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Man Travels 5,000 Miles
Alone on an ATV!
Nathan Beck and best friend |
Reno, 4-4-07: Nathan Beck of Reno, Nevada
discovered the American West alone with his quad
and ATV Wagon trailer full of gear. He lost his
dog twice and checked into a hospital due to
hypothermia one night in Idaho. He went through
10 new tires and about 416 gallons of gas during
his adventure, plus he maintained a daily
journal of the trip.
A humble Nathan explains his insanity, "I
want to know what's on the other side of the
mountain, I have the itch to travel. I want to
see what is out there. Life is too short." One
of the main reasons why people own ATVs is to
explore the back country and enjoy the sense of
freedom—Nathan Beck symbolizes this fact and
more.
Made it to Sturgis! |
What Nathan did was truly
remarkable—historic—inspirational--
unbelievable! In July of 2006, Nathan left Reno
and traveled north to Canada. He reached the
border in about 11 days, averaging 160 miles per
day driving on trails and secondary roads. But
as he started to head back home, he began to
ponder the possibilities of going farther.
"I have always wanted to experience Sturgis
and since I was nearly half way there and street
legal, I just decided to take a detour," says
Nathan. But he almost didn't make it, as day 16
in Bozeman, Montana was most difficult for him.
"Losing my dog AND the mechanical breakdown was
terrible. I was so desperate I was pushing my
quad to the nearest gas station saying to myself
'this is how it ends', I was thinking 'I'm
getting a U-Haul and I am going home'”, sighs
Nathan.
The route, 16, 724 miles long. |
But he had rewarding experiences as well
during his 34 day, 5000 mile ATV trip. He
explains, "Making it to Sturgis-that was very
rewarding for me. People could not believe that
I came from Reno on a quad to the rally. But
even more rewarding, the very last day of my
trip I left at 11AM and drove straight til 1:30
the next morning- 361 miles in one day-my
personal best. I could barely get off the quad,
I was so tired."
So far Nathan has put 16,724 miles on a 2004
Yamaha Grizzly in just 3 years of ownership and
has no plans of stopping. Nathan takes
‘exploring the back country on an ATV’ to a
whole new level. He is scheduling an '07 summer
trip-- maybe 10,000 miles in 60 days. He is
currently seeking sponsors to assist with the
mega-ride.
You can contact Nathan Beck, learn more about
his trip, and read his 34 day journal at
www.atvwagon.com.
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