Border to Border advice

[Wesseld]

Hi all,

I'm in the planning phase for a IBA Border to Border Insanity run in early September. The route I'm planning out starts in Coutts, AB Canada, runs all the way south to Las Vegas on I-15, then south on I-95 to Yuma and crossing into Mexico at Los Algodones. I'm looking at starting out at 9:30am from Coutts (to hopefully avoid wandering animals at night in MT and ID), which should have me crossing into Mexico at about 7:15am the next morning. Here's the link to the Google Maps route, showing my planned gas stops: https://goo.gl/maps/22a6V

Does anyone have any advice or info on this route? What is the weather typically like at that time of year up in Montana, Idaho, and Utah? I'll be starting out from my home in Phoenix, AZ and taking a touristy 3 day ride up to the starting point in Coutts. I'm very familiar with the desert Southwest and hot weather riding, but I'm not familiar with the MT, ID and UT.

Also, I'm not sure what route I want to take going north from Phoenix on the 3 day touristy part of the ride. It would be a shame to just blast up there, turn around and blast back. I might even swing through Yellowstone, if early Sept. is a good time to visit there. Any suggestions?

Thanks as always for your help!

Don

(edit - almost forgot to mention that I do have some IBA rides under my belt, a SS1k (failed), a successful SS1k, and a successful BBG1500, so the sit here twist that part is covered)

 

[101stpathfinder]

I did the Border2Border2Border

The same route you are planning. I am at work right now, but will respond ASAP . Great ride-

If I recall, I also did mine in September.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Route looks great, I considered the same one for the B2Bi run I did in May. Mileage getting there and timing scuttled that plan though. Weather in September can be dicey in the far north...definitely earlier the better to stay away from potential winter weather conditions.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

--G

 

[RiderX]

I recommend against I-95, you may run out of time!

I think mountain riding ought to be as advertised on that route. At night down to 40's depending on your start/end times.

GLWR

 

[Wesseld]

I recommend against I-95, you may run out of time!
I think mountain riding ought to be as advertised on that route. At night down to 40's depending on your start/end times.

GLWR

RiderX, could you please explain what you mean about I-95 and running out of time? That section looks pretty desolate and straight, plus I would be on it from about 2:00am to about 7:00am.

Thanks!

Don

 

[101stpathfinder]

I recommend against I-95, you may run out of time!
I think mountain riding ought to be as advertised on that route. At night down to 40's depending on your start/end times.

GLWR

RiderX, could you please explain what you mean about I-95 and running out of time? That section looks pretty desolate and straight, plus I would be on it from about 2:00am to about 7:00am.

Thanks!

Don

He means I-95 is on the EAST coast - You are speaking of a highway not an Interstate.

So IF you ran I-95, time would be a problem.

Here is a SPOT from my ride along with a thread on the ride. I will answer any questions you have, but I am sure some things have changed in the almost 3 years since

I did the ride.

Thread here: Pathfinder's Border2Border2Border/-10/10ths Attempt - Long Distance Riding/Iron Butt - FJRForum

 

[tcfjr]

I've played around with a similar route for a B2Bi attempt, and the one change I'd consider is swapping the long I-15 portion through Utah with US-93/NV-318 from Las Vegas to Twin Falls. Cons: this adds about 20 miles to the total route; I-15 through Utah is posted 75 and 80 anyway; the traffic through SLC isn't bad except during commute hours. Pros: You can ride somewhat faster than the posted limits through much of central Nevada; it makes the ride more 50/50 rural highway to interstate.

There's plenty of 24-hour gas stops along US-93, so that's a wash, but rural riding is less relaxed than interstates, so fatigue over a 24-hour riding day can add up.

 

[AVGeek]

Depending on when you hit Vegas, morning rush hour southbound on I-15 can be a bear.

 

[Twigg]

For the "flower-sniffing" part of the ride, I'd recommend a swing through Colorado. Most of the headline stuff is within easy reach of Interstate 25 as you ride north. Alternately, coming in from the southwest and heading up central CO has some spectacular riding. The Colorado DOT website lists many of the best routes.

 

[Spud]

EARLY September is usually very nice in MT and ID, typically dry weather, perfect warm days (low 80's) but around freezing at night is possible. The areas that could give you trouble on I-15 if a cold system comes through would be from Dillon Montana to Idaho Falls (road climbs up over the continental divide) and the Malad Pass just north of Malad, ID.

As stated elsewhere here, you have 80mph posted speed limits now through all of ID and UT except through a few major cities where it's 65. So, from MT to Southern UT you can really make great time. We sometimes get a very strong south to north wind through this region that can be a real mileage killer when heading south. On my SS1000 in June I had to stop 140 miles in from a full tank as I was about out of gas when I had a headwind like that.

Your biggest traffic fustercluck will be from Ogden UT through Provo UT. Drivers there don't understand many things--the HOV lane on the right is usually the safest way to just get through it, depending on time/day.

Odds are you'll have a fantastic ride with great weather.

 

[RiderX]

Yes was just a little humor. US-95 much better than I-95

 

[101stpathfinder]

Couple of things off the top of my head:

Coutts had no gas stations. I used a motel right across the border. A bottle of water got me a computer generated receipt.

check the college football schedule- BYU after game traffic sucks. DAMHIK

Hit the 2 lane #95 in daylight. There is a RR crossing that will put you airborne and a couple tight curves also.

Montana is just too beautiful to do at night, especially the central area. Some nice sweepers make it a nice ride. North near the border, it becomes more of a home stretch.

you will only skim the outskirts of Vegas.

the Pmex is viewable with google street view. Count streets up then turn right and count streets over.

Secure your items on your cycle when one of the "Attendants" takes you inside to pay. The other one will surely relieve you of anything you do not secure.

For good measure... Punch the one who stays near your bike and ask him if he is enjoying the gloves he got from me! LOL

 

[Wesseld]

Depending on when you hit Vegas, morning rush hour southbound on I-15 can be a bear.

So far, my plan has me hitting Vegas at about 2:00am, so I should be good there

EARLY September is usually very nice in MT and ID, typically dry weather, perfect warm days (low 80's) but around freezing at night is possible.
As stated elsewhere here, you have 80mph posted speed limits now through all of ID and UT except through a few major cities where it's 65. So, from MT to Southern UT you can really make great time. We sometimes get a very strong south to north wind through this region that can be a real mileage killer when heading south. On my SS1000 in June I had to stop 140 miles in from a full tank as I was about out of gas when I had a headwind like that.

Your biggest traffic fustercluck will be from Ogden UT through Provo UT. Drivers there don't understand many things--the HOV lane on the right is usually the safest way to just get through it, depending on time/day.

Odds are you'll have a fantastic ride with great weather.

If I stick to my plan of leaving Coutts at 9:30am, I should be in northern Utah by sundown, so that should avoid most of the cold riding risks. 80mph speed limit is a good thing! I made serious miles in Texas running at 80 (or slightly above) when I did the BBG1500. My moving average for the 23 hours was 75mph, and total average was over 65mph. The bad thing was that I was getting poor fuel mileage coming back west, and would have run out of gas once, if I had not brought an extra gallon. Now I'm aware and will plan on alternate fuel stops. Hopefully, I will be passing through the Ogdon/Provo area between 7:00pm and 8:00pm, and will avoid the worst of that traffic.

Yes was just a little humor. US-95 much better than I-95

I totally missed the US-95 vs I-95 difference! Yeah, that would have cut into my time if I took THAT route!

Couple of things off the top of my head:Coutts had no gas stations. I used a motel right across the border. A bottle of water got me a computer generated receipt.

check the college football schedule- BYU after game traffic sucks. DAMHIK

Hit the 2 lane #95 in daylight. There is a RR crossing that will put you airborne and a couple tight curves also.

Montana is just too beautiful to do at night, especially the central area. Some nice sweepers make it a nice ride. North near the border, it becomes more of a home stretch.

you will only skim the outskirts of Vegas.

the Pmex is viewable with google street view. Count streets up then turn right and count streets over.

Secure your items on your cycle when one of the "Attendants" takes you inside to pay. The other one will surely relieve you of anything you do not secure.

For good measure... Punch the one who stays near your bike and ask him if he is enjoying the gloves he got from me! LOL

Good advice on the receipt in Coutts! I'll have to look up the BYU stuff, but I think I'm making the run on a Wednesday or Thursday. Based on my current plan, I'll be doing the US-95 all in the dark (and cooler temps). I should be leaving Vegas around 2:00am and crossing the Mexican border around 7:15am. Thanks for the heads up on the curves and RR launch ramp. I've been to Mexico enough to know about things disappearing. Being the trusting soul that I am, I always take everything with me that is easily removable. I'll ask about your gloves when I'm there...

Thank you all for the tips, this is the kind of stuff that I love about this FJR website! Keep em coming!

Don

 

[Wesseld]

Any opinions on taking the 215 "belt route" around central Salt Lake City? I should be there around 7:00 - 8:00pm, so hopefully rush hour traffic will be gone by then, but do you think it would be worth taking this as a bypass?

Thanks,

Don

 

[Spud]

Don: if you're going through SLC at 7 pm or later on a friday night, i don't think you'll have much problem at all with traffic. The congestion is usually north of SLC. If you are hitting slow traffic by the time you get to the "legacy parkway" then consider taking that road (HWY 67) and connecting to the 215 belt route. The belt rout usually has little traffic, but w/o congestion people haul ass on I-15 right through town.

If you take the legacy parkway, it's 55 mph and you'll notice no one speeds on it b/c it is a major speed trap. Don't exceed 60 or so on that.

I'm pretty sure though that at that time your fastest easiest route will just be I-15 clear through town. The far left lane is HOV motorcycles allowed with no toll, and it keeps you out of the UT traffic fray, where fast drivers dart in and out on the right and slow drivers stay left.....

For time's sake I'd suggest you top off somewhere like Brigham City or Tremonton and ride straight through the metro area.

 

[Wesseld]

check the college football schedule- BYU after game traffic sucks. DAMHIK

Good call on the BYU schedule! There is a home game on Thursday Sept. 11 at 7:00pm, right as I'm going to be passing through. Should I make Wednesday or Friday my B2B run day to avoid the game traffic?

Don: if you're going through SLC at 7 pm or later on a friday night, i don't think you'll have much problem at all with traffic. The congestion is usually north of SLC. If you are hitting slow traffic by the time you get to the "legacy parkway" then consider taking that road (HWY 67) and connecting to the 215 belt route. The belt rout usually has little traffic, but w/o congestion people haul ass on I-15 right through town.
If you take the legacy parkway, it's 55 mph and you'll notice no one speeds on it b/c it is a major speed trap. Don't exceed 60 or so on that.

I'm pretty sure though that at that time your fastest easiest route will just be I-15 clear through town. The far left lane is HOV motorcycles allowed with no toll, and it keeps you out of the UT traffic fray, where fast drivers dart in and out on the right and slow drivers stay left.....

For time's sake I'd suggest you top off somewhere like Brigham City or Tremonton and ride straight through the metro area.

I like the fact that the HOV lane on I-15 is restricted access, much less chance for an asshat to jump in at a bad time. I appreciate the advice!

 

[Top_Speed1]

Good luck with your ride, sounds like fun.

 

[Twigg]

If you are passing through any city during a football game, there will be very little traffic. Before, or just after is the problem.

 

[101stpathfinder]

+1 to what Twigg said. During the game will give you a swift entry/exit