Mark's Webpage

This is Mark Sampson's Homepage--Trip reports are on down the page
DVD movies are available for a lot ot the rides below.
E-Mail Me

For those new to my website---the bulk of my website chronicles the offroad adventure rides that I have taken around the U.S.
and Mexico---there are a few pictures below of my bikes and below that are the links to the trips---enjoy !!

Latest Video Just Finished !!!!
"West Of The Divide" Me and my son travel together for the first time
in years thru Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.
It's more than about the ride. I have the DVD video finished but
am traveling and won't have it for sale for a few weeks.
That ride and story is below in the ride links.

Want some BigDog T-shirts----no ??----well scroll down.
Yes ???---here they are---my good friend Bill Asher in Missouri designed these and sent
the design to a T-shirt manufacturer and here they are. Neither me nor him make a penny off these.
A few people have been wanting stickers and the such--so now you can have a BigDog t-shirt.
Lots of colors---all sizes. I prefer not white--they'll just get looking greasy out in
my old ratty garage. Pictured is gray.
Order HERE

Me and My Son Marty
My son has been tied up in the corporate world for a long time and we haven't ridden together since
he was in school----he's 33 years old now.
He's left the corporate behind and is beginning a new life--which will include us riding together again.
He purchased a 2008 Husqvarna TE610 and went riding in Missouri and we are pictured here
on a 100 year old swinging bridge---one of the few remaining in Missouri. I rode my KTM 520EXC.
Father and Son Re-United.

Me and My son Marty 1978--he's 10 months old.
Bet you didn't know I rode Harleys for years---there's a lot of things you don't know about BigDog.
I'll write about them someday.

Planned Ride June--July of 2010
Me and Scott Stevenson of Tuscon, Arizona (pictured below) are planning to pioneer a new route from Mexico to Canada.
It will start in Lochiel, Arizona on the Mexico border and end at the Canada border---up thru Arizona, Utah and Idaho.
Well----sort of end there. From there we may head West into Washington, Oregon, Nevada and who knows where.
Were going where we've never been. This ride may take a month and I hope we get to do it.
Scott and me will both be riding our Yamaha WR250R's.
These bikes are very capable of long distance offroad travel on which it will be almost impossible
for rough technical terrain to stop us--- as can happen on bigger bikes.
As the shirt says-----ANYWHERE !! The ride will start at the picture on the right--the Mexico border!!!!

I don't know why we are taking such big powerful bikes on this 6,000 mile ride.
Just plain ego I guess. It only takes 12 hp to ride around the world.

Pic Of The Month
June, 2010---Somewhere In New Mexico
On the Continental Divide Trail I ran into this friendly fellow.
What's that old saying ????? Oh Yeah !!!"

BigDogAdventures--the early years

Honeymoon May 24th, 1974
1969 Triumph 650 tiger chopper

Bike accessories
Headlight was a fender light off of an old tractor with an 1156 bulb (yes an ordinary turn signal bulb)---front brake, none--aftermarket gas tank, 3/4 gallon---front fender, none---rear suspension, you kidding ??-----Seat, there was none, just the "old gold blanket" folded up---sleeping bag, one biggin', we were in luv, and still are---rain gear, Huh ??----mufflers, oh please-----helmets, hah !!!----GPS, I don't think so.

The bike got us 45 miles from home and blew up---spent the afternoon in Goreville, Illinois waiting for a pickup---finished the honeymoon back in our 600 sq. ft. apartment.
Our first adventure !!!!
I still luv you Debi

Mexico To Canada/A New Way.............Another Way Up West
of the Continental Divide....this ride is in progress as of July, 17th, 2010 and we will be gone awhile.

East Of The Divide----A sweet solo ride on my 950 KTM heading to my son's house in Durango, Colorado.

Fall Color ride 2009----I ride my Yamaha WR250R down thru Missouri and Arkansas trying to soak up all the Fall Colors---a 1,200 miles solo ride.

Shadow Of The Rockies Trail/Colorado-----my WR250R and a KLR ride Sam Correro's Colorado portion of his Shadow Of The Rockies Trail---and then ride on in to Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and back down thru Colorado----2,476 miles on a 250.

Poncho And Lefty A Southern New Mexico and Arizona 1,700 mile unsuported adventure ride I took in January 2009 on my Yamaha WR250R with my buddy on a KLR

Kentucky Adventure Trail 3 Riders ride the backroads and trails of not only Kentucky--but West Virginia, and Tennesse.

Missouri Mill Tour A several day ride to some really neat and beautiful stuff in the Southern Missouri Hills. There are a lot of old grist mills still standing in Missouri--and I go to several of them.

Long Way UP BigDog and The Breeze ride the Tour Of Idaho Trail---a 1,300 mile road
and trail from the Utah border---to the Canada border.

Trans Wisconsin America Trail This adventure ride starts at the
Wisconsin--Illinois border and runs mostly offroad to a bluff overlooking
Lake Superior. I rode it alone on my KLR in June of 2008.

Shadow Of The Rockies Trail --Join me as we ride Sam Correro's newest ride thru New Mexico------a 700 mile trailride which starts at the Mexican border in Texas and ends up at the Colorado border where it crosses Sam's well known Trans Am Trail.

Barrancas Del Cobre -----A Husky TE610 and Honda XR650R travel some different routes around the Mexican Canyons and beyond.

Ozark Mountain Daredevils -----Fall 2007-----a dirt ride ?? a dualsport ride ??? an adventure ride ???----Well yes--it was !!!

Taylor Park Colorado July, 2007.... 9 dirt bikers hit the trails and mountain passes----am I too old to still ride a real dirt bike ????

Little Dog Gets Off The Porch June, 2007....BigDog, GasPipe and Killer take the big bikes to the pacific Northwest--and little dog................well,.........takes the little bike. 4,500 miles of Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

200 Miles Of Bad Road BigDog and GasPipe in the Mark Twain Forest of Missouri--March 2007

The Western TAT----- or "Trans Am Trail"---Offroad ride from Arkansas to the Pacific ocean in Oregon.

Trans America Trail 2006 New years day 2006 we ride the unridden Kentucky and Northern Tennessee portions of the Trans America Trail.

Hoosier Hookey Ride It's fall in beautiful Indiana----we try to drowned a new KLR, find many new "old" bridges, and take a ride thru a live railroad tunnel--no, I still haven't growed up !!!

Arkansas Fall Color Tour 2005 We ride the Fall Color Tour Dualsport and get to hang out with Scott Harden--the man who headed the USA Paris to Dakar race team in 2005.

Homeless HoeDown The long way round'--to the adventure rider rally in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Le Tour De Divide A 2,700 mile offroad journey from Canada to Mexico--if Lance Armstrong can ride this far in the mountains--so can we !!!!!

Flag Day Adventure 3 KLR's, a KTM 950 and 1150GS ride the Missouri and Arkansas mountains-----and actually camp !!!!

It's a Bummer Snowfari

Eastern TAT Trans-America Trail----7 riders ride the Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas portions of the TAT.

2004 Weekend Madness Join me on just some short weekend rides to some really neat places I've went throughout the year.

Swinging Bridges Dualsport 8 riders on 650 dualsports find and ride over the old and historic swinging bridges on the backroads of Missouri.

Mexico--Copper Canyon 9 days in Mexico--much more than just copper canyon. With a little trip thru big Bid Bend National park before coming home.

2003 Arizona Adventure --------Bears, scorpions, tarantulas, rattlesnakes, and cactus needles call us to the backcountry of Arizona on a KLR650, DR650 and XR400.

2002 Fall Adventure Ride 4 adventure riders tackle the backroads of the Appalachain Mountains---BMW R1150GS, DR650, BMWF650 and BMW 650 Dakar.

2002 Moab Dualsport ride from Moab, Utah to the North rim of theGrand Canyon and back!! 1,700 miles of rocks, sand, dirt, washes, mountain passes and jeep trails--On a Suzuki DRZ400S and DR650.

2001 Colorado Mountain Pass Ride----------3 riders tackle the high mountain passes of Colorado on a several day offroad dualsport adventure--on a Suzuki DRZ400S, DR650 and Honda XR600L.

2001 Arkansas 650 Adventure --4 riders, 5 days, rain, floods, flat tires, cold--well you get the picture !!!!! On 2 BMWF650's, DR650, BMW650 Dakar.