2012 UT/ID/OR 2300mi 11d Outback Ride via UTBDR, T2, OBDR

[dvwalker]

Part 1


part 2


part 3

[dvwalker]

Midway UT to Garden City UT – 215 miles

After a long hot shower and good nights rest, we loaded up the bikes headed for a gas station in downtown Midway around 9:30am. Topped off our drink bladders and fuel tanks. Midway is a cute little village town just east of Salt Lake City, up and over Lone Peak Wilderness as the crow flies.

Going east on hwy 50, we met up with the UTBDR near Lambert Meadows. This is the south-western corner of the Wasatch-Cache NF.



Started seeing a few rocks as we ascended switchbacks up to 9700ft.





about 5 miles from initial morning turnoff, navigated this more challenging short rocky uphill, near buckeye lake



after the climb, stopped to shed layers and have a quick beef jerky snack



The forest service road rejoins hwy 150 for some pavement miles. Lots of neat roadway +10K overlooks as we made our way past big high mountain lakes.




view after turning off hwy 150 onto whitney rd, still in wasatch-cache NF





beautiful mountain streams feeding the surrounding area





Roads were unimproved hardpack, perfect!!!





Simply awesome country. Didn't see any sign of cattle grazing, lush bunch grasses a foot tall



Stopped to watch a herd of elk transition to more cover. Hard to see in the pic but we waited a good 5 minutes for entire herd to pass.



unfortunately all good things eventually come to an end, and we start our descent into Evanston Wyoming.





Stopped for a home cooked lunch at Mother Mae's Kitchen, downtown Evanson WY



Next up Garden City

[NSFW]

i've been waiting for this

subscribed!

thanks.

[byways]

Terrific story, guys!

I appreciate the effort such a great RR requires.

[dvwalker]

After filling up our tummies with yummy food at Mae's, we headed north on hwy 16 and back into Utah. We stopped and topped off our tanks at Woodruff. Odometer indicated 135 miles from last fill up in Midway. From Woodruff the route follows hwy 39 going west for another 20 miles of pavement before the turn off onto a unpaved graded service road.




The "unnamed" service road basically follows a similar elevation profile for a number of miles and passes thru high mountain aspen groves, conifers and open meadows. Very pretty area. Apparently this is the back way into Hardware Ranch and elk viewing area. See info here...





It was a quick 50 mile run on the service road into US 89, which leads into Garden City, and the massive Bear Lake.



Our day ended in full day light at around 5:30pm, which was a nice change from the previous two evenings. We stopped at local store and bought all the trimmings to make a big massive pot of spaghetti. This would come back to bite me later...promise not to get detailed.

Another fancy lodging layover, this time in the WorldMark Bear Lake timeshare. Nothing but the best care for my most excellent but injured riding partner. He really sucked up the foot pain today. Saw our first big bull moose of the trip, right next to the lodging. Smart old boy.... After dinner, rented one of the later james bond movie's, but I fell asleep.



Another incredible day of riding. 7 more to go...

This concludes our time on the UTBDR. Want to send a big thanks to Touratech discovery team for a well thought out route that exceeded our expectations. Also to Butler maps for producing a most excellent big overview paper map. Could the upcoming CO route get any better?

Next up Day 5 to Pocotello ID

[dvwalker]

[The Walrus]

Minor correction: the maps lie...everyone knows it's really "Evingston, Wyoming"....

[utefan]

"Unfortunately all good things eventually come to an end, and we start our descent into Evanston Wyoming."

Having use to live in UT, most recently Park City - just West of Evanston - this made me laugh. I cannot tell you how many people feel this same way!

Great report.

[CharlieFox]

In true Utah vernacular

Originally Posted by The Walrus

Minor correction: the maps lie...everyone knows it's really "Evingston, Wyoming"....

[dvwalker]

[dvwalker]

Garden City UT to Pocatello ID – 132 miles

On the road by 9:30 this morning, another casual start. Trying to rest Tom's foot as much rest as possible. Still another 1300 miles of rocks and other fun surprises.

Normal routine, topped off our gas and drink bladders in Garden City. Tom and I use a simple method of paying for normal expenses that works for us, simply by alternating even/odd days. Big ticket items like bike parts and tires are excluded, but the routine transactions seem to balance in the end, and makes it that much faster to get out of town.

Plan for the today; quick ride north to Pocatello, goto PowerSports, buy and mount fresh tires, then ride west on the T2 route till a good camping spot is found. That was the plan anyway, until Mr Murphy raised his ugly head. More on this later...

From Garden City, rode west on US 89 for approx 15 miles then turned north onto nice graded gravel Franklin Basin Rd, towards the ID border. Nice and fast...





Sheep grazing country





Near Hull valley







Very near hwy 36, Tom motioned to stop. The dreaded nose bleed, lots of dust the past few miles.



After the bleeding got under control, rolled north onto hwy 36 then after a short distance turned towards Oneida Narrows Reservoir. Noticed some hot springs along the way





cool harvest patterns, and local hooligans





nice valley ranch and old homestead, complete with cattle resting under the shade tree





always hate to see places go out of business, looked like a good biker type lodge



Next up Pocatello

[dvwalker]

Arrived at KTM Powersports around 1:30pm and started shopping for tires. After looking over the available selection, I decided to finish the trip on my d606. Tom on the other hand didn't want to risk the next 1300 miles on the upcoming rock gardens, so he picked up a new front and rear, forgot model but wasn't the rally raid he wanted...

Apparently Powersports service was backed up today, and couldn't promise a tire install by closing. Not wanting to wait around, we shuttled across the street to SportMotos. They immediately started working on the job. Good folks...We walked down to subway to get out of the heat and have a bite while waiting.

BackCountryCruizer is one happy camper w/fresh tires






Looking good, back on the road leaving Pocatello by 3:30pm. Quick stop for gas then exit town. Should be able to get west towards Sawtooth NF and find a cool place to camp.

But then, I really started to feel like crap.

Remember the spaghetti from the night before? Well, I had been tasting grease all day and knew something wasn't working right. For self preservation reasons, I asked Tom if we could lay up in a hotel tonight. He said no problem, so we checked into the inexpensive Thunderbird motel on 5th.

The entire evening was a blur. My body started a jet powered fluid purge like you wouldn't believe. For the next 7 hours I was one with the . Can't imagine what Tom was thinking since we shared a two bed hotel room. Around 11pm with my life energy fading, I called a taxi for a trip up to the new Portneuf emergency room to get checked out. I was getting a bit worried.

Long story short, turns out my liver functions were off the charts. The doc said I most likely have gallbladder problem (aka gallstones)...WTF ...we're only halfway on our bike trip. The doc ordered up an IV to rehydrate, and some imaging the next day after the lab opens. Turned out the country doc and RN both had their gallbladders removed recently. I felt normal again after a couple liters of fluid intake, so was discharged and returned back to the hotel.

Next morning, I rode the bike back over to Portneuf for a 8am ultrasound and doc consult. The image tech said with a smile that I had a couple really big stones. The doc said I should schedule a visit with my primary when I get home, but not to worry I should be able to finish the trip. He recommended just stay away from fatty and spicy foods.

Can't say enough about the excellent staff at Portneuf that took care of me, big thanks



Not exactly how I wanted to remember day 5 and the cool town of Pocatello

Day 5 conclusion 132 miles, 981 total

Next up Pocatello to Rogerson ID

[dvwalker]

[Apple Jam]

I gots me some readin' to do when I hook up the big screen

[byways]

The new "hospital on a hill" is pretty spectacular, but Pocatello, tucked into a mountain valley and right at the edge of national forest, does have a lot to offer. I'm glad to see it getting a shout-out here. And that part of Idaho has terrific riding opportunities.