Honda Trail CT125 Solo Attempt to Almost Canada on the Mid Atlantic & North East BDRs

Keep reading. The thread title will eventually make sense - right around the fifth entry. This "pre-ramble" stuff was written over the past month or so and the idea was to post it over a few days before the ride. Due to some issues, the timeline is all messed up - but you'll get the idea...

PRE-RAMBLE: MY EPIC FAILURE TO EPIC WITH JOHNNY POW AND TAT STEVE

Just like my Trans America ride report, these pre-rambles will probably be long-winded. The reason for this is that I’m writing them from the comfort of a chair inside my house which has electricity, AC, wifi, an armchair cocktail, and snacks. Plus I don’t have other things to do like set up camp or find a place to sleep or fix something that’s broken or do any of the things you’re often called to do when you’re on a long motorcycle trip.

I enjoy writing very much and it was something I did religiously every morning through my 20s. Since then I’ve dabbled, but the dabbling never took and never went anywhere. I could never come up with a good excuse to put pen to paper. Until the TAT. That ride gave me the excuse I needed and I took advantage of it. And even though this ride has little chance of being as epic as the TAT, I still look forward to having an excuse to scribble a bit. If the length of the pre-ride blathering bums you out - come back once the ride starts. Entries will get much shorter then.

Last year I got back into motorcycles after a 20-year semi-hiatus. I’d never ridden much dirt and only had one big motorcycle trip under my belt which was a 2,500 jaunt to Gaspé Canada on a massive rented Harley. But after falling in love with and developing intense jealousy of Ed March and the Kiwi Groms, I decided that it would be a grand idea to purchase a brand new Honda Trail CT125 and ride it across the country on Sam’s Trans America Trail in the summer of 2021. “There’s nothing better than a bad idea.” I rode solo from Asheville, NC to Trinidad, CO where I met up with the infamous Johnny Pow. Just outside of Trinidad we came across the notorious TAT Steve (as he is named in my text thread) on a fully kitted out DR650 who we rode with us on and off (when he could stand our slowness) to the coast.

I’m in my 50’s and the TAT trip was born out of a conversation with my wife who casually let me know that I was getting older and shittier by the minute and that if I wanted to do something stupid like ride a 125cc glorified moped across the country - I’d sure as shit better get it done before whatever evil monster life has waiting for me finally appears. I’m sure she also just wanted to get rid of me for a month. Whatever the case, I jumped at the chance.

This was one of the best decisions I’d ever made and I can’t thank my wife enough for making it seem like a thing I could actually do, despite all of the responsibilities that always provide a ready excuse not to do epic shit. While I’d never trade the experience for anything in the world - it’ll probably be a long while before I ride a bike that small so far for so long. It’s time to try a long trip on a more capable bike. And by capable, I just mean, something that can go over 45 or 50mph when necessary. (Like perhaps, a 2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan.) Don’t get me wrong, my Honda (Little Ugly Homefry) is an incredibly unkillable and quite a lovable machine (other than her horribly ass-disfiguring seat). We’ve been through a lot together. She carried me 5,000+ miles and never complained. And now after months of sitting covered over by the garbage cans watching me get on the REH instead of her whenever I walk out the door, she still doesn’t complain. She’s happy to start right up whenever I’m in the mood to ride her down to the store. I feel a bit bad about her neglect though. And now I’m starting to get nostalgic for that month we spent every day together.

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If you have the inclination, you can read the TAT ride report on ADV Rider at:
https://tinyurl.com/2bfu2nt6

if you’ve got 22 perfectly good hours to throw into the toilet, you can also watch the entire TAT journey on YouTube at
https://tinyurl.com/2v39n8mh

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The point is that the TAT trip was so incredibly epic that there is no hope of ever recreating it. Between that famous route created by my hero Sam Corello, the bike choice, the people I met, the wild times we had, and that momentous day we tried to get over California Pass, - it was all just too memorable ever to surpass. It would be a fool’s errand to try. But it occurs to me that while a goofy bike choice and incredible locations may enhance the epicness of a trip - that’s not all there is to it. I’ve had some fairly epic three-day trips within 300 miles of my house. Hell, running down to Home Depot for a 25mm torx bit can be a thrill ride if you’re open to it. There are limitless possibilities to get yourself in a bit of trouble and then get out of that trouble somehow. That’s the definition of adventure. Right?

There’s a text thread between me, Johnny Pow, and TAT Steve that started soon after we met each other in Colorado. That thread is still thriving with daily posts about gear, rides, women, wine, and song to this day (mostly it’s about gear and rides). Months and months ago - a plan to do some version of the Great Continental Divide Trail began to percolate.

The plan was to head from the Mexico Border to Canada in July. I knew right away that I wouldn’t be able to go for a variety of reasons. The timing was the biggest snag. But - also money. The costs to ship my bike to the Mexico/New Mexico border and then ship it back from Canada, then add the flights, then add the cost of the trip itself. I just couldn’t swing it. Or, I didn’t want to spend that kind of money on dull things like bike shipping. Also, I really prefer being able to leave my driveway and arrive back to my driveway on the bike whenever possible. Logistics like shipping and flight itineraries bum me out a little bit. Probably because logistics are a big part of my everyday work life. So on a trip that’s meant to get me the hell out of the every day - I want to keep the logistical planning as minimal as possible. I did the math on how long it would take to ride the bike instead of shipping - but there was no way I had that amount of time. Four days to get to the start. 5 or 6 to get back. Especially since I loathe highways. No way. Not possible. And another important part of the equation has to do with my daughters. My oldest is in university and my youngest just graduated high school and they both leave for college in August. It’s empty nest time. And I’m not ready for it. It was bad enough when the first one split - but now both? I wanted to be around for the summer when they were still in the house so I could hang out with them as long as I could while I have the chance. So I clenched my jaw and added the occasional thumbs-ups to the text thread messages as Johnny Pow and TAT Steve made their plans.
And they did indeed have a great trip filled with mayhem and adventure. They collected some amazing photographs and video and unforgettable stories along the way. I’m deeply sorry I wasn’t there for all of it.
During their trip, I watched their Spot GPS dots travel across my computer screen and I provided a teeny tiny bit of Mission Control for them. All the while my jealousy raged while I tried to figure out what I could do within my parameters of time, money, and laziness. I felt sure I’d think of something.