The Departure

Finalized loading at approximately 9:00 am at the point of embarkation, and headed out on this adventurous journey. What can be said about the Utah High Uinta Mountains that has not already been said. Stopped at Mirror Lake for a short break, took a few pictures and headed back out on the road. Goodbye Utah and hello Wyoming.

Wyoming...I don't want to say anything bad about Wyoming because I return next week. But truth be said, there really isn't much to see between Evanston and Riverton - but the people were sure nice, and inquisitive about my journey. I did make one discovery, one that I have never read about, and it must pertain ONLY to Wyoming - no matter which direction I was traveling, the wind was always hitting me from the side. If I made a turn into it, it somehow managed to turn as I turned. Truly amazing!!!

I depart this morning to Newcastle WY for a layover. I hope as I make me way towards SD the scenery will change a bit, and perhaps the wind will be my friend. Yesterdays travel rounded out to 412 miles...much more than I had planned for, but with detours and a few missed turns it was expected.

Well, I am off and will keep you posted. I will add pictures along the way.

Discovering America ATV Ride Ready for Airing

We finished the interview and filming on the 9th of July in Park City and Kamas UT for the AYL show. The process took nearly three hours to complete, and culminated in driving from the point of embarkation (the intersection of Highway 40 and Highway 32), into Kamas and return. The weather was excellent which made the experience even better.

I don't want to give anything away about the show, and invite you to watch it on Channel 4 @ 09:00 am, or 11:00 pm on the 19th of July. Steve and his accomplice (I apologize for not remembering his associates name) were a pleasure to work with. I will have departed prior to airing, so I won't get see how badly I performed on camera...but will watch it upon return.

I would like to thank AYL for taking an interest in my adventure, and thank Steve & accomplice for their kind words and enthusiasm about this adventure. See you on on the 19th!!

PS. I would like to thank Park City Towing for storing my trailer during this adventure...makes things so much easier!!!

2 Meter Communications Check

An integral part of the communications plan is 2 Meter ham radio. There are so many 2 meter repeaters it made sense to use this band as part of my general, and emergency communications plan.

I currently have 26 repeater frequencies programmed into the ICOM 2200H based on each travel leg. Today I completed installation of the 2M antenna (which is slightly visible in this picture) and completed a radio check. I don't remember the station call (my bad) but was informed that my signal was clean and I had no problem hitting the 146.620 Salt Lake City repeater from my location.

I hope this weekend to pull the Yaesu 450-AT out and try some contacts on HF (20M/40M). Yesterday I finally received all component parts to the BuddiPole antenna which will be my HF antenna system. I did set-up the antenna today (test only - no radio connected), and it took about 3 minutes to set up. It is without question an extremely easy antenna to set-up (I set it up in a Dipole configuration). I have had the pleasure of speaking with N6JKH who was using a Buddipole in California, and have subsequently heard several stations making contact with the same antenna.

When the HF Communications Check is complete I will post the results.

73 from KE7WUI

Trailer Glory

Just a few pictures that show local emotional supporters for the trip.

AYL is a local television show that promotes and shares the adventures that outline Utah's vast outdoors.

Full Throttle is where I purchased my rims. Unfortunately I did not take notice of the product offered. I was excited to get the rims.

Advanced R.V. is a local purveyor for Arctic Cat ATVs and snowmobiles.

The Edge Motorsports offers Can-Am ATVs, and several other brands of ATVs, motorcycles, and snowmobiles.

UNI just happened to be the brand used when I replaced my air filter. They provided stickers in their packaging, so I added it to the trailer.

RR is Red Robin chain of restaurants. This sticker was provided by the manager from the Red Robin located in The District.

High Adventure is a local Can-Am dealer that has provided some advice on spare parts in preparation for my trip. Purchased my windscreen from High Adventure as well as the brake light on the rear of the trailer.

Infinite Cycles is a local bike shop. They offer a variety of bike styles, which includes a three-wheel recumbent that both my wife and I ride.

Drinkcoffeedogood...where we purchase our coffee beans - by the pounds!

D&D Toys can be found at the intersection of Bangerter Highway and 35th South. The specialize in scooters and other off-road adventure products.

KE7WUI is my Amateur Radio License call sign. I can be found on local repeater frequencies along the way during my trip.

Why in the World?

If you look back on man's achievements, and don't take them for granted, you will better be able to understand, and perhaps answer the Why question yourself. Consider for a moment the art of flight. When the Wright Brothers decided to build an airplane, I think the most often words emitted from the curious spectator would have been "Why in the World"! I could be wrong in my assumption, but it had to have asked at least once. And once was enough to invoke a stream of answers to the curious onlooker, who might, or might not understand.

On the surface, the answer to the question is - Why Not. When I am asked the Why question, it invokes a stream of answers; some based on the excitement of the flight, and some based on the emotion, the expectations, and uncertainties of the journey. It will undoubtedly be the only such flight I take, but I hope it invokes a litany of memories not only for myself, but for those I meet along the way.

Two Tin Cans and a String

Seems simple enough. That's what I thought too until I tested the contraption. There is no way to keep the string taught enough to get a good connection more than 27' in length. I was hoping for a patent.

That is why I opted for a communication plan that is a bit more simple to operate, and hopefully more reliable. Checking zone coverage for AT&T Wireless, and Verizon, indicates that both have their local strengths and weaknesses. I will use AT&T primarily for voice communications, and Verizon for Internet connectivity.

The communication plan calls for voice contact during each fuel stop, and during conclusion of each trip Leg. Blog updates will be completed at layover locations using a Verizon Air Card...hopefully during evening resting periods.

The third communication option is 2 Meter radio. I have pre-programmed my 2 Meter radio with 47 repeater frequencies that are aligned within 40 miles of the complete route. It is understood that not all repeaters listed in the 2008 / 2009 Repeater Directory are active, but there really is no way to know for sure. It is easy enough to switch between each frequency using pre-sets, which means I won't have to bring the book along as well.

For those who might be interested, I will attempt to make contact at each layover location using all repeaters in that locale. You can see where my layovers are by viewing Follow the Yellow Brick Road page. My call sign is KE7WUI. I would like to take the HF rig as well, but the antenna is a bit to cumbersome. 73s

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

People often look perplexed when asking how I get from Utah to eastern South Dakota, and back home on a ATV. The answer is simple - Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Understandably, they assume that my route must consist of back roads, unpaved trails, and four wheeling adventure spots that will all but destroy both machine and me. Reviewing the previous posting you will see the ATV has been modified: It has 14" rims and 205/75 R14 tires, making it hard surface road worthy.

Also, the machine is licensed for highway use (all the safety features a motorcycle has) which is the predominant surface that will be traveled upon. Utah has hundreds of miles of unimproved, rocky, mountainous trails that aren't fit for my hard surface tires, and conversely, hard surface roads are not conducive to standard knobby ATV tires. I decided that 4 rims / tires was much less an expense than perhaps 2 or 3 sets of standard ATV tires.

But the tire swap payoff is even greater. Hard surface tires are smooth, and can be balanced making for an extremely efficient and stable ride. Even better, they produce very little road noise unlike standard ATV tires. Also, gas mileage is greatly improved.

What is the route? Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota! Sure you want more information than that. Here is the condensed version - round trip and is listed in Legs.

1. Park City UT to Kemmerer WY
2. Kemmerer WY to Lander WY
3. Lander WY to Newcastle WY
4. Newcastle WY to Martin SD
5. Martin SD to Watertown SD
6. Watertown SD to Coleman SD
   
7. Coleman SD to Pierre SD
8. Pierre SD to Devils Tower WY
   
9. Devils Tower WY to Shoshoni WY
10. Shoshoni WY to Farson WY
11. Farson WY to Vernal UT
12. Vernal UT to Park City UT

What is the longest Leg of the trip? Based on the above outline, the longest is Leg number 8, which is 288.78 miles, and the shortest is Leg number 6 consisting of 52 miles. Legs, as outlined above, are simply a means of breaking the trip down into manageable components. They are more specifically used to help determine my location at specific times in the event that I don't communicate with home each day.

Want to understand the communications plan? Review Two Tin Cans and a String.