This Freakin' KLR

[Hamon]

Howdy folks!

Thought I'd share with you what I did this past weekend with my bike. I've had this KLR for about 5 months now, and I've gotta say, I'm sold on this bike. Sure, it's not the most glamorous bike out there, nor is it the highest performing bike on the face of the earth, but it'll do it all, and I'll show ya.

I had a few days off, so I figured I'd take a little trip. I live in BC and have just started riding, so there are many places I've not yet been and plenty of amazing roads yet to be ridden.

This trip was to change that.

But, before any of the long distance pavement could commence, I went to my parents' place and did some dual sporting with my Dad.

I'm very blessed to live in an area with phenomenal gravel roads around every bend, and equally blessed (if not more) that I have a father who enjoys riding these roads as much or more than I do.

Sunday afternoon began with lunch and some impromptu planning as to where we were going to go. We plan some rides, but more are by the seat of our pants. We finally decided to take a gravel trail that connects Highway 7 between Hope and Agassiz with Harrison Lake.

The bikes we took: me on the KLR and my dad opting for the more agile XT225



My dad, although not a KLRista, fits the mindset of a KLR rider very well, and as soon as we got on the trail, he was off the bike and scouting spare parts on an old International hood. He's got a flat bed at home that he's always working on.

Here he is in his riding suit circa 1970s



We kept on riding up some fairly well established logging roads, with nothing too challenging, enjoying the views:



And admiring the cliffs.





We then got into some more challenging stuff. It's been dry around here, so the roads have gotten chewed up into a loose gravel/sand mix. Couple with that steep inclines, and you've got all the right ingredients for some great fun, especially on a 350-400lb pig like the KLR.

I had been talking with my dad and mentioning that I was probably going to get a Vstrom 650 in the next few months, but after tackling some of the stuff we did on this day, I realized how much fun true dual sporting was, and I think I'm going to be content with the KLR for at least a little while.

Taking a breather after some vicious hill climbs, not dumping the bike, and only paddling a little.



A break on a bridge about a third of the way through:





We continued upward and forward, into different landscapes, different climate zones, but always good, challenging paths.



Another hill climb section, this one with cross ditches strewn throughout. It's a real pain in the posterior to gain speed/momentum only to have to slow down to deal with a ditch... Maybe I should just jump the pig more.





After a few hours, we finally broke through onto the other side: Harrison Lake glistened welcomingly.



We carried on, and stopped by the remnants of a Pathfinder that had found its way into the rhubarb.



The trip was nearing its close, and a parting shot was in order.



For a 4 hour ride, it sure was grand! And the supper at the end did not disappoint either.



What a great day, and a great ride.

The best part about it was that this was only the beginning.



All I had to do was pop the Caribou cases back on, strap on my waterproof duffel, and I'd be in Adventure mode, ready for a little overnight trip which promised twisty roads, great views, and another experience in the ol' book.

Next day to come!

[Hamon]

Well, the next day started somewhat early. I got myself all ready, hopped on the bike, and started my day. The plan was to go up the Fraser Canyon to Spences Bridge, then down through Merritt, Princeton, eventually getting into Washington State at some point in time so set up for my next day: the North Cascades Highway.

Well, I basically did just that. Here I am trawling up the Canyon. This was between Yale and Boston Bar. I parked the bike, ran to the middle of the Alexandra Bridge, and tried to capture the vista that was endless conifers, muddy water, and steep grades.



Onward and northward I proceeded, passing through 7? 6? 8? tunnels along the way..



Life was good. I stopped to get a shot of a sweet canyon, and pulled up to this store.. False advertisement much? For being open every day, it sure was closed on this one.



And the actual shot I wanted.



The road then splits off the Fraser River which it had been following up to this point. It then starts up the Thompson River, a clear, blue, young river that is chock full of rafters and wonder.

Here's a bit of the road along the river: great twisties, no traffic in front of me, and a grin under my helmet.



Speaking of grins, I'd had a sport bike with Alberta plates pass me prior to this, and just after this set of twisties, I saw the same bike pulled off to the side of the road.. The ol' RCMP had decided he was indeed going a little too quickly. He grinned and waved as I rode past, and I gave him a hearty wave back. Ah, sportbikes.. They're fun until you get caught.

I hit Spences Bridge and hopped onto the #8 Highway which would carry me down to Merritt. I had no idea how nice this stretch of road was, but the roads were phenomenal, the traffic minimal, and the pavement acceptable.



I stopped in Merritt for a lemonade and rice krispie square which cost me $5. That hurt, but it hit the spot.



I then climbed out of Merritt and hit the 5A Highway, connecting me with Princeton. Once again, a great road with excellent pavement quality, good sweepers, and friendly Mounties. I was cooking pretty well along this road (at least for a KLR), rounded a bend, and saw an oncoming police car. He was kind enough to let me carry on, just motioning that I should probably ease off the hammer just a little.. He was right, so I did, a bit.



I hit Princeton and opted to take the Old Hedley Road, which follows the Similkameen River on the North side, as opposed to the #3 Highway which carries along the same river on the South. It was the end of a long weekend, and I knew traffic would be horrendous on the highway. This was not the case on the OHR, however, and I was greeted with a cozy road and few cars.

It was, however, getting awfully hot out. I still had my sweater and long johns on from the morning, so I pulled off on the side of the road to strip off some layers.



Boy, that water sure looks inviting..



So clear and crisp.. Too bad I don't have any shorts with me..



Ah, what the heck, them boxers will do.



Yeah.



It's days like this that I remember how good life is in BC.



From here, I headed east to Keremeos, stopped at a bistro, and tried to talk some bikers into taking the road I'd just gotten off instead of the main drag. Who knows if they did or not. Anyway, onward and forward! To the States!



Well, I crossed the border at Nighthawk. If you've never crossed the border here, it was a great experience. The guys were so laid back. He asked for a driver's license with no secondary ID required (he said I looked Canadian enough), I asked if there was somewhere I could take a leak, and he directed me to the washroom down the hall. I returned, he gave my license back, and told me to have a great trip.

What? No other questions? That's it? Awesome.

And great trip I have had, and will continue to have, good sir.



So I rode along another quiet road in the Okanagan. If you've ever been to the OK region of BC, you know how hot it gets. It was probably in the triple digits (for you fahrenheiters) and once again, I was getting toasty.



Another lake greeted me.



You know the drill.



I left feeling refreshed, especially after soaking my Tshirt and putting it back on. That under my Belstaff made the next hour not only bearable, but downright pleasurable too.

I continued south into Washington, getting to Okanagan, WA, then heading west on the 20. I had made it: the North Cascades Highway lay ahead of me. I rode for about an hour on the highway until I hit Winthrop. As I got into some straighter stretches, I noticed a sport bike gaining on me. He stayed pretty close until we got into the tight stuff. I gave 'er balls, polishing off any chicken strips, and he backed right off.

We came up to a stop sign and he gave me the "after you" hand motion. It felt pretty good to be on a fully loaded dual sport, still knowing that this thing could handle the tight stuff like a pro.

I hit Winthrop, hit the grocery store, got told I was hot by a middle aged lady (or maybe she just thought it was the gear; in any case, she was a real sport), and set up camp at a local lake.



My cooking setup, with the Caribous as wind protectors, makes a mean bowl of Ramen.



Have I ever told you folks I love owing a KLR?

At the camp office, they had maps of the local roads, including some gravel roads. I couldn't pass that up, so in the evening, I went for a little burn, got a bit lost, and enjoyed every minute of it.





A wood rat gave me enough time to snap a quick pic. Stay off the road please.



Sun set on a truly outstanding day.



I knew tomorrow would be another good'un, and I planned to get a bit more gravel under the tires.

Little did I know what was in store.

[Hamon]

Tuesday, my third day of my long weekend. I was getting into the heart of the North Cascades, and I couldn't be happier.

I packed up camp, said goodbye to the Harley rider I had camped next to, and readied myself for some more riding.



Bambi and family went for a morning romp through the campsite, so I caught a couple pics once again. Sorry about the picture quality. Something about early morning dim light and a camera that wants to flash..



Sun's coming! Let's ride!



I hopped on and headed north into some country I saw on the map. I figured it would be a nice ride and it led me to gravel, so it couldn't be all bad.

I rounded a bend and said "wow" audibly in my helmet. I've been known to do this from time to time.



And on I went, up a great twisty road, and onto the gravel. The KLR stuck to gravel like something sticky to gravel, although the front had the tendency to wash a little bit. Maybe it was due to everything including the kitchen sink in my Caribous...

The road got more rocky/bumpy/fun, and I pondered turning around..

Bolstered by stupidity, I threw out my sense of caution and dove headlong into the challenge ahead.



This was range country, and every so often, I'd do some custom KLR cattle rustlin'.



This way ended in a dead end, so I, the Lonesome Grouse, turned around and took the other tine on the last fork.



Not without snapping a photo of the view first.



Again, I hit a barbed wire gate. I hopped off and scouted where it went. It looked good, so I opened the gate and carried through. Yes, I closed it afterwards too.



This is where it got interesting... I'll leave you with this, and be back in a few:

[jjustj]

keep it coming and thanks!

[Buffalo Bill]

You are one lucky sum gun.....the nort country is so grand.....

[ZZR_Ron]

[BushwickKLR]

count me in

[GB]

Another great KLR adventure

[Britriderinutah]

Keep it coming looks like an excellent adventure so far, great photos.

[Hamon]

Farking farkles.. I think I just lost my last post.. Well, here it goes again!

Now, where was I?

Oh yeah, when I went through that gate, the road basically turned to dusty sh*t. I mean, 3-4" of powdered dirt, masking branches and 6-10" logs every so often. I heard equipment in the distance, and saw a skidder coming towards me. Being utterly and hopelessly misplaced, I flagged him down and tried to figure out the best way to get out of this dusty hell. He said their logging operation was just up ahead and that the good road returned just past that.. I figured that wouldn't be too bad, so I slowly rode up to the operation..



Well now, where's the road exactly? Oh, it's on the other side of this, eh?



And how do I get there?

Where?

Quit thinking like a skidder operator, man, I've gotta get this pig through..

Alright, that's better, now it's just a sidehill with fewer stumps in the way. Thanks..

No, seriously, I'll be fine.. Paths are for weenies anyway..

And first gear, and... 16 tooth sprocket.. Ah well, nothing I can do now but git 'er done!



The shadows are deceiving but basically I travelled 50-100 yards through brush/branches, over logs, on my fully loaded pig. The loggers decided this was as good a time as any to take a break and offered their supervisory support.

But, in the end, I made it. I tried to get the elation in this picture.



Yep, the old girl shone, even with nearly bald 95/5 tires and 150-200 pounds of gear.



I got some more directions from a water truck driver who mentioned he wanted a supermoto, and I headed down the mountain into Edelweiss country.



I gassed up in Mazama at around 9am. By road, it would have taken 10-15 minutes, but the scenic route had taken closer to 2 hours. I didn't care. I was having a right royal, dusty, tiring, rip-roaring adventure!

The North Cascades Highway beckoned, and I drew towards her siren song.

I'll let the next few pics do the talking.









I'll just confirm what the squinty eyes are telling you: I was grinning like an idiot.



Well, this was the summit of the pass, or pretty darn near, so it was all downhill after that. I let my mass carry me at high velocities down some hills, added a little input to get me around corners, and had a great time doing so.

I stopped at the Diablo Dam overlook, and was met by a group of three riders.



Ron and his two sons (I'm a jackass, I never got their names) were on a week long trip around Washington State. Good on ya guys!

Ron was even kind enough to snap a photo of me at the overlook.



Onward and downward I carried: into Newhalem. I stopped at the general store, and what did I see? None other than an '08 KLR!



There were 3 riders having a chat outside, and I asked which the sweet KLR belonged to. One came forward proudly, while the other two asked if mine was for sale.

This is when I met Tom Edison, ADVer and all around good guy.

He used to live in Newhalem, so he gave me a scoop on the area, informed me of some sights to see, and then we talked bikes for a bit. Thanks for the times, Tom!



The nicest part of the North Cascades was behind me, and I had to answer Nature's call. I stealthily slid under a bridge in Concrete and did my business. It was shady, so I took some pics too.

I'm a knife guy first and foremost, so here's one capturing just that.



After lubing my chain, I was just packing up when a fellow in a Sidekick drove on down, let his dog out for a swim, and gave me the scoop on where the ol' coppers liked to hide out along the way. I never got his name, but thanks for the tips!



It was next through Sedro Woolley and Burlington, then I headed north on a road that led me through farmland and along the bay. The bay looked so enticing, but no roads were leading me there, so I drove through a potato field to get some shots.







I got back on the road, and passed through Edison (that where you live now, Tom?).

After Edison, it was onto the legendary Chuckanut Drive.



After a couple corners, I found a classy restaurant, the Oyster Bar, and sat down for my final meal: a lunch of fried oysters.



Key lime tart for dessert, and this is how a ride should draw to a close.



I got through Bellingham as quickly as humanly possible, found the 542 to Sumas, and bid farewell to the Washington hills.



I crossed the border, rode some of my home twisties in celebration of a great ride.



And that was my trip!

I had set out to get the last bit of life out of that rear tire, and had accomplished just that. The KLR proved admirable once again, and I've gotta say, I'm not looking for a Vstrom 650 for the next little while.

I'm very impressed with the versatility of the KLR, and am planning on spending some of my saved money that would have gone to the Strom into the KLR instead, with an XS fairing, maybe a skidplate, and a few other doodads.

Glad I could take you folks along for the ride, and I apologize if the pictures were too many. I can't help being a shutterbug sometimes.

Travis

[BushwickKLR]

looks like you had a great ride. Good stuff, great pictures.

[wordguy]

Awesome trip Travis. Thanks for posting it. The scenery is beautiful.

-Alan

[sc-razor]

Not too many pics. Great stuff! Thanks!

[BikePilot]

Looks like a great ride and great pics

[K_N_Fodder]

Great ride and great pics! Very fun to see close to my old stomping grounds from the back of a bike that looks just like mine (but get's much less glory than yours). That logging "road" looked like some serious pucker factor.