Passes & Canyons Blog

Morgan Sansotta, a die-hard Springsteen fan, blogs on behalf of Jafrum.com. People never believe she wants to leave the Bay Area for her native Idaho.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the Potato State — it’s the Gem State. And what a gem it is, particularly on a motorcycle. Idaho is, arguably, the most wild of all lower-48 states and, undisputedly, home to some of the country’s most majestic scenes and varied landscapes. In a single day you can zip from the sun-baked desert to a lush lake shadowed by towering peaks, past volcanic lava beds, through sprawling farmland and end up at a National Park. Unless you’re looking for the ocean or a shopping mall, there is something there for everyone.

As a young adult, I spent many years in the Idaho wilderness and plenty of those years cruising up and down hidden highways. Excellent roads, far-beaten paths and scenic detours are literally everywhere. It’s not hard to find your own slice of remote paradise, every few miles in some areas. The state is the one of the largest, and least populated, in the Union. With so many routes to choose from, I’ll just touch on a couple of my favorites.

Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway

Straight out of the capital city and on up to Lowman, Stanley and the Sawtooth Mountains, this is an extremely popular ride for motorcycle enthusiasts, hotspringers and all manner of outdoor recreators. Highway 21 is on a loop, making this literally, a round trip. While you will have to keep an eye out for rock slides and loose debris, keep both eyes peeled for the long list of wildlife calling this area home. Deer, elk, coyotes, foxes and birds of prey loom at every corner. Campsites are scattered everywhere on this jaunt, but don’t expect to see many roadside pubs or restaurants. If you have some spare time and a penchant for nostalgia, try your hand at panning for gold in the Idaho City area.

The Devil’s Tail

Hell’s Canyon is the deepest gorge in the country, a solid 2000 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon. No matter which direction you come from (Cambridge, ID off US 95 or the Oregon route through Oxbow) prepare for some gorgeous scenery. Be careful when studying maps, trying to craft your own trail – this is an extremely primitive area with loose dirt roads everywhere. Take a time out and let someone else do the driving – take a jet boat up the Snake River or a commercial raft down it. Or both (I’ve done it once and it was awwwesome). This can be a dangerous trail, all cliffs and blind curves, but the view of the Seven Devil’s mountains makes this a check-box on any biker’s list.

The Lolo Pass

Cut across the middle of Idaho on Highway 12 all the way over to Montana (another state chockfull of beautiful byways). They say that Lewis and Clark took this path, more or less, straight through the Clearwater and Lolo National Forests. This road is notorious for its rural curves. Some bikers have even complained that the 60+ miles of switchbacks gets monotonous. Be warned, there’s a 75-mile stretch in the middle with virtually nothing but Evergreen trees and gushing water. No gas, no food, no kidding. Also, be wary of the western half of the journey (towards Lewiston) – truckers and wide loads aren’t looking for you, but that’s nothing new. Idaho law doesn’t require riders to wear helmets. But please do. Other than that, make sure to bring your camera so you can take a picture of your mug next to the famous “Winding Road Next 99 Miles” sign.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Only a biker knows . . .: Motorcycle wit and wisdom #28

Biker Quote for Today

We are born without a road map and a choice of many trails.

I’ve been looking through a copy of Great American Motorcycle Tours, by Gary McKechnie, and I am blown away at the amount of effort he has put into this. And oh yeah, he’s also laid out 25 rides that would probably be a lot of fun.

This is actually the fifth edition of this book so I guess he’s had a lot of time to do his research but with all the detail he includes it would be a full-time job just trying to keep that all current. I have a hard enough time just trying to keep my Colorado Motorcycle Dealers and Repair Shops page semi up to date, and this is so much more.

The tours are distributed all over the country. That is by design, Gary says: “In this volume I have tried to be equitable in representing different regions of the country, so you should find at least one tour that’s near you.”

That’s fine, but in my mind it’s the information about the tours that are not near me that are of interest. One of the 25 is titled “Colorado’s San Juan Skyway” and that’s a great ride. I know that because I’ve ridden it and pieces of it many times. But I don’t need a book to tell me about that ride. What I like is the information about all the others all over the country.

Now, truth be told, I’ve done enough touring that I’ve also ridden a bunch of the other rides as well. But the large majority are places I’ve never been on a motorcycle and this book just points out what I’ve been missing. So far.

Which ones look the most interesting? Well, there’s “Oregon’s Best Run,” which runs down the Pacific coast from Cannon Beach to Florence and then goes inland to a town named Sisters. I’ve been all along the Oregon coast, though not on a motorcycle, but I have no idea what the terrain is like heading east there. Apparently it’s a good place to go. I’ll keep that in mind.

Then there’s the “Blues Cruise,” which starts in Memphis and follows the Mississippi River all the way to New Orleans. Again, I can say, “Oh, I’ve lived in Memphis and I’ve been to New Orleans several times,” but I’ve never been to either place on a bike. (I was 10 when we moved away from Memphis.) And the real strength of the book is the detail. Gary doesn’t just tell you the roads to take, he probably offers more than most people want. That’s fine, you don’t have to read it all, but whichever parts you do want to read, they’re there.

He starts each section with a “primer” that gives you some basic history and background information about the town or area. Then he runs through a list of some of the best tourist spots, again with background and history. In the case of Memphis, we’re talking about places like Sun Studio, where Sam Phillips discovered and made history with recording artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. And Graceland, Elvis’ home.

There’s more to Memphis than those places, though, and Gary continues with plenty of spots you’ve never heard of. This is followed with a small section on shopping, then restaurants, then bars, and then motels. This is the stuff that I’m certain must be a lot of work to keep current. Knock yourself out, Gary.

So anyway, the section continues with some highlights of the ride south and then goes into all this detail again about Vicksburg, the next sizable town on the route. And then on to New Orleans and the same treatment for New Orleans.

Now, for me, I don’t care two hoots about the shopping. I’m not going to spend my time reading that. But the rest of it, if I’m there or going there, I’ll probably read it all.

The obvious question–and Gary raises this himself–is, are these the best 25 rides in the U.S.? And as he says, well, some of them may be but the intent is not to point out the best, the intent is to point out some really good ones so if you’re going somewhere you’re not familiar with, you’ll have an idea about where you might want to go when you get there.

That works for me. I’ll be hanging onto Great American Motorcycle Tours and when I’m planning future trips, if I’m going anywhere near any of these rides I’ll be considering how I might incorporate some of these roads in my itinerary. Thanks for the heads-up, Gary.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
The OFMC and the day of bugs

Biker Quote for Today

Some days you’re the bug. Some days you’re the windshield. But you’re always in the wind!

I’ve known about the Phantom Canyon road for years but had never been on it until Saturday. Chalk up one more first on the V-Strom.

There are two roads leading up from Canon City to the Cripple Creek/Victor area. One is the Shelf Road, which I have been on before, and the other is the Phantom Canyon road.

On the last night out of this year’s OFMC ride we stayed in Canon City. Brett and Randy got going early wanting to get home to Denver as quickly as possible. John was heading back to Montrose, and Dennis, Friggs, Bill, and I weren’t in such a hurry to get home and decided to get there via Cripple Creek. As John headed west, Dennis, Bill, and Friggs headed north, following the pavement. I headed east and then north on the gravel.

The Phantom Canyon road is an old narrow-gauge rail bed so it is narrow and twisty and goes through some gorgeous country. At first it was very smooth, the sort of thing a street bike could handle easily, but up close to Victor it got rougher, particularly where the water runs across the road and eats trenches. It was nothing the V-Strom couldn’t handle with ease but again, a street bike could have done it. In fact, as I went up the canyon I encountered several bikes going down. The first were two dirt bikes, so of course they were fine. Then there was Can-Am Spyder and two trikes. With three wheels they were fine. And then there was a couple on a Harley. I’m sure as long as they took it easy and picked their path along they did just fine, too.

The canyon is very tight with steep walls at first, opening out later into something a bit more spacious. While the road does not show any “improvements” over the basic rail bed there are a few bridges that are clearly much more recent. And there are a couple railroad tunnels that give you an idea just how small those old trains must have been, because they would have been tight for two bigger motorcycles passing in opposite directions. In fact, much of the road is one lane and while a car and a bike could pass, two cars could not have. My biggest concern was not the road surface so much as the thought that a car might come fast around a blind curve and we might have an encounter. But that didn’t happen. A few cars going the other way were moving a bit fast on the more open stretches but on the tight curves it seemed everyone recognized that taking it slow was mandatory.

So this was the third time on this trip that I took the gravel while the other guys stayed on the asphalt. That totally works for me. I’m not keen on riding in such a big group to start with, and the reason I bought this dual-sport bike was to go places I would never go on a bike before. My wishes are now coming true.

Biker Quote for Today

Where a motorcycle takes you is more important than where you take it.

I’m passing this along from Jerry Pokorny.

In an email with the subject line, “Hispanic MC Rider needed for Viedo of Mazatlan Bike Week,” Jerry passed along this bit of info:

Looking for a Hispanic (and fluent Spanish speaking) motorcyclist who is going to the bike week at Mazatlan, Mexico in 2013. A Denver based Hispanic TV station is planning to do a story on a Colorado rider and his/her experience traveling to this event.

Photos/video would be taken at home in Colorado, upon arriving in Mazatlan, during the events there and would be ultimately aired on TV.

No pay or expenses are provided – this is completely voluntary for somebody who is willing to pay their own expenses but looking for that “15 minutes of fame.” For a rider who fits the description this would be this would be the opportunity of a lifetime.

Respond direct to Vanessa at 303-968-4174 with your qualifications and tell her Jerry provided the contact. If you know someone who fits this description please pass this message along.

So there you go. If you’re interested, go for it. If you know someone, pass the word.

And just so you’ll know, bike week in Mazatlan is April 3-7. I read on one web forum where they’re talking about this how some people think Mazatlan is too dangerous. I’ve been there twice and danger was never something that even came up for conversation.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Only a biker knows . . .: Motorcycle wit and wisdom, #26

Biker Quote for Today

If you’re not living life on the edge you’re taking up too much space.

I thought for sure I had set a personal record in 2012 for miles on a motorcycle in a year but I was wrong. Not by much, but I guess I did a bit more riding in 2010 than I remembered.

My total on the Concours was 9,437. That compares to 6,875 in 2011, but in 2010 I rode that bike 10,004 miles. I know that’s nothing for you Iron Butt guys but I’m not an Iron Butt guy, so that’s a lot for me.

As seems my norm, I put a scant 504 miles on my CB750 Custom in 2012. That means that bike has just over 85,000 miles on it, though the odometer only shows 29,774. That’s because I had to replace the old one this year when it broke and the salvage item I picked up came with 29,375 on it.

This all still stands up well against my car. I only put 5,081 miles on my car in 2012, and that’s even with having started a job on the other side of town. And my motorcycle miles still came out almost double my car miles. I’m sure that car mileage will go up in 2013, but once the new west light rail line opens in April I plan to take the train to work, so that will have a counter effect.

In the meantime, I’m sure my motorcycle miles will be way down this year. Having a regular type office job will do that to you. Oh well, I do like the paycheck.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
A motorcycling year in pictures – 2012

Biker Quote for Today

Speed has never killed anyone – suddenly becoming stationary, that’s what gets you. — Jeremy Clarkson

In my fourth year as a freelance moto-journalist I went all out. This has been the year I’ve dreamed of. And frankly, the coming year isn’t going to be anything close.

In the year 2012 I had another article published in Rider magazine and a couple published in Kawasaki’s Accelerate magazine. I rode my bike in 16 states and set a new personal record for total miles. I don’t know what that number is yet, because the year is not over yet, but it’s already a record.

I had some very cool gear given to me in exchange for testing and writing it. A bluetooth helmet-to-helmet communicator has proven to be a welcome little gadget, and a bluetooth-communicator-equipped helmet may yet prove to be even nicer. I just need some reasonably decent weather to continue testing that one. I’ve also received some good books, as well as some crappy ones, and some killer motorcycle maps.

July found me crossing the country on my way to Vintage Motorcycle Days, in Ohio, and earlier in the year I headed down to Flagstaff for the Overland Expo. Of course the OFMC took its annual summer trip. And I checked out STAR 2012, the Motorcycle Sport-Touring Association’s shindig.

I stayed with a whole bunch of folks from the Motorcycle Travel Network and we had a bunch who stayed with us. This thing beats the heck out of staying in motels. Cheaper and a lot more fun.

As I try to do every year, I rode a bunch of different demo bikes. I also had my first-ever flat tire on a bike and I got my first-ever speeding ticket on a bike. Oh well, it’s all grist for the pen.

I doubt I’m going to be able to say half as much about 2013 come this time next year because this freelancer got a job. It was pretty necessary considering that my main staple income source, RumBum, shut down, and my number two, Examiner, jacked around with their pay so badly that my earnings from them dropped by 90 percent. If you have noticed that I hardly write for them anymore, that’s why.

Still, I’m working now at the National Park Service, and if the clowns in Washington don’t pull some rabbit out of a hat soon I figure it’s contractors like me who will be the first to take the hit if the government agency we work for has to start trimming costs. At least this job has allowed me to pay off all this expensive dental work I’ve had done recently, and if a lay-off comes in a couple months–rather than next week–I’ll have put aside enough cash that I could end up doing a lot of two-wheeled traveling once again this summer. I’m a winner either way.

So hey, I figure I’m pretty dang fortunate. I’ve had a terrific year and the future looks bright. What more is there?

Recent from the National Motorcycle Examiner
Nothing at all.

Biker Quote for Today

“Whenever my mood turns foul and I find myself wandering beyond control, I pull out my motorbike and hurl it top speed down these unfit roads for hour after hour.” – T.E. Lawrence

I took a contract job recently at the National Park Service–my first regular job in 3-1/2 years–and my friend Dan very quickly emailed me to say he would be calling on my newly gained expertise. Seems he is working on earning the Iron Butt Association’s National Parks Tour Master Traveler Award. To do so you have to “Visit at least 50 National Parks, National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Recreation Areas or any other site or park listed in the Passport book or other sources, such as those listed by the National Parks Travelers Club http://www.parkstamps.org in at least 25 states within 1 year.”

What many people may not realize, but what I’ve learned in my brief time on this job, is that there are nearly 400 park units around the country. Everybody knows about Yellowstone or Yosemite but how many of us have heard of some of these places I’ve been working on this past few weeks: William Howard Taft National Historic Site; Ocmulgee National Monument; Catoctin Mountain National Park; Cumberland Island National Seashore. There are a lot of them.

As the Iron Butt site explains, too, you don’t have to go to 2 per state in 25 states. They suggest you could visit 21 parks in California, 6 parks in Arizona, and then 23 parks in 23 different states. Whatever it takes.

As for that Passport book mentioned above, that’s something the National Park Service (I’m already inculcated. I would have abbreviated that but the organizational style is always to spell it out unless it’s used as a modifier.) offers. I’m sure it’s a way to generate money but it sounds cool and kind of fun. You buy the book and then at each park unit you visit you get it stamped. Each unit has its own distinctive stamp. Just something as a momento of your visit.

So anyway, you’ve got some hard riding to do Dan, but I know you’re an Iron Butt guy and you’ll have a great time. And I’ll let you know if I come across any especially interesting park units to give you a heads-up on.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Butler Maps goes east to the Ozarks

Biker Quote for Today

Life is a Game. Play to win.

Completing our recent weekend on the Western Slope, Judy and I were coming home via Gunnison and figured that rather than go over Monarch Pass again, as we had just a couple weeks before, that we would take Cottonwood Pass. Of course that means going north from Gunnison to Almont and then east up Taylor Canyon.

But Judy had been looking at the map and had spotted an alternative. If you start up Taylor Canyon, there is a spot where a road forks off to the left that goes up through Spring Creek Canyon. It’s all gravel whereas Taylor is paved up through Taylor Reservoir, but hey, we’re into exploring the unpaved roads these days. Let’s do it.

Spring Creek Road is comparable to the gravel part of Cottonwood Pass. I’ve seen plenty of Harley cruisers doing Cottonwood so it’s not a question of could you do it, it’s a question of would you want to. It’s a beautiful canyon. Of course, when was the last time you saw an ugly canyon? And if this is your first time in the area, Taylor Canyon is probably prettier. But if you’ve done Taylor Canyon before, Spring Creek is a nice change of pace.

The one issue, of course, is that you would end up doing a lot more gravel. You might be fine with doing the little bit of gravel coming down Cottonwood. This extra 25 miles or so might not be something you’re interested in.

Unless you’re on a dual-sport bike. Then it’s a no-brainer. It’s a nice road, it’s a place you’ve never been before–what else matters?

After cruising up the canyon you come over and down to where you hit the road coming down to Taylor Reservoir from the north. The Taylor Canyon road comes up along the reservoir on the south. At the east end of the reservoir you meet up with that road, and turn left to go up Cottonwood.

So it’s an option. We enjoyed it.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Going over the edge of the Grand Mesa

Biker Quote for Today

“Improvement makes strait roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius” — William Blake 1757-1827