GripTwister Tours

06/07/2024

Left yesterday afternoon to wrap up the remaining section of the loop still needing to be checked. Fantastic weather, and so far no washouts, slides or other closures (knock on wood). Should have it wrapped up by tomorrow so we can begin shipping the 2024 edition next week. Woohoo!

05/31/2024

I used to ride up and down this steep powerline road and the adjoining forest service roads in the Duckabush valley on my Yamaha 80 the summer of the sixth grade (1980). That was such a magical time!

05/31/2024

Day 1 of the “revision ride” didn’t go well. The BMS or some other part of my bike’s lithium battery started glitching out. When it would, if engine RPMs weren’t high, the engine would want to die. It did several times, after which it wouldn’t have juice to crank it back up. But then it would start working again after a few, sometimes several, one time over 15 minutes. Not acceptable, so I limped home and changed out for a new battery.

So I’m gonna head back out again tomorrow, but the coming rain and loss of time means I likely won’t be able to wrap up the last bits of the route until next Thursday, which means first shipments will go out the week of June 10th.

Thank you to all who’ve placed their orders already. The wait is almost over!

09/22/2023

Hey rally nav lovers! GripTwister Tours is pleased to announce that our Olympic Mountains Loop GPS
Tour is now available with a roadbook add-on option. What do you think? Have you ever navigated by roadbook before?

06/13/2023

Thank you to those who placed your pre-order in anticipation of the newest edition of the Olympic Mountains Loop GPS Tour. Those orders will ship out tomorrow. If you want to get one yourself, our ordering page will be back on line, too.

06/09/2023

Made it back home in one piece. Now I just need some time on the computer to complete the less glamorous part of updating the tour. Aiming for June 15th to ship out all pre-orders and to reopen the ordering page of our website.

06/08/2023

May need to take an extra night to finish. Stay tuned!

06/07/2023

Thankfully it was all passable. And only encountered a small amount of snow on the side of the road where I was concerned about it. Everything is looking good, so far. Heading out of Firks now for a night of peace and quiet somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

06/07/2023

Stopped at the Kloshe Nanitch lookout for a few pics. Heading down to start Route D next.

06/07/2023

Day 2: Worst night of (no) sleep ever. As the sun went down and I was nowhere near a rustic spot in the woods, I couldn’t be choosy. Ended up close to highway 101 and couldn’t sleep for s**t. Finally dozed off around 6 am for a couple of hours. It’s a late start today, but safer with at least a bit of sleep under my belt. Now just hoping I don’t get turned back by snow today. I’ll report what I found when I get to Forks.

06/06/2023

Stopped for a snack and a drink on the bridge over the Duckabush river. I’m wondering how far I’ll make it today. Sol Duc river, I’m hoping.

06/06/2023

It’s a late start, but I’m finally underway to update the Olympic Mtns Loop GPS Tour for 2023.

05/25/2023

One year ago.

05/22/2023

Just like last year, the snowpack is still substantial for this time of the year, so the loop isn’t totally passable at this time. I *think* it will be melted off enough to complete the 2023 revision in early June, hopefully to be able to ship all pre-orders by June 15th.

Will this be the new normal for western Washington as a result of global warming? It’s too soon to know, but this year’s pattern of cold, wet conditions well into April is very similar to what we experienced last year. When, just like that, the switch was flipped and we experience summer-like temperatures long before we normally get them. Which is just exactly the opposite of how winter began last year— 80 degree weather one weekend in October, followed a week later by the first snowfall. It seems spring and fall are gradually disappearing around here.

At this time, we are only taking pre-orders for the 2023 edition. You will not be able to order the 2022 edition any longer. Because of this, I don’t recommend you make plans to ride the loop before the last week of June. Once the ‘23 edition is officially released, the price is going to increase to $59.95 (+ tax and shipping). I dislike doing so, but I’ve held the price steady for over 5 years, while inflation over the last couple of years has increased our cost of producing the product. I’m giving advance notice to allow customers a short window of opportunity to pre-order the new package at last year’s price.

Stay tuned for updates!

07/01/2022

06/30/2022

06/02/2022

Stayed a second night at Malarrimo beach then broke camp. To our amazement, Cal found a piece of material that we had first seen on the beach 21 years ago… what we thought might likely be a piece of the Mir space station that had broken up and fallen into the Pacific Ocean just a few weeks before. It’s pretty beat up and weathered now but the foil hex-cell core is still visible. What do you think?

06/01/2022

Spent a few hours combing the beach for junk. Lots of whale and “other” bones, plus lots of balls washed up on the beach. Nothing really cool was found, but some interesting stuff certainly was observed.

06/01/2022

Tons of flotsam and jetsam washed up out here at Playa Malarrimo. Mostly plastic bottles of all sorts, but a few more interesting items as well. Saw probably 5 large turtle shells, one with body parts still attached. Flowers interspersed throughout the area as well.

06/01/2022

Crossed the peninsula at its widest part today. Stopped in Vizcaíno for lunch, fuel and camping food/drinks for the next couple of days. Gonna trek out to Playa Malarrimo to comb the beach for treasure. It’s super remote… no place you’d wannna travel to alone.

06/01/2022

Rode down to Punta San Francisquito for the night. Had the place to ourselves and got to sleep in a real bed for the first time in a while!

05/24/2022

We had a great stay at Playa La Gringa. We were entertained by the birds dive bombing the water for their prey just meters away. Love that place!

05/24/2022

Another night at Gonzaga Bay, then on to visit Coco at his new corner. Went through Arroyo Calamajue on our way to Bahía de Los Angeles.

05/23/2022

Gonzaga Bay is always a welcome stop ✋ n any Baja adventure.

05/19/2022

The beginnings of an epic Baja adventure are unfolding.

06/03/2021

Ran into this on Route D. Managed to get through (first vehicle this year, woohoo!) with a little luck. Hoping for smooth sailing from here.

06/03/2021

Routes A, B and C are clear of any snow or washouts. Crossing my fingers Route D will be the same.

06/02/2021

So it begins….

The revision ride to update the Olympic Mountains Loop GPS Tour are underway between now and Friday.

Hoping for snow-free routes and minimal traffic. Special thanks to Dan at True North Motos for the killer demo bike for the ride.

01/13/2021

My least favorite sign.

01/08/2021

What a view.