a blog about motorbikes, bicycles, and the folks who ride them.
Keeping the posts updated on the road proved to be a challenge. Until I have a chance to go back and place images in the context of the posts, you can see a sampler of photos I took with an iPhone on Flickr:
When Darth and Obi-Ben return to civilization, we’ll upload some of their shots and video.
Rush is by far the most relevant progressive rock band for any adventure motorcycle rider. If you ride and have given Rush a listen and just don’t dig their music, that’s fine. If you ride and haven’t listened, get a copy of their latest studio album, Snakes and Arrows. For me, I have been a longtime Rush fan from a guitar player’s perspective and didn’t develop a real interest in hitting the open road on two wheels until I read Neil Peart’s soul searching saga Ghost Rider. I won’t spoil the story as there is more to it than just riding motorcycles. It’s a must-read. Esteban Frito still has my hardcover copy. It’s what stirred my interest in bikes like the BMW GS 1150, traveling solo around the American west, taking photos and writing about the little stops here and there. When the weather is crap, I can throw in one of my favorite Rush compilations to get me pumped for better riding weather. Good news came this winter when the band announced they would keep the Snakes and Arrows tour rolling this spring and summer. No show in Salt Lake City, so it looks like I’ll be taking back roads, dirt roads, doubletrack and trail to Nampa, Idaho for the closest (but not too close) show. Hopefully they will have front row parking for motorcycles, as I have seen at recent shows.
It’s mid February, and it seems like a long haul between cold winter and warm spring in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The KTM is up on the centerstand, hooked up to the battery tender, draped with a dust cover. Occasionally, some skis are left leaning against it. Can’t wait to get it out, crank it up and run some fuel through the carb. A crash on the mountain bike last fall resulted in a shattered clavicle and brought my moto season to a premature end. After just watching the sixth and final episode of Long Way Down, I’m getting the bug to get out on the bike. There will be plenty of powder days yet this winter and a few more sledneck excursions with Nato into the Uintas, but I am looking for at least one warm sunny weekend in March to get the bike rolling.