OSO LOCO!! KTM 990s attack Colorado, Utah, and the best of the TAT

Wheeew-got myself in after 21 pages.
Brilliant as usual Kelly!
Absolutely love the ride logo.
So did you guys visit the hot spring to the right of this house? I imagine a cold spring would have been more welcome.



Went there in April-snow and hot spring, GOOD. Not so much in summer.

Out at the Black Rock Desert last weekend hauling ass 2up across the hidden mini playa, and I say "Damn, this must be how Kelly feels on the back of that KTM". Hell yah!
Like Hobbes said:

How are you supposed to knit with those cramped report writing fingers of yours?

Of course!

Hi guys, Glad you enjoyed that engineer video
It was fun, huh?

Ohhh. Red dog. That makes more sense.
(I haven't seen that movie. Dog movies make me cry, I can't watch them )

Hi John!
I think we were there around 11 or so. Too bad we missed you.
Nope, didn't even know there was a book in there!

Hi Aimee!
Is that the Potts hot spring? I think Scott was talking about it.
No, as you guessed, it was way too hot in August.
Also, with 450 miles to cover, there wasn't really time to soak.
I'll bet it's super nice in the snowy season, though!


Aw, you're pretty bad ass on your husky - it's probably not as fun for you to be 2up, anyway.


Haha, you remember my bitching about the hand cramp,
yeah, I'm trying to pace myself.


Thanks for reading - I'm glad you found us!





Engineer, coming up...

Day 8: 8/8/13
goofing off around Silverton, CO.
Black Bear, Imogene, Engineer passes. 69.5 miles, continued






I think I missed this one yesterday...






We had been hoping to see Mav and Notar again,
but reading her report, I see that they were wet and freezing their butts off,
so they didn’t stop at the top.
Totally understandable.
At least I had been able to give them stickers before we parted ways.
It was great meeting you guys!









Heading down.







Lovin’ it! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!






Woooooo hoooooo! Playtime for Lica.
























I think Bartek was pretty happy too.

























We were heading down to Ouray.





The rain had gotten heavier.












We were looking for a drugstore or pharmacy - Matt needed mineral oil for the clutch.
Hey!
we know those bikes...







They were parked outside the Ouray Brewery.
We heard Scott yelling at us from the rooftop balcony.







The guys were up on the roof, enjoying some lunch.






Actually, Scott looks like he was maybe somewhere else...







They had done some riding after all:











It’s difficult to tell from my photos, but it was raining pretty hard in Ouray.






Really hard. Thunder, lightning, wind - the works.







We were getting cold and wet on the patio, so the whole group moved indoors.
Osito!







Here’s a nice wet menu...






I got the vegan garden burger.



It tasted better than it looks
(man, is that a theme with my food or what?)





So it was my birthday. The big 4-5.
Now I'm quickly sliding down the other side of the hill.
The guys didn’t know, except for Bartek.
When he was talking about not going on this ride, I broke it out..
“But, we have to celebrate our birthdays in Colorado!”
(his birthday is august 12)







Dear, sweet, Bartek managed to sneak off and find some treats in town.
he got the waitress to bring them over (with the candles lit)
and all the Osos sang “happy birthday”
It was adorable. Thanks, you guys!




Peanut butter cake bar on the left, chocolate brownie on the right.







He also got some delicious truffles (I wish I had taken a photo before I cut them )






All the treats were cut into pieces and passed around.
Oh my, they were good.
Thank you, Bartek!!
That was a wonderful surprise.






While we had cell reception, Lica was ordering some parts.
He ordered a clutch slave cylinder for himself,
an oil filter for Scott, and a clutch master rebuild kit for Matt.
Everything was being overnighted to Moab, our next destination.




In the meantime, Scott was still filterless and Matt and Lica were nursing their clutches along.
Matt had found mineral oil at a pharmacy, so that should help.





While we were in Ouray, I had another pleasant surprise -
Mav walked up (it took me a moment to recognize her without her gear) and asked if we had a place to stay.
I assured her that we did, thank you!
She said they were in Ouray, if we needed anything.
Thanks, Mav - that was so nice of you! No pic of Mav, as she really did surprise me.







Two weeks later (after we were home), we discovered that Mav had also sent Matt a PM after we saw them on Imogene.

Thank you, Mav - that was awfully kind of you!
ADV inmates are the best!
(also, Matt sucks at checking his PMs )







I didn’t have a photo of Doug here at lunch (sorry, Doug),
but he had joined us as an honorary Oso.
Radek was going to ride Black Bear on his way back to Silverton.
It was great for Doug, as he had never been on Black Bear, and his truck was waiting on the switchbacks.
Now they could go together.


I think Scott was going to head back to Silverton, but doing his own thing,


and the rest of us were going on to Engineer Pass.








Crap photo of the entrance to Engineer (it was still raining steadily).







Lica was ready.







Osito was ready!








And, a very wet Bartek was ready!







It was so rainy (and fun), I didn’t take too many photos.
Here are a few screen shots.






















Matt and I got a big surprise when we were watching the video...
Look at the drop off! I couldn’t believe how steep these cliffs were.






And we were so close to the edge!
Can you see the water down there?






This one! Gah!
Again, the river is waaaaaaay down there...







Haha. Monkey fighter! :eek1
Matt says he was only focused on the trail in front of him.
I can’t say that I noticed the cliffs, either.
Wow.


Here’s the video.
We couldn’t do Radek’s patented “close follow” filming, sorry.
Not only is it hard to be nimble and fast enough when we’re 2up.
But both bikes had little-to-no clutch and we never knew when someone might eat it.

Don’t forget to notice the cliff drop offs in the 2nd half...






What a great ride. It was so much fun!
Yaaaaaaaaaaah!






But, so much rain! It was really coming down.






Here comes Bartek...












There was more video, but I’m too tired to do screen shots.






Originally, we had planned to take Engineer all the way to Lake City.
But, it was cold and rainy and the road gets pretty boring.






We waited to see what the guys wanted to do...











They were good.
Matt and Lica needed to work on their clutches anyway.
OK, back to the motel.






Hmm. It didn't seem like it had been raining as hard in Silverton.







Matt went to work on the clutch...



He spun the piston inside the master cylinder so it would have different wear surfaces,
And then he refilled the reservoir with mineral oil.




Lica went out and searched for O rings for his clutch slave.
He found a couple different sizes and hoped they were close.
They bleed Lica’s clutch again and replaced the ATF with mineral oil.



Hopefully these fixes would work until the parts arrived in Moab.




Meanwhile, I went to do laundry down at the RV park. (Hi Sourjon!)





It was pretty boring. I wish I had brought some crochet.
(I thought you'd be tired of penis covers by now )
Instead I defaced a magazine (they had a whole stack).






So, after doing Black Bear Pass with Doug,
Radek had decided to go on ahead to Moab.
Not only was he sick of the rain,
but he still wasn’t feeling well and wanted to get to a lower elevation as soon as possible.
We would meet him in Moab the next day.






We walked up the street to have dinner.







Oh no, there’s been an accident!



Oso Dangerous.




After 2 trips up and down the block, we ended up eating here.






Osito got the Carnitas plate.






I think Scott did, too.






Lica and Bartek got Fajitas.





Bartek was happy!






Everyone was happy.
Except Matt. He chose poorly.







I had a veggie burrito.
wow, that’s a bad photo. But you know what I’m gonna say...it tasted better than it looks.






Goggles made a new friend on the way home.






Day 8 is in the books!
a super short one, too (well, low miles - lots of photos)
Done by 2:30pm. Slackers.





Nothing new to add to the casualty list. Whew.
Our clutch was out, but I counted that for Day 7.




So, it was almost time to say goodbye to colorado - hello Utah!

This is a really great RR, thanks for taking the time to do this especially considering the sh*tty weather you're getting.

I hope you don't mind but I've linked your RR to a site that we use over here on the other side of the pond.

We like to ride our 950/990's on trails but on a much smaller scale as we don't have the vast lands to ride like you do.

Good luck with the rest of your ride

Bob.

http://www.ktmforum.co.uk/adventure/299577-great-thread-adv.html#post1389017

Hi Bob,
Of course I don't mind, it's wonderful.
I'm flattered that you like the report enough to share it, thank you!

Speaking of vast...
The stuff the guys rode in Moab will blow your mind.
Hope you keep reading!

...Good thing winter is coming, it'll give me a chance to watch them while sitting in front of the toasty woodstove with a hot toddy watching the rain/snow come down.
Having had 3 German Sheperds in the past, I tend to get a little misty at times myself watching a good dog flick, can't help it, I'm just a big 'ol teddy bear at heart.

One thing about all of the rain you had, there was no dust.
You all seemed to click really well riding together. Ride on.

Thanks guys! - you brightened up my afternoon. Great pics / video. Really enjoyed reading.

Already planning winter, eh?
Thanks, redog, I know you're hanging in there.

Hi Dave,
Thanks for reading! There's more to come, I'm just super busy right now...

Day 9 was a long day, and I’m getting swamped...
I’m just going to chip away at this when I can.
Matt and I spent yesterday going through video from Moab...
The Osos got some good stuff.






Day 9: 8/9/13
Silverton, CO to Moab, UT 208 miles







This morning, Scott noticed that his front tire was flat.
We caught him changing the tube...





He refuses to call it a flat, so we’ll call it a “deflation.”

Flat Deflation count:

Wans - 1
Scott - 1


Not bad, considering the stuff our group has been riding!







Breakfast.







Our Rally rear.








We headed off to the gas station to fuel up.
Lica wasn’t quite ready but he would meet us there.

The group waited and waited...
Something wasn’t right.
Scott went back to check on him...







Lica’s clutch was out again!
Scott found him, pushing his bike down the street.







It turns out that yesterday’s O-ring hadn’t quite fit
and his clutch slave cylinder was still leaking.
Luckily, they found another one that fit better.
In you go!









So, Bartek’s windscreen was broken during his mud crash (back on Day 4)







While everyone was in bike-repair mode, he decided to fix his windscreen.



Good job, Smartek!
All better.






More tire pics...
Lica







Osito







Scott







El Bartek








Now that we were leaving Colorado, Bartek was done with his rain pants.
And I mean, done.
He cut them off with a knife.










OK, we were off to Ophir Pass...








For our last day in Colorado, it was clear and sunny.








Blue skies






















At least we had one Colorado pass without rain!








There’s Scott, up ahead...







Uh oh. He doesn’t look happy...








He was not. His steering was screwed up.







Really screwed up.







He sheared one of the bolts that attaches his handlebars to the triple clamps.






Here’s the microfiche for the engineers - he broke a #27.







The bolts normally go in from the bottom up.
With the left bolt broken, it was now too short -
there was nothing to keep that side of the block from moving around.


The guys turned the sheared bolt around and put it in from the top down.
then put some pebbles** and other material in the hole to keep the broken bolt from popping up.
Then it was all strapped back together.







It’s hard to explain without better pics,
but the gist of it is - they cobbled it together enough for Scott to ride out.




**With the pebbles in there, he really had some Rox risers.
Get it?







It didn’t makes sense to go back to Silverton, the hardware store didn’t have much.
Instead, Scott would do Ophir, then get on the highway to Monticello, UT.
We would meet him there.







The guys were loving the sun. They took some nice photos on Ophir.






Lica’s pics











Bartek’s

















I didn’t see any of Ophir in Osito’s photos,
but I did see this giant photo of the Imogene sign.
I’m a day late and a dollar short...








At least I did take a photo of the Ophir sign...
Not a great one (riding past).






I noticed a bit of orange in the corner...
It was a kid! not what I was expecting.






Lica had a better sign pic.



Thanks, Lica.





Osito!








Looking back (that’s Scott).







OK, Scott - see you in Monticello!
Don’t break anything else on the way...













Matt thought it would be neat to get up to those switchbacks...






See them?







Making our way down the pass.
(looks like there was another road coming down here)













I only took 1 photo of the road.
blurry with a jeep. Oh well.







We tried hard to find a road that would take us up to those switchbacks...






Found some pretty views...





But, no luck.



We tried a few.
They were all either washed out...











Or locked....





Oh well.
It would have been neat, but we didn't really have time to screw around too much...












We made our way through the tiny town of Ophir.
























And out towards some national forest roads...







We were on the TransAmerica Trail now,
and would be making our way towards Monticello, UT


Later today - some “fun, fun, fun”
(a TAT roll chart reference)


to be continued...

Epic,Epic, Epic !! Bravo Men & Woman daring to ride where most of us only dream of going. Thanks for taking this old guy along

Hi AZ TOM!
oh, thank you for joining us! I'm glad you're enjoying the read


The other night, Bartek called.
He said seeing all the photos and watching video is so much like being there,

Next time he'll just stay home and read the report!
Less exhausting, less expensive....and you can't get hurt.

We were about two weeks behind you guys hitting many of the same passes. We did 7 days and were SO lucky that we only had rain on day 1 on Gold Camp/Phantom Canyon, and a brief rain/hail episode on top of the flat tops wilderness. I'm not sure which is more epic, Kelly, your rides or your ride reports. Both are in an elite class, for sure.

Thanks so much for putting the hard work into the RR. It is appreciated, despite causing me nightmares after watching the Schofield pass video....

One of you guys (Scott?) was wearing the same Klim pants (Chinook?) I used on the WABDR this summer. The pants are great for warm weather, but they are def NOT waterproof. How did that work out in rainy CO?

I'm looking to do CO next summer, and figure I need to upgrade to Gore Tex.....or not???

thanks,
roespan

hey WoodsTripper,
Wow, you guys had much better weather - nice!

You never know what you’re going to get...
Scott went to Colorado 2x last year (june and late august?) and barely had rain.
Which tricked him into thinking it doesn’t rain in CO.

Aw, thank you for the kind words :)
and for the Oso sticker pic.

Hi roespan,
I’m glad you enjoyed the Schofield video, haha.
You can make your <strike>nightmares</strike> dreams come true next summer!


Hopefully Scott will get back to you about the pants...
I don’t know what to tell you about the gear -

in 2010 matt and I had mesh pants and we were fine in riding in Colorado.
We had our waterproof liners but never used them (mailed them home).
It rained, but not bad. I think we had a little rain in 2009, also.
Late July/early August both times.


As I mentioned above, Scott went to CO 2x last year and barely had a sprinkle.

Then there was our Oso trip - rain every day, sometimes dumping all day.
And you saw all the recent news about flooding in CO, of course...




Next year, I guess keep an eye on the weather before you leave.
I checked the forecasts before we left and knew that we had a good chance of getting wet.





more report, coming up...

Day 9: 8/9/13
Silverton, CO to Moab, UT 208 miles, continued.







We were making our way towards the Dunton/Fish Creek area.






It would be our last woodsy riding for a little while.

























Bartek was pretty happy to ride on something besides mud and wet rocks...






So was Lica.













Oso Happy.






Happy Osito.







I think Bartek was actually using his GPS here! Yay, Smartek!



















Look at that sunshine!







Smiles, everyone - smiles.







Gracias, Bartek!
There were a couple gates on this road.







Oh yeah. And, mud.







Looking back at the guys.







Guess we’re still in Colorado.







Well, it could be worse.
Right here, Bartek got a phone call from Radek...
oh, we had been seeing his 908 rally raid tracks, and had been thinking about him.
Radek rode this section yesterday - the mud was probably worse...




"How’s Moab?"
"What?!" :eek1


It turned out that Radek was racking up all kinds of letters
in the A-D-V-E-N-T-U-R-E - F-*-*-K-I-N-G -T-O-U-R-I-N-G game...





Hopefully, Radek will chime in with his telling of the tale...
(if not, I have all the photos - heh.)






Another gate.
Hey, TATers?








Matt asked if they were on the TAT. Yep.







Aw, man. This trail must have sucked on street tires.







Hey, that guy has an ADV sticker...






Anyone recognize them? Do they have a RR?



Apparently, the new TAT has a bypass for this section,
not sure if they were doing 727 on purpose or if they had old info.






We told them it might be a little rocky up ahead
(that’s what matt and I remembered from 2009).
(not this part, obviously)





But it never really materialized.
I guess we just didn’t know “rocky” in 2009.













Hope this isn’t off a bike... one sandal, one Mx boot is not a good look.















So that was 727.




Also known as the “fun, fun, fun” road on the TAT rollcharts.
Sam was being sarcastic.

But it was actually pretty fun this time!




Next time - Monticello, UT and we meet another awesome ADV inmate!

My favorite day of riding in 2010 and the only day of rain that we had the whole trip. . Lionsroaar and I both had a pretty good crash that day.
But damn it was fun. Lionsroaar didn't think so, especially when the lightning started right after he had gathered himself together after his crash.:huh

Ride reports, Page 2 ?!?!

Oh hell no. Wan big bump to the top!

SA

edit--that engineer pass video. Holy smokes!

Read your RR and l am hooked! Very well written and so entertaining!

I can't wait to see what the rest of the trip held.

Props to you all on your big bikes! Feel like I need to step up my game on the super enduro and have me ready to run for the San Juan Mountains!

Thank you for taking the time to share.

loving the RR... Keeper coming

That Willow Divide section is really cool and a welcome change of sorts, even if it's muddy. Hope it didn't come out of the official TAT. Folks will miss some of the TAT's diversity. Ok, just my opinion for whatever that's worth.