes. Rev, zoom, motocross action and up the hill I go to the top. Really should have turned around here and got the hell out in retrospect. Park, hoof down and up 100 yards each way three times to port everything up to the bike. Whew, water guzzle time!
All loaded up, head out. Big hill in rear view. Miles more of Amy and GS magic. Now the downhill. More rocks and ruts. Stop to pick a good line. Bike’s sitting high in middle of ruts, so out goes the right foot to balance. Well the ground’s too far away low, and I’m leaned way over pointing downhill. Too much lean and too much weight to push back center, so I just have to let it go over. Now the right side of the bike gets the scratch treatment. DOH! A few choice words, and it’s time to unload again. After barely righting the bike, I get it rolled down the hill via rocks ruts etc to a flat spot. Three hikes up and down with the gear, load it up, quaff heavily and off we go again.
A few more miles, now it’s time to cross a creek. Looks to be about 75 feet wide, and maybe a foot deep based with various sports sized rocks. Endure mode traction control keeps kicking in wimping me out in the water. After switching to full promode, I let er rip and get across. The feet are wet, but cool, awesome I’m on my way.
Up the hill out of the creek basin I go. The road’s looking better now like a mellow fire road should. Round the corner, and in the road sits a fallen aspen tree of the large kind. Looks to be 15 inches at the base easy. It completely blocks the road, and it way too high to roll over - what I would give now for my Honda XR650. Park, doff warm clothes, grab survival knife and tiny Leatherman saw, and prepare for hours of works to cut the tree. Very thirsty, so go to open top case with water. Hmmn, no topcase to be found. Guess I didn’t lock it down right, so it’s gone way back on the trail. Head back, cross river etc? Screw that! Hoof down 1/2 mile hill to creek. Quaff very satisfactorily deep draughts - giardia? Whatever at this point. Back up to the bike I hike. On the other side of the aspen tree now sits a Polaris diesel side by side with two ranchers and a cattle dog - no saw though. They’re working to pull the tree with the winch to no avail. Howdy fellers! After giving up on cutting and pulling the huge tree, they are able to drive around the top of the tree going down the hill, and up the other side where I’m parked. I pet the dog the whole time. The three of us manage to lift the bike over the tree, and whew I’m above it. Cool, get dressed and off I go again. Thanks a bunch guys!
Back to the plan, I’m on 129. Nice wide smooth gravel for about 50miles leads me eventually into Steamboat. Too late in the day, and I’m too far gone, so Holiday Inn it is.
Back on the asphalt the next day, not only is my nice new shiny GS not so anymore, the handlebars are cocked to the right about 5 degrees - uhh musta bent sumthin… Rides good, no shakes. It does turn differently left than right through the sneaky snake corners of Rocky Mountain National Park though.
Home I make it. Hauling the GS down to Foothills Motorcycles in Lakewood in the back of my Frontier is a bit humiliating, but it could be much worse. After a front end realignment, a bunch of new parts, and about 6 grand from insurance, the GS ends up good as new. New topcase is on with some deep sharp Metzler Karoos ready for next time. Parked in the warm shop till spring - I can’t wait to do it again.
