greatdivideride

Great Divide Ride

If you are looking for current information about doing the ride go here:

Great Continental Divide Ride updated

Below is my ride report from when I did the ride.

Continental Divide Ride 2006

Great Ride, I highly recommend this ride if you are carrying the adventure spirit. We did this ride starting on Monday July 24, 2006.  Enjoy the stories and pictures below.  If you would like to ride this yourself the GPS and Hotel information is given at the end of the page.

About the Route: The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is a premier off-pavement route, crisscrossing the Continental Divide north to south. This route is defined by the word "remote." Its remoteness equates with spectacular terrain and scenery. The entire route is basically dirt-road and mountain-pass riding every day. In total, it has over 200,000 feet of elevation gain. All of this climbing gets the rider into visually spectacular places.

More description at:

Adventure Cycling

About our bikes:

As a group we have each chosen some very different bikes. All can be considered long distance adventure bikes.  All the bikes have been modified with larger gas tanks and many comfort items to help us go

the distance.   For those interested in bike details see below.

Kevin: BMW HP2

Steve: KLR650

Ken: KTM 950

Bob: KTM 950

Charlie: Suzuki DRZ 400

Jim: Yamaha WR450

Jeff: Honda XR650

Chris: Honda XL650

We will have to contend with extreme weather changes each day.  Many days may be nice but all days can offer anything from cold rain, to afternoon storms and hale, to desert like 110+.  So we will be carrying lots of gear to help us survive the climate change.

Day 1: Canada to Seeley Lake

Ok the ride started today,we left the Canadian border at 8:30 am after taking a few pictures.  The route headed through some farms and started through the mountains towards Glaser National park.  The scenery was spectacular.  After about 100miles of forest and mountains we came back towards the towns for gas.  It was hot so we headed back into the mountains to find a cool stop for lunch.

Maybe we were riding a little hot through some farm communities as a sheriff pulled us over.  He had gotten a complaint that we were riding 4 abreast.  Some of us were going pretty fast, that may have something to do with it.  Others argue that there was a BMW doing wheelies down the road that was the problem.  I don't think that was the problem myself.  But, anyway he let us off with just a warning.

So in no time we were into the next county and enjoying ourselves again.  Near the end of our day we found the route was closed to motorcycles.  So for the last 25 miles we took the highway.  The day was a total of 240 miles about 60 was on back pavement roads.  The rest was dirt!  We rode about 10 hours.

 Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Day 2: Seeley lake to Butte

Ok Day 2 turned out great.  We started at 7:00 am and it was cold but beautiful in the morning.  We climbed at mountain called Huckleberry Pass. There were great views looking back down in the valleys.  We had an 10:00am gas stop and Jeff had a breakfast hot dog.  Next the trail got narrow and wound through the trees.  I encountered a fallen tree and did not want to jump the BMW over it so three of us pushed the tree out of the way.

We came across a group of mountain bikers that had spent the last week traveling form Butte.  We told them that we would be going to Butte today and they said that the trail was too rough for motorcycles. There were several large boulder and ruts and root and hills that we would not be able to get our bikes up.  So we continued.

It turned out to be a little challenging, but it was the best part of the day.  I got one picture of Bob coming down a rocks hill.  The big bikes did great.

At the end of the day we rode the last 20 miles on an old train track bed.  It was fast and fun.  Check out the tunnel.

Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Day 3: Butte to Island Park

Ok Day 3 is complete.  240 mikes and we are in Idaho.  The day started with some narrow tight tracks through the woods and then a steep downhill.  I thought I was in trouble with the BMW.  But I made it ok.

 No one has had any bike failures or real crashes.  We had lunch at a gas station after 140 miles.  Lots of fastriding today with big valleys.

 Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Day 4: Island Park to Pinedale

In the morning Charlie's bike started leaking Gas after only a couple of miles.  4 of us decided to head back to the support truck and try to fix it.  The first attempt failed and the second was also unsuccessful.  So after two hours Charlie decided to take the backup Kawasaki. And we were off.  The ride started on another old train track bed and for 40 miles it was awesome.  There were lots of bridges and another tunnel.  We me some retired mountain bikers on this section.  They were traveling to Mexico and had been riding 40 days

(we did this section in 4).  They figured that it would take them 120 days.  They had a great attitude and were enjoying them self.

Later in the day I did have a learning experience.  First I want you to know that you have not lived life fully until you have been chased by a Grizzly Bear.  I learned that a Grizzly Bear can go from 0 to 40mph in 2 seconds.  And I also know that a BMW can go from 0 to 60mph in 3.2 seconds. You do the math, check out the picture.

While we were having fun, the other group was having there own adventure.  Bob was speeding through a construction zone when a Highway Patrol decided to chase him.  Bob thinking I don't know what (he can out run the cop) decided to out run the officer.  So on the KTM 950 he hit 140 mph, but he then chickened out and was arrested. So handcuffed he went to jail.  Ken was nice enough to post the $5000 bond and now he is back riding with us another day.  4 day of ridding and 2 police encounters, you would think we were in our twentys again.

Some Beautiful ridding and adventure. 

So we all live to ride again, tomorrow is another day.

 Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Day 4 Update, as it turns out Bob did not really get thrown in Jail. They were stopped for speeding in a construction zone.  Because they came into the construction zone in the middle on a dirt road and had

not seen the Construction signs, the cop let them off.  So they asked the cop to let them take a picture of Bob handcuffed, and then staged the story.

Day 5: Pinedale to Butte

Today's ride can be described as a lot of open space.  The plan was to ride to a community called Atlantic City, get gas and then ride to Rawlins.  When we got to Atlantic City we found out that there was no gas and has not been any for years.  The town appeared to be a ghost town with a few people living in it.  We found a guy in the area and he had 5 gallons of gas that we could get.  We needed more and Jeff said that he was good at getting gas from ranchers along the way, so we continued.  Jeff has done this several times in Mexico. This is where we learned that this part of WY is much more remote then Baja Mexico.  Our first ranch was 50 miles later and there were no people there, just as couple of dogs.  He looked around and could not find any gas.  So we continued and Jeff ran out of gas with 40 miles left.  So we took some gas from Charlie's bike.  Then 20 miles later both Jeff and Charlie ran out of gas. So we took more gas from the remaining bikes.  Then 10 miles from Rawlins, Chris ran out of gas. We went to town and got more gas.

The ride this day was slow and easy as we all tried to save gas.  We went 100 of miles and never saw anyone.

 Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Day6: Butte to Steamboat

 It was onto Steamboat CO.  It was just a short day as we spent the afternoon tuning up the bikes, new tires, and oil.  And Charlie got a new petcock for his gas tank so his bike is running again.

We are now back into the trees, and riding will be tougher and slower.

Bob slipped and fell in the garage while working on his bike.  He twisted his ankle, hope he can ride tomorrow.

We are staying at Steve's friends condo and had Chinese food delivered for dinner.

 Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Day7: Steamboat to Salida

Today found us ridding through the high country of the Colorado Rockies. The day started out a bit cold and then we had our first water crossing.  We stopped again and had a great breakfast. In the afternoon we rode in the high mountains.  The weather was great.

 Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Day8: Salida to Chama

The day began with Beautiful mountain roads.  The route led us over Marshal Pass at 10800 feet.  The weather was great until the end of the day.  The last 20 miles was pavement and it rained hard.  It was very hard to see out of the helmet.

 Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Day9: Chama to Cuba

Today was the hardest day so far. There was lots of mud and the big bikes did not like that (the kind of

mud that sticks to your feet if you walk in it.).  Several riders fell and struggled with the mud.  They had had some freak storm the night before and there were several washout on the roads. I on the BMW had two tip over incidents. It was miserable to fight to keep the big bike upright.  My arms and wrists are sore from being tense for so long. 100 miles of mud was no fun.

Everyone went to the carwash and washed them selves and the bikes.

 Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Day10: Cuba to Grants

Ok so after the mud from yesterday, you might think that we would consider changing our route today.  This morning we heard that the summer storms here are the worst in recorded history. Several main highways have been washed out.  And we read that if there is rain the Mountain Bike Route will be impassable. So would you think that we would consider one of the several options?  Well NO, no one even brought up the thought.

Breakfast started with egg Mcmuffins in the parking lot

So it was off for Day 10.

After the first few miles, we encountered mud again.  Bob was down after the first couple of mikes. Then Kens KTM950 sunk in the mud under full power.  It took 4 of us to push it out.  The road was washed out in several places.  Next it was me stuck in the mud.  Maybe I should send a picture of the first HP2 stuck in the mud to BMW. It sank in this soft sticky glue, as we would try to move it we would sink ourselves to our knees.  What a mess.

There were 2 areas where the bridges had washed out.  The streams below had receded so we worked at finding a path to cross. Steve took a fall on the first crossing.  What fun to take a big bike across it but I made it.

After several more hours we encountered gravel roads and it was on to Grants NM.  Where we first found a carwash and then went for good Chinese Food.  Yes I am sure the food was good.

 Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Check out the wheeley that won the pie. BMW HP2 Wheeley

Day12: Silver City to Mexico (Antelope Wells)

As the last several days the day also began with mud.  Then the last 50 miles was pavement and poof we were at the Mexican Border. Twelve days of riding every day started at 7:00am.  Everyday was long and it was over.

We rode into Mexico and 60 miles to Douglas AZ.  Then it was 130 miles to the Tucson airport.  We are done all 8 of us made it and there were no flat tires (on the bikes).

We had a awesome celebration dinner.

Photo Album from this Day (Slideshow)

Go to: New gpsKevin Website