Hacking the CDT, north to south, August 2013

[Abenteuerfahrer]

Hola Drone and all Hackers/ettes..

Permit me to add a few more of my CDT collections which were supposed to be on my Hack bucket list... ahem..!!!! Happy reading.

1) http://www.bigdogadventures.com/CD.htm
1a) http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=603076&highlight=cannonshot

2) http://www.twotaildog.com/Motorcycling_the_Great_Divide/00Intro/Great_Divide_Intro.htm

3) http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=363677&highlight=sirby

4) http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=493140&highlight=solo+loving

5) http://www.bestrestproducts.com/t-adventures.aspx
(A bit on Mike Paul's sidecar adventures and BestRests vendor stuff...some CDR info.)

These are all on 2 wheeled motorcycles sans sidecar..but all's relative?


Do the CDT for me!

Have long since sold my beloved 1200GS/DMC sidecar to a man called Duncan and am now traveling in our 2002 VW Eurovan Camper.


Cheers Amigos and the best of luck..

[norton(kel)]

Originally Posted by DRONE

Alright then--get to work! But . . . better to finish it AND thoroughly road test it before setting out on what would be about a 4000-mile round trip from Berthoud!

What ! There is no adventure in testing something before a trip

[DRONE]

Originally Posted by norton(kel)

What ! There is no adventure in testing something before a trip

So true. My bad!

[Abenteuerfahrer]

Excuse my hijack...Maybe I have no right in making suggestions as I have a bike/sidecar no mo" BUT....??!!

Me thinks that a trail start should be from the South(Antelope Wells, NM) instead of/from the North(Rooseville, Mt-or even Banff, Canada.

Reason:

Depending on season ?. I assume it's going to be the summer months and the snow caps have melted in the higher altitudes of the Rockies that you will cross.

Get over with the heat; by the time you made it to Colorado it's mostly uphill (higher elevaltion) and cooler. As for you- Drone... you'll be perfectly inclined to ride North then head West across Canada and home to Washington...cooler all the way home!

From North to South you'll be descending into the heat...of the Desert then again go through the Desert heading NW to Washington..pretty taxing in the summer months?

cheers...

[KHJPHOTO]

Depending on season ?. I assume it's going to be the summer months and the snow caps have melted in the higher altitudes of the Rockies that you will cross.

Get over with the heat; by the time you made it to Colorado it's mostly uphill (higher elevaltion) and cooler. As for you- Drone... you'll be perfectly inclined to ride North then head West across Canada and home to Washington...cooler all the way home!

From North to South you'll be descending into the heat...of the Desert then again go through the Desert heading NW to Washington..pretty taxing in the summer months?

Very good point!

[AKASY]

You might want to consider that there are some areas where the hack is just not going to fit. Take a look a post 16 item 4 and scroll thru it to find pics of some of the areas. Bypasses are readily available but looking ahead will help.
If you have not ridden in NM mud in the summer it can just ruin your day in short order. Everything from the CO border south is subject to summer rains and resultant mud--most likely to bite is from Cuba south. Again bypasses are available but if you get caught like south of Cuba to Grants you can be stuck--pun intended. Watch the weather. I call the CDT a gentleman's ride as there is nothing really challenging on it in my personal view--but it is a very nice ride. Enjoy!

[DRONE]

Originally Posted by Abenteuerfahrer

From North to South you'll be descending into the heat...of the Desert then again go through the Desert heading NW to Washington..pretty taxing in the summer months?

Since my start point is July 28 at the Bigfoot Rendezvous in Balfour BC, no point in riding 2000 miles to Antelope Wells then turning around and doing the CDT south-to-north. Whether I'm in New Mexico in July or August don't make no anyhoo. I got my coolio vest, and I carry 6 liters of water. July you got more snow in the passes. September you got fewer daylight hours to ride and set up camp. August is the right time for me. Plus I'm going to Colorado after the ride to go see my little sister in Woodland Park. Then I might pick up the TAT where it passes right close to there and take that back to I-5, mebbe get home around Labor Day. Find out if I'm still married.

Originally Posted by AKASY

You might want to consider that there are some areas where the hack is just not going to fit. Take a look a post 16 item 4 and scroll thru it to find pics of some of the areas. Bypasses are readily available but looking ahead will help.
If you have not ridden in NM mud in the summer it can just ruin your day in short order. Everything from the CO border south is subject to summer rains and resultant mud--most likely to bite is from Cuba south. Again bypasses are available but if you get caught like south of Cuba to Grants you can be stuck--pun intended. Watch the weather. I call the CDT a gentleman's ride as there is nothing really challenging on it in my personal view--but it is a very nice ride. Enjoy!

Yup, not trying to prove anything. Fully intend to use as many workarounds as needed. Won't even go NEAR Fleecer Ridge! Many places a solo bike can go that a hack can't. And some places where a hack can go in one direction only because of the road camber.

I've read the ride reports. I know about the mud. Though I think a backcountry hack with the right tires should be able to handle mud about as well as a GS (which is to say--not very well.) And then, of course, there's plenty of places where the pucker factor on a hack is a whole lot less than on a GS. It's all part of being a hackista!

That said, I still have no problem with a solo biker joining me. Our paths might diverge here and there, but we can still make a trip out of it.

[Abenteuerfahrer]

How green with envy I am..... about your upcoming trip....ggrrrr!

Speaking of Mud...Believe, with a less aggressive front tire(Karoo or any knobby) you will pick up soooo much less mud.
Done half of the TAT and my temp co rider who had knobbies on his 2 wheeler constantly had to clean his fender and knobbies as they picked up mud like spaghetti on a fork. My rear and sidecar Vredesteins easily shed the muds while my front Tourance had hardly anything on it! First you don't sink that much with the flat Vredesteins...you're pretty much floating along like on a snowboard....the faster you go the less you will dig in just like in the snow...sit back a bit and let the rear do the work while the front is "lifted" a bit. Works every time!







Look at the tracks of the Hack compared to the fully knobbied moto...

cheers...

[KHJPHOTO]

So, any decission as to ride South to North? Proposed dates?
And the post ref: spots that will not allow a "hack"; have you identified these
areas and the route around them? I do remember I was going to book with
Jim Hyde when he first offered the CDT; but he said there were a few places
a "hack" would have to go around.

Thanks.

[davebig]

[QUOTE=DRONE;20807627]Since my start point is July 28 at the Bigfoot Rendezvous in Balfour BC, no point in riding 2000 miles to Antelope Wells then turning around and doing the CDT south-to-north. Whether I'm in New Mexico in July or August don't make no anyhoo. I got my coolio vest, and I carry 6 liters of water. July you got more snow in the passes. September you got fewer daylight hours to ride and set up camp. August is the right time for me. Plus I'm going to Colorado after the ride to go see my little sister in Woodland Park. Then I might pick up the TAT where it passes right close to there and take that back to I-5, mebbe get home around Labor Day. Find out if I'm still married.


Yup, not trying to prove anything. Fully intend to use as many workarounds as needed. Won't even go NEAR Fleecer Ridge! Many places a solo bike can go that a hack can't. And some places where a hack can go in one direction only because of the road camber.

It would seem that Drone has his plan and isn't interested in changing directions, August can be pretty cool in the evening in the mountains.DB

[Abenteuerfahrer]

IDAHO......Legal up to 40" wide...



Here>>>. Install a quick moto/sidecar disconnect; ride over the hump with your motorcycle then come back and drag your tub over it. Camp out till tomorrow and re-connect...you're on your way, he,he...

cheers...

[KHJPHOTO]

Originally Posted by Abenteuerfahrer;

Here>>>:clap. Install a [U

quick moto/sidecar disconnect[/U]; ride over the hump with your motorcycle then come back and drag your tub over it. Camp out till tomorrow and re-connect...you're on your way, he,he...

cheers...

Or carry some "Dupont Gate Opener "

[Shibby!]

Originally Posted by Abenteuerfahrer

.

Hahhaa!

I hit one of those damn gates going at least 60km/hr. I slowed down for the rest of them...

Have fun on the trip. I don't think you'll have any issues. Only technical part was the one hill climb but I believe that section is optional.

[Mr. Cob]

Howdy DRONE,

I am going to keep an eye on this thread, it sounds like something I might consider taking the Beemer-rig on, I don't have a time schedule, got nothing better to do then ride.

[DRONE]

One month bump to get this back to Page 1. Trip's still on. Got one "almost definitely" and several "I'd like to go's". Looking for more guys. Solo riders or hacks. Sign up here .

I've got an offer for KHJPHOTO. I visited his website--a professional photographer! So, KHJ, I'll buy all your gas on the trip if you'll sign on as the official pic/vid documentarian. How's that sound?

If he says yes, next I'll be looking for the official mechanic (Cob?) and then the official campfire musician. I myself have just signed up to take a 3-day certification class in Wilderness First Aid, so I'll prolly end up as the official Band-Aid boy unless we get somebody with REAL medical know-how. My old WFA cert expired 20 years ago.

Sorry, DB, we don't really need an official bullshit artist, but I'd still like you to come!

For all you other guys, doncha just wanna find out where this road goes?