r/TwoXriders
▲ 44 r/TwoXriders
I tried to do the Lost Coast BDR X & FAILED - but still had a great two weeks out touring backroads & remote landscapes in Oregon, California & Nevada.
Welp, I tried. I watched videos of people riding various parts of the Lost Coast BDR X, studied the online maps, practiced on gravel roads all around where I live in Oregon every week for a month, and thought I could do it. I was WRONG. I tried to do the Lost Coast BDR X and FAILED.
I don't know how many miles I did of the Lost Coast BDR X - it would just be in the double digits - but once I got to the upper Mattole section, traveling toward Honeydew, I knew I'd bit off way more than I could chew. I made it to Honeydew, but it was SO hard, and a sharp, uphill gravel turn almost did me in.
I'm surprised I didn't feel more defeated than I did when I knew I couldn't do it. But... there's more to motorcycle adventure touring than doing the absolute most difficult gravel roads you can find. I've ridden almost 70,000 miles (over 100,000 kilometers) on motorcycles in the 17 years I've been riding, and I've had some rather amazing journeys - and I'll keep having them. The BDR is not for me, and I am fine with that - plenty of easier back roads out there leading to spectacular places, and that is enough for me.
So, my husband and I pivoted, choosing different routes and ending up having an AWESOME time. Neither of us had ever ridden Highway 1 in Northern California, and that was SPECTACULAR - and not easy! I also made my third trip to Bodie, California, this time via my trusty KLR, and those washboards are... really something!
I also managed to ride down to Shelter Cove and back, and if you know that road... if you don't, here's a sample:
Anyway, my point, and I do have one, is to RIDE YOUR RIDE. And limitations are OKAY. Just keep riding and enjoying YOUR rides.
The travelogue is coming soon (route, where we camped, etc.) - the page already has a link to all photos.
u/jcravens42 — 11 days ago