I was awakened at first light by the most beautiful songbirds of which I had never heard, in a place I’d never been.
That first morning of a trip when you wake up in your tent next to your motorcycle somewhere in the wilderness always has a certain feeling. It’s calming, it’s freeing, it’s exciting, even euphoric. I don’t know that I can fully explain it, but it always happens to me, and hopefully you’ve experienced this as well.
On this particular morning, I was camped among the majestic granite outcroppings known as Castle Rocks in western Idaho. And as I sat with my freshly brewed coffee and basked in the golden light of dawn, it wasn’t my bike I was sitting next to and admiring, it was the Overland Expo Foundation’s Ultimate Overland Motorcycle for 2025, the kitted-out Suzuki V-strom 800.
I flew into Redmond, OR a couple days prior for Overland Expo PNW. As always, it was a fantastic event and I especially enjoyed some time to take in several informative classes and presentations from like-minded overland travelers.
The mission of the trip though, was to ride the V-strom to Colorado. As a fairly seasoned motorcycle traveler, I was excited of the notion and looked forward to the ride with no set plan, albeit with only a short amount of time. I’ve done a few “fly and ride” type adventures and one of my biggest concerns is the luggage situation because you never really now how all your gear is going to fit on a certain bike until you do it. This bike, set up with Mosko Moto’s Alpine Panniers and Alpine Duffle, securely mounted utilizing Outback Motortek pannier racks and a rear luggage rack quickly whisked those concerns away. I found them incredibly easy to pack with the simple yet rugged design, and with a total of 90 liters of volume, the three bag set quickly swallowed all of my camping gear and essentials for the adventure.
A friend at the Expo mentioned Highway 26 being a great 2-lane blacktop ride out of Redmond, and after a quick look at Google maps, I was off to see for myself. The only real goal here was to ride some great roads heading east and south a little, and somewhere here and there, throw in some good dirt, a couple nice camp spots, see some countryside, and eventually make it to Loveland, CO.
It took no time at all to get comfortable on the bike as I blasted through the twisties east of Redmond. The road carved it’s way through the pines of the Ochoco National Forest, skirting lakes and cresting passes, allowing me to test the impressive road manners of the Dunlop Trailmax Mission tires, all while taking in the glorious scenery.
Stumbling upon the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument was a pleasant surprise and the visitor center made for a great opportunity to take a little break and stretch the legs. My good fortune continued as I rode past Sheep Rock and through Picture Gorge, slicing through the towering basalt columns. The canyons and hills eventually gave way to agricultural land where rich fields produced an abundance of onions that filled my nostrils with the familiar smell. The road straightened and the Veridian Cruise Control soon became a new friend. I was quite amazed how accurately it held a constant speed despite hills and random wind gusts, and found the controls intuitive and easy to use.
Several times I found myself crossing the Oregon Trail and came across numerous historical sites in relation, and I often stopped and read the signs and plaques. My mind wandered as I thought of the settlers traveling west in covered wagons in the mid 1800’s, the original “overlanders” perhaps. I camped just off Goodale’s Cutoff, an old shortcut that varied north of the original Oregon Trail, and as the sun faded, my mind was with those settlers, the trials and tribulations they must’ve faced, and how much travel has changed over the years. Yet there I was, traveling a similar route on just 2 wheels, experiencing some of the same natural beauty.
Traveling further East I stopped in a small farming community to fuel up the bike and grab some snacks. The Hepco & Becker tank bag from Moto Machines was easy to remove with a quick release pull of a strap, and snapped back into place to conveniently store my tasty treats for later. The Ram Mounts fastened to the bars securely held my phone and with a quick look I discovered the next place to explore.
It wasn’t long and the landscape began to change, transforming to something somewhat otherworldly, vast lava flows from centuries past soon covered the landscape surrounding me. This was Craters of the Moon National Monument, a vast ocean of lava flows covering over 1,100 square miles. As I rode the loop road and hiked a couple short trails amongst the cinder cones and sage brush, I felt as if I were on another planet.
Needing to make a mile, I cut my exploration short and got back to it. Eastern Idaho is the land of expansive wheat and hay fields and they seemed to extend for hours. Throughout a trip I often look ahead, gradually developing a route and my next move. As I approached Wyoming, large ominous storm clouds were threatening the skies around me. This is just one reason I like not having a set plan- one look at the radar, one look at the map, and a fresh route is developed.
My new plan took me South out of the storms and along the beautiful Snake River, the shores of the grand Palisades Reservoir, through the Hoback River canyon and into Pinedale, Wyoming. Seeing National Forest to the north of town I ventured out onto forest service roads in search of camp. Here I found the end of the ground clearance on the V-strom and tested the burliness of the Outback Motortek skid plate, and had a hoot doing it. The RAM Tough mirrors took a few hits from encroaching tree branches along the trail, but remained unscathed. I soon made camp near a lake and with the winds of the storm front blowing strong, I hunkered in for the night.
The morning brought blue skies and mosquitoes. Thousands of mosquitoes. No time for camp coffee, packing up rapidly, I was thankful for the Optima Batteries lithium battery that immediately brought the V-strom to life and I hit the trail early, headed for town and the local café.
It was finally time for some good dirt riding. I decided to cross the Great Divide Basin, following the Great Continental Divide Motorcycle Route, something I traversed almost 10 years prior, and I was excited to revisit it’s vast openness.
Back in the Klim Dakar riding gear and Alpha X1 Helmet, between the head-to-toe protection and the all day comfort, I felt ready to tackle anything. I was especially happy with the improvements in the helmet over my Krios Pro.
A short stretch of highway got me onto dirt, and I soon found myself in the middle of nowhere. And I mean the middle of nowhere, not a sign, not a fencepost, not a power pole, nothing but an old dirt road through an expansive landscape you find hard to believe exists. It’s a little bit comforting having a satellite communicator like the Zoleo when putting yourself in these situations. You wonder why there is even any resemblance of a road in a place like this, and it’s truly awesome. My only guess is that these are old mineral exploration roads and nature is slow to take them back.
I wasn’t alone out there though, there were numerous pronghorn antelope and small herds of majestic wild horses, and there was Mark. The route I was on also happens to be a mountain bike route, and when you come across another human being in a place like this, you have to stop and chat. Mark was on his own 2 wheel overlanding adventure, a human powered one, pedaling his mountain bike from Mexico to Canada in remembrance of his ancestors, who 175 years ago traversed this barren land in search of a better life and free land in Oregon. We had a great conversation and exchanged notes about where we’d been and where we were headed. Meetings like this are one of the reasons I love to travel.
A couple hundred miles of dirt and sand were making for a long day, but the v-strom never missed a beat and had earned my trust. Hitting pavement I was just a couple hundred miles and a couple mountain passes from my destination and I pushed on. Again, the storm clouds rolled in and the skies turned black as night, but the Cyclops Adventure Sports lights punched their way through the darkness and guided me home. It was a wonderful journey, I packed a lot into a short amount of time, and the Ultimate Overland Overland Moto Build proved itself to be ready for some ultimate adventures.
