MisterMR
Member
Well, there it was, the middle of June, nearly three months since I bought my 2007 FJR, and the odometer was still under 2,000 miles. While I’ve been riding it nearly every day around town, and taking short jaunts during the day when I can, my need to make a living and my desire to spend time with my family have not left me with enough Matt-time to take any real road trips. So, I needed to come up with an excuse to use the FJR during one of my family events
Luckily, there was an event planned that was perfect for my needs. My wife’s family had scheduled a mini-reunion up at Bucks Lake. We were going to make a long weekend of it, but since I needed to be back in time for a Homeowner’s Association meeting on Monday evening, I told Julie that I should take the FJR up separately so she didn’t have to rush home. She, of course, saw right through my ruse, but, being the generous person that she is, smiled and said “sounds good.” I had a twinge of guilt for causing her to be subjected to 3+ hours alone in the car with two small children (twice in one weekend), but I vowed to make it up to her somehow.
So, on Friday morning, June 20, we packed up the Jeep with camping supplies for the four of us, various items that we are transferring to her family members, all the toys that my two children simply “must” have with them (90% of which would stay hidden in their backpacks all weekend) and hit the road at 10AM.
As we headed out, traffic was light, the wind was calm and the temperature was a pleasant 82 degrees.
Our plan was to head up to Oroville and then our little caravan would break up as we both took the Oroville-Quincy highway to Bucks Lake at our own speeds, with me taking some pictures along the way. From home in El Dorado Hills, CA, our journey up Folsom-Auburn road to Roseville was uneventful. As we headed north along Highway 65 toward Marysville, the air temperature readout on the FJR started climbing. By the time we reached Highway 70, the temperature was 93 degrees. Still, my Olympia Bushwacker mesh jacket and Airglide mesh pants did a terrific job of letting in plenty of air to keep me cool. I was following my wife and a few miles before we enter Marysville, brake lights flashed and traffic ground to a halt. As we jerked forward 20 feet every 30 seconds, the lack of air flow became very noticeable and I started re-thinking my commitment to ATGATT. Luckily, before I made any life-changing decisions, my wife, who has ridden pillion with me since our first date 10 years ago and is well aware of my situation, waved me up to her window. She told me that we might as well stop in Marysville for lunch and suggested that I go ahead. Ahhhh! Just one of the many reasons to love this woman. Thankfully, I briefly left my wife behind and lane-split through the traffic ahead to see that ½ mile ahead was someone’s boat that had flown off their trailer from the southbound side of the freeway and has landed in the fast lane on the northbound side! I couldn’t help but imagine the mess that I would have made on my seat if I had seen that coming at me.
After a delicious lunch at La Salsa – where I briefly chatted with a gentleman who rode a KLR and was envious because he hadn’t brought it on this trip – we continued our journey north. By the time we reached our exit in Oroville, the temperature was 97 degrees. I had spent the last 20 miles playing with my helmet’s air vents trying to find the right amount of air on my face – enough to minimize the stuffiness, but not so much that it dries out my eyes. Well, just as I turned onto Highway 162, a cloud of dust flew off the semi- in front of me, right into my face. My eyes started watering and I could hardly see a thing. I frantically waved to my wife, trying to let her know that I needed to pull over, and quickly darted into the nearest parking lot. My wife, however, thought that I was simply waving her on and that I was pulling over to take a picture, so she went on her merry way. No offense to Mr. Huntington, but his Sportsman Store in Oroville is not high on my list of photographic targets.
After wiping my eyes, I decided to top off my tank and head to the Oroville-Quincy highway. This is a road with which I am very familiar from driving in a car, but have anticipated the day (today!) that I would be able to ride on a motorcycle. For those of you who have never ridden this road, you take the Montgomery Street off ramp in Oroville and head east, following the Highway 162 signs. The fun doesn’t really begin until you pass Miners Ranch Road around five miles down the highway. About the time you leave behind the last finger of Lake Oroville, the road turns into USFS Road 119, otherwise known as the Oroville-Quincy highway. This twists and turns its way about 40 miles to Bucks Lake then continues as Bucks Lake Road the rest of the way to Quincy.
At one point, the road crosses over Lake Oroville on the Bidwell Bar Bridge.
Someone once told me that its design was inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge. I think the original is a bit more awe-inspiring.
For the last couple of years, there has been a detour that started 7.5 miles past the Bidwell Bar Bridge and took you on long trip along Bald Rock Road. Thankfully, the work on Road 119 has been completed and I got my first chance to ride the newly paved portion of the road which begins at Lake Madrone.
All I can say is…the builders done good! What was the worst part of the trip along a narrow, vegetation-encroached goat trail is now a beautiful section with curve after tasty curve.
I think that Butte County must have gotten a special deal on “25 MPH” signs, but don’t let them fool you. Even my father-in-law said he was taking those curves at 40+ in his Chevy S-10. When I got to the end of that section, I turned around and rode it back and forth again! :yahoo:
After I passed the eastern end of Bald Rock Road, the road condition deteriorated for a couple of miles but then things got quickly back to normal and I had 20 miles of pure fun.
I stopped briefly to take a few pictures.
I did get stuck behind a logging truck at one point but the driver was nice enough to let me pass as soon it was safe to do so.
At the end of the road was beautiful Bucks Lake.
That night and the next day was spent socializing and relaxing and briefly getting caught in a thunderstorm. On Sunday, we woke up to the smell and sight of smoke and everyone in the area was talking about the lightning fires that were burning, seemingly all around us. The smoke wasn’t too thick (yet), but in lieu of sitting by the lake for the second day in a row, I decided to ride back down Road 119 and see how close the fires were. Again, I tried to convince my wife that it was a purely selfless act and that I was just trying to make certain that she’d be able to drive home safely the next day, and again, she saw right through me. She laughed and said “go have fun.”
So, again I got to ride down through the new section and back again! I saw 3 different fires burning and the smoke was pretty thick at some points, but none of the fires was too close to the road.
The next morning, Monday, June 23, we again packed our things and I kissed my wife and kids goodbye. They headed back the way we came while I, partly based on Old Michael’s report of his "new favorite road", headed east to take the Quincy La Porte Road. Unfortunately, by this time, the fires in the area were burning pretty well and the air was thick with smoke. Here’s a photo of my FJR at Nelson Creek, in which you can make out the reddish tinge of the sunlight.
I met a rider on a K1200S here who was heading up to Oregon and we chatted a while about road conditions and our impressions of our individual steeds. The first thing out of his mouth when he saw the FJR1300?
“I heard those put out a lot of heat.” If you can’t say something nice…
I’ve never ridden a 1st–Gen FJR, but I certainly haven’t had any heat issues with mine. Knock on wood.
Quincy La Porte Road is definitely a great road, but in addition to the smoke, I ran into quite a few Caltrans trucks along the way. At one point, I passed one big truck whose driver pulled over to let me by, only to come around the next corner (at a spirited pace) to find another truck stopped perpendicular to the road, blocking the entire road. :blink: I grabbed the brakes and stopped without any real drama and the driver moved his truck to let me by, but I never could figure out what he was doing. If he was turning around, he sure picked the worst place possible to do so. Maybe this road is best ridden on a weekend. I guess I’ll just have to come back some time.
Here’s a picture taken looking south from The Hogback, where the smoke was starting to thin out.
Eventually, I made it down to Challenge and decided to try Oregon Hill Road. Although I had read pashnit.com’s write-up, I guess I wasn’t prepared for the true awfulness of the northern section. I was beginning to wonder if I should turn around when suddenly the pavement improved. It never becomes a superb road, but the middle section is fun, at least when it is deserted…which I have a feeling is most of the time. Here’s a shot of a nice shady portion of the road.
For the last mile or so, the road condition deteriorates again and I was glad to turn onto Marysville Road. By this time, the air temperature was making its way back into the 90’s. I rode by the New Bullards Bar Dam and took a quick snapshot from the south side.
I made my way down to Grass Valley where my GPS suddenly routed me off to a side road. I discovered later that I had accidentally clicked this side road instead of Highway 49 when I created my route in MapSource. But, at the time, as the air temperature was reading 95, I took this as a sign that it was lunchtime and stopped at a Carl’s Jr. The motorcycle once again proved itself to be a great conversation starter and I had a nice talk with an ex-owner of a ’07 FJR. He could never get comfortable on it so he sold it and is trying to decide on its replacement.
After lunch, I continued down Highway 49 to Salmon Falls Road. This road is right in my backyard and so I’ve ridden it more than any other since buying my FJR. I had my best ride yet on that road, easily keeping up with a kid in front of me riding his CBR600 in shorts and a t-shirt until he decided to make a risky pass of a couple of cars over a double-yellow. Sorry, I just can’t rationalize that. I dialed it back a bit and enjoyed the last few minutes of my ride home.
Total mileage: 388 miles
P.S. For Old Michael - No special story behind the avatar. It just makes me laugh when I look at it.
Luckily, there was an event planned that was perfect for my needs. My wife’s family had scheduled a mini-reunion up at Bucks Lake. We were going to make a long weekend of it, but since I needed to be back in time for a Homeowner’s Association meeting on Monday evening, I told Julie that I should take the FJR up separately so she didn’t have to rush home. She, of course, saw right through my ruse, but, being the generous person that she is, smiled and said “sounds good.” I had a twinge of guilt for causing her to be subjected to 3+ hours alone in the car with two small children (twice in one weekend), but I vowed to make it up to her somehow.
So, on Friday morning, June 20, we packed up the Jeep with camping supplies for the four of us, various items that we are transferring to her family members, all the toys that my two children simply “must” have with them (90% of which would stay hidden in their backpacks all weekend) and hit the road at 10AM.
As we headed out, traffic was light, the wind was calm and the temperature was a pleasant 82 degrees.
Our plan was to head up to Oroville and then our little caravan would break up as we both took the Oroville-Quincy highway to Bucks Lake at our own speeds, with me taking some pictures along the way. From home in El Dorado Hills, CA, our journey up Folsom-Auburn road to Roseville was uneventful. As we headed north along Highway 65 toward Marysville, the air temperature readout on the FJR started climbing. By the time we reached Highway 70, the temperature was 93 degrees. Still, my Olympia Bushwacker mesh jacket and Airglide mesh pants did a terrific job of letting in plenty of air to keep me cool. I was following my wife and a few miles before we enter Marysville, brake lights flashed and traffic ground to a halt. As we jerked forward 20 feet every 30 seconds, the lack of air flow became very noticeable and I started re-thinking my commitment to ATGATT. Luckily, before I made any life-changing decisions, my wife, who has ridden pillion with me since our first date 10 years ago and is well aware of my situation, waved me up to her window. She told me that we might as well stop in Marysville for lunch and suggested that I go ahead. Ahhhh! Just one of the many reasons to love this woman. Thankfully, I briefly left my wife behind and lane-split through the traffic ahead to see that ½ mile ahead was someone’s boat that had flown off their trailer from the southbound side of the freeway and has landed in the fast lane on the northbound side! I couldn’t help but imagine the mess that I would have made on my seat if I had seen that coming at me.
After a delicious lunch at La Salsa – where I briefly chatted with a gentleman who rode a KLR and was envious because he hadn’t brought it on this trip – we continued our journey north. By the time we reached our exit in Oroville, the temperature was 97 degrees. I had spent the last 20 miles playing with my helmet’s air vents trying to find the right amount of air on my face – enough to minimize the stuffiness, but not so much that it dries out my eyes. Well, just as I turned onto Highway 162, a cloud of dust flew off the semi- in front of me, right into my face. My eyes started watering and I could hardly see a thing. I frantically waved to my wife, trying to let her know that I needed to pull over, and quickly darted into the nearest parking lot. My wife, however, thought that I was simply waving her on and that I was pulling over to take a picture, so she went on her merry way. No offense to Mr. Huntington, but his Sportsman Store in Oroville is not high on my list of photographic targets.
After wiping my eyes, I decided to top off my tank and head to the Oroville-Quincy highway. This is a road with which I am very familiar from driving in a car, but have anticipated the day (today!) that I would be able to ride on a motorcycle. For those of you who have never ridden this road, you take the Montgomery Street off ramp in Oroville and head east, following the Highway 162 signs. The fun doesn’t really begin until you pass Miners Ranch Road around five miles down the highway. About the time you leave behind the last finger of Lake Oroville, the road turns into USFS Road 119, otherwise known as the Oroville-Quincy highway. This twists and turns its way about 40 miles to Bucks Lake then continues as Bucks Lake Road the rest of the way to Quincy.
At one point, the road crosses over Lake Oroville on the Bidwell Bar Bridge.
Someone once told me that its design was inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge. I think the original is a bit more awe-inspiring.
For the last couple of years, there has been a detour that started 7.5 miles past the Bidwell Bar Bridge and took you on long trip along Bald Rock Road. Thankfully, the work on Road 119 has been completed and I got my first chance to ride the newly paved portion of the road which begins at Lake Madrone.
All I can say is…the builders done good! What was the worst part of the trip along a narrow, vegetation-encroached goat trail is now a beautiful section with curve after tasty curve.
I think that Butte County must have gotten a special deal on “25 MPH” signs, but don’t let them fool you. Even my father-in-law said he was taking those curves at 40+ in his Chevy S-10. When I got to the end of that section, I turned around and rode it back and forth again! :yahoo:
After I passed the eastern end of Bald Rock Road, the road condition deteriorated for a couple of miles but then things got quickly back to normal and I had 20 miles of pure fun.
I stopped briefly to take a few pictures.
I did get stuck behind a logging truck at one point but the driver was nice enough to let me pass as soon it was safe to do so.
At the end of the road was beautiful Bucks Lake.
That night and the next day was spent socializing and relaxing and briefly getting caught in a thunderstorm. On Sunday, we woke up to the smell and sight of smoke and everyone in the area was talking about the lightning fires that were burning, seemingly all around us. The smoke wasn’t too thick (yet), but in lieu of sitting by the lake for the second day in a row, I decided to ride back down Road 119 and see how close the fires were. Again, I tried to convince my wife that it was a purely selfless act and that I was just trying to make certain that she’d be able to drive home safely the next day, and again, she saw right through me. She laughed and said “go have fun.”
So, again I got to ride down through the new section and back again! I saw 3 different fires burning and the smoke was pretty thick at some points, but none of the fires was too close to the road.
The next morning, Monday, June 23, we again packed our things and I kissed my wife and kids goodbye. They headed back the way we came while I, partly based on Old Michael’s report of his "new favorite road", headed east to take the Quincy La Porte Road. Unfortunately, by this time, the fires in the area were burning pretty well and the air was thick with smoke. Here’s a photo of my FJR at Nelson Creek, in which you can make out the reddish tinge of the sunlight.
I met a rider on a K1200S here who was heading up to Oregon and we chatted a while about road conditions and our impressions of our individual steeds. The first thing out of his mouth when he saw the FJR1300?
“I heard those put out a lot of heat.” If you can’t say something nice…
I’ve never ridden a 1st–Gen FJR, but I certainly haven’t had any heat issues with mine. Knock on wood.
Quincy La Porte Road is definitely a great road, but in addition to the smoke, I ran into quite a few Caltrans trucks along the way. At one point, I passed one big truck whose driver pulled over to let me by, only to come around the next corner (at a spirited pace) to find another truck stopped perpendicular to the road, blocking the entire road. :blink: I grabbed the brakes and stopped without any real drama and the driver moved his truck to let me by, but I never could figure out what he was doing. If he was turning around, he sure picked the worst place possible to do so. Maybe this road is best ridden on a weekend. I guess I’ll just have to come back some time.
Here’s a picture taken looking south from The Hogback, where the smoke was starting to thin out.
Eventually, I made it down to Challenge and decided to try Oregon Hill Road. Although I had read pashnit.com’s write-up, I guess I wasn’t prepared for the true awfulness of the northern section. I was beginning to wonder if I should turn around when suddenly the pavement improved. It never becomes a superb road, but the middle section is fun, at least when it is deserted…which I have a feeling is most of the time. Here’s a shot of a nice shady portion of the road.
For the last mile or so, the road condition deteriorates again and I was glad to turn onto Marysville Road. By this time, the air temperature was making its way back into the 90’s. I rode by the New Bullards Bar Dam and took a quick snapshot from the south side.
I made my way down to Grass Valley where my GPS suddenly routed me off to a side road. I discovered later that I had accidentally clicked this side road instead of Highway 49 when I created my route in MapSource. But, at the time, as the air temperature was reading 95, I took this as a sign that it was lunchtime and stopped at a Carl’s Jr. The motorcycle once again proved itself to be a great conversation starter and I had a nice talk with an ex-owner of a ’07 FJR. He could never get comfortable on it so he sold it and is trying to decide on its replacement.
After lunch, I continued down Highway 49 to Salmon Falls Road. This road is right in my backyard and so I’ve ridden it more than any other since buying my FJR. I had my best ride yet on that road, easily keeping up with a kid in front of me riding his CBR600 in shorts and a t-shirt until he decided to make a risky pass of a couple of cars over a double-yellow. Sorry, I just can’t rationalize that. I dialed it back a bit and enjoyed the last few minutes of my ride home.
Total mileage: 388 miles
P.S. For Old Michael - No special story behind the avatar. It just makes me laugh when I look at it.
