biblicaltext dot org

Barry Bandstra rode the Great Divide on a motorcycle trip that lasted from July 22 to August 9, along with his friend Jaco Hamman from Western Theological Seminary. Read Jaco’s account of the trip. Barry rode his 1999 Kawasaki KLR 650 and Jaco rode his 2005 BMW R1200GS. The Great Divide, also called the Continental Divide, marks the line of highest elevation of the North American continent and runs through the Canadian Rockies, then through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, and continues on into Mexico. The US portion of the Great Divide trail begins in Roosville, MT on the Canadian border and runs 2497 miles to Antelope Wells, NM on the Mexican border.

The Great Divide Trail is a mountain biking trail that was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association, and motorcycles are welcome. The official trail is mostly off paved roads and follows some single track trails, forest access roads, logging roads, and back country gravel roads. The total trip was 6,172.4 riding miles according to the GPS. The GDT crosses the continental divide 24 times.

The color-coded map indicates the trip by days.

Day 1 — Wednesday July 22, 2009

I’ve prepped just about everything I can think of and am ready to take off. Meeting Jaco tonight at 5 PM for the ride to his Upper Silver Lake cottage for the overnight. It’s just a quick run from there to the Badger ferry terminal in Ludington for the 8AM departure.

Check out the pics for the various KLR upgrades.

1. Airhawk seat for the long distance ride to Roosville, MT for the start of the Great Divide

2. Homemade grip cushions made out of closed-cell foam 1″ pipe insulation from Menards, attached with nylon ties.

3. Tool tubes attached to the aluminum can frames, purchased from Tractor Supply Company in Holland for under $10 each. They are actually designed for holding equipment manuals on tractors and combines.

4. Best addition: a Pelican hard case (model 1520) purchased used off ebay for under $50. This is a professional case for photographic and other equipment. Attached it on the KLR luggage rack through the original rack bolt holes.

Jaco and I left his house on Maple Ave at 3:45 and made our way to his cottage on Upper Silver Lake, MI.

Look closely and in the background you will see the backhoe that had just ripped up Jaco’s front yard to do sewer work. Brilliant to leave town and let Michelle deal with the mess…

It was about a 75 mile ride. We just got out of town in time as a thunder storm rolled in, and missed another one shooting through Muskegon. Had a delicious dinner of Jaco sausage (ask about it at Montello Meats in Holland), organic greens salad, and Dancing Bull zinfandel on the deck overlooking the lake.

Day 2 — Thursday July 23, 2009

Woke up at 5:30 and hit the road shortly thereafter. Dense fog made the ride to Ludington and the ferry terminal a bit tense. The four hour ferry ride was also through fog until about a mile out from Manitowoc. Jaco and I were the first bikes on the ferry, making the tie down easy. Once docking at Manitowoc around 12:15 we hit the road, arriving in St. Cloud, MN around 6:45 and checked into the AmericInn. Took a dip in the pool then got dinner at the RJ Grill nearby. Total of 400 miles driving plus 60 miles across the lake.

Day 3 — Friday July 24, 2009

We started out from St. Cloud, MN. A thunder shower in the early morning hours cleaned out the air and we had a crisp ride most of the day. A long day of riding with nothing of note. We ended up in Williston, ND after about 650 miles on the bikes, right on the Montana border. Camped outside Williston and had a fried chicken dinner with fixins from Walmart, right down the road.

Day 4 — Saturday July 25, 2009

We set our sights on making Glacier National Park by the end of the day and hit the mark, after about 450 hot miles. My Swiss army of a watch at one point indicated it was 103 degrees. At one point my magnetic map holder flew off the gas tank, but I was able to go back and retrieve it. That’s about the most exciting thing that happened all day. We camped in a KOA campground in St. Mary, right outside the park. We had bbq ribs at a cafe in St. Mary.

Day 5 — Sunday July 26, 2009

Rained off and on through the night and into the morning. The St. Mary KOA Campground had a nice breakfast deal which we took advantage of: a stack of six pancakes with scrambled eggs for $5. I couldn’t reach the bottom of the plate.

We headed off to Glacier National Park after breakfast and stopped first at the interpretation center at the entrance to watch a very nice movie about the part, its geology, and its wildlife. It included some spectacular photography of the park’s animals.

We rode the “Going to the Sun” road to West Glacier. This is a spectacular road over the mountains at Logan Pass. Lots of bicyclers and others out. Almost at the start of the ride we saw a coyote on the side of the road. Though the sky looked threatening we only caught a few drops.

After Glacier we headed south, much of it tracking the eastern shore of Flathead Lake, which is a huge body of water at the base of the rockies. We made our Missoula destination late in the afternoon. After confirming the location of the BMW/Kawasaki shop for the tire swap tomorrow, we moved into our Days Inn room right off downtown.

Day 6 — Monday July 27, 2009

Roosville to Red Meadow, MT
71 mile mark
Got knobbie tires mounted at Big Sky Motorsports in Missoula, MT. Got out of the shop around 11:30 and headed straight for Roosville. Gorgeous day for the 200 mile ride. Got our pictures at the border crossing and started on the trail at about 4:30 pm. Have the GPS coordinates for the Great Divide ride loaded into both Garmins: my 2710 and Jaco’s Zumo 550. Jaco leads the way. All was fine, though I ended up eating a lot of dust on the gravel roads. When the sun lowered behind the mountains, we decided to set up camp. We came upon a gorgeous little lake nestled at the end of a couple mountains and pitched our tents about 20 from its edge. Some fly fishermen were casting, and a dog was fetching sticks tossed into the lake. We cooked up a satisfying meal of pasta strogonoff.

Day 7 — Tuesday July 28, 2009

to Ovando, MT
270 mile mark

Hit the trail by 7:30 though Jaco could have pulled out earlier. He was eager to get going. I lingered over coffee. The trail continued right alongside our camp site, so we didn’t have to travel far for the next leg. Notes:
Clouds of butterflies on the trail flying into us.
Moose and deer on the trail.
Rain late in the afternoon, downpour on the trail, otherwise great weather.
Three bicyclists on the trail: the only others we’ve seen doing the GD ride.
Overnight camping at the Harry Morgan fishing access east of Ovando. We set up in the rain, but then it cleared. Jaco and I did a quick bath in the frigid river. It has rained at some point every day so far.

Day 8 — Wednesday July 29, 2009

to 4th of July campground south of Wise River, MT
Traveled 535 miles since Roosville.
Had an outstanding day. Broke camp at Ovando and hit the trail. A bright and crisp day. Welcome, since nighttime was in the low forties. Both of us put our sleeping bags to the test. Much of the day was off tarmac. No dust to contend with because of the rain the night before. We got off route a couple times, but the road was always worth it. The most exciting time came around noon as we followed what we thought was the route as it came to a steep rocky wash. We headed up until both of us couldn’t climb any further, and both bikes fell over. It took both Jaco and I to get his bike upright. After some discussion and surveying the trail by walking it up, we decided we’d never make it. And after all, we weren’t even convinced we were on route. So we decided to go back down. It took both of us to turn the bikes around, and then get down. At the bottom of the wash a grizzly cub barred our way. Jaco laid on the horn to alert the mom, who must have been nearby. I thought he was just celebrating our successful descent, then learned the grizzly story.

A bit later we met another GD motorcyclist on the trail. Brad from Fargo was riding a KLR 250. He makes medical braces for people injured in motorcycle accidents. Rather ironic. We rode together for a couple hours.

Our campsite was superb, situated on the Wise River in the US Forest.

Day 9 — Thursday July 30, 2009

It was 31 degrees when we got up. But NO rain overnight. The campground was fantastic.We hit the road about 7:30 again. I’m writing this from a nice little restaurant in Lima, MT. After I’m done with this entry I’m going to dig into the slice of pecan pie that’s right now sitting in front of me.

After talking with some Idahoans who knew the area well, we changed plans. Turns out we’re only two hours away from Yellowstone National Park, and Jaco’s never seen Old Faithful. So we’re going off route for a day, and we’re also going to stay in a motel for the showers and laundry.

Okay, I ate the pie, and we hit the road. Stayed on gravel for 58 miles, sometimes quite challenging, until we hit Route 20 into West Yellowstone.

Day 10 — Friday July 31, 2009

West Yellowstone to Union Pass
217 miles for the day, 971 into the Great Divide, 2920 total miles since leaving Holland

Jaco mistakenly set his alarm for 5am rather than our usual 6am, something we noticed only after we were both up and he had showered. So we decided to make the most of it. We set out to find a restaurant open that early and ended up at MacDonalds, each getting their monster breakfast. We packed and were on the road by 7, and headed for the park. The beginning of the ride was magical, with steam coming off the rivers and morning fog covering the meadows.

Turned out to be a great time to enter the park: very few other visitors and no traffic. Almost immediately we saw three elk drinking from the river, and then a small cluster of bison.

We saw Old Faithful go off as scheduled at 9:06 am. As we rode through the park we stopped at various sights, including other thermal vents. We were slowed twice for construction, once in Yellowstone and once in Teton. We had a fine time with the Tetons on our right. At one photo op I opened my top case to discover that my water bottle had opened from the vibrations and spilled its contents into everything including my computer — which fortunately IS still working.

We ran into rain and more construction heading east toward Dubois, and got off to take the Union Pass road. All gravel and an bit wet, but a gorgeous ride. The day was waning and there were no formal campsites, so we stopped near Mosquito Lake. The grassy areas were full of cow pies, but we couldn’t continue because we were tired, and it was starting to rain again. It actually, apart from the manure, to be a nice place to stop. We cooked dinner and had dessert of those great Hostess pies (mine cherry, of course, and Jaco’s berry).

Jaco and I were both taken with the smells we get while riding, especially right after a rain. The spell of pine was just overwhelming on Union Pass.

Day 11 — Saturday August 1, 2009

1180 Great Divide miles so far, nearing halfway

It was really cold Friday night. We awoke at sunrise and it was 27 degrees. Ice had formed on the seat of my bike.

We both struggled to get comfortable and stay warm through the night. I slept with a sock cap on my head and that helped a lot. After coffee/tea and oatmeal, we took off. We put in about 5 hours on challenging gravel, much of it slippery and with deep washboard. This kind of riding is exhausting and offers little opportunity to appreciate the scenery.

We had lunch at this little frontier town called Atlantic City — it was their summer arts and crafts fair. We both concluded the morning had exhausted us, so we decided to go off trail and back to the highway and head for Rawlins. We met John in Atlantic City. He is walking the Great Divide Trail. He is three months into the five month project.

We also thought, after last nights frigid temps and the early morning from the night before, we would treat ourselves to a motel stop. Which also gives me the chance to use the Days Inn wireless to update the blog.

Day 12 — Sunday August 2, 2009

Rawlings, WY to Silverthorne, CO for 252 miles
Great ride, and ended up being a rather exciting day. We left Rawlins, which is a major truck stop on Route 80, and it was a gorgeous morning for a ride. The route began paved but soon degraded to “State Maintenance Ends” here, which means dirt and gravel. Saw lots of deer in the fields, and of course cattle. A good part of the ride took us through the Medicine Bow National Forest, and including paths lined with Aspens.

We rode for about 5 hours on gravel and came to Steamboat Springs. Had lunch at the Cantina on main street and made some calls home. Very nice and relaxed.

The trail out of Steamboat brought us along a river where the trail was no more than a path, and we came out at a reservoir full of Sunday boaters. At that point the official GD trail became a bike path that disallowed motorized travel, so we took an alternate road. This road eventually rejoined the trail, but then we came to a creek which blocked other vehicular traffic.

This is where things got especially interesting. We really didn’t want to turn around and retrace our ride, so decided to ford it. Our mistake, perhaps, was failing to walk across first – because we didn’t want to get our boots wet – so Jaco headed straight in. He got three quarters across when the engine quit and wouldn’t restart. I quickly removed my boots and socks (after taking a picture), and with considerable effort we pushed it toward the bank, where after a while it started.

NOW we determined that the right side is shallower. My turn. Put the boots back on and took off, making it across with little struggle. Killer, as they call the KLR, performed well. So we took off up the road, but then Beemer’s engine light came on. We stopped and checked out the oil level window on the side of the engine, and it was obvious water had gotten inside the crankcase.

Now what do we do? It could be disastrous to run the bike in that state, but we were in the middle of nowhere, and roadside assistance, it being Sunday afternoon late, and just the impossibility of the whole notion, had us in a bind. We figured we must empty the contaminated oil and put in fresh before we turn the bike on again and ride on. But between us we had less than a quart of oil, and the bike takes three.

It just so happens we had stopped near a ranch house, and there weren’t many out in these parts. So we walked up the drive and were met by Maurice, who turned out to be wonderful. He had three quarts of NAPA oil and an oil pan, and even went back down to the road to help us with the oil change.

The strangest part of the whole oil change experience was that the oil didn’t want to flow out of the engine after Jaco removed the oil filter. Why wasn’t the oil flowing out? Remember, there were three of us presumably knowledgeable guys working on this bike (but remember that two of them are professors) and we were all puzzled. We finally determined that by unplugging the spark plugs and turning over the engine without starting it, we could get the oil out, and that worked. Only after we got back on the road did we realize – we forgot to remove the drain plug!! Such, I suppose, is the power of adrenaline that it doesn’t always allow a person to think straight.

We continued on into Kremmling, bought another quart of oil to top off the engine, and then rode toward Dillon for the night. We decided to overnight there so we could purchase oil in the morning for another change to remove any residual moisture from the engine, and then continue on.

The motel was right next to a Target, so we bought sandwiches there then had a great night’s sleep.

Day 13 — Monday August 3, 2009

Silverthorne, CO to Del Norte, CO
Jaco scouted sources of motorcycle oil and came back to the Silver Inn with some serviceable Valvoline. Jaco did another oil change, this time under more comfortable conditions in the motel parking lot – and using the oil drain plug.

We were on our way by 10am and headed to Breckenridge, including a quick cruise through this trendy ski resort’s downtown. We were shortly heading for Boreas Pass south of Breckenridge. Very accessible and a beautiful view from the top.

Coming down the pass we headed to Hartsel, where we snacked up and sat out a quick downpour. Then we went gravel through the San Isabel National Forest and came out at Salida, where we had a nice lunch and walk around the town. Then on to Del Norte in the fertile Rio Grande river valley. Our camp site was just a couple hundred yards from that famous river.

Day 14 — Tuesday August 4, 2009

Del Norte, CO to Albuquerque, NM
Today we entered the “Land of Enchantment” as their license plates put it. For us it turned out to be a challenging, troubled, and very hot day.

We broke camp and hit the road around 7:15 am, heading for Indiana Pass. This is the highest point on the entire official Great Divide trail at 11,910 ft. The road iswell-maintained and it began to look like a good ride. But when we got near the summit, with no prior notice, we found the road was closed. We had no choice but to find an alternate route south. We located a route 329 on the map that looked like it would fit the bill. We encountered a couple huge logging trucks as we worked up 329, and then the road degraded, but finally we arrived at the summit, called Blowout Pass, just under Bennette’s Peak (13,203 ft.).

Then we couldn’t find a way down. First we tried something called Trail 700, but both of us laid our bikes down on this tricky path.

Then we took the only other alternative: a very rocky wash of a path straight down the mountain.

We headed down this steep and slippery trail using first gear and our rear brakes. Then smoke started coming off the rear of Jaco’s bike. We stopped and tried to identify the source; finding fluid around the rear axle, we wondered if the rear drive bust a seal or the rear brake went bad.

We had no choice but to go down, so Jaco proceeded using his front brake with the engine off, using the engine with clutch to slow him down. We made it safely to the base – no small feat – but the beemer engine was smoking it was so hot. Down on level ground we determined that the brake line was cracked and the rear brake fluid gone.

Once we reached cell phone signal, Jaco contacted a BWM shop in Albuqurque and arranged service. Because he could go faster alone than with me ( though he only had a front brake) he took off to get his bike to the shop before it closed. I continued at a slower pace. When we finally met at the shop, after three hours of highway riding in 100+ degree heat, I found out his clutch had also failed on the way to Albuquerque. Close to the shop he couldn’t continue on and a wonderful passerby, Jared Nussbaum, stopped to help, going so far to get his trailer, get the bike on it, and drive Jaco and the bike to the BMW dealer. Not only that, he lent Jaco his van and had the two of us over for dinner with his family.

Here’s where we stand at the end of the day. Our stomachs are full from the great steak dinner with the Nussbaums, we’re resting comfortably in the Drury Inn and Suites, and the shop has already started replacing the brake line and the clutch. Tomorrow we’ll know when and where we go from here.

Day 15 — Wednesday August 5, 2009
Drury Inn and Suites — Alburqurque, NM

No riding today.

Brief update on beemer repair. Jaco’s bike is currently split in half for clutch repairs.

Turns out the primary culprit was the clutch’s slave cylinder. Its seal was compromised, perhaps because of the engine heat buildup going down 329. The shop is waiting for the part to arrive, and then they have to reassemble the machine. Hopefully sometime tomorrow.

It’s a burden but looks like we’ll have to endure the Drury Inn (with its free happy hour) another night.

Repairing Jaco’s 1200GS took longer than anticipated. Sandia BMW didn’t have the needed parts on hand to complete the job, so we kicked around Albuquerque a bit. We went to the Kawasaki shop and I picked up a remaindered Kawi mirror to replace the one I broke on Blowout Pass. At $10 it came in a bit cheaper than Jaco’s repair bill, once he got it. We went to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and took in the 11am showing of “Enchanged Skies: The Digital Universe” in its planetarium. It also has interesting dinosaur and rocks/minerals exhibits. Then we went to Albuquerque’s old town, walked the shops and did some gift shopping, and then had lunch.

Day 16 — Thursday August 6, 2009

We headed to the BMW shop right away in the morning to get a read on the repair. Because they could not confirm that they had even received shipment of the needed part yet, Jaco and I decided I should take off and complete the Divide ride on my own. So I took off from the Drury Inn and headed west toward Grants on I-40 to pick up the trail. I headed south on 117 through the Malpais.

The sky was quite overcast, and it looked like rain further south. I had pie in Pie Town — though, it turns out, not at the famous Pioneer Cafe shop, but at the Daily Pie cafe (pastrami sandwich was really tough, and the pecan pie was only okay).

From there I headed to the Very Large Array: the cluster of radion telescopes off 60 that are iconic and are featured in both 2010 with Roy Scheider and Contact with Jodi Foster. A really big storm was brewing so I only took pictures rather than also taking in the information center.

I called Jaco in the afternoon to learn that the part had come in and was now installed, and the bike had been reassembled. But after the mechanic took the bike out for a test ride it became apparent something was still quite wrong. Further investigation determined that they had installed the wrong clutch assembly. Apparently the 2005 model year used two different plates from two different manufacturers, and the shop had used the wrong set. And they didn’t have the right one in stock. So they had to break the bike apart again, and again wait for the new parts to arrive. And they weren’t sure they would arrive Saturday, meaning Jaco might have to stay into Tuesday, because they are closed on Mondays. What a disappointing development. This meant there was no chance we could hook up for the final leg to Antelope Wells.

As if to punctuate the bad news, the sky opened up when I hit Datil and I took refuge in a NMDOT maintenance garage. After the rain let up I took Route 12 from Datil, which turns into 180, for a gorgeous ride to Silver City where I spent the night in a decent motel in a scruffy part of the town.

Day 17 — Friday August 7, 2009

Today I formally completed the Great Divide ride, albeit not on the prescribed GDT route. In order to make time I stayed off the gravel roads and headed as directly as possible for Antelope Wells. It is a straight shot south off I-10 for 65 miles, and I had to do it twice: once south, and then again north to get back to the interstate highway. Antelope Wells is nothing but a border crossing, but it did bring closure to a rather eventful and beautiful ride. I was just sad that Jaco wasn’t there to share the moment.

At that point I decided I would head home as expeditiously as possible. Fortunately there was a nicely angled route from New Mexico to Michigan, following Route 70 to I-40 near Amarillo, to I-44, then I-55, and I-80/94 to the usual path home to Holland.

Route 70 took me through the White Sands Missile Range, which includes a Space Shuttle landing facility, and Roswell (though I didn’t see Area 51). It was a rather hot ride, and I overnighted in Portales, NM near the Texas border.

Day 18 — Saturday August 8, 2009

Saturday looked to be a hot slog of a ride and it was. Even worse, the wind was brutal. I took off at 7am and stopped in Amarillo for a great breakfast at a Waffle House off I-40. There Crystal my waitress told me they were expecting 40 mph wind gusts from the south. And she certainly delivered. The ride to Oklahoma City was one of the most exhausting I’ve had with the KLR. The gust kept trying to shove me into the left lane, and for hours the bike was hopping around. I think the big high front fender was designed specifically to catch that crosswind. Jaco took the same route two days later and reported that he saw semi-trailers overturned from the wind laying on the side of the highway.

I decided to ride the day as long as I could in order to make it back to Holland by the end of the next day. As the sun was setting I pulled into Joplin, MO, but had a tough time landing a motel room. Not only was it Saturday night, there was a convention of Vietnamese Christians in town and they had scarfed up most of the available housing. I ended up getting a Days Inn room for $114, which turned out to be the most expensive room of the trip of those nights Jaco and I opted for civilized digs (and on those nights we split the cost).

Day 19 — Sunday August 9, 2009

The day started hot and muggy in Joplin — a far cry from those sub-freezing mornings out west. Basically I just hunkered down and headed for Holland. Except for the 100+ degree temps on I-55, all went smoothly. Since I had a 700 mile day ahead of me I determined I could make it in four 175 mile legs. Staring with a full tank I could then make do with three fill-up stops. I must say the butt got mighty sore at times, but I pulled it off. The last leg turned wet, predictably at Benton Harbor where it seems there’s always precips. I came upon I-196/31 right after it had rained so I didn’t bother to stop to don rain gear. Then, right after I came upon the construction zone at South Haven, it started pouring, and there was no shoulder or place to pull off. So I just hunkered down till Holland. I pulled in around 8:30 pm and was greatly relieved to be home, exhausted but in one piece after a very challenging ride.

My Garmin 2720 Street Pilot GPS tells me that total mileage for the trip was 6172.4 miles.

Final observations

• The KLR 650 was a decent bike for the ride. Though it strained a bit on the interstates, it was superb off-road and in the hills. Mileage was usually between 45-50 mpg, but lower on the highway. Highest comfortable top speed was 65 mph. The bike had no mechanical issues and didn’t burn a drop of oil.
• The enhancements that made the highway riding (almost) bearable: the Vista Cruise throttle lock, so I could occasionally shake feeling back into my right hand, and also keep a fairly steady speed; my homemade highway pegs, constructed out of 32 inches of half-inch black plumbers pipe with Schwinn handlebar grips, U-bolted to my aluminum engine crash guard; and my beloved Airhawk seat cushion.
• We each had a Garmin GPS with the Adventure Cycling Association’s route and wayppoints, the ACA’s beautiful mapset, and Michael McCoy’s Cycling the Great Divide book — and we STILL got lost a good number of times. And this, I would like to think, was not due to lack of navigating skills. It is just a tough route, and tough to follow due to a lack of signage on the ground.
• My 70 oz. Camelbak saved me on the long trip home. Nice people in the gas station convenience stores invariably allowed me to top it off with ice from their pop machines, and this way I had ice water the whole day.
• This is the most challenging motorcycling I’ve ever done, and I’ve been riding since I was 15 years old. I would do it again. I think.

Postscript

The part for Jaco’s bike did come in Saturday morning, and Sandia BMW got his bike back together and out the door that day. Jaco sped south and spent the night in Deming on I-10. On Sunday he rode down to Antelope Wells to complete the GDT and then headed home

Jaco arrived safely back in Holland at 11 am Tuesday morning, to the great relief of his good wife Michelle, and to the delight of his beautiful daughters Jami and Michaela.

For Maniac’s interesting and well-illustrated 2009 Great Divide narrative, see his Adventure Rider contributions

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 20th, 2009 at 10:35 am and is filed under Motorcycling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.