Monday, August 30, 2010

Day 16 - Milwaukee to Home

Alas all good things must come to an end.  Today is our final day to ride on this trip.

Arising early we headed for a special breakfast in McMinnville.


Breakfast was fabulous.  The pork meat loaf definitely had the cow's approval.



We then plotted a course for Bingen, WA where we hankered for a Sausage / Cherry Pizza that we had missed on an earlier trip.   The route took us through Forest Grove and up I-84 to Multnomah Falls where for the first time we stopped and played total tourist.  We've ridden or driven by the Falls many times but have never stopped.  That would change today.

We hiked in our full m/c gear up to that upper bridge.


Of course, one can look down from that upper bridge.




We crossed the Columbia at Hood River and ended up at the Solstice in Bingen to savor our cherry sausage pizza treat.


Our course then took us to White Salmon and Trout Lake and then to Forest Service (FS) 23 which is a very cool paved road through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.  It has a great scenic pullout to be able to photograph Mt. Adams, but the mountain was clouded over at the pullout.  Fortunately I had taken a photo of the mountain from a few mintues earlier in the ride.



FS23 then connects with FS90 for a 25 plus mile ride through the forest to connect up with FS25 which runs north to Randle.  FS23 can also be used to get to Randle but there is a lengthy gravel section that I didn't want to ride 2up on a Wing pulling a trailer.  FS90 does have one section of about a mile of hard packed gravel and two smaller sections, but that was fine for me.

Mt. St. Helens was obscured, but FS25 was a delight to ride.  One has to be a bit cautious as there are lots of frost heaves that affect the road quality (particularly the edges).  There's also a "temporary" bridge that's been in place for 2 years over a significant landslide area.



After a brief bio-break at the intersection FS99 (Windy Ridge road), we rode on into Randle and then pointed ourselves for a direct route home with a quick stop in Orting tro visit relatives.

We arrived at home around 9pm after logging 5,200 miles, 8 dams, 14,260 feet in high elevation, multiple passes over 9,000 feet, sea level, and many twisty roads in between.  It was a great 16 days of which 13 were riding days which translates into around 400 miles per day.  It's not an Iron Butt pace, but it was a pace we could comfortably sustain and still take lots of pictures, visit dams and cafes, visit with people and be safe.

Here's a link to the picture library:  http://tinyurl.com/24c3cun

Where to next?

Day 15 - In and Around Portland

Day 15 was a rest day for us in Milwaukee.


For breakfast we enjoyed a nice one at Bob's Red Mill (www.bobsredmill.com).




Then it was to be a quick trip across the border to get my driver's license renewed.  The ride up there went quickly, the visit to the licensing location in East Vancouver was the quickest and most pleasant I've ever experienced.  Then when trying to cross back into Oregon, it took over 1 1/2 hours because of lane and exit closures on I-205.  Eventually I navigated to I-5 and made the crossing and navigated back to 205 where I needed to be to visit a motorcycle store (WingMan).  We were also able to have a nice visit with one of Angela's aunts in Oregon City.

Our hosts served a very nice mult-bean soup that the cow approved of.


The evening was spent at an American Idol 2010 top ten finishers concert at the Rose Garden.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Day 14 - Florence, OR to Milwaukee, OR

Today was to be our shortest day of actual riding during the trip.  We got another late start at around 10am after chatting in the motel parking lot with a couple of fellows from California on vintage BMW's.  It turned out that they were just ahead of us on the trip west from Denver and followed a similar route through Gerlach and up the Old Mckenzie Highway.  They had the same positive impression as we did about the Old Mckenzie Highway.

Our route took us north along the rugged Pacific Coast Highway (US101). Initially there wasn't much traffic, but around Yachats, that changed.  I also found that much of the US 101 highway road surface to be in disrepair.  

We made a stop at Bob's Beach where we took a photo to document the biggest dam (the seashore - )





We refueled in Lincoln City and enjoyed a brief chat with a fellow on a HD who was heading from Coos Bay to the Kite Festival at Long Beach.  He had a total of 5k miles on his bike and we had almost 5k on just this trip alone.  His riding buddy was on a Honda 650 dual sport bike. 

Just north of Lincoln City we exited US101 and headed east on OR18.  The first 30 miles or so were wonderful and twisty.  At McMinnville, we stopped for  little lunch at Los Molchahetes in the center of town where we ate using the sidewalk cafe.




Several fellows walked by the bike and commented, "Wow, 2 GPS', satellite radio, radar detector, SPOT, and ABS brakes."  They didn't realize that I could hear them from across the street, but it fun to hear the comments.

After lunch we headed for our friends, Jim & Louise, who live in Milwaukee.  Much of that part of the ride was in heavy traffic which was not much fun riding in.  However, a fun highlight was riding by the Evergreen Aviation Educational Institute with the 747 on the roof.



Daily STATS;
Miles:166
Game:  None

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Day 13 - Chemult, OR to Florence, OR

What a day this would turn out to be be!  But that's getting ahead of myself.

We got a little bit of a late start at just after 10am after enjoying a breakfast sandwich at the Subway behind our motel.   The Chik Filet cow enjoyed it.


Our first dam for the day, Crescent, was just about 30 miles away and it was a nice warm ride up to it.  We first ended up on the resort side of the dam and snapped a photo.  I seem to have this thing about getting pictures from both sides of dams where possible.



I then found the way around to boat launch and took the documentary photo.



I then took a few other pictures.of the lake.  The water is so clear and you can see the rocks in the bottom in the first picture.



There's a really nice campground by the dam that would be worth  coming back to stay at.

We then headed north to near Redmond to enjoy a nice lunch.  Along the way a "wannabe suicidal" squirrel darted out, Angela closed her eyes, I steered straight ahead, and in my rear view mirror I saw that the squirrel completed a 180 turn to avoid becoming road kill.


The AHI Tuna fish tacos were among the best I've ever had.



The cook took a liking to our bike and came out to chat with us.  I also took a picture of his nice '80 BMW that had been restored.  He's the original owner.

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Soon we were on our way west on OR126 which would take us tall the way to Florence, OR on the Pacific Ocean (some 200 miles to the west from Redmond).  At Sisters I decided to take the recommendation of a friend and ride OR 242 (the Old McKenzie Road).  What a treat this was!!  It's a road that's limited to vehicles and combinations 35 feet or shorter.  Up we climbed and soon were in some giant lava fields that were created from volcanic eruptions of the Sisters and other smaller craters.   At the summit of the road this is this very cool observatory that has peep holes that are aligned with the respective peak or lava source.   What I found particularly special was that I could look out on the lava flows and see which mountain they came from.


This observatory, named Dee Wright Observatory after the Forest Service foreman who supervised its construction back in the 1930's.  Here's a few pictures.  Again, there are more in the Smugmug photo gallery.





The chipmunks up there were definitely well treated and would come up expecting a treat.  This photo was taken at my feet.



Leaving the observvatory, we then rode the very twisty route west down the mountain and passed 4 bicyclists.  Soon we re-connected with OR 126 and followed it west to Florence with a gas stop in Springfield, OR (lots of traffic).    The section of OR 126 west of Springfield was especially nice and twisty to ride.and we finally saw our first Oregon State Trooper just outside of Florence with a paying customer.  For the first time in many days we were riding at altitudes lower than 5,000 feet and temperatures below 60f.

At  Florence we headed south on US101 to tag our last and final dam at 8pm on 8/19/2010:  Tahkenitch which is located right alongside of US101 and only 24 feet above sea level.  We documented the dam with some pictures and then headed back to Florence to get a motel for the night.


We ended up with a room at the Villa West because it was next to a Thai Restaurant (Best Thai Cuisine).  Because they were closing at 9pm, we ordered our meal to go and enjoyed it in our room.



Tomorrow we'll head north along the ocean and spend a couple of nights with some friends in the Portland, Oregon before returning home on Sunday via White Salmon and Mt. St. Helens.

Trip Statistics:
Daily Mileage: 327 miles
Game Spotted:  Several deer, many chipmunks, and one wannabe suicidal squirrel

Day 12 - Alturas, CA to Chemult, OR

Today we started a bit later than normal.  I ended up giving the bike and trailer a wash as it was looking so grimy.  After refueling, we headed west on CA 299 which is a wonderful motorcycle road.  It was about 90 miles to our first dam of the day which was located on the Pit River (Pit #3 dam).  We rode over a summit and down the other side through some interesting scenery.


Arriving at the dam from the south side we encountered a "road closed" sign.   Hmm, what's up with this?


So we decided to try it from the north side of the dam, and wahla, here's the Pit #3 dam and a few other shots.


We then continued our ride up CA89 (long and straight).  Kalifornia has this strange rule about vehicles towing trailers that the maximum speed limit is 55 mph.

Lunch was in McCloud, and Mr. Cow approved of a buffalo burger.




We're been safely doing well in excess of that in every other state, so it was a bit frustrating.  On the flip side, we got really good gas mileage.  And it gave some time to get a shot of Mt. Shasta from both directions:



We grabbed a little bite to eat near Rogue River before heading on to our next dam.



Arriving at the William L Jess Dam (originally named the Lost Creek Dam), it was impressive to be a the base of this large earthen fill structure.



Here's some history.



And there's a nearby fish rearing pond and another small dam.


We're now headed for the Crescent Dam via Crater Lake (we've not been there is a few years).  We arrive at the lake around 8:15pm and it's getting dusk.  The lodge is fully booked so we don't get to stay there.  We do enjoy a little snack before hitting the road for Chemult (the nearest town).  Leaving the lodge, it's pitch black and a little deer runs in front of us while we are walking to the bike.  Hmm, what will this portend?

Riding out the north entrance, we encounter a buck deer in velvet, but he stays off the roadway.  It was then a short hour ride to Chemult, OR where at10pm we snag a $42 room at the Budget Inn (clean and comfortable with WIFI). 

The plan today is to snag the remaining two dams.  However, one is just a few miles north of Chemult, while the last one is 200 miles to the west on the Pacific Ocean.  But I'm sure we can find some interesting roads to connect the two points.

Trip Statisitics:
Daily Mileage:  418
Game Spotted:  a few deer

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Day 11 - Delta, UT to Alturas, CA

We awakened refreshed and packed our gear.  I noticed on my pre-ride check that my left parking lamp was burned out, so I made a mental note to stop and replace that bulb.

We were out the door by 7:45am and began the ride on the loneliest road in America - US50.  The morning ride on US50 was anything but lonely when you have your best friend with you.  There were few cars and good time was made on a very desolate ride across valley's and over "passes". 




148 or so miles later found us in Ely, NV where we refueled and I eventually found a replacement bulb at a NAPA store. 



US50 goes across the barreness of the NV desert and mountain ranges.  It was miles and miles of just scenery (some man made)



The portion leading into Austin was very twisty and a nice end to that segment of the ride.  We gassed up at the local Chevron and purchased some mementos of "Surviving HWY 50".  We also spoke with a couple who were on a HD trike towing a teardrop trailer.  They were returning home to Reno from Sturgis.  The next section was a long and desolate section.  There were even warning signs about low flying aircraft and when we arrived at Fallon, we learned it was a Naval Air Station where Top Gun fighters are trained.  We even saw 2 jets take off.   In Fallon we refueled and re-hydrated (it was 100 degrees).  We headed out of town on NV447 to Gerlach so that we wouldn't have to ride through Reno.

NV447 is a long and straight road, but it has many unusual rock formations.


The Gerlach area is known for it's Gypsum processing operations.  It was definitely a white area and it was also EXTREMELY windy.  It was probably the strongest wind I have ridden in.  We refueled in Gerlach and then continued on north on NV447 which became twisty and eventually went over a mountain pass which dropped down into California and the Surprise Valley Road.  This delectable road runs north along the east side of the valley and ends in Cedarville where we turned west on CA299 (another fine motorcycle road).   We rode this fine road to US395 where we turned south to spend the night in Alturas.

Our lodging for the night was at the Rim Rock Motel (highly recommended) on the north end of town.  We also ate at the Brass Rail Basque restaurant (again highly recommended).  The restaurant serves dinner family style and it was simply terrific and reasonably priced.



Needless to say, the hostess got a kick out of the cow in the picture of the dinner.


While we were waiting for our dinner, the couple next to us were also riding their motorcycle.  They had been gone about the same length of time we had, but they had only logged some 1200 miles while we are at 3800 miles.  It turns out that their idea of a long day is 200 miles, and we are ticking off triple that pretty much every day.

Tomorrow the plan is to tag the last of the "bonus" dams and we'll then head north to Oregon to tag some cafes and the remaining 3 dams.

Trip Statistics:
Daily Mileage 627
Game Spotted:  2 large herds of deer near Cedarville.

Day 10 - Denver, CO to Delta, UT

Today we began our ride home which would also snag us our dams and cafes.  But first we got up early and watched the start of the 2010 Iron Butt 5000 Rally. It was a good time to wish our friends a safe and enjoyable ride and then see them off.  They had received their rally bonus packets the previous evening and all had plotted routes that would lead them on essentially a long scavenger hunt that would bring them back to Denver by 10pm on Tuesday night.  They then would have a few hours to rest before receiving their next bonus packet which would give them scavenger locations to find and end up in Spartenburg, NC on Saturday.  Here are a few pictures of the pre-ride activity, but I have none of the start as my camera battery discharged just as the start began.



There are many more pictures of the rally start at the Smugmug link. 

We finished packing our bike and had a nice long chat with another couple from Seattle who were also heading home.We then departed around 10am on a route that would take us west on I-70 to Salina, UT and then a short jog up to Delta, UT where we ended up spending the night.

It was a nice ride up and over the Rocky Mountains through Vail (lunch break)


At Palisade, CO we experienced a severe electrical storm, so we elected to get off the bike and wait out the storm in the local park.  It was a wise choice as the storm was quite powerful.  When a clearing in the clouds occurred, we continued our ride west.

The scenery on I-70 was terrific and we enjoyed it immensely.








 Pulling into Salina, we stopped for a milk shake to combat the temperatures.



Continuing on we arrived in Delta, UT and found a motel (Diamond D - Family owned and clean and neat).  A terriyaki dinner from the restaurant across the street was then was consumed.  (Sorry, Mr. Cow was left at the motel).

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Trip Statistics:
Mileage for the Day:  533
Game Spotted:  Lots of Pronghorns