the father, the son, and dos klr's

[RobertWichert]

We need MORE on this ride. Details, dude, details. Robert P. Wichert P.Eng +1 916 966 9060 FAX +1 916 966 9068 ========================================================

On 8/21/2010 11:15 PM, revmaaatin wrote:   Hello List-- I am still vibrating. smile. 12 days, 2527 miles with my 14 y/o son; each on a KLR650. The Father aka revmaaatin, age 55. The Son--Sam, age 14. yes--age 14; licensed by the state of SD. The dos KLR: rev on a 98KLR650 and Sam on a 2001 KLR650. The ride: a modified Great Divide Ride--modified as time/wx allowed. = so little time, and so much wx that is completely unpredictable. Our departure and return dates/window of opportunity were dictated by other immovable time tables. shrug. = time vs wx vs. time vs wx vs. time. It started by launching (late)9 Aug at 3pm: there is always something.... finally, we are pointed West to Rapid City from Central SD on; arrive 2015hrs In Rapid City to RON with friend Jeff Saline. We tweak two farkels, change a headlight bulb and 'borrow' a spot of arc welder on one bike's tiedown point by the left passenger footpeg. Yeah, tomorrow is another day. AT the rate of ~200 miles a day-- we will advance, in some direction. smile. 200 miles does not seem like a lot--unless you are manageing BOTH bikes, both riders, cough, and both need adult supervision. smile. The PLAN: We will continue on the planned route until we run out of time, run out of money, or it is no longer 'fun'. With that in mind, we discover on the morning of 10 Aug: 0700 we are finally back on 'schedule'. Except, Sam's best friend is in Rapid City and we deceide to have breakfast with them at Exit 55 Windmill resteraunt. It will be after 1200hrs before we are fully pointed West.... as a side note: The breakfast? I will be giving it all back (violently) to Nature by 2000hrs. Just 24 hours into the trip and the natives have tried to food-posion me. So, we head West. or sort of WNW. We have two fine machines that hum like sewing machines and tweet like--well, tweety in the land of the brave and home of the brave, only to find ourselves surrounded and accosted by the sound of loud pipes. It is the heart and soul of the nomadic annual migrations of chromed gas-converters converging on Harleyville; the home of the $35 cotton T-shirt. We hardly pause--and keep our money, ever so slowly advancing Westwardly.... Our little jaunt indicates we should-- Turn Right--go NW at Bellfouche, SD towards Glacier National Park. Go over the top of GNP and down the other side. Turn Left--go South from Kalispell, MT to Dell/Lima, MT = that we intercept the basic GDR Mountain Bike Route @ Kalispell, MT. No, we did not go all the way to Canada for a 'picture'. We did, go South. smile. We would go South until we knew that it would take 4 more days to get home--That point was at Dell, MT in the Calf-A cafe. So, we went a few miles South and turned Left at Lima, MT--and went East across the belly of MT into Idaho. Then we went slightly NE at Mac's Inn, ID to Yellowstone Nat. Park. Toured Yellow Stone NP, well, at least rode through it. smile. It's HUGE. Continue East across WY (its HOT and desolate) back to SD. Rode the Spearfish Canyon Road, ate Indian Taco's at Cheyenne Crossing and returned to Rapid City via the Nemo Canyon Road where we would RON 19 Aug at our friend Jeff Saline and trouble shoot the damages (more later) Arrive home on 20 Aug Friday evening at 1745hrs, we arrived home; It has been a 2527smile ride with a 14 y/o; perhaps not as much a boy as he when he left. Not the 2000 mile 'gravel' and trails of a full GDR experience, but ~1/3 was gravel was 'enough' for this Father/Son/dos KLR's. The reality: It is a long way to the start point and a long way home when you have to come back. So, you ask-- Why so 'late' announcing our return? Had to go for a ride today. cough. no, it was not without peril, difficulty or adversity. smile. Why would you want it to be 'easy'? We prepped. and of course missed a few things. We left--6 hours late, but we finally 'left'. We returned---limping (vapor locking), tired, and (mostly) smiling. It cost more than we budgeted. shrug. It was harder in some places than we expected. It was genuinely frighting in some places. It was amazing more beautiful than you can describe. We will encounter a 'harmless' wild man out on the prairie. We will help scrape a 'harley' rider off the pavement just inside the MT border--it is doubtful that he will ever ride again, or perhaps even live. We experience a not-so-harmless wild man in a Toyota that was consumed with Road Rage while exiting Old Faithful, Yellowstone NP. and we will experience some of the best and worst waitress service known to Father/Son/dos KLR's. What else-- Parts/pieces/equipment failed/broke/exploded. shrug. they make more. We got more than our monies worth. The biggest eye-opener? Sam's mother, my wife, did not even flinch when I announced 6 years ago [returning from the N 1/2 of the GDR] that I wanted to do this when he turned 14. OR when I announced that I was still wanting to do this in 2008 after riding the complete-distance GDR (modified due to injuries). Or that I bought a KLR 250 in 2009 (rode it 1750 miles in 5 days to get it home) that we prepared/hardened for the 2010 ride--only to discover 6 weeks prior to our departure that he is 'big' enough to NOW flat foot a KLR 650. So 6 weeks prior to our launch date: we get ~750 miles of trial rides; to include a 175 mile ride of asphalt and a 100 mile ride of gravel. Who would guess he would grow over 4 inches in 3 months--after I go and fetch his 'new' bike--and STILL growing. An amazing kid; an amazing woman. and no, she does not have any sisters. smile. Today's our 18th wedding anniversary. Here's to: Hoping for another 18. The best 18 years of my life. revmaaatin. who will have more to say later--in a few days.