l84toff
Well-known member
Give us look see at your tool kit next time you have it out to bash on the bike.
Ok, now you're getting a little personal don't you think? :lmao:
Lifes2short....Ride the World
- Thread starter l84toff
- Start date
Ok, now you're getting a little personal don't you think? :lmao:
Re: Post NFLD Gear Update
I wear an Olympia jacket. Interested to hear this story.
Great blog, thanks for sharing. Safe travels.
I wear an Olympia jacket. Interested to hear this story.
Great blog, thanks for sharing. Safe travels.
I'm not going down that road.
l84toff
Well-known member
Black Hills II
We took another scenic route leaving Rapid City through Custer State Park, then looped north via Needles Highway before making our way south into Wyoming and Guernsey State Park for the night.
Going up 16A off Iron Mountain was just fantastic, the road spiralling upwards and taking us through several single lane tunnels.
Going through one of the tunnels, cool special effects looking shot.
Another view of Rushmore
Checking out where the buffalo roamI have to say I was a bit worried riding down the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park at first. I wondered if it was even ok to be on a bike on the road but noted that I hadn't seen a sign telling us otherwise. It definitely would have been interesting had the buffalo crossed the road around us. Tiger vs buffalo? Typically I'd go with the tiger in the wild, but I think we may be a bit loaded down for a good fight...
I was really surprised to see these guys so close to the road, seemingly unafraid, except for one little guy that would take off when a vehicle drove by.
This guy was hanging out about two feet off the road.
It was difficult to believe but the views just kept getting better and better as we hit Needles Highway. 
It was one phenomenal view after another. Hard to pass up and well worth it but it did make for a long day as we pulled into Guernsey Park just before dark. We both thought Wyoming was very pretty from what little we saw of it so far. No mountains to speak of on the east side of the state but rolling valleys, cattle ranches and views for miles in every direction. The next day we continued*south into Fort Collins and another state, Colorado.
We took another scenic route leaving Rapid City through Custer State Park, then looped north via Needles Highway before making our way south into Wyoming and Guernsey State Park for the night.
Going up 16A off Iron Mountain was just fantastic, the road spiralling upwards and taking us through several single lane tunnels.Going through one of the tunnels, cool special effects looking shot.Another view of RushmoreChecking out where the buffalo roamI have to say I was a bit worried riding down the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park at first. I wondered if it was even ok to be on a bike on the road but noted that I hadn't seen a sign telling us otherwise. It definitely would have been interesting had the buffalo crossed the road around us. Tiger vs buffalo? Typically I'd go with the tiger in the wild, but I think we may be a bit loaded down for a good fight...I was really surprised to see these guys so close to the road, seemingly unafraid, except for one little guy that would take off when a vehicle drove by.This guy was hanging out about two feet off the road.It was difficult to believe but the views just kept getting better and better as we hit Needles Highway. It was one phenomenal view after another. Hard to pass up and well worth it but it did make for a long day as we pulled into Guernsey Park just before dark. We both thought Wyoming was very pretty from what little we saw of it so far. No mountains to speak of on the east side of the state but rolling valleys, cattle ranches and views for miles in every direction. The next day we continued*south into Fort Collins and another state, Colorado.
Beautiful shots.
l84toff
Well-known member
Thanks. I've been hoping to get some reviews done for the gear, it's on the list along all the video footage I haven't touched yet. This riding business just keeps getting in the way...
Ha! The kit is less than perfect, in fact I need to replace a few items I lost when my Giant Loop pouch off the front fender back in NFLD.I'm not going down that road.
Thanks guys.
l84toff
Well-known member
Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park
You went to Colorado for tires? Well it seems no one else has any Heidenau K60's in stock and this was the closest place I could find. Of course, I've always wanted to see Colorado, so it wasn't a difficult decision since we were only about 500km away anyway. A shop in Sturgis, SD had the same Tourance EXP's that I had been running so far, but I wanted to try something a bit more off road capable to get us up to the Arctic Circle. The K60's are a 50/50 tire so they should work well for that.
It was about 6:30 by the time the tires were done and we had dinner, and we still had no idea where we'd be staying that night. Our plan was to head out via Poudre Canyon as we'd heard there was lots of camping along this road. But after stopping at the GoLite store downtown Ft Collins on our way out, Cooper, who worked there, talked us into taking Trail Ridge Rd instead. This meant staying in town another night.
It was Saturday evening and downtown Ft Collins was alive. We both thought it would be nice to hang out and check out some of the awesome looking pubs, maybe find a cheap hotel near by. Yeah right! Everything was either booked up or well over $200 for the night. I knew there were several campgrounds heading out of Loveland along Route 34 so off we went.
Pretty cool view of the mountains from the Perkins parking lot the next morning.
The canyon scenery was mesmerizing as we snaked our way out of town west along Route 34 next to the Big Thompson River.
Once into Rocky Mountain National Park, the snow capped mountains getting closer and closer as we snake our way upwards.
We pull over at one of the scenic look outs. Yup, definitely scenic.
We seem to have this knack to be able to find snow everywhere we go.
I really can see for miles and miles…
Onwards and upwards.
We're essentially at the top here, 12,183 feet. The highest elevation the three of us have experienced to date.
New rubber lookin' good…
The view was literally breathtaking. Just walking around with my gear on made me light headed and short of breath.
Looks like a dip in one of those lakes might be refreshing…It was a very hazy day, so not the best for pics
The temperature was 16C at the top. I imagine the snow doesn't last all summer. Of course the forecast yesterday was sleet, so maybe it gets the occasional re-fill. I later learned that some of these are permanent snow fields.
Nothing like some summer fun…in the snow.
As with most things that go up, one must eventually come down.
You went to Colorado for tires? Well it seems no one else has any Heidenau K60's in stock and this was the closest place I could find. Of course, I've always wanted to see Colorado, so it wasn't a difficult decision since we were only about 500km away anyway. A shop in Sturgis, SD had the same Tourance EXP's that I had been running so far, but I wanted to try something a bit more off road capable to get us up to the Arctic Circle. The K60's are a 50/50 tire so they should work well for that.
It was about 6:30 by the time the tires were done and we had dinner, and we still had no idea where we'd be staying that night. Our plan was to head out via Poudre Canyon as we'd heard there was lots of camping along this road. But after stopping at the GoLite store downtown Ft Collins on our way out, Cooper, who worked there, talked us into taking Trail Ridge Rd instead. This meant staying in town another night.
It was Saturday evening and downtown Ft Collins was alive. We both thought it would be nice to hang out and check out some of the awesome looking pubs, maybe find a cheap hotel near by. Yeah right! Everything was either booked up or well over $200 for the night. I knew there were several campgrounds heading out of Loveland along Route 34 so off we went.
Pretty cool view of the mountains from the Perkins parking lot the next morning.
The canyon scenery was mesmerizing as we snaked our way out of town west along Route 34 next to the Big Thompson River.
Once into Rocky Mountain National Park, the snow capped mountains getting closer and closer as we snake our way upwards.
We pull over at one of the scenic look outs. Yup, definitely scenic.
We seem to have this knack to be able to find snow everywhere we go.
I really can see for miles and miles…
Onwards and upwards.
We're essentially at the top here, 12,183 feet. The highest elevation the three of us have experienced to date.
New rubber lookin' good…
The view was literally breathtaking. Just walking around with my gear on made me light headed and short of breath.
Looks like a dip in one of those lakes might be refreshing…It was a very hazy day, so not the best for pics
The temperature was 16C at the top. I imagine the snow doesn't last all summer. Of course the forecast yesterday was sleet, so maybe it gets the occasional re-fill. I later learned that some of these are permanent snow fields.
Nothing like some summer fun…in the snow.
As with most things that go up, one must eventually come down.
l84toff
Well-known member
Re: Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park
Near the bottom. I say that like we're at sea level or something, I think we were still about 8,000 feet here. In fact the rest of the next 2 days were spent above 6,000 feet. I noted how exciting it was to get to the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 6,047 feet last time we were there, yet this was one of the lowest elevations around these parts.
On the way down, we passed a beautiful campground in a valley, surrounded by mountains. I regret not stopping to try and get a site. We ended up riding almost till dark to Craig, CO before finding a campground that was not full. One of the downsides of trying to camp in the middle of summer and in the middle of Colorado.
What a spectacular day!
Almost forgot, our route for the day:
Near the bottom. I say that like we're at sea level or something, I think we were still about 8,000 feet here. In fact the rest of the next 2 days were spent above 6,000 feet. I noted how exciting it was to get to the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 6,047 feet last time we were there, yet this was one of the lowest elevations around these parts.
On the way down, we passed a beautiful campground in a valley, surrounded by mountains. I regret not stopping to try and get a site. We ended up riding almost till dark to Craig, CO before finding a campground that was not full. One of the downsides of trying to camp in the middle of summer and in the middle of Colorado.
What a spectacular day!
Almost forgot, our route for the day:
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Re: Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park
lost my post damn
do this at some point on your trip - they are correct.
lost my post damn
do this at some point on your trip - they are correct.
“Wildlife and Spectacular Scenery!!!”Reviewed 30 May 2014
This is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. We drive the Alcan twice a year and the trip through this park is always the highlight of our trip. From seeing stone sheep to scenic vistas this is one beautiful spot. The emerald waters of Muncho Lake is with mountains rising on all sides is the highlight of the park and there is a wonderful campsite right off the Alaskan Highway. If there has to be a downside it is the traffic travelling the highway along the lake shore but it doesn't seem to bother any of the wildlife.
Visited May 2014
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See all 3 reviews by mike y for Fort Nelson
Ask mike y about Muncho Lake Provincial Park
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Devotedyukoner
Whitehorse, Canada
Reviewer
4 reviews
“Just Awesome”
Reviewed 2 April 2014
No matter how many times we travel the road in Muncho Lake Provincial Park, I never get tired of it. It is "Just Awesome".
Visited April 2014
See all 4 reviews by Devotedyukoner for Fort Nelson
Ask Devotedyukoner about Muncho Lake Provincial Park
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Dave A
Fort Nelson, Canada
Contributor
17 reviews4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 6 cities
2 helpful votes
“The Most Beautiful Scenery on the Alaska Highway”
Reviewed 26 November 2013
We try to spend at least a week every June at Muncho Lake. The fishing in June is great and the weather is usually nice as well. We camp at Muncho Lake Lodge and RV Park. Owned and operated by Brian McDonald and Joanne Middleton, They have one of the nicest spots on the lake. They have full hookups, showers and reasonable rates. There is no lodge yet. The wildlife viewing is unbelievable, we have seen Grizzly and Black Bear, Moose, Caribou, Sheep and Eagles. A perfect spot to spend some lazy summer days, or to hike and explore. Mineral licks and the Liard Hot Springs are in close proximity . Words cannot do it justice, just go there.
Visited August 2013
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Fender pouches. Yeah, I have a story about those too. Never trust the clips will hold when you hit the gnarly stuff.Thanks. I've been hoping to get some reviews done for the gear, it's on the list along all the video footage I haven't touched yet. This riding business just keeps getting in the way...
Ha! The kit is less than perfect, in fact I need to replace a few items I lost when my Giant Loop pouch off the front fender back in NFLD.
Thanks guys.
I used a dremel tool and knotched the fender to accept the clips after my little accident involving some air time on the KLR. After that mod it was mint.
I've heard of guys using washers and bolts through the fender to make it work as well.
I should also say that with the weight of a spare tube on my DR650E fender, every time I hit the brakes hard or *ahem* the front tire lost contact with the ground, the fender would slap my Kenda 270 and grind a bit of plastic off of the tip of the fender. Even with the beefed up washers on the fender mounting bolts.
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Re: Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park
Let's do it next year! The shots are beautiful!I need to go there
Re: Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park
Move some mountains into Onterrible.
Can we move Ontario and bump Alberta east.....
Move some mountains into Onterrible.
l84toff
Well-known member
Butch Cassidy & The Spanish Kids?
Our day started out pretty average as we decided on Rock Springs WY for our destination. Lori was starting to feel under the weather and wanted to stay indoors. We headed west along Hwy40 before picking up Route 318, decent riding with almost no traffic on this road.
Our GPS kept trying to grab my attention by indicating we should turn around for some reason. Usually if we just stick to the route it eventually figures out this is the way we want to go and re-routes accordingly. This time it kept insisting we turn around. I finally decided to pull over and plug in the same destination into the phone GPS to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Sure enough, same thing, GO BACK! Hmmmm. Re-tracing our planned route on the GPS, I could not find any reason why heading this way was a bad idea, so we continued.
A few moments later I looked over at a hill on my left and I saw what appeared to be a hand pointing in the direction we were travelling in. Seriously! As we got closer, I could make out that the hand was actually a small dead tree. Still, good enough for me and we kept on trucking. The phone GPS eventually understood our plan and led us up 10N, a dirt road.
Within moments we were in this canyon. Very cool but also a bit creepy in a way, as there was absolutely no traffic around.
Fantastic views, we passed a primitive campground a few minutes later but I got the impression Lori didn't want to stop here…
It felt like something out of a western actually, except we were riding our steel horse. Only thing that would have made this more complete is someone on a horse at the top of one of the ridges.
We eventually passed a vehicle stopped at the side of the road and I went back to see if they were ok.
As it turned out they had a flat, so we helped them with the tire change. But first we had to wait for someone with a jack since their Prius didn't have one. A few moments later a real cowboy looking dude passed by and of course had a jack. So we had a group tire change party in the middle of a canyon.
The couple driving the Prius said they were looking for Butch Cassidy's treasure that's rumoured to be buried in this canyon...somewhere. The cowboy with the jack said he actually knows someone that found part of it, took it to the bank and was given $500 for it. Apparently the money he found disintegrated on contact, it was that brittle. Cool story.
We pulled into Rock Springs a bit on the early side for checking into a hotel, and besides we still hadn't booked a place. So we did the next best thing and found a Starbucks. Pulling up we see a loaded KTM Adventure parked right out front with a foreign plate on the back and all kinds of stickers from around the world. Cool! That's when we met Fernando & Almu, a couple from Spain.
They've been on the road since May 2013 and have already travelled through 26 countries and have covered over 75,000km. We spent the next few hours chatting up a storm. Unfortunately they were heading in the opposite direction. As in exact opposite direction to Ft Collins to the same dealership to get the same K60's put on their bike. So we told them about Butch Cassidy's canyon and free camping and anything else we could think of. They are heading south into Mexico and are hoping to make it to Ushuaia by March.
Safe riding guys!
What a fantastically serendipitous day. From meeting Cooper the day before who told us to go another way, to stopping to help someone broken down. We would have either gone a different way or been here at a different time. I think it's quite amazing how all this stuff works out. It's meeting wonderful people along the way and experiences like those today, that add to the trip on so many levels.
Our day started out pretty average as we decided on Rock Springs WY for our destination. Lori was starting to feel under the weather and wanted to stay indoors. We headed west along Hwy40 before picking up Route 318, decent riding with almost no traffic on this road.
Our GPS kept trying to grab my attention by indicating we should turn around for some reason. Usually if we just stick to the route it eventually figures out this is the way we want to go and re-routes accordingly. This time it kept insisting we turn around. I finally decided to pull over and plug in the same destination into the phone GPS to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Sure enough, same thing, GO BACK! Hmmmm. Re-tracing our planned route on the GPS, I could not find any reason why heading this way was a bad idea, so we continued.
A few moments later I looked over at a hill on my left and I saw what appeared to be a hand pointing in the direction we were travelling in. Seriously! As we got closer, I could make out that the hand was actually a small dead tree. Still, good enough for me and we kept on trucking. The phone GPS eventually understood our plan and led us up 10N, a dirt road.
Within moments we were in this canyon. Very cool but also a bit creepy in a way, as there was absolutely no traffic around.
Fantastic views, we passed a primitive campground a few minutes later but I got the impression Lori didn't want to stop here…
It felt like something out of a western actually, except we were riding our steel horse. Only thing that would have made this more complete is someone on a horse at the top of one of the ridges.
We eventually passed a vehicle stopped at the side of the road and I went back to see if they were ok.
As it turned out they had a flat, so we helped them with the tire change. But first we had to wait for someone with a jack since their Prius didn't have one. A few moments later a real cowboy looking dude passed by and of course had a jack. So we had a group tire change party in the middle of a canyon.
The couple driving the Prius said they were looking for Butch Cassidy's treasure that's rumoured to be buried in this canyon...somewhere. The cowboy with the jack said he actually knows someone that found part of it, took it to the bank and was given $500 for it. Apparently the money he found disintegrated on contact, it was that brittle. Cool story.
We pulled into Rock Springs a bit on the early side for checking into a hotel, and besides we still hadn't booked a place. So we did the next best thing and found a Starbucks. Pulling up we see a loaded KTM Adventure parked right out front with a foreign plate on the back and all kinds of stickers from around the world. Cool! That's when we met Fernando & Almu, a couple from Spain.
They've been on the road since May 2013 and have already travelled through 26 countries and have covered over 75,000km. We spent the next few hours chatting up a storm. Unfortunately they were heading in the opposite direction. As in exact opposite direction to Ft Collins to the same dealership to get the same K60's put on their bike. So we told them about Butch Cassidy's canyon and free camping and anything else we could think of. They are heading south into Mexico and are hoping to make it to Ushuaia by March.
Safe riding guys!
What a fantastically serendipitous day. From meeting Cooper the day before who told us to go another way, to stopping to help someone broken down. We would have either gone a different way or been here at a different time. I think it's quite amazing how all this stuff works out. It's meeting wonderful people along the way and experiences like those today, that add to the trip on so many levels.
l84toff
Well-known member
l84toff
Well-known member
Thanks MacDoc, we have to scoot over to Edmonton to get the Tiger serviced but then we're heading north.
The Boa straps looked to be seated properly and everything seemed to be on nice and tight. Definitely didn't look like your pic at any time. I've been chatting online with GiantLoop about it, but I'm not sure I would trust this set up again. They claim I'm the first to experience loosing their Possibles pouch with Boa straps off a fender and suggested it may have been stolen. Of course we were in Newfoundland at the time and it was on in the morning and gone at the end of the day. We had several stops and left our helmets and jackets sitting on the bike, so it seems (to me at least) there were easier pickings other than that pouch.Fender pouches. Yeah, I have a story about those too. Never trust the clips will hold when you hit the gnarly stuff.
I used a dremel tool and knotched the fender to accept the clips after my little accident involving some air time on the KLR. After that mod it was mint.
I've heard of guys using washers and bolts through the fender to make it work as well.
I should also say that with the weight of a spare tube on my DR650E fender, every time I hit the brakes hard or *ahem* the front tire lost contact with the ground, the fender would slap my Kenda 270 and grind a bit of plastic off of the tip of the fender. Even with the beefed up washers on the fender mounting bolts.
Granted their roads aren't perfect, but we certainly didn't hit any gnarly stuff anywhere.
