In 2021, filmmaker Sterling Noren released hisRiding Solovideo series, detailing his 30-day, 6,000-mile backcountry loop around the western United States. He’s back at it again with a new series,Riding Solo AZ to BC. This time, Noren goes farther than before, covering 8,000 miles in 53 days from his home in southern Arizona all the way to British Columbia and back. If his name sounds familiar, that’s probably because Noren is one of the original members of theBackcountry Discovery Routesteam. He’s also responsible for most of the BDR films.

Noren sets the scene in the first episode, describing what he’s doing and why. At 53 years old, taking a 53-day trip seemed the right thing to do, especially on his BMW with 53,000 miles. Throughout this series, Noren will not only show us his journey, but also share exactly how he gets all these great shots. This first episode shows off his camera gear, as well as a unique monopod attached to his luggage. This lets him get some unique shots on his GoPro while riding, as well as attach his Fuji XT4 for stationary shots off the bike, saving him the time and trouble of setting up a separate tripod. Motovloggers should definitely check this out to get some tips and advice for taking your videos to the next level. We also get to see what equipment he takes along, how he packs it, and how much it weighs.

The journey itself begins in episode two, with a tour of Bisbee, Arizona to start things off. He then takes us through the Coronado National Memorial along the Mexico border. Temperatures are actually cooler here than in Tucson and Phoenix to the north because of the higher elevation, making it a great place to visit in the summer. Unlike a BDR, Noren will be sticking to relatively easy paved and dirt roads for this trip. He wants to show us that you can still have a great ride without throwing your bike down a difficult trail, which is particularly useful if you’re fully loaded for a long trip. After stopping for supplies, Noren finds a great free campsite right next to Arivaca Lake.

I might have watched these videos to write this article, but they’ve genuinely sucked me into his adventure, and I can’t wait for more to come out detailing the rest of his journey. Grabbing the viewer with emotions, as Noren has done here, is a sign of a great filmmaker.