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After several years of not having a motorcycle, I purchased a 2009 KLR 650, and to me there was nothing more enjoyable than to go look and see how much more money I could spend on that brand new KLR (don’t tell Leslie, my wife, but as most of you know, it’s a lot). I wasn’t new to riding. I have had some sort of motorcycle since I was a kid. My dad, two younger brothers and I would be out at Blacks Creek, Reynolds Creek or up 8th Street almost anyTime of the year. I also worked at Carl’s Cycle Sales for 11 years in the 80’s and early 90’s, but it had been about 15 years since I had been off in the dirt. 

Back in January, I signed up for the Challenge knowing that my summer was already booked up. My youngest daughter was graduating high school, my oldest daughter was getting married in June, and my wife was turning 50 in August, which meant a big celebration or trip. There would be a trip to Victoria, backpacking, and several vintage trailer rallies. I am reTired but my wife has a few more years to work, so I promised to keep the weekends for her. My strategy was to lump as may challenge points as possible in the fewest mid-week trips. 

While the majority of these sites could be reached on paved roads, many club members chose more adventurous off-road routes to visit many of them. What constituted a site visit was a photo of the participant and/or the participant’s bike displaying this year’s blue Challenge bandana at some point identifying the site. Credit for a site visit was only given to those participants who uploaded their photos to the appropriate 2016 Challenge site at motoidaho.org on or before December 31, 2015. In addition to the 40 small towns, there were 4 additional mandatory sites in order to achieve any Tire level. These mandatory sites included the 4 dealerships that are so instrumental in sponsoring our club – Happy Trail Products, Big Twin, Carl’s Cycles, and Snake River Yamaha. 

2015 was a fairly lean year riding-wise for me. I started 2016 out planning to correct that injustice. As early as the January Awards lunch, I started socializing the idea of riding the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route with a number of people. I was well on my way to planning that ride when the list of Challenge points was released. I quickly realized that many of the Challenge sites could be visited either along the IDBDR or on the way back home. 

We had an interesting concept for the Challenge in 2016. All but a couple of the sites could be visited without ever leaving tarmac. An unexpected type of challenge for a Dual Sport Club? Of course, no one was required to stay on Tarmac to get these sites. You were free to ride all the dirt road you wanted in capturing the sites if that was your desire. But this year, you had “options”. 

My first site was on a group ride that Mike Hardy posted for April 1st. We met at Carl’s Cycles, got the photo taken and continued with a great ride through the foothills north of Eagle. We ended up riding down to the Payette River near Montour and followed the dirt road into Horseshoe Bend in the dark. (One down and only 29 more to go.) 

It’s encouraging to observe how the Idaho Adventure Motorcycle Club has managed to stay alive and become reinvigorated with renewed efforts of long-time dedicated members and new talented members ready to help make motoidaho a success. There’s a need for a club like ours to encourage and educate dual sport riders and to serve as an example for adventure riders everywhere. Here is another chapter in my story of riding opportunities and incentives provided by the Idaho Adventure Motorcycle Club since my first Challenge season in 2010.

My first IAMC ride was when Bob Sims (AKA Honda Bob) posted a single-track ride in the Owyhees. Not knowing what I was in for, I contacted Bob, and he invited me to go with him. I showed up with low cut boots, Levis and a Fox coat purchased at a garage sale. Bob was very kind, and we had a wonderful day with me trying to keep up with his KTM 500exc on difficult single track. He was patient and the education began. I found other IAMC rides and have met so many great people on various rides.