There was a lot to be appreciative for this past Thanksgiving, and that peace​ of mind and gratitude extends well past November 24th and had resonated for months and years prior. I have been lucky enough to find a soulmate that has the same interests of travel and adventure as I do, without her, my life would surely not be the same.

Marisa and I have traveled halfway around the world over the last 5 years on our KTM 1190, but on our journey to Alaska over the summer we have come across some pretty amazing places right here in our own country. We have learned that traveling through foreign lands, or even in our own backyard, it is all about expectations. Sometimes they can fail to be reached, be on right on par, or be exceeded.
Idaho was a good case of me underestimating what was ahead as we rode through the 'Potato State'. I had previously thought that Idaho wouldn't offer much to see, but my assumption couldn't have been further from the truth. The wide plains that spanned across its southeastern border may have at first caused me to yawn a few times within my helmet, but it didn't take long before we ran into our first of many Atlas Obscura destinations.

I needed a break after hours of riding down a straight road that left more scenery to be desired. As I turned the bike down a sideroad that led to something called EBR-1, we had no idea what we were pulling into. I looked around, and it appeared that we had come across something straight out of a 1950's science fiction comic book. Actually, we had stumbled upon the world's first nuclear power plant (Experimental Breeder Reactor-1) in Arco, ID that had successfully lit four lightbulbs using nuclear energy way back in 1951.
I parked the bike in front of two massive heat transfer reactors that looked like the heart of an interstellar spaceship.

"This was a pretty crazy place to randomly pull over for a break," Marisa said.
"I'm not sure how long we should be here before we start mutating," I replied.
But this was a stop that seemed to be destined, a place that I was drawn to by being a little tired but was now fully recharged by either the highly active atoms that still hung in the air, or by curiosity alone.
In the main building, Marisa and I walked around the mad scientist's laboratory in complete awe of what we found in each chamber. A control room with a thousand knobs and buttons lay silent after being decommissioned for decades. They no longer operated the safety valves and vents that must have been so carefully monitored long ago, but now spun freely like the fidget spinners and levers on a toddler's interactive toy.
With me having the same mindset of a toddler, I turned all of the knobs to 11, and pressed the buttons to see if I could trigger some alarm. The only alarm that sounded was the levelheaded guidance of Marisa telling me to stop messing around with nuclear switches.

I realized that there was probably more technology packed into the display on my bike's dash than there was in the entire building that we were currently exploring. It was a humbling acknowledgment, and I was thankful to be in an era when riding around the world on a V-Twin was less complicated than powering four lightbulbs with nuclear energy.
Marisa took videos as we walked around our accidental wonder and awed at the Dr. Strangelove facility we were touring. Thirty-nine panels of glass gave us a glimpse into where the hazardous nuclear core once rested. But now we could duck down and enter this room from the apposing side. Once we stepped in, it felt like we were in the center of a giant AA battery, and we quickly decided to leave the room.

The short ride into Idaho had a thin layer of flatness before suddenly springing into life with flowers, mountains, and a nuclear power plant. All of which was completely unanticipated, blowing our expectations out of the water. It was a good lesson for me to not judge any particular a State, region, or country until it has been given a chance to reveal its true identity to me. 
We would love for you to watch the video of our encounter with EBR-I here: [Moto Journey to Alaska E20]

We would love for you to follow us along via our YouTube channel at: 
www.youtube.com/notiersfrontiers

Or via the books we have written along the way at: https://smarturl.it/AdvMotorcyclebooks

Help push us 35 miles down the road at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/NotierFrontiers or
https://www.patreon.com/notiersfrontiers

And a HUGE thank you to all of our Patrons who have supported us along the way:
Deanna H. - Bill P. - Jess W. - Pete W. - Kerry I. - Doug J. - Jim P. - David B. - William b. - Vicke N.

Marisa and I are excited to announce that we made it to Deadhorse! We have now completed the line between the southernmost tip of the Americas to the furthest north you can ride!

So it has been a while since our last update. We didn’t get a Canadian SIM card and have been without internet for a while.

​Marisa and I have had an amazing ride through Washington and it’s beautiful rain forest in the Olympic NP then into BC and the Yukon. We’ve seen black bears munching on wild berries on the side of the road, moose down dusty trails, and have camped in some pretty amazing places.

Marisa and I have been on the road again for just under a month, but it feels as if we have been traveling for much longer. We've already stayed with friends in Oklahoma City, attended an Overland Expo in Flagstaff, and spent time with new friends in Phoenix and Sedona. We've chatted with fellow travelers and dream-seekers as we made our way west to California, and are now in one of the most impressive National Parks: Yellowstone.

Marisa, Pegasus (our KTM 1190), and I have been a trio of man, woman, and machine over the course of the last 4 years. We have struggled together, overcome hardships together, and each of us has pushed the others past their limits, urging them to continue on when things got tough.
​
All of us have our roles as we navigate the world. I am generally the pilot, with my black chauffeur hat and gloves replaced with my motorcycle helmet and plastic knuckle gloves. My limo is our KTM, but Marisa is no ordinary passenger. Marisa is the true hero of our story. She is my cheerleader, my support crew, and my morale booster when both the bike and I are feeling grumpy and worn down. Between the three of us, Marisa is usually the one with the least amount of 'issues' as we bounce along gravel roads and across rivers.

With the weather warming up, we are getting unbearably excited for our launch date in just under a month and a half!

Our newest motorcycle is still in pieces, some of our new gear is yet to arrive, and I have only put about 20 miles on our newest member of Notier's Frontiers. The 1st real test ride will be 13k miles as we ride around the lower 48 before heading north to Alaska.

​This isn't our first launch date that seemed like we may not hit the target... Four years ago, I didn't even have my driver's license delivered to me in time for our departure date. But everything seemed to sew itself together into a fine silk tapestry that looked fragile at first, but presented a wonderful picture of what life on the road was like when everything ran 'smoothly'.

Just a quick introduction to our newest member of the family...
​
Our mighty KTM 1190 had served us well over the past 85k miles, and has taken us across 3 continents and 25 counties. But, it is time to honorably discharge her from active duty.
Marisa and I wanted to stay with KTM, as I was familiar with the bike and how it handled. But we definitely wanted an upgradable suspension.

​So we got ourselves an 1190 R!!!!

It is pretty much the exact same motorcycle, but with larger wheels and a better suspension!
Plus, all of our farkles and racks will be able to be transplanted onto the new bike!

Things have definitely changed since the day we bought our 1190 way back in 2013 as we daydreamed about traveling the world.

As with most things, it was a learning process. Our original set up was... rather interesting to say the least. Our luggage, the way it was packed, as well as our gear, all failed the initial test as we roamed around the Rocky Mountains. But the three things that still seemed eager and willing to travel the world were Marisa, myself, and the mighty KTM 1190.

​This post is our way of saying goodbye to the third member of Notier's Frontiers, and consists of some of our favorite memories as we meandered around 3 continents, over 4 years, while raking up over 85k hard miles that the motorcycle (mostly) took with stride.