2013-09-06 Rueben Run to OreGone

With KrZy8 still at Doctor Hal's place, it's time to prepare Wabs for the big Ride. First thing on the plate is to install the heavy-ass Soltek HID lights somewhere. These are the same lights that broke the front stay sub-assembly three times.

My neighbor and bud, Steve, plasma cuts plate steel to form the bracket.

After trying various positions, this is the place.

Steve drills a hole in bracket.

Steve was sick as a dog with the flu, and it was hot. I sure appreciate his help.

This relay was a challenge. Typical wiring pattern. Problem is, connecting terminals 85 and 86 (tabs for the primary side) it's arc welding. Back to town. Stop at another auto parts store. They have the same part. It does the same thing! Back to original store, the parts guy, Bobby, tests it himself. Arcs and Sparks. Reverse leads. More welding. Reverse leads, this time let it stay connected and voila, it started working. Weird.

Final installation after wiring. The wiring came out good, but it did kick my ass a bit finding a switched hot lead. And no, one bulb is not out, I have the H4's set up such I can turn one beam off to save wattage.

Harley and Molley supervise.

Changed oil too. This pix to remind of mileage.

The Solteks are located rearward, and I had light scatter in the cockpit. So I came up with this cheap and ingenious plan. 

Say what you want, but my idea works!

Hmmm, I need adjust that hose clamp.

 

It became VERY apparent the TKC80 knobbies were NOT going to make it to Ray's place in La Pine Oregon. Even though it was getting was way late in the afternoon, I stopped by Hidden Power in Paso Robles for some shoes. Here, Ivan sets off on a test ride. The new tires produce alot less noise and vibration than the knobbies, but they sure are street pussy tires.

When things just aren't feeling right, when everything done is a fight, just do the CBA thing, stop, and chill out. Like have a cheap burger at MickeyD's and take advantage of their free WiFi.

Wabs says "Come, on let's ride!"

This is how the ride ended, with Wabs on her side and leaning into the gas pump. The centerstand broke as I raising her up. I tried to minimize the fall, and kinda wrenched the low back in the process. Oh well. The hotel has a jacuzzi.

The broken leg. For some reason, Ray called the SWMoto centerstand a POS!

Back on her feet with rubber side down. Here's the FaceBook link.

And a good night to all.

Hee Hee.

Text to follow later.

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Todays route (09-13-13)

First, several out of order pix taken from the iPhone. This is from NP1, which runs from Mad north to 299.
Was very suprised in that there was cell phone reception so I texted msDcarver and posted on Facebook too.

The day starts with the CAB's (Candy Ass Bikers) from Canada. Joseph ain't sure he's up yet, judging by the hair.

A really nice group, and great to see Dave Sykes again too.

Mark, Joseph's bud.

Sorry, don't recall the name.. one of the CAB boyz.

FastJoyRide, Dave Sykes.

Mark rides the Harley pretty damn quick. We traded bikes, he on Wabs, me on the newer to me HD. HD has improved the marque. More power, less vibration. Still buffets around the wind screen though, and Marks front brakes have severe shudderitis.

FastJoyRide in the lead.

The TBS tangent head to the trees.

TinyBladderSyndrome!

Someone is getting gray in the moustache!

FastJoyRide giving the Timmie Salute! 
AttaBoy Dave!

Joseph, ready to rock and roll after fixing his rear brake pedal assembly. 
The lower bolt fell out, we used a pink zip tye for it...

Mark, Mark, Mark.
Gotta get you outta that pirate uniform and into some good gear..

I had a camper like this... 

For many reasons, I decided to let the group march forward without me. For one, I'm in the meandaring mode, and the CAB boyz needed to be making tracks. 
For two, I'm just more comfortable travelling solo.
For three, I like to stop when I want to. 

I met Jim at the MadRiver Burger Bar. He rode Triumphs and Harley's back in 1957 and 1958.
Lost his wife 3 years ago, deeded the property to his grandchildren.
'Be careful of the gardens' he warned me.
'They'll shoot you on the spot'.
A wonderful guy, and I listened to his stories for almost two hours before meandering on.

The MadRiver Burger Bar!

Took a ride toward Ruth, Designated Highway (DH) #36.
South on county 501, filled up the tank in Ruth, then 502 to 511 back to 36. A nice ride around the resevoir. 

Stopped at a boy scout camp entrance to verify directions..

Heading north on 511 back up to 36.

Tenacity.

Truckin', got my chips cashed in! 
Long live the Grateful Dead!

..and for the second time in one day, back at the Burger Bar! 
These guys had just rode up 162, DH #14 IIRC.
The majority of them were from Alaska.

Here are their rides. They had 18 miles of gravel.

The MadRiver post office.

Now, for the best part of todays ride. NP1 heads north off 36 to 299. Something 'titty' road. It's about 45 miles long and the average speed is about 15 mph due to potty stops, picture taking, twisty, goaty road, and looking at the maps about a bazillion times to be sure I wasn't truly lost. The uphill ascent is crazy, the road is not-legal width wise, and I saw uno, 1, car the entire time. 

I mean, really?
Wabs was the PERFECT bike for this road.

Sweet Wabs. 
I was talking to the Timster on this ride.. 
"Hey, buddie, got your gurl out for a nice ride today... 
Hope you're enjoying it too"

Who knew? I had no clue I was to be this high in altitude in about 5 miles...

Landmark.

Burly trees, doing the survival thing.

Some trees don't make it, yet stand strong anyway.

Wow. This road now my #1 road. 
Can't wait to go back.

I like manzanita, wish it grew in my neck of the woods.

Sigh. One bitchen pix after the other. Sucks to be me!

I'm about 1/2 way over the road at this point.. and I'm starting to press. 
So, then, stop, strech out, grab an Ibu, take some pix, send a text to the sweetie, and post to FB too!

Finally, a sign. Somehow, the original arithmetic numbers don't add up. I thought the entire road was 45 miles. Nope.

HeeHee, my GPS said 'Tit'!

One last shot.
I'm pretty damn happy I can still ride MotoBike and do stuff like this.
RawkOn Peeps, RawkOn!

Nice lazy start to day.  Jacuzzi. Breakfast. Clean up last nightsRR.

Today's route..
Yep. Not much tarmac on today's ride!

This trip has been different in that I have time to meander. No time/distance pressures. 
So, I've been using Destination Highways maps to guide the route.
For example, today it said there was nice little road just north of Arcata, to McKinleyville, via Murpy Road to Blue Lake.
Why the fuck not/

At first, I thought this was a dead store.. but NO, a fresh ABC license and a sign stating "Don't come in, construction zone!"

At pass top, into the clouds. 
Just enough dampness to blur the vision.
Good thing I have the trademarked and patented 'Rag on a Rope'!

Miss GPS and DH maps disagreed. So I followed Miss GPS Jill down Baird road, off 299.

Pretty enough..

Well, Ok, I'll watch, but if you are doing your job, Mr. Rancher, aren't the critters corraled?

Say now, what's this?
Where did the pavement go?

It started off easy enough...

But a quick GPS consult showed 22 miles of this..
...and discretion being the better part of valor and all...
I CHICKENED out.

...and headed back down the hill.

The only other option had ominous signs of trespassers beware... 

So the four miles back to 299 go I.

Sometimes wish I had a KTM...
This pix shows the decision point...

299 into Willow Creek, CA.

Did not know there is a big fire going on...
This would later impact the ride..

Stopped here to get a bee out from under the helmet. 
I don't like bees in the ear..

Solo ride, no one behind me today...

Fun road..

I had no idea that later on in the day, I'd be happy to see a straight road!

Playing with special effects..
Wabs looking good!

So why didn't I remove the jacket? Ruined a nice pix..

True confession time....
Made a wrong turn.. down Salmon River..
and it turned out to be the best part of the ride, EVER!

The entire north part of CA is ready to burn..many pine trees have beetle damage and are dead.

A little history of the area..

Yes, the water was that clear and green.

Man, I love this riding stuff!

Smoke from the fires...

Riding along, came to USFS checkpoint. 
OH crap, are they going to make me turn around?
NO, the sweetie says, you're just in time for the one-way road.
"Think of  this as Highway 1 on crack", she said.
Damn, she was so cute I almost stayed.

This little, narrow road, with huge drop-off's was perfect for Wabs!

Evidently, it had burned through here recently.

Spectacular scenery.
See the helicopter? It was about to get a drink of water...

Base camp for the fire fighters..

The fire zone..

Neat structure by base camp.

What to do when branches get lazy...

Wabs sure is photogenic!

..and she SPARKLES in the sunshine!

For Andrew, OrangevaleFJR.

For RenoJohn, who we never hear from these days..

Took the pix.. 
Right after heard gunshots.. 
OK, I got the message. 

On the road!

Leaving Klamath National Forest.

Ok, I'm not worried. Let's talk about the fire, OK?

These are the peaks I just road through. 
Yes, I am one tough Wabs rider!

I think this is Etna, CA.

Love the flag and MIA below it.

I did NOT stay here, although in hindsight, maybe I should have.... 

Was thinking of TurboDave for this pix.. 

From here, it was Highway 3 to Yreka and a BestWestern.
A truly wonderful CBA day!

A Change of Plans

I've been following the Candy Butt Association code of ethics and staying up late, followed by a later start.
Today, I started earlier and quit earlier, in true CBA fashion. 
Hell, I almost burned down 1 entire tank of gas!

Yreka is hot. As in degrees F hot. 
How hot? Well, I did entire laundry, hung the clothes out on Wabs.. 
45 minutes later, all dry. 

Leaving Yreka, 263 N to 96 West, climbing the hill on the mighty 650.

I like this type of scenery.. Not all green, I like ragged, jagged, tough rocks with water just below. 

Mankind is funny - Cut a trench, make a road. I would have preferred a road to the valley to the left... More curvy.

Road construction is everywhere in summertime..

This pix - "No Monument". Saw a lot of these signs.. 
A google search reveals..
A "Monument' would remove the 4 dams on the Klamath River.
Assholes all, the E-Nazis.

For RenoJohn, my long lost buddy.

Willie Nelson, 'On the Road Again', and it is sweet.

Covering the work with plastic is the new thing, evidently.

Wabs by the River. Springsteen was on XM radio I had to stop...

Even though the river is low, it's more water than where I live..

The nice thing about a lighter, smaller bike.. You can go more places.

This structure is typical of the area. Roof sagging, tin with patina, with a new add-on for the $250k motorhome inside?

I had a hard time finding the correct road.. So to see this sign was good.. I was on the correct path.

For my bud Robert, a Firefighter.

Everyone has to live somewhere. I sometimes wonder why.

Ok, RenoJohn, do I get BMR 'guest' points for this?

Judging by the looks on the locals faces, this is really 'Happy Camp'!

This was confusing. 
On Google maps, it's called Grayback road. 
On the Zumo, it was Indian Reservation or something. 
Asked two locals, got two different stories..
With just enough fuel to make it one way, I needed to be correct with the routing..

Got it! Grayback road on top of the hill. 
4 bars of 4G too. 
Our world compresses..

Enough to make Jeff Ashe, HaulinAshe, jealous?

Pano view.

Some idiots took the marker signs.
Some cool peeps left this on the steel that used to hold the sign... Love it!

This pix taken for my true hero, TurboDave.
May E Clampus live on forever. 

Entering OBrien, I got pulled over by Barney Fife.
Thinking of Tim, and of Barney, I got a kick out of this.
...and I never did know why Tim presented Barney. 
It was part of his life, not shared.

I wonder how many peeps this red light put the fear of god into?

Don't mess with the O'Brien Barney's!

I am not making much northward progress.. and nor do I care..

As you can see by heading South back into Kali land.

This may sound funny, but I could live in this house. Easily. Comfortably. 

Once again, riding solo. I like solo.

The road? Not always bright. Not always perfect. 
But it sure beats a day at work, yes?

WooooHooo, back into OrYgun!

I am getting old...
and hate it..

When the States won't make a marker, some locals will! 
California on the left, Oregon to the right...
CHOOSE, SUCKER!

I leave you with this....

A short jaunt up the coast today, Brookings to Eugene, Oregon.

I kept seeing these markers about a scenic byway, and thought it might be a path, a route. 
But no, all they do is go to beaches and what not.

Like this one.

I kid you not, that's an actual plant growing out of the top of the post...

Like a bridge, over troubled waters...
Just past Gold Beach, IIRC.

Riding the coast was a nice break from the endless green trees of the mountain regions.

The cockpit of Wabs. Notice the speed. That's been very typical on this trip. No radar detector really needed.

One of the better state parks in Oregon..

See why?

Location...

Eerily, the roads were practically empty, making for fun in the corners. 
On a 650, you need to enter with speed, carry momentum - you can't torque out like on a liter+ bike.

The only thing missing is whales!

This is Port Orford.

I tried to eat here, but it was just too Fishy smelling in the little cafe. As in raw, dead, fish.

Very much a working port... Unlike Avila Beach near where I live..

I'd not seen this kind of dry dock transporter before.. 
Look carefully....

...and this is what is - on an  old truck carrige with wooden beams.

Instead, I seredepitously stumbled upon the Paradise cafe, a local hangout. 
The food, though, was just average.

So far, it's been a true Candy Butt Ass day.
I started to feel the pressure of making time, but quickly shook it off.
The luxury of time is woefully underestimated.... 

So I took a detour, the scenic route over the Beach and Bandon.

Pretty damn nice.

Peeps were riding horses, walking, dogs were romping, all is good in the world..

I like this pix best...

PIx to define location..

...and back to 101 Northbound.

Oregon has cool bridges too..
The view ahead..

To the west...

To the East.

and from behind!

Coos Bay..
Here are things I don't see in Creston...

Fresh Tuna Loins?
Sounds perverted, smells like???

And another motobike dealer goes bust.

The infrastructure of Coos Bay. Water transport, Land Transport.

Got wood chips?

Dozers are used to move the pile around..

So, how come there's no South Bend?

Yet another coolio bridge..

Finally, lots of water. 
In NorCal, all the rivers and streams are dangerously low, the hills are full of dead and dying pine trees, the place is ready to ignite.
Not so here.

45% of all bridges in the US are rated as 'deficient' meaning if one element goes bad, the bridge is toast.
Looking at the age of some of these bridges, I can see why that's so.

Yet another example of a bridge at end of life span.

Hiway 126 west of Florence, headed to Eugene for the night.

Was going to try and make La Pine today, but that would get me in at 20:00 and make me cranky.
Me no like cranky..

These riders were 1 of maybe only 7 or so I saw all day long..

I miss not having cruise control, my right hand and wrist are sore from twisting the throttle.
WAAAH! My Mangina hurts!

Oregon is a pretty state with some pretty decent roads..

Road conditions are better in Oregon than in Kali, surface wise.

Another post office shot...

Nice, sweet, sexy, curvaceous road!

Located here!

Had to chuckle at seeing this tree.. 
All it needs are some full time Christmas lights...

Last pix. Didn't know Eugene is home of Oregon University and the Ducks.. 
The campus and stadium are really nice, much nicer than Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

Today, a wet day riding day for a Summer Dry Rider not really prepared for the wet..
Rain? WTFO?

First, the hotel, Best Western, in Eugene... They asked... I responded.. 

Ducks on the pond, or 'river' from the hotel room. 

Ducks of a feaather?

Ducks are BIG in Eugene..

And, then, rain. RAIN. Wet. Lots O' Wet.

Had to stop, I give up. 
Summer ventilated boots drenched. 
Gloves? Wet. Soaking Wet.
Frog Togg rain gear?
Worthless! 

Still, though, and of day.. 
A great day riding, not at work, healthy enough to endure.
No Complaints.

I love this pix of the leaf on top and apparent Soltek water leak.
I loosened the Solted vent, it later fell out, only to find the water leak was between the outer lense cover and light.
In other words, no problem.
Of course, the loosend vent later fell out, requiring purchsing  new one.

I will endure rain to enjoy scenes like this.
Only MotoBikers fully appreciate.

At the hotel, safe, wet, and happy.

Drying the boots..

And so-called Rain-Gear...

LOL.

From here, went to FjRay's and he fixed the broken chain guard, I got wet again, dried the boots again, and wondrered about alot of things.

LOL.

Many things to wonder about, a confused and cluttered mind..

A CBA ride to Crater Lake.

Cammie, visiting Pops Ray wanted to see Crater Lake.

Off we go, Ray in the lead.

Lots of new stuff to learn for the new rider!

Like father, like daugher?

Yeah, both on the cell phone! 
TucsonJoe in the camper needed some local advice..

The road behind.

The road ahead.

Yesterday it snowed up here.

Nice..

First stop, Kodak lost the revolution when digital came out, yes?

The water is that blue.

Ray, not happy he's in the shot?

Snow! I wanted to pee my name in it!

"Ah crap, I already have my helmet on!"

Climbing up the hill..

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Me thinks a 250 is just a bit to small...

Alrighty then, Ray breaks out the bird!

It is a pretty pond of water..

Pretty damn nice.

How it happened.

I like this pix best...

Hondapotamus cleared for departure!

More photo ops...Ray walks away, LOL.

It was darn near chilly..

Looking northward..

Good to father and daughter having Q time.

Ahhhhh.

RuhRoh Ollie, that ain't going to buff out!

Mt. Scott.

Anyone bring oxygen?

Down the hill.

Even after being here many times, I still enjoy the experience.

Motobikes rule!

Reminded me of Paramount studios?

Taking the back way home to La Pine..

Riding with a local? Priceless.

What happened to all the trees?
Fire.

Got volcanic rock?

Almost home.

Finally, a dirt road. 
Country, road, take me home.

How to mount a Hondapotamus!

Good night ya'lls. 
TucsonJoe and Cecil are in the parking lot with their camper I'm gonna party with them for a bit!

La Pine to Bend, then to Mt Bachelor today.

Woke up this morning with sore throat. Off the Harvest Depot for breakfast.
Find this old guy and his immaculate Chevy Apache..

Meet Hollis.
79 years young.

Taking care of his 15 year old grand daughter.
Former auto repair shop owner.
A moral man.

His truck. 
Bought it in 1963 for $900.00
Came with a 327, but it needed work so he slapped a 6 cylinder into it until he could rebuild the 327.
Thieves stole the 327, so the 6 is remains to this day.
Points, 3 on a tree, with overdrive!

Not for sale!

And before I leave the lot, this beauty arrives..

My bud.

Just east of Bend on 20, at Pilot Butter park.

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They even had polish available if you were so inclined..

Heading up to Mt. Bachelor. 

Here, this will help tell you where.. NOT!

Entering the park area.

Gorgeous roads..

Where the skiers get dumped off at the top.

The ski area.

The lift.

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Oregon has some really nice scenery..

Skiers to the left, motobikers to the right!

The rock formations are something not seen where I live..

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Devils Lake was nice too. 

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I like this pix best...

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Wabs poses for the beauty shot..

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So-called 'controlled fire' ahead has me worried. I have just enough fuel to make it..Can't backtrack..

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Perhaps 50 firefighters on hand for the controlled burn.

On fire!

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Save me, I'm a good tree!

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Found this nice stream just outside of LaPine.

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Back in town, need to do laundry. Wonder if it's still open?
Yes! Brad, Uberkuel and his bud Don are doing there laundry now.

MadMike listens in!

The FJR's have arrived.

DJBill, Fairlaner, MCML, and Cammie.

Barry, ???, and Norm, Barb's squeeze.

Nightshine, Sam, and George, Escapeartist.

??? and marcus.

That's it! 
Say good night Niehart!

Today's CBA Route...

Out of focus McRide007, Steve, MCML, Joseph, and DjBill, Bill.

Uberkuel and bud Don ready to head out.

Did you bring the map?

Of course I did. Which way is North?

UberKul's kul lid.

Don, Uber's buddie.

Oooh, soft squishy seat to keep the 'roids at bay!

RuhRoh, chain guard didn't survive..

Next year, Alaska!

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Holy Crap, this is one loaded down XL650!

LOL, mine smokes like this too!

'How come my bike won't start?'
"Got the gas on"?
Woops!

The EscapeArtists keep the clean machine clean...
Fairlaner looks like he's ready to take a pee..

A quick run up the hill to see some lava and lakes..

Came across DudeWaldo's wreck.
She's taking a nap.

The sheriff was OK, but sure didn't want me taking any pictures of him..
Here the bike is righted and attached to the tow cable.

Broken collarbone and dislocated shoulder. He swerved to avoid Bambi and ended in the ditch.

Up the ramp and headed to FjRays.

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Ray says not too much damage. Frame appears straight, upper subframe looks ok.

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Save the Farkles!

The windshield plastic screws sheared, as they should.

Lesson learned. Call the sheriff if you crash and leave the scene..

This tow truck driver earned his money. He didn't just drag the bike on it's side, rather got it on wheels and winched her up.

Yet another really nice road!

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For being 18 miles from LaPine, this was really nice.

If I lived here, I'd learn to fish.

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But I want a boat, not this pontoon thing.

Like the boat in the background!

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Me, having fun! 
Occurs to me this will be the last of my fun over 12 - 18 months.

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This old guy and his black lab. That dog was great and very wet and the tail was non-stop wagging.
The old guy had actually turned around to see if John, DudeWaldo, was OK. Of couse, John had already got a ride back to the hotel.

At East Lake.

This truck is like the one in my neighbors yard!

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You are here.

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Simply stunning~

At the obsidian flow..

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Looks like the moon or something..

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Life is found everywhere, even in the harshest of environments.

Check this pine growing out of rock.

'On the dark side of the moon' might be a good song to play..

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An overview of the entire area. Fishing, hunting, boating, snowmobiling, it's all here.

Found this dirt road going up to Paulina peak..

Grinding up the dirt road to the peak. 
Lots of stutter bumps..

It was steeper in real life than what the camera portrays..

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Historical info..

Paulina Lake. East lake is, uhh, well, to the East. Used to be one lake, but an eruption threw enough dirt in between to make two lakes.

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I swear I didn't make the donuts!

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Paulina Lake.

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East Lake to right.

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Getting sun burned.

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Headed down the hill.
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A quick stop by Ray's to see if he's home. Nope. Check out the custom dirt road drag!

For Sheila, BustanutJoker's better half!

Wonder hiow much?

Back at the hotel. 

Joseph, the chairman!

Good turn out!

The pie man, Niehart!

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Johnny80's and Don Stanley arrive after 875 miles..

Lots of picture taking!

Odot, Ray, and Lydia made it from the Rogue Valley, near Medford.

Odot says "Put a cok in it, Carver!"

With that, GoodNight Ya'lls.

The view from room 221, before the food fest.

TucsonJoe and Cec's abode!

Barb giving Bust a new hole!

Duchess and Sheila.. 
Looking North and South!

There, that's better!

Dutchess makes the rounds. 
I think Richard was the only one she would let pick up.

A brrrooom for extra speed! Poor Barb!

Woof!

Not a good shot, but Lydia and Odot, Ray.

Odot, ATGATT, even for food?

Eat here, Joel is the best.

At the Reuben SammiWich EatFest.

Yeah, kinda wet.

Finally, the banquet..

Honestly, the boneless pork rib was overcooked.
The chicken, though, was good.

Everyone settling in... George on left, Steve, McRide007 on right.

These were the early birds... First in line, first to eat!

The line starts..

And the chowing starts.

Look who's back for pets?.

That's it for now.

Put a fork in it, RuebenRun2, 2013 be o-v-e-r!
Today's wet and soggy route.

Did not sleep at all last night, tossed and turned. 
03:45 rolled around, and I'm still up. 
07:00 and all the FJR peeps are slamming doors and tromping around. 
May as well get up too..

The view from room 221. 
Dave Black, Niehart, George, EscapeArtist, and Mrs. EscapeArtist watch Pieman do something.

Pieman, aka Niehart, aka David Black, looking worried..

What the hell is in that saddlebag?

Hol-y-ee Shit! Who put the Wombat in the saddlebag?

Apologies for the fuzzy pix.
Hudson, aka HuddieBear.

Mike, MadMike, looking stylish as always...

Joseph, MCML.

Niehart again.

MCML looking for oil leaks under the FJR?

Marcus, aka Aichu.
He's a very proficient rider.

A Spider on a Spyder!

Someone stole my camera!

Finally underway, I tried to find Sherman Camp, where my brother's ashes are scattered.

GPS led me up this dirt road, but nothing looked familiar.

The road, being dirt, was beyond my risk acceptance level, as it was starting to rain.

I found the sign for Camp Sherman, and poked around, but could not find the place.

Everything was not as I remembered, and time was running short.


So back onto the pavement.

The skies cleared for a bit, but I was bummed I couldn't find the place.

So as I'm thinking about my brother's ashes, I read a sign about fire. Great.

Mt. Washington is to the right, behind the clouds.

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Simple yet effective signage showing lane direction. Brilliant.

Really dark rain clouds ahead.

At Detroit Lake, found this really cool restaurant!
Check out the bike on top.. 
I'm going back ASAP.
The owner, Rick was exceptionally cool. 
He's a former MX racer, and just loves motobikes.
He sat and talked while I chomped and talked. 

Born to be Wiiiiiiiilllllld.

"Hardly A Davidson".

A Led Zep fan too!

Rick wanted to try vintage racing, so he go this AJS.
LOL, he found out they have NO suspension!

HubbaBubba!
Audry Hepburn, back in the day!

That's Rick, at now closed down MotoBike park - great pix.

Check out all the motobike toyz...

MotoArt everywhere - really coolio.

Rick told me about 'Coach', he's very well known in the BMW world.
Evidently, he can ride a big boxer too..

Just fun stuff!

Rick's Pops served in WWII on  B-17.
Like many returning War Heros, he bought a motobike (BSA) and disappeared for awhile. 
This pix taken in Oklahoma.

As Rick said, he is "moto-agnostic".
Love it!

Check out this letter in the case...

And the cases...

Artwork everywhere..

And my favorite piece of art in his restaurant is this one.
It has headlights that are illuminated from the back for the headlights.
It may be stupid, but I really like this pix of the piece.. 
Slightly blurry and all, but man, I like it. 
I'd like to own it, actually.

Without the blur, it's still really coolio!

Arrived in Keizer a bit tired, a bit wet a bit happy, a bit confused.
Just like in real life.

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Dad's home.

Pops and youngest son, Don.

Leaving the hotel..

Mt. Shasta looms.

Arrived in Weed, ate at my favorite Weed restaurant.

The BBQ is ready...

So let's dive in..

Someone had to do it!


Out of order pix... oh well... This is leaving Keizer.

Running down 99S, towards Corvallis. I think it's 99S.. not sure.

Corvallis, Or, a college and yuppy town.

Further South, to yet another favorite restaurant, Peggy's, near Rice Hill just off I5.

Well, ended up eating here instead.. because -

Apparently, Peggy finally passed. She was old 10 years ago when I first stopped in.

Oh well.

7 Feathers Indian casino. Stopped there once and lost money. Haven't stopped again...

I5 up north is actually a decent ride.

Self portrait..

A huge, 3-day storm was scheduled for the Salem/Portland area, and it was chasing me South..

Pretty country.

No idea how this pix got here.. This is DudeWaldo's 03 after he missed a deer. 

Wabs needed a potty stop..

Check this guy out... Through the divider and nearly into oncoming traffic.

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Oregon Thanks me for spending Cashola.

Kali welcomes me back.. 

Mt. Shasta means my stopping point isn't too far ahead.

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Leaving out of Weed, Ca.. Earliest start of the entire trip, and I'm back into the 'On the Clock' mode.

In front of the BBQ joint..

Dark and cloudy weather.

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Black Butte summit was looking pretty dark..

This Penske rental truck had blown an engine. His wife was following, her car sprayed with oil from the grenading engine.

For my buddy Larry Gibson - he lives in Florida, so no hills there...

Pretty shot..

Whiskey Lake, Shasta.

In Willows, this Black Bear diner was fantastic. Really good food, clean.. 

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Made it to San Ramon, Nick's shoe repair can actually fix motobike boot zippers. 
Two zippers installed in my Oxtar boots for 40 bones. GREAT deal!

Further south, sights become recognizable.. 
Flowers being grown for seed.

Freight trains... this is near King City, Ca.

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Just south of King City, a CHP speed trap, has been there for years..

See what I mean?

Knowing the trip is over, and I'm bummed. 
So I took some pix to document my bummed out feeling.

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Decided to take the back routes home on the final stretch. 
To at least not remember the slab ride back of today..

...and be it ever so humble...

Trip data..

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Overall Trip