Heading South - Nakusp BC to Salem OR
Essentially, most of the good riding was now done. Mentally I was in the mindset of I now need to HaulAsh and put the miles on.
Even if riding the most bitchen roads on earth, if the mental game isn't there I don't appreciate it. Twistie roads = time loss.
Time loss = bad. Just ride, dcarver, just ride. And when you get tired, just ride dcarver, just ride.
I'd taken this time off from work under tenuous circumstances, no quarter granted for failing to appear on Tuesday AM. But then a
thought struck me really hard. Today was Father's Day. My Pops is 91, and my sister had flown in to help him transition from his
house of 20+ years to the retirement home.
Wouldn't it be great for dad if he could have all his living children with him, even if just for an hour or so, one more time?
Quick calcs revealed a time penalty and I thought about not going. But how could I not?
Another issue was fuel! Leaving Nakusp I only had 3/8 tank. No problem, I refuel in the morning in Nakusp? Right? Wrong. No
stations open, and most rural CA stations don't have 24x7 credit card enabled pumps. Damn. Just keep riding dcarver, just keep riding.
Early morning beauty. I see it now, did not then.
No fuel here, either. Joel2Maker, where are you, mi amigo?
A quick look at a map I can actually read reveals that other towns are nearby.. Gas there maybe?
Nothing yet, no gas...
FINALLY, a gas station, and look who shows up? BikerSkier and OCFJR! Both are headed back to Salem/Oregon City so I hook up with them. Ahh, yes, no gps, no maps, just sit back with my 6.6 gallons of fuel (Hey Joel, where's the other 4 gallons or so?) and just ride, dcarver, just ride!
One small town after the other, I've been spoiled by the great North, eh, and these fine towns now look kind of, uh, ordinary.
Finally, the border! BikerSkier was first sucker through, then me and OCFJR. I was sure they officer was going to keep in OCFJR in Canada for running a car tire, but somehow he snuck through too. You're welcome, Eric, but you owe me!
We was there.
Obligatory self-portrait.
This one was weird, really strange. This barn gave me total and complete creeps. SpideySense was going off the hook, something bad here once happened.. just ride dcarver, just ride.
'All my life's a circle;
Sunrise and Sundown;
Moon rolls through the nighttime;
Till the daybreak comes around.'
What, Creston, AGAIN? :lol: 2,800 miles and here I are?
More south.
BikerSkier was in the lead and pulled off to view the worlds largest waterfall without water. Huh? It *is* pretty cool though, you just have to have some imagination.
A nice German tourist took this for me!
Good peeps all. Oh by the way - for those folks who say Eric (OCFJR) is crazy for running a car tire? The boy can run corners too, trust me. Sure, maybe not 9/10's but I saw him hit decreasing radius corners with high entrance speed. He never bobbled, changed lines, or overshot. So there! By the way, they guy is crazy to run a car tire, IMHO. But whatever floats your boat, right?
On the road again, the green is now behind us.
I have no clue where this is other than it's the Columbia river and the wind was blowing like crazy.
BikerSkier and Maryann head for the barn.
Soon followed by OCFJR..
I soldiered on to Salem Oregon to see Pops and Sis. Arrived at 9:13 PM, stayed until ~11 PM. Dad was really happy to have his family with him, it made my heart sing and it felt good to see him so happy.
'I may never be in this house again', I thought as I left, so I took a pix of CrZy8 in Dad's old work shop.
'All my life's a circle;
But I can't tell you why;
Season's spinning round again;
The years keep rollin' by.'
It was time to go and try for another 200 or so. Just ride,dcarver,just ride. Sure, buckwheat, sure. 60 miles later it was BONK time, put a fork in me, I'm done. Seriously done. Hotel room, Taco Bell nearby, asleep at 0230, up at 0500, on the road at 0600, just ride dcarver, just ride. Only another 13 hours to go.
The fun is over. Really. At this point it's painful. Mr. Sleepy is in the cockpit and I can't shake it. Screaming in the helmet, pissed at the sun, and I still have to run.
Mentally, I must stop to splash water on my face, walk around, do some jumping jacks, stretch the back. Nothing is working. Finally I take the Skyway water bottle, still full of ice cold water, and dump it down my jacket and onto the boyz. That worked! Woot Woot, oh jeeesh, I'm awake now - but for how long?
Sure enough, 45 minutes later I was still fine, caught the 3rd wind and it was ride dcarver, just ride.
My buddy..
Close to home..just like Nakusp,eh?
This is the view of near where I live, approaching from the East. Sure, it ain't BC, but it's not bad either...
..and then, home. Get 5 hours sleep, then go to work.
Rude, just rude, that work thing.
Thanks for reading along, do I win a prize for the most verbose ride report ever? :****:
.. the end
(Lyrics by Harry Chapin, Thank You Harry, you helped me get home!)