Reno-'rump-Reno...Solo

[larryboy]

Nice!!

[jorge]

Lovin' this report... just wondering how hard it is to find fuel it looks soooo remote and even with the clarke tank your range can't be more than 180 miles... when i see those awesome pics of the roads as far as you can see and the mountains in the background i gotta think it takes all day or a good part of it to get there and thus what if there is no fuel when you reach the horizon you saw at the start of the day? you are fortunate to have such wide open areas... we here in NJ have our share of rocks and sand to spare but the views man! we ain't got those views!

keep it coming!

[desertds]

I have to agree...that is one inspiring ride! At least you will have some cooler weather for the ride home. You were also lucky enough to experience one of best rain storms to hit the Pahrump area so hopefully you'll have some better trails on the way home. That race course area looks trashed....I hope you can find a better route.

[brad21]

ln Hawthorne. Using Palm tx for this.More awesome pics to come next week. Thanks for reading!

[taco250]

Brad,

Those sand whoops looked brutal! Can't imagine doing them on a bike as loaded down as your's is. Too bad about the nail but that shop being open on Sunday was a God-send! Note to self, cant' have too many CO2's. Glad to see things are going pretty well for you. The scenery is AWESOME!

Stuart

[brad21]

Made it back to Reno. 209/132/170-something mile days respectively. I took a ton more pics and will finish the report as soon as I can. Thanks for reading everyone!

[rokklym]

Awesome! I gotta get out there and explore that area!

[Groomez]

Woohoo! I love these desert reports.. I gotta get out west.
Nice job!

[Countdown]

If you like this stuff, come try my Adventure Bike rides
http://www.district37ama.org/dualsport/ridingevents.php
or http://mex2can.com/

I gave brad lots of the tracks he rode. I avoid as much as possible the trashed "Worst of the West" roads left by the truck racers. They are destroying Nevada one road at a time.

[brad21]

Jerry is right, those "Best in the Desert" guys are trashing the roads out there. Granted they are remote and probably get used once every blue moon, but they are long-lasting changes. I rode some roads that obviously weren't used this year but they were still whooped out from who knows how long ago. I also came across some course marking signs that weren't picked up as well as some water bottles and such, wheels and tires, etc... I think maybe they oughta sweep better and rehab the trails a bit. Tall order I know...

[demenshea]

Originally Posted by brad21

Jerry is right, those "Best in the Desert" guys are trashing the roads out there. Granted they are remote and probably get used once every blue moon, but they are long-lasting changes. I rode some roads that obviously weren't used this year but they were still whooped out from who knows how long ago. I also came across some course marking signs that weren't picked up as well as some water bottles and such, wheels and tires, etc... I think maybe they oughta sweep better and rehab the trails a bit. Tall order I know...

Sadly, i know exactly from which you speak. Many areas are "trashed" so to speak. I live here and am ashamed from time to time when i get out somewhere remote and see signs left from who knows when, showing me i live in a world that values fast food and canned beverage. Can't say enough good about the burning man crew, that cleans up after 35K + revelors and "leaves no trace".

[brad21]

Okay, I'm back in Bend and will continue with "Return from the 'Rump" as soon as my computer backpack shows up with my stupid one-of-a-kind Olympus USB cable. I can't upload any pics until I get it. Shoulda just carried it with me, oh well.

Oh yeah, someone asked a question about gas out in the middle of BFN. My tank is an Acerbis 4.25 so I can easily get 200+ miles out of it. I followed the number one rule of "don't pass gas" and topped off at every opportunity. I never got much beyond half tank before I topped off again. The potential biggest stretch was my second day when I turned off for Silver Peak versus doing the Argentite Canyon route. I was really more concerned about water at the time, but I would've come somewhat close to my range before hitting Goldfield. As it was the town pump was not open on Saturday, but there was civilization there and I'm sure I could've gotten gas from someone had I needed it. On the route back I never got close to critical. I will post a screen shot of my GPS tracks with all the gas stops.:uhhuh

[Racinace]

Nice report Brad. Could have used you over the weekend but found another doc to fill in.
These solo trips are a real gut check and can test your fortitude. Congrats on a safe and fun trip.

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by brad21

I followed the number one rule of "don't pass gas" and topped off at every opportunity.

Smarter than I..I tend to do some quick numbers in my head and think, "Yeah, I can make the next one with some walking".

[brad21]

Here's a Google Earth snapshot of my route. I'll post all my tracks over at GPSexchange if anyone wants 'em.