Epilog
Again, like the WABDR, we had smoke which put a damper on my desire to film. It's always a battle between enjoying the trip and documenting it. I was prepared to do get a bunch of video, but because there wasn't as much to see, I didn't do much of it. Consequently I enjoyed the ride more. I took pictures where I wanted, video every now and then, and just generally had fun with my friends. Maybe that's the lesson – documenting makes for good video, but maybe not the best memories. I'm sure there's a happy medium in there somewhere.
The route itself is very much worth doing. I don't feel bad one bit about skipping the initial 100 miles of flat, straight desert road. For me, the route is about seeing beautiful scenery, having a few challenges, meeting fun people along the way, and enjoying camping in the woods. The Idaho BDR is definitely easier than the Washington BDR, but being longer challenges you in a different way. There were fewer areas of cell coverage, but plenty of gas and stores along the way to keep moving and eating. One thing the three of us agreed on was that being so close to much of the route, we'd revisit parts of it in the future when no smoke is obscuring our views.
Tim, Dave, and I travel very easily together. Though I probably ride the fastest in general, we always seem to pick a pace that is comfortable for everyone. On this route I'd say most of the time we rode 20-25 mph on average – certainly slower on more technical parts, but definitely faster on wide and flat dirt roads. As we closed in on the end of the trip, we talked about our next BDR: Colorado. There are logistical problems to overcome since it's not right next door like Idaho is. But we'll figure them out and make it happen. 2021 maybe? We'll see. Stay tuned!
Tom Clark
I'm a Senior Software Engineer at Intellitect, living in Spokane, Washington. I also do a little development work on the side. And I love riding motorcycles all over the country with my friends.
