The next morning, refreshed and ready, clearer heads prevailed, we decided that Hell's Canyon was indeed the right way to go.
The road didn't disappoint, and, as an added bonus was paved the whole way through! Rough and potholed, sure, but at the very least paved. Running out of ways to describe the awesomeness that is riding these secluded back country roads, I'll just say the rest of the day, all the way from Enterprise to that night's home in Bend, Oregon was a series of blissful and almost endless lefts and rights in succession that was as close to perfect as I'll probably ever get.
That night, we enjoyed a few cocktails, ate mightily, laughed loud and long, and toasted the Best Day Ever one more time.
The next day we planned to visit Crater Lake National Park, but the needs of the motorcycles overruled our ideas. On the way down to Crater Lake, Abi raced past me, and I noticed an ominous white stripe flashing on his rear tire.
Tire? Toast.
We quickly pulled over to assess the tire. It was obvious that Crater Lake was out, and a visit to Tread and Tracks Motorsports in Klamath Falls for some new rubber was in order.
Thanks Treads and Tracks!
Dodging more rain, we dove into our final state, my adopted home of California.
In the shadow of Mt. Shasta, we turned west into the mountains, following even more incredible roads, heading for a suitable mountain town to make our home.
Around six, mule deer started appearing on the sides of the road, making me wish I'd brought Steve along from Enterprise to clear the path. Thankfully, we navigated the deer-strewn minefield, and arrived safe and sound in that night's home of Weaverville.
Oh yeah, the end is in sight now! The only thing separating us from parking for the final time in the garage was about eight hundred miles of Pacific Coast Highway. Life sure is tough!
The next morning, we swirled through more of the same ol' magnificent curves and scenery, and that afternoon, swirled through something completely different.
With the end now in firmly sight, and rapidly running out of ride report steam, I'll take the lazy way out. After all, even in this economy, a picture is still worth, oh, I dunno, three hundred or so words. So, here is about fifteen hundred words worth of random sights from the rest of the ride:
The last day of the ride, we decided to veer off the PCH in favor of blasting down the interstate, in the interest of just getting home, finally getting off the bikes, and enjoying a healthy cocktail or three before flying to work the very next day.
Whittling away the dull interstate miles, I reflected on all we'd done on this trip; the sights, the roads, the miles, the laughs and even the petty disagreements. As far as ambitious motorcycle tours go, with 4650 miles (not counting the Los Angeles flights) through eight states in eighteen days, I came to the conclusion that this ride was without a doubt, the Best Tour Ever.
The 4650 Mile Road Home
Fifteen miles from the end, that Best Ever status almost changed. Three exits away from the end, I was thinking to myself, "Keep concentrating... you aren't there yet. Just a few more miles to go. This is the most dangerous part of the ride."
And it is, because when the road is familiar, concentration levels drop. A huge rock, one that I didn't notice, got my complete attention, as I hit it, nearly flying off
Rain Could Follows. Abi said he was amazed I didn't wreck, because I flew about a foot in the air.
The result?
All things considered, it could've been worse. Much worse.
Home safe and sound, Sleeping Beauty
, Dark Meat Snack and I hoisted a healthy toast to our good friends Dean and Pam, Denise and Luciano, Pat and Vicki, Dave and Betty, Keith and Denise and Mike and Ingrid, all of whom opened their homes to us and provided laughs, fun, and free places to stay, without whom this trip wouldn't have been nearly as awesome. Cheers to the lot of you, Best Friends Ever!!
The Entire 7790 Mile Road To Wrestlemania and Back
Rain Cloud Follows and
Snowball, now parked safely in California will sit and rest a while until the next 'great' ride idea comes along.
Of course, that great idea may already have come along, because I hear the Icefields Parkway in Canada, from Lake Louise, up through Banff National Park to the friendly and picturesque community of Jasper is absolutely lovely this time of year.
All I need is a napkin.....