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Trans America Trail part 2 |
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Posted by Staff
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Monday, 15 October 2007 |
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Page 3 of 3
 The two lane country roads
we used to get back on track were a welcome change after standing on the pegs
all morning long, and Colorado once again changed her face as we passed
through. Bare, snow peaks were replaced
by towering Aspens, and switchback turns traded in for never ending benders
that rolled rather than climbed, and relaxed rather than thrilled. Various “DO NOT STOP: AVALANCHE AREA” signs
became a bit unnerving; but I was assured it was not their season. Never the kind to tempt fate, however, we
hastily made our way to the next off road section.
Turning off of the asphalt,
a long stretch of gravel presented itself. Tempted to ride too fast by our recent smooth progress, it took a big
front tire push from my loaded down DR to refocus me, and remind me that this
was gravel and not asphalt. Soon
enough, our feeble impersonations of Chris Carr and long flat track style tire
slides were a thing of the past as the groomed gravel evolved into a two track
mess of ATV ruts, mud, fallen trees, and German Shepard sized rocks, and our
goal of reaching Moab by night seemed far fetched.
Tim’s KTM 640, and my DR 650
were in their element, and handled the terrain and our load admirably, even if
at times we felt like we were in way over our heads. Progress was slow and steady as we rode as sensibly as possible
to avoid any possible hazard, but it was becoming obvious that this entire
trail was a hazard.
As if to drive the point
home, there was a tree that had fallen across our track, but still half
suspended, effectively blocking our progress. We could not pass to the left of it as it was an embankment that would
have made a billy goat puke, and to the right was a ledge that dropped sharply
for dozens of feet. We consulted the
GPS, but it only confirmed what we knew; there was no way around. There had been no off shoots of this track
through the dense Colorado forest, and we were, effectively, stuck behind a
fallen tree with limited options.
After a bit of deliberation,
our best option was to dig underneath the tree, lay the bikes on their side,
and slide them underneath the fallen trunk. We were desperate to continue, realizing that back tracking the 20+
miles deep we were into the woods would mean forfeiting this section that had
been, thus far, the most difficult and enjoyable riding. The digging began, and in no time we had
cleared the about two feet worth of rocks and dirt. A bit of wrestling, more verbal lubrication, and lots of sweat
and the bikes had been birthed through the passage, and we could continue.
The trail slowly rose, and
as it did, the mud thickened. There
were no longer ATV tracks; we were alone in the woods. For the next 2 hours the bikes were in first
gear, and the clutches worked to maintain what nominal traction was
available. According to the GPS, the
next road was only 8 miles, which at out current pace, meant way too far and
we’d be behind, surely battling for daylight by the time we reached Moab.
Somewhere along the trail we
crested, the subtle incline becoming a slow descent, and the mud that had
swallowed my front tire several times dissipated. We were close to civilization now, and when we reached the
gravel, we were greeted by a closed gate and an impassable fence.
We thought we were free, and
about to leave the most difficult and gratifying dual sport riding we had ever
experienced, unfortunately a gate kept us separated from a road, and blocked our easy
ticket to a hot shower and a meal. Our
sense of accomplishment and sheer joy of having completed the trail were
dashed, albeit temporarily. Imagine our
enthusiasm when we investigated a bit further, realized the closed gate was not
locked. Good thing we checked before we
made the U-turn! We took a long break,
and had a big drink of water. We didn’t
speak too much as it was one of those rides you had to be there to
appreciate. I had never simultaneously
loved and loathed motorcycling before.
Back
on gravel, and the difficult sections in our rear view, we made good time
across the loose, winding surface, impeded only periodically by the errant free
range cattle sitting in the road. Slipping and sliding, and getting much needed air across our faces we
were leaving Colorado as we wearily chased the setting sun into Utah. The red walled canyons and arches in the
distance set a back drop, and we hunted for a vacant Motel and a hot shower. Tomorrow would be a shorter day as we’d
spend the morning sleeping late, and then giving the bikes a bit of TLC before
we headed in to the desert.
Will our intrepid adventures survive or will they fall prey to one of the many dangers on the path they chose to travel. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion! - Ed (too cheesy again?)
Check into our T.A.T. forum to chat.
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