Canada to Mexico Dual Sport Mortorcycle Adventure

Leg 1 - Riding Dual Sport Motorcycles along the Continental Divide from Calgary Alberta Canada to Denver Colorado

Link to Continental Divide Dual Sport Motorcycle photo gallery - click HERE

About an hour before setting off from Calgary Canada on our Dual Sport Motorcyle Adventure along the Continental Divide, we received word that forest fires in Montana had closed access from the east and north into Glacier National Park. Although the official 'Great Divide Mountain Bike Route' does not enter the park. We planned to ride our dual sport motorcycles down the Forestry Trunk Road from just west of Calgary Canada, into Waterton National Park on the Canadian side, and then across Glacier National Park to meet up with the Great Divide Route near Polebridge Montana. Not even on the trail and our first route change was made. We would now make our way to the official start of the Continental Divide Route at the US - Canada border. After the normal last minute scramble taking care of final details we would head off at about 4:00 PM on a beautiful summer afternoon in late July 2006.

After a very nice dinner in Longview Alberta it was only a few more miles of pavement before we were at the Indian Graves road that would allow us to ride our dual sport motorcycles over the pass and onto the Forestry Trunk road. We were on gravel, the sun was low in the sky, the foothills were an inviting haze in the distance and it was one of those gorgeous Alberta summer days that never seem to end. After about a year of planning, it finally felt like the motorcycle adventure had begun.

It was also the first time that I had actually ridden my KTM 640 dual sport motorcycle other than a short test ride when purchasing. The loose gravel and the big load I was carrying proved to be providing a little more adventure than I wanted. A few hours of getting acquainted with the bike was all that it took to sort things out. In no time the high speed slides became predictable and most importantly they were controllable. I was also starting to fall in love with the KTM 640 and the way it handled in all types of conditions.

We continued riding south to Coleman and then spent the night at a motel with a bunch of Harley riders. The following day by around noon we were crossing the border and at the start of the 'Great Divide Mountain Bike Route'. Within the first hour we came across two groups on mountain bike riders. One group was just starting off from north to south and another group just finishing a south to north trip. Interestingly enough, this would be some of the very few mountain bikers that we saw on the route. Each time we did see someone, they got our respect for pedaling their bikes and most often towing a trailer, over this incredible route. Those are tough men and women who tackle that challenge and our helmets go off to them.

Although the route is fairly isolated, it does pass through or near some populated places so finding a warm shower and soft bed each night was not so difficult. We fell into a loose routine of getting up early and on the trail. As opportunity presented itself, we would stop somewhere during the day to eat and have a break. Late in the day we would stop for a cold one and consult our maps to try and figure out where we might spend the night. On average we were riding 8 - 10 hours per day. My 250 mile fuel range never proved to be a problem although it did get tested a couple of times. Arnie's bike has a 28 liter (7.4 US gallon) tank so when it looked like we might have a long stretch without access to fuel, he would top up just in case. However, during the first leg I never needed to siphon any from his super tanker.

Quite a bit of the Montana riding was familiar to our experiences off road motorcycle riding in Alberta and British Columbia Canada. These type of 4x4 trails winding through the mountains following the sides of streams and the general lay of the land are what we would typically use to tie together single track sections of trail and cross country motorcycle race courses. We saw a fair amount of game and appreciated not seeing very many people. Most of the sections we found very easy and enjoyable.

I was the navigator and would lead riding the right hand tire line. Arnie would follow in the other tire line with the front wheel of his motorcycle equal to my rear tire or slightly back. This allowed both of us to ride dust free. It also committed us to our line which essentially turned the trail into a single track for each of us. In the rare case that we would meet traffic, I would hold my speed or accelerate off to the right hand scrub. Arnie would back off and fall in behind me. It was a system that worked very well and allowed us to stay focused and sharp like we would while racing motorcylces off road. Trail speeds ranged from crawling along in first gear to the middle of the power band in top gear. In some of the open sections we would find ourselves riding this way at 80 to as much as 105 Km, per hour (50 - 65 miles per hour). This is a riding system where you have to trust your ability as much as the guy you are riding with. Chris Reid taught me this technique on snowmobiles where it is equally as much fun.

We navigated almost exclusively with the GPS. It allowed us to pre plan our route and was simple to follow. Anticipating intersections allowed us to maintain a nice rhythm as we didn't need to stop very often to figure out which way to go.

A number of years ago I had done an off road motorcycle trip over the length of the Sultanate of Oman using a Garmin III for navigation. On this trip I learned how valuable a tool a GPS can be. While crossing the Wahiba Sand Dunes from north to south. Myself and two other riders got separated from the other motorcycles and support vehicles. I zeroed in on our next way point. A little fishing village on the coast some 50+ kilometers (30 miles) distant. Wandering over and around sand dunes chasing that point on my GPS screen I had lots of time to imagine being lost in this sandy wasteland. I will always remember the feeling of relief I had when that tiny little box led me directly to where I wanted to go. On this new adventure I was once again thankful to have such a useful navigational aid. In fact I was quite blown away with the mass of useful information the new generation of Garmin provided.

There were a couple of Great Divide route sections that tested our bikes and riding ability due to the load. In particular the lava mountain trail south of Helena Montana. Steep & Rocky would best describe it. We did encounter sections of route which are single track and closed to motorcycles. These we detoured around. The GPS, Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer maps, and tips passed on by others who had done this trip before, all made the detours fairly easy to pre-plan and navigate. We did come upon a new trail closure (to even hikers). This was just before Basin Montana and caught us by surprise. This was where the detail of the Garmin GPS came into play as we were able to plot a route around on something that was not much more than a cow trail. It turned out to be one of the more enjoyable sections we rode during the leg.

Our Dual Sport Motorcylce route following along the Great Divide Mountain Bike trail, cut across the northeast tip of Idaho before entering Wyoming along the western border of Yellowstone National Park. Good riding and great mountain vistas was the norm. This route certainly treated us to some spectacular country. The fabulous weather we experienced each and every day of this leg only added to our appreciation of how lucky we were to make this trip.

Some short sections of the Great Divide route are on pavement. Whenever we encountered this it would be no time at all before we ran into Harley riders making their way to Sturgis. That is a total different kind of ride that Arnie and I have made together. Seeing and speaking to these riders when we did, brought back good memories. After a particularly long and dry section of riding we came upon a small western town with a bunch of Harley motorcycles lined up out front of a colorful looking bar. Arnie and I looked at each other and knew that this would be our lunch stop. We lined up on the street as if we belonged and wandered right in. There were a lot of double takes when they saw our dirt riding gear but the ice was quickly thawed once we told them what we were up to and spoke from experience about Sturgis and Harley Davidsons'.

As we got into southern Wyoming the country opened up and so did the distance between civilization. We traveled through some very desolate country made famous by early explorers and pioneers. Union Pass, South Pass, Buckskin Crossing, Lander Cut-off of the Oregon Trail, Jim Bridger, and Wilson Price Hunt of the Pacific Fur Company to name a few. One of the names that stuck with us and where we spent a memorable evening, was Atlantic City WY. Population 'around 54' as the sign declared entering town

With some savvy back country route recommendations from Tom, we set off the next day for Breckenridge, a few more beautiful miles of the Continental Divide route over the Boreas Pass (11,480 ft.) on an old railroad bed, and then in to Denver to meet up with my very good friends Mona and Kim Baker, who very conveniently live a couple of miles from a good KTM dealer where we were going to have a little maintenance done, put on new rear tires and store the bikes. Arnie had lost most of his electrics over the route and I had a starter that was faulty. Plus my bike would not start in gear. Something that is not very safe on a dirt bike where you may stall out on a steep hill or in a position where you cannot get your left foot over to the shift lever.

3160 Km. (1975 miles) since we left Calgary and we had finished the first leg. Best of all we had a great time, enjoyed each others company and couldn't wait to return in September for part two of what had been everything we hoped for and more.