7 days, 8 states, 3800 miles and lots of dirt.

[TJ Willy]

This is my 2009 Trans American Trail report.

For those of you that have not heard of the Trans Am Trail, check it out. http://www.transamtrail.com. It is a Dual Sport trail created by Sam Correno that starts in Jellico, TN and ends in Port Orford, OR. It consists of secondary and tertiary roads, forest service roads, trails, ranch/farm roads, levees, creek bottoms, trail blazing across ranch land, etc. It just depends on where/what state you are in.

Sam sells the maps and roll charts for the trail. Most of us translate the trail coords to a GPS to make navigation easier. First time I used a roll chart and my gps, this trip, I used strictly the GPS and enjoyed it much more.

Day 1:

In true fashion, I was up late finalizing the bike for the trip Monday night. I got everything ready and could not sleep. I tried but to no avail, so around 4:00 am I set out with plans of making Jellico, TN, 1100 miles, late the next evening. I got about 40 miles down the road and realized I left my cell phone at home. CRAP! I had to go back for it.

The weather started out ok but soon turned very bad. It slowed me down big time. The sun started to rise as I passed through St. Joe, TX. This is what I was riding through:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543212172_JJrGo-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543212304_aNt2n-L.jpg

The rain turned to a fine mist and fog:

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I noticed these signs near where I parked. Seems the St. Joe Civic Center has a pretty poor idea of 'fun'.

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I had some serious regrets about now.

But not because of the weather. Every mile I headed east, I realized I was further away from my 19 month old daughter. It was the hardest thing I have every done. I was in pretty low spirits. It was too early to call home, so I tapped out an email to my wife about how I missed them which seemed to help and I pressed on.

A shot of the bike before I rode on.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543212304_aNt2n-L.jpg

Daylight and my first gas stop. There was a break in the rain before I made it to East Texas.

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As I continued on, I noticed my GPS was switching to battery power from time-to-time. Since I wired the Zumo to bike switched power, this told me that there was a problem somewhere with the splice.

The previous owner wired in a Sho-Me blinking light system that is used with first responders. He was a police officer which is why he used that light system. I spliced into his power behind where he spliced into bike power.

I pulled over in a sprinkle and parked under an old strip mall sidewalk to investigate.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543212449_mNZmb-L.jpg

He used one of these:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543212466_c5jrV-L.jpg

I considered replacing this before I left b/c I smelled trouble, but time was against me.

It was losing connection causing both the LED light and my Zumo power to go out.

I removed his crappy connector, stripped the wires, and respliced them together using electrical tape. I will be soldering them together later.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543212536_W5Mqh-L.jpg

Content now that things would hold together for the trip: (which they did)

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Next fuel stop, I decided to eat some lunch.

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I was getting REAL tired. That 7 hour Redline does NOT work either!

The rain picked back up and really poured on me as I made it to Texarkana. I decided then that I would lay over in Little Rock with my Dad. I was exhausted and was falling asleep on the bike. NOT A GOOD THING!

I stopped to eat an early dinner since I knew I would be staying over in Little Rock.

Dinner:

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This was the second and third time I had to explain what the hell I was doing. Those of you who have ridden the TAT know that you get asked all the time what you are doing. We must look really strange on these 'dirt bikes' loaded with gear, muddy, etc... This one guy even followed me out and said how much he admired me for taking out on an adventure like this solo. He was a biker... owned a harley but was down on his luck like many of us these days. I will admit I was a bit taken back by his kind words. But this was to be the beginning of meeting many great people during my trip.


Once I got to my Dad's, we visited a little while and I went to bed... tired and defeated! This is not how I wanted my first day to go. Weather, fatigue, and electrical problems... uggg. But thankfully, I got all that out of the way the very first day! :)

It gets better... much better.

Jellico, TN was my next destination. 640 miles.

More later...

[Ironheadziggy76]

:Popcorn Looks good so far! P^

[Black and Blue]

:couch1::Popcorn

[Trailace]

Were waiting. :well

[sandman]

It gets better... much better.

Jellico, TN was my next destination. 640 miles.

More later...

Has the beginnings of an ADV style RR, I'm in.

[TJ Willy]

Sorry guys.... I actually have to work this weekend and time has been short. (System wide software upgrade - so it keeps me running.)

More to come hopefully late late tonight.

[fredric]

Sorry guys.... I actually have to work this weekend and time has been short. (System wide software upgrade - so it keeps me running.)

I spent 44 years either cleaning up from a software upgrade or getting ready for the next one. Be careful about that or your little boy will be grown and you will have missed a lot of it.

[TJ Willy]

Day 2 - another travel day and 640 miles I end up at Indian Head State Park in Jellico, TN.

My day starts in the rain but nothing like I saw yesterday and within a few minutes it was sunshine and dry roads. This was a nice change of pace.

I was on the road by 8 this morning... I overslept. Which is going to be a recurring event for me on this trip. I just love sleep. I can't help it. And after yesterdays lack of sleep and battling the elements, I really needed the Zzzs.

A quick shower, bowl of cereal my Dad set out for me, and 'preflight' of the bike and I was back in the saddle. I did take a moment and scrounge for some zip ties and duck tape in Dad's garage. I realized I had left that stuff on my work bench back home.

I traveled from Little Rock to Memphis TN. I stopped at the BMW dealership there. At some point earlier, I checked my oil and it looked low. The site glass was half full where before it was near the top. Turns out, I had it a little overfilled and hours of high RPMs the 650 relieved itself of the excess fluid via the crankcase valve. (according the BMW tech.) Just to be safe, I got a quart of 'Zuk oil and packed it away. The oil level never changed after this as my oil level stayed the same the rest of the trip.

Here is the rest area I noticed the oil level had changed.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543212713_jCuiN-L.jpg

A little further into TN, I stopped for some fuel.

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Just as I was topping off and going through my premount routine... music buds (etymotic ER6i), cord routing, helmet, sunglasses, and gloves... this character comes rolling up.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543212785_Q47rp-L.jpg

He is riding in a cross country rally on this old HD. Says he started in California. At this time, he has blown a seal (he thinks) and the Harley was leaking a fair amount of oil. Or as some would say, "marking its territory".

I don't care what you say, to ride that old shovel cross country takes an iron ass and a leather face.

He bought some thick Lucas oil hoping that would get him to his destination.

The bike was interesting. jockey shifter, kick start, dry belt....

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He asked me to open his oil for him as he did not have a knife, which I kindly did as he pumped some gas.

We chatted for a bit and he was off nearly as quickly as he arrived.

This is another example of the friendly folks you would never meet unless you were traveling.

He was headed east and I caught up to him and passed him on the interstate. We exchanged 'glove checks' and I never saw him again.

I made good time heading east and began to see some nice scenery.

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http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543212997_BYGRq-L.jpg

Notice one of my ADV decals there in that photo. I put it there to serve as a constant reminder to always look for the next ride. The next adventure to be had on a motorcycle. It is so easy for life to get in the way of getting out on the bike and going places you have never been. With a small child and another on the way, I knew it was time for me to 'ride the world'... or at least what little bit of it I could because soon the chance for me to get away would not come around for a while.

Somewhere in TN. I can't remember.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213072_D6DPg-L.jpg

The sky darkened up a bit but this picture looks a little worse than it really was. The weather was very nice save the wind. I was getting a little punch drunk by now. The wind started hitting me crossways the moment I headed east on I-40 out of Little Rock and did not let up all day. It was one of the toughest wind conditions I had ridden distance in. And living in North West Texas, we see our share of wind.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213018_EdwNu-L.jpg

As the day was ending, 6 o'clock or so, I found myself needing gas again and pulled off the interstate to this little shanty of a gas station. It was a welcomed change from the truck stops I had been stopping at for miles and miles.

I soon realized that I needed to make a decision concerning my tires. I had been toting my D606s with me this entire time. My choices were:

1. Change them when I got to Jellico which would have given me almost no daylight to work in.
2. Have them changed at a little shop that was recommended to me by a fellow rider on ADV.
3. Change them here while I had plenty of daylight and good weather.

After fueling, I decided to grab a cold one and think about it.

Yes, this is my 'think about it' face. :) If it looks like it hurts, it does. :D

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213218_uNXHd-L.jpg

I opted to change them here.

After all, I had plenty of room to work, the cute girl working the gas station counter had windex for me to use on the beads and honeysuckle was growing right next to me giving the air that sweet smell we all know.

Time to get to work.

Where I was at:

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http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213182_79LsW-L.jpg

I found a big rock that was enough to weight down the ass end of the bike and pick up the front tire off the ground. It was small but heavy. To small to prop up under the skid plate.

I got out my tools and the tool kit that comes with the bike. Which by the way is a great kit. It has all the necessary tools to remove the front and rear wheels and fits nicely under the seat.

The one thing it was missing was a cheater pipe big enough to break the front axle loose. Oops. I guess I put it on too tight last time. Crap. There is an old garbage truck near by so I peek around inside of it looking for something that would work. No luck. Just then this fella shows up.

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He is a road side mechanic for 18 wheelers that break down. He tells me that business has been bad this year but he manages to keep a smile on his face and is more than willing to help when can. A very nice guy.

He digs around in his van and produces a small piece of pipe that saves the day.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213244_c87QY-L.jpg

Soon the front wheel was off. The front tire change went really smooth and surprisingly fast! I am not the best pit crew member around but the new rubber was on and front wheel on the bike in less than 30 minutes.

I found some old 1x4s to use as a makeshift work table.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213317_5rMwZ-L.jpg

Now for the rear. Again, the cheater pipe came in handy!

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The rear tire off and in record time! It pays to have done this a time or two previously! I am really knocking this out. I was dreading changing shoes, but whats to dread?

Then came breaking the final bead. I must have worked on this 15 minutes. The first bead broke right away, but it took much cussing and spitting to get the rear. Typically we use the 'buddy's bike' method using the kick stand of the second bike to break the bead but there was no second bike and I did not think of that before hand! :eek:

Basically it took liberal amounts of windex and bounding on my knees on the tire to break it loose. I actually reinjured my knee doing this because once my right knee slipped off the tire and onto the ground. OUCH.

Once I got the bead broke, the rest was cake. Both tubes in and aired up. And the best part??? NO LEAKS! I have pinched a tube in my time and was trying to be extra careful with these. I chose to use a new front tube and reuse my rear tube. It worked out fine. I had already reused the front once before.

The aftermath:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213402_MuUD8-L.jpg

No wonder my garage is in shambles. It looks like an Oklahoma twister blew through here.

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Another view of my 'work area':

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213482_Bxw4C-L.jpg

I got a lot of strange looks from folks buying gas... which is to be expected. Another fella showed up to check on me. He was so surprised that folks like us not only ride the bikes we ride and ride them the places we ride, but that we do our own work along the way. Turns out he owned the garbage truck over there and told him I peeked inside for a pipe. He was not upset at all and was sorry there was nothing I could have used.

I returned the windex and went about cleaning up. The girl behind the counter swore to me that ketchup would take that grease off. I am like the one out of ten people that hate ketchup, but I decided to give it a shot.

That is ketchup, not blood. :eek:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213456_CRr7e-L.jpg

If ketchup is good at cleaning your hands, it is not good at taking off axle grease.

I politely asked for the windex again which did a good job at cutting most of the grime away.

So during this stop three friendly folks helped me along the way strengthening my confidence in the human race.

Here is a pic of the 'gas station girl'.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213471_WhSCD-L.jpg

I left two AT tires there for another dual sporter and mentioned this to the girl inside. I said that they are free to the taker. She said she would mention that to anyone she saw ride up.

A little road side paying it forward. :)

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213511_DAaEq-L.jpg

It took me all-in-all about one hour and forty five minutes from stop to go with new rubber. That includes gas and refreshments. THIS HAS to be a new record for me. But I can say this... without the windex and cheater pipe, my job would have been much MUCH tougher. Thanks to my new friends!

Later, the sun began to set on me as I pulled off the interstate towards Jellico.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213558_3QYLm-L.jpg

The rest of my ride consisted of what must have been a very scenic ride through the hills up to Jellico. The curves were fantastic but numerous deer and the mention of bears roaming around had me taking it pretty easy. Thankfully the fog had moved out of the area according to this nice lady at a mom and pop mercantile I stopped at. They were closing shop but she let me come in and get a six pack of cold ones. I learned from previous TAT'ing in Arkansas that you buy beer when you can. Dry counties crop and can leave you very thirsty. I stopped at this place because it reminded me of my old family feed store my Mom kept in business over 20 years. Wooden floors, people visiting on the porch outside. It was these folks that warned me of the bear activity of recent.

I rolled into Jellico just before midnight. I topped off my fuel and headed to Indian Head camp ground. I was glad there was a State Park here. I made it somewhat of a point to not 'plan' this trip per say. I am a planner. When my wife and I went on our honeymoon, I had the days planned down to where ate dinner each night, the time we awoke each day, and places we would go. Everything was planned from putt-putt golf to Ebcott. There were no surprises.

This was an exercise at breaking away from my normal 'habits'. No plans. Ride to I stopped and worked it out as I went. I tried to be prepared mechanically but logistically, it was seat of the pants. Arriving so late in Jellico would have made it difficult to find suitable camping if it had not been for the camp ground.

I route to the state park and the gate was closed. The local sheriff told me earlier to just ride around the gate so I did. Turns out it is only 'fake locked' at night. But the offroad downhill and climb back up to road was more fun anyway.

I setup camp and broke out some cold ones and a MRE for dinner.

Mmmmm...

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213585_PqwGc-L.jpg

Yes, the M&Ms were included with the MRE. But the Tecate was not. :cool:

I awoke early and found the camp hosts to pay my bill. This was the most expensive tent camping I have done. $18! This was after I talked them down from $20. Sure I was at an RV spot but it was late when I showed up and the park had plenty of vacancies. I asked him to charge me for just a tent since I did not use power and said he would... at $18. Ouch.

He said the state of TN had raised the rates for tent campers and that $18 was state wide. I paid him and went on my way... only to learn later at David Crockett SP, it was $8. And yes, I was at an RV spot there as well. I got the shaft in Jellico. The park was nice though. The showers were filthy but the water was nice.

Here are a couple pics from the next morning.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213659_AxFdz-L.jpg

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Next up... TAT TIME!!! Starting in TN and CO, here I come!!!

[bigTom]

This is getting serious, I like your style.

I find that you meet mostly friendly folks if you get off the freeway:) I've gotten some help myself in that same part of the world!

Good stuff.

[Trailace]

Keep it coming! P^

[TJ Willy]

Day 3 and finally TAT'ing!

Living so far away from the beginning of the trailhead just sucks. It was a bold plan to try to make that trip in less than 24 hours. I have a Saddle Sore 1000 under my belt on my touring bike but that is just different. I will freely admit that 640 miles is the most I have in one day on my 650. I think I could 1000 but not in the conditions I was in and as fatigued as I was. That was just foolish...

So, right... on with the story. :o

After the Camp Host thumb screw, knee breaker experience, I was on the TAT within minutes. Jellico is a neat little town. I took a moment to cross the border into Kentucky just to say I have ridden there but did not count that in my "number of states" in the title of this thread. That would have made nine.

Even with my slight detour, I was on the TAT soon. It starts out with a nice paved section very suitable for most any vehicle.

I notice a mountain off to my right and think to myself... I bet my last spare tube that Sam will point me to the top of that thing if there is a way.... sure 'nuff, soon I was on some very nice gravel and tight switchbacks headed up this thing. Lucky for me, the recent rains had really washed the road out in places... it made things more technical and exciting. The county had patched some places with fresh gravel which reminds me of just larger bits of sand as the bike still gets very "soggy" in this stuff.

Not much you can do when you are staring up and left at a switchback, but twist the throttle. :D

Here is the TAT beginnings and a pic of the mountain off in the distance I was referring to:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213834_PtKvQ-L.jpg

A nice section of the early gravel:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213923_cdy2e-L.jpg

A patched section that is already starting to wear away from weather and traffic:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213945_AdARQ-L.jpg

Tribute to The Darth Peach

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213892_H8fBe-L.jpg

Quick and blurry bike shot. I love bike pics - mine, yours, all... so expect more.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543213964_srHrM-L.jpg

Brilliant views:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214028_qckqx-L.jpg

I really like Sam's idea of "pavement". TN has some of the most interesting paved roads. Some are actually more narrow than gravel roads.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214043_titar-L.jpg



I don't get this.... what you see here is a house built out into a pond. You are seeing the majority of the pond in this pic. They get high marks for creativity, but I don't get it still... why build the front of your house out over a pond?

But you know what.. who cares. They like it I am sure... It made for a cool pic.. and the homestead is stunning.... so GOOD ON THEM!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214103_CAmjo-L.jpg

More of the same valley:

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The mirror shot.... everybody's doing it!

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Could not have asked for better weather.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214186_FKNsY-L.jpg

This goes on for miles.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214207_9JAbs-L.jpg

The first 100 miles or so is actually a lot of gravel is memory serves. The first part and last parts of TN, to me, were the best.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214248_Poonw-L.jpg

Good ole southern' jungle.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214294_75thM-L.jpg

I come around the corner and see this. The elderly fella in the back of the picture invited me to the party, but it was a cock fest. :rolleyes:

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Wow... look at those colors...

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TN's idea of pavement

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214349_2KGMT-L.jpg

I know I have seen this underpass in other reports.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214397_5kafj-L.jpg

Some forgotten little TN town:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214415_imka6-L.jpg

This kind of tarmac made me wish I was on a sport tourer like a ST1300.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214541_Bo4sj-L.jpg

TN has it's share of rivers! AND bridges... And it seems no two TN bridges are the same.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214601_86rtv-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214572_o2jaU-L.jpg

Too bad this came out blurry.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214616_XmaHt-L.jpg

Let me interrupt this program with a Lesson's Learned Moment: Things I would do differently. -- Installment ONE:

CAMERA: Just go buy or save up for a GOOD camera. I did not want to take our family camera on this trip, so I bought a $99 compact from walmart. Small... 8 Megapixles..(woohoooo! - that was meant facetiously). I thought this would work out. WRONG. The pictures already suck and the fact they are 5-8 MPs only makes it worse, b/c I have compress the pics to make the load faster. This makes a bad picture worse. So... take it from me. Bring a good camera. In the end, all you will have is your pictures to remember your trip. The real details of your trip that is. And get one that uses batteries and not some stupid rechargeable battery - even if you don't plan on camping any. Trust me on this.

...back to regularly scheduled programming...

I took a break and hiked down to this little creek. The water was sooooo clear. This particular part was very deep. I have a video of this creek I will upload later.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214642_RqZhW-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214670_v6QKo-L.jpg

One of many variations of TN bridges:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214707_7mLVJ-L.jpg

Things start to get hairy here. Some of it my fault. Some of it my GPS' fault. (bad routing) Some of it, very manageable, some of it, near panic state. But I'll leave you with this teaser:



Bushwacking:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215107_EjrhM-L.jpg

[TJ Willy]

DAY 3: Continued.

Let me back up a second because this will partly fill y'all in on why I made some of the decisions I did during this part of the ride I am about to tell you about.

My new friend BigDogScott on ADV and his buddy were a day or so ahead of me on the TAT. Me running solo and them in a pair, I had the idea in the back of my mind to catch up with them, ride some of the TAT, solidify a new friendship and see where the trail took us together. I was looking forward to the solo adventure which is why I did not join them on the way to Jellico, but at the same time I wanted to meet my new friends and share war stories.

I am not sure how much Scott would want me to talk about this so I will just keep it brief. Scott and his buddy crossed the MS river and was turning left on the TAT when he was struck from behind by a careless driver. I will leave the details to him if he chooses to post them but he was ejected off his bike requiring medflight to a hospital in Little Rock, AR. HE IS FINE. But his TAT trip was over at that point.

When I got his voicemail that day, my heart sank. I was on track to meetup with them that afternoon - hopefully. But my days of looking for and seeing their knobby tracks ahead of me were over.

I ask that everyone keep Scott in their thoughts and prayers as he recovers.

Okay..... So back to the story....

Somewhere, I missed a turn on the TAT. The GPS feature "auto rerouting" had me take this little trail to the left. A quick look at the map shows it cutting out pretty good bend in the trail possible even saving a few miles... since the entire area is beautiful, I did not mind the new route.

It starts out nice enough:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214729_SZwyt-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214744_JXv3t-L.jpg

The GPS showed my route and I thought to get a pic a little late, but you can see I was not far off the main route. Before this pic, I managed to cut out a pretty good loop in the main trail.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214762_YyDjd-L.jpg

The railroad rock trail started to narrow before I emerged out on the gravel road. This stuff was loose!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214787_8SGzL-L.jpg

I eventually crossed the TAT route and the GPS still had me on a different route which in retrospect, I should have investigated further. I had success with the first 'off road' excursion so why not keep going right???

Here is the second trail.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214808_SKHUP-L.jpg

The soft sloppy fairly undisturbed mud hole at the beginning should have been a clue. I saw bike tracks stop here and turn back. But the GPS said it was only .5 miles through here and back to my TAT.

I got off the bike and hiked in 100 yards or so. It looked fine, so I hopped on the pig and we made our way in.

LESSON LEARNED NUMBER ONE. - HIKE IT! Explore what you are about to embark on if you are not 100% certain of the outcome... at least when you are in the middle of nowhere and solo. (I'll recap these at the end - for the studious.)

Not far past where I hiked to, I saw some rock ledges approaching. I did not have time to look at the GPS screen because I was too busy picking my line and avoiding deep quad tracks and so I just bounced down them. It was a two step drop. And they were substantial. It was here, I told myself that I was committed to this route. I did not know how I would climb back up those on this bike.

So on I went.

Sorry I don't have too many pics of all this. I was "on the clock" you might say. Just too busy keeping the bike up and down the trail to worry with taking pics.

The trail did get relatively easy from time to time and grabbed this pic when I stopped for a drink of water.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214828_2A8bj-L.jpg

The trail is now a full blown quad trail. Ruts, rocks, roots, mud... all things one goes in search of on a fast 2 stroke or nice light and nimble DS bike. It is one recovery after another. Sweat is pouring down my face inside my helmet and every yard is an accomplishment. It was like wrestling with a bigger, tougher opponent who has you severely out skilled.

LESSON LEARNED NUMBER 2 - Elevation changes. If the area is wet... and you are in elevation changes... THERE WILL BE WATER pooled at the bottom. Water in the form of mud. I either skirted or powered through several mud holes ranging from the innocent to the bike eaters.

Finally I emerge into a small clearing. I stop. Catch my breath and assess my situation.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214850_54pdk-L.jpg

I know right??? A little late for the assessing step...

What you don't see in that pic is a fork in the trail. I kill the bike and study the GPS. That .5 mile trail --- well that bitch was a ghost in the machine my friends. It is no where on my GPS screen now! :eek:

If I zoom out far enough I can see that the TAT is on my right. So I decided take the fork on the right. But just in case I was wrong I continued straight... reason being the trail to right was it was a rocky descend to not one but TWO huge sloppy mud abysses. Think wolf in sheep's clothing. They looked tame enough at first but when I investigated, I saw that there was no way my loaded bike with my skills could get through them without burying.

The trail that continued on straight was a dead end.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214863_w6zUm-L.jpg

And that stuff looks dry. It was - kinda - but once your bike peels away the dry looking top layer, it is a sticky mess.

Back to the trail on the right....


I grew up in South Arkansas with a four wheeler from the age of 10. I can read mud pretty good but I thought I would test it anyway.

I found a sturdy stick and probed out to see how soft the bottom was. Yep... SOFT. The stick just kept sinking the harder I pushed it into the mud. There was a go around for the quads on the first one so I walked the bike around it... but not before almost getting stuck.

Check out the pics: Just keep in mind the rule of pics not doing justice to the real things. If you have overcome crazy terrain and then took pics of it, you know what I am talking about.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214904_7g4fR-L.jpg

This pic was taken while I was walking around surveying my situation. Remember those rock ledges I stumbled down earlier? Well those things were the reason I knew I could not go back the way I came.

So I devised a plan of attack and went about it. I rode the bike down the hill and got her stopped right before the first mud hole. I tried to take the go around but even the elevated "dry" area was soft and the front wheel just slid into the hole. I rev the bike riding the friction zone while trying to keep her balance. (I'm only 5'9" so this is more than a simple task with this bike loaded.) The rear tire begins to spin and dig. Panic number one.

Real quick and with cat like reflexes, I position myself more the front of the bike, twist the throttle and ride the clutch... the Lady Dak roars to life and pounces out of the mud.... MUCH to my relief. I probably looked like some kind of DS contortionist out there.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214963_xHAtG-L.jpg

Where my rut is there was high ground when I started. But it was just too close to the edge. The space to the right looks really wide now and I am not sure why I did not go further to the left. There must have been a reason, but I don't remember.

Time to gain my compsure for the next hole. There was no go around really that I saw. Trees were down around me, but there was a high ledge to left and right of the mud hole. The right ledge was narrow and had a huge rock in the way. Plus if I had chosen that side, I would have had to walk in the sloppy suck mud that was that hole. The left look tough but promising.

I took the left.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543214882_dgXB5-L.jpg

The only tricky part here was not losing grip on the bike right toward the end when I had to squeeze by the tree you see there. The ground was sturdy and I made it through just fine.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215004_HTNQZ-L.jpg

The trail opened up to a field again. I stopped and drank some more water. Rechecked the GPS and found no sign of where I was at. This trail did not make even the topo maps.

There was formidable sand to be had as well. This trail gives you your monies worth!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215022_YAC5K-L.jpg

This was a welcomed bit of trail.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215042_wT4Cp-L.jpg

I started noticing some fairly significant elevation changes and I was headed down... I know what this means by now.

I should note that I am almost three miles into this .5 mile trail now. I was pissed.


Under controlled circumstances this would have not only been fun, but something I would go in search of. But this was not my reason today. I was making good time on a wonderful trail hoping to meet up with my new friends real soon.

The Zumo is robbing me of this!!!

Anyway... I continue on through some tricky sand that just does not end. I manage to keep the bike up but I don't know how. I did not have much speed. I just gave it lots of throttle every time I thought I was about to go down. It seemed to work.

Finally a huge HUGE tree blocked my path. I stop.

When I kickstand the bike, the bitch sinks into the sand and I barely grab it in time before it falls over. I heave the bike up loosing my footing and fighting for every scrap of ground I could keep. I felt like I was holding some hill in a huge battle. THIS TRAIL WAS NOT GOING TO SEE THE SIDE OF MY BIKE. N-O-T , T-O-D-A-A-A-Y , S-I-R!!!!!

I keep it up and kick a nearby piece of bark over to use a foot for my stand.

There was a vague go around someone had made with a quad but instead of going around, I decided to do what I should have done in the beginning. SCOUT THIS TRAIL!

LESSON LEARNED NUMBER THREE! - DON'T no matter what you think, how you feel, or how big of a hurry you are in run as you scout. I guess I was getting pretty damn anxious to get out of here and I jogged the trail as I scouted. I began to hear water running. ****.

Sure enough a huge swell of a creek was flooded and totally obscuring what was left of the trail. I mean... there was no way to even tell which way the trail went through this flood. It looked deep and I knew sand was under there somewhere. NO WAY could I even attempt to cross this.

I reach for my camera to take a pic and the damn thing had fallen out of my pocket. ****!

I quickly look for a bushwacking avenue around this thing and there was no way... NONE. There were huge house sized boulders to my right and I could only see water straight ahead and to my left.

Panic knocks at the door as I walk back to my bike.

I am facing the reality of having to go back the way I came.

Each and every sand pit, mud hole, rock ledge, rut, and root I had tackled I would have to battle once more.

It was like something out of the show Lost. I felt like the 'Island' was designed to beat me.

I found my camera near the bike and began to make my way out.

Surprisingly, getting out was much easier save one experience. That last big mud hole you saw above.

I had to bushwack my way around that thing. I scouted a fairly good path that consisted of tree dragging, hooking saplings behind other trees, kick rocks and chasing off a snake... that last bit was an accident. :eek:

I grabbed my trusty steed by the bars and we set off both on our own power across this rutty field. I entered the woods right here.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215107_EjrhM-L.jpg

And we were to travel through here: I had already cleared out the majority of the blockages.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215130_ueGGN-L.jpg

The remaining parts of the trail seemed easier the second time. I carried a lot more speed with me and only nearly lost it once.

I saw those rock ledges coming up. I could not believe I was already back to these things. I had been dreading them and praying for help the entire time I was riding back.

What I could not see going down them was this nice little line to climb up them. I had I seen that, I would have turned around A LONG TIME AGO. The drop off each one was so far, I did not think I could back up them. It never even crossed my mind as a possibility.

But sure 'nuff there was a way... I rolled up to the first one and gave her the juice... the "too heavy, terrible trail bike, that is the Dakar (as everyone says)" rolled up that ledge like it was nothing. The second one was more tricky and I gave a bit too much power bringing the front end up but I rode it down and I was done!

Around the next bend... GRAVEL!!!!!

I got out of there and was so elated!!! I wanted to get off the bike and make gravel angels but instead, I powered on out... I back tracked only getting turned around once. But this one was worth it because in my celebration, I actually jumped the bike for the first time.

There were several small burms across the trail one after the other... each one I got a little more confident and the last, I yanked hard on the bars and gave her the go juice. The bike came to life and for a second, I was flying. Just like when we were kids and we jumped our bicycles the first time. It was exhilarating. I admit that I did not mean to quite do that. I did not think I would get so high and go so far. So from then on, I just played it safe.

I was in a big hurry at this point so I did not stop for any pics. But soon, I was back on the TAT - safe and sound. It was about 2 hours from in to out. My days distance and plans were blown.

So to recap:

Lesson one - HIKE IT: If you find yourself in a similar situation with similar conditions, hike the trail... just do it. I figured, I was up to whatever challenge... and it was only .5 miles right??? Just do it... especially if you are on somewhat of a schedule.

Lesson two - ELEVATION CHANGES: IF it is wet and you are in an area with ups and downs, you will find water in the 'downs'. Some or eventually one will be impassible. Especially if you are on an unmarked quad trail after days of heavy rain. Duh....

Lesson three - RELAX!: Don't let the anxiety of the situation cause you to prematurely exhaust yourself. In my case, I wanted out of there. I did not mean to or even think to, but I found myself running in a fast jog while I was scouting the rest of the trail. That made my escape from the forest more difficult.

The rest, well as they say, is history...

More later.

[TJ Willy]

Day 3 - Continued.

Once I made my way out of the forest and back to the TAT, I was really feeling the pressure to make it as close to the MS border as I could.

You all know I had no plans per say on this trip, but I really wanted to meet up with Scott. I had been speaking with him via the phone everyday since I left home. And via email several times before that.

But anyway... I road the TAT for aways enjoying every minute of it. But I was somewhat rushed. I wanted to make up the time I had lost playing deep in the woods of Tennessee.

I emerged in Crab Orchard, TN (I think it was - I don't have my maps handy).

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215185_yzDxD-L.jpg

I crossed the tracks to the gas station and filled up. Grabbed a cold one and sat in the parking contemplating my next move.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215231_T3o69-L.jpg

After a short chat with a passer by chick and her friends - you know the usual stuff only thing different was it was a car load of girls wondering what the hell I was doing - I decided to try to make up some time and catch up to Scott and his buddy.

I could look back and say that I might regret pulling off the TAT here for a couple hours but knowing what I know now, I am glad I did. It allowed me to go further west.

I jumped on I-40 and super slabbed it Nashville where I headed south on 65 till I met the TAT again.

It was a boring ride. After having been on the TAT and other 'stuff' it near torture to get back up on the Tarmac.

After battling traffic in Nashville and a short jaunt down 65, I was back on the TAT! WooHoo!

Things had not changed much...

Another version of a TN bridge.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215255_Hqa5C-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215276_k9TeJ-L.jpg

More TN pavement:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215288_SfN2Z-L.jpg

Cool little country store:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215307_Saq9G-L.jpg

Growing up in AR and now living in TX, I sure miss trees

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215343_btAXw-L.jpg

The Amish are interesting characters. Either they are very friendly or very "to themselves". I did not feel right taking pics of them, but I did get a buggy passing by:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215358_k3CH9-L.jpg

I made my way to Lawrenceburg as the Zumo said it was the closest camp ground to me.

This is David Crockett State Park. And a great place to camp. I got in after hours of course, but the camp hosts were great. They radioed to Ranger on duty (they live in houses in the park) and she came to handle the formalities.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215373_4CxyE-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215404_xc2xk-L.jpg

Interesting story... I stopped in town at a parts store to get the "lay of the land." I did not feel like another MRE tonight and wanted to find the local burger joint. While I was there, we were trying to determine if David Crockett had shower facilities. He did not know but his old friend was a Ranger out there. He could not locate her number since she was married now and he did not know her new name. He knew she just had a baby though.

The parts guy pointed me to a local burger joint and I left.

I headed over there and was met in the parking lot by an older couple chock full of questions.

THEM: "What kind of bike is that? A BMW? I thought they made cars?"

ME: "Well, they made airplane engines and after WWI, when the plant was demolished and post war rules stated they could not build 'war machines', they started making bikes, then years later made cars."

THEM: "You don't say. Young fellar, what brings you out here on that contraption?"

ME: --- insert the typical story --- "Do you know if the park has shower facilities?"

THEM: "Don't know... but a ranger lady there should know if you get there before they close."

I thank them for the conversation and make my way inside for an over priced and rather tasteless burger. Ugg... But I use the time to phone my good buddy and visit with him. He tells me in the meantime he has phoned my wife to check on my family for me and offer them anything if they need him. Now, he is about 8 hours away from us. But this is the kind of friend he is. And at the drop of a hat, he would make the drive to take care of my family. That is a true friend. We met a few years ago while building Jeeps. He volunteered his garage and tools and help to put my lift on. We have been friends ever since. Moral: Sometimes you don't have to embark on an epic journey to meet those 'good people'.

After my dismal dinner, I headed to the camp ground wishing I had just MRE'd it.

I got there and the camp hosts pointed me to a RV spot right next to the shower house. I cautiously asked what the rate was... He said... oh don't worry, I am sure the Ranger will just charge you for a tent. After Indian Head camp ground debacle, I still worried the cost. It is a matter of principle.

Soon the Ranger showed up. Good people.

She said that tent camping was $8 and if I wanted to pitch at an RV spot, that was no problem. They had ice coolers there and I thanked her, paid her, and set out for ice. She inquired and then said hop in, I'll take you to get ice. Well, the ice machine was empty. She politely asked me what the ice was for. I told her it was for a couple cold beers I had packed with me. She said... "Oh, don't tell me that... no alcohol in the State Park. But if you don't flash it around, I'll get you some ice."

She called her husband he brought me ice they had.

Wow. How friendly is that? Not only do they allow me to break the rules, but they aided in cooling down my 'hot' ones.... so that I may have COLD ONES. P^

We chatted, the three of us, about half an hour. She was amazed that so many people in town knew her (after I relayed the stories above to her) and we all got a chuckle out of it.

I showered, sipped my cold ones, left Scott a voicemail and retired for the evening.

FINALLY - End of Day 3.

What an adventure!

[Mr. Guy]

This is one of the best Ride Reports I have ever read. Keep up the good work.

Guy

[Mellow]

TJ, I met that same Harley guy in post number 8 in OK off I-40 a couple weeks ago. A bunch of his friends stopped and started working on their bikes while I was waiting for Mark.

[TJ Willy]

This is one of the best Ride Reports I have ever read. Keep up the good work.

Guy

Thanks!

TJ, I met that same Harley guy in post number 8 in OK off I-40 a couple weeks ago. A bunch of his friends stopped and started working on their bikes while I was waiting for Mark.

Small world huh?! Was he headed EAST or WEST? My guess based on the timing was EAST. Those could have been his friends but more than likely other dudes running the rally. He was alone when I saw him.

I think he said it was Thunder Magazine rally. Though, I did not find any info on it.

[Ironheadziggy76]

TJ, I'm loving this ride report!

I hate riding through Nashville myself, I-65 always seems to have construction on it somewhere! If you have to go back through Nashville, check with Zumo and see if you can take Briley Parkway (TN-155). It's a little less hectic most of the time.

[TJ Willy]

Thanks Steve.

Here is a video taken from the first day on the TAT.

It is a very short hike down from the road.

Excuse the rider diatribe. I was a little excited to be there.

VIDEO (http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/gallery/8295927_HZNqA/1/#545281757_VreJX-A-LB)

[TJ Willy]

Day 4 - TN to MS.

I was awoken during the night to wind in the trees and lighting flashing. I contemplated moving to the pavillion that was offered me but I could see stars above me and the lightening looked like "heat" lightening... so I crawled back in my tent and passed out. I did not even put the rain fly on.

I am camping with a Alps Zephyr 1.0. It is an all mesh tent suitable for uber lightweight backpacking. It is sorta cramped - even for a fella my height but comfortable either way. The solid mesh sides and top make for a nice cool(er) summer camping experience. It is free standing so there is more tent pole to lug around, but they are really light. I used a Mystique 1.5 from Alps last year on the TAT and I actually enjoy that tent more. two doors... huge vestibules, but not all mesh and it must be staked to stand erect. The trade-off is smaller poles to lug around. The mystique offers more room inside for your riding suit though. I like to bring that in with me to keep the bugs out of it. Boots stay in the vestibule with other gear. The question is, Do you want a free-standing or staked tent? That is the deciding factor. I can attest to the Mystique keeping me 100% dry in a HEAVY long down pour. Can't speak about the Zephyr in the rain... yet.

My morning routine consists of suiting up, taking care of the personals, firing up the jetboil for coffee, and packing up. The entire fiasco takes me about 20 mins with a few at the end enjoying my coffee.

When that was over, I routed back to the TAT and started my 4th day of riding.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215447_JTRCz-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215475_BbWoB-L.jpg

I had to stop and take a pic of this poor lonely Jeep out in the field. Man - it would be nice to breath some life back into that fella.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215518_WGYv2-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215500_By5M3-L.jpg

Along the way, you see all kinds of barns and other structures... some modern with all the accompaniments and others like this on the sides of big hills.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215548_hGBLS-L.jpg

This is just the perfect idea (my idea) of a homestead. Beautiful log home with the lush green forest as your backyard. As soon as I become an internet billionaire, I will have one on the TAT somewhere and all you freaks can stop by for a rest!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215572_hYTnk-L.jpg

Cow getting a morning bath.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215596_VnFqB-L.jpg

Traveling along on an old paved road in some pretty fun curves and I come upon another cool TN bridge.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215613_ecd69-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215683_idAo8-L.jpg

The creek that is spans.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215668_7w2i7-L.jpg

You start to get pretty confident on the gravel. It is nothing to push 70mph on the decent stuff enjoying the scenery and the tunes (if you have them.) I come around a corner pretty fast and down a hill and see this just in time to get stopped.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215699_wUw3p-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215803_5YsvR-L.jpg

This is one of the famous slippery water crossings. They look so innocent! Very shallow... moving at a nice pace over the rock... refreshing even.

I decided to make a small video of me walking across it to illustrate how slippery it really is. Even walking you can slip and slide.

Again, turn the volume down if you don't care to hear my near useless commentary.

VIDEO LINK (http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/gallery/8295927_HZNqA/1/#545291818_GnYMz-A-LB)

Imagine a loaded bike... one false move and your going down. I chose to not ride across any of them. I have seen in many many reports down bikes across these things.... This particular crossing was the one I still managed to almost drop the bike. The front tire was stopped by a large crevice in the rock and when I applied the throttle, the rear end walked away from me. When I tried keep the bike up, I lost my footing but managed to regain it in time keep the bike up. Way more work than it should have been.

I have to say it might have been easier to just ride across it. But I digress. I'll just use the excuse that rationalized me not riding it and that is that I was solo. Falling wrong on this stuff could have put me in a bad position.

If there is any negative to riding solo, it is your ability to take chances... or I should say my ability. I was way more cautious than I normally would be. Hard to imagine from reading my above posts, but I felt I used a few of my lives on that particular adventure and I still had a ways to go.

According to the GPS - this is the famous Natchez Trace. I have ridden some of the MS portion but never this far north into TN.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215718_Qh3Y9-L.jpg

The dark underside of the Natchez Trace:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215753_WjpT3-L.jpg

The other side had some interesting graffiti but it also contained some rather graphical imagery and language I would hate to be responsible for your kids seeing.... so I will leave that to someone else.

I had to route off the TAT for fuel now and come upon a small town. I did not get a pic, unfortunately, but the Zumo listed this as an Exxon. It might have been back in the day, it was no more than a Mom/Pop station/garage with two old style pumps... No need to pay first here. There were four gentleman sitting in a circle inside just shooting the breeze.

I must have looked like an alien to them because they were speechless when I walked in. One guy actually tried to give me a hard time about why I was there?? I just smiled and said I did not mean to interrupt their conversation and if I could buy gas, rest my ass, and buy a coke, I'd be on my way.

The other old guys said not to mind him and we all got a laugh.

Turns out this town was home to Sheriff Buford Pusser (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buford_Pusser). He was a one man army that was responsible for 'cleaning up' the area... He was not my kind of guy... He rid the area of moonshine and gambling and 'other vices' that riddled the TN/MS border. He was the inspiration of many books and movies.

Ironically enough, he died behind the wheel after consuming too many 'vices'. Wikipedia does not say this, as I researched it... it paints a picture of a conspiracy theory involving murder. My information came from one of the old men at the gas station. So who knows.

Buford was a tough son-of-a-gun though as he was shot 8 times and stabbed 7, during his reign as Sheriff.

An interesting story either way.

Approaching the TN river valley:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215830_HcDQd-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215844_V8z52-L.jpg

A tribute to TDP!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215855_p5Bwv-L.jpg

A levee?

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215879_U5KnQ-L.jpg

The weather was phenomenal:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215900_PfXZk-L.jpg

If you are wanting to go the Dark Side but don't know the way, I found the road: (I got a waypoint for ya) :D

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215920_bCfst-L.jpg

TN River... the only one *I think* that runs backwards:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215933_ykcV9-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215952_PRMvE-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543215971_ETMFK-L.jpg

The cool houses on the banks of the TN we have seen in TAT reports in the past.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216059_pEyrF-L.jpg

But I don't remember seeing a picture of the front of them:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216101_7B3og-L.jpg

The gate was locked into the homes and nobody was around. They appear to be either rentals or vacation style homes. There were two 'settlements' of these.

What a view:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216112_HbhJw-L.jpg

I saw a sign for a bridge closing but I pressed on. I soon saw this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216101_7B3og-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216148_JDcBK-L.jpg

I investigated further (This trip is about exploration right?) to learn that there were workers painting the bridge. It was closed for painting.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216228_sWbkK-L.jpg

There was a full crew there but they were about to break for lunch. The only problem with going on through was a huge steel cable stretched across the exit about two feet high.

The other workers scrambled out of there but one guy stayed behind to help me cross the cable. He was the job foreman. I removed the Pelican's to make the bike a little lighter and he and I lifted it over the cable.

Reroute averted!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216299_BLsUS-L.jpg

The only casualty was a nice pair of sunglasses... my only pair that would soon be replaced by cheap gas station ray blockers. But the story and experience was worth it.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216319_FqejJ-L.jpg

Soon after I found myself at Satillo Landing on the TN river.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216388_qrLcy-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216402_faqtr-L.jpg

This fella took a liking to me and followed me around:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216425_qipDU-L.jpg

He did not like kids though. Just after I snapped that pic, he began to growl and bark at some kids walking up. He must have been mistreated in his past.

There was a huge ruckus over at the launch.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216520_u3q32-L.jpg

I thought it must be a nice day to hang around the river... but I was wrong.

Tons of people were in the parking area and there were cops and boats around the landing.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216442_CYKtG-L.jpg

There is a huge group of people behind me in this pic:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216458_8Mzse-L.jpg

Everyone is waiting on something....

Hmmm....

I got back to the store and order lunch. While I am in there, I learn that last night a couple guys in a truck, snookered out of their gourds, ran their truck off into the river. The driver escaped and the passenger was believed to be inside the truck still.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216476_bM3pw-L.jpg

I ordered what was to be the very best burger I have ever had. Pan Seared Cajun Bacon Burger ala Cajun Fries.

OHHH BOY! AND they had ice cold PBR!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216500_RrqdT-L.jpg

I took a short video of the retrieval:

VIDEO (http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/gallery/8295927_HZNqA/1/#546278320_XxfMR-A-LB)

To save battery life, I waited a bit and took this pic:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216564_udwLz-L.jpg

No passenger. He must have been swept out of the truck. Turns out they divers knew there was nobody inside so they began to look downriver (north) for the passenger. Nothing was found while I was there.

I continued on. Scott warned me of flooding the area previously. Sure 'nuff - he was right, but it appeared some of the water had receded.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216584_Qb9qp-L.jpg

more later....

[TJ Willy]

Day 4 Continued:

After rounding the bend and seeing the duck blind that had be relocated by flood waters, I expected the worse....

... which is what I found:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216646_BhYwq-L.jpg

Now I imagine this being a really fun water crossing. I waded out further than I should because I knew in the back of my mind I could not attempt this alone. When the water reached my knees, and I was not even out to the bend in the trail yet, I figured I'd just go back.

Again... defeated by the fact I would not take chances with water solo. Had there been more riders, this would have been worth wading out further and investigating a little more.

All I ended up with was wet feet the rest of the day.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216600_RKE4B-L.jpg

I took this pic a short ways before I turned back.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216619_mmNAX-L.jpg

So I rerouted around the flood. Sensible but no fun.

Later on down the trail I rounded a corner and noticed a Toyota Tacoma pulling a trailer with some equipment in my lane. No need for alarm. This is a gravel road with little traffic, surely he will see me and move over. NOPE.

I ride the right edge of my lane as long as I can when I finally give up on him moving. He runs me off into the ditch on the right.

Thankfully, I had ABS disengaged as you will see in the pic which slowed my entry into the ditch somewhat. I had already slowed down considerably...

I kept the bike up and thankfully the ditch was not deep.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216665_hBmUk-L.jpg

The bike never stalled and after I regained my composure I just motored out.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216693_xU7XQ-L.jpg

The guy in the truck stopped and began *trying* backup the rig up. I saw this was going to take a while and what was I really going to say? Pick your battle right? I am sure he knew he could have killed me and was pretty rattled himself. I just gave him a thumbs up and he waived back.

I had used my share of Karma escaping the TN woods, so I figure it was time to send some back. Plus, I had a lot of miles to go.

None worse for ware, I rode on my way.

This my friends is the TN/MS state line. No fancy sign. No rest area busy parking lot peddling coffee for donations... just a beautiful valley and this house:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216736_cVRC7-L.jpg

My GPS had the state line running right down the middle. I could not help but to wonder what their address would be?

Another pic:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216759_Av2fJ-L.jpg

The road was slick, but not muddy. Thankfully. Scott had warned me of the mud when he came through here.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216793_qhe4p-L.jpg

Still looks like TN:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216857_KPAiR-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216876_KdnQy-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216894_UZ3au-L.jpg

I think this bridge has been out since like the day after Sam created the TAT route:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216910_98TU7-L.jpg

First you come upon this sign:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216991_UnkvX-L.jpg

The DS'er in you says, I can find a way so you walk around the mound:

This ain't so bad... I might get to use the camp shovel I brought and dig myself a little path around that mound and I'll be good to go.. better look further though... I remember that lesson from earlier!!!

Good thing I did...

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543216934_B3qnc-L.jpg

No way through there!!!

Time to reroute.

Now I KNOW I am not the only one that has done this... I check the GPS and found a suitable road and pointed the Dak down it. You end up in a circle drive. The road is supposed to continue on to the right but it is gated and posted.

I dismount and meet this fellow:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217013_exZ9v-L.jpg

Let's just say he has had enough of all these dirt bikers using his private drive to turn around. It goes something like this:

HIM: "Why do you and all your friends always come down here and think you can use my driveway to turn around?"

ME: "Hi. Sorry for the intrusion but..."

HIM: "THere ain't nothin' back here. Why come here?"

ME: "First off, I think I know what you are talking about. You see, there is this trail......."

You know the rest. Turns out... he has grown, let's say, worried by all the riders. He was growing concerned by all the traffic, and well... had enough of it. But after I explained the WHOLE story to him... TAT, Riders from all over the world, cross country, blah... he got the picture and was very nice.

I promised him I would explain all this on 'our website'.

more later...

[G wizz]

Hay TJ...
How come I can't see any of your pictures for day four?
All I'm getting now is the little boxes with the red X in it.
What did you change ???

G wizz

[dwarthog]

Phil, great trip report.

Looking forward to the rest!

[TJ Willy]

I am not sure... I see them fine at both home and work and on three different browsers and two different OS's. Hmmm...

[TJ Willy]

Phil, great trip report.

Looking forward to the rest!

Hey Don!

Glad to see you show up! Look forward to seeing your posts.

later bro.

[TJ Willy]

Day 4 Continued:


....The best go around for that bridge is (Map 2 in Sam's MS Maps) to go SOUTH on BLACKJACK RD to HWY 370 then head WEST to ASHLAND where go north a couple of miles to intercept the trail.[/color]

So if you know of anyone planning a TAT trip, pass this info along. It will save them time in the long run... The best 'looking' reroute is NOT AVAILABLE. The gate is locked and the land says it is posted. Who knows. The gentleman I spoke with did not know the people that had the road blocked but he said it has been gated for as long as he can remember.

Matter of fact: If you look at the above pic on the FAR RIGHT... you can see a blurry sign and something yellowish below it. That is the posted sign and to the right of it is a big locked gate. That is the road that looks like the reroute.

Moving on... P^

Once I got on the right path... or wrong path for a little while... I started to see more of what I recognize as MS land.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217035_QwepD-L.jpg


Pine mixed with hardwood... gravel roads that are ACTUALLY USED... so be careful. I don't think I saw more than 2 or 3 cars on the TN gravel, but the MS gravel is used - much like the AR gravel. So wake up from your blind corner, fast gravel riding style you might have slipped into while in TN.

A black Toyota might be in your path! :eek:

As much as my camera sucks, I like the slightly out of focus/in focus way this pic turned out.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217053_YtzKD-L.jpg

Your not doing MS TAT if your not getting an Able's store pic:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217080_jWG3B-L.jpg

It was getting late and I began to hunt for suitable camping.

The GPS routes me to: Wall Doxey (I think it was... things are starting to run together now.) State Park. I am really not sure if that was the park or not. I can't find any others on the map right now and since I did not plan many things, I can't be certain... but oh well...

This was to be the most intersting night of camping I have ever experienced.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217128_yjnNQ-L.jpg

I cruise the campground looking for a suitable spot and the place is PACKED! Wow... I stop and ask a fellow and his son what the deal was and says his there was a big church function going on there. I finally find a, you guessed it, RV spot. I pull in and start making camp. I decide to walk down to the bathroom and check out the facilities while I have some light.

Right next to me a group of young men camping. 9 black guys, college aged and obviously newcomers to camping. They brought SO MUCH STUFF WITH THEM. It was crazy. They were cutting up and having a good time. A few steps down, I hear a men's church group singing. Another site or three over, old folks playing cards or something.

Imagine all of these sounds mixed together. It was the most facinating thing I had ever heard. When you are alone for so long with only your bike as your partner and the sounds that go along with that, you will, at least I did, become very atune to your senses. Things become particularly sharp. I guess your awareness is in hyper mode. Normal day-to-day life strips us of these primal instincts I think. But we are ferral, humans that is... I think we could go back to cave dwelling if we had to... as a race. Probably us ADV'ers would be the leaders of that world and the stuff shirt beaurocrats would do our laundry.

Anyway... I get to the bathrooms... damn... what a sorry mess. Shower worthy... BARELY. But it beats washing down in Lake DeGray in Arkansas... wait a second... no it doesn't. This is bad.

The sun sets FAST around here. By the time I am getting back to camp it is nearly dark. I setup everything and mosey over to the guys camping next to me.

Turns out they are founding members of Kappa Kappa Psi - a black band fraternity. I walk up and scare the crap out of them.

This was their camp:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217180_uaSQA-L.jpg

Too bad I did not get a better pic of all the **** they brought with them.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217204_Yo7Wb-L.jpg

This could be a very long story.... what unfolded that evening... but let me sum it all up for your with this list and a quick video.

1. GREAT DUDES

2. I am an honary member (and the first white member) of KKP Fraternal Organization.

3. Judging a book by it's cover is a GROSS and idiotic mistake.

4. MRE's taste better when you are laughing so hard a noodle finds it's way out your nose.

5. Sleep is way over rated. (not really)

6. Black guys are reallly afraid of the dark and when someone shakes their tent in the night... (It was not me, it was somone else that had joined us and left), but OMG, it was so funny the way they were screaming like girls. You just had to be there. Something about hearing grown men screaming "They're gonna kill us!!!-They're gonna kill us!!" is surprising funny.

7. I really wish the best in life for these guys... ALL THE BEST. Getting to know these guys actually put some faith in the next generation for me. They had their heads screwed on straight. Plans for the future. And seemed way more dedicated and in tune with life in general than I was in college. Good luck guys.

Sorry, it was way late in the night so you don't get video but the guys were singing the KKP anthem or something. I caught the tail end.

VIDEO (http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/gallery/8295927_HZNqA/1/#546290299_K3aNr-A-LB)

That video sums up the evening well. Brotherhood. Bonding. Beliefs. and most of all Respect for Fellow Man.

I was up an at 'em with my morning routine kinda early (for me) the next day. After sipping my morning coffee, I hit the trail.

Another quick pic.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217128_yjnNQ-L.jpg

Later down the TAT.

What is a MS TAT ride without a Kudzu pic??? Worthless I say! :rofl

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217217_FBHJV-L.jpg

This is stuff the plant equivalent to fire ants.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217237_ayUnR-L.jpg

Looks like we have ourselves another bridge out of commision. Let's check it out.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217285_p5YSw-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217324_KvPjk-L.jpg

Looks like one of you guys riding the TAT setup a make-shift bridge of your own!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217342_SFLhu-L.jpg

I decided after looking for nails and placing a few key boards across the width of the bridge that I did not need the long make shift bridge... I just rode across it.

All that was left was crossing this little dirt pile. Use the ruts that are there already. The other stuff is pretty soft.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217264_rMmib-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217362_igXoA-L.jpg

I did get video.

But you have to deal with me starting the damn thing, walking to my bike and then walking back to the camera. Sorry... I am no good at video editing. I wish I were.

But here goes: (It is actually not a bad video this time. Quality seems better and the birds sound nice. Just ignore me.

VIDEO (http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/gallery/8295927_HZNqA/1/#546345042_tTMeM-A-LB)

Cool valley:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217382_buRKg-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217399_SxmUd-L.jpg

I was really working hard to catch up with Scott and crew this day so when I could I was pushing the ole Dak pretty hard. 70-80mph was common.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217448_4D9Js-L.jpg

A mining operation:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217529_KyGYM-L.jpg

I came upon this fantastic view of a MS valley:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217665_zgVyb-L.jpg

I tried REAL HARD to get a good shot of my bike and this valley and failed. I really wish that I could have had someone who knew how to photograph and had THEIR camera with them take this picture. It really was a fantastic site. My camera does negative justice to the scene.

Here are my attempts:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217574_BU8Sk-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217606_xKYk5-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217719_NkByK-L.jpg

This one is hardly worth the bandwidth:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217628_79Ar4-L.jpg

I gave up knowing it was a big FAIL. Time to move on.

Little MS pavement:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217737_5wndP-L.jpg

I noticed back at the last set of bike pics that my front tire was low(er). Hmmm... next town, I better investigate this.

Well soon, I roll into Crenshaw, MS.

I was trying to get a picture of this crazy piece of farm equipment. Looked like a crazy Cessna/Tractor hybrid gig...

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217765_DmedG-L.jpg

I stop at the little station you see up there with the red looking sign.

I find this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217780_SG9oH-L.jpg

Crap. Time to get to work.

I go inside to buy some windex (I really need to bring along some ru-glide next time) and ask for the smallest bottle. The store owner just lends me his. Perfect. (this is what I was secretly hoping for honestly Tee-Hee, snicker snicker)

Just like the movie Christmas Story, I was like the Dad on a mission... I barely even thought to take a pic.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217851_EYJFo-L.jpg

I borrowed the front door mat to work on as you can see above.

I also scrounged up some bricks around back and propped up the front... ripped the wheel off, yanked out the tube, slapped baby powder on the new tube, inserted it, aired it up more, released the air, aired it up some more (all CO2 by the way) and VOILA DONE! Less than 20 mins!!! After that, I called the wife and sipped a tall boy...

That is when this guy shows up:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217874_9xPGg-L.jpg

He asked me to tell y'all...

"If you or any of your bike friends ever need any help, you ask for me. I'll help out any way I can. I enjoy seeing y'all come through here and wondered what y'all were up to."

Sorry, I forgot his name. I should really write this stuff down.

But he was genuine. And actually was sorry he showed up too late to help me. He is a logger. And sees us from time-to-time come through on the TAT.

I took the time to explain it all to him and I could see it in his eyes man... I could see the need for what it is we crave. The same stuff I have seen in my fellow freak's eyes. I knew he really wanted to be on a bike doing what it is we do. So I spoke up.

"Man... you will get your chance. Just make some plans. Find you a bike and do it."

He was quite surprised by my comment... and I just explained to him that I know the face of an adventurer and he had it.

We laughed and I took his pic. You can even see it in his face in the pic. :D Gotta love it man... gotta love it.

So - here's to the adventurer in all of us.


I called my Mom after checking on my girls and was off.

There soon was a LOUD boom of thunder over head and the south westerly sky was looking bad.

Varroooom... I was off.

The TAT has you run towards the MS river and then jump on 49 to cross it. I think Scott (who built the route for the GPS) worked in some levee riding as I did not see this on my MS maps Sam sent me... oh well... let's check it out.

The route had me turning a mile or so down the road and then coming back up on a levee to my right. I saw this trail across the field and decided to gamble on it being dry enough all the way across.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217897_enHsZ-L.jpg

It was. And I was greeting by a steep levee to climb. Yippee!

This bad boy was indeed steep. I am getting anxious typing this even...

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217917_9Upc7-L.jpg

I gained up a head of steam and went for it balls on the tank.

I nearly over did it because on the other side was this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217955_UeE4V-L.jpg

What it is hard to see in that above pic is that beyond that tall grass on the edge is the other side of the levee meaning it was a drop off. I got stopped in time though. I actually rode down it and did it again it was so much fun.

This pic kinda shows how steep it was:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543217971_68VXs-L.jpg

Some fun riding!!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218029_5dytd-L.jpg

Really hoping to beat that storm

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218052_dg5Lq-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218071_h5h4b-L.jpg

Some good gravel up here:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218125_7WWpb-L.jpg

I love old country stores:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218143_Zfs3b-L.jpg

The crossroads - I think I saw this on Supernatural:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218168_3DeU7-L.jpg

More fun gravel:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218197_6SVyW-L.jpg

Welcome to the Arkansas Delta!:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218268_pdUi4-L.jpg

Playing with the camera... It came out kinda cool:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218290_omiok-L.jpg

SAND? No... I was not expecting this till West Oklahoma!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218310_FZaAq-L.jpg

It was all good. I was able to keep my speed up enough to get across this with little problem.

Then I see this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218365_koYnj-L.jpg

Again I wade out to what I think is the deepest part:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218385_fpZCn-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218404_ZWd47-L.jpg

Not bad... the sand had turned into sand/gravel/rock mix. Not really muddy and not really too soft. Just kinda there. Only one snake did I see and it was fleeing the scene so you know what... TO HELL WITH TURNING AROUND. I had grown so tired of turning around that I went for it. The deepest part I saw was just over my boots. My damn feet were wet again already... so why not just do it.

And I did.

And all went just fine. My gamble was wrong though... it was a not the only flooded area but the rest were only as bad as the first... nothing really life threatening.

My gas light was on anyway... I had to press on. This was the first of THREE - count them THREE times I nearly ran out of fuel...

The remaining terrain through here was pretty muddy. Those clouds you see over me had dumped some water on the trail. At one point, I saw where bikes had left the trail and entered the field as the trail was so badly rutted and dug out. I did not notice those tracks till I got up on the high ground and saw them... I chuckled that at least two other riders had avoided that muddy mess as well.

It must have been that the farm land had soaked in the water and it was LESS muddy than the red clay road that just held all the water.

Anyway, it was a gamble that worked out.

The trail was really fun actually... If I just ignored the fact I was in reserve. After the red clay, I got just normal mud/dirt.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218472_3mopn-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218434_UPggS-L.jpg

It was quite common to see deer tracks trotting along the trail.

Ohh animal report:

Thus far, I had seen, Deer, snakes, squirrels, birds, two bobcats (really cool), a fox, and of course dogs and cats, a few turkeys, and something that I believe to be a feral hog. And Raccoons. I had to shoo them right out of my camp!! Brave suckers.

Cool bridge:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218517_6veva-L.jpg

Again with the rain clouds.... It was a battle for territory and was touch and go there for a while.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218599_jWJ65-L.jpg

Again, I was spared the worst of it:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218627_XDBzb-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218615_LcGK4-L.jpg

Approaching Des Arc, AR.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218655_CK8Pf-L.jpg

It was a little ways before here, I had learned about Scott's mishap. I had gotten a voice mail after a couple days of not hearing from him. I had begun to worry. Just as he had a few days earlier when I had failed to check it.

It was upon hearing his message, calling him, and getting the full report that I decided what I was going to do next.

While I was stopped there, I picked up some gas station fried food and a cold one with plans to stop on the trail and enjoy a quite one man picnic.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218692_KTRo8-L-1.jpg

Caribou's are perfect for this you know.

A little fish, chicken, and tater babies:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218713_heSda-L.jpg

Table and chair.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218745_jBScq-L.jpg

As I ate my VERY peaceful lunch... I put the final thoughts into my remaining TAT plan.

Last year a buddy and I had our first run at the TAT. We booked it to Des Arc, AR and ran to Copan, OK then headed home. Holy ****... I just realized I did not finish that ride report. My gosh... I need to do that...

Anyway... because of that, I decided to ride to Des Arc to the exact place we started the TAT to complete the East to West route and then Super Slab it to Tulsa, OK for a visit with a buddy late that evening and then get back on the TAT the next morning in Copan, OK.

It was to be a LONG day of riding. I started somewhere in central MS and would end the day with lots of trail and tarmac miles.

Before I got to Des Arc, I took a pic. Another cool in/out of focus shot:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218763_gX7q5-L.jpg

And here I am. I took this just for my buddy stating I am number one right now with the most TAT miles! heehee :deal



http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218811_xr9Ba-L.jpg

I stop at this little station right off of I-40 and fill up, get some snacks and prepare for my long ride to Tulsa, OK. If you are doing the TAT... you must stop here for their home made cookies! They were as good as they were the last time I was through there.... BANK ON IT!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218836_8M3ii-L.jpg

I have a pic of those cookies on my cell phone... let me see if I can grab it.

Mmmm - cookies:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/546946952_ky7Rb-L.jpg

Gotta make some time!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218851_fnKfe-L.jpg

I arrive in Tulsa around 11:00 pm. I had called ahead to the Farfield Inn and used some Mariott points to secure a free room. I called an old college buddy who I had not seen in years and he came over with a 12 pack.

We hung out for a couple of hours, caught up, and I hit the sack.

End of Day 4!

more later....

[TJ Willy]

A couple videos from earlier:

Sounds is bad... wind noise.

WEST MS (http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/gallery/8295927_HZNqA/1/#547225085_grZvg-A-LB)

Long water crossing, but just walking some of it. (http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/gallery/8295927_HZNqA/1/#547250256_z2252-A-LB)

[TJ Willy]

Day 5

I slept in today. Hotels make me extra lazy for some reason... Notice I did not just say 'lazy'. I am a night person so camping - THOUGH I LOVE IT - is hard sometimes b/c I am not an early riser.

The sun was well up by the time I got the bike loaded:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218863_DQzEq-L.jpg

That rear 606 is starting to look sketchy:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218902_SUQ83-L.jpg

I did not buy new knobbies for this trip. I put on a new set for the TAT last year and have been riding on them since though I don't ride this particular bike every day, they still have a lot of miles on them - relatively speaking. And the amount of pavement I had been on was slowly grinding them down.

I took Hwy 11 north out of Tulsa to intersect the TAT. Man, what a nice ride. The road is great, scenery is great... I would say this is a really well kept secret from out-of-staters. I have not heard of this ride from anyone, but it was really nice.

There are some cool small towns along the way.

I would not bother stopping here for service... looks like they move a little slow:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218962_qAJRP-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218978_di9HW-L.jpg

There was a small park in the town with a gazebo. Little kids were just sitting on the steps talking/playing. I did not take a picture b/c that would creep me out.

Cool construction materials:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543218990_DmpnZ-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219034_iSzQo-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219061_in3WR-L.jpg

I stopped at this old gas station that someone had breathed retro life into. I forget the name of the town. Actually both names. It used to be called something with "heart" or "love" in the title but the name changed... someone here will know.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219101_Yq95f-L.jpg

On the TAT (or slightly off of it), you get gas where you can:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219163_d3b5L-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219184_nDicS-L.jpg

This gentleman emerges:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219208_F9Eoo-L.jpg

He bought the place sometime back and put a lot of time and resources into restoring it. Not the building so much, as all the stuff you see around it and in it:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219208_F9Eoo-L.jpg

The following pics are inside the building. He insisted on giving me a free tour. I was glad he did.

He said he nearly the entire collection of bank trucks. It has taken him years to find them.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219272_BWeRV-L.jpg

He is quite the collector. He has license plates from every tribe in OK.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219288_L3DJJ-L.jpg

He some of the plates were hard to get and others were as easy as contacting the tribe and asking for one.

Check out all these blurry oil cans:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219311_uZiBA-L.jpg

They were not so blurry in person! :D

From the back of the station looking toward the front:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219329_GsD3Q-L.jpg

Old oil samples:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219368_TJyrq-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219381_wpriu-L.jpg

(I just realized I did not take my gloves off while I was there.. haha)

He has an impressive collection of petrol signs as well. This is probably half of them. All authentic - no reproductions. He even asked me if I knew of any for sale down in Wichita Falls.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219350_nREfi-L.jpg

This is his house. He said it was the first home built in that town and someone ?famous? had lived there?? I think a famous actor was from there. Damn... I really need to write stuff down!!! Next trip, I plan on keeping a journal.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219223_MkyWG-L.jpg

More of the town:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219403_sfj32-L.jpg

Again, the weather was just perfect:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219417_a8uhW-L.jpg

I can't decide of this fella was happy to see me come or go:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219436_xejKt-L.jpg

I was trying to get a picture of the pasture just before this pic but it ended up being an Arai promo ad.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219455_KbSYH-L.jpg

The beginnings of that big OK sky we know and love:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219468_jfXZy-L.jpg

I passed a couple of chicks on touring bicycles:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219484_xxtXf-L.jpg

That was a particularly long hill we were on. I wish I was in that good of shape. Wanna learn how to pack light? Talk to these gals.

Lots more of this to come:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219496_3fLCK-L.jpg

The girls had more of this to look forward to:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219516_DpnHi-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219550_4ZLqN-L.jpg

Deja Vu:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219587_ryHmm-L.jpg

After an enjoyable piece of pavement, I was back on the TAT:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219599_VYm3g-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219613_7G8qC-L.jpg

Round a corner and down a hill and bam... I see this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219636_7NDer-L.jpg

It actually looks very manageable right now. There was culvert or something across there which is the only thing that worried me. I started to wade out there, but just pass that thing it looked pretty deep. Guess I will wimp out yet again.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219636_7NDer-L.jpg

I nearly attempted it. I was nearing reserve and I hated to backtrack, but it was a fairly short reroute. In an attempt to find fuel, close to the TAT I found my way to Elgin, KS. Now this is a 'town' like what I grew up in. NOTHING. At one time it probably had what you needed... but these days, it was all but dead.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219668_jWHhD-L.jpg

I decide to run up and down the different streets just to see what I could find... hopefully I would see someone mowing their yard and maybe I could buy a gallon of gas from them.

You might remember me saying that I did not plan much of anything. In retrospect, this is where I really needed to start planning my gas stops. Unless you are one: following
Sam's directions for fuel stops, or two: willing to ride 40 or 50 miles the wrong way, you won't find gas along the route. Or maybe I should say, you won't find gas when you might NEED it along the route.

I see this fellow approaching me slowly in his pickup:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219740_vot9L-L.jpg

He had his buddies with him:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219721_itXVA-L.jpg

I politely ask him if there is any gas around and he said "Nossir... no gas unless you head over to blah blah town about nn miles that-a-way." He kills his engine and gets out of the truck while I am frantically searching my GPS for nearby towns along my route.

I stop and take off all my gear since I can tell he has questions as his eyes were full of questions.

In short, I spend about 15 minutes visiting with this fella. Turns out he is 70 years old. Wow... He did not look near that age to me. He was a cattle farmer. He had an old 3 cylinder Kawi he rode to Canada a number of years back. He was an ADV tourer of sorts. No wonder he was intrigued when he saw me.

As we are talking and getting to know each other as best we could under the circumstances, he asks me what kind of gas I need. I say anything but diesel or mix. He tells me that he just filled up his gas jug and offers me some. I reluctantly accept it as now I feel kinda bad knowing how much effort it takes to get get fuel. He puts in about half of his five gallon jug.

I like this guy. (He reminds me of my Papaw (RIP) with the same blue almost grey eyes.) But not because he is offering to help me out with fuel, but because he is a genuinely nice guy. You meet people sometimes you feel a connection to. I can't ever explain it. I felt like I would really like to spend some time learning from this guys experiences. We talk about his farm. I ask him how many head of cattle he has... and he laughingly says: "My accountant asks me the same question. I don't really know. 300 hundred maybe?" I get a kick out of this... simple times are still among us folks.

We talk about that little town where he has lived his whole life, farming cattle, riding bikes, my job, kids... I show him a picture of my daughter (who I am missing terribly about now/then) and despite the crappy cell phone screen, his face lights up. He goes into his personal life some, his brother's bad divorce from a habitually drug intoxicated wife, and what it did to him. I don't mind... The guy seemed like he wanted to talk to me as much as I wanted to listen.

But as we know, on the TAT, you kinda have to keep somekind of a pace going or you will end up in the middle of nowhere at dark... ask me how I know/coming soon... and I sadly tell him I need to get moving.

He agrees and soon conversation breaks out again. I don't rush him.

But after a while, I start to 'gear up' and he gets the little hint. I slip a 10 dollar bill in his shirt pocket. He seems almost offended in a nice way. He will not take the money. I don't have a lot of cash and $10 is a nice bite out of my daily expenses, but I want him to have it. He is emphatic. "You just take that money and enjoy your trip." At some point you have to just agree risking fouling up someone's nice jesture, so I thank him repeatedly.

I am about to crank up and he says: "Wichita Falls huh... You know, that reminds me, in the Wichita Mountains down in south OK there is a place that makes my absolute FAVORITE hamburger in the world...." I cut him off during a pause and say Meers! This was the last time I saw him give a big grin. YES!

Yes sir... I have eaten there a few times. We ride up during the weekend, look at the buffalo and eat a Meers burger. Earlier he had taken down my name and phone number... not sure why... maybe he keeps track of who he meets, but I had zero reservations for giving it to him. I tell him that if he EVER finds himself in the Wichita Mountains that he better give me a call and I will ride up there (it is only about an hour or so) and his lunch will be on me. He, after giving it some thought, accepts my offer.

So here's to hoping someday soon, I will get a random phone call for a Meers burger lunch date with my new, old friend.

I motor off feeling somewhat sad I did not get to spend more time with old fella. I really like listening to the old timers talk. 70 is not my idea of ancient or really old, but times have changed a great deal over his 70 years and I know I could learn a bushel from him.

Look at that sky:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219769_FoTmD-L.jpg

Too bad the crappy camera massacres the pic.

Lots and lots of these blokes running around:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219784_WEdva-L.jpg

"Pardon me, but would you happen to know where the closest Chick-Fillet is? I'm hungry."

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219810_hdYrq-L.jpg

"Anybody??"

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219837_ErPq7-L.jpg

"No? ..... Okay, have a good day."

I like to imagine that really went something like this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/548622373_rPpKN-L.jpg

East to Central and a little beyond is some of my favorite TAT. It really feels like the wild west starts here.

Oklahoma Oasis off in the distance.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219866_yBmak-L.jpg

Soon I would myself in the middle of it:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219889_mvwoC-L.jpg

Whoa... I don't feel bad turning around. Oklahoma has been getting a ton of rain in the recent weeks.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219956_dPcKo-L.jpg

I find myself in Newkirk, OK. The devil box tells me there is a mom/pop BBQ joint around the corner from the filling station so I head over there.

They closed at 2:00. Interesting... ok.

Guess I have to settle for this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219972_pDZkf-L.jpg

Funny, I use to really like Sonic Coneys. Not so much anymore...

This started out innocent enough... but soon I had a pretty good rooster tail of mud getting out of there:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543219999_zmbse-L.jpg

Brilliant fun:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220025_9GswF-L.jpg

(You can't have a ride report and not say "brilliant" at least once. There you go. Ewan and Charley, eat your hearts out! haha)

You can really build some steam on this bad boy when it is dry.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220045_KLMzM-L.jpg

Varying types of gravel:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220061_WFpay-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220076_hGgV6-L.jpg

I took this pic of the wild flowers for my wife, but it came out sucky.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220093_YWBfm-L.jpg

There are these ditches/creeks across the trail from time-to-time they fill with huge freakin rocks. Pointy and sharp. I had WAY too much speed the first one I crossed and I thought I dented a rim. I can't believe I did not get a flat on that thing. After that, I knew what to expect.

I am glad this particular area had a couple days to recede before I got there:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220126_mmN8Z-L.jpg

I am standing in about the middle and you can see my bike way up there on the hill. Looks like it was pretty deep when it was most flooded. Probably near waist deep.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220110_aSowy-L.jpg

Had to get a KS sign pic. The mirror is pretty cool.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220202_8mk5Y-L.jpg

Notice the terrain change up ahead. This is about the best pic I got of it. The sun was going down fast and I was near nothing.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220260_8ayBa-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220295_Z3EqD-L.jpg

Famous TAT pic:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220317_mx45M-L.jpg

You will ride through some gorgeous terrain during this point. Little OK mesas I would call them. Some really nice places to camp if you don't mind a little ranch land stealthy snipe hunting style camping. I kept going. Sadly, I kept thinking around the next bend would be something better... Nope.

It gets dark on me and pass by the famous dead tree you see in a bunch of reports.

I stop and survey the situation. This is too low to camp in for me. I felt the area must be crawling with snakes. I hate snakes (soon even more). So I load up some of the dead wood and take it with me.

Ever had the feeling your being watched???

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220332_x5KpH-L.jpg

So I ride on a ways and I pretty much out of the OK Mesas and back to flattish ground.

It is full-up dark now. What to do.... what to do... I figure I can safely camp right on the side of this road and be up early and off. But I have reservations. Not sure why. It was damn spooky... I'll tell ya that.

But I find a suitable place and dismount.

No sooner than I get my helmet off, I start hearing the weirdest sound I have ever heard. I heard a band of Coyotes giving it hell too... but this was different. I grew up in the woods of South Arkansas.... as mentioned... and I have heard lots of crap. We even use to have Mountain Lions from time-to-time... it's true... bears too... (Arkansas used to be called The Bear State) and when you one of those lions scream bloody murder, you immediately release any brewing bowl movements into your shorts... the sound was nothing like that or owls or whiperwhils or deer grunts or pigs or even freakin ground hawg barking...nothing I have heard... It was like a low moan. FREAK ME.

Oh well... I have my trusty iron with me... let's get this done... but you know what, I am going to go up the road a bit and get out of this curve.

I go a ways and stop. This is when I first notice "The Headlights." WTF? Out of nowhere... the are like crisscrossing me on adjacent roads. No way they could see me. But one minute they were to my right... next opposite side... then same side again, then in front of me. How is this possible?

I shake it off and dismount and begin to unload my firewood thinking no way will I be using this.

That is when I notice the cemetery. Ok... I'm gone. See y'all. I'll be moving on now.

I get my crap on as fast I can, leave the wood for the cows, and haul ass.

Not long and I am at a crossroads. I stop and call my wife and tell her my story... she is pretty much freaking out which makes me laugh. I feel better but still decide that this night, I will not be camping.

Here come the headlights.

They stop behind me a WAYS back. They don't move.

Gotta go babe... Kiss Brianne for me.

I hightail it out and soon see a trailer house and the signs of people. I don't bother stopping to make friends.

I saw one more set of headlights before I made it to a main road and they cross my path ahead of me. That was it.

There was not so much as a tractor out there all day long and now it was rush hour in the middle of nowhere... or a ghost car.

Basically while stopped, I decide to motor to Liberal KS the most direct route I could.

It takes a while.

I get there close to midnight. I pull in to fuel up and a couple of Liberal's finest approach me.

"Where can I get some food?"

"Wendy's is all that is open." they say.

We chit chat... they like DS bikes and have a lot of questions. It was pretty nice talking with them, but I am tired... time to find a hotel.

I am sure the mom/pop places are ok there... some of them... but they tell me it was not advisable to stay there... and to go over to the (insert nice new hotel here - I can't even remember.) I say ok... and go there.

These officers were the last friendly people I would meet in Liberal Kansas. The rest, no so friendly. Maybe my 'good ole boy' attitude was a turn off, but the hotel clerks (day and night), gas stations attendants, and the fellow at Mihlon Cycle were not friendly at all.

Let me back up, here is my room: (Ouch $119?! - I manage to get it for $70 which is still way more than I wanted to pay... sometimes NOT planning is costly.)

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220367_CXhbm-L.jpg

But the hot tub was very handy for my tired bones:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220348_PgCi4-L.jpg

I ate my Wendy's, called my wife, filled that bad boy up, brought a couple tall boys over and watched Bad Boys in resort style. This ain't right... not at all... but we play the cards dealt right???

I snap this pic right outside my door:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220386_ANHwC-L.jpg

Now time for some shut eye... But not before I learn I have to wait till 10:00 for Milhons to open... crap... But I need a tire! Oh well... sleep in it is...


more later........

[TJ Willy]

Some video from the day:

Oklahoma gravel (http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/gallery/8295927_HZNqA/1/#547323601_mJcdj-A-LB)

(I sure thought that clip was longer...)

[Flingshot]

:Popcorn

[TJ Willy]

I slept in with the intentions of stopping by Milhon's for a new rear tire... any brand knobby would do... They don't open till ten, so I was there shortly after that.

I stopped to buy gas on the way... No love there. Just crooked eye stares. I offered a guy the use of the lighter in my tool kit when the counter girl did not have matches to sell him and he was so surprised I would do that.

It was no big deal - REALLY... I just think people up there are not use to kindness... or something... or maybe it was just a bad couple of days....

On to Milhon's. Wow. I show up and walk past a guy sitting in a chair talking to someone else and head for what I believe to be the parts counter. He shows up - eventually. I greet him with a smile and ask for a rear tire please... any dual sport knobby will do.

"What size."

Oh yeah... I apologized for being absent minded and tell him I have been alone in my head a few days... and that I did not know if I was thinking or speaking out loud sometimes... and I laughed...

I got nothing... but a blank stare.

Ok... tough room.

Right to business... no problem.

"130/90 - 17 or hell even 120/90 - 17.... Even an 80 series, some similar combination of those, whatever is handy will do."

"Yeah, we don't keep those."

"REALLY? - Wow... that surprises me.

I said that I thought since he was on this trail that runs..... CUT OFF.

"Yes, we get those guys in here all the time and sell a ton of parts."

"Really... no rear tires or everybody is on 18s?"

He actually turns and walks away.

Wow...

I was not even joking around... I was damned curious.

Maybe he just hates us poser, don't get dirty, starbucks drinking BMW riders... but he saw my bike... he knows I ride it... he saw me, I am filthy... and I was not sporting a cup of coffee of any kind.

Anyway, that is my Milhon's story. Plan your purchases over in Eastern OK with our TAT buddy or after - Trinidad has a KTM dealership... Anywhere... I would not stop again at Milhon's unless I just had to...

My experiences - YMMV.

So now I am pissed. Wasted time... bunch of rude people around here... I need to RIDE! Time for thearpy. :D

Starting to look different here in OK.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220405_LQX2c-L.jpg


I am on the downhill now, of my trip... tail end.... and was actually supposed to be home today, according to the wife. Work was covered for a few more days if I wanted stay out.

But I missed my family and it was drawing near my final chapters.

I had decided to get to CO this trip - just to say I had been there.

I press on.

SAND and lots of it.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220423_y2AcC-L.jpg

Even there is a lot sand and patches of deep deep sand, I am starting to like OK again...

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220444_6RKQa-L.jpg

And then it happened.

For those of you who have not ridden sand, it kinds pushes bike around left to right to left. You can dance across the top. The faster you go, the more stable you are.

I have VERY LITTLE sand experience but have managed ok so far because I have had plenty of room to work with.

But now I don't... I am in some deep sand... think 12-18 inches in the middle, 4-6" in the ruts. Doing ok until finally the left-to-right-to-left motion takes me into the middle (high center) of the road. My tire jack knifes almost immediately and no amount of throttle twisting saved me.

A more skilled rider could have recovered I think. Not me.

The first and only drop the whole trip.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220487_QMNvr-L.jpg

You can see from my tracks there how it all played out.


Deep I tell ya.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220503_Z4Fog-L.jpg

Ok, hard to tell in that pic... let's try this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220569_dPFoX-L.jpg

I get up and actually find myself grinning like a persimmon eatin' possum. It was so much fun and I knew it would be the sand that took me.

But oh snap... I have to pick this thing up!

I loaded the right side heavy b/c it seems when I go down on this bike it always to the left. Tools, tubes, most things heavy was on that side. I pulled the box.

I then bent over to pick up the bike and ----

did you notice the hill?

That is my pelican at the bottom and the opposite hill gives you an idea of how steep it was:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220587_8DfWw-L.jpg

---- went to lift it up as I always do.

Gruuunnnnnntttt - FAIL. Crap. I failed. completely. I ain't no body builder and this ain't no 250, but this bike is not that heavy. I have had to pick it up several times... this is bad. Sand, uphill, gravity...

When I started making progress, my feel would slip... or the bike would slip away from me.

Finally after mucho grunting and a few select words, I got the bike about to my chest. I just needed to stand it on up.

FAIL.

The hill and gravity played hell on me - not to mention the sand....

In desperation, I devised a plan to slowly slide down the bike while holding it up and get my shoulder under it. I get down a bit and I hear this:


TURN UP YOUR SOUND AND CLICK HERE! (http://www.sound-effect.com/sounds1/animal/rattlesnake4.wav)


Holy crap! I know that... it has been a while since I have been this close to one, but I know, in my heart of hearts that no more than 8 feet away from me is a coiled up demon worm feeling slightly 'crowded' at the moment.

YIPES!

(I will lose a few friends now by saying this)

But I put my hand on my trusty Seecamp .32 inside my waterproof pocket, finger it from the holster without pulling it.... I did not even look next to me first. I expected that sucka to be coiled up behind me near the edge of the road, it was loud... but it was not there. I secured my pocket and got back on task... still hearing the rattle.

Now, keep in mind, I have been holding this pig of a bike up with my right shoulder.

After I see that I was not in certain peril, I get the bike on up with what seems like a much less effort, crank it and throttle walk it up to the top of the hill. (No easy task in the sand.)

I kill the bike and grab my camera. I am really hoping to hear that rattle again so I could record it for y'all. No luck... I guess he moved on once I moved on.

Here is looking back up the hill to my bike. I fell where I am standing.

There she sits up there:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220608_uBHmC-L.jpg


I got my Pelican case and lugged it back up the hill... and I was off.

(Let me politely ask that nobody get off on any gun rants like we have seen before. Some of us carry for situations like this... some of us carry two. I have my conceal license and have lots of training - especially as former law enforcement.... it is our right (still)... but to each his own. P^ )

No sound needed:

MILES AND MILES (http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf)


MORE OKLAHOMA (<embed src="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf")

Now this is different:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220623_vCjGM-L.jpg

Hardpack, white, , , , stuff....

It is like looking out over an ocean of land...

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220659_2pUpF-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220678_x3sBA-L.jpg

So much variety in OK:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220706_7Kwg4-L.jpg

But all of it the same...

Sky and more sky:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220756_dEg4k-L.jpg

Finally after what seemed like months (and kinda was since I did the very east part of OK TAT last year), I finally break through OK.

Famous TAT pic:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220822_u5XZU-L.jpg

The old house is still there:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220793_dYUai-L.jpg

There is supposed to be a turn around here somewhere....

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220867_imSfu-L.jpg

I end up passing it and taking the next road. GPS reroutes me back to where I was supposed to be but I did not see a trail... it must be wrong... :rolleyes:

I did not bring my NM and CO maps or charts because I did not think I would make it this far on my time budget.

So GPS route is all I had.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220894_kJzpW-L.jpg

I find this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220882_PPNUP-L.jpg

Cool... this stuff is out here... just scattered around... little rock dwellings appear from time-to-time.

Ok, this can't be right...

I had to press on through a gate to posted property. I had a story already made up in case I was spotted...

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220904_giXYS-L.jpg

It would have been a true story...

"Sir, I am just trying to get to the purple line here.... I apologize."

But after just a few hundred feet, I decide to turn around... We have land back home and I just don't feel right treading so deep into someone's property.

I backtrack to the main highway I was on and ride very slowly passed where the GPS said I was to turn... ohhh... there it is. It is barely visible going slow, much less at speed.

Then it gets more apparent: :cool:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220925_A8CCQ-L.jpg

I head down it a ways and it... goes away:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220936_4RVK3-L.jpg

So maybe that was not the trail then... It looks like an old trail/road of some kind but now just ends... or I miss a turn somewhere.

So I just point the bike across this field/ranch/land/plain/notsurewhattocallthis towards the route on my gps. Judging by the picture, it should work out.

I travel for about ?2 miles? or so, up on the pegs, avoiding little crevices and really sharp cacti that were short to the ground... but you know... it was a blast. I felt like a cowboy on a horse... just making my way across the New Mexico plains...

Till I met up with a fence.

I head down the fence line for a ways hoping for a gate... when I don't see anything, I turn around and head the other way and soon saw a gate:

It had not been opened in a while... that chain was near stiff with rust.

Looking back at what I just crossed:

"Roads? Where we're going we don't NEED roads." - name that movie. :evil

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220972_QHSMP-L.jpg

Looking ahead to what I need to cross to get on the road. You can see the road there:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220960_PLyt6-L.jpg

Well, that was fun! A great intro to New Mexico... I LOVED NM. Just awe inspiring.

Away we go.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543220997_Yuozb-L.jpg

One of my favorite pics... I actually looked better before I compressed it to load faster:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221038_ffPv6-L.jpg

Watch out for this stuff:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221022_P4zGo-L.jpg

Things are looking pretty bleak here:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221053_UZpUH-L.jpg

Just a bike shot:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221071_FD4gK-L.jpg


While I was stopped here, I realized I was getting low on fuel, my light was on and I began searching the GPS for gas.

Mistake. There was gas but it was the wrong way and lots of miles the wrong way. The GPS did say there was a place close to my path about 60 miles away... Hmmmm.... that is gonna be VERY close. But lets go for it.

I ride and ride and ride and finally come up on this place:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221166_HEH7D-L.jpg

A house and crazy rock garage type place...

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221093_z3Wye-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221115_z5c67-L.jpg

How come I have never noticed this place in other TAT reports????

I see two gas tanks up on legs. "Unleaded" and "Diesel"

I walk over to the shop since the garage door is up/open/whatever. Definitely signs of people.

Tools GALORE...

"Hello!?"

Nothing...

I don't tread inside... just stay outside and yell in.

I walk over to the house's front door. KNOCK KNOCK... "HELLO!!?"

Nothing...

I walk around to the side... I see this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221185_hH9Gd-L.jpg

Been there a while I see...


KNOCK KNOCK...

Nothing.

I peak inside. Furnished... nice and clean...

So well, now, I have a moral decision.

This can't be the place the GPS was referring to, even though I don't see it on my screen anymore. I rode for several, several miles and the closest station is now 50 miles behind me... something ain't right.

Anyway, what to do.

I know I ain't going much further on what I have.

Nobody around to ask permission or even know I was here...

I am not a thief.

However, I am concerned about my well being though...

Plan hatched....

I grab the pump handle marked unleaded... not locked or anything... and sniff, sniff... squeeze a hair out to the ground... clean unleaded...

I open my tank and pump for a second or two... gravity fed and it goes slow. I see on the gauge that big tank is about half full... I can't see well enough to tell what I am putting in.

So I grab my light and shine it in my tank... I can barely make out gas. I envision what a gallon would look like and I turn the key on see my fuel light on.

I pump, check, pump, check, pump, check... bingo... gas light goes out. I know a gallon has not pumped out yet. I hang it up.

I find a zip tie, pen, and piece of paper... I write this note:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221208_WLmPD-L.jpg

I then do this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221222_NPUaq-L.jpg


Now I am kinda in a hurry. I wanted to ask permission, but I did not want to be caught in the act... :ddog

I think for a second... I better get a squeeze more just to ensure I can make it 100 miles... I am getting about 55-60 mpg and I figure I have about 1.1, 1.2 gallons... so I pump just a couple seconds more into my tank... think about everything... and feel I did the right thing given my circumstances.

I loaded up and motored off.

This is what the trail looked out of there:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221134_naUyQ-L.jpg


I still feel kinda bad though... I like to shake the hands of people that help me. These people helped me A GREAT DEAL. $5 was not enough but cash was running low and I know it probably more than covered their cost for that little bit of fuel... but still...

It kinda bothered me for the rest of the day.

I hope one of you guys can meet them one day and say: "Hey - you remember the Phil G guy that got gas from you and zip tied a $5 bill on the hose? Well, I know him... he wants me to say THANK YOU in person. You really helped him out of a bind he got himself into by not planning gas stops accordingly."

Moving on....

I see cool stuff in the distance!!!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221235_cnYew-L.jpg

House middle of freakin' no where:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221251_VD5pP-L.jpg

Getting closer:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221273_jW7qe-L.jpg

I love NM:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221289_BcSzY-L.jpg

I think I am headed up there now:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221308_FgMrP-L.jpg

Yep... I get up there and then I see one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen... My wife and daughter and then this:

(Video SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS my friends... but trust me... it is breathtaking in person. This is like describing Megan Fox by holding up a picture of Ingrid Newkirk)

But here goes: (might as well turn down sound)

THIS VIDEO DOES NO JUSTICE (http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf)

It is just gorgeous.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221378_ZYcFt-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221392_9nPL9-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221362_GLHjA-L.jpg

Those clouds are dropping rain... I can see it.

The wind is picking up big time... I can feel it.

The temperature is falling some... rain is coming my way.

I come upon this place:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221436_AWqjb-L.jpg

It is a hunting camp of some kind. I did not explore anywhere I should not be except this little lodge:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221464_bPP3v-L.jpg

The rain drops started to fall. They were HUGE! Each one I could feel through my suit. Here is the rain coming:

That ain't fog:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221404_Ze2wt-L.jpg

The drops are falling but not pouring... I expect them to so I borrow the porch so I could wrestle my rain gear out of the bike while staying dry.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221479_DHzUS-L.jpg

Once again, the serious rain skirts me. It only wet the ground slightly.

I contemplate laying my bag out here on the back side of the porch and staying the night. It is starting to get late.

In the process, I manage to loose my bike key.

This is the second time I have felt near panic on this trip. My spare is setting at home with my other maps. I just realized that.

Hmmmm.... I toss my bike out on the ground... then I realize I put it in a safe place I would not forget about ... the side pocket of my tank bag... :rofl A place I have NEVER put my key before... DOH!!!

I ride on!

Again, some strangers have helped me (by lending their porch) that I won't get to thank..

BTW, the little lodge was unlocked. I peaked inside hoping for a phone when I could not find my key... my cell was useless. No phone... but thankfully no need.

And who would I have called??? :huh

I soon find myself here:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221510_oiSAV-L.jpg

Now the rain had come through but only wet the ground.

Long Canyon Road is pretty tricky to say the least... but wet the trail and it is an uphill roller coaster. I only made the mistake of looking over the edge once... :puke1

I won't do that again... I would say this was tougher than Warloop Rd - YMMV - dry it would have been tough as well. There are some really big rocks buried in the ground... ruts from water running down the trial, sticks, and it is all uphill. In a couple of places, a false move could have been fatal.

Sorry no pics as I could not stop... loss of momentum would have been a bad deal.

But here is the top:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221624_NBvVF-L.jpg

Folks that have ridden it will know what I am talking about.

It does not look very wet but it was enough 'wet' to cause me to slip around climbing that road.

Somewhere around here, I crossed into CO. You can see the heavy rain ahead of me.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221640_mQKP9-L.jpg

Wide open spaces:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221699_PNoSL-L.jpg

I eventually catch up to where all that rain was. But thankfully it passed.

The road I was was nice but slick as snot. The mud was thick and sticky. I only almost lost it once when I thought I better slow down.

When I slowed down the bike got loose on me and I zig-zagged frantically trying to keep it up. I succeeded.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221731_snT7j-L.jpg

Mud was flinging up and over the front of the bike on me.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221710_Ek5gY-L.jpg

I was to turn right on a more traveled road that was packed.

With the sun falling fast, I decided to intersect the closest pavement and haul but to Trinidad, CO. This would be the end of my TAT.

Judging by the terrain, the remaining TAT to Trinidad would have been very nice, but no way I was going to make it before dark especially in muddy conditions. I'll be back next year hopefully starting in NM with my buddy.

He is going to do the TAT that I did (we did AR and part of OK together last year) and then we will pick up in NM together. I can't wait to do NM again.

On the way to Trinidad.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221741_FYLD9-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221767_pCqF9-L.jpg

I can see cool stuff in the distance:

Snow covered peaks!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221791_KA7PM-L.jpg

Are those the Spanish Peaks out there??? I don't know.

While en route, I pull up the American Micro Breweries POI file I have saved on the GPS. WOOT! There is one in Trinidad... I thought there might be.

I get to Trinidad just before dark and choose to stay in the Trail's End Inn. A cool place with cool owners. $40 cash. The owner knocked a little off b/c he is a biker.

We chat a while and he shows me his bikes.

He won that Lucas Oil chopper in a raffle.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221852_jPixd-L.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221866_HbRA2-L.jpg

After I get settled in, I walk down to the brewery. It is close by.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543221990_czyUx-L.jpg

I try their dark beer first. It is 10.5 alcohol by volume and excellent. :freaky

Then I order BBQ. This was the best food I had all trip.

Mmmm... garlic texas toast.. nice touch.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543222031_Gkzmk-L.jpg

The pale beer is good too and you get a full pint of it. The dark beer they sell in smaller glasses due to the amount of alcohol in it.

There is a really nice waitress working and how do we say this nicely... she is um... hot!

After dinner I ask her where the cool bar is to hang out and she says: "Sweetie, you are there already." She takes me by the hand and leads me to a group of people and introduces me.

This was the beginning of a GREAT evening with new friends. We drink till they close around midnight... closing hours was 9pm but everyone was friends with the owners and they just keep serving us.

I took some video but it was just nuts... loud, dark.. People are all screaming for y'all (the adv crowd) and it just came out bad.

But once it got real late we went inside and after a tour of the back, the owner started drinking black/tans with his micros. I had one or five.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543222047_48EgR-L.jpg

I bought a cool mug and staggered back to my room.

The rooms are real nice. Mine had some foul pet smell in there but I did not care, I could tell the rooms were kept really nice and the owners were very apologetic. They allow dogs b/c they like them, but some people are not responsible with their pets.

I call my wife, tell her I am ok and pass out.

The next day, I get some town shots on the way out.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543222066_AvcR8-L.jpg

Time to get on the dreaded super slab and make my way home.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543222122_qpoSX-L.jpg

Somewhere near Raton Pass - only about 7k elevation according to sign I passed.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543222163_dKG2Y-L.jpg

Still enough to rob a little power till the bike adjusted.

The miles just creep by. I am thankful for XM radio. Free Howard Stearn week... it helps the time go by.

I stop in West Texas somewhere for some DQ

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543222202_4sGnd-L.jpg

Oh yea...

I very nearly stopped at the KTM shop in Trinidad for a new tire. But I was just ready to head home. So pressed on.

This was about 220 miles from the house:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543222232_TrjSU-L.jpg

I remember because while at this truck stop, I picked up my daughter a little present.

NO TELLIN' what strange looks I got with this:

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543222247_xCxhL-L.jpg

Who cares... I didn't.

About 100 miles out, the zumo (bluetooth) alerts me of a call coming in. I can't really answer it b/c I don't have comm, but I can listen to a voice mail while riding.

It is my wife. A school bus just backed into her Envoy sliding the rear end down the side of her truck and then taking off?!?!

I pull over here: (and call her)

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/543222260_ExWu8-L.jpg

She was just fine and the baby was at home with my Mom who came into town to stay with my family whilst I go play on this trip.

She did good. Funny story, I won't go into detail with, but she followed the bus, called 911 and the cop routed to her position and pulled the bus over. It ended up being a different bus as she got caught a red light and then got behind a different bus... there were a bunch out zig-zagging around...

The cop actually tracked the right bus down and saw the damage on the back of the bus. No ticket for the driver though as he says he did not know he hit her... that pissed me off... but oh well.

All was good...


I was home just before dark and my daughter has not let go of me since.

Life is good.


Thanks for reading my report and I appreciate all the comments.

This was one for my history books.

The bad thing is, I am already stir crazy... I don't know how I am going to take it not being able to go on a ride for awhile. But with a baby boy in the oven and soon to be joining us, I can't really complain.

Y'all ride safe.

Cheers!

[TJ Willy]

Ok... I think I edited out all the offending material... Y'all will have to forgive me. This report was designed to fit in over at ADVrider.com and, well... while many consider flipping the bird offending, it is the official 'wave' to other ADV riders.

I think I got them out this time.

P^

[TJ Willy]

:Popcorn


Hey Flingshot...

Saw your comment at ADV. Thanks man.

I love you sig line over there:

"My Dr. says I have Adult Attention Def..... Oh Look! A dirt road!"

:D

[Trailace]

Great report and the TAT only gets better.

I think Chief had the the same issue in almost the same spot.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/389845318_oBuCj-M.jpg

[TJ Willy]

Yeah, can't wait. I sure wish I could go with y'all.

Holy cow... almost exact same spot. I think I was a little further down the hill, but it is the exact area.

I am not alone! A guy over at ADV said that area is particular bad with sand b/c of a the drought they had in the past.

Maybe we should start a club.

:D

[Trailace]

Let's see....... how about TAT a OK Sandman.:rolleyes:

[Flingshot]

Let's see....... how about TAT a OK Sandman.:rolleyes:

Or How about..... Men Overboard.

[TJ Willy]

HAHAHA!!!

Both good.

[Flingshot]

Hey Flingshot...

Saw your comment at ADV. Thanks man.

I love you sig line over there:

"My Dr. says I have Adult Attention Def..... Oh Look! A dirt road!"

:D

Thanks, I haven't been officially diagnosed yet but...........Oh look! a butterfly. What was I saying?

[TJ Willy]

Thanks, I haven't been officially diagnosed yet but...........Oh look! a butterfly. What was I saying?


:D:D:D

I used that joke today but with a Squirrel - it was funny.


P^