As the Magpie Flies

As the Magpie Flies The Adventures of Amanda Zito and her Motorcycles. Get Out and Do the Thing!

Amanda Zito was born and raised in Western Montana and spent her childhood on her family’s ranch.She moved to Portland, Oregon in 2010 to attend the Pacific Northwest College of Art where she earned a BFA in Illustration and finished her Tattoo Apprenticeship. She spends her free time driving as far away from the city as humanly possible and pining for home. She started riding in 2012, she current

ly owns two beautiful motorcycles; Lazarus, a 1980 Suzuki 850gl, and Hephaestus a 2005 Honda Shadow Spirit 750.

08/18/2026

My brother and I are riding to Alaska!! This is what's in my camping bag for this trip (not pictured are other things like my bearvault, bear spray, Thermacells for the mosquitos but those are in other bags!)

☑️ Exped Vega 2 Tent
☑️ Exped Megamat Ultra Sleeping Mat
☑️ Exped Winterlite Sleeping Bag
☑️ Exped Mega Pillow
☑️ Exped Ultra Pump
☑️ Exped Down Booties
☑️ Mini Rug
☑️ Exped Sit Pad
☑️ GEAR AID Balta Camp Hatchet
☑️ Gear Aid Repair Kit + Extra Patches & Zipper Lubricant
☑️ Wag Bags
☑️ Nomadix Travel Towel

All kept safe in my Wolfman Luggage Duffel

Stay tuned for more Alaska Trip Content coming soon!

08/14/2026

After riding the MTBDR these are our top tips, this just scratched the surface though!

Be sure to check out the new onX Offroad | Off-Roading Navigation App SOS powered by Overwatch X Rescue ! 🛟 It's important to have an emergency plan for backcountry travel BEFORE the emergency happens.


08/13/2026

This is your reminder to wash your gear!

08/12/2026

Our Budget Breakdown for the MTBDR 💰

Expense Tracking App;

Learn more about the Backcountry Discovery Route through ridebdr.com or

08/11/2026

Welp. Not how I thought Section 8 of the MTBDR would go...

I've got about 26 miles of the last section to make up in the future. But my phone kept welcoming me to Canada while we were in Rexford so I think that means I finished in my own way, right? 😅

Really enjoyed Section 8, this part of Montana is really special and I hope more people make the time to spend a little more time up here.

If you'd like to learn more about Backcountry Discovery Routes visit ridebdr.com or Backcountry Discovery Routes

08/08/2026

Section 7 of the MTBDR has a lot of detours when we went so I think we'll need to go back in the future 👌
THOMPSON FALLS TO LIBBY - 113 Miles

Between a closed section from Graves Creek to Vermillion Pass, and the bridge closure we really only did the bit from Willow Creek Campground to Hwy 2.

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Learn more about Backcountry Discovery Routes by visiting ridebdr.com or Backcountry Discovery Routes

07/29/2026

Montana Backcountry Discovery Route Section 6
St. Regis to Thompson Falls - 72 Miles

Check out the link in my bio to learn more about my phone mount 👌

St. Regis

⛽ St. Regis Travel Center and Trout Aquarium

🛒 St Regis Grocery

🍽️ Winki's Diner

🍽️ Jasper's Restaurant

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Learn more about the MTBDR and other routes at ridebdr.com or

07/27/2026

This section was a little more eventful than I expected!
Montana Backcountry Discovery Route Section 5
Seeley Lake to St. Regis - 133 Miles

SEELEY LAKE, MT

☕ Seeley Station (Coffee, Ice Cream and Sandwiches)

🍽️ Filling Station

🍽️ The BBQ Pit

🍽️ Lindey’s Prime Steak House

🛒 Cory’s Valley Market

🛒 Dollar General

⛽ Rovero’s

⚙️ Napa Auto Parts

(Continued in the Description)

Learn more about the MTBDR and other routes at ridebdr.com or Backcountry Discovery Routes

07/24/2026

Montana Backcountry Discovery Route Section 4

LINCOLN TO SEELEY LAKE - 72 Miles

Some people asked what we're using for navigation, I use onX Offroad | Off-Roading Navigation App and download maps offline.
I also heavily rely on the weather radar layer to dictate when I put rain gear on and it's been pretty accurate so far.
The wildfire and smoke layers have also been important for our trip to make sure we're not blindly heading into any fire zones.

Check link in my bio to try onX for yourself.

LINCOLN, MT

🏛️ Check out Blackfoot Pathways Sculpture in the Wild

This area is BUSY with recreators on weekends, so keep that in mind when you’re headed in and out of town.

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Learn more about the MTBDR and other routes at ridebdr.com or Backcountry Discovery Routes

07/22/2026

Montana Backcountry Discovery Route Section 3
BUTTE TO LINCOLN 146 MI

BUTTE, MT
🛍️ Walmart and many other options to stock up on groceries, and supplies.
🍽️ Joe's Pasty Shop highly recommend grabbing a Miners Pasty to go for the road on your way through or stop for a breakfast pasty.
🛏️ We stayed at the Butte KOA Journey but we wish we had stayed at a hotel closer to downtown to explore more, and have better access to local restaurants.
🏛️ World Museum of Mining - highly recommended to make time to stop here if you like history. One of my favorite places in Butte!
🚃 Butte has a few different history tour options as well if you make time for them they are also entertaining and give a more rounded perspective of Butte's history beyond the Berkeley Pitt.
🔧 We picked up some spare parts and chain l**e at Redline Powersports

(CONTINUED IN THE DESCRIPTION)

Learn more about the MTBDR and other routes at ridebdr.com or Backcountry Discovery Routes

Address

Red Lodge, MT
59068

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