Things to do in New York City (and hot springs along the way)

I’m glad I’ve had the Leatt armour on. While it’s been hot, heavy and restrictive at times, it’s given me a heap of confidence. It does stink though as it has a skintight synthetic material that holds it all to you, not doing a lot for breathability or allowing sweat to evaporate. Chest, ribs and kidneys are all protected – I’ve busted ribs twice before and it’s a long and painful recovery. Ewwwwww I can hear a lot of you saying! 

My tyres are starting to run out of steam – reckon they are down to no more than 20% on the rear and probably less on the front (surprisingly). It’s not an issue other than a lot of slipping and sliding on the gravel which still rears it’s ugly head often enough. I must be getting used to it because it’s not so much of a consideration any more. The front is also getting a bit directional. They will have to get me to Boise – another 550 miles of dirt and then 170 of bitumen (I’m starting to think in miles now – makes it easier). That’s if the fires don’t cause significant detours. They’ll be nothing left of them by then. I’ve been running Dunlop’s – a 606 on the front and a 908 Rally Raid on the rear. They’re great in dry weather particularly, are long lasting and cost effective. The reduced pressures have made the traction better, but am running the risk of a flat. It’s a bit of a compromise either way, but I’d rather stay upright at the expense of having to possibly change a tyre.

The bears really are an issue here and I’m starting to realise I’ve taken them far too lightly. Everyone has stories to tell about being attacked, even in their cars. People who camp will cook food 50 metres from their tent, strip out of the clothes they cooked in (leaving them stowed near the fire or hoisted up in the air with leftover food), walk naked to a creek, wash, put on fresh clothes and then get into their tents for the night. I bumped into a couple of guys on BMW’s who were packing – pistols and bear spray (it’s like capsicum spray). If the bears are close enough that you need either, then you’re in trouble. An old guy in a campsite a few days earlier said he had a rifle behind the seat in his truck, not for security, but just in case a bear smelt food in the cab and decided to help itself.

The BMW riders yesterday had also mentioned 7 to 10 miles of heavy bulldust up front in an area being logged. It was the same deal as described by Arrin and Joseph. They said it was a bit tricky, ‘but you just have to deal with it’.

Having ridden through some really nice forestry with tight, near single track trails during the morning, around lunchtime, I decided to take a break at what was the old gold mining town of Florence. The history was fascinating – real Wild West stuff. It’s heyday was in the mid 1800’s and it was as hard a life as you could imagine. One winter it snowed for over 100 days in a row. It’s been revived a few times as technology has improved, but the town was razed in the mid 1900s to collect any gold that had fallen between the floorboards.

“During the gold rush (1861) the town flourished. Violence, robbery and murder prevailed. The town prospered and persisted as a thriving, robust community until the earth stopped yielding it’s wealth. HJ “Cherokee Bob” Talbotte reigned as the town bully until he was killed by JD Williams and Orlano Robbins in 1863. He was buried in the Florence Cemetery (with his boots on)”

There were a number of signboards with info about what went on. I must have spent an hour just reading them and looking around.

The Chinese seem to have been needed all over the world as countries grew and developed from their most rudimentary roots. The town of Florence was no different. They did a lot of the hard work – many died and were buried there amongst the locals. Their names were rarely recorded, however. The cemetery has been preserved and, as they always are, was thought provoking and full of the past. It is really the only thing left of the town.

I found the bulldust about 60 km north of Burgdorf. There was about 5 miles of it right in the middle of a current logging operation. Tracked vehicles had turned the road to powder. It wasn’t that deep and was generally no real issue. Weight back, revs up and a little more speed. Come to Australia boys and you’ll really find out about riding in sand and soft stuff! It was interesting on uphill hairpins though.

I rode down onto the Salmon River – what a surprise. Like most waterways in this country, it was huge and obviously full of fish. I wonder just how prolific they are? There was about 20 km of bitumen and the same of gravel as I headed west. I rode slowly enjoying the majesty of the scenery.

Then it was up, and up and up. The biggest set of switchbacks so far – what a view.

A bit after reaching the top, I came across the ‘old bus’. I’ve no idea of how it got there or it’s history, but the tradition is that everyone who rides the IDBDR stops for a very specific photo.

As I was riding into Bergdorf and it’s hot springs another 25 km down the track, I saw a bloke waving me in from the main buildings. I’d had every intention of stopping as I was down to my last litre of fuel. On top of the 23 litres in the main tank I’d also added my 3 of reserves. It had been less than 300 km from Elk City where I’d last fuelled up, and I was really surprised at how much I’d got through. I’d been conscious of the issue and was riding to conserve fuel where I could, but there’d been a lot of hills and I’d had to punch pretty hard through some of the rougher stuff. It was a very close call actually. The bloke who waved me down was riding a standard KTM 1190 and had 2 mates on Adventure R’s. The 4th was on a KLR. They were fascinated by my bike and how it was set up. They especially liked the front mudguard that had replaced the OEM low fender. We had a good ole yarn for a while (like we’d been mates forever), traded route info and they headed off, keen to get a few more miles under their belts. As with a lot of the bikes I’d been seeing, they were heavily loaded and had commented on how lightly I was travelling. Great to see some ‘proper’ bikes for a change and a shame they weren’t spending the night. They were from British Columbia in Canada, and were very impressed with the roads I’d manage to find up there – they knew them all. Seemed like I’d nailed some of the better riding.

There were a couple up from Boise for the day who watched this interaction and were intrigued by my bike and the trip I was doing. Lots of questions were asked. “Look’s like this ain’t your first rodeo, is it son!” he said to me. Kind of made my day.

Bergdorf is famous for its hot springs. It’s old, original and looked it. I was pretty wrecked and had decided to stop for the night and have a soak. There were a dozen old cabins surrounding the pools – none locked and all in various states of disrepair.

I was told to check them out and take my pick – fifty bucks for the night, including the $8 it usually costs to use the hot pools. I made my selection (Broken Wing) and spent the next 3 hours in and out of the pools, just chatting to the many people that had driven up for the day or who were staying overnight as well. One woman said ‘you must be having a lovely time vagabonding around the countryside’. She was pretty well on the mark actually. I also needed to get some liquid into me as I was very dehydrated, despite drinking at least 3 litres of water every day. No alcohol, unfortunately, but had a pretty good bacon and cheese burger that was cooked on an outside grill.

I spent time talking to Jasper and Kye from New York. Jasper was in real estate (I think) and Kye a ballet dancer and violinist. Jasper had been a country boy and Kye was ‘definitely’ a city girl who, after close to 2 weeks in Idaho, was pretty keen to get back to the big smoke. They were very cool and had lots of suggestions for things to do and great places to eat in NY. These include:

• Saint Anslem Steakhouse – you can’t book and it’ll be an hour and a half’s wait, but it’s worth it and they have a great bar
• Ledbelly Bar – Lower Eastside
• The 169 bar in Chinatown – ask for James and mention Jasper and Kye and we’ll get lots of free drinks
• Joe Shanghi – give the doorman $20 and he’ll let us jump the queue
• The rooftop of the White Hotel
• The Gutter – an old school bowling alley and bar – very cool
• Go for a walk on 42nd St – look but don’t spend and definitely don’t eat there
• Fuku – the best fried chicken sandwiches in the world. It’s all they do, is in East Village and is open from 4 pm.
• Traif – A Mexican fusion grill. Have the tasting – you are only allowed to choose 2 of the 10 courses. It’s 50 bucks and great dining
• Go out to Bushwick to check out the old buildings and the graffiti
• Use Thrillist – it’s an online guide to the ‘coolest’ places to eat in NY

Jasper gave me his cell number and said for us to look them up for a few drinks when I got to NY and hooked up with with Sophie and Tom. He was a funny guy. I said I needed to get a SIM card – he said a SIM card and a gun, and the gun would be easier. He has 4! Jasper grew up in Idaho City – a tiny mining town and a real dump in his words. Looks like I’ll pass through it to detour the fires. While his roots are in rural Idaho, he’s New York through and through now.

Still have quite a bit of distance to travel on the IDBDR and will definitely need all the time that was suggested. Other than solid, tight riding, there’s so much to see. History and natural beauty – a wonderful combination. Probably another 2 or 3 nights before the run into Boise, depending on fires. They’ll be very big days though.