Idaho BDR Day 1 on My Husqvarna Norden 901

Continuing my Idaho BDR series, I wanted to get into Travel Day 1, which for most riders is about getting to their starting point rather than being on the actual BDR. In my conversations with other BDR Riders, it was not uncommon for them to ride 600 to 700 miles on the first day in order to get to their starting point. I only had 6 days for my entire adventure so taking an extra day to get to the southern Idaho BDR starting point was not really an option, my starting point would be Glenns Ferry Idaho.

Listen to the “Idaho BDR Trip – Day 1 on My Norden 901 – Getting to the Trail” Podcast:

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Idaho BDR off-road adventure – Day 1 is a 600 mile road trip

Personally, when I plan a motorcycle road trip, I try to stay around 300 to 400 miles a day. This gives you time to stop and see the interesting places, talk to people and go out on side trips to explore areas the locals consider special. This is how my riding buddy and I found the Flaming George in Wyoming and believe me, that side trip is what motorcycle travel is all about. However, this was not a road trip, it was a BDR Trip, so getting to my starting location quickly was key. I set my sights on the Trail Break RV Park at Glenns Ferry, which was very close to my first route on the Idaho BDR. This was almost exactly 600 miles from the WizzWare garage in the Pacific Northwest, so I knew it would be a long day in the saddle.

Husqvarna Norden 901’s first BDR

This was my Husqvarna Norden 901’s first BDR adventure, so I had all my bags packed up and secured days before, because I knew from experience that if I waited to attach my bags the night before I would be up late, late, late, which makes for a groggy morning. As a side note, if you have never secured bags to your motorcycle, make sure you do it early, because it may take you a while to get the anchor points exactly where you want them and you may want to make custom straps.

So finally it was go time and I was excited for my road trip, and my actual BDR start on the following day. I rolled out onto the highway, and to my surprise, traffic was very light, so I got a clear shot up I-5, Highway 18, and onto I-90. Washington State’s I-90 is really an enjoyable mountain pass and I especially liked the fact that I got a temperature bump once I hit the eastern side of the mountain. This is the first year for the Norden 901, so not all the aftermarket parts are available, and one of the important unavailable parts are the hand warmers. So going from 55 degree fogy morning weather to 68 degrees and a clear sky was very much welcomed.

Motorcycle adventure tip 1 – Get your morning coffee

The road was clear, the weather was great so I bypassed my typical pit-stop at Snoqualmie Pass and rode on for another 30 miles to Cle Elum, WA, where I grabbed a quick breakfast and cup of coffee. If you are a coffee drinker, make sure you get your morning coffee and shot of caffeine, because if you don’t, there is a high probability of a splitting headache later in the day. I don’t have that problem at home, but when I am traveling on a motorcycle, it gets me almost every time.

Sitting at breakfast (hello Egg McMuffins) I was full of all kinds of thoughts on the adventure in front of me. I have been on extended motorcycle trips before, covering thousands of miles and multiple states, but this was my first multiple day solo ride, and first BDR trip. So this was the same but different and my anticipation to get on with the trip grew so I choked down my breakfast, got back on the Norden and headed down the road.

After a blistering 25mph ride through main street Cle Elum, I was finally back on I-90. This is a particularly nice part of the freeway and has lots to look at, like rolling hills and the beautiful Cascade mountain range, so I just sat back in the saddle and enjoyed the scenery.

The next town I passed was Ellensburg which is a pretty cool college town and home to Central Power Sports, which is where I purchased the Norden 901. As I approached the town I remembered 3 things:

1. There is a great back road to Yakama that starts from here.
2. There is an easy on and off for gas.
3. The WSP or POPO is hidden right off the freeway so watch my speed.

Backing off the Norden 901 to a “reasonable speed”

So backing off my speed to a level that would not get me arrested I turned off I-90 to highway 82 that would take me into Yakama. One of my favorite side routs is highway 821 that follows the Yakama river into Yakama and if you have the time to explore, I recommend you take it.

So over the pass I went and looking at all the roads off in the distant hills I was wondering if they were going to be similar to the Idaho BDR. It was about this time that I noticed my Garmin Zumo XT was giving me an exact distance to my final destination in Yakama? I was planning on stopping for gas in Yakama, but Glenns Ferry, Idaho was my final destination today. So I was new to the Zumo XT and plotting routs so I shrugged it off and kept heading to my gas stop, hoping that once I got to Yakama it was just considering this a stop and would continue with the route I thought I had entered.

Programing my Zumo XT in Yakima

Riding into Yakima is usually one of my favorites because you get a great view of Mt Adams and fresh air, but this time you had the stinky smell of fresh oil and asphalt being laid. There was also a short traffic back up, but it only lasted a few minutes. My gas stop was upcoming so I started looking for my exit and wondering if it was too early to stop in at Miner’s Drive-inn for a burger – if you’ve never been to Miners, it is a must-stop. HUGE, awesome burgers. I had only completed about 1/3 of my journey, however, so after gassing up and a short break I got back on the road. Unfortunately I had my mind on The Miner’s Drive-inn and I totally forgot to check my Zumo XT, which now had me re-routing back to Yakima. I don’t know what I did, but when I programmed it I must have cut the last part of today’s trip off, so I found an off ramp and started messing with the Garmin. Now usually it is not a problem, but in 100 degree weather and a hurry up riding style, it was not my best work, plus I wanted to take one of my favorite bypasses that had not got programmed in when I added the new destination, so I had to take an extra few minutes to make sure I knew the turn off. Well after what seemed like forever, I got the new destination programmed and had reviewed it to make sure it was correct and that I knew the alternate route I wanted to take. So off I went, at the legal speed limit, of course.

Norden 901 rides through the sweet smell of Walla Walla Sweet Onions

The next section of miles are very humbling, because you are in the heart of Washington farm land and you really take in how hard farmers work to feed America. I just happened to be going through when it was Walla Walla Sweet onion harvest time, and although I am not particularly into onions, the sweet smell of freshly harvested onions is quite an experience. By now I had jumped off Highway 82 and onto a great bypass 221, which is also where 14 Hands Winery happens to be located. The 221 is very interesting because it sends you into vast miles of farm land, but also takes you through the Columbia Crest Winery Vineyards, and then along the Columbia River for a short while. Traffic is light on this back road and there is not many turns, so you can make some time.

After getting back on Highway 82 and crossing over into Oregon, I am starting to look for another spot to get gas and take a short break. I have gone this way before, so I knew Pendleton, OR was within reach and a great place for a short rest, before I went through the Blue Mountains. I pulled in, gassed up and went into the Circle K, grabbed a drink and pulled across the street under a shady tree. It was about 100 degrees so a cold Dr. Pepper and Jerky sure hit the spot. When I ride I really try to stay focused and watch for trouble, so I do not listen to music or podcasts (plus I love listening to the engine). When I am resting, however, I let my mind wander, and being in Pendleton, it reminded me that this is where they hold the annual Pendleton Bike Week, which is now named The Pendleton Run. I have never gone, but it sure looks like a good time, maybe next year I was thinking to myself.

Getting to my Idaho BDR starting point is half over

As I was still resting, I pictured the day’s journey a head, I was about half way through my ride to get to Glenns Ferry, and was just about to start going through the Blue Mountains which is a beautiful mountain range and part of the old Oregon Trail. My other thought was that I might be able to get away with only one more gas stop, which means that I am on the downhill side of today’s trip.

The Blue Mountains on my Norden 901

After the rest, I gave the Norden 901 a once over just to make sure everything was looking good. I have learned from the past, just a quick review of the tires, oil and fluids can save you headaches and even disasters down the road.

So back on the bike, checking my Zumo XT to make sure it was still headed to my destination, I got back on the freeway and headed for the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains on Highway 84, is a fun route because it starts off on the valley floor and has a great set of twisties that clime to a plateau where it straightens out and you can just enjoy the scenery, although on my particular travel day, there was road construction going on so I had some waiting involved. On a side note, if you have never gone on a multi-day motorcycle trip, there is ALWAYS road work you run into. You can be miles from anywhere and you will run into road work, so be prepared to ride on rock, tar and slippery surfaces sometimes. In cases where you are waiting behind a flagger’s stop sign for a pilot truck, I like to pull around the traffic and get to the front where I can talk to the road worker and get a set of instructions on what to expect. This way you can safely navigate the dangerous road, plus as a bonus you do not have to pass a bunch of slow vehicles once the road opens back up again.

Once I got through the construction traffic I was able to enjoy the scenery and wonder how hard it must have been to take a covered wagon through these hills, but that thought quickly disappeared because I was passing the spot where my buddy had ran out of gas when we were on our Pikes Peak trip. As I remember, when I went to get him gas, I just grabbed the container he gave me and I rode about 25 miles to the closest town where I filled up the container and rode back. I did not stop to think about the size of the container and how far he had to ride to the gas station. So in other words he had to push his bike the last quarter mile to the gas station. I still remind him of that, but it is instances like this make for great memories later. It also makes a strong case to carry an extra fuel container like the Giant Loop Armadillo bag, which can be flattened out when not in use.

So plowing through the miles now and getting close to Idaho, I could definitely see an increase in people’s speed. I decided to play it a little safe and keep it close to the limit, and sure enough, just before leaving Oregon, there was a speed trap. They always like to catch you right around the speed limit change. The 80mph speed limit in Idaho is a nice bump and is really nice for making time.

The Blue Mountains had flown by and now I was at my last gas stop and only 100 miles from Glenns Ferry, where I was going to spend the night. So excited to be reaching my BDR starting point, I got back on and tore off down the freeway. Now if you have never been to Idaho, it appears to be just grass land with nothing to offer, but when you get off the freeway there is incredible country side and places to visit, like Twin Falls, Craters of the Moon, McCall, the Salmon River, LoLo Pass and the list goes on. These were all places I knew from past rides, but little did I know that the Idaho BDR would open my eyes to an absolutely incredible section of the United States.

The ride through Boise is pretty straight forward and the traffic is not too heavy so I just keep plugging along and until I finally see signs for Glenns Ferry. I had passed Glenns Ferry may times before, but this time I was getting off and basically starting a brand new adventure in places I had never been before. So I was a little nervous and a little excited.

Glenns Ferry is my starting point on my Idaho BDR motorcycle adventure

Once off the freeway, I was happy to see that there was no traffic and I could take my time to locate my campground. The streets were not exactly marked so the light traffic let me just take my time. The Trail Break RV Park and Campground was where I was headed and I pulled right in. I had pre-booked my stay, so no check-in was necessary. I just pulled up to the tent camping area and parked. It was a very friendly campground and I talked to a bunch of people and they also let me know about a place to eat that was right up the road. So I set my tent up and went looking for some food. The restaurant everyone was talking about was called The Stop Drive-Inn, and they make a great burger and definitely worth the stop if you are riding the I-84. Getting my food to go, I decided to make a run through Glenns Ferry and familiarize myself with the town so I could gas up and get onto the BDR quickly in the morning.

The rest of the evening was spent talking to people in the campground, eating my food and looking at my route for tomorrow. I was quite pleased with how the Norden 901 had handled the 600 mile road trip, but I wondered how the Norden and I would handle the BDR terrain. There were so many unknowns, so once again I was a little nervous and a little excited, with all kinds of questions flowing through my head, like do I have enough food, where will I stay, how will the bike do, did I pack enough gear and so on. The one thing I have learned on motorcycle trips though, at a certain point you just have to go and see how it all works out.

Looking back, there are two things I will remember about Glenns Ferry. The first is that The Stop Drive-Inn is worth going back when traveling the I-84, and the 2nd is that The Trail Break RV Park & Campground has nice facilities and friendly people, but is very close to the train tracks and those trains love to blow their whistle at 2 AM and random times throughout the night, so do not expect a full night sleep.

Tomorrow is a new adventure

So this brings me to the end of the first day and highway travel on my Idaho BDR Trip, Getting to My Idaho BDR Starting Point. The following day would be an entirely new experience and start an epic 4 day off-grid motorcycle adventure. So don’t miss future WizzWare Podcasts and Posts because the Idaho BDR Trip is To Be Continued….