July 9, 2017: Utah !!!

It has been a very busy few weeks since I left Vancouver on the new Honda 250. I cannonball’d in 5 days to Las Vegas to meet up with Claire. I can’t remember the last time I rode 2,200kms in 5 days on a 250 single cylinder motorcycle 😉 Surprisingly this little bike has some serious potential for long distance ADV travel. Granted it’s not as comfy as the big GS, but it is light and wicked fun to ride. On day 3, I had to stop at a Wal Mart to find an ATV seat cover to strap on to make it a bit more tour friendly though…

Since Las Vegas, Claire and I have hit up a few stellar moto/ hike spots. We have done: Las Vegas -> Dixie National Forest -> Kenab ( Mt Carmel Junction) -> Bryce Canyon -> Escalante -> Coral Reef National Park -> Hanksville -> Monument Valley -> Moki Dugway -> Valley Of The Gods -> Moab. We are currently in Moab and will be here for the next week or so exploring this rad place.

One thing that we are battling right now is the extreme heat. If we don’t get on the road by 8am’ish or earlier, we end up getting trapped in 40c-47c heat in the afternoon. Seeing as how we’re desert riding, we have very few spots on the side of the road to hide and cover from the sun. Luckily when I picked up the new bike at Holeshot Langley, I bought a new KTM ADV Rally Jacket that has air vents and a big pocket in the back behind the kidneys for a water bladder and Brian Bentley, Sales Manager at Holeshot Langley, gave me a Klim Krios Helmet. I’m used to using a open face helmet for the past many years but planning to ride this much offroad this summer I knew I needed a full face. Getting this Klim Krios has been an absolute joy. It has the smoked sun shield and is crazy light. Having my face covered from the sun and heat is the best part, my cheeks would be cooked by now with the HJC Jet that I’ve been using from Alaska to Colombia… Claire and I both bought Platypus bladders in Las Vegas at an REI. The ideas have been flowing to try to figure out how to keep cool so we don’t fall asleep while riding. The best that we have come up with are: Wet buffs, wet t-shirts, get ice and water in the platypus bladders. I slide the water bladder in the back pocket and it keeps my kidneys cool for a good hr and a half… Claire has even come as far as flipping her water bladder backpack in side out, wearing it on her chest and zipping her jacket up to have ice close to her core.  two nights ago, we bought sham-wow cloths and slid them in the inside back armour pockets of our jackets to wet and surprisingly they stay wet longer than a wet t-shirt… This is the hottest weather I’ve ridden in to date and I think we have a pretty good cooling system down to keep comfortable’ish. After we’re done exploring Moab, we’ll be heading towards the Divide to gain some altitude to get out of the heat. Let’s hope we find some cooler areas…

A lot of people have told me I’m crazy for making the decision to store the GS in Colombia, basically turn around, fly back, buy another bike and ride the USA with Claire. I’d say quitting a stellar Marketing Career with Barnes HD, selling my house, storing my belongings in a Sea Container at my parents house and leaving all comforts of Canada for the unknown is the crazy idea, this next 3 months is just another level of it, hahahahaha. I don’t regret at all turning around and spending time with this new girl and riding a new bike. From the pics, you can see how much fun Claire and I are having. It’s refreshing to find another moto chica traveller that I can connect this well with…