| August 25, 2023
Every summer, I look forward to our Adventure ride. There’s something about being on the open road, especially on a bike. The freedom, the camaraderie with the crew, and the new experiences that every turn offers—it’s truly something magical. This year’s ride picked up from where we left off last year in Grand Junction, Colorado, and made a route to hit some epic Southwest locations en route to a Vegas stopping point.
Ricky Carmichael takes in the view during his first visit to the Grand Canyon.
By Ricky Carmichael | Photography by Simon Cudby
Day 1: 192 miles / 5 hr., 33 min.
Last year we ended our ride having to go around a massive mudslide coming back into Ouray from Silverton, making a run for it back over the pass before it got dark. That’s why it’s called Adventure riding!
This year, we picked up our bikes from All Terrain Motorsports in Grand Junction. It is a massive store, and they also offer rentals, so if you ever want to check out some of the areas we rode, it’s a great place to start. A big thanks to James and Dan for helping get our bikes sorted.
All Terrain Motorsports in Grand Junction provided RC and crew the bikes. They also have rentals.
We got rolling on time, and it was great to have some of the guys from the dealership join us on the first day and show us some of the local spots in the area. Our first climb to the top of Grand Mesa was amazing, and the dirt road back down to Delta before we headed to Ouray was even better. It gave us a chance to get reacquainted with the Tiger 1200s. Grand Mesa and Ouray, Colorado, are both scenic places, especially the latter. They call Ouray the Switzerland of America and trust me, it doesn’t disappoint.
I couldn’t wait to see the views from the Million Dollar Highway again, and this time without all the rain. We ended the day at the Twin Peaks Lodge, spent some time in the hot springs, then had an epic meal at a restaurant called The Outlaw. It’s always great when you have someone like Chad in the group who knows the best spots to hit.
We spent the first night at the Twin Peaks Lodge in Ouray, Colorado, aka, the Switzerland of America.
DAY 2: 223 miles / 6 hr., 35 min.
The second day of the ride started off great. I went for a nice run from the hotel along a little stream on the backside of Ouray, the setting was so mellow that the 35 minutes flew by. After, I met up with the boys for a quick latte at a local spot, and we were on the road by 8:30 with a cool 60-degree roll-out. As we left, we immediately began capturing content along the Million Dollar Highway. The scenes here are epic, so it’s not hard to get incredible images. We also got some good stuff, as you may have seen on my IG, with the 360 camera. We got a lot of positive feedback from our fans and partners about that! After leaving Ouray and the Million Dollar Highway, we made our trek toward Moab.
RC leads the group through the Grand Mesa National Forest.
We took the long way, riding through several canyon roads, up to Gateway and then Castle Valley. Once we arrived in Moab, Simon took us to Hurrah Pass, and that’s where it got challenging with a massive mud hole. Well, I was the only one to manage to lay the bike over there while trying to get through (ha-ha)! It was nothing major, no damage to the bike or me, but made for some good fun for the crew to talk about. When we got to the top of the pass, it was a stunning view, and it was also HOT. We stayed posted up there until it was almost five o’clock, and we were cooked. It was a long day, mostly because the heat made it feel harder than it was, but still a lot of fun! From there, we made our way back into Moab, where we had a house lined up; it was nice for all of us to be in one house. We unpacked, unwound, cleaned up, and went to dinner in town.
Soaking it all in.
DAY 3: 246 miles / 6 hr., 5 min.
The next day started out the same. I had a quick run followed by a coffee stop at a local spot within walking distance from our house. We got a chance to break out the Boxo tool kit to make some adjustments on the bikes and give everything a once-over since the bikes were brand new, checking to make sure everything was tight. We left, and we went straight to Slickrock Trail. Slickrock is world-famous for its terrain and trails, ranging in difficulty for all skill levels. Nevertheless, we took our Tigers there. This was on the punch list for the day, and Simon wanted to be sure that we were there in time for when the morning light was all-time! It was fun to test the bikes on something different.
Carmichael’s ride of choice, Triumph’s 1200 Rally Pro and Rally Pro Explorers. He has connections.
After we left Slickrock, we set out for Escalante, which would be our stopping point for the day. Ray recommended a cool burger joint outside Moab called Ray’s Tavern in Green Valley, Utah (no affiliation with our Ray! Lol). This was something we made a point to do on this ride. I wanted to take more time to enjoy the moments and not rush as much as we have in the past and truly enjoy the journey. It was a nice break in the day and more time spent enjoying stories with friends.
After lunch, we got off the highway as fast as we could and had a “must-stop” location we remembered from our trip through that area in 2019. This spot was called Swing Arm City, and Simon has always wanted to shoot there. If you’ve never been and have the opportunity, I highly suggest you make this happen. Imagine the pictures you’ve seen of being on the moon and what the soil looks like. This looks just like that. This place was so insane. It was surreal and made for some unreal riding! It was crazy how one side of these cliff/dunes was sloped, and the other sides were straight down. While we were there, Paggio decided to roost me with the moondust–a talking point for the rest of the trip, as he still denies doing it on purpose (ha-ha). He says it wasn’t on purpose, I say it was. This led to some all-time comedy being shared over the Cardos! We have video proof; everyone can draw their own conclusions. I will share the evidence!
Following the leader in Arizona.
After Swing Arm City, we headed toward Escalante via Highway 12. While on our way, we would head over a couple of mountain passes through Capitol Reef and Grand Staircase National Parks. We arrived safely at the Slot Canyons Inn Bed and Breakfast, where we had stayed before on a previous trip in 2019 on our way to Sturgis. We had a great night there with an awesome dinner at their brand-new restaurant, The North Creek Grill, right on the property. Wonderful hospitality, food, wine, and then an impromptu private acoustic gig by Chad and Ray, fueled by red wine! What a great night!
You can’t keep a 15-time Supercross/Motocross Champion down.
Day 4: 262 miles, 6 hr., / 13 min.
The great thing about staying at this bed and breakfast is the mornings. The morning air was cool, clean, and crisp, and you could enjoy a homemade breakfast to start the day. Wonderful hospitality! The temperatures continued to get cooler each morning, which was great for riding. The day started out with action quickly. “Pagg” dropped his bike turning around, and then we immediately went to get some shots of me riding in a creek bed with a waterfall in the background. Once we were done, we headed to Bryce Canyon. I had been there before, in 2019, but it was just more or less a pass-through. This time, Simon, JH, Ray, and I would ride into the park to an unreal spot overlooking part of the canyon while Chad and Pag met up with one of his buddies outside of the park.
Massive and beautiful best describe Bryce National Park, and you can tell from Simon’s pictures. We got to test the Bivy group tracking feature, which worked great, helping us link back up with Chad and Paggio, finding ourselves on a cool dirt road just outside the park. From here, we would go somewhere that I had never been to before, if you could believe that: The Grand Canyon, the North Rim, to be exact. We made our way to the Kaibab Lodge straight from Bryce while making our way over several more peaks and valleys. I was ready to get to the North Rim as quickly as possible so we had plenty of sunlight and time left in the day with a buffer for extras in case we came across something unexpected, fun, and worthwhile doing.
As we approached the Grand Canyon National Park, we made a slight detour for good reason. Because we weren’t technically in the national park, this would allow us to shoot drone footage along our detour voyage. On this detour, we rode about 30 miles of Jeep trail gravel roads, some parts narrower than others and lots of aspen trees. At the turnaround part, it ended at an unreal scene set in the upper northeast part of the Grand Canyon called Marble Viewpoint. Such a spectacle; words really can’t describe it!
You will love the drone footage from this. Also, along this 30-mile detour, we used the 360 cam again in one of the narrower parts of the trail for about five miles. I’ve heard and seen so much about the Grand Canyon, and to finally see it in the flesh was special. To me, it’s one of those things where you can just look and stare. All these thoughts crossed my mind, like imagining how far down the bottom was and thinking that at one point there was no canyon and how over time, it became what it is today! A true wonder of the world. I’m glad I finally got to see it and check it off my list.
We had a great dinner at the lodge that night and relaxed, sharing stories from the previous days’ rides knowing tomorrow was our last day. When we left the lodge, we were miles from any light pollution and in the middle of this huge prairie surrounded by a massive national forest, and I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing the sky was that night. More stars than I have ever seen! It was an awesome display. Back in the cabin, there was zero cell service, and once we left the lodge, no Wi-Fi. It was nice to have the Bivys to be able to still text via satellite and know we had a way to communicate if needed.
Day:5 259 miles, 4 hr., / 29 min.
We woke up way earlier than expected on the final day, 5:25 a.m. to be exact, and we were rolling by 6:30 a.m. It was a beautiful morning and only 44 degrees when we rolled out. We got a chance to test out the warmth of the new Fox Legion gear. We zipped up all the vents, and I was surprised at how well the gear kept us warm with only a base layer and jersey underneath. The Tiger’s heated grips and seat were also a great option to have! This was going to be an old-school ride, where we just catch content on the fly, no stopping, just logging the miles, telling stories, and eventually ending the day in Vegas. That early morning leaving Kaibab Lodge was such a nice ride up over the summit of the Kaibab National Forest. Because we left so early, we saw the most wildlife of the trip. Straight away we saw a whole bunch of Mule deer and other deer on our way out. Thanks to our Cardos for keeping all of us safe, allowing us the ability to call out the dangers on the road!
Once we were over the pass, we rolled through Hurricane, Utah. From there, we rode through a few smaller towns and eventually got into St. George, where we then hopped on the 15 freeway and headed south. Shortly outside of town was a cool gorge that the freeway winds through. At that point, there were no more stunning views to take in, and it was just a straight, long, hot freeway ride to Sin City. We opened the vents on our jackets and pants, and I was amazed at how well it all vented and wasn’t uncomfortable while the temps climbed into the high 90s rolling into town.
This year’s RC adventure ride covered more than 1100 miles.
We dropped our bikes off at Las Vegas Triumph/Eagle Rider, where Dave and the staff were very accommodating. All of us grabbed a hotel on the strip and unwound, had a nice lunch, talked smack, and relived the ride. Last but not least, we were able to have a proper send-off at SW Steak House, not only to celebrate the successful ride but JH’s 50th birthday as well.
Every year I always wonder if the ride will be better than previous years. After this year’s ride, I learned that each year will be its own great adventure. There will always be epic views and places to see on incredible bikes, like the Triumph Tiger 1200s. The Tiger 1200s once again performed flawlessly in all sorts of conditions, and once again, we probably took them to some areas most people wouldn’t! With all that said, the thing I really log into my mental hard drive is the stories and times spent with marvelous friends. We are lucky we get to create these memories this type of way.
A Grand ride, indeed.
Thank you to everyone who was involved from the ground up to make this possible. And to my fans, thanks for your support. Although you weren’t in the saddle with us, I truly hope you enjoyed the ride as much as we did via social media and this story and images. I really hope you are inspired to get out there and do one yourself! Don’t miss the opportunity. You won’t be disappointed! ~RC
STATISTICS
Distance/Time: 1183 miles / 28 hours, 56 minutes
States: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada
National Parks: Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase, Bryce, Grand Canyon
National Forests: Grand Mesa, San Juan, Dixie, Kaibab
EQUIPMENT
Bikes: Tiger 1200 Rally Pro and Rally Pro Explorers
Tires: Dunlop Trailmax Mission
Gear: Fox Legion Defend and Recon Gore-Tex
Comms: Cardo Systems PackTalk Edge
Phone Mounts: Quad Lock Handlebar Mount Pro with vibration damper and wireless charger
Tool Kit: Boxo Adventure Tool kit
Satellite Comms: Bivy Stick
Emergency Logistics: Global Rescue
Helmets: Arai XD4 Adventure Helmet
Tank Bags and Seat Bags: Mosko Moto
Visor Anti-Fog: Klotz Anti-fog K-Klear Gel
Misc: Oakley Motorsports
GUEST LIST
Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, FL
Anthony Paggio, Laguana Niguel, Ca
Ray Butts, Lexington, KY
Chad Warrix, Nashville, TN
Ray Butts, Lexington, KY
JH Leale, Tallahassee, FL
Simon Cudby, Trabuco Canyon, CA
