Highway 101, Pacific Ocean, Arched Bridges, A Buck, A Turkey, No Vacancy - Day 31

For some reason, we both slept in late today. Ed was up at 8:30 and I couldn't believe the time ( he's usually up and moving around 6AM - but not today!). Looks like all the miles and long days are catching up with us. 30 days on the road and we're feeling it.

The beds were comfy and pillows soft and we just were soaking in the quiet 4th floor room - no one above walking around at all hours of the night. The A/C was quiet too. Nice accommodations at the LaQuinta Inn.

We went for breakfast at a diner across the street from the motel. When we left, the temp was 69 degrees F and when we came out about a 1/2 hour later 77. Was this a taste of what was to come for the rest of the day? Hope not.

Well, the theory of the rising temps turned out to be an incorrect assumption. We went up to the room to get our luggage and load it on the bikes and when we came back down, overcast and raindrops. Oh, well, get out the raingear and get ready for a wet ride.

No longer did we get underway did the rain stop, but not for long either. We headed south on I-5 toward Portland until we could tale a highway west to the coast and Rte 101 ( Oregon's scenic Pacific Byway). And what an awesome ride it was. Winding roads, hills, mountains, canopied forests, beautiful ocean views, arched bridges, and dropping temps all the way. Temp got down to 57F. Before then, it was time to shed the rain jacket for my riding jacket - waterproof too, but provides much better heat and wind resistance. That and a change of gloves did the trick.

We worked our way down the coast stopping periodically taking pics and admiring the bridges along the way. It seems that Oregon's Coastal Bridges were designed and built by the same man just after WWI - Conde B. McCullough. It may not seem like much, but this man did an aesthetic and engineering feat that looks great and provides protection from the salt spray and fog. Almost 100 years and these bridges still look like artwork. Their majestic arches supporting vehicles sometimes 1,000 feet or more above gorges and rivers throughout the coast. And, they all  have similar looking features and you can definitely see the resemblance.

We stopped at a scenic view and looked down upon the famous Devil's Punch Bowl in Newport, Oregon- a natural rock formation allowing water from the ocean to pass through a hole in the rock through an arch and fill a "Bowl" with water. It looked great - nature makes the most incredible sights.

Further down the road we stopped in a town named Florence, OR. It's a seaside town along the ocean and after riding through the main street of activity, we stopped and asked some locals where we can find a good Bowl of chowder. The guy looked like an old biker and told us to go down the ramp leading to the docks and go the hut with he crab flags. It's the best you'll find around these parts, he said. It was just sold to a woman and the guy who previously owned it apparently gave his chowder recipe to the new owner. We get there and she ahs plenty of crabs, but no chowder. It's only the 2nd day she's opened. So, on to the strip of restaurants and we stop at Mo's. It's pretty much a tourist place like the ones at Fisherman's Warf in San Francisco and had a bowl of Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. It tasted like canned clam chowder and probably was.

 Ok, snack time is over and we're burning daylight. It's 5PM and we still need to log some miles and find a place for the night. As we head south on the 101 the scenery gets scarce, few towns and less signs of civilization - not a good sign. We had our goals set on a town named Port Orford - about 2 hours south. We get there and not much to look at - things are not looking up. Up ahead before a turn at the end of town there are 2 arrows pointing up the hill and the words Ocean View painted in the road. There was also a sign for a motel, so we go up the hill. Sitting right in front of us is a nice looking motel wright on the ocean - looking good, until we get a little closer to the office that is. As I approach the office a Buck jumps out right in front of me and hops down past the office. The No Vacancy sign in the office put a damper in our spirits. There must be other motels in town you would think. And there were, except, buy the looks of the outsides of these places  I wouldn't board my dog there - so - we do the familiar search maneuver. Next town, 38 miles. On the way Ed passes a wild turkey on the side of the road, but when I get close it decides to do a turkey trot to the middle of the road and just as Big Red is about to score #2 emblem for the gas tank, it changes direction at the last minute and gets to live another day. What the heck is it with these birds and suicide wishes anyway?

On our way there we cross abridge at about 30 miles and see a sign for a Motel 6 with a nice view of the bridge and the water. Do they have a room? Up a steep hill and a 180 degree turn, then another hill and there's the office. No signs saying no vacancy, so we go in the office and ask the dreaded question. And, yes, there is room at the inn. Saved again. It's 8PM and we're glad to find a clean room and settle in for the night.

Seattle, Beamers, Harleys, Salmon Creek, WA - Day 30

Today was a day to take care of business. Went with Ed to the BMW dealer and his front wheel was waiting for him, though it would take a while to get it installed. Since he'd be there a while, I thought it would be a good idea to get the oils and filter changed on Big Red, so while Ed's work was getting done, I could take care of Big Red at the same time.

Went to the Harley Dealer in Downtown Seattle only to find a clothing store, so I called and was given directions to the dealer in Belleview. After a 45 minute ride and several missed turns - I mean detours I finally arrive at the google map location for the dealership - except, no sign of the dealer in sight! So, once again I call and ask where the secret porthole is located. I tell the voice on the other end of the phone where I'm at and she says "that's the old location of the dealership - you're not the first one to tell me that". Google never updated their maps. So she gives me directions and I'm there in 5 minutes. Thankfully they can squeeze me in - not just for an oil change, but it seems my rear tire needs to be replaced too - so I ask "Can you do that too?" After a brief check with the day's workload I get the nod. Only that it may take most of the day. And it did. Got Big Red back on the road about 3:30PM. Ed met me there about 2PM and waited patiently.

Finally, onward south toward Portland, Oregon. Glad to get out of Seattle. Roads are crazy, but after riding around most of them this morning, came to understand why people like living here. The city is surrounded by water and there are snow-covered mountains all around. Nice views everywhere.

We stopped in Salmon Creek, WA (near the Washington/Oregon border)around 7PM and tried to find a room, but once again, there's a soccer tournament, a lacrosse tournament, a knitting knit-off, a ........... Everyone is booked we were told. I asked "where's your guest computer, get on trip advisor and book a room less than 1/4 mile away within minutes. Whew! Guess we haven't learned this skill yet.

Dinner at the local RoadHouse and done for the day.

Almost 9900 miles since the start - 9400+ from Key West. Don't know how many miles to go.

Off to points South tomorrow and maybe get to stop for a snack at VooDoo Donuts in Portland.

We'll be in California some time tomorrow before we stop. It was 93 degrees here after 8PM today. Hot day to ride. Hot again tomorrow.

Vancouver, BC, run for the Border, Seattle - Day 29

The day began with a breakfast at a place named Rollys - just around the corner from the hotel - and heading south for home. The ride from Hope, BC to Vancouver, BC was uneventful but leading all the way to the southernmost and westernmost city in Canada. We arrived at the Ferry Terminal along the waterfront and found a place with a view of the Bay and snow-capped mountains as a backdrop. Just picturesque with a 5,000lb boat prop in the foreground.

After a quick snack, back on the road to the good old USA. We crossed at the Peace Bridge crossing after a 30-40 minute wait, answered a few questions and heard have a nice day! Welcome Home!

After leaving the border crossing we still had a 2-hour ride to Seattle. Since we had made reservations the night before, we had a room waiting for us.

Went to the waterfront for dinner with a view of the bay in Edmond's Washington - about 15 minutes away from the hotel. Great food and views of the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry and mountains as a backdrop. It just don't get better than this!

Ed has an appointment in the AM to get the new wheel installed and his oil changed.

Train Whistles, The Canyon, Hells' Gate, Wildfires and Hope - Day 28

Last night was by far the most sleepless nights I've had on the trip. On the way into town, there was lots of industrial businesses - logging, sawmills, wood chips all loaded on train cars. It should have been a warning of what was yet to come. Kind of puzzling that there would be miles of train cars all hooked up with no where to go - or so I thought. Apparently, this is the busiest rail corridor in North America with 1 Million rail cars a month passing through. Who knew?

Once again, visions of the My Cousin Vinny movie when all of a sudden after 1AM there's a rumble, things begin to shake, and then the train whistles start. Not going to be a good night. Needless to say I got about 1-2 hours sleep. Woke up tired sleepy and began the day.

We headed out of Vanderhoof with Hope, BC as a goal. It's near the border - perfect position for a border crossing on Friday through Vancouver and into Seattle.

Once we left Iskut, road traffic picked up and the road conditions improved significantly. Vanderhoof is a busy town. Al the conveniences you could want and looks like plenty of employment - during summer months at least. On the road to Vanderhoof, we passed many lakes region vacation towns all by lakes and all looked busy. Plenty of farms and ranches as well. A big change from the past few weeks of riding  both headed north and as we head east and south, before we head west and south. Not such a big selection of roads and routes up here.

The highlight of the trip today was the Fraser Canyon. The mountains in the canyon aren't steep and all rock, they're dirt and gradually slope. Reminded me of the Diablo Canyon northeast of San Francisco. Very similar with one difference - the Fraser river. The river is long and wide and runs swiftly for the whole length we rode it. Our ride took us south on RTE 1 along the mountain slopes and cliffs edges most of the afternoon and almost all the way to Hope.

There are several tunnels through the mountains for cars and trucks and on the opposite side of the river you can see railroad cutouts in the mountains for the railroad to pass as well. The scenery is just beautiful and the trains are probably as long as allowed and look to be at least a mile long. The train kept pace with my bike at 40mph.

At one point the river narrows at a choke point called Hells Gate. There's a tram that takes you across for free, but wasn't running when I passed.

Another site along the mountains as we got farther south, were not just that the snow-capped peaks re-appeared, but there were several burning wildfires visible from the road. A helicopter flew overhead probably to assess the danger as it wasn't equipped to carry or drop water.

Landed in Hope around 8PM MT and after a quick shower and blog entry, hit the hay.

Over 9,000 miles total so far. I'll try to get some pics and stats up after we hit the states again and have better internet service and better computers.

Until then...........

The Bear, More Red Goat, Banjos, Breakfast, BlackBird-0 Big Red-1, The Bull - Day 27

When we checked in I asked if there's breakfast here and you saw the reply. What I didn't get is that before we left the "Lodge" the woman said 8AM. When we finally ended eating dinner and went to the "Cabin" we get a good look. It reminds me if a garden shed with 2 twin beds. Everything except a small dresser and 2 small glass top end tables is made of plywood. The bathroom door had 2 holes for door locks, but only one lock. That means there's an open hole with a piece of tape over part of it. The shelves are plywood, the floors are plywood, the ceilings and walls are plywood. No insulation, no fan, no A/C, did have a radiator though. It even had electricity and running water. Hot some times too!!! But we realize around 11PM, no soap. So Ed goes to the "Office" and rings a bell ad asks for soap. So far so good.

So we go to sleep and I could hear the dog barking at the bear and I swear I heard banjo music in the background sometimes. Thankfully the outside door had a lock - and yes, it was locked.

We get up before 8 and shower, change, etc, and go to the "Lodge" for breakfast. Ed gets there first and there are 2 breakfasts on the table. I get there around 8:10 and now there's a guy in there with the woman who checked us in and he asks if I was the guy who rang the bell at 11:30 at night. I say, hey, we had no soap for the morning ( or evening for that matter). He wasn't a happy type and was probably the guy playing the banjo last night. Cold breakfast. At least there wasn't an extra charge for it!

When we finish and head back to the "cabin" we see the bear. The dog ( a maltese) is barking and the 2 guys are trying to get it to leave so that they can get into one of the trailers for some nails. The bear climbs up a tree and stays for a while, then comes back down and runs into the woods. We take its que and pack up the bikes and leave. Au revoir mes amis!

Hit the road and ride through some of the most beautiful countryside - partly in the rain. It rains on and off all day. The roads get better as we go south and are twisty, hilly, and surrounded by snow-capped mountains in every direction. The temperature is perfect. Rivers, streams, and lakes everywhere - in the middle of nowhere. Most of it pristine and untouched. The water color is a clean clear blue/green color reflecting the trees and skies. A pleasure to ride through it today.

Our goal is to make it to Burns Lake and find a room. We didn't learn from yesterday, but did start looking earlier. Just as yesterday, it was still tourist season, and you guessed it, no vacancies, so on to Fraser lake a 1/2 hour down the road. The pickings didn't look too much better than last night, so we passed up an opportunity to relive some old memories - Thankfully!

On the way to Fraser Lake, as we're riding along the road at a good clip - about 70, I'm always scanning the road for potholes and anomalies and especially scanning the sides of the road for anything black or brown moving toward the pavement. There are signs everywhere along these highways warning of moose, bear, deer, reindeer. As I'm scanning, I  see a black object dart out of the bushes on the side of the road and head for my motorcycle. It was a blackbird that tried to taunt Big Red and me and had an unexpected outcome. The bird darted low and I felt it hit my right foot and then nothing but feathers and a black blob rolling to the shoulder. The bird lost and Big Red saved me! WTH else is lurking in the bushed at the sides of the road planning to dart out - nothing bigger than that blackbird  I hope, or the outcome would have been quite different.

On to Vanderhoof, BC, about another 1/2 hour farther east. Bingo, we scored a room and met some guys from Holland coming from Fairbanks and headed to Vancouver - same route as us tomorrow.
Had dinner and here we are. Another day closer to home. Can't wait to get back to the good old USA - it takes a special person to live in the Northwest Canadian Provinces. I'm not a fan.

Saw a Bull grazing on the side of the road on the way here too. All by itself. There are signs everywhere along the highway warning to watch out for livestock on the highway as well.

More to come.............

Whitehorse, Burnt Toast, The Construction Zone, The Cassier Highway, No Pressure and the Red Goat - Day 26

The hotel we stayed at in Whitehorse was just about the nosiest and coldest place on earth! We had a ground floor room and there were 2 other biker travelers above us walking around and dropping things at all hours of the night, Besides them , there was a room of either natives (more likely) or Mexicans in the next room. The about 4 or 5 girls show up. They made a racket all night. To top things off, the room was stuffy, so I turned the A/C on and the temp readout was 24C - about 76F. The white noise form the A/C thankfully helped drown out some of the noise. Got some sleep, but woke up tired and cold - A/C had a mind of its own.

We walk downtown - about 3 blocks and have breakfast at a place called Burnt Toast. Typical breakfast - eggs, toast (not burnt), Yukon Potatoes, bacon, coffee.

Load the bikes, pump up Ed's front tire and we're off. Not long after we're on the road, we  hit our favorite stretch of roadway - the Construction Zone. Wait for a Pilot Car, ride slowly through soft gravel and dirt fast enough to not drop the bike and continue on.

Our goal for the day was Dease Lake - about 420 miles away. Once we Hit BC, we do the YT, BC two-step as the Alaska Highway weaves itself through both Canadian Provinces.

On the way, we fill Ed's tire about every 100 miles, stop for lunch in Nugget City - one of those gas, food, gift shop RV combo places - yep, that's it - Nugget City. Last chance for gas for 283km. 

We do a routine stop to pump up the tire in the middle of no where, literally, no where and guess what? The tire pressure goes from 35lbs to 15lbs in no time flat. And even better, the air pump is dead. That's right - no pressure out of the pump. I go and ride back to see if I can find that group of bicyclists we passed about 10 miles back to see if they have a manual pump. Find them about 5 miles back and yes, they do have a pump, so I get back to Ed and start flagging down anything that goes by. A guy form Indiana stops and has a pump. Yes! Saved. As we're pumping the tire, the bicyclists catch up and stop. By then, the pressure id up ad we're on our way.

We finally make it to Dease Lake and on the way, we see a brown bear just walking on the side of the road. Since we're on motorcycles and he's a bear, we look and keep going.

We finally get to Dease Lake, gas up, and check the store for a portable air pump - voila, they have one, so Ed gets it. Back in business. Now to find a room. Before we leave the pump, Ed realizes he's missing his waterproof sack from his seat. Well, we're at the pump and there's a guy in a car filling up. He asks, any of you lose a sack? And out comes Ed's sack. Things are looking up. Try for a room,  and there's none to be had.

You have to understand, this is a gravel and paved road that has nothing in over 150 miles. We ask at the store about the next place that a have a room and they tell us it's 80km down the road. 50 miles later, the place is out of business, so we move south. About 2 miles later, we see a sign near a dirt road that says Red Goat Cabins. We take the turn and back in business. We gat a cabin on a lake for the night. When signing in at the restaurant, office, restroom, dining hall, we smell fish. Ask if dinner is still available and the response is yes, fish and chips. So we order, unpack, change, and back to he office, etc, and dinner is ready. Hits the spot.

We pay and ask if breakfast is served, and the woman replies yes, breakfast food. Eggs, bacon, etc. Sounds good. Walk down to the lake and take a few pics, back to the cabin, write this stuff, and out.

WIFI is spotty at best, so pics will more than likely come when we get back to civilization and the good old USA. Can't wait.

Anchorage, Kenai, Soldata, Father's Day Run, Beaver Creek, Whitehorse - Days 22-25

I've been out of touch for a few days due to several factors. On Thursday morning, I finally picked up Big Red. The bike had not only had the voltage regulator finally replaced ( only4 months after I told Harley that that was the problem - an before I left Florida to boot) but the read dampers as well. It looked clean as it was washed too. This is only temporary as an hour on the road will return it to it's Alaska/Yukon/British Columbia look once again.

After we left Fairbanks, we headed south for Anchorage and Ed's sister's house. As we got close, it got late in the day and we almost decided to stop in a city named Palmer, but her house was only about an hour and a half away, so we decided to make a run it. We arrived after 10PM and even though it still looking like 3PM everyone was asleep. We snuck into the house quietly and I was asleep within minutes.

In the morning Ed's sister came home early and they dropped Ed's bike at the BMW dealer for a new set of tires. I decided to take a ride to downtown to see if I could get my bike in for a 5,000 mile service at Anchorage Harley. Wasn't meant to be. They're not too friendly in this northernmost state. No appoints available that day or the next, so I asked to call nearby ( 3 hours is the closest, ha, ha) and Kenai Harley in Soldata, AK was able to get me in on Saturday.

I spent some time downtown riding and walking around for  awhile just to se the city. Nice place, but small. Tour buses unloading and loading tourists to shop in the downtown shops.

Found my way back to Ed's sister's and stopped at the local Fire Station to see if I could buy a t-shirt. They told me they sell them at HQ - where else - downtown. Had lunch and then headed back downtown for a visit to AFD HQ. Met the chief in the parking lot and told him I was NY Vol firefighter and he invited me in. Had his crew give me a tour, invited me to stay for dinner, have some drinks, stay for a movie, make myself at home. Since Ed's sister Carol was making dinner, I knew I had to be back at the house by 6, so I thanked them all for their hospitality, bought a t-shirt, and just as I was about to exit - bam - a hit. An alarm came in and I didn't believe what I saw. These guys still use the pole to slide down from the first floor to the engine floor. I had never seen an active fire house where they still use the poles. What a treat!

After being treated like family, I couldn't return empty handed, so I ask some locals where I can find a bakery or get a cake or something for dessert. They direct me to this store that's like a grocery store and I see this incredible fruit tart in the display case - I just had to have it! They packed it in a box like a bakery and I put it in my Tour pack and cross my fingers that it makes it back to the house in one piece. I should have taken a picture of it - it looked so good. I get to Carol and Steve's ( her husband) and just in time for dinner. When we finished it was time for dessert. Everyone loved it - and yes, it did survive intact.

First thing Saturday morning, I get up early - not a sound in the house yet, and head for the Kenai Peninsula. A little brisk and overcast, but a beautiful ride along the mountains and water most of the way. After 3 hours, get to the dealer, the shop is empty, and they take Big Red right in. What a relief. 3 hours later, Big Red comes out just washed - kinda washed since most of the dirt came off , I pay the man and another 3 hours back. Left at 9AM and got back at 6PM. Over 300 miles there and back riding though some beautiful parts of Alaskan scenery.

Ed must have damaged and dented his rim either on the Dalton Highway to eh Circle or on the road from Whitehorse - which was even worse. He was leaking air even with the new tires. The BMW dealer wouldn't touch the rim as he didn't have the right tools. We did the best we could with a hammer and a piece of hardwood, and later with a c-clamp.

Father's Day Run included a tire that still leaks air and needed to be filled often so that we could continue South and East. Ed had a compressor and we headed toward the Canadian border and Beaver Creek. No drama crossing the border this time. Once across, we instantly lose an hour - back on Pacific Time. All I had to know was my plate number and it was "Have a good day". When we stopped, the flies and other bugs were horrible and I think the border agent couldn't wait to close the window.

Got a room and dinner, met some other bikers both coming and going to the Circle or Prudhoe and nodded off.

Monday Morning - Day 25 - destination: Whitehorse, YT. Made it there by 5PM or so, got a room and went to dinner after a quick clean up and change out of the riding gear. Chinese tonight. Back to the hotel, write this day's entry and off to never, never land. I do have pics and I'll post when I can. About 7400 miles or so total for me. I'll get some numbers and pics next time.

Ed found a rim on Ebay for 1/2 it's cost new ($1100 or so) and is having it shipped to a BMW dealer in Seattle. No other option but to keep an eye on the tire pressure, fill it when it needs it an make way to Seattle. Should be there either Thursday night or Friday morning.

Wish us luck....................................