Riding the Rim!

motoged · May 28, 2012

Supahflid said: ↑

.... The problem is that my tent and my chair are a little long to fit in the saddlebags. I'm going to spend some time researching how everyone else distributes their stuff. You got any insight?
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Your tent is not long....the poles are: pack them separately....maybe with the Kermit, if you mast take the BarcaLounger

Deseret Rider · May 31, 2012

First----this is a great report---most interesting and so well photographed. The Pueblo pictures are remarkable. On a couple of those pictures---the ones showing the high wall with a perpendicular wall jutting out--and to the right of that wall---there is a grey colored, perfectly square, object which is set flush with the wall. Do you know what that might be? It seems unlikely to be a descriptive plaque because of it's location so high in the structure---where there would be no access to observe it? It seems not to be a window or opening--but rather as some sort of little 'door' such as we might see on a modern 'wall safe'? Whatever it is, it just doesn't 'fit'. I am most curious to know what it could be? Any idea?

bigdon · May 31, 2012

Must go there!

Supahflid · May 31, 2012

motoged said: ↑

Your tent is not long....the poles are: pack them separately....maybe with the Kermit, if you mast take the BarcaLounger
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That is a good idea. I hadn't thought of separating the tent items. I will also consider not taking the Kermit in the future, although, as you will see later, I made great use of it one evening. Thanks for reading and the tips!

Deseret Rider said:

First----this is a great report---most interesting and so well photographed. The Pueblo pictures are remarkable. On a couple of those pictures---the ones showing the high wall with a perpendicular wall jutting out--and to the right of that wall---there is a grey colored, perfectly square, object which is set flush with the wall. Do you know what that might be? It seems unlikely to be a descriptive plaque because of it's location so high in the structure---where there would be no access to observe it? It seems not to be a window or opening--but rather as some sort of little 'door' such as we might see on a modern 'wall safe'? Whatever it is, it just doesn't 'fit'. I am most curious to know what it could be? Any idea?
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It took me a minute to figure out where you are talking about! Ok, I think that's probably a steel plate; it's not uncommon in masonry restoration, especially with multiple wythes (or in this case because of the thickness of the wall), to utilize this sort of element to sort of hold the wall together. I'm guessing there is a corresponding plate on the other side of that wall that's all held together with threaded rod.

There was mention made of the smallness of the doors, but apparently, that had nothing to do with the size of the people living there as they were of average height for that time period. I don't recall if there was reason given as to the smallness of the door openings.

bigdon said:

Must go there!
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You won't be disappointed with everything you see! It's hard, for me at least, to express how humbling it is to travel through so much geologic history and bigness! I love it out there!

Hey Weave! Wish you had been there! It was fantastic!

jub jub · May 31, 2012

It's ride reports like this that inspire! Thanks for taking the time to document with photographs. It must be somewhat of a PITA to stop all the time to take pictures. I do appreciate your effort!

Supahflid · May 31, 2012

jub jub said: ↑

It's ride reports like this that inspire! Thanks for taking the time to document with photographs. It must be somewhat of a PITA to stop all the time to take pictures. I do appreciate your effort!
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I really appreciate the encouragement and compliments from all of you! A lot of these pics were snapped while riding. It's pretty easy to do if you hang a camera around your neck!

Supahflid · May 31, 2012

Day 7: My first look at the Grand Canyon!

I had spent some time on Day 6 preparing a route through NF roads on my way to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I left Flagstaff and made my way toward Highway 180 and jumped off road:

Um, now what? There was a path through this boulder minefield, so I didnt have to turn around.

Moving forward, the trail got rough. I never seem to get the worse sections since Im too busy trying to ride through the hard stuff!

Eventually, I ended up running parallel to a paved road and my gps was running me around in a circle back the way I came. Ok, no biggie, since my progress was kind of slow anyway, I was ready to make tracks. This paved road ran back to 180, so I jumped up on the road and made a beeline! Those same winds that had pushed me all over the Highway 89 two days previous were kicked up again on Highway 180. After twenty miles or so of fighting the winds, I saw a sign at a gravel road that said, Highway 64, 28 miles. Hmm, maybe I could run that road through the woods and get out of these howling winds? So, I headed that way! Since I hadnt done any routing through this area, I just found the end of the road on my gps, set a point and let the machine make the route! Great roads!:

I saw several signs that said, Elk Club and wondered what that was all about. Was I about to meet anyone? Well, yes, I did! I met this nice gentleman and his friends that were staging their campers for several days of clean up and elk husbandry.

Very nice folks, I think they belonged to the Arizona Elk Society, dedicated to preserving and maintaining the Arizona elk herd. We chatted for quite a while and took pictures of each other!

They invited me to stay and visit, but I was on a mission to see the Grand Canyon and declined the invitation. On I go:

I kept running into these gates. I took me a while to realize that, being on NF land, I could pass through them if I put the gate back in place.

This error added a few miles to my trip, but no matter, I was having a blast! Finally I get to Highway 64 and on to the Grand Canyon! I decided that I would go into the park first and figure out if I wanted to stay overnight or not. Once there, I realized that, yes, I definitely needed to stay and further, I needed to make those accommodations and get out of my riding boots and into something more appropriate for walking around.

I walked to a couple of the overlooks near the visitors center:

Having driven through Tusayan, it appeared as though most of the hotels were full. I had also found out that the camping spots inside the park were full, although there were locations outside of the park I could have camped. Luckily, I found lodging at the Grand Motel in Tusayan and secured a room. After shedding my riding clothes, I headed back to the park for some sunset pictures!:

On the shuttle bus ride back to the visitors center, I met a very nice Australian couple who were making their first trip to the States. They were having a great time and I enjoyed our chat. By the time we got to the visitors center, it was dark and chilly. Not thinking about how cool it would be on the six or so miles back to Tusayan, I had nothing on but a short sleeved shirt. Brrr, it was cold. A nice, warm shower, a couple of pints and a warm meal from the in house restaurant fixed that. I went to bed happy that I had finally gotten to see the Grand Canyon and excited about seeing more.

Coming up-Day 8: You want me to walk where?

Norpinist · May 31, 2012

Thanks for the trip report and the fabulous photos - especially nice to see all of the road surfaces! A group of us were down in the Bluff/Moab/Gateway CO area this weekend and the wind was off the charts. So was the color of the sky (it truly looked like we were on Mars with the smoke/dust). In fact, there was so much blowing dust/sand on Saturday that whenever I touch a lever (brake/clutch) on my 990, it (static) shocked me! Luckily, the wind subsided on Sunday and we were able to ride some truly amazing terrain between Monument Valley and Moab. I hope that you continue to enjoy the ride and be safe on your way home!

backwoodsKLR · May 31, 2012

Awesome pics and RR, Supah!!!

joenuclear · May 31, 2012

MSrider · May 31, 2012

Nice report. Very cool routes and pics. Cool trip bro!!!

defib · Jun 1, 2012

Great pics of Az that a lot of people don't normally see. If I had known you were in Flagstaff I might of been able to meet you and buy you a beer. Keep the pics coming.

Pantah · Jun 1, 2012

Gee, what a great report. You are good with that camera. Thanks. Now I gotta' check out your buddies report to get some of the route details. I'd like some of the route you had as well during your solo route to Flag.

I'm from Boston, but I have been on many of the roads you featured and seen vista's you captured images of. I was even on a KTM twin! The difference is that I was traveling from Monterey to Boston so my route, while winding through Indian Country, was steadily east.

I recognize the struggles you had with the softer dirt roads in some sections, like the park roads around Mexican Hat. I experienced the same, plus some mud issues on the north side of the Canyon. Like you, I was packed way too heavy. I always had to unload everything in the event of a tipover, or I couldn't pick it up!

You are a pretty big fellow, but if you are going to solo through the remote places you showed, I think you need a much smaller motorcycle, and pack it a lot lighter. Also, in prep for these trips, you should practice service intervals in the comfort of your garage, including changing your tires by hand. That way, you always have the tools you need to correct the mechanical problems you face trailside.

I sense you are new to the 990. I rode my 950 for some 60k miles before I sold it a few weeks ago. I only used it for trips, so that's how I piled up the miles. KTM OEM rear brakes always squeek after riding those conditions. You can clean them by a few hard stops from speed. No squeak until they dirty up again. Meanwhile your front rotors will begin to pulsate as well. They are not warped. Just do few hard stops and the pulsating will stop. I eventually replaced my brake pads with aftermarket products when needed. You clean foam air filters with gasoline, and then re-oil them with whatever oil you have. The tapping you hear is most often intermittent when your hydraulic cam chain tensioner loses oil. It pumps back up again and the clacking goes away. My old 950 was terrible with that. I heard the 990's were much better.

You are clearly an adventurous rider! Most would have cut the trip short and headed home. I am impressed with your tenacity and you got a trip completed you will never forget.

My last trip out there was September. I shipped my bike to Salt Lake and rode the Continental Divide Route to Chama where I broke west to revisit Indian Country. I rode a Yamaha WR250R dual sport. I can pick it up anywere and I don't have to unload most times. I even pack my Kermit chair.

Once again, I love your tenacity. I'd ride with you anywhere for that reason alone. Thanks for the RR.

I left my Yam in AZ so I can visit to explore the great west. I replaced my 950 with a new 690R, which is about 140lbs lighter. Have yet to see how it travels, but if as good as the Yam, I'll be bulletproof for solo trips.

The Yam on the CDR:

Your Anazazi Ruins:

There is a 13 mile sand wash that drops 1500 feet from Carefree AZ to the Verde River. It took me three attempts, but after mounting a proper front tire I actually was able to make it with little drama. Even the wrestling of the bars subsided after I started figuring out the best combination of body positioning and throttle. I wouldn't want to do it on a 500lb motorcycle but after some practice, soft roads don't bother me anymore. Camp Creek Wash:

Supahflid · Jun 1, 2012

Norpinist, BW, Joe, MSRider, defib, Pantah; thank you for reading and the nice comments! I am so glad y'all are enjoying the RR!

Pantah, you make some good points, but I've already been round and round with the whole "which bike to take" issue. I would rather learn how to pack and ride the thing in lieu of getting a smaller bike, because, as you said, I'm a pretty big boy! I love this motorcycle and plan on riding it for a long time. My preference is to not carry all that gear anyway; I don't care for camping all that much and, or I would rather base somewhere, although that wouldn't have been possible on this trip.

Now that I've said all that, please tell me how the 640 works out for you, in case I want to get one!

And defib, the next time I am out that way, I got the second beer!

MXfritz · Jun 1, 2012

Awesome report!!!! I've traveled all through the West from north to south but in a motorhome and hiked at various locations. Your pictures show just how amazing the desert southwest can be. I plan a 2 wheel trip there soon and hope to have the adventure you enjoyed. Thanks!!

Supahflid · Jun 1, 2012

MXfritz said: ↑

Awesome report!!!! I've traveled all through the West from north to south but in a motorhome and hiked at various locations. Your pictures show just how amazing the desert southwest can be. I plan a 2 wheel trip there soon and hope to have the adventure you enjoyed. Thanks!!
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Thank you for reading and commenting! I hope you have an awesome trip! Please take a zillion pictures and do a RR!

njoytheride · Jun 1, 2012

Supahflid, Awesome report and fantastic pictures. Was great to ride with you and David at the March camp out at Jacks Resort. You guys ride very well and ramp up the campfire stories a few notches to boot. Hope you had a good time, snuck in a buttercup and avoided drunk hippie chicks. ride safe, <>< Craig

MSrider · Jun 2, 2012

njoytheride said: ↑

Supahflid, Awesome report and fantastic pictures. Was great to ride with you and David at the March camp out at Jacks Resort. You guys ride very well and ramp up the campfire stories a few notches to boot. Hope you had a good time, snuck in a buttercup and avoided drunk hippie chicks. ride safe, <>< Craig
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Hey, anytime you get some 'Sippi boys around a campfire, you're in for some good stories
Yeah, flydaddy, I like your RR. Hope to get to do that one some day. Doing some pretty big home repairs and remodeling now, keeping me pretty tied up for any long rides.

Supahflid · Jun 2, 2012

njoytheride said: ↑

Supahflid, Awesome report and fantastic pictures. Was great to ride with you and David at the March camp out at Jacks Resort. You guys ride very well and ramp up the campfire stories a few notches to boot. Hope you had a good time, snuck in a buttercup and avoided drunk hippie chicks. ride safe, <>< Craig
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That was a great weekend! I can't wait to hang and ride with you fellas again!

MSrider said:

Hey, anytime you get some 'Sippi boys around a campfire, you're in for some good stories
Yeah, flydaddy, I like your RR. Hope to get to do that one some day. Doing some pretty big home repairs and remodeling now, keeping me pretty tied up for any long rides. Yesterday 10:47 PM
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I know, there's always something to do isn't there? I hope your projects are going successfully! My house needs to be painted.

nanohiccup · Jun 3, 2012

Awesome Pics! Thanks for sharing and the Supa prose. One day....

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