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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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Hola Tom,
I feel your pain. I was nearly "rif'd" myself from my faculty position of 17 years! The only thing that probably saved me was the requirement of two years notification.
As we said before - you are welcome to call us the week before if necessary and we'll work it out. We have three going in our group right now and adding a fourth is easy.
Good luck
m
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/24/2008
Posts: 42
Points: -21
Location: San Jose, Ca
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Sweet! I'll keep working on the bike. She won't even notice those BAJA lights.  Then when its time I'll say I'm going out for groceries and come back a 10 days later, honey I got lost on the way to the store. I know the job market is tight, city jobs are getting axed all over the place here and those guys used to be safe. Later
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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I heard on the news today that Cali is looking to cut another huge chunk of its budget. That's brutal. Things are rough everywhere. At least the markets are on their way back up. A glimmer of hope, perhaps.
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/20/2009
Posts: 1
Points: 3
Location: Bozeman, MT
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I'm hosed! Audi sales dropped off a cliff here in Bozeman where I had been selling with great success for the last ten years. I've had one decent paycheck in the last 11 months! I hung in there hoping that things might turn around, but let me tell you, taking home minimum wage sucks when you have a wife, a kid, a mortgage and a car payment. Finally I made the leap, and am now selling at the Ford store. Things are already looking up a bit, but I can't imagine how I'm going to leave work for a week and a half so soon after starting the new job. Still I'm going to see if I can't make it over for the first day of the tour. Sorry guys, I'll try my best. This really sucks.
Larry
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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Believe me - I completely understand!
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/9/2008
Posts: 31
Points: -4
Location: Idaho
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I'm in for the last week of July. I am going to ship a package to the motel ahead of us again. It worked out so well last year I might even ship clothes to 2 motels this time....
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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I'd like to consider shortening one of the days. I think that we should go Pocatello to Challis in one day rather than two. This would cut down on the hotel expense at the riding expense of only slightly earlier starts and putting the hammer down a little on easy terrain. If we leave Pocatello early on that Monday we will still be in Challis by 6 even with a lot of sight seeing.
my .02
m
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/29/2009
Posts: 3
Points: 9
Location: Boise
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Has anyone been on the Challis to Elk City and/or Elk City to Wallace sections yet this year? We are going to attempt them the week of July 5th...
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Rank: Administration
Groups: Administration
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 137
Points: -848
Location: Pocatello, ID
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whitmarsh wrote:Has anyone been on the Challis to Elk City and/or Elk City to Wallace sections yet this year? We are going to attempt them the week of July 5th... The Magruder Road is still closed and probably will be for another few weeks. I don't know about the Lolo Motorway but it usually opens about the same time as the Magruder. Martin
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/29/2009
Posts: 3
Points: 9
Location: Boise
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Thanks Martin. I called the Magruder Ranger Station and they told me that the road wasn't physically closed (no closed gate) but that it was naturally closed via impassable snow drifts. We will be seeing how far we can get headed East to West on Monday July 5th. If we can't make it we will head back and try to hit LoLo going through Montana.
By the way, thanks for all the hard work on your site. It is excellent!
Bryan
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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No worries Bryan - and thanks. You are absolutely right about the whole gate vs. snow closure. But I maintain less of an obstacle than 30 miles of snow! :)
We'll post the open dates for the Magruder on the TID page as soon as we get the word.
Cheers
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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The 520 mile T2 variant of the Tour of Idaho (Alpine Wyoming to Jordan Valley Oregon) was completed by a solo rider in slightly over 11 hours on Sunday, July 4th. Three fuel stops - Pocatello, Oakley, and Rogerson. The bike was an XR650R with an Acerbis 7 gallon Sahara tank which had to be used like a wheelbarrow for the last 2.5 miles into JV due to running out of gas. Recent flooding and continuing high water forced a few small route modifications. These have been recorded in the updated gpx file and route description and we'll change the topos as time permits.
m
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 12/21/2008
Posts: 18
Points: 54
Location: Calgary, Canada
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whitmarsh wrote:Has anyone been on the Challis to Elk City and/or Elk City to Wallace sections yet this year? I just got back from riding Kamiah to Powell using the Lolo Motorway on July 4th... it was impassable from both snow and fallen trees. But we had fun trying :)
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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Thank you for the update. I suspect that it will be well beyond mid-July this year before the Lolo and Magruder are open and passable.
Cheers and thanks again.
m
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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This summer all of Southern, Eastern and Central Idaho have seen record rains. During one five day stretch we received about three inches in several deluges of biblical proportions. Right now the single and double track sections of the Tour of Idaho (T1) in southern and central Idaho are, in places, a washed out nightmare. Anything that is flat is smooth and fast (due to being silted in) but anything with any relief is likely to be very rutted (at best) or a Grand Canyon sized gully (at worst). The transitions between smooth and fast and scary technical are abrupt. Skilled local riders are exercising extreme caution when riding the trails on the Utah to Challis section of the Tour.
The scenery all along the Tour is lush, verdant and beautiful but please exercise extreme caution on anything very steep. Even the jeep roads contain two to three foot deep ruts where there is any relief and often you come up on these ruts at speed and with little warning that they are there.
We do not recommend the technical portions of the Tour on days one and two for anything except actual dirt bikes this season.
Martin
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 9/10/2008
Posts: 13
Points: 39
Location: Naples, FL
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Martin,
Thanks for the Tour condition updates.
The Florida contingent finalized Tour dates (Aug 8 - Aug 16). 8 riders starting from SLC and finishing in Spokane.
Hopefully we've nailed down all the travel details. Now, we're polishing the chrome on our bikes and waiting until August 8.
Cheers,
Jack
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/20/2009
Posts: 11
Points: -58
Location: Smithfield, UT
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A group of us are leaving Sunday. We're combining Pocatello to Challis (and not driving around the west end of American Falls Reservoir) to give us two days to ride Elk City to Wallace (staying at the Powell Ranger Station). Five of us will ride the entire route (or whatever we can cover) and a few friends will ride with us some of the days.
I rented a satellite phone and the guy I rented it from is part of a radio show on KSL in Salt Lake (KSL Outdoors) and he wants us to call him Saturday when we're riding back for an interview on the show! I'll try to mention motorcyclejazz.com when I'm talking to him.
Mike
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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Good on ya! One suggestion - Pocatello to Challis is easy (and definitely more scenic than the alternative) even if you do ride south around American Falls as long as you avoid the ATV trails leaving Pocatello. Just ride the pavement to Crystal summit and start from there. Since I assume that you will not be doing the Massacre Mountain Loop you should still easily be able to reach Challis before too late even with the obligatory ride to the top of Big Southern Butte. Also make sure to ride the Oregon Trail wagon ruts north of Pingree - it's one of our favorite sections of the Tour.
Best of Luck
Martin
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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A solo rider will be attempting T1 from Utah to Wallace beginning Sunday August 2 at noon. The goal is to do the first 1100 miles of the Tour in under 30 hours. If you are on T1 and see a BRP with lots of lights blaze by be sure to wave.
martin
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 269
Points: 284
Location: Pocatello
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T1 conditions update - obtained in a 30-hour blitz of the first 1000 miles.
Day 1: Utah to Pocatello. Oxford Basin is brutal this year. If you have any trouble with any of the trails leading to Oxford Ridge DO NOT RIDE DOWN INTO OXFORD BASIN. There is no way out of Oxford Basin that does not involve significantly steep, technical, rutted and very rocky terrain. The climb up Sedgewick Peak is also very rutted but not as steep or difficult as Oxford Basin. Chinese Peak is also very rocky and rutted. This is a very serious day for anyone on anything other than a well setup dirtbike.
Day 2: Pocatello to Arco (long version) Nothing particularly out of sorts. The road from the north end of Pole Line Road to the Oregon Trail Wagon ruts is overgrown and was a little hard to follow (at least at 11:00 at night). Big Southern Butte is fairly normal conditions - steep and long but not overly technical.
Day 3: Arco to Challis. It's all good. Average conditions prevail.
Day 4: Challis to Elk City. Fast and easy. The Magruder is in excellent shape. Watch for snags approaching Burnt Saddle.
Day 5: Elk City to Wallace Fast and easy. The Lolo is in great shape (at least to Pete Forks) despite being heavily fire scarred. I found a much better way from Elk City to Lowell and I'll upload the amended GPS data tomorrow. Fly Hill is still hammered from last summer's deluge.
I did not ride the remaining trail north of Wallace. Most of this section of the Tour is on paved roads or very well-maintained county roads that change very little.
Have fun!
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