Motorcycle Tour 2008

We’ve been back almost a week, so I thought I’d get some final notes down before the afterglow of the trip fades away. Several people expressed genuine concern about our safety, and some seemed a little surprised that we made it back safely! Thanks for that concern. As for the risks associated with motorcycling, they can only be mitigated to a certain level, though protective gear, smart riding and choosing lightly traveled roads can make a difference. Other than negotiating big cities, like Portland and San Francisco, we were on roads with very little traffic, at least from an East Coast perspective. Both Phil and I noticed that few other motorcyclists were wearing full protective gear (helmet, jacket, gloves, pants and boots). I think all of the states we rode through, save for Oregon and California, don’t require helmets — and it showed.

There are three ingredients for a truly (paved) great motorcycling road: smooth, dry, twisty pavement, great scenery and a minimum of other cars, driveways and other encumbrances. We found three roads that stood head and shoulders above the rest: Rt. 14 from Ft. Collins, Colo. to Walden; Rt. 12 (Lolo Pass) from Missoula, to Lewiston, Idaho; Rt. 1 in California from its origin in northern California to the Bay Area.

Staying with friends and family along the way was truly great. I enjoyed seeing people in their element, and we received a lot of generous hospitality, despite being tired, hungry and dirty motorcyclists after hundreds of miles on the road.

We did have a bit of an adventure on the drive from Denver to Harrisonburg. The check engine light that came on in Missouri on the way out reappeared while we were eastbound in Colorado. Justin (the van’s owner) had shipped a new fuel filter to Denver, which I thought to be the wrong one before we set off. After a fuel stop and driver change near St. Louis, the van began losing power up hills. I was able to cycle the key (while driving!) to reset it a few times, but that stopped working. At about 1:30 a.m., I pulled over at a rest stop in Illinois on I-64 and popped the hood to let the engine cool. I attempted to catch a quick nap, but the 20 oz. coffee I’d just guzzled prevented that. I woke Phil up and we got to work. Due to earlier fiddling, I was able to get the old filter out with minimal hassle. I found that the new filter was correct — but that there’s a plastic fitting that must be moved from the old filter to new. After busting off a plastic ear that’s used to fasten the part to the filter, I realized that a more cautious approach would be needed. That part is required, intact, for the engine to run. We ended up cutting the old filter apart with a Leatherman, a large wrench and the screwdriver from the official Mercedes toolkit. After many ‘whacks’ with the wrench and screwdriver, the part was freed from the old filter. It popped into the new filter easily with finger pressure, and we were back in business quickly after that point.

The repair set us back about two hours. We ran into a good bit of rain on the way back, from Kansas onward. Being the return trip made it psychologically more difficult, as well, but we made it without further incident.

A few more photos…

This was Rt. 12 after Lolo Pass — and one of the best roads we ran.

Along the Columbia River (and I-84) in Oregon. It was brutally windy. Windy enough that we stood in the lee of a nearest large object while taking a break.

Ten days and 3,760 miles on two wheels.  It was great!  Tomorrow we cover about 1,600 miles in Big Blue back to Harrisonburg.

A quick recap of the last three days:
We left San Francisco on Thursday morning (12 June) for a 550 mile day that put us in Ely, Nevada after dark.  It was a desolate stretch of road (Route 50), but still beautiful.  After our last fuel stop in Austin, Nevada, the temperature dropped quickly, and we were still a little chilly while fully geared up.  We stayed at a somewhat shady motel, and had dinner around midnight at a casino.

Friday was more Rt. 50, then we picked up I-70.  The photo below was from Utah, somewhere, and it was definitely getting warmer.  After about 430 miles, we arrived in Grand Junction, Colorado — this time before dark.  We stayed in first motel we came to, and grabbed some deep dish pizza across the street.

Phil discovered that his rear tire was worn down to the (steel) belts on Friday evening, so the first order of business was replacing that on Saturday.  Fortunately a motorcycle store had shop hours on a Saturday, so we were on our way by 11.  It was a relatively easy 250 miles into Denver.  We took a quick diversion up to Mt. Evans on our way back into the city.

We arrived at about 4:30 p.m., and had a chance to relax and go to a BBQ with Dave, Sara and their daughter Sophie across the street.

It’s been a lot of fun to be S.F. On Tuesday afternoon, Maria met Phil and I, and we swung down to a nearby park, then met up with Phil’s friend Janet. We mosied up and down the street, finally settling on a sushi restaurant that was excellent. Next, we caught up with Matt and Holly and crashed for the night.

Wednesday was relaxed. Justin, who had just returned from Bali, drove us to Golden Gate Park, where we played Frisbee and puzzled over the construction of the de Young Museum. Justin’s friend Angela met up with us for happy hour, then we headed back to home base for a delicious blueberry dessert. Matt and Holly’s classmates Emma and Vina kicked our butt in a game of 25 Words or Less.

Next up: 1300 miles of riding across Nevada, Utah and Colorado. We’re hoping to clear most of Nevada today.

We left Ashland on Monday morning (9 June) after a hearty breakfast (notice a pattern?) and a photo with Aunt Lori and her hot scooter.

After a short stint on I-5, we took 199 from Grants Pass (Ore.) to Crescent City (Cal.).  Since Lori had packed us a lunch, we stopped in Redwood National Park and stared up in amazement while chowing down.  From there, we took 101 south to Rt.1 — which was simply an amazing road.  The first twenty-five miles were tight turns with some hills thrown in.  It was the sort of riding that makes 24 hours in a cargo van, plus hours of howling wind through Wyoming and Idaho worth it.  After the road mellowed out some, we stopped for a photo: (which doesn’t do the scenery justice)

We stopped in Fort Bragg for the night at a very pink motel. (But hey, you can’t see the color when you’re asleep.)  Fort Bragg would not be a recommended stop for thrifty travelers.  A bowl of chowder: $10.  More twisty goodness made up most of our ride on Tuesday.  We pulled over for a well-driven (or maybe just fast) VW GTI, while most slower drivers were courteous enough to use turn-outs so we could keep at a fun (yet safe) pace.  We missed a turn for Rt.1 about an hour north of S.F., and ended up in hot, congested Petaluma.  Rather than wend our way back to the coast, we took 101 to the Golden Gate Bridge, where an Austrian mom and daughter took the requisite tourist photo:

Now we’re at Matt’s, waiting for Maria to head in from East Bay, and for Matt to swing home.  It’s nice to be in the Bay Area again!

Now that the technical kinks have been worked out, here is a quick recap of the first week of our trip.

Saturday (31 May): Attend Rhoda’s wedding in Beach City, Ohio, then depart for Denver
Sunday: Seemingly endless hours in the van; check engine light comes on near Columbia, Missouri (resolved at AutoZone). Arrived in Denver at about 8 p.m. at Dave & Sarah’s.

Monday: Depart Denver; Jeremy’s bike ejects coolant onto I-25 entrance ramp. Fabulous riding on Rt. 14 from Ft Collins to Walden. A stiff breeze into Lander, Wyoming, where we stopped for the night.
Tuesday: Travel to Jackson, Wyoming. Jeremy’s bike blew a fuse for the brake light, twice; found a wire burned by the exhaust and removed it. Gorgeous views approaching the Grand Tetons. Caught up with Joanna at her place in Jackson and had dinner.

Wednesday & Thursday: Rode from Jackson to Missoula, Montana. Wind and rain made this 400 mile day a little more difficult. We managed to get warmed up at a lunch stop in Salmon, Idaho. We saw snow coming over the pass into Missoula — and a temp of 32 deg. We stayed with Anneke and took a rest day in Missoula.

Friday: Climbed up Lolo pass and enjoyed 77 miles of twisty roads toward Lewiston, Idaho. Jumped on the Interstate in hellacious winds and headed toward Portland. Phil peeled off toward Bend, Oregon, and I got hopelessly lost in Portland. After Amy found me, we had a great sushi dinner and Amy treated me to a fantastic back and shoulder massage (perfect after 550 miles on the bike).

Saturday & Sunday: A chilly, rainy ride over Mt Hood on the way to Bend to meet Phil. The high desert sun felt great. Met Phil’s friends in Bend and headed toward Ashland, Oregon. Took an unmaintained forest service road and encountered snow, forcing a U-turn. The valley north of Klamath Lake was beautiful. The twisty ride down to Ashland was made a little harrowing by cold and darkness. We arrived at the home of Bob, Lori, Amanda and Adam at 10:30. They fed us a tasty meal at that hour. After a great breakfast on Sunday, we headed to a nearby lake and hung out on their boat and did some tubing. In all, a wonderfully relaxing time with family.

Bonus: Video of me wiping out while tubing.
Jer stacks it