U.S. Road Trip to RTW Adventure TechTricks365

I’d just quit my job to travel the world. It was surreal—l had waited many years to make this move, yet here I finally was, without a clue where I was even going to start….

Somehow, I was instantly drawn to the U.S.; I had seen some of the country on previous visits, but there were countless more places and National Parks I was itching to explore. What better way to do it than on two wheels? But there was a problem. I had a motorcycle license, but limited riding experience. Living in London at the time, I had a small naked bike to get around, but it was mainly for commuting. I rarely rode it for longer than an hour. I also didn’t have the slightest idea of what it would be like to travel on a motorbike; I had never even made a proper day trip on one. Despite all that, I somehow managed to connect with someone in Oregon who was willing to sell me a BMW F800 GS, fully set up for off-roading.

A nice fellow rider in Oregon was willing to sell me a BMW F800 GS, fully set up for off-roading.

When I started working out the trip’s details, I hadn’t planned on off-roading. I didn’t know I would be riding through deep volcanic ash in Nicaragua only a few months later, crossing rivers in Guatemala, and getting caught in flash floods. I didn’t know that dirt roads would replace tarmac and become the new normal. After all, I still didn’t know exactly where I was going, but I now had an adventure bike, and I knew the ride would start in Oregon.

Shortly before leaving, I met Fiona. On our second date, I asked her if she could imagine quitting her job and flying to the U.S. with me. Fiona barely needed any convincing. She loved traveling, and she even seemed more excited than me by the idea of doing it by motorbike.  

I will never forget how intimidated I felt when I finally got to see the bike. It looked much beastlier than anticipated with the crash bars, luggage rack, and extra-wide panniers. It was my first time riding such a powerful motorcycle and my first time on an adventure bike. Indeed, I hadn’t ridden since severely fracturing my pelvis a year previously in a motorcycle crash. So, I wasn’t quite sure how I would take to it—but we both loved the idea, and wanted to give it a go!

The ride out of the long gravel driveway took forever. But once on the road, I felt I could manage the GS. It was incredibly comfortable compared to my small bike. I liked the riding position, and I decided we would be okay. The guy who sold it must have realized that we were utterly unprepared. So, he put us in touch with some of his friends in Idaho, who invited us for some off-road training.

I’d never seen so many adventure bikes! Most riders were incredibly experienced; a mix of riders who were seriously training, either to compete or improve their skills, with the majority there to train for the GS Trophy qualifier. And then there was us. Lance, who was organizing everything and hosting us, made us feel super comfortable starting with bare basics. First, he demonstrated the correct body position and taught us how to weigh the footpegs to initiate turns and brake effectively. We then did some slow-speed riding, working on balance and focusing on tighter turns. It was a completely new world, and this simple training session boosted my confidence.

Fiona got to join in the fun, too. Lance lent her a Kawasaki dirt bike, and she was a natural. So much so that we lost her that afternoon, only to realize that she was scoping out the obstacle course for the GS Trophy. It was amazing to watch her first time on a bike. She was fearless! This little training session sparked a love for adventure bikes further fuelled by our unforgettable ride through the U.S. over the following weeks.

We did the right thing that every new rider should do before embarking on a long journey: get training!

After leaving Idaho, it didn’t take long to get off-road, riding the endless gravel roads across the Steen Mountains. Here I learned my first important lesson: speed is your friend. It’s very counterintuitive, but it worked. There seemed to be no one around, just endless miles of gravel surrounded by grassland and beautiful mountains. We even spotted wild horses.

The next three months were filled with unforgettable memories. It was a road trip of a lifetime. We were in awe at how drastically the landscape could change, and constantly spoiled with beautiful views. We marveled at snow-capped mountains perfectly reflecting in Crater Lake and rode amongst the largest trees on earth in Redwood National Park. Yellowstone revealed bright, vivid colors of surreal hot springs and steaming geysers, and by the time we rode through Zion and Bryce, we felt like we’d entered an entirely new world. The twisty roads leading through deep, red sandstone formations were simply jaw-dropping. Monument Valley was another highlight, like riding through a John Ford Western.

Celebrating freedom on two wheels in Zion National Park.

We hit the dirt roads in this area, and I scooted around feeling proud of myself. I never thought I’d have an adventure like this, and it filled me with immense joy and a feeling of freedom. But soon, the dirt roads turned into fine sand, with the front wheel digging in, giving me a scare. I tried to remind myself that “speed is my friend,” but I couldn’t execute it that time. I asked Fiona to get off the bike because I had to paddle through the sandy parts, grateful for my long legs. But after a little, I realized we weren’t moving much at all, and I was becoming hot and exhausted. As a result, we didn’t ride the loop across the entire valley as planned; instead, we turned around. Nevertheless, I had just as much fun riding out of the valley overlooking the iconic West Mitten Butte. That said, in the coming months I would find myself in many other, significantly more challenging pickles involving sand.

Getting lost in Monument Valley is not a bad thing.

Because we were on a three-month visa, we were tied to a strict schedule. But we couldn’t get enough of Utah and Arizona. It was simply unlike anywhere we’d been, and so incredibly surreal. We also loved the wide-open roads, which we often had to ourselves. We even slowed down a little, taking time off the saddle to explore slot canyons, hike in the Grand Canyon National Park, and visit fantastic places like Canyon de Chelly, with the imposing Spider Rock that would be forever imprinted in our minds.

Overlooking the north rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

We also learned an important lesson about the dangers of extreme heat while riding through Death Valley. At 46°C, riding with visors open felt like a hairdryer constantly blowing hot air at our faces. The faster we rode, the more unbearable it got. We were in fully vented gear but struggled to tolerate the heat. By Badwater Basin, I wasn’t feeling well, and there was no shade to hide from the sun. A sign advised that hiking after 10:00 a.m. was not recommended—“Extreme Danger” it read! We had come a long way and didn’t want to miss the salt flats, and paid little attention to the warning.

Removing our gear provided little relief as there was no breeze. I made it about 50 meters past the sign and then mumbled that we needed to turn around and head straight back to the bike. I thought I was going to pass out! Luckily a car pulled in and Fiona asked if we could cool down in the backseat for a moment. Air conditioning never felt so good! When we got out of the car, we left the area quickly and rode to where the temperatures would be easier to manage. We found ourselves overlooking the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes just a short ride later. Once again, I was mesmerized—and we got to see the sudden change in the beautiful landscapes all within a single day.

There would be other days where we’d struggle with the heat. One was in Tucson. The solution was easy: Ride up Mount Lemmon, where the temperature drops as much as 20°C at the summit—and it was a spectacular ride, too! You can experience a Sonoran Desert climate at a lower elevation, surrounded by cacti, but you can cool off in the pine forests at the top.

Sonoran desert at the bottom of Mt. Lemmon.

However, we had no such solution when we reached the White Sands National Park. It was a highlight of our trip and on my bucket list. We rode on hard-packed gypsum for the first few miles, which turned into one long washboard. On both sides were bright white gypsum hills in endless dunes. The ride itself was out of this world! Hiking across them was a struggle, mostly because we’d arrived in the middle of a scorchingly hot day. It’s generally advised to hike either in the morning or late afternoon, but our timing was off again.

The White Sands National Park was on my bucket list and a highlight of our trip.

We’d chosen a short route that was supposed to be marked but quite tricky to navigate. By the time we returned to our bike, we were so dehydrated, exhausted, and low on energy that we could barely get our riding gear back on. But unlike Death Valley, there was a pleasant breeze once riding was underway.

From here, the plan was to ride to California, along Big Sur, then sell the GS before backpacking through Central America. But we couldn’t imagine giving up our two-wheeled freedom and weren’t ready to put an end to our motorcycle adventure just yet. What if we just kept going?

Riding along the Big Sur on Highway 1.

And so, our three-month ride through the U.S. became just the starting point of our round-the-world adventure. From the U.S., we crossed into Baja and rode across Central America, where, the temperatures we were struggling with in the U.S. became our daily norm.

This was my first motorcycle adventure, my first road trip two-up, and my first time off-roading. Our trip didn’t just spark a desire to ride a motorcycle around the entire world, we also learned much from it. I discovered that off-road riding requires practice to build skills. But most of all, we discovered a great ADV community out there wanting to share and help each other on the road. And just like that, we decided to forget about backpacking and became part of this awesome community to explore the world!

Exploring the wine routes of British Columbia.

Sandra Steliga and Fiona Cheng quit their jobs in 2018 to ride two-up around the world. They made it from Canada to Colombia when they had to pause their world travels due to COVID. Since then they’ve been exploring Europe on their Tiger 900 Rally Pro and are about to ship their bikes to Africa at the end of this year to resume their world travels. You can follow their adventures on their travel blog AdvTravelBug.com or YouTube channel ADV Travelbug or Instagram @adv_travelbug.