Why Mobius? It’s surface forms a continuous and ongoing path. It forms interconnected links when cut down the center. It’s disorienting. It’s a simple concept that’s hard to describe. Enough rhetoric.
The kernel of the idea of the trip started around the end of ’07. We floated the concept and fine-tuned it in a thread titled: “Dedicated trip bikes: Fly-ride-store-repeat?” in the Trip Planning forum, and we thank those who have helped and advised along the way.
So this is the first post, of the first leg, of an ongoing ride report, chronicling each stage of my and Francine’s (La Donna Fugata… or LDF)’s project… throwing into the mix what works and what doesn’t for anyone else who may want to keep a couple of itinerant migratory motorcycles as pets.
Note 1: Mobius 1-4 .GPX files are available for download here. As of Mobius 5, the daily tracks are attached to each day’s “stats” post.
Note 2: Read on for the background, and the very start of Mobius trip I: NYC to NM on (mostly) the Trans-America Trail, or… consult:
The Index:
———————————————-
– Click on the underlined links to skip ahead to:
Mobius I, May, 2008: [NYC to Albuquerque, NM]
- David riding Honeybee NYC to TN on Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway,
- Francine flying down and Prepping bikes in TN at Motor 1′s Dragons End and starting the TAT in TN
- Mississippi TAT
- Arkansas TAT including the Ozarks, and Warloop Rd.
- Oklahoma TAT part 1
- Oklahoma Tallgrass prairie preserve
- Day off in Liberal, KS (home of Dorothy, Toto, and the Scarecrow)
- TAT to NM, and then heading south (sick cow episode)
- Taos to Albuquerque, NM
Mobius II, Sept. 2008: [Albuquerque, NM to Flagstaff, AZ]
- Planning & prep
- Albuquerque back to the NM TAT (
Hey Todd!) including a trip up the Capulin Volcano
- NM TAT to Trinidad, CO (Thank you Valcom!)
- Arriving in Salida, CO on the TAT ( Tami & Duke), then Marshall pass
- Leaving Lake City, CO on 9/11/08
- Up and over 6 passes: Cinnamon, California, Hurricane, Red Mountain, Ophir, and Lizard Head.
- Arriving in Moab, UT. Day off the TAT to ride the White Rim Trail
- Crossing the San Rafael Swell (fry sauce and watermelons, lot’s a canyon washes, and cowboy camping…)
- Off the TAT to Bryce Canyon and Zion N.P. (stopping at the Mystic Hot springs first)
- Entering AZ then Gerrying to the North Rim Grand Canyon
- Page, AZ to Sunset Crater N.P. including the dead-guy episode
- Hanging with the kids in Flagstaff, AZ
Mobius III, May 2009: [Flagstaff, AZ to Reno, NV]
-Last minute planning & departure
-NYC to PHX and bike prep in Flagstaff
-Mother’s day family time
-Departing Flagstaff to Glen Canyon, Lake Powell & Smokey Mt. Road
-Escalante, UT into Dixie N.F., camping at Otter Creek
-Fishlake N.F. back to the TAT staying at Adelaide campground to Crystal Mountain
-riding on and Cowboy camping in NV near Patterson Pass to Eureka, NV
-Cowboy camping at Lone Mountain mine then on to Battle Mountain for tires and R&R
-a long run from Battle Mountain to Paradise Valley to McDermitt
-Riding west to Denio Junction then Cowboy camping past Virgin Valley
-Into California, off the TAT, into the Sierras, eventually to Mill Creek Campground
-A night in Susanville, then making our way to Plumas-Eureka State Park
-On to Reno, and putting away the toys ’till next time.
Mobius IV, Sept. 2009: [Reno, NV to Seattle, WA]
-Some inter-trip updates, logistics planning, gear-talk, and musings on how to stay together while riding
-Real-time posting on 9/11 (M-4 departure), and updates from our day riding with RenoDeano & Katoomon ( Dean & Mike)
-Real-time posts from mid-trip (Warning — contains spoilers, skip ahead for the full story)
-Departing NYC for Reno, NV then getting the bikes out of hibernation and rolling
-Riding into the Sierra’s, then making our way to Quincy, CA
-Leaving Quincy and heading through Penny Pines fire area, and Soda Springs on the way to…
-Black Rock and the bear incident. Then, eventually diverting to Chester for gas and camping at Gurnsey before…
-Climbing Mt. Lassen in the fog, surviving the 1st quagmire episode at Little Valley, the California Pines, Alturas,
-and camping at Plum Valley. The 2nd quagmire episode, rejoining the TAT, stocking up in Lakeview, and camping at Sandhill Crossing.
-Riding power lines, and rail lines, herding cattle on sandy trails, then getting clean again in Crescent, OR.
-The forest fire episode, a visit to the tallest sugar pine, and camping at Devil’s Flat.
-Conquering “Tourette Hill“, pushing past West Fork, trying to reach Port O, only to break down in the middle of nowhere, necessitating
-a tow to Grants Pass, where we holed up for a couple days until we could get moving again.
-Finishing the TAT! Then a pavement day up the coast and inland to camp near Detroit. Back on the trail up the Cascades, to
-spend the night in Hood River, then on to Washington, a hike to Langfield Falls, past Mt. Rainier, and camping at Kaner Flat, finally
-continuing up the Cascades, and cutting west to Seattle where we stored the bikes & gear, hung out with friends, and headed home.
Mobius V, May, 2010: [Seattle, WA to Anchorage, AK]
-Some inter-trip Q&A, mid-winter planning update, pre-departure, Real-time update from Travis , and from us.
-M-5 preface and first day with friends in Anacortes, then crossing the border into BC, and heading up Harrison East FS road ’till we got turned back by snow.
-Following the Fraser river to Lillooet, then camping at Kelly lake, and on to Gang Ranch, past some cowboys, and over Farewell canyon.
-Gas at Williams Lake, and shelter at Quesnel. Mostly dirt weaving around lakes to Vanderhoof. The evil crow episode, and a rainy night.
-More dirt past Lake Ootsa, and my favorite Nadina Mountain. Houston, BC for gas and then Telkwa for the night.
-Our rainy day assault on Telkwa pass, only to be turned around again by snow, and then trapped by a downed tree.
-Pavement and more rain getting to Terrace, another backtrack getting to the Lava fields to pick up the Cassiar Hwy.
-Past Bear glacier to Stewart/Hyder, a side trip to see Salmon glacier, back on the Cassiar to Dease Lake to camp.
-Into Yukon territory, stopping at Johnson’s crossing, then a short ride to Whitehorse, where we did maintenance and enjoyed Victoria Day.
-Meeting our support crew for the rest of the way to Anchorage, stopping at Buckshot Betty’s, Deadman Lake, then on to TOK, where
-We ran into friends at Fast Eddies, sleeping at Matanuska glacier. Arriving to Anchorage, stowing the DRZ’s and picking up rental bikes from Motoquest.
-An overnight to the Kenai peninsula, with stops at Portage glacier, Hope, the Exit glacier, Seward, and a great evening eating fresh salmon and drinking on the beach with new friends.
-A visit to a drydock boneyard, and back to Anchorage where we killed time watching seaplanes before flying home.
Mobius VI, August, 2010: [Anchorage, AK - Inuvik, NWT - Anchorage, AK]
-Flash forward for a real-time update by GaryAK of our fist riding day, then flash back to our NYC departure.
-Pre-ride bike prep, then starting out riding over Hatcher Pass on our way to spend the night at Cantwell, AK.
-The Denali Highway across to Paxon, and North to Delta (flat tire) Junction, then camping near Tok, AK.
-The Taylor Highway to Chicken where we hung out and drank the afternoon away, eventually backtracking all the way to Beaver Creek, YT on account of Border connector washouts.
-Continuing our 700 mile detour, doing lunch at Haines Jct, and north again to Carmacks where we spent a lovely night camping on the banks of the Yukon River.
-Finally starting the Dempster Highway! Riding up to camp at Engineer Creek. Pushing into NWT over the Richardson Range and through the rain to Inuvik.
-Backtracking down the Dempster, past a grizzly bear and the Arctic Circle rest area where we took our Christmas card photo, and met Joanna & Laurent from NYC.
-A great evening hanging out at Eagle Plains with Tim & John and Chi. Continuing south, riding with Tim & John, frolicking on the tundra, through Dawson City and on to camp at 40-mile Creek.
-Leaving the 40-mile in the sun, and suffering the Top of the World highway in a lightning storm, only to arrive late to the DOT convoy.
-Lunch at Chicken with Tim and John & Chi, then the busted chain episode, holing up at the Hart D Ranch. Out to the end of Nabesna Rd. to pick up Lorraine’s mail, and back to deliver it.
-Gas at Posty’s on the Glenn, then out to the Chitina Motel for the night. In the AM, riding McCarthy rd. out to explore Kennicott mines on foot.
-Through the town of McCarthy heading back to the Richardson Highway, and the beautiful ride down to Valdez. A beautiful ferry ride, then through the Whittier tunnel and
-a short ride back to Anchorage, where we stayed with GaryAK and Deb, stowed the bikes at Motoquest, and headed home!
———————————————
