Gray Man, Inc.
- Thread starter DRIVEN
- Start date
Next winter's project has been trickling in over the last few days. Another 225/6-spd swap slated for the blue TW.
I heard my old wagon was spotted on Marketplace in Salt Lake. Other than this pic someone sent me, I haven't seen the ad, but it looks pretty much the same other than the wheels.
I guess it's good to see it surviving. I don't think I want to see them again after I sell them. There are a few trucks in my past I wish I still had.
Part 1
I did my (now) annual BDR style ride last week. Contenders were Rider 1, my brother, on his KDX400. Rider 1.5 (not Rider 2 because he followed so close) was Marc on a KLR650. Rider 3 was Tom, also on a KLR. Rider 4 was Jerod on his $95 '79 XL500s restomod. I rode sweep position most of the week on the mongrel TW.
The loop was a combination of OBDR route 5 as well as some highway to connect to other roads and trails. Rally point was Jerod's house in Pendleton. We met up Saturday night, ate steak and shrimp, then slept in his back yard.
We got up, secured our gear, and grabbed breakfast on our way out of town. Jerod had mapped out a route to Ukiah. We were maybe 3 hours in when Rider 1.5 got his 1st flat. We all pitched in and got it changed.
Once we were back on the trail we hit our first major obstacle. There was a lot of this to follow.
This leg was 186 miles ending at Phillips Reservoir just SE of Sumpter. About an hour from camp Jerod discovered that his sleeping bag had fallen off. We rolled into Sumpter kind of late and nothing was open. The guy at the gas station gave him an old grandma quilt that smelled like an ash tray. Beats freezing to death, I guess.
After breakfast we went back into town so Jerod could buy an actual sleeping bag. Unfortunately that meant waiting until the general store opened at 9. This was supposed to be our longest trail day. The plan (haha) was to camp next to a lake or river every night. Sometimes plans change. The biggest challenge for day 2 was getting to Seneca before the gas station closes at 7. Once we finally hit the trail we were making pretty good progress. There are 2 places where you cross the Malheur River.
As we were climbing up the canyon after the second crossing, Marc got his 2nd flat. Again, all hands on deck to change it out. For the sake of time, he borrowed Tom's spare tube.
I did my (now) annual BDR style ride last week. Contenders were Rider 1, my brother, on his KDX400. Rider 1.5 (not Rider 2 because he followed so close) was Marc on a KLR650. Rider 3 was Tom, also on a KLR. Rider 4 was Jerod on his $95 '79 XL500s restomod. I rode sweep position most of the week on the mongrel TW.
The loop was a combination of OBDR route 5 as well as some highway to connect to other roads and trails. Rally point was Jerod's house in Pendleton. We met up Saturday night, ate steak and shrimp, then slept in his back yard.
We got up, secured our gear, and grabbed breakfast on our way out of town. Jerod had mapped out a route to Ukiah. We were maybe 3 hours in when Rider 1.5 got his 1st flat. We all pitched in and got it changed.
Once we were back on the trail we hit our first major obstacle. There was a lot of this to follow.
This leg was 186 miles ending at Phillips Reservoir just SE of Sumpter. About an hour from camp Jerod discovered that his sleeping bag had fallen off. We rolled into Sumpter kind of late and nothing was open. The guy at the gas station gave him an old grandma quilt that smelled like an ash tray. Beats freezing to death, I guess.
After breakfast we went back into town so Jerod could buy an actual sleeping bag. Unfortunately that meant waiting until the general store opened at 9. This was supposed to be our longest trail day. The plan (haha) was to camp next to a lake or river every night. Sometimes plans change. The biggest challenge for day 2 was getting to Seneca before the gas station closes at 7. Once we finally hit the trail we were making pretty good progress. There are 2 places where you cross the Malheur River.
As we were climbing up the canyon after the second crossing, Marc got his 2nd flat. Again, all hands on deck to change it out. For the sake of time, he borrowed Tom's spare tube.
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Part 2
We were behind schedule but hoping we could still make the gas stop in Seneca. Riding hard to make up time, we were just turning around from a wrong turn when Jerod's bike got stuck in 1st gear. At the same time, my brother looked down and saw that his front tire was flat. Simultaneous repair time.
Jerod leaned his against a dirt pile to tear the side cover off while I helped my brother with the flat repair. Marc and Tom eventually lost interest an started taking selfies for their Tinder (probably actually Grinder) profiles.
Jerod was able to free up the shifter and we were headed west once again. Made it to Seneca at 7:20 and it was a ghost town. We filled our water bottles and backtracked a couple miles, camping in the woods.
The next morning we got an early start because we were hoping to make up the 35 miles we were short and get back on schedule. Boy, was that optimistic. We got to the gas station a little after 7am and Jerod's bike got stuck in 1st again. The rest of us fueled up and refilled water while he fixed it again. This time he wrapped some electrical tape in there to act as a thrust washer. I didn't get any photos because my phone died for about 24hrs.
Random tower.
We skirted Yellowjacket Reservoir where we were planning to spend the previous night. Nice, quiet little place and fish were jumping. Shortly after, Marc crashed and sprained his ankle. This was the same ankle he screwed up right before last year's ride and couldn't go. We got him and his bike upright and going again. What followed over the next few hours was kind of a haze. We were riding due south on trails, then asphalt to connect to the next trail, when we encountered another padlocked gate. We decided to get back on the asphalt and try to find a bypass when Marc got another flat. We fixed it and he got maybe 2 miles before getting another, then another. It was well over 90 degrees and there was no shade. We were headed to Riley for fuel when he pulled into a rest area with...another flat. This time we completely dismounted the tire to check everything. He had managed to separate the chords internally and it was causing pinch flats. There was also slit in the tread in another spot. In short, his tire was junk. We used patches on the inside of the tire to cover the separations, then used my 18" tube in his 17" tire.
We continued on highway 20 another 10 miles to Riley and fueled up. Marc didn't really want to quit but had no choice. His ankle was hurt, tire was junk, and his rear subframe was only held on by 1 bolt. Tom was pretty worn out too and bummed that he hadn't been able to fish. Since Tom lives in Bend and it was only 100 miles away, team KLR headed west. The remaining 3 jumped back on the trail. My thermometer was showing 103. The next 20 miles was a mix of sand, heavy ruts, sharp rocks, and a "road" that is a seasonal riverbed. KLRs would have had a really rough time.
We stayed at someone's Elk camp that night and slept hard. Tuesday had been a long, hot day.
We were behind schedule but hoping we could still make the gas stop in Seneca. Riding hard to make up time, we were just turning around from a wrong turn when Jerod's bike got stuck in 1st gear. At the same time, my brother looked down and saw that his front tire was flat. Simultaneous repair time.
Jerod leaned his against a dirt pile to tear the side cover off while I helped my brother with the flat repair. Marc and Tom eventually lost interest an started taking selfies for their Tinder (probably actually Grinder) profiles.
Jerod was able to free up the shifter and we were headed west once again. Made it to Seneca at 7:20 and it was a ghost town. We filled our water bottles and backtracked a couple miles, camping in the woods.
The next morning we got an early start because we were hoping to make up the 35 miles we were short and get back on schedule. Boy, was that optimistic. We got to the gas station a little after 7am and Jerod's bike got stuck in 1st again. The rest of us fueled up and refilled water while he fixed it again. This time he wrapped some electrical tape in there to act as a thrust washer. I didn't get any photos because my phone died for about 24hrs.
Random tower.
We skirted Yellowjacket Reservoir where we were planning to spend the previous night. Nice, quiet little place and fish were jumping. Shortly after, Marc crashed and sprained his ankle. This was the same ankle he screwed up right before last year's ride and couldn't go. We got him and his bike upright and going again. What followed over the next few hours was kind of a haze. We were riding due south on trails, then asphalt to connect to the next trail, when we encountered another padlocked gate. We decided to get back on the asphalt and try to find a bypass when Marc got another flat. We fixed it and he got maybe 2 miles before getting another, then another. It was well over 90 degrees and there was no shade. We were headed to Riley for fuel when he pulled into a rest area with...another flat. This time we completely dismounted the tire to check everything. He had managed to separate the chords internally and it was causing pinch flats. There was also slit in the tread in another spot. In short, his tire was junk. We used patches on the inside of the tire to cover the separations, then used my 18" tube in his 17" tire.
We continued on highway 20 another 10 miles to Riley and fueled up. Marc didn't really want to quit but had no choice. His ankle was hurt, tire was junk, and his rear subframe was only held on by 1 bolt. Tom was pretty worn out too and bummed that he hadn't been able to fish. Since Tom lives in Bend and it was only 100 miles away, team KLR headed west. The remaining 3 jumped back on the trail. My thermometer was showing 103. The next 20 miles was a mix of sand, heavy ruts, sharp rocks, and a "road" that is a seasonal riverbed. KLRs would have had a really rough time.
We stayed at someone's Elk camp that night and slept hard. Tuesday had been a long, hot day.
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Part 3
Wednesday morning we hit the trail early and conditions were near perfect. Some of the mapped route hadn't been roads in quite a while so we got to do some trail blazing. This area is SW of Delintment Lake.
We were working our way toward Mitchell when we kept running into more padlocked gates leading into BLM land. If you're an Oregon rancher and you do this, GFYS. That's not how BLM land works.
We cloverleafed all the way around but couldn't find an open gate. Eventually we got to Paulina. Their gas pump was out of order but a local from across the road came over and got it working for us.
Paulina to Mitchell was mostly gravel roads with some rough trails connecting them. There was some asphalt too. We got caught up in a grasshopper migration that was pretty gross.
We ate at Tiger Town Brewing in Mitchell. It's basically a food truck next to a little bar. Meh.
Our intention was to ride rough roads and trails from Mitchell to Spray. Once again, more locked gates. It ended up being many more miles of asphalt but at least it was scenic and twisty. Just north of Spray we had to pump up my brother's front tire. I guess it has a slow leak. I was digging my pump out of my bag when I noticed my rear rack was cracked. Oh well, press on.
We enjoyed more twisty asphalt with some gravel and dirt mixed in. The target was Pendland lake.
Wednesday morning we hit the trail early and conditions were near perfect. Some of the mapped route hadn't been roads in quite a while so we got to do some trail blazing. This area is SW of Delintment Lake.
We were working our way toward Mitchell when we kept running into more padlocked gates leading into BLM land. If you're an Oregon rancher and you do this, GFYS. That's not how BLM land works.
We cloverleafed all the way around but couldn't find an open gate. Eventually we got to Paulina. Their gas pump was out of order but a local from across the road came over and got it working for us.
Paulina to Mitchell was mostly gravel roads with some rough trails connecting them. There was some asphalt too. We got caught up in a grasshopper migration that was pretty gross.
We ate at Tiger Town Brewing in Mitchell. It's basically a food truck next to a little bar. Meh.
Our intention was to ride rough roads and trails from Mitchell to Spray. Once again, more locked gates. It ended up being many more miles of asphalt but at least it was scenic and twisty. Just north of Spray we had to pump up my brother's front tire. I guess it has a slow leak. I was digging my pump out of my bag when I noticed my rear rack was cracked. Oh well, press on.
We enjoyed more twisty asphalt with some gravel and dirt mixed in. The target was Pendland lake.
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