The Team goes back to The Ranch at RawHyde

“Ride Big, Ride Long, Ride Free”
Source: Foster Kinn, Freedom's Rush: Tales from The Biker and The Beast

The GS Trophy 2020 – USA Qualifier was held at RawHyde Adventures on June 1st and the team had the pleasure to head back to the Ranch to watch the event, reconnect with old friends and once again sit in the bar at the Ranch chatting about Adventure riding - The weekend was tremendous!

Klaus, Andy and myself have been up to the Ranch a couple of times. Klaus and I met Andy at one of the training sessions - if you have not attended one of the Adventure riding courses run Jim Hyde & his team you should go. They are incredible. Fun, well run and you learn a lot about riding in the Dirt. But this time , we were there to watch the entrants to the USA Qualifier for the GS Trophy. These riders showed us what can be done on a big Adventure bike in the dirt.

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Skills test during the GS Trophy Qualifier

The team went to the inaugural event at Zakar

The team attended Adventure Days 2019 - The inaugural event at the newest RawHyde facility in the Mojave Desert - Zakar! What a weekend, full of fun, riding, banter and a beer at the end of the day. Have a look below to get an idea;

“In the heart of the Mojave Desert amongst the gnarled and majestic Joshua Trees is the post apocalyptic fortress of Zakar”
— https://rawhyde-offroad.com/events/adventure-days/

Death Valley Visit (December 2018)

With the end of the year approaching and a quote in my head “the world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page” , Tim & I set off on the 290 mile ride north to Stovepipe Wells in the middle of Death Valley. Our choice of route was limited due to the high wind advisory in effect along the route so we took it easy, riding north to Victorville, on to Ridgecrest and into Death Valley National Park excited to see some of the gems the area has to offer: Badwater Basin, Ubehebe Crater, Furnace Creek, Racetrack Playa and Titus Canyon.

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After arriving at Stovepipe Wells we set up camp and headed to the Stovepipe Wells village Saloon for dinner and chat with a couple of our neighbors at the camp site.

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For the next few days we toured around the area visiting places that had been recommended. The place does not disappoint. Death Valley was given its forbidding name by a group of pioneers lost in the winter of 1849-1850. Now, you can find a newly remodeled Oasis at Death Valley near Furnace Creek offering a great buffet breakfast, facilities and everything you would expect from a modern hotel. The local sites of Badwater Basin and Ubehebe Crater are worth a visit but the off road trek to and through Titus Canyon was absolutely magical.

Some epic bike journeys that we love

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Over the last few years we have seen some epic small film productions covering great motorcycle adventures, here are a few we really like. Please send us your suggestions if you have seen other great motorcycle adventures.

The BDR Team really excelled with this one - The California Backcountry Discovery Route (#CABDR-South) is the ninth route developed by the BDR non-profit for dual-sport and adventure motorcycle travel. This spectacular, yet challenging, 820-mile off-pavement ride starts in Yuma, AZ and ends in Benton, CA

A story worth living (inspirational) - Six novice riders—father, sons and friends—take on the Colorado backcountry on BMW F800GS adventure bikes to create a film about life, meaning and the longing to be part of something epic that is written on every human heart. click for more info

Where the road ends - sensational! In 2017, a team of U.S. military veterans set out to ride motorcycles from the Arctic Circle to the tip of South America, crossing the infamous Darien Gap in the process. Here’s the full story, narrated by Team Leader, Wayne Mitchell.

It all started here - This documentary series follows actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on a motorcycle trip around the world.

A few great reads

There is a lot of great stuff out there outlining Adventure Riding and the stories of intrepid Adventurers making incredible journeys on their bikes. Here are just a sample of the ones we like. Please send us your suggestions if you have read other great motorcycle adventures.

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A Classic…

In the late '70s, Ted Simon rode 63,000 miles over four years through fifty-four countries in a journey that took him around the world. Through breakdowns, prison, war, revolutions, disasters and a Californian commune, he travelled into the depths of fear and reached the heights of euphoria.

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Fun Read…

It started as a daydream. Poring over a map of the world at home one quiet Saturday afternoon, Ewan McGregor - actor and self-confessed bike nut - noticed that it was possible to ride all the way round the world, with just one short hop across the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska.

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LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK REVIEW

"Michener has done a fine job....Few will escape the allure of the land and people he describes."

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Great story

Deadhorse to Ushuaia―an epic journey on many long distance riders' bucket lists. But few would contemplate tackling that ride on a vintage 1975 Moto Guzzi.

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Preparation for the Ride

Well how do you start ? In our case we started with a meeting to chat about what the riders wanted from the ride and talk about the main parts of the route, roughly mapping out where to go and what to see over the course of the 4400 miles up the coast of the USA, Canada and into Alaska.