SacramentoMike
Not Safe For Work
It's pretty far after the ride ended, but maybe some of you can read it while you wait for the snow to melt. I left Sac on 8/31 and got home 10/13. After that it was time to relax, so my family and I took a week-long camping vacation in Yosemite. I can’t do a daily report from the road; I don’t know how anybody can.
On this trip I camped when I could, and the rest was a mix of motels and enjoying the hospitality of family and forum friends, which I’ll get to later on. But for future long trips, I think I’ll just bag the camping. I do love settling into a campsite for the evening, relaxing with a fire, and the whole ambience of a nice quiet campground, but having to unpack and repack and stop in time to set up in daylight, and still having time to relax in that ideal evening camping time is too hectic if you need to make miles too. On the nights I camped, I didn’t have that kind of leisure.
When I motel, I like covered parking.
I left here heading north, and cut over to the coast on the wonderful highway 36 (famous sign: wiggly arrow with the words “NEXT 140 MILES.” They should put a big smiley face on it too.) First night visiting my daughter in Eureka on the north coast where I visited the “Black Lightning Motorcycle Café” per FWFE’s recommendation, and headed up the coast. I always love that ride, though some complain it’s too slow and traffic-rich. I just like the views. FJRay had offered me a stop in LaPine (central) OR, but I was just getting going for the day when I’d have been near him. Mucho thanko for the offer, though, Ray (like Beemerdons, I like to spice up my posts with a little espanol).
Black Lightning Motorcycle Cafe. Strange mix of food, classic bikes, and gear. Cool, interesting place.
Port Orford OR. Great spot to eat a sandwich
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
Coastal Forest Service campground in Oregon
I stuck to the coast (with a stop in that great NFS seaside campground above) until I was almost to Portland, then tried to find a way around the city. What a FAIL. Traffic, then construction, then detours. Slow ones. After all that, I headed down the Columbia River Gorge toward The Dalles (one of my favorite place names). Crossed into WA and then ID, where everything is named after either Lewis, or Clark, or both, and then north. I planned to cut east at the beautiful Sand Point and duplicate (in reverse) a 2007 ride I’d done, Rte. 200 toward Missoula, but decided to continue north to Bonner’s Ferry for Rte. 2, toward Kalispell and Glacier National Park to ride the Going to the Sun again. Pretty, but always slow and choked with cars and campers, but at least it was now after the Labor Day weekend. The spectacular waterfalls were depressingly dry, though, but at least the weather was clear. It was chilly—had been for the whole ride so far, but chilly is perfect, IMO. It was slow and muddy from construction coming down the east side and the bike got a long-lasting coat of mud.
There should be a whole lot of waterfalls in this pic. Tough year for water all over the west.
Realllly long construction delay after Logan Pass. Which got muddy.
Approaching Glacier. I just liked this shot.
Going to the Sun was dry--but still spectacular.
Guess I'll post this much and see how much more I can do tonight. I'd hate to have the computer crash or something and have to start again.
On this trip I camped when I could, and the rest was a mix of motels and enjoying the hospitality of family and forum friends, which I’ll get to later on. But for future long trips, I think I’ll just bag the camping. I do love settling into a campsite for the evening, relaxing with a fire, and the whole ambience of a nice quiet campground, but having to unpack and repack and stop in time to set up in daylight, and still having time to relax in that ideal evening camping time is too hectic if you need to make miles too. On the nights I camped, I didn’t have that kind of leisure.
When I motel, I like covered parking.
I left here heading north, and cut over to the coast on the wonderful highway 36 (famous sign: wiggly arrow with the words “NEXT 140 MILES.” They should put a big smiley face on it too.) First night visiting my daughter in Eureka on the north coast where I visited the “Black Lightning Motorcycle Café” per FWFE’s recommendation, and headed up the coast. I always love that ride, though some complain it’s too slow and traffic-rich. I just like the views. FJRay had offered me a stop in LaPine (central) OR, but I was just getting going for the day when I’d have been near him. Mucho thanko for the offer, though, Ray (like Beemerdons, I like to spice up my posts with a little espanol).
Black Lightning Motorcycle Cafe. Strange mix of food, classic bikes, and gear. Cool, interesting place.
Port Orford OR. Great spot to eat a sandwich
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
Coastal Forest Service campground in Oregon
I stuck to the coast (with a stop in that great NFS seaside campground above) until I was almost to Portland, then tried to find a way around the city. What a FAIL. Traffic, then construction, then detours. Slow ones. After all that, I headed down the Columbia River Gorge toward The Dalles (one of my favorite place names). Crossed into WA and then ID, where everything is named after either Lewis, or Clark, or both, and then north. I planned to cut east at the beautiful Sand Point and duplicate (in reverse) a 2007 ride I’d done, Rte. 200 toward Missoula, but decided to continue north to Bonner’s Ferry for Rte. 2, toward Kalispell and Glacier National Park to ride the Going to the Sun again. Pretty, but always slow and choked with cars and campers, but at least it was now after the Labor Day weekend. The spectacular waterfalls were depressingly dry, though, but at least the weather was clear. It was chilly—had been for the whole ride so far, but chilly is perfect, IMO. It was slow and muddy from construction coming down the east side and the bike got a long-lasting coat of mud.
There should be a whole lot of waterfalls in this pic. Tough year for water all over the west.
Realllly long construction delay after Logan Pass. Which got muddy.
Approaching Glacier. I just liked this shot.
Going to the Sun was dry--but still spectacular.
Guess I'll post this much and see how much more I can do tonight. I'd hate to have the computer crash or something and have to start again.
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