A "What was I thinking" ride report. I'm Home!

[DarkSideR]

What was I thinking?

Well, work beckoned. A customer needed my services and instead of being cattle prodded onto an airplane,  running marathons through airports, and waiting in endless lines to arrive at my destination traumatized and stressed out, I decided to jump on my 18 year old.. BIKE! (get you minds out of the gutter) and enjoy myself. Or so I had thought..

Heck, why wouldn't riding from Pueblo, CO. to Monroe, WA. in August be nice?

Instead of doing the 1,400 mile ride over two days I got a jump start by leaving Monday afternoon. It was 95 degrees when I left home. I wore a soaked shirt under my mesh jacket which offered a great cooling affect for 35 miles. But that is all the cooling I needed.

Highway 50 west out of Pueblo runs through Canon City (hot) but then it heads you up. Up where is gets cool, and cloudy, and wet. At the top of Monarch pass it was 72 degrees and I was the fortunate biker who arrived just after the rainstorm soaked the area. The roads were wet but I was not.

Back into the heat through Montrose, and into Grand Junction. I only had 10 miles on Interstate riding on day 1 on I-70 west between Highway 50 and 139. 139 north up to Dinosaur, CO. is quite the gem of a road.

I cranked out 374 miles in the afternoons ride, not bad.

More to come for day two, and three's travels.

[Jess from VA]

Keep them coming.   

I can't stand the suspense.   

[gordonv]

Great idea, I hope work is paying for the whole travel?

That's also only a little ways away from Everett/Seattle.

[scooperhsd]

I've always wanted to a MC trip on the company's dime - heck - when I went out to San Diego for my 1st class training cruise, I was thinking about taking my (then) CB400A Hawk (from the middle of Kansas) (summer of 1981). Time and money dictated otherwise...

[RainMaker]

As part of my job, I visited Radio Shack dealers back in the 80's on my Goldwing Interstate (I was a group manager for Radio Shack Dealer Franchise) in Colorado, Texas and Louisiana.   Company did pay for the mileage.

[DarkSideR]

If day one was a jump start, day 2 was an @$$ kicker.

Contrary to day one's afternoon start, day 2 started early. I had the bike packed up and ready to roll before the hotel breakfast was ready. I was itching to go, and considered skipping breakfast, but the convenience had me attend.

I got to spend 222 miles of cool temps, and mountain riding bliss before descending into the fire, also known as Salt Lake City. Dropping down into the salty lake however was like opening the oven door.

Between Twin Falls, and Nampa the temps climbed and climbed until the wind heat alone was burning my fingers.


I however did some of my best riding. Everything was planned out, I was stayed hydrated, and stayed on the bike. Having a belly tank helps make for good time.. if your butt, and bladder can hang with the extended range.

I rode 576 miles on day 2, and only filled up 3 times. With 8.5 gallons of fuel on board, and averaging 34 mpg's I have almost 300 miles of freedom.

Nogrey (aka Greg) knowing I was coming tried to rally the local Valkyrie group, but being a Tuesday and having lives outside of owning a Valkyrie, only Whooray (aka Raymond) showed up. I new Raymond from when he lived in Colorado, so it was good to see a familiar face. I shacked up at Greg's house for the night and slept great.

I needed the good sleep because I still had 500 miles ahead of me.

[DarkSideR]

Great idea, I hope work is paying for the whole travel?

That's also only a little ways away from Everett/Seattle.

Yes, I have a daily food, hotel, gas and mileage allowance. Getting paid to ride is pretty cool.

What's in Everett? You? If so dinner/beer Thursday night?

[Serk]

Ya' know, I'd feel sorry for you, but..... I'd trade my days in my home office, air conditioned to the settings I choose for your days on a Valk ANY FARKING DAY!!!!!

Enjoy, be safe, and thanks for the updates!

[gordonv]

Great idea, I hope work is paying for the whole travel?

That's also only a little ways away from Everett/Seattle.

Yes, I have a daily food, hotel, gas and mileage allowance. Getting paid to ride is pretty cool.

What's in Everett? You? If so dinner/beer Thursday night?

I was thinking of the Seattle Vermon. There is a bunch of them, all good people.

I'd post in the PNW Chapter forum, let them know you're there in town.

As for myself, 2.5 hours away in another country and working.

[DarkSideR]

The 3rd and final day!

After a great nights rest I left Nogrey's house a little before 6:00 am. After riding in 110 degree heat the day before I didn't want to get caught in the heat again.

Being just outside of Boise the early start also had me ahead of the morning rush hour.  Enjoying the 80 mph speed limit, I flew up I-84, then I-82.

Usually not much to report on when blasting away on the Interstates. Aside from dodging semi's it's pretty uneventful. I came up with a new way to pass the miles. I frequent the YouTube videos, and realized that I mostly listen to the YouTube vids than watch. So I got my YouTube playlist going and was surprised and how fast the miles went by. Oh yeah, a Bluetooth helmet makes this possible.

Just north of Yakima, WA. I got off the dreadful Instate to enjoy some highway mountain riding. It did get warm, and I was looking forward to cooler temps up in the Cascades. I had meant to get gas, but I must have been completely uninterested in the convenient stations as I exited.

The mountain roads were great, but to my surprise the increase in elevation didn't yield a decrease in temps. Ah well, and least I wasn't on the the super slab. There wasn't a town to be seen for a hundred miles. If I hadn't already been low on fuel I would have enjoyed this, but my worry of running out of gas increased with the miles. I can't remember riding so far between stops. The trip odometer read 293 miles! I filled up to find I still had a gallon of gas. This means I was getting 39 mpg's, phenomenal!

My last leg of my journey was probably the best. Highway 2 from Merritt, to Monroe was very long, twisty, and it finally cooled off. It was during this leg where I noticed something. My bike was.. different.. louder, had more get up and go. I realized this wonderment was because I was almost at sea level. Awe sea level where the air, the oxygen is thick like soup. Well compared to the thin mountain air of Colorado. Man does it run good down here. Makes me want to move to sea level, just so the bike can have her full potential.

Because of the time change I gained an hour, so I found myself pulling into the hotel a little after 2pm. A 522 mile day, and done just after lunch. Not a bad days riding if I might say so.

My usual routine to unwind after a long trip is to check into the hotel, unpack, shower and rest. Then comes my favorite part. I take my my ol gal to the car wash. She did good, and deserves to look her best for all that ogle. It's therapeutic to wash away the bugs, grim, and miles of the journey. When she's cleaned up and sitting proud it's like we are starting anew. Ready for a new part of our journey, onto the new adventure.

I work in Monroe, WA. Thursday, and Friday. Then it's up to Vancouver Island (Victoria, BC) to recreate a ride my Pops had taken back in the day on the very Valkyrie that I am on  .

For that part of my journey you will have to wait for my next post.

TTFN

[Jess from VA]

Great report.   

The best mileage I've ever had, is those two times I was running low on gas with no station anywhere.  First I get off the throttle and speed and just wander along at 45, then I started coasting down hills, doing everything to nurse the bike along.  (I'm pretty sure all the great mileage was only the last third of the tank though)

At fillup, I had a half gallon left, so why all the worry?   

My interstate tripmeter didn't lie though, I made 240+ miles to reserve (best ever).  IS tank, no belly.

[..]

 

[msb]

Nice to follow along with you DS. If your route from Victoria takes you over to the BC mainland, feel free to shoot me a PM and maybe we can meet up.... be glad to show you a little bit of BC hospitality ...

Mike

[DarkSideR]

Nice to follow along with you DS. If your route from Victoria takes you over to the BC mainland, feel free to shoot me a PM and maybe we can meet up.... be glad to show you a little bit of BC hospitality ...

Mike

There are possibilities. I'm leaning towards taking the Tsawwassen - Duke Point Ferry. I will get off work at 3:30 and head that way.

[DarkSideR]

Great report.  

The best mileage I've ever had, is those two times I was running low on gas with no station anywhere.  First I get off the throttle and speed and just wander along at 45, then I started coasting down hills, doing everything to nurse the bike along.  (I'm pretty sure all the great mileage was only the last third of the tank though)

At fillup, I had a half gallon left, so why all the worry?  

My interstate tripmeter didn't lie though, I made 240+ miles to reserve (best ever).  IS tank, no belly.

Ha. After I filled up I thought the same thing, "what was I worrying about"?"

[Jess from VA]

I was on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

What I was thinking was... there is no freeking way I can push this fat bastard up any of these hills.  

[Wayn-O]

I got to spend 222 miles of cool temps, and mountain riding bliss before descending into the fire, also known as Salt Lake City. Dropping down into the salty lake however was like opening the oven door.

Yeah, sorry man.  It's been a hot summer here this year. 

[DarkSideR]

With my deed done, and the customer satisfied I parted ways with him and the town of Monroe, WA.

It was 3:30 in the afternoon and I had quite the dilemma. I wanted to make the Oregon coast which was just over 200 miles away. In Colorado I could crank out 200 miles in 3 hours or so, but both Seattle and Tacoma lay between me and my destination.

Most days of the week rush hour consists of those weary workers simply making their way home. But Friday rush hour is another thing all together! Add into the mix people trying to get out of town for weekend travels, and ay caramba do the roads get filled up. I suspect they get antsy too because interactions (a nice way to say "crashes") with fellow travels further convoluted the asphalt network.

Today the 200 mile jaunt took five hours. Five - long - hours, sigh. It however was worth it. My goodness is the Oregon coast beautiful, and nice cool temps to. Thick green forests blanketing steep mountains abound. Then the Pacific ocean came into view. Sorry, I'm a rider not a photographer so no pictures today. I just visually soaked it in.

My wife likes to travel, and it's a cruel injustice that it is I who does most of it while she holds down her job, and the fort. To involve her I called her this morning and asked if she would take some time to research a good place to stay on the coast. She must have really enjoyed this because as I tried to work she tried to call me, and the text messages flooded my phone. I finally took a break from the task at hand to see what all the fuse was about. She had found a couple of options and wanted my input. After a brief discussion she settled on Astoria, OR. and a quaint B&B for the night. After spending two nights in a Best Western I am really appreciating the distance from corporate slumbers. There isn't a T.V. to be found, just books (BOOKS!) on a shelf. And since I am posting this, yes, yes they do have the inevitable Wifi.

Tomorrow I ride Hwy 101 down the Oregon coast. I promise pictures.

[Brewer]

Safe Travels my friend

[gordonv]

A good change. A ride I very much would like to do one day, from Mex to Can.

[DarkSideR]

Today I had a luxury that usually eludes me. I didn't have to be anywhere at any certain time.

I had seen that there was a Lighthouse nearby so I headed north out of Astoria on Hwy 101 on the massive Astoria - Megler Bridge that spanned the Columbia river.


Unfortunately the Lighthouse was only accessible via a short hike. So no money shots with the Valkyrie.


Even though I didn't have to be anywhere I did have a bit of an agenda. I did need to head south. So it was back over the bridge, but this time a snagged some video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b7RKWH9gn8

I rode Highway 101 down the coast, stopping when I wanted to, and enjoyed the scenery.


One of the best surprises are the unexpected ones. I came across the town of Tillamook. Low and behold there was the factory where Tillamook dairy products were made.

The place was a zoo however. Crowds of people everywhere. I would have tolerated a visit if it were a family trip with the wife and kids, but flying solo.. I was out of there faster than I had arrived.

I headed out of Tillamook a ways and found a little cafe where I stopped for lunch. It had outdoor seating with old school spring loaded patio chairs for my rocking comfort. I don't usually do food pictures but lunch today was exceptional.


I only rode 120 miles today. So it was an early check-in, and time spent exploring Depoe Bay, OR. Down in a secluded beach I found an engine block and transmission. Think it could run again?


I've logged 1,775 miles on this trip this far, and am just over the half way point. Looking like it will be  an easy day tomorrow.

[Valkorado]

Nice Josh,  ya stumbled across a favorite cheesemaker of mine.  Their two year old aged white cheddar is just a bit stanky and so sharp it purt near makes you tear up!  Good stuff.

A tranny on the beach.   I leave it alone.   

Looks like you're  having some  fun.   

[Beardo]

Thanks for taking the time to take us along for the ride.   

Was just on some of those roads and loved it. You can go a couple long days in any direction (except west  ) and have amazing scenery and roads and not have to go through any major cities.

Safe travels.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Nice ride report. 

[da prez]

 Josh , great ride report and pictures.  BTW , the engine looks like an old Ford with a rock crusher trans.

                                     da prez

[Gary]

Sounds like you're having a great ride. Just due south of you as you cross the CA border into Crescent City on 101 is Battery Point, another Lighthouse. Easy access from the 101, however, another you will not likely get a bike photo op as the road is often under water.



A bit further south on 101 and you'll come to Arcata Bay and the infamous Hwy 299, one of the higher rated bike roads. You'll definitely get your twists and turns in. If you make that stretch along 299 you'll come to Weaverville.  For a great sandwich, stop off at Trinideli, homemade bread, makes for a great stop.

Safe travels and I look forward to reading your next installment.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Sounds like you're having a great ride. Just due south of you as you cross the CA border into Crescent City on 101 is Battery Point, another Lighthouse. Easy access from the 101, however, another you will not likely get a bike photo op.

A bit further south on 101 and you'll come to Arcata Bay and the infamous Hwy 299, one of the higher rated bike roads. You'll definitely get your twists and turns in. If you make that stretch along 299 you'll come to Weaverville.  For a great sandwich, stop off at Trinideli, homemade bread, makes for a great stop. Just up the road, also in Weaverville, The Platina Store (if memory serves me correctly) for a slice of pie. 

Safe travels and I look forward to reading your next installment.

Gary, +1 on the Platina Store. Best breakfast burrito I think I've ever had.  but sadly somebody told me they closed a couple years ago. I haven't been up there to check though. NorCal will always hold a spot dear in my heart for riding. 

[Gary]

Gary, +1 on the Platina Store. Best breakfast burrito I think I've ever had.  but sadly somebody told me they closed a couple years ago. I haven't been up there to check though. NorCal will always hold a spot dear in my heart for riding. 

Man that sux, thanks for the update Rob. My original message has been revised.

It looks like Trinideli is still good tho. I really liked it there, neat setting, in an old house, great home done fixins.

[DarkSideR]

I sat for 5 minutes just starring at my computer as I tried to put words to my ride today. I can only surmise that the ear to ear smiling which adorned my face for the better part of the day has my mouth to tired to form the words. Yes, it was that good!

I left the crappy coastal town of Depoe Bay a little after 7am. I hadn't had breakfast with plans to stop somewhere for a bite. I meandered out of town and rather quickly saw a sign for a Lighthouse. A short shoot off the highway landed me the money shot I was wanting.


After being back on the highway for a bit I accidentally locked eyes with a beast on the side of the road. Usually this would be a mistake, starring down a creature larger and much more powerful than you. But in this instance it was okay, because I am a master of these beasts.

Apparently this one is fertile and Dragon Eggs were available. I sent this picture to my Pops, and he replied "Make sure you get the Blue with white stripe eggs which are very rare as they are rumored to be bred directly from Valhalla. The hatchlings are born with car tires and dragon wings." My dad was the previous owner of my bike, HE GETS IT!

Another quick jaunt and a cafe nestled off to the side of the road beckoned. The Quiche Lorraine was Eggcelent!  

After getting back on the road I glanced at my odometer and got really excited! I'm admittedly a dork for this but I love watching the odometer roll over, so I pulled off for some documentation.


Again I didn't make if very far before some accessible tide pools caught my eye. Even though I'd already made many stops within a only a couple of hours, another stop to explore was welcomed.


I was on the road early and pretty much had the road to myself. And this was a good thing. Following this part of the coast was epic. Twisty, banked, hilly, with breath taking views always to my right filled the rest of my morning. Before I knew it I was all the way down to Florence, OR. where I was to turn away from the coast and on to Hwy 126 east to the city of Eugene.

126 was a treat in itself. I wore off any signs of chicken strips off the tires today.

Looking back it was tough leaving the coast of Oregon. Though I am blessed to have been able to ride such a beautiful part of the the country, who knows when or if I will ever be back. After checking into my hotel room, I closed my eyes and tried to burn the images permanently into my brain.

I will only have one more good chunk of riding before the doldrums of interstate riding consumes the rest of my journey.  I will continue east on 126 through the biblically named town of Nimrod, to Sisters. But first I will work two more days here in Eugene, so I will be signing off for a couple of days.

TTFN

[The emperor has no clothes]

I’m a geek for watching the odometer turn over also. Although I might be more OCD than you. I turn the tripmeter to 0’s for the pic. It’s not near as fun on the I/S though. (I’d like to get a pic of 7’s across the board)

[DarkSideR]

I already got that one 

image post site

[The emperor has no clothes]

I already got that one 

image post site

come on ! Are you taunting me ? You couldn’t go one more tenth ? 

[DarkSideR]

Part my my trip was designed to visit the home office. It's good to get back to the office from time to time, to meet the new employees, and catch up with those that have become friends.

I worked a full day Monday, and went in early today (Tuesday the 13th) so I could get off at noon to get a jump start on the ride back.

I left the office at noon and rode 453 miles to Winnemucca, NV. in 7 hours flat. That is only a 64mph average which is kind of disappointing considering I really hammered it. I only had one gas stop and did it rather efficiently.

Between Lakeview, OR. and Winnemucca, NV. is absolutely nothing. If "No Where" had a geographical center it would be on Hwy 140. I even saw the sign "No gas 100 miles". On one section i wanted to see how long I could ride on the wrong side of the road. I did 11 miles before a blind right hand sweeper scared me back to the right side of the road.

I have 919 miles to go. I'm going to see if I have what it takes to hammer it out in one day. 15 hours and just shy of an Iron Butt.

I have been gone for 8 days, logged over 2,200 miles, ridden through 6 states, and slept in 7 different beds. I'm ready for a good nights sleep in my own bed, next to my little wife.

I will let you know how tomorrow goes.

Oh yeah! I was thinking today what amazing machines we have, these Honda Valkyries. My bike is 18 years old, and turned 80k miles on this trip. It did a section of 200 miles in 90 degree heat doing over 90mph, and it hasn't skipped a beat.

[henry 008]

Nice ride report. 

+1 

[DarkSideR]

After a brutal day's ride I made it 224 miles from home. Being my own worst critic I am not happy with my ride today. I didn't get an early enough start, I stopped too many times, and let the heat get the best of me.

Now that I got that my moaning and groaning out of the way I can recap..

I think I am subconsciously bummed out that best riding of the trip was behind, and as any spoiled brat would do I moped about this morning and got a late start. This only gave me a couple of cool hours of riding before the furnace heated up. The thermometer on my bike simply shot up the the high 90's and stayed there for remainder of the day.

Nevada went and Utah boiled me under the sun. While on I-80 I happened upon Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats. My Uncle races out there so I called him up to see if he was there. Maybe I could experience the awesome event! Unfortunately it had rained, the track didn't dry up and my Uncle had bailed on his event just that morning. He was already on the road when I got a hold of him. Sad face.

On to Salt Lake where I called up a new buddy I met at InZane to see if lunch might be an option. It was an option and it worked out beautifully. We met at a Culvers right off the interstate, Wayne kindly bought me lunch and we were able to spend a half hour chatting before he had to get back to work, and I back to broiler.

It was good taking Highway 6 out of Salt Lake. Getting off the interstate was welcomed, and the route headed up into the hills. I had hopes of cooler temps but didn't find them.

There was too many stops getting water, soaking my shirt, and getting gas more often than I needed just made the day longer. The doldrums..  Green River, UT. - back on the interstate - hot hot hot - Colorado boarder - more heat - Grand Junction - still sizzling - MONTROSE!

After 695 miles, I landed in Montrose for fuel and to plan my next move. It was already 7pm (yes, still hot), but I was still considering home which was 4 hours away. Riding in the mountains at night eliminated that option. I looked for room in Gunnison 1.5 hours away, ehhhh not liking what I was seeing. Looked for rooms in Montrose, and the good ol Country Lodge was available.

After a long, and very cold shower I'm here for the night.

I still have a hundred or so miles of good riding. Looking forward to being refreshed and enjoying the ride in the cooler morning temps.

[Jess from VA]

They can't all be great days.

You're a better man than I in all that heat, Gunga Din.  

I'd have to go shorter days, or ride at night.  I came back to VA overnight from Ann Arbor MI in 100* days on the Turnpike, and it wasn't bad at all (least traffic ever), except for the deer herd jumping over a TALL fence across the freeway at 3am (and slowing down to 5 knots, to be sure they all were finished crossing).

And I killed five thousand bugs (or so).  

[DarkSideR]

I'm finally home. I was up early, on the road early, and didn't make any stops. I did the last 224 miles in less than 4 hours.

In Gunnison, CO. it was  in the 40's. I couldn't believe that after being in extreme heat, that I was actually cold. Not complaining!

The highlight of my trip was riding the coast of Oregon. My goodness, if you haven't, you should really try to get up there. Low point of my trip was the 2nd to last day. The heat got to me mentally and beat me up.


Here's the stats;
 - 3,345 total miles ridden
 - Average fuel 34 mpg
  + Best = 39 mpg
  + Worst = 29 mpg
 - 98 gallons of gas used
 - 55 hours total ride time
 - 6 states visited
 - 8 hotels
 - Hotest temp = 110
 - Coldest temp = 49
 - Rain storms = 0
 - Mechanical issues = 0
 - Speeding Tickets = 0  

I can now answer the question; What was I thinking? I wasn't. If you over think these things you tend to come up with excuses not to do them.

Back home there's a hundred things to catch up on. I think however I start with a nap.

Thank you all for following along.

[sheets]

Next time you are out this way - pick up the coast where you left off at Florence. The best ocean views are south of where you made a left turn to head inland.

Nice write-up. 

 

[NewValker]

Thanks for the ride! Nice job. 
Craig

[Beardo]

Next time you are out this way - pick up the coast where you left off at Florence. The best ocean views are south of where you made a left turn to head inland.

Nice write-up. 

 

Yeah, some of that stretch along the ocean...the forest...beautiful.

Thanks DarkSider for the reports. Enjoyed reliving that through your writing.