- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
I went for a solo ride on the KTM 990 Adventure... 7 days, 5 states to the Canadian border and back, with over 2,800 miles... 
I left Grand Junction, CO early Friday morning for a solo riding exploring Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah and Colorado. The plan was to ride the most scenic backroads and avoid the freeway as much as possible. I wanted to try and ride some dirt every day and most days that happened, some day's it did not. I had plans to visit my old neighborhood in Pablo, Montana then ride thru Yellowstone, Glacier NP and to the Canadian border.
On the way out-
Day 1 took me North of Grand Junction headed towards Yellowstone... I rode over Douglas Pass, into Vernal and continued on North-East passing in & out of Idaho and Wyoming a few times. Some of those roads were excellent riding, curve after curve and amazing sights along the way. My route took me thru Starr Valley, Wyo where we have some family history and distant relatives. As I came into Idaho I ran thru a decent sized storm and the rain stirred up the heavy scent of sagebrush... I was loving the trip and experiencing the feeling of rain, the temperature swings from mountain passes, smells like sage brush, fresh cut hay and pine forests, all in a way that you can't quite experience while sitting in a car. That's the kind of thing that will make someone a rider for life! Finding a cheap hotel semi-close to Yellowstone was hard, so I ended up in Rexburg, ID for the night. 500 miles for the first day and no pics, but it was a great ride.
Day 2 took me thru Jackson Hole, WY and into Yellowstone NP. I've been to Yellowstone a few times before and knew it would be busy on a weekend day, but wanted to ride thru there anyhow. Once in the park the traffic was stupid, plus there was road construction!! I tried to make the best of it, but couldn't wait to be away from all those people! I didn't stop and see as much as I wanted to, but still saw plenty. At one point I parked to see a big herd of Buffalo and take pics. After getting back on the bike and heading up the road, a big RV was coming the other direction slowly... with a massive male Buffalo in front of them, walking right down the center of the road... coming my way. There were cars parked on the right side of the road and I didn't have anywhere to go, so I just rolled by... ready to crack the throttle if he decided he didn't like KTM's. He glanced at me as I rode past... we were close enough that I could have reached out and touched him. The rest of the trip was uneventful, I did ride the only legal dirt road in Yellowstone, Blacktail Plateau Drive. The description makes it sound like a pretty rough road and lot's of animals... I didn't see anything special animal-wise and the road wasn't rough at all. I passed many cars, splashed thru a couple mud puddles and really enjoyed riding the big, loaded bike in the dirt. I escaped out of the park by way of Gardiner, MT and hauled ass towards Helena, MT for the night. Another long, 500 mile day with a near 9 PM arrival at my hotel. I wasn't hungry, but didn't really have lunch so I stopped at the Silver Star Steak Company for the best filet mignon and risotto I've ever had! I should have take a pic of the food, it looked amazing... and it was, I cleaned my plate quickly. Helena seems like a nice place, I could live there... at least in the Summertime!
Tetons-
Day 3 took me out of Helena headed towards Kalispell, MT. Not long after leaving Helena I came across a turnoff for the Gravely Range Road into the mountains. After consulting the map and seeing that it made a big loop into the mountains and connected back to the highway I was already on, I was sold, into the dirt we go! The road was rocky and rough, but good riding... it climbed elevation into some massive pine trees and at one point the road was nothing more than a rough, overgrown 2-track. The loaded bike, still running 30 PSI in the tires, was a handful at times but it handled the dirt well. After a dozen miles or so we connected back with the highway. The pavement at that point was incredible! High speed highway riding with tons of curves and mountain passes to climb and drop... not to mention the scenery! Massive pine trees, lots of rivers and lakes... and again, the sweet scent of pine trees filled the air. Came across some road work and they had removed the asphalt for a dozen miles or so... fine by me, more dirt! Had a suicidal Grouse try take me out at 70 mph... I had just enough time to duck my head behind the windscreen when the bird struck my left hand and the top of my helmet. Glad I ducked or i would have taken a bird to the face/shoulder and it wouldn't have been good!
I rode around Flathead Lake and LOVED the East side, many of the people had their own little Cherry orchards and were out in front, selling fresh picked Cherries. I used to come here when I was young and have pretty fond memories learning to skip rocks. The most amazing part about Flathead Lake is how clear the water is, it's beautiful! Eventually found a highway and blasted to Kalispell, only 450 miles today!
The chain had been worked quite loose and was starting to show that it was on it's last leg and the rear sprocket had seen better days. I believe these were the original parts, with 15k miles on them. I didn't think it would make it back to Colorado so I started looking for options. I tightened the chain & lubed it again in the motel parking lot and called it good, for now. Had a rough nights sleep, thinking about how I was still headed North, with a bad chain. :sick:
I left Grand Junction, CO early Friday morning for a solo riding exploring Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah and Colorado. The plan was to ride the most scenic backroads and avoid the freeway as much as possible. I wanted to try and ride some dirt every day and most days that happened, some day's it did not. I had plans to visit my old neighborhood in Pablo, Montana then ride thru Yellowstone, Glacier NP and to the Canadian border.
On the way out-
Day 1 took me North of Grand Junction headed towards Yellowstone... I rode over Douglas Pass, into Vernal and continued on North-East passing in & out of Idaho and Wyoming a few times. Some of those roads were excellent riding, curve after curve and amazing sights along the way. My route took me thru Starr Valley, Wyo where we have some family history and distant relatives. As I came into Idaho I ran thru a decent sized storm and the rain stirred up the heavy scent of sagebrush... I was loving the trip and experiencing the feeling of rain, the temperature swings from mountain passes, smells like sage brush, fresh cut hay and pine forests, all in a way that you can't quite experience while sitting in a car. That's the kind of thing that will make someone a rider for life! Finding a cheap hotel semi-close to Yellowstone was hard, so I ended up in Rexburg, ID for the night. 500 miles for the first day and no pics, but it was a great ride.
Day 2 took me thru Jackson Hole, WY and into Yellowstone NP. I've been to Yellowstone a few times before and knew it would be busy on a weekend day, but wanted to ride thru there anyhow. Once in the park the traffic was stupid, plus there was road construction!! I tried to make the best of it, but couldn't wait to be away from all those people! I didn't stop and see as much as I wanted to, but still saw plenty. At one point I parked to see a big herd of Buffalo and take pics. After getting back on the bike and heading up the road, a big RV was coming the other direction slowly... with a massive male Buffalo in front of them, walking right down the center of the road... coming my way. There were cars parked on the right side of the road and I didn't have anywhere to go, so I just rolled by... ready to crack the throttle if he decided he didn't like KTM's. He glanced at me as I rode past... we were close enough that I could have reached out and touched him.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, I did ride the only legal dirt road in Yellowstone, Blacktail Plateau Drive. The description makes it sound like a pretty rough road and lot's of animals... I didn't see anything special animal-wise and the road wasn't rough at all. I passed many cars, splashed thru a couple mud puddles and really enjoyed riding the big, loaded bike in the dirt. I escaped out of the park by way of Gardiner, MT and hauled ass towards Helena, MT for the night. Another long, 500 mile day with a near 9 PM arrival at my hotel. I wasn't hungry, but didn't really have lunch so I stopped at the Silver Star Steak Company for the best filet mignon and risotto I've ever had! I should have take a pic of the food, it looked amazing... and it was, I cleaned my plate quickly. Helena seems like a nice place, I could live there... at least in the Summertime!Tetons-
Day 3 took me out of Helena headed towards Kalispell, MT. Not long after leaving Helena I came across a turnoff for the Gravely Range Road into the mountains. After consulting the map and seeing that it made a big loop into the mountains and connected back to the highway I was already on, I was sold, into the dirt we go! The road was rocky and rough, but good riding... it climbed elevation into some massive pine trees and at one point the road was nothing more than a rough, overgrown 2-track. The loaded bike, still running 30 PSI in the tires, was a handful at times but it handled the dirt well. After a dozen miles or so we connected back with the highway. The pavement at that point was incredible! High speed highway riding with tons of curves and mountain passes to climb and drop... not to mention the scenery! Massive pine trees, lots of rivers and lakes... and again, the sweet scent of pine trees filled the air. Came across some road work and they had removed the asphalt for a dozen miles or so... fine by me, more dirt! Had a suicidal Grouse try take me out at 70 mph... I had just enough time to duck my head behind the windscreen when the bird struck my left hand and the top of my helmet. Glad I ducked or i would have taken a bird to the face/shoulder and it wouldn't have been good!
I rode around Flathead Lake and LOVED the East side, many of the people had their own little Cherry orchards and were out in front, selling fresh picked Cherries. I used to come here when I was young and have pretty fond memories learning to skip rocks. The most amazing part about Flathead Lake is how clear the water is, it's beautiful! Eventually found a highway and blasted to Kalispell, only 450 miles today!
The chain had been worked quite loose and was starting to show that it was on it's last leg and the rear sprocket had seen better days. I believe these were the original parts, with 15k miles on them. I didn't think it would make it back to Colorado so I started looking for options. I tightened the chain & lubed it again in the motel parking lot and called it good, for now. Had a rough nights sleep, thinking about how I was still headed North, with a bad chain. :sick:
