I left town by the railroad tracks..

Solo on the Oregon Backcountry Disco-nnect and beyond.









This report may be odd at times, use photos twice, ramble incoherently, prod, question, explore, feel...Wanna go for a ride?


Try and bear (<< a little graphic so I linked it) with me and find out first hand what it's like to be me.

Do you ever feel like you're alone?



Do you ever wish you'd be alone?



I could say that I have..



Do you ever feel things here aren't right?



And do you ever feel the time slip by?



I can say that I have..



Do you ever lay awake at night?
Do you ever tell yourself don't try?
Don't try to let yourself down
And do you ever take a chance, my friend?
Because you know that I will..



So hear this please
Watch as your heart speeds up endlessly
And look for the stars as the sun goes down



Each breath that YOU take has a thunderous sound
Just sit back and hold on, but hold on tight
Prepare for the best and the fastest ride


And reach out your hand, and I'll make you mine

Larryboy, MOST IMPRESSIVE PICS SIR. Amazing

Post more Post more !!!

Thanks, fellas!! Much, much more to come..I have barely scratched the surface of day 1.

Nice so far.....who's the babe?

I left work at midnight with the Husky weighing in at 660 pounds full of fuel, food, gear and myself.

I took off to the east from Sacramento with Walla Walla as a distant goal. I rode east out towards Foresthill where I encountered the bear, he and I missed meeting by about 20 minutes. His death made my life feel a little more meaningful.

I've been waiting a long time
for this moment to come
I'm destined for anything at all
Downtown lights will be shining
On me like a new diamond
Ring out under the midnight hour


No one can touch me now
And I can't turn my back
It's too late, ready or not at all


Well I'm so much closer than
I have ever known
Wake up
Dawning of a new era
Calling... don't let it catch ya falling


Ready or not at all
So close enough to taste it


Almost... I can embrace this


Feeling...on the tip of my tongue
Well I'm so much closer than
I have ever known...


Wake up
Better thank your lucky stars


I've been waiting a lifetime
For this moment to come
I'm destined for anything at all
Dumbstruck
Color me stupid


Good luck
You're gonna need it
Where I'm going if I get there at all
Wake uuuuuuuuuup
Better thank your lucky stars

Thanks. My 15 year old daughter..feel the time slip by?

The first few hours of my trip just about ended me.

Soda Springs Road was great as always.



The gate was open at the old snow tunnels on Donner.


The evil box named Zumo beckoned.


I had gone over many maps and gps views and determined that there was a road that would get me to the east side of Donner Lake without ripping though any back yards. There was about a 2 mile stretch where I would need to ride the active Southern Pacific right-of-way.

Let's talk about an article I read in National Geographics' Adventure magazine..entertain me for a minute here. The author had written about getting ourselves into life threatening situations without really knowing that we had done it..due to like conditions to experiences past. He gave an example of himself hunting for relics in ghost towns. You see, his Grandmother had an ashtray that looked like a coiled up snake, he associated this ashtray with relic hunting and nearly picked up a real western rattler ready to strike. Or another example of the woman giving rockclimbing lessons. She had stopped while gearing up to answer a students question. While talking she bent down to re-tie her shoe and her mind decided that this knot was the knot that would tie her into her harness..the price of the 70 foot fall was nearly her life. I grew up riding railroad right of ways...I thought I had taken the article to heart, yet within 3 hours I had done it to myself.

I had plenty of room to get out of the way of the first train.


It was here that I decided to take out my ear plugs so I could hear the next one. The riding wasn't too difficult until the tunnel. I stopped, shut off the bike, listened and looked for oncoming lights.

Things were going fine until I slipped off the ties into the shale right at a concrete culvert. There was no way I could go further in the shale, I needed to get the bike going the other direction, turn around and take another shot at it. The struggle that took place here was extensive..bike upside down at one point.


It took me about an hour and a half to get set for another go at it.


I managed to climb the shale and get back on the ties. No sooner had I gotten back on "track" than I heard a train coming down the hill. These trains were really moving, I'd say close to 60 mph coming down the grade. I glanced over my shoulder and saw lights already..back down into the ditch I went. I started to put it on the side stand and realized that there would be no room between the bike and the train for..ME!!! I shoved it over onto it's right side and jumped over it. I could hear the laughter in the trains whistle.


Whew, dodged another train..I'm a dumba$$. I shot up onto the ties and got serious about getting down the rails before the next one. I made it down to where the road was.


Walked over to scout it out..I was going down this road no matter what. I had to wait for another train. This one was really long, locomotives in the front/middle/back. I layed in the dirt catching my breath.


I scavenged a bunch of wood and built ramps to make it over both sets of tracks. Down the road and came out in the state park at Donner Lake.

A victory of sorts?

Damn, this is good. I flirt with trains like this, too.

Yes, I would say; a victory.

I had some breakfast in Reno and started making my way to the northeast. I wanted to take a look at Burning Man on this saturday morning. The Black Rock desert was amazing. I took one look at the dust bowl they call Burning Man and rolled on the throttle.

Everywhere you are
Is everywhere you've been


Just lost to the beat
Punching thru your skin
You don't know what to do
But still you wanna crawl
All thru the broken glass
That's eveywhere you are


Your love must always be true
Your love must always be you
Everywhere you are


Anywhere you go


Even if you're starved
It matters what you do


But even if you've gone too far
You can follow you


Everywhere you are


And in your mind


You were alone


All this time


With everything you were
And every smile you wore


Still locked in your heart
Everywhere you are


Everywhere you are


Every single chard
Everywhere you are
You're never too far
Cause anywhere you'd go
Even to the stars
All you have to do
Is play the part of who you are
The rest is up to you
Phase unwound
By yourself
Atom bomb
On the shelf unsung
Pause of light
Pulse of life
New face dawns
Everywhere you are
And everywhere you go
Even if you're down
Even if you're low
It's in the thought of you
It's in the eyes of all
Astride a storied past


That's everywhere you are
Your love must always be true
Your love must always be you
Everywhere you are
Anywhere you go
Even if you're scarred
It's all a part of you
But ever should you put it down
You can never lose me
Everywhere you are

This is good sht, Rob.
Love the train adventure...

Thanks, Bob.


I made my way up through the Alvord Desert. Time was ticking and I was on the throttle. It's not that far from home and I'll come back to do the Steens Loop.


Somehow I found my way to Boise. No offense to anyone, but I'm not a fan. Humid, covered myself in enough bugs to make a meal. Nice sunset though!!


I snagged a mural on my way through.


I had saved a trucker a ticket south of Boise. There was a cop at the bottom of a long grade, I gave the first truck a head tap and he gave me a big wave. I had rockstar status for a coupla hundred miles. Flashin' their lights to let me in, saving slow passes until I had gone by, horn toot and big flash of the lights to tell me of a fresh deer carcas ahead, light flashing to let me know about a big crash ahead..it pays to be nice to truckers!!

I stopped for a nap. Interesting thing happened to me today..I fell asleep on a bike. Broad daylight and I woke up heading for the ditch. Strangely I was feeling better when it got dark?


I made my way into Walla Walla and found a camping spot.


23 hour day, 36 hours since I had slept..night, night.

What rear tire is that?

I slept until 9 at Walmart.

Taped up a tweaked blinker.


Replaced a worn out Metzler Karoo T.


Spooned on a new Dunlop 606.


That was a big day on a bike without any wind protection.


I found something to eat and wandered out of town around 11am on the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route.

outstanding...


one of the best I ever read...