Tenere Across the USA

I don’t post personal stuff that often so here is one not about adventure on two wheels but the back story on why its almost October and I’m not back on the road yet.
I had a medical close call that was drawn out over most of this summer. When I was down in the desert Southwest earlier this spring, I noticed a little lump on the outside of my jaw , about the size of a jellybean. When my yearly check up came along in early June, the referral went through to the Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist where they did a biopsy and came back with a “likely cancer” diagnosis and “we need to get it out sooner then later”🥴. I offered the surgeon my pocket knife to get it out right then and there 🤭 but he wisely suggested we do it the following week in an operating room the right way….. whatever 🙄😉 Surgery was supppsed to be about 3 hours but ended up being 5 due to some suspecious looking lymph nodes under my jaw (which were removed too) I was eating bacon and eggs for breakfast in the hospital room the next morning asking when I can go home, so feeling pretty good. The only thing that really slowed me down was the “leash” of a drain tube that was only supposed to be in 3 days but stayed in 14!

After a full dissection and review by the pathology lab, it was determined NOT to be a tumor! 🙌🙏🙌🙏 The cyst needed to come out so the operation had to happen one way or the other. The scar would have been the same either way, luckily I can hide most of it in my beard. Currently about 4 weeks post op and still just enough swelling not to get a helmet on, at this pace it will be thanksgiving before I’m riding again🥴

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I want to send out a huge thank you to Elsa for letting me recover from surgery at her house in Arlington and the cabin on Lake Bronson. Also for the funky brownies🤭😉 that kept me sedated and just stupid enough not to pull out my drain tube for those two weeks! Wouldn’t have made it through without your caring and support❤️ THANK YOU!

A few other things happened this year that are worthy of mention….. I’m down about 50 lbs after switching to a Keto’ish /low carb/clean eating diet. The food in South Louisiana around the holidays is always hard to avoid and the last few years have been rough. I made up my mind that I needed a change and just did it. The transition took 6-7 months so it was the slow and steady approach that worked for me.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Its actually been pretty easy going with just diet modification. I started cutting out 95%-98% the bread and gluten, then alcohol and starches like rice and potatoes. High fructose corn syrup and just about all other forms of sugar went too. I do put a teaspoon of honey and tablespoon of 1/2&1/2 in my morning coffee though. Another big piece was the processed oils and fast/fried food. Keeping it clean with whole, real food without all the additives and preservatives really makes a difference!

All this weight loss had a side effect of needing new gear🥴🙄 that actually fit me. My pants size dropped from a 38 to a very comfortable 34. New smaller Klīm K-51 riding jeans and a Klīm Carlsbad jacket from Revzilla were the first to be replaced as they will get used the most . The old jacket went to another T-7 owner in the PNW while the fat pants and several moto jearseys went to Heidi at Cruise in Consignment in Vancouver Washington. She’s a great lady that does good things within and for the riding community, worth a stop when in Vancouver. She has a cool patch making machine too!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I’ll finally be back on the road here in a couple weeks after my last 2 medical appointments🙌 Can’t wait!

Heading SE stopping in Denver to attend the grand opening of the new RevZilla store there where a few of my Colorado friends Brady and Tana will be working. Then its off to Arkansas to book the bulldozer guy for the driveway and parking pads on the property. Can’t get my van to the property without a good road back there.

Thanks to everyone that reached out through social media and text wishing me well for a quick recovery, staying positive throughout this entire ordeal really made a big difference!
One last thing….. if you feel a lump where one isn’t supposed to be GEAUX GET IT CHECKED OUT!

Over the last little while, when starting my ride, there would be a rubbing/friction type sound for the first few feet of travel. Nothing major, but it did get a little annoying. Asking around to several knowledgeable contacts, they all said it was likely the clutch plates sticking until the oil pressure builds up inside the motor. When it went over to Kyle Plancich for its 3rd oil change at 15,000 miles, I told him of the issue. He wanted to find out for himself so he removed the cover and found a few of the inner clutch plates stuck together and as he called it “Atacama Desert dry”.😲😬
All the plates were removed, cleaned and soaked in an oil bath overnight. Putting it all back together and a test ride confirmed no more issues.
I have talked with Yamaha and other qualified technicians and they all say that is the correct corse of action to take. Because the clutch plates are a wear item, they aren’t covered by the warranty so I’ll want to get the maximum life out of them as I can. Thanks to all that passed along input for this seemingly minor issue. So if your T-7 starts off a little cranky😑 this is something that’s easily checked and corrected.

Thanks Kyle for digging into the motor to figure it all out!

Happy 1 year birthday to the T-700! 13,500 miles across at least 15 states from coast to coast. It has been a great year!

Someone from a social media post suggested I list 10 things about this past year that were most memorable or my tips about the bike for the road, so here goes.

1 Seth Laam custom Seats

Watching a craftsman at work is always a treat. Seth started building seats as a teenager as an apprentice and now has almost more work then he can manage all by himself , mostly from word of mouth and social media. Which to me is a true measure of the quality of his work. Let’s keep him busy!

2 Cyclops Adventure Sports Aurora lights and turn signals

Darryl and Sandra VanNieuwenhuise of Cyclops lights in Kent Wa. are known across the industry for some of the best customer service in the business. Their lights are top notch, and when they aren’t, they want to make it right. I’ve had their lights in my bikes for almost a decade now. Super friendly and very approachable if you see them out at the rallies. You can’t go wrong with Cyclops!

3 Camel ADV Anti bobble head,Gut guard, Camel Toe sidestand, Camel Tank and High fender kit. After 20+ miles of a washboard road recently in Utah, my entire instrument cluster, headlights and windscreen would have shaken off without Cory’s ingenious design to reinforce the entire front end of the bike. I was also lucky enough to receive one of the first 1.3 gallon/ 5 Liter Camel Tank that was made for the T-7. After testing it twice by running it to empty(read the blog posts here and here ) I now can trust my range to 275 miles knowing I have a few miles to spare. Thank you Cory Hanson!

4 Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail
Last fall I completed the “T.W.A.T” with the help and support of many within the riding community, and several were even able to join me! Chad Barger designed the route across Wisconsin more than a decade ago and still provides the routes. He was kind enough to host me in his driveway while he and a few of his buddies showed me his favorite section. I also used Bunk a biker to find driveways to park in while I day looped each section from north to south. What is normally a 600 mile route took me more than 1200 miles…. and I enjoyed every single one! I want to thank everyone that helped me on my way🙌🙏

5 Dragon Slayer 160/ Backroads of Appalachia
The little town of Lynch Kentucky is struggling like many in the area with a shut down coal mine on their main street. However tough times are, there is a great community that is coming together to promote the glorious riding both on and off-road. The “Dragon Slayer is a 20ish mile section of super twisty pavement that goes all the way into Appalachia Virginia. It’s run by a non profit that’s staffed a group of great ladies. If you are anywhere near South East Kentucky, go see what they are all about and if you can hit it when the trees are turning, even better!

6 Arkansas
I rediscovered Arkansas this winter after being stationed there 27 years ago. Totally blown away with the great riding both on and off road. The land is pretty inexpensive too, I was able to purchase 10 acres of land that will be used as a travelers rest area, campground for overlanders and ADV riders on the Trans American Trail that’s not too far away. Access will only be through me until I can get it up and running, more to follow on that so stay tuned! Just watch out for the green slime on the low water bridges! 😯🤭

7 Jay Masterson
If you travel enough, you will find others that share your passion, Jay is one of those special people. If you are ever down near Big Bend National Park in Terlingua Texas, you should look him up. He’ll likely join you for a ride or at least a good meal. You can follow him here at Super bee ADV Tell him hi for me when you do!

8 Steve Loster
Steve and Patty Loster have been kind enough to host me a few times as I cross the country over the last several years. Steve is a PNW native that searched for warmer weather in sunny Tucson, he’s also a master level motorcycle mechanic and service manager at Arizona Kawasaki KTM and Triumph . He’s now helped keep both my bikes running as I’m on the road. A huge thank you to Steve and Patty also for the Keto diet tips! Y’all have stepped up my eating habits.

9 South Eastern Utah.
I don’t have much to say about that part of Utah other then it’s extremely beautiful and you need to set aside several weeks to ride it all! Go ride SE Utah!

10 Twisted Throttle, Denali Electronics
The great folks at Twisted Throttle were kind enough to let me try out a set Denali Electronics D7 4.5” multi LED lights and B6 brake light. I am really impressed at the amount of light these things put out! WOW! The B-6 brake light is even brighter then my OEM tail light! Thank you Erik and your crew!

In the last week or so, I’ve made 2 trips out to Kirkland Wa. to see the guys at 2 Wheeled Dynoworks . The 1200 Super Tenere had a stock muffler put back on and members in the PNW Tenere group advised it get re-tuned. While there, I found out they were running a sale on all their flashes so I returned with the T-700 to get it flashed.

The PNW Tenere group go way back with 2WDW, all the way back to 2015 when Nels showed up with his Dyno trailer at our tech day one rainy November morning on the Olympic Peninsula. He flashed and/or dyno’d over a dozen bikes that day. Check out that blog post here. It was a great day!

Pulling up to the shop yesterday I was ready to get the bike offloaded from the Joe Hauler but the “Grand flash master”😉 Nate said that wasn’t necessary and he could reflash the bike where it was… SCORE! All it took was a plug connection under the rear fender to a laptop and 5 minutes later, all done! That simple…

• 

• 

To say they have been busy is an understatement, even pertaining to just the Yamaha Tenere 1200 and 700. Nels and Nate say they are doing dozens of 1200’s a month while the same number of T-700’s a week! Wow! The guys use social media quite a bit to get their word out, especially over at Tenere 700.net.
I mentioned they are running a sale this month (June 2021) for the flashes so send in your ECU for a quick turn around to get a little more power, smoother throttle response and you’ll run a bit cooler too. All around great guys that run an excellent full service motorcycle shop for all your performance needs! Make sure you tell them hi for me!

• 

• 

Douglas Arizona is where this post starts, this was after riding around the area with friends Steve and Mark for more than a week. ( see my earlier blog post ) US 191 starts at the historic US 80 and parts of it was once numbered 666 but it was changed years ago, read more about that here . The first loop off of US 191 was the National Black Hills back Country Biway, a rocky and twisty gravel road with huge views.

The biway ends just before the town of Clifton and the Morenci mine then heads up to Alpine for 100 miles of some of the best motorcycle pavement in the US. ( but watch out for the livestock in the road)

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

North of Alpine the scenery drastically changes to very flat and straight but as you approach the Utah border, rock formations start appearing as you get into the “Monument valley” area. Or put another way “Where Forest Gump stopped Running” ( that’s not actually US 191 in the movie but only a few miles west on US 163)

I pulled into Bluff Utah for a night just so I could go ride the Moki Dugway and see the “Mexican Hat” again, Having done it on the 1200 Super Tenere in 2018, I wanted to revisit it on the T-7.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

From there it was out to the ferry across Lake Powell to the Bullfrog Marina in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. With the lake so low, you really need to call and check if the ferry is running, I got real lucky but still drug the hitch carrier on my way off the boat in Bullfrog because of the angle of the bank.

This side trip off US 191 was to do the Burr Trail from just outside the Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell to Utah 12 in Boulder. I was told it’s about the perfect mix of twisty pavement, gravel and dirt switchbacks, so I needed to go check it out and wasn’t disappointed, all the tales were true!😍

After the Burr trail – Boulder- Torrey- Capital Reef NP -Old Notom Rd loop, I loaded back up and headed to US191 the long way around through the Glen Canyon. It’s over 100 miles with the first 50 or so riding through the steep walled canyon before crossing the Colorado River.

Onward to Moab to meet up with my sister Sarah and brother-in-law Jimmy whom are also full time #vanlifers in their class C. It was so cool to meet up with them! They were waiting on their reservation to get into Zion a few days later.

• 

• 

• 

• 

The original goal of going back through Moab for me was to ride and complete Longs Canyon Rd and “Pucker Pass”. A road I didn’t finish my last time through in 2018 on the Super Tenere. This was as far as I made it because just past this boulder, it climbs 600’ in only a hundred yards or so. Hence the name “pucker pass”.

I decided to first try to see what it looked like if I were to start at the top and work my way down. Here was my view at the switchback about 600’ up in elevation from the big boulder (down on the left just out of view). It was also too steep for me on my T-700 , if I’d have had a Yamaha TW-200, then I might have tried it😉

So from that spot, I decided to go back all the way around on the pavement and come up Longs Canyon Rd. The scenery is breathtaking!

After a couple nights with Sarah and Jimmy, I continued north through Vernal. Near there, is a turn off to “9 mile canyon” I’ll be returning there after the summer to explore that area on my way to Arkansas. That night was spent in Rock Springs Wyoming after going through the Flaming Gorge area, where more scenic vistas awaited. I stayed with former veteran and current game warden Andy Roosa. Thanks Andy for letting me park in the driveway for the night.

North across western Wyoming is pretty boring until you stop for an ice cream at the Farson Mercantile, order the baby scoop, your blood sugar will thank you.
That night I hung out with old friend and classmate (since kindergarten) Jen Holmes and her daughter Melanie in Pinedale . Always good to catch up with old friends!
On the road early continuing north through Jackson was the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks with beautiful blue skies and quiet impressive scenery.

On the north side of the park there were a few bison in the road, then more and more came sauntering down the pavement not giving a care in the world about the vehicles. Slowly making our way past them, in the other lane, was a line of cars heading south that was 3-4 miles long at a dead stop. Wouldn’t want to have been stuck there, that’s for sure!

Rolling through the town of Big sky Montana, I noted it was aptly named…

Not much farther was the end of my journey north in the town of Bozeman. There I hopped on Interstate 90 west to Washington after a “Bunk a biker” stay with Dutch and Shirley. Thanks guys for the great steak!

Not sure how many miles it was and I lost track of the days it took so I oddly don’t have those numbers because I was really enjoying the entire ride up. The parts I did on the bike were excellent and view from behind the windshield were just as spectacular. This one highway stretching across the country has to be one of the most scenic! Get out and make your own adventure!

So, working with many of the motorcycle aftermarket parts companies, I’ll occasionally get asked to try out products, good gig, huh?
Old friend Erik Stephens from Twisted Throttle and his marketing director Marisa McInturff offered to let me try out a set of their Denali D-7 4.5” flood lights. Hard to say no to an offer like that? Right!?! ( I gladly accepted)
Because I was already on the road and heading west, I had them sent to my friends Steve and Patty Loster’s house in Tucson. Steve and Patty both work at the Kawasaki, KTM and Triumph dealer in town. Steve is the service manager and Patty is the financing manager. Since the shop is also a Twisted Throttle dealer, Steve was more then qualified to do the install. He was able to do the install in his garage while I was out getting my hitch carrier upgraded at Joehauler in San Marcos a few weeks back. The install is the simplest form, the D-7’s are hooked directly to the battery and controlled by a single switch that’s activated when the key is on. It’s all 15,330 lumens on or off, there isn’t a dimmer wired in. They are mounted to the SW Motech crash bars tucked in as far as possible to avoid being knocked off in case of a tip over. THANKS Steve for the seamless install!

Here is the product description of the Denali D-7’s from the Twisted Throttle website

At over 15,000 lumens the DENALI D7 light kit is one of the brightest LED lights under 4.5 inches period. A pair of D7s feature 14 high-intensity 10-watt LEDs that are focused through a proprietary single-piece optic specifically engineered to create a full bodied spot beam that can reach over 1500ft at an intensity of 1.0 lux. A pair of D7s will outshine 14 D2 lights and produces more than twice the light output of the D4. Not only are the new D7s incredibly bright but they’re strong too. The robust heatsink and Active Thermal Management work together to keep this high-powered lamp cool enough to maintain maximum light output when you need it most. 

Because the new D7 has so much power there’s no need for a selection of optics. The standard optic set benefits from the raw power of this array to have best-in-class spot coverage at a distance perfect for picking out wildlife way beyond the range of your motorcycle’s normal high beam. With lumens to spare the D7’s optics were designed to preserve a near-flood-beam pattern resulting in an amazingly wide (200ft) beam that helps illuminate the sides of the road. In a way the combination of incredible intensity and optics that are neither too distance-focused or flood-oriented is the best of both worlds. 
—————————————————————————————————

• 

I can say without a doubt that these things put out lots of light!
When taking pictures for this post, it was difficult to take night shots because of a mount of lumens these things produce. I also haven’t fully mastered taking good pictures yet 🤭😉

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

In addition to the D-7’s, I had requested a Denali B-6 license plate brake light. The B-6 normally mounts to bottom of your license plate but because of the Camel ADV tail tidy and the angle the plate sits at, Steve thought it best to mount it on top of the plate. It gives the LED’s a more direct rear facing mounting point. The double brake lights along with the Cyclops multifunctional turn signals all together, make a VERY visible rear end in full daylight or at night.

• 

• 

• 

I hope this little post helps sell a few Denali lights , it’s all really good products from a company I’ve done business with for over a decade. Heck, even the founder of the company has hosted me twice at his house, thanks Erik! Also, personally knowing most of the people behind the scenes that run all the companies I’ve mentioned here makes me want to help out where I can.
Twisted Throttle , Camel ADV, Joe Hauler and Cyclops Adventure Sports

• 

• 

These past 3 weeks have been pretty good! Meeting up with old friends and new, helping others and being cared for by more than a few. What a wonderful adventure motorcycle community we have! So grateful to everyone in it❤️

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

So to: Steve and Patty, Joe, Sherry, Jay, Sterling, Marsha, Rachelle, Mark and lastly Lisa and Jeff. THANK YOU!

Another great trip through Texas! As I’m making my way west this year, I wanted to get the suspension upgraded on the T-700 and for me, that was only one place to go. Alex Marten of Konflict Motorsports has kept the suspension tuned on the 1200 Super Tenere for several years now so it wasn’t a question to drop off the the T-7 for an upgrade. His team re-sprung and re-valved the forks and rear shock for my weight and riding style, they also removed the 1/2” lowering link I had added when going to that taller tire in Montana last year. Thanks Alex!

• 

• 

While that was the main purpose to get to Texas, I decided to take my time and enjoy time with friends and family as I made my way across.
After coming southwest from Arkansas, my first stop was my aunt and uncles in Dallas for some Good Friday crawfish 🦞 It was Max and Luke’s first time to boil them up and they did a fantastic job after several calls and texts back to cousins in South Louisiana for critical seasoning consultation.

Then it was south for a couple nights at the Star Ranch outside Austin to wait for my appointment to drop off the bike with Alex. It keeps getting better every time I stop in. Great people there!

• 

• 

The T-7 was going to be at Konflict for a full week, so I dropped it off and headed down to the sleepy little town of Bandera in the beautiful Texas hill country. Down there are the parents of a good friend back in Olympia Wa. Larry and Cybil Marsh had been living on the road in a Class A RV for over a decade when they stumbled across this cute little town with a golf course and inexpensive houses. They had been after me for a while to stop by, I hope my week there didn’t over stay my welcome. Larry is a retired US Navy diver and correctional officer while Sybil is also retired from the Washington state Department of Corrections HQ office. They are living a life they have always dreamed about. 🙌

Bandera isn’t too far outside of San Antonio and there was one place I had to check out so a day trip was in order off the bat. The Black Rifle Coffee Company is a veteran owned small batch roasted coffee company started by a few Special Forces Operators a couple years back. Checking out some of their pretty funny YouTube commercials quickly gives you an idea of who they are… I’ve been a fan for a few years now, really love their coffee.

• 

• 

• 

• 

While in Bandera, Rebecca Cunningham, a documentary film maker I follow on Social media, told me of a biker event that was happening close by and suggested I go check it out. The weather was going to be nice so I headed up to Fredericksburg to check out the “Fandango Vintage Motorcycle show” and flat track races. It was very cool to see all the custom bikes and meet a few great people there. Larry and Sybil even met up with me part of the day to see the show.

One of the bikes that stood out for Larry was this old beat up hard tail chopper, after a little digging, I found that it’s owner is quite the colorful character… meet “Danger Dan”

After saying my goodbyes to Larry and Sybil, I headed back up to Austin to get the bike from Alex. With a couple hours to kill, I found a nice little beach not far from Konflicts shop right on Lake Travis. It’s well known with the locals for being the only clothing optional beach in Texas so I had to go check it out! ☺️🤭😁 The beach was practically empty, I only saw a couple others. It’s quite a liberating experience that I’d highly suggest everyone to try at least once!

I’ll end this blog post here, as there needs to be a part 2 just for the Big Bend National Park and my ADV nomad buddy Jay Masterson down in Terlingua.

Howdy y’all!

I hope to break down my plans in detail so this might be a bit of a read, I’ve done a lot of thinking over the past 6 years and to see the pieces falling into place is making me really happy! 😃 

The land I’ve purchased is a 10.26 acre parcel, just about a perfect 660x660x660x660 square, 1/2 mile or so off a State highway on a dead end road(Stagecoach Rd, Oxley, Searcy County, Arkansas). A survey was done before closing, so that helped a lot. There is a power pole at the SW corner,city water and phone lines at Stagecoach Rd that’s about 1000 feet away from the property line. It’s gently sloping to the south/southeast and at 1500’ elevation. The bottom (south)property line is about 50’+/- lower then the high(north) end. It’s heavily covered in hardwoods and a few pine with thick underbrush of briers in most places. A few dozen or more  large rocks (2’x3’x 4’)are scattered on the lower 1/3 of the property. I was able to walk a majority of the property, the ground was firm with no swampy areas.  Seeing pictures taken from the summer to winter, there is a huge difference on the distance you can see across the property.  I plan to keep a 100’-150’ border boundary  around the entire property that will be left “wild” where the briars are left in place. The center 4-5 acres will keep all its living trees but the brush ,briers and saplings 6”or less will be cut down periodically. The only trees to be removed are the ones for the pads, travelers  cabin, storage building and eventually the main cabin.  I’d like to route the driveways around the healthy trees and large rocks but  any dread or dying trees in the path can be removed. 

The MASTER PLAN

Phase 1

Develop the lower 1/3 of the property as a travelers rest area ( working names are the Stage Stop or Bunkhouse)with 2 power/water accessible tent camping spots and a small cabin (20’x 30’ +/-)with kitchen, laundry, bathroom and a bed.  The bathroom will have its own entrance for the tent campers but an interior door can be locked to restrict access to the rest of the cabin. The cabin will also have an outdoor shower on the east side porch. Exterior would be a rock face front ( gathered from the property) and 1/4 round live edge siding that is basically scrap from a wood mill. The cabin will be built under a 40′ x 40′ “pole barn” that will serve as the roof and patio area for the cabin. I’ve been playing around with a 10×20, 14×22 and 18×25 cabins with the exact same floor plans trying to see what was most efficient for what I wanted them filled with. Once it gets put in the computer, that may change +/- an foot or so. The build will be simple, conventional stud walls, insulation and mini split HVAC. No drywall so open to “rustic”options like corrugated tin, cedar fence boards or ??? I’m open to on-demand or 50 gallon water heater too. It will have a “shed roof” that’s south facing with windows to let in the winter sun. Passive house principals can be added where possible and within a budget.  A budget I have yet to figure out.

(below are examples I’ve found on the web or worked on in a CAD program)

A 300’ long driveway needs to be cut in thats 130’-150’ from the lower property line to a 50’x50’ pad for the travelers cabin. Working around healthy trees and large rocks will keep it looking natural. The two tent spots will be north and south of the driveway. The tent spots should be kept small, for motorcycle, van, SUV and jeep campers. No travel trailers or medium-large RV’s will be allowed. 

A large enough septic system will need to be put in for both cabins? There isn’t much regulation or building code requirements in the area so a simple system is the most efficient.

Phase 2

Driveway uphill to storage containers/pole barn/shed and eventually the main cabin. Cut in a driveway to a 40’x60’ pad in the Northwest corner of the brush cleared area .  Either a 20×40 pole barn or 2, 40’ containers with a shared roof large enough to park the van to also be used as storage and possibly small tractor parking. The pad will have power and water.

Phase 3

Pad and main cabin

100’ x 100’ pad for the main 20’x30’ cabin as close to this one as possIble and within budget.

Phase 3+ Gun range…. 

100yd rifle range with action pistol shooting bay. Either packed earth old tires, used railroad ties, all the tree root balls as a safe backstop. Not sure of placement on the property just yet…. but I’ll have one! 

The reason for the 3 phases is I’d like to pay as I go where possible.  I’m not worried if phase 3 isn’t finished in 6-8 or even 10 years from now.  This is recreational property for the time being, I’d only be on the property 3-5 months a year as it is, but would like to build it in such a way that travelers can access it year around. It will not be “ open to the public”, security gates with locks and combinations given out to the travelers upon direct contact with only me,  free of charge. If it can become a paid campground in the future, I’m open to that prospect. So I’d want it built like someone would be paying for it. 

Well, that’s about it. It’s a work in progress and this post will be updated as I go ( currently Nov 21) and plans cchange so stay tuned!

Jan 2022 update:

Bunkhouse timeline:
(as of now, because budget and many other factors will adjust or push this back)
——————————
March-August 2022
-Driveway and pad finished
-Yamaha “briefcase” generator for use until power is run
-Spray for tick control
-Water tank/heater for simple shower
-Rent port a potty
-Fire pit location set up
-Plant Green giant arbavita x 10-12 along driveway
-Take out 1 big oak, get to local miller to slab (4”&3”x8’) and start drying.
-Forester inspection of property to get a forestry plan
-Start forestry plan
-Mulch brush undergrowth per the foresters recommendations
-Cut/ haul cedar trees for bunkhouse roof supports
-Deer buffet planted to reseed area between bunkhouse pad and brush pile/backstop
-Start cutting & removing a couple dead/dying trees for firewood per forestry plan
-Spray for tick control

• Set base and pad for new 20’ shipping container
  -Motorcycle dirt route to/from TAT(Map and GPS tracks)

———————
May 2022
-Washington for summer
-Buy new or used 6’x12’ or 14’ single axle cargo trailer and load contents of old shipping container in Chehalis (Super Tenere , spin bike, power tools and other stuff)
———————————
September 2022 back to Arkansas on freeway with trailer
-Get new 20’ shipping container delivered and set up
-Spray for tick control
-Work forestry plan
-Mark driveway and pad for future main cabin
-Take out a few more dead & dying trees for firewood per forestry plan
-Plant more trees per forestry plan
-Spray for tick control
-Work with builder on roof/pole barn plan and septic system
———————————
February -June 2023
-Spray for tick control
-Roof/pole barn built, dig septic system
-Power& Water lines trenched
-Fixed outdoor shower
-Host for primitive campers
-Work with builder for concrete slab and Bunkhouse plans
-Spray for tick control
——————————
Short summer in Washington July-August, take cargo trailer

————————————-
September return to Arkansas with any remaining stuff from old shipping container in the cargo trailer

————————————-
February-May 2024 (or fall of 2024 )
Build Bunkhouse 🤞🤞🤞

Well, I’ve gone and done it! After 3 &1/2 laps around the US, I found a spot that checks off all the boxes for the “ideal” piece of land that’s been bouncing around in my head for the last 5 years. 

1. Great riding (on and off road) near by

2. Warmer more of the year then cold

3. Inexpensive land on a south facing hillside that’s fairly secluded. (don’t see any neighbors, little to no light pollution) 

4. Enough land for a potential main cabin and a few camping spots that can serve as a travelers (motorcycle/vanlife or overlanding) rest area. More on that in a bit….

I had also thought of Idaho, Kentucky, West Virginia and Northern New Mexico but nothing hit the sweet spot like North Arkansas.   I met up with realtor Glen Swafford of Diamond G Realty in Mountain View  to put some feelers out on any 8-15 acre parcels for sale.  It took a couple weeks of back and forth but we finally came to an agreement on this 10 acre patch on Stagecoach Rd, outside the small area known as Oxley just off state highway 66. And the price was just right too! Thanks Glen!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Earlier this month I booked a stay at my friend Sandra’s Air B&B cabin in Mountain View to use as a base camp while I explored the area. I had also flown up with my Aunt and Uncle Kris and Jon Martin  in their private plane a couple times to join them as they looked for property. 

• 

• 

• 

While at Sandra’s cabin, I had put out in a few different  Tenere  groups on social media that I was looking for someone to join me.  DJ Suter from Memphis on his Super Tenere was able to join me for 3 great days of riding. He had been out this way a few times so he knew the general area which was great and we explored many new areas for him too! 

All while this was happening, Ken Doss, a Super Tenere rider from North Little Rock and the Adventure Riders of Arkansas reached out to invite me to a “Camp and Ride” he was planning in the Ozark NF later in the month. I met up with him and what turned out to be more than a dozen riders from all over the state and even a few from Missouri. We set out on a very scenic loop through the forest with several water crossings. Lunch was at the little Catalpa Cafe, WOW! those were huge burgers ! We then returned to the forest roads for another way back to camp stopping for a really cool pic under a waterfall. An epic day for sure, can’t wait to ride again with the Adventure Riders of Arkansas. A huge thanks to Ken for the invite! 🙏

Now back to the property…. For the last 5 years as I’ve traveled, finding hosts to “couch surf” or now “driveway surf” with has been a huge blessing. I want to return that hospitality afforded me with the purchase of this land. The lower 1/3 of the property will be a travelers rest area with camping spaces, water, power hook ups and a small cabin with a bathroom, shower, laundry and kitchen. It will cater to the Adventure Motorcycle, Moto Vanlife and overlanding communities, sorry but there won’t be enough space for travel trailers or Toy hauling motor homes. It also won’t be open to the public but remaining private property, restricting access somehow because I won’t be around all year to maintain it. Keeping it simple and minimal but unique. I also don’t plan to charge admission (but I will take donations to help keep the lights on) The rough timeline is to get a driveway with camping spots, utilities and a pad for the small cabin in before the end of the year. As for a cabin, it will be like these but updated a bit😉 That’s a year or more out though.

• 

• 

When doing the research for the property, I realized that the Trans American Trail passes by just 35 miles south as it crosses over US 65 in Bee Branch, Arkansas. Sam and his community will hear of the property when it’s up and running. I’m looking forward to doing a few sections of the “TAT” myself! 😁

• 

• 

This has all really been a blessing to find such a great place that will work for the plans I’ve had in my head for so long. I’m very thankful for the community that has supported me over the years. Now I hope to give back where I can. A huge thanks to everyone that follows me on my journey!🙏🙌🙏🙌

And one last thing as an FYI, beware of the green slime on the low water bridges that you will traverse if you are in the Arkansas backcountry. 🤭🙄🤣😂