KLR650 on the Notom Road

[killer]

Sunday February 20th 2005.

The first sign of spring had appeared in Torrey on Saturday, Brink's Hamburgers opened for their 15th year having been closed since October. On Saturday I had put a new Dunlop D606 tyre on the KLR and was ready to try it out. At noon things didn't look all that promising, it was still only 40F with a good breeze blowing but somehow by 1pm it was 46F and I had to get out of the house. I decided to head down through Capitol Reef Park as that was lower and probably warmer and sheltered from the wind a little. A few days before I had ridden the BMW down the Notom Road until it turned to dirt so I chose to follow the road again intending to go to the place where the Burr Trail turned off and then return the same way. Most of the snow had melted in the park and the Fremont River was running well, I was surprised to see that the parking lot at the visitor centre was at least half full, a lot of tourists for February.

The Notom Road turns off Utah 24 just where it exits Capitol Reef National Park at the east side, not surprisingly it goes to Notom, though you would have a hard time spotting that location these days. Beyond Notom the road is dirt and goes all the way to the Bullfrog Marina on Glen Canyon reservoir about 70 miles away. The road was quite wet in some places and torn up a little, not a problem where it was sandy but in places it crosses outcrops of the grey Bentonite Hills, that mud is very thick and sticky. In the spring they will grade the road and it is an easy drive unless it is raining which is rare, there are great wildflowers down this road in the spring.



Looking down the cliffs to the valley where the Notom Road runs.



I skidded and slipped down to the Burr Trail turnoff expecting to find the steep road up the cliff impassable but it was not so, I couldn't resist riding to the top of the cliff knowing full well that beyond there the road would definitely be closed. The road up the cliffs is a real zig-zag, it was a bit muddy in the corners but otherwise easy. I hear that BMW F650s at the top looking down have been known to buck and refuse, you have been warned! In the background are the Henry Mountains, a fine Mammoform Laccolith.

Castle formations on the Burr Trail


Once I reached the top I discovered that the road was still in good shape, this presented a problem as I wasn't sure how far I was going to be able to go on this road and didn't have enough gas to go too far and be able to turn around, I wished I had topped off the tank before I left Torrey. I decided to go about 20 miles and see what it was like, as it turned out this got me out of the park and onto the paved section of the road. I still wasn't sure that I would get all the way through but decided to press on and take that chance. What was the worst that could happen? I might have to trudge a few miles through the snow into Boulder to get gas, in the dark, in a snow storm, say 20 miles...

Pretty soon I came across a car which didn't look as if it had got there through the mud and I was greatly relieved I can tell you. I tried to stay in front of the car so that if I did get stuck in snow I could ride out with them but every time I stopped to take a picture they passed me again.

Hope Canyon (also known as Long Canyon)

The paved part of the Burr Trail runs through a lovely canyon.

Upwards Towards Boulder

The road ascends further up the mountain towards the town of Boulder

Boulder Mountain

By this point it was obvious that the road was going to be open and clear all the way to Boulder but the first site of the mountain looked a bit foreboding. If you don't know UT 12 you probably are thinking 'so what', but the highway crosses the eastern flank of the snowy section and rises up to almost 10,000ft above sea level.

Highway 12 - A Good Ride

I made it to Boulder without any problem but as soon as 12 started up the hill the snow began, at first it was nasty little pellets which really stung but by the 9000ft marker (or where I thought it should be since it was buried) the snow had turned into soft flakes and really wasn't unpleasant on my face. Just after I took this picture some people stopped to see if I was OK (thanks), they looked quite worried and told me it was snowing hard up on top but that the surface wasn't too bad - they were in a Jeep. The road was covered in drifting fine snow in places but I never lost any traction, as is my habit when I'm concentrating on riding I forget to take pictures so there aren't any of the snowy places.

Ice Face

Just like skiing! I was really glad I had my electric jacket with me, it may not be a good idea to rely on electrics but when they work it is much more comfortable. My hands and feet got a bit cold, not to mention my nose.

And Then It Stopped - The Red Cliffs of Home

Thousand Lake Mountain on the other side of the cliffs beyond Torrey .

As usual the magnifying glass was on Torrey and the sun shone, I thought about stopping at Brink's for a burger but I was covered with mud and still had the icy remnants in my beard. All in all an excellent ride, I certainly did not expect to do the whole loop (125 miles) in February, I'm looking forward to doing it again when the flowers begin to bloom. It will probably still be snowing on Boulder Mountain.

[fretbuzz]

Excellent post, killer.

That looks like the perfect DP ride -in the summer, of course.

[stevend135]

Nice pics

[D-Day]

Nice story and pics. Props to you riding with an open face helmet in that weather. That's hardcore.

[bross]

Wow! very nice. Thanks for posting.

[trikebubble]

Awesome story, and pics to boot. Keep 'em coming.

[Tod]

That's an awesome ride report. That ice face pic kills me.

[A2rider]

Wow! Thanks for posting. Your dedication to riding and your pictures are admirable. Welcome to the site, hope to hear/see more of your stories.