Dirty Butt Challenge - OK TAT Solo in 16 hrs or less

[DirtyDog]

The Trans America Trail is a wonderful thing. For the uneducated, it is a multi-surface, 4,800 mile ride across most of the United States. It begins in TN and travels West through MS, AR, OK, NM, CO, UT, NV, CA, and finally terminates in OR.

Oklahoma contains the second-most miles of TAT (claimed- 750 mi) when compared to other states. While those other states have epic twisties, mountain passes, amazing geology, and old-growth forests, sadly- the Oklahoma section consists mostly of farm roads and 90-degree turns. I don't want to sell my state too short here- many, such as I, find the plains to be quite scenic. I had a blast on this ride and that's what kept me going. Now for the details.

Many DS riders take on the TAT every year and it is certainly a must-do, at least in part, as a rite of passage. I've had OK TAT maps in my computer for over a year and have been meaning to do it. I planned a 4-day weekend and hoped to ride out to CO since my last trip out there to ride was sort of a bust, resulting in a 12-mile survival hike and a bike extraction. Well, my schedule changed, leaving me with only 2.5 days. What to do? Time to knock the dust off the OK TAT maps? Well, it's now the dog days of summer. In OK, that means dry and hot with highs at or near 100 F. Well, if I'm gonna be miserable, I might as well be hauling ass.

How quickly can I complete the OK portion of the TAT? I've seen reports of 1.5 - 2 days, which certainly seemed easy enough. Has anyone done it in one day?

I apparently live exactly 100 miles W of the OK/AR TAT junction point near Westville, OK, so I busted ass over there after getting fuel at 5:12 am. The ride to Westville was uneventful. Scenic highway in the dark. Fueled in Westville and headed to the border a few blocks away. At 7:02 am it was officially on...



The very first bit of the OK TAT.



The eastern-most 70 mile portion of the OK TAT harkens to the AR TAT and has some pretty good curves in a labirynth of roads. It was a tough balancing game of twisting the throttle and slamming on the brakes all while staring at the GPS route. Intersections / turns (what seemed like hundreds of them) were rarely separated by more than a mile. There was a lot of vegetation overgrowth on the shoulders making the narrow dirt roads a bit treacherous for the speed I was carrying. This fact was proven almost immediately. Only 6.5 miles into my voyage, at the end of a quick straight, was a slight S-bend in the road. A Chevy Silverado pulled out of a blind driveway right in front of me. "This is gonna hurt," I said- waiting for the sound of metal on metal. I shat my drawers, braked, swerved, skidded, bucked and somehow narrowly missed being t-boned by the truck. I have no idea how I missed the truck. Had I been wearing panniers, it would have been a trip-ending disaster. I kept it upright and continued on as my heart pounded. This was the only really scary moment of the trip, luckily.


The remaining ~640 miles are mostly assembled via straight roads with occasional right or left turns. Lots of stop signs. This is how I was able to haul ass.

Here are some pics and details to prove I did it.

Along the way.




Someone decided to leave a huge pile of gravel in the road. Nice surprise at 66 mph. Sent the bike skyward.

Supposed to be graded flat like this:

But it wasnt. Just dumped there.


Lots of nice bridges. Here's one.



When planning my trip, I realized that my boss has property on the OK TAT. Here is Gordonia.


Not sure when the damages happened, but at 5 pm I noticed some needed repairs.


Watched the sun set on the TAT in western OK.


Rest of the way was in the dark illuminated by the finest 1973 Honda headlight technology. My flood light apparently had the day off, so it was a bit tough to see. I was forced to ratchet down the speed. It was without event until one of the 2-track farm roads took a little jog around a huge mud hole. Of course the farmers weren't there, so I hit it head-on and went splat. Fortunately I didn't get stuck.

Made it. Reached the OK/NM TAT junction at 11:12 pm clocking the entire 709 miles in 16 hrs 10 min including fuel detours and all stops.

(Sixteen miles to my campground at Black Mesa State Park. These stats also include my mileage to Westville from home.)



FYYFF


Camp was uneventful. Pics from the next day.





Boise City's A-Rock Cafe has GREAT bacon.


Plotted a course for home. 400 miles on state highways. Gonna be hotter today than yesterday. At about Ft. Supply, I noticed a bit more underseat warmth than expected and my exhaust note was blasting through my earplugs. This is why.


Front cap of the Big Gun blew off. All four bolts cut through the aluminum shell like butter. Stainless packing was spilling out. Maybe a bit too much back pressure.


A nice old local man overheard me asking for a hardware store and offered assistance. He led me to his shop down the road where I used, you guessed it, bailing wire to fix the exhaust.



Back on the road with my KLR repaired properly, I was sweating and making up time. The ass-shift-a-thon was in full swing and I was getting impatient. Got pinched doing 78 in a 65. My first moto-ticket in 5 years of street riding. Officer graciously reduced the infraction to 75 mph and I got a fat $188 invoice and no points. Damn.


I'm certainly not the best rider. I'm no pro and couldn't have gotten near this without the GPS tracks. I think I only missed one waypoint and made about 10 wrong turns (each of which I noticed immediately). Had I stopped at every stopsign, I never would have made this time. Same goes if I had a flat or any real delays. Otherwise, I was basically traveling as fast as the terrain and my skills allowed. Seventy mph on dirt was a common goal, and 85 was my max on dirt. Had it rained or not rained before my trip, the sand would have been in worse shape, slowing me down. I hit 4 doves and a grouse. I was chased by dozens of dogs and saw 2 coyotes, 4 deer, 2 antelope, lots of turtles, a snake, and numerous other wildlife- especially after sunset. Better lighting would be a plus and much safer.

I was traveling with 16/47T sprocket setup (stock is 15/43T), so I was slightly limited on top speeds. Surprisingly, I was energized all day. I was drinking lots of water and made it a point to keep drinking till I had to whiz. I think I drank about 7L of water plus some gatorade and about five 5-hr energy shots! I took breaks in the shade and ate gas station food. I packed like a coyote and left lots of stuff at home, including my tent, contact lense case (oops), sleeping bag, and panniers (whew). Since I was solo, I had lots of emergency stuff like mucho water, food, tow line, first aid, tubes, basic tools, etc. My pack was pretty heavy, but manageable.

Overall, my OK TAT run was probably the best solo ride I've taken in a while. Felt great to push the limits and succeed unscathed. Except for my ticket. Oh yeah, and my ass hurts... 1250 miles in 2 days on a stock seat.

Anybody care to make a better run at it? I'm thinking 16 hrs is tough to beat.

[SeaDog]

Nice RR. But, where did you get those TAT maps that have been festering in your computer? I am interested in doing a similar trip as yours, but in UT, NV, and CA.

[DrLewall]

Here is what that sign looks like in the daytime.. btw..there is no cell service out here! BTW..this is where I ran out of gas

[RoadDad]

Great idea--Ok in a day or Okday. Did TAT in '07/'08. Ok was flat and some people think boring. I thought it was great. Very scenic and fast riding. A KTM in our group had problems and numerous Okies we there to help and treated us like neighbors. Loved every minute of it and want to ride it again. Congrats on an epic ride.

[panayoti]

Nice ride report.

i like the tow rope on your list of things you brought!

[DirtyDog]

Originally Posted by DrLewall

Here is what that sign looks like in the daytime.. btw..there is no cell service out here! BTW..this is where I ran out of gas

It was really unfortunate that you guys had so many troubles. I hope it was fun at least.

Originally Posted by RoadDad

Great idea--Ok in a day or Okday. Did TAT in '07/'08. Ok was flat and some people think boring. I thought it was great. Very scenic and fast riding. A KTM in our group had problems and numerous Okies we there to help and treated us like neighbors. Loved every minute of it and want to ride it again. Congrats on an epic ride.

Thanks. I agree that the stretch certainly has merits. It's when people directly compare it to other stretches that causes the grief. Bombing down sandy 2-tracks can be fun too.

[joenuclear]

Originally Posted by DirtyDog

It was really unfortunate that you guys had so many troubles. I hope it was fun at least.

DD,
We didn't have any trouble. Doc had a bunch of it. It was funny at the time but as I look back on it now, It's hilarious!

[Dirt2007]

You da man!

[DirtyDog]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

Nice RR. But, where did you get those TAT maps that have been festering in your computer? I am interested in doing a similar trip as yours, but in UT, NV, and CA.

You can get the paper maps and roll charts from www.transamtrail.com some of the states have been digitized into GPS routes, but OK is only listed as 40% complete, so you gotta do it yourself. It's listed as "750 miles" but that's based on paper maps. When it comes to reality, it came out a bit shorter- the planned tracks w/out fuel detours was 689 mi.

I only have OK maps for now, but hope to do the entire stretch on a newer bike.

[rufus]

Originally Posted by DirtyDog

Anybody care to make a better run at it? I'm thinking 16 hrs is tough to beat.

I/we have ridden the TAT from Black mesa to Port Orford. Also did most of the Arkansas section. You have given me a reason to do the Oklahoma section now. Do I take the KTM 525 or the Honda 650L. KTM is by far easier to ride fast. Honda is more comfortable. I don't know when I will do this. My plate if pretty full for this year. I Have the maps and roll charts but I may want to get your tracks, if that's okay, just to make sure that I ride the same route as you. ...........A few more hours and you get get 1,000 miles in 24 hours, on dirt............hmmmmmmmmmmm...................... .........

[DirtyDog]

Originally Posted by rufus

I/we have ridden the TAT from Black mesa to Port Orford. Also did most of the Arkansas section. You have given me a reason to do the Oklahoma section now. Do I take the KTM 525 or the Honda 650L. KTM is by far easier to ride fast. Honda is more comfortable. I don't know when I will do this. My plate if pretty full for this year. I Have the maps and roll charts but I may want to get your tracks, if that's okay, just to make sure that I ride the same route as you. ...........A few more hours and you get get 1,000 miles in 24 hours, on dirt............hmmmmmmmmmmm...................... .........

You know, I was pondering this type of question as I rode. Would a bigger/heaver bike or smaller/lighter bike be better for this trip?

The riding certainly is not "technical" by any means, so never did I really long for a lighter bike. Also, a 200+ mile fuel range worked out pretty nicely for me and my plans.

Here were my fuel stops:
1. Westville
2. Dewey (just N of Bartlesville, 3 miles off course)
3. Kiowa, KS (2 miles off course)
4. Liberal, KS (6 miles off course)
5. Boise City (on course due to const. detour)

I certainly could have planned a bit better and stretched the fuel stops out, but I used that time to get food and hydrate too, so I think it was a good plan.

A bike with big fuel range, reliable motor, and good brakes (I did a lot of skidding ), and a comfy seat (you can't stand or sit that long) would be great. Of course next week, the sand might be better or worse, so really it's a gamble. Would I have taken a GSA? Sure. Did I need better suspension than my stock KLR? No.

So for your situation, I think the L would be better overall.

Yes, I thought about the Iron Butt option. Researched it before I went. Since it was not a typical route (unpaved, LOTS of turns), I thought they would give me grief about submitting the paperwork. Plus I don't have a working gage cluster, so pics of odometer wouldn't happen- only GPS. They use mapquest to verify mileage... my route is way outside their simple, old-school methods of paper receipts and a starting and ending point.

Maybe I'll get pre-approved next time and do it.

[rufus]

Originally Posted by DirtyDog

You know, I was pondering this type of question as I rode. Would a bigger/heaver bike or smaller/lighter bike be better for this trip?

.

I rode my KTM on the western TAT. With the 6.6 gallon tank and a sheepskin seat cover it wasn't horrible. But our longest day was a little over 300 miles. The smoother the terrain, the more uncomfortable the KTM is. Is is NOT built for just sitting on. The 650 L is not a whole lot better. BUT, the L motor is a lot quieter. I have to wear earplugs with the KTM. The KTM has less vibration and better suspension. The Honda has better lights and is a little more comfortable. Either one will do great I think.

[fotobo]

Damn Jason! You really burnt that thing up. That has to be a record. Those iron butt guys got nothing on you. That has to be a lot harder than riding 1000 miles in a day on pavement. Thanks for sharing it with us. What did you think about Black Mesa? That is where we camped the first night and started the TAT from there. I thought it was a pretty cool place.

[Krabill]

[DirtyDog]

Originally Posted by fotobo

Damn Jason! You really burnt that thing up. That has to be a record. Those iron butt guys got nothing on you. That has to be a lot harder than riding 1000 miles in a day on pavement. Thanks for sharing it with us. What did you think about Black Mesa? That is where we camped the first night and started the TAT from there. I thought it was a pretty cool place.

Honestly, Jerry, I can't comment much on Black Mesa. Most of what I saw was at night (i.e. blinking lights in the distance). I made tracks in the morning in search of a hearty breakfast. Wish I could have appreciated the sights a bit more, but the trip was hardly about sightseeing.