After going back and forth as to where I should take my SOLO trip this year I think I have come up with a plan. Head East, go see my family and some friends and then head West. I think it’s doable…May 17 – June 16? Need to replace my SPOT CONNECT as my other one seems to like to eat batteries more than usual and the battery lid does not like to stay closed. So, new Connect on order and over the next few months I shall get the camping gear together, check out it twice, before I leave get the bike all tuned up with new K60 tires and off I will head into the USA and Canada. We did this trip, different route in 2010.
As usual I will try to do a live report from the road on the ADV forum or maybe just the F800 forum not sure yet and the BLOG, with updates on our Face Book page too. Should be fun to get out there on my own. I have taken shorter trips SOLO but not 12,000 KM’s worth.
I hope to be able to get my hands on the new KLIM Altitude gear for women that is out now for this trip, we shall see.
The route will change, my goal it to hit some National Parks that I have been to when younger. I have actual been to all 50 States now but many when I was a kid. Seeing the States and more of Canada as adult on two wheels is a whole other experience that I am truly looking forward too.
So, what does anyone think? Below is my bike, and the actually set up I will use. Dry bag will be fuller of course but side bags mainly full of tools, chain crap, snacks and tire stuff.
Perhaps I will do a post much closer to departure date about what I take, etc. I barely bring any clothes and I have learned over the years traveling to pack as light as one can. Stay tuned May 17th will be here before you know it. If anyone wants to try meet up please send me an email @ lsofarelli@gmail.com and I am going to start a journal. As I travel feel free to contact me via email as I get closer to you. I want to make this a trip about meeting other adv riders not just an adventure for me.
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Advgrrl Motorcycle Adventures & More 
Hey girls! If you need a place to stay in Thunder Bay, you are more than welcome! Sounds like a ton of fun
Will keep that in mind…
Your route is so close to the TransAmerica Trail (TAT) why not add it in (Off-road from TN to Oregon). I just did it last year. Started in CT – rode down to TN – rode solo (with a SPOT) from TN to CO (home) then continued with a ride I never met through to OR before continuing solo to Washington State then heading towards Glacier and eventually home.
What’s nice is you can hop on and off the trail for sightseeing or to make up time – but you see some amazing things along the way by staying off the main US roads – as I know you know. If you are interested in doing this route (or any part of it) I am glad to share my experience from last year with you. I was on a KLR – but I am selling my r1200GSADV and my DAKAR for the new 800GSADV (thank you new tank!) and it would have been a great bike for the TAT.
Have a wonderful ride!
I am going to start a journal and take notes about routes…I have so many riders sending me route info and things not to miss lol
Looks like you will be coming through my town Dryden Ontario. Dont be shy to stop for the night or just coffee
A few suggestions/consideration:
I’d take Hwy 20 instead of 2 when crossing Washington. The national park is really pretty, less traffic, lots of corners, etc. The ride from Soap Lake up to Grand Coulee Dam has interesting topography. From GC you can head north on 155 to Omak and hook up with 20 for the ride through the park.
I-70 between Kansas City and Denver is a less than fun road, especially on a bike. There is a section of toll-road until you get to Topeka unless you take the secondary highway. The road itself is boring, low rolling hills in Eastern Kansas then you hit the Plains and the cross winds will make life interesting. Not in a good way. In general, it is a very long, boring ride without the wind which makes it harder to keep your head (and those around you) in the game. With the wind, you’d rather be somewhere else. Period.
I-25 north of Cheyenne, the cross winds can be extremely high. I drove that road once in a pickup, during the day. I now avoid that road when possible. (http://blogs.denverpost.com/weather/2012/01/17/winds-in-the-west-cause-highway-havoc-wyoming-study-says-20-mph-gusts-are-risky/210/)
An alterative addressing the last two points would be head north from Kansas City toward the Black Hills. Following the Missouri River, I-29 stays out of the wind and the traffic usually is mellow. You could stop at Carhenge near Alliance, NE or Devils Tower, WY as you work your way over to Yellowstone.
Beartooth Highway aka Hwy 212 between Red Lodge and Cooke City, MT is rated as one of the best rides in North America. Hwy 212 leads into Yellowstone from the north east corner. From Devils Tower, it is a short hop north to connect to 212.
So if you skip Denver and head north earlier, there are a lot of interesting things to see while you avoid a fair amount of the negative aspects of the Great Plains. Having grown un in Kansas City, I learned that the Plains can be exceptionally beautiful and they can be extremely dangerous when the weather rolls in.
In any case, enjoy your trip!
I better start a journal with route notes like this thanks
Just make sure it’s “your trip” and not the one everyone wishes for you. 😉
It’s your trip. Have a great time!
Good point
Greatly enjoy reading about your travels. Keep posting please !
What a fantastic trip! You will be in my back yard in Western, NY. Travel Safe, can not wait to hear about your travels…
Hopefully will be making a pit stop in Geneva, NY to see my old college Hobart & William Smith and to see my mentor/soccer coach/friend
My family has a spare (very private) room with its own bathroom and shower. Feel free to stay as long as you need in Toronto. Our only condition is that our bikes get to play together.
good condition 😉
Shame I didn’t see this post earlier – I have a slightly used spot connect that I would have been happy to sell you at minimal cost… The special batteries are next to impossible to find in continental Europe so it proved useless to me on my last trip.
Now that our mobile data plans are practically free to use in other EU countries I just use a tracker app on my phone – I originally thought that there would be gaps in mobile coverage but ended up having a signal even in the most remote areas of the alps which makes the spot unnecessary for me…
The trip sounds fantastic, can’t wait to read about it and see the photos!
we have a ton of gaps and I also have to buy an expensive plan if I use my phone too much in the US…so, will buy a cheap data plan and use the SPOT and GPS so I don’t go bankrupt on this trip lol
Agree completely – the mobile telecoms monopoly in Canada is disgraceful. If I want to roam there, it costs me something stupid like $4/mb of data on my UK plan, whereas in the US it is $1.99 for 200mb. And the Canadian plans are shockingly expensive with most of my friends there paying upwards of $100/month for average usage – not to mention having to sell a kidney just to get a phone unlocked from the network. I can’t believe there are no government watchdogs challenging this behaviour…
I did many Vancouver to Edmonton/Calgary trips by car when I lived there as I have family in all 3 cities – I remember as soon as you get past any urban areas there is virtually no mobile coverage at all. Of course, if the vehicle was to stop functioning it would do it in a place where you can’t call – so a spot clearly makes sense for your safety! 🙂
Sounds like a great trip. But, because you are now riding solo, be careful and focused on the present and what will be, and not distracted by what has been.
really good advise and truth be told it will be challenging I am sure
Ladies,
If you need a rest stop/washing machine/bike repairs, and a quick tour of the pine barrens of NJ, you are most welcome down here in Shamong, NJ. Shoot me an email, we would love to have you visit!
Thanks will add you to my journal 😉