Border to Border advice

[Spud]

If you're running ahead and get to SLC at 6 or before, yeah you might have a hell of a traffic flow heading to Provo. Good news is all the drivers will be sober

 

[erixun]

Any opinions on taking the 215 "belt route" around central Salt Lake City? I should be there around 7:00 - 8:00pm, so hopefully rush hour traffic will be gone by then, but do you think it would be worth taking this as a bypass?
Thanks,

Don

+1 on staying on I-15, you will get through faster at that time of day anyway, than taking the route around anything. Legacy highway is nice, but not for moving- its 55 and it is enforced regularly. DAMHIK

Also good advice on hitting fuel in Brigham City or Willard Bay area- fuel/travel stations are just off the exit- easy on off. Then fly through Ogden/SLC/Provo mess and next easiest fuel stop will be the 2nd Santaquin or Nephi Exit #222, again, easy on off (fast) fuel stops.

Some morons here also figure to take it on themselves to be the 'pace car' in the HOV lanes. So if traffic is moving I try and stay out of those lanes, you can get trapped behind a slow one that figures he has the right to be in the lane- and the speed limit is 65- so that's what I am going- no matter that the other lanes are going 75!

If I can be of any other help- I live just outside SLC and would be glad to help. B

 

[101stpathfinder]

I would not take any border crossing into Mexico too lightly. Algodones is small and being a dental community, they are accustomed to Americans crossing... But with my wife being from central America, I am a bit cautious as I have come to know her... I mean as I have come to know some of the practices that are employed by those seeking to do harm.

For the best advice on Mexico, consult our resident expert beemerdons.

 

[erixun]

Oh, there is construction in Centerville Ut on I-15, does not slow traffic going south bound usually. Construction in the gorge area south of St George will slow you a little, the bigger delays are going north bound. I just drove that route two weeks ago down to LA and back. No other construction stands out in my poor memory. But both of those projects will still be in full swing in September-

As far was weather here (SLC area)- you should be good to go- mild days, cooler nights. But generally dry.

 

[Wolf h.]

I have also planned a Border-Border run to Mexico from Coutts, AB. All this info is very useful.

Without seeing this thread I plotted my trip using Google maps, starting at Coutts/Sweet Grass and doing I-15 except my (Google's) route goes through Blythe, 78 then 7 to east port of entry to Mexicali.

Question: is this a good (safe) border crossing, or would it be better to go 111, this seems to be the 'main' border crossing?

wolf

 

[beemerdons]

I have also planned a Border-Border run to Mexico from Coutts, AB. All this info is very useful.
Without seeing this thread I plotted my trip using Google maps, starting at Coutts/Sweet Grass and doing I-15 except my (Google's) route goes through Blythe, 78 then 7 to east port of entry to Mexicali.

Question: is this a good (safe) border crossing, or would it be better to go 111, this seems to be the 'main' border crossing?

wolf

Wolf, unless you have another reason to go to Mexicali I'd recommend using San Luis for your certification receipt! Downtown Mexicali off of 111 is extremely busy and the truck gate is usually backed up with commercial traffic. You would be coming South on 95 anyway, this ends on the Estados Unidos side right at Mexican la Migra.

The San Luis Port of Entry has been a busy US port of entry since the early 1900s. It connects San Luis, Arizona to San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora. It connects to U.S. Route 95 on the north and Mexican Federal Highway 2 as well as Sonora State Highway 40 on the south.

In 2010, all commercial truck traffic was diverted to the new San Luis II Port of Entry 5 miles to the east. In 2012, two additional inspection lanes were added to the port facility.

 

[Wolf h.]

Beemerdons, this is the info I was looking for, and no, I don't have any reason to go to Mexicali, only to document that I was in Mexico.

So 2 of us are doing this ride and we are trying to get two for price of one by starting further in Alberta so we get over 1500 miles in for the Bun Burner 1500 Gold. And you're right, we will be on 95 so why not continue to the border. Google maps only shows a 1 mile difference in these two routes so it's not an issue.

Is there a better time to cross the border, or it really doesn't matter, as long as it's during the day? The plan is we leave around 12 noon so we get there the next day before noon.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Is there a better time to cross the border, or it really doesn't matter, as long as it's during the day? The plan is we leave around 12 noon so we get there the next day before noon.

Couple web sites to look at for crossing time estimates.

Customs & Border Protection

Border Crossing Wait Times

Good luck and do let us know how it turns out! Received my B2Bi certificate a couple weeks ago...

--G

 

[beemerdons]

Is there a better time to cross the border, or it really doesn't matter, as long as it's during the day? The plan is we leave around 12 noon so we get there the next day before noon.

Couple web sites to look at for crossing time estimates.

Customs & Border Protection

Border Crossing Wait Times

Good luck and do let us know how it turns out! Received my B2Bi certificate a couple weeks ago...

--G

Wolf, Gorgeous George beat me to this response. If you are carrying a laptop or iPad you can monitor the real time status of the crossings.

When are you Canucks doing this? I will be riding in Italy from September 25 to October 11, if outside of that I will welcome you to Arizona!

 

[Wolf h.]

Is there a better time to cross the border, or it really doesn't matter, as long as it's during the day? The plan is we leave around 12 noon so we get there the next day before noon.

Couple web sites to look at for crossing time estimates.

Customs & Border Protection

Border Crossing Wait Times

Good luck and do let us know how it turns out! Received my B2Bi certificate a couple weeks ago...

--G

Wolf, Gorgeous George beat me to this response. If you are carrying a laptop or iPad you can monitor the real time status of the crossings.

When are you Canucks doing this? I will be riding in Italy from September 25 to October 11, if outside of that I will welcome you to Arizona!

GG, great link, it show no wait times currently (that will change when we go down) and only 28 mins. average wait times for San Luis crossing, a lot less than the Mexicali port.

The plan is I drive my bike about 550 miles to Medicine Hat, AB and my brother will drive 2 1/2 days from Southern Ontario to get there. We get a room, some sleep (shower) and leave Oak Island, AB on the morning of Sept. 11. The reason I picked Oak Island is it will give us just over 1520 miles to the Mexican border, that way we 2 certified rides done at the same time. Obviously for just a BBG we could start at Coutts, AB.

We both have SS1000 under out belts (my brother has the lower lakes 1000, around lakes Erie-Ontario last year on his K1200LT and I did SS1000 here in Alberta this past July, have not yet received my papers but hoping that shouldn't be a problem?

I know Wesseld posted his route and his gas stops, we haven't got that far yet, hoping there are numerous 24 hr gas stations along I-15 and we both have a 300 mile range on our tanks, well a bit less if we're doing 75-80 miles/hr. I'm thinking 3-3 1/2 hrs between fills sounds reasonable and both of us are used to a quick fill and go, eat power bars behind out windshields.

 

[Wesseld]

I know Wesseld posted his route and his gas stops, we haven't got that far yet, hoping there are numerous 24 hr gas stations along I-15 and we both have a 300 mile range on our tanks, well a bit less if we're doing 75-80 miles/hr. I'm thinking 3-3 1/2 hrs between fills sounds reasonable and both of us are used to a quick fill and go, eat power bars behind out windshields.

I've since changed up my gas stops so I could hit the 24 hour truck stops, like Pilot and Loves, especially since I can only go about 200 miles or so at a time. I will post up that changed route and planning spreadsheet when I get back to my work PC on Tuesday. I'm still planning on leaving Phoenix next Saturday and take 4 days to wander up to my starting point in Coutts, AB, then do the 24 hour blast down to Yuma, AZ and cross the border at Algodones, MX. I'm still trying to get SWConnect and Spotwalla figured out well enough so I can post up my track here and on Facebook for others to follow.

 

[Wesseld]

Well, I didn't get to attempt my B2B Insanity after all. I took a nice 4 day ride from Phoenix up through western Colorado, and through Yellowstone (the long way around since a road was closed) and stopped in Big Sky, MT. The next morning I was planning on riding up to Shelby, MT to get ready for the B2B starting today at about 9:30am. I looked at the weather in Shelby and at the border, and saw that it was cold cold and snowing. Crap. After much deliberation, I decided to just head home. Ah well, I live to fight another day. Yellowstone and Grand Tetons were beautiful. I got to see elk, antelope and buffalo walking around in Yellowstone, mainly because traffic STOPPED to look at them. In north east Utah, I had two elk bulls run across the road about 30' in front of me. Eeek. I also skirted nearly all the rain on the entire ride. I was on a lot of wet highway, but never really got rained on.

On the way south on I-15 from Butte, it was really windy. So windy that 3 of the 6 plastic screws that hold the windshield on broke. I did notice that the screen was flopping around quite a bit, but didn't see the broken screws until I had stopped for the night just south of Salt Lake City. Luckily I had duct tape, so I taped it up real good, and it was fine for the final 500+ miles home. Now I have to get the duct tape residue off the screen and find new plastic screws.

Also, while I was heading south on I-15, I learned that I-15 was CLOSED at Mesquite, NV. My ride plan had me going I-15 from the Canadian border all the way to Las Vegas, then 95 south to Yuma. I would have had to do a long detour through Nevada that may have screwed up my time for the B2B. The detour started in Cedar City, UT taking SR-56 to UT-93, and added about 75 miles and at least an hour and 15 minutes, not counting additional traffic on the two lane road. Maybe it's a good thing I had to cancel the ride...

I will attempt this B2B again sometime, probably next summer.

 

[Niehart]

Good thinking. Weather would not have been your friend.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152708512108210&set=p.10152708512108210&type=1

Going to the Sun Road.

Also Bozeman, MT had snow and blowing snow on the roads.

 

[escapefjrtist]

I will attempt this B2B again sometime, probably next summer.

This late in the year it's a crap shoot with weather, good for you not pushing it.

There's always another day for the ride, plan it next summer and knock it out!

--G

 

[Wolf h.]

At this point I have been home over 48 hrs. but slept all of them except maybe 4hrs., I'm hacking with a severe cold/flu and got to get back to bed soon. What a Blast, getting the border-to-border Gold and the 1500Gold under out belts, but I have to honestly say it was definitely an ordeal not for the faint of heart.

AAhhh, yes, weather. You're probably better off planning it for next year, My brother and I just finished that ride, basically I-15 south and then US-95 to Yuma, AZ and had we known before the start what we know now, we probably would be postponed the ride.

We could call our ride the "Ride out of the Freezer and into the Pizza Oven".

I knew it wasn't a good omen when I got up for the short ride to the start line, of about 560 miles on Sept. 10 and the outside temp was close to 2F. That would have sent a weaker man back under covers for a few more hours at least, but no, I had to get to our rendezvous in Medicine Hat, AB this day by 6-7pm. There I would meet my brother who was driving his BMW K1200LT in the back of his Sprinter van to this same starting point.

Once I got my FJR going through the city of Fort McMurray, heading south and hopefully warmer clines it did appear to get warmer, all the way up to 39. That doesn't sound all that warm, as most of you know, when you're doing 70, and at this point I realized I had forgot my long johns, 2 nice pairs in my drawer at home.

At this point I have been home over 48 hrs. but slept all of them except maybe 4hrs., I'm hacking with a severe cold/flu and got to get back to bed soon. What a Blast, getting the border-to-border Gold and the 1500Gold under out belts, but I have to honestly say it was definitely an ordeal not for the faint of heart.

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[Wesseld]

Congratulations! So, was I-15 open just northeast of Las Vegas near Mesquite when you did your run?

AAhhh, yes, weather. You're probably better off planning it for next year, My brother and I just finished that ride, basically I-15 south and then US-95 to Yuma, AZ and had we known before the start what we know now, we probably would be postponed the ride.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Congrats Wolf.

Once you shake the cold / flu, we need some of the play by play!

--G

 

[Wolf h.]

Congratulations! So, was I-15 open just northeast of Las Vegas near Mesquite when you did your run?

Sorry for the long delay, after getting home Sept. 16th with the worst Flu I've had in 20-odd years, then had to get back to work( had to call in sick for 4 days). Since work is 12 hr. days (total of 15 hrs to get there and back) I haven't had much time to continue with the saga.

We arrived after midnight at Mesquite, NV to see numerous "Detour" signs, I think they had us detour south onto SR-169. I vividly remember getting off I-15 to a road with posted speed limits of 35MPH,,,, and then down to 25, while the sign said Valley of Fire Hwy and then we were in the Valley of Fire State Park! It was beautiful scenery, huge boulders/ rocks on both sides, too bad we weren't in tourist mode at this time! I think we 'lost' about 40 mins. and added close to 25 miles to our original route. Of course there is always traffic to Vegas even in the night so we were following many motor homes, trailers and large trucks all trying to negotiate this small road, it felt like a paved goat trail after coming off the I-15. That's some view, coming downhill on I-15 to see Las Vegas down in the valley, my perception was we were only 3-4 miles from the city, but after another 10 minutes (back up to 75-80mph) the city was still in the distance. Vegas sucked us in from the north-east and just as quick spit us out on the south-east side as we headed to Henderson for out next fuel stop.

 

[HelzBelz]

Late to the party on this one.. But I thought I'd add a little.

I recently completed a SS1000. I did Bozeman to a buddies house east of Denver, The LONG way down. I took I15 to Scipio UT Route 50 to I70 to Denver Area.

The biggest surprise to me was 85 MPH speed limit on I15 in much of Utah. I had planned to stop when it got dangerous (dark) but was lucky enough to find a big pickup with arizona plates that I followed down I15 till I needed fuel at midnight. I slept in a hotel in Sandy Utah for a good 5+ hours and still had plenty of time to get to Denver. That 85 speed limit is a time creator.

 

[Spud]

Late to the party on this one.. But I thought I'd add a little.
I recently completed a SS1000. I did Bozeman to a buddies house east of Denver, The LONG way down. I took I15 to Scipio UT Route 50 to I70 to Denver Area.

The biggest surprise to me was 85 MPH speed limit on I15 in much of Utah. I had planned to stop when it got dangerous (dark) but was lucky enough to find a big pickup with arizona plates that I followed down I15 till I needed fuel at midnight. I slept in a hotel in Sandy Utah for a good 5+ hours and still had plenty of time to get to Denver. That 85 speed limit is a time creator.

Great area to do the ride. To clarify, I-15 is 80, now in Idaho as well as Utah. Still, it allows you to haul the mail w/o much worry.