What BDR Gets Wrong.
We are in the process of planning our first ride for 2023. As far as ADV rides go, this is likely to be relatively tame, which is okay given we are shoving off in April and there is still three-feet of snow around my cabin. This is to say 2023 is anything but normal so far.
Our first ride will be nothing like a typical BDR in length and I don’t expect the terrain to be overly challenging. But we are venturing into arid desert backcountry during its soggiest time of year. I’ve done this long enough to know that an early-season ride like this will have its own challenges. Still, I am more excited about this ride than any I’ve taken in a very long time! But why is that?
The most obvious reason is that this is the first ride after a very long winter. I can’t think of a better remedy to a severe case of cabin-fever than hitting the road on my Tiger. But also, this ride is all about the layer of experience that’s missing from most Back Country Discovery Routes (BDR’s)—a sense of history.
Our first ride of the season will be the Transcontinental Railroad National Backcountry Byway. It is the longest contiguous stretch of original railroad grade remaining in the United States. At nearly 90 miles, the byway follows the Promontory Branch built across Utah’s West Desert, through the Golden Spike National Historic Site where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific officially joined. From where I live, this will be 400–500-mile ride round trip, and with any luck we will be able to pick up on sections of the California Trail and the Kelton Road—both incredibly important historical routes to the settlement of California and Idaho.
Somewhere on the Transcontinental Backcountry Scenic Bayway—Utah.
I am laughing at myself right now because I feel I am blaspheming the whole BDR organization and the hard work they have done to chart the BDR routes. Not my intent at all. But we must be honest when we look at a Butler BDR map—the routes were designed to maximize back-road travel, not necessarily points of interest along the way. For me, while I love the sense of achievement when I check-off a BDR route from my bucket list, the accomplishment hits me a bit hollow without gaining some appreciation for historical events that may have happened along the way. As I have mentioned before, I ride to explore.
Riding a killer route for its own sake was fun 40 years ago, but I kind of feel I have outgrown some of that. The exploration bug, however, has never left me. It’s why I still climb into the saddle for a Saturday afternoon ride, to simply go somewhere interesting that I’ve never been before. It’s not purely the ride itself, its also what I might find along the way. For me, this ride has the significance of visiting Gettysburg or Valley Forge, except the route is primitive, wild, and completely unsupervised.
I’m quite convinced that in 2023, the exceptional mountain snowpack and the subsequent run-off is going to result in many sections of the western BDR’s being impassible until much later in the season than we realize. Being creative and flexible on route selections is going to be key this year. So, as the 2023 ADV season unfolds, I think we all may be looking for some alternative rides, at least early in the season. So why not consider some simpler rides with a historical twist—like the TransCon?
What makes your rides memorable? Please let me know by leaving a comment below. In one of my upcoming BLOGS I will share some alternative rides I have on my bucket list.
Until then, Cheers!
John
