Time For All Dogs To Be Dead

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“It's time for all dogs to be dead, ain't you glad you's a pup?”


That's a phrase my grandma used to say. Raised a farm girl, she was a hard worker all her life, up until she passed last year. The saying can be interpreted different ways, but I read it as a reminder to live life to the fullest while you can.


The Goal:

• Tour and photograph America for 31 days

Enabling factors:

• Single
• Flexible job – I have 31 days off (trip dates: August 21-September 20)
• I'm 24, right on the brink of 25 years old. A quarter of a century. I'm sure that doesn't sound very old to a lot of ya'll but it's a decent sized step from my point of view. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it now.

The Ride:


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My 1999 Honda VFR800. I bought this bike back last December and have been working on it constantly since then. The previous owner let it sit up nearly 11 years, so my first duty as landlord of Honda Estates was to evict all the freeloading varmints parked up in the airbox. The fuel system was next, then oil, coolant, you get my drift. The bike's ready and raring to go.



Plans:

• Camp as much as possible
• Travel very spontaneously (my favorite parts of the trip are usually a product of chance or a last minute decision)
• Experience food across the country

Places I Hope to Hit:

• North GA, staying at Two Wheels of Suches
• Ozarks
• Badlands/Black Hills
• Glacier NP
• Banff NP
• Yosemite NP
• Zion NP
• SW Colorado

It seems that every guy I talk to about my trip gets a wistful look and expresses desire to make a trip similar to this or pines over a missed opportunity to take this sort of journey. Whether it didn't happen because of finances, spousal disapproval, tight work schedules, or a sudden rash of leprosy laden she badgers at their vet clinic, I realize my blessing in being able to pull this trip off.

RD
Despite It All


Yesterday, I left work for 30.5 days. Yesterday, I left home for 30.5 days. Yesterday, I left my camp chair because it wouldn't fit. Yesterday, I planned to leave by 3:00 PM. Yesterday, packing took way longer than I expected and I didn't get left till 4:45 PM.

I'm writing this from Two Wheels of Suches. I finally rolled in last night, sometime around 9:30 PM. That's quite a bit later than I had hoped. If I had managed to leave at 3:00, I wouldn't have had to ride up US 60, US 129, US 19, et al in the dark.

The Honda VFR800 has a very unique sound, especially the 5th gen with the gear driven cams like mine. Some have compared it to a raging beast, but last night, my girl Vanessa was anything but that.

Allow me to set the scene. It's after 9:00 PM. The sun's been down for a while. Forest creatures skitter around. Mostly silent minus those drama queen cicadas. The Viffer is running great, dual headlights cutting into the forest. Wait, the forest? Shouldn't they be shining on the road? Turns out my headlights that were slightly high with no weight on the rear become better suited for coon hunting loaded down. The low beams were decent but hardly night riding confidence inspiring. Instead of a raging beast slashing it's way through the forest, she became a lumbering pack animal with glaucoma, man. I'd have to use low beam up to the point when I lean into the corner, then I could switch to high beam mid corner. Kind of like playing one of these with half the screen covered.

The scenery was beautiful, well at best okay. Oh, who am I kidding, I couldn't see it!

Despite things not going to plan, here I am! Full Day 1 begins now.


Pics will have to wait because I forgot a SD card reader.
Life's Little Bugs

After the harrowing ride up GA 60 in which my headlights touched the road less than a pathologist's tongue would be likely to lick a specimen of ebola, I arrived at Two Wheels of Suches. After a good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon, I walked outside to start loading the bike back up.

I was met with disappointment. As soon as I rounded the corner of the building, I see a blue 5th gen VFR800 with polished wheels pulling out of the parking lot. A guy on the porch remarked: “He'd been trying to figure out who had the red VFR. He was pretty desperate to find someone to ride with.” I missed him by 20 seconds. This may not seem like a big deal, but I've never actually seen another 5th gen VFR from closer than across I-26 let alone having the chance to talk to the owner. VFRs aren't crazy rare bikes, but in my area of the country, a BOLO for a black and chrome bike would result in 95% of local bikers being pulled. Much Harley. Such Chrome.

When I did finally leave, I took Wolf Pen Gap Rd. What a brilliant road it is! I enjoyed the area in general much more than the Tail of the Dragon, although the Kickstand Lodge is still tops in my book. Much less traffic and wider shoulders make for a more enjoyable riding experience. There's nothing like the feeling of a morning ride in the mountains as the fog lifts, the grass still wet with dew, the air is crisp and invigorating. It makes me question why I live in Flatland, SC.

I am of the personal belief that when Satan possessed the serpent for a time, but he still resides in every yellow jacket ever. I don't like bees. I really don't like wasps. I hate them in my helmet.

I was diving into a particularly juicy corner on Wolf Pen Gap Rd (GA 180) when a large bee thunked on my windscreen and managed to flip up into my helmet (visor was fogged, so I had it up) landing directly behind my nose guard and between my mouth. With the business end of a bee pressed against my mouth and still wriggling bee fuzz on my lips, it was hard to stay concentrated on the corner. I managed somehow, and flicked it out when I found a straight section, which takes a while on that road.

It got me thinking. Like a bee in our helmet, life throws us unpleasant things that we have to face head on. We can flip out at the occurrence and end up in life's ditch, we can postpone action until it's too late and we get stung, or we can choose to remain calm and deal with the situation in a timely manner.

Back to the road, GA 60 is the best. Move over Cherohala, Tyrone's got a new bae. This road has it all. Sweepers, technical stuff, scenery, good pavement, ample services available. Just marvelous.

The rest of the ride to Parsons, TN was pretty uneventful, minus 60 miles in the rain on I24 and 840. I made the mistake of taking Blue Ridge Rd to Ocoee, TN. Great scenery, but SO MANY raft buses belching clouds of various colored smoke like a soup du jour of coolant, oil, and fuel. The smell made me think of the assault my nasal passages took in Managua, Nicaragua, and that, my friend, is not a good thing.

Just remember, if life throws a venomous creature in your face, keep your eyes on the apex and throttle in for the long haul.

OMG dude - your only 25? You sunny beach, your still a puppy, and on an adventure very few get to take. I am soooo envious. Godspeed my friend. Keep us updated.

:beer:

Looking forward to this one!

:lurk:

Your prose is over-the-top hilarious~

Keep us updated & safe travels!!

....SO jealous....

Damn you, I thought you hit a dog and went down and came on here to cuss about it!

Glad you started your trip. Be safe!

I was in a similar situation 9 years ago. Enjoy your journey, now is for sure the perfect time for you. The memories will last a lifetime, and beyond.

Be well, be safe and rubber side down.

If needed you have VFRD family just about anywhere you may travel.

Keep us posted and enjoy this awesome adventure!

BR

Good luck on your adventure!

Great writing. Hope you keep posting and have a great trip.

A cross country Moto trip is to most riders, unless they're really just into track days or bar hopping, a once in a life time experience to go live, be glad that you have the time and means to go! As with many of us multi-decades old riders, who not having done this when we were young, energetic and generally less suseptable to aches and pains from riding all day long, we are definitely a bit envious but would be so glad to live vicariously through your journey! Please update us with pics, stories and any updates that you want to share.

Although I never did a cross country ride while in my twenties, I did ride my motorcycle anywhere and any time I could and I do not regret any minute of those times. I especially enjoyed the trips I took with my father, who unfortunately cannot ride any longer due to very poor vision, but being able to travel the roads of California with him is something I will never forget and will carry with me the rest of my life.

So go out and ride, live the adventure and safe travels!

Oh, if you find your way into California, please feel free to look me up, I am at your service, whether it be as a tour guide or as a mechanic, I'd be more than happy to help live the dream. BTW, if you do end up in California, be sure to use 'the' before the route or interstate number I.e. I took the 5 to the 101 and headed to the 33... it's just something we do here! Lol

Cheers and good luck!

Enjoy and again give me a shout when you get close to the area. Sherry from Hillcrest said Hello.

I'm not 25 but am doing a similar trip with some of the same western destinations. I'll watch this thread in case we're in the same area at same time.

Terry

If you do make it north to Banff send me a PM. I'll come ride with you for the day and take you out to lunch in Canmore. Better get your move on. Our weather has been wacky this year and we've already had snow in the mountains two days ago (pretty unusual). The weather will probably be okay for riding (warm enough) until the end of September.

I saw your post on Advrider, too.

Subscribed! I like your writing style and am envious of you, sounds like an awesome adventure.

It just occurred to me that since you intend to be in the SW Colorado / Zion area, that the Grand Canyon might be something to think about as well. It might add a day or two - but if you haven't seen it, it's well worth it.

SCguy,

If you get to a point and are looking for good roads in an area this might help..........

..........http://www.motorcycleroads.com/

I live in Columbia and back when I had a 4th Gen, six of rode to Calgary and back and it was a wonderful trip.

It is good to hear you are taking the time that you are as I felt we rushed our trip and you never know when you will get back out that way again.

Enjoy.....

LookingHard

Good luck and if your in the area and need help I am available.

Well done SCGuy, you have a talent for writing!

Looking forward to your next installment. Subscribed.

Scott L.

Good writeup! A more seasoned rider would dodge those stinging bees...lol

Great write up! Looking forward to more!

Like many places on the East Coast, I lived in SC too. Now I'm in CA. Like Duc2V4 said, if you come this way to SoCal, look us up.

Sunday morning, I set out from my cousin's place in Parsons, TN bound for Harrison, AR. The previous days riding had been great, but reality set in when I checked the radar for the route I was taking. I was wondering why they used a different color for Arkansas than the other states on the map, but when the radar went into motion, I realized that they hadn't colored the Natural State red because of the Razorbacks (Woo Pig Sooie!), but because of the huge storm front starting in Oklahoma, stretching across Arkansas and all the way into Tennessee. I looked outside and it was raining already in Parsons.

After suiting up in all my rain gear (PVC and insulated gloves make for a free sauna experience) I said goodbye to my gracious hosts and tenderly made my way down their treacherous driveway that was slicker than eel snot. I wasn't looking forward to riding in rain all day, but the trip must go on!

Thankfully, the rain stopped after about 20 miles, and the roads were dry enough to take off (come to think of it, the term I most often use for putting on the rain suit is “donning it”, so is there an opposite to donning? Undonning?) the rain gear. Things still looked pretty overcast, so I kept an eye on the radar. The storm seemed to be breaking up on the north, a good bit further north than I had planned on heading, but dry was dry.

I had two choices: I could continue with the route I had planned, which would have me on more fun roads, but further south into the possibility of heavy rain, or I could strike out up north, hugging the Missouri border, which had much straighter, boring roads but less chance of rain. In the end, I chose to head north, and I'm glad I did.

Like a charm, the rain broke up on the North and I came as close as meeting people with their wipers on, but I ran with no rain for the rest of the day, and I even got the chance to ride some twisties.

Push Mountain Rd was disappointing at first because of the very poor pavement, but it soon became a Mecca of sweepers and curves. Very fine ride after the pavement cleared up. While coming around one corner, I saw a bit of debris on the centerline. I thought it looked like a dead squirrel, so I decided to see if I could slap it off the road. In hindsight, not the best plan. I don't have the best luck slapping things going down the road. I almost broke my arm once trying to brush my fingers on a traffic barrel and ended up catching it mid-arm at 45 MPH. So, anyways, I leaned into the corner, leaned over and almost grabbed it when the now very much alive squirrel whirled around to face me with a look of terror and a hint of befuddlement. I decided not to grab it, because I wasn't sure what I'd do with it when I had it. So it goes...

What surprised me was AR 14 to Yellville. That road might just be in my Ozark top 3, behind Hwy 7 and Hwy 123. The fact that it leads straight to Razorback Ribs is also a huge plus. If you've never been, you've never truly eaten. Well, okay, maybe you have, but at least not on a RR level.

Harrison was a homecoming of sorts. I lived there for 15 months in 2011 and 2012. Rolling into Harrison was a harsh reminder that time marches on unmercifully, at least to your memories. Things change, places that once were popular hangouts are now boarded up, but new construction everywhere. You can't live in the past, but it sure would be nice if you could every now and then.

So, anyways, further updates will be slow. I'm writing this at a campground in Badlands National Park in South Dakota, so I have no service to upload.

You can plan all you want to, but there are no shortages of wrenches that can be thrown into the works. The key is learning when to fold your plans for something new, or to stick to your guns.

Until next time:

The best laid routes of mice (or squirrels) and men....

SCguy,

If you are in an area and are looking for a place to eat, this might help.............

http://www.roadfood.com/

LookingHard

Reverse of "donning" is "doffing". As in "doff one's cap".

Cheers on your ridin' and writin'.

Localized Glaucoma

Damn man, these are stunning pictures man. You're going to have to make a coffee table book of this trip!

Yup, cherish these times and you deffinatley have a great way with words...excellent write up..was laughing out loud about the squirrel. Enjoy it when you can, glad I did the same at your age starting in 84....remember it like yesterday. ...me safe and LOTS of photos bro. That picture is awesome

Take Time to Smell the Buffalo

I stayed the night in Seward, NE. Refreshed after a good nights sleep, (which I needed after 495 miles the day before) I rode back on the gravel to pavedness. The air was a brisk 64 degrees, the birds were chirping, all the native wildlife was apparently hiding in the corn. Come to think of it, about all I could see was corn for the first 100 miles or so. I headed for Grand Island on I-80 and then took Nebraska 2 up through the Sandhills.

I stopped in Broken Bow at the Sandhills Visitor Information Center and had a delightful chat with the two ladies running the place. They paused from their card game to give me a brief history of the area and we compared notes on water tables in SC and NE and various other things. They had some pretty neat exhibits, including over 200 variations of barbed wire. I never knew there were so many types!

Allow me to get to the point (see what I did there? Point? Barbed wire? I've got that “just got up cleverness” surging through me). Nebraska is pretty cool. I never would have thought that I'd say it, the corn and farmland is okay I guess, but above Grand Island on Hwy 2, the Sandhills start and things get beautiful. Don't take my word for it, feast your eyes...

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The one thing that fascinated me was how the road ran parallel to the train tracks pretty often. I don't see a whole lot of trains usually, so it was pretty cool passing a train every 10 minutes or so. Most of them I clocked at 1.25 miles long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN7O2rFzeDc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udeaUe7Y7dc

I stopped for lunch at the Arrow Cafe in Thedford, NE. Writing in the window boasted “Best Burgers in town.” I guess it was honest, it looked like the only burger serving place in town. I chose the Jumbo Cheeseburger with fries.

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The burger was pretty good, but the fries were straight out of the freezer into the fryer and left a bit to be desired.

Turning north on US 83, I kept riding and marveling at the beauty of the Sandhills. I finally made it to Valentine, NE, a town I had been really looking forward to. I was kind of disappointed. I thought the name was cool and the hearts painted over town were neat, but it struck me as too touristy, so I got out of Dodge (I mean, Valentine).

By the way, here's my Valentine...

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Entering South Dakota was a nice ride, I headed west on SD44, then north into the Badlands. My word, what amazing rugged country!

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Having a proper good time...

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After the Badlands, I headed to Wall for supper, ended up killing some time at Wall Drug.

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ATGATT!

Wall Drug was too touristy, so I ended up eating at DQ. I didn't realize that the time had changed, so I had to leave in a hurry to ride to the Sage Creek Campground. I knew it was back on a gravel road, just not how far. It was 8.5 miles on loose gravel. Longest 8.5 miles of my life, until the next day. The Viffer did well, handling the washboard roads like a champ. Well, at least a champion sumo wrestler scrimmaging on marbles.

Close to camp, I rode within 12 feet of a buffalo in the road. I cleared his personal space as soon as I could.

I finally set up camp, wrote out a quick ride report for the previous day, but couldn't do anything about it because of no service. It was beautiful watching the lightning highlighting the mountains in the distance, but not so beautiful once it headed my way. It was a fairly serious thunderstorm, high winds that were trying to pick the tent up with me in it and heavy rain. Thankfully, there was no hail, as I spoke to someone who received nickel size hail about 10 miles away.

Today's Takeaway: Like riding in loose gravel, some things in life are out of our control. We need to accept the fact that not everything is in our control, and like riding in gravel, we need to maintain a loose grip on the event, allowing things to right themselves. Sometimes, we can be so caught up in trying to solve all our problems on our own, we overcorrect and end up in the ditch. Is this a license to a loose approach on all of life? Absolutely not, but it does us well to realize when something is beyond us.

Well i am a reverse 25 and plan on doing a similar trip some day. What is great is you are doing this in your prime. You will only regret not doing the things you really want to do. Believing people who tell you you can't or shouldn't is a bad habit of us married family men. Told my wife eventually she will tire of playing wack a mole with my moto plans and join me or enjoy my absence.

Fantastic that your wife is going along with you. I imagine it is hard to be a passenger for so long. Crank that rear spring pre load up man. Front too. Carrying near max load with 2 riders and gear. Also keep the tire pressure up around 38 42 psi.

Nah, man. I'm doing this solo. I'm single, hence being able to do this trip. Vanessa is my bike's name.

Solo is quite a bit cheaper.

The Flying Ant and I did 6 week, 7,000 mile "Grand Loop" a couple of years ago. Twas' wonderful. :^)

Was feeling kind of smug about getting 40+ mpg on our mo-mo's.

That is, until math raised it's ugly head and reminded us to "divide by two."

Oh, well. :wheel:

Watch for the fires as you head into Glacier NP, still a few going on. However, at last check, the Going to the Sun Road is open and is one of the top site and sights to see.

http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/gttsrfaq.htm

Shoot me a PM if you make it north of the border towards Banff.

superfunkomatic

If you do make it north to Banff send me a PM. I'll come ride with you for the day and take you out to lunch in Canmore. Better get your move on. Our weather has been wacky this year and we've already had snow in the mountains two days ago (pretty unusual). The weather will probably be okay for riding (warm enough) until the end of September.

I saw your post on Advrider, too.

I rented a bike in Banff years ago, great ride, loved the scenery, wanted ore twistys but themoose and the heard of mountain goats was shomething I'll never forget.

Love this thread can't wait to read more SC guy.

Highlight Reel

After a pathetic night's sleep thanks to the big storm rolling in, I awoke and got out of my tent to see this:

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That was the one bright spot in a not so hot morning. After I was all packed up, I checked the map again, and I was faced with a decision. Drive back the 8.5 miles of gravel I came down on the night before and then loop around 40 miles, or drive 13.5 miles of gravel and only be 15 miles out of the way. I chose the 13.5 miles of gravel. Whether that was the best choice or not, I don't know. In fact, I don't remember a whole lot of riding out on the gravel, probably because my subconscious has repressed that terrible hour. The rain really softened up the roads and the gravel was looser than ever. Finally, finally, finally I made it to pavement. I almost kissed that road. I made a promise right then and there to Vanessa not to take her down any more gravel on this trip. I intended on keeping it, I really did.

Finally back on pavement, I had a spot to park so that I could put my rain gear on, as it was drizzling the entire time I was on the gravel, but the road was too soft to park. When I was putting my overpants on, I brushed against the right side fairing and it moved several inches more than it should have. After closer inspection, both large fairing bolts on the right side were missing. I ended up just pulling one from the other side and just having one per side till I can find a Honda dealer that stocks the bolts and won't take 5-7 business days to get them. Gotta love being in Harley Country!

I decided then that if at least one thing was going to go right today, it'd have to be lunch. I rode to Rapid City in search of the mythical Pizza Ranch. I had visited once before and had a great time, and now I was going back.

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Just as good as I remembered.

The radar showed the rain coming in from the northwest, so I decided to ride down to the Mount Rushmore area and ride around to dodge the rain. Best decision ever. I had planned to ride the Black Hills, but they were not what I was expecting.

They were so much more...

After a quick dash down to Hermosa, I grabbed 36 to Custer State Park, from there hopping onto 16 Alt. I know it's a worn out expression, but do you remember being a child at Christmas? The sheer delight that came with Yuletide faded as I grew older, morphing into having more fun giving presents to others. Riding Hwy 16A, that supreme happiness overcame me once again. I'm man enough to admit catching myself giggling in my helmet like a group of 12 year old girls that stayed up a bit too late. I have a video I'll upload later. (of the road, not the giggling)

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The best part of the road had to be the one lane tunnels. Running north as I was, it was simply awe inspiring to see Mt Rushmore perfectly framed while coming through the tunnels. The V4 howled through the tunnels, although these roads are definitely scenic roads, not exactly twisties to be pushing hard on.

After 16A was finished, I rode Needles Highway back down towards Custer. No slouch of it's own, Needles is a fantastic road. The tunnel was simply spectacular.

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From there through Custer and up US 385 to Lead and 14 Alt. This was a most spectacular route, winding through Spearfish Canyon with plenty of smooth 30 mph corners and wide shoulders with fantastic scenery and a lower temperature to boot.

I stopped when I saw a sign for Roughlock Falls. The catch? It was back a gravel road. Vanessa reminded me of the promise I made earlier in the day about no more gravel, but I told her that I have no place in my driveway for a bike that can't handle a tiny bit of gravel so that I can pursue my dreams and passions and go see a little waterfall, for crying out loud.

I won, what can I say, I'm a sucker for waterfalls. I was a little pressed for time and I didn't have time to set up a tripod, so I'm disappointed in the waterfall photo, but here it is anyways.

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The view on the way back to civilization was much more worth it.

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I stayed at Bell's Motor Lounge in Spearfish, SD. I highly recommend it. It was the only reasonably priced place in the area, plus the guy there turned me onto a place in town where I got a great supper, the Bay Leaf Cafe.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/SCbassboy/IMAG0626_zps2brszd3w.jpg[/img]

Monterey Jack chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries which would make you slap a squirell (no, wait...)

Todays Takeaway: There is darkness before dawn, gravel and rain before dry and giggle inducing roads.

Bonus car I saw in Lead:

[image: P1030465_zps9qgxkoxb.jpg]

SCguy,

'Today's Takeaway: That light at the end of the tunnel? It's a train.' :laughing6-hehe: :laughing6-hehe: :laughing6-hehe: :laughing6-hehe:

LookingHard

Look on the bright side...... The train might have a laundry car......;)

Too bad about the gravel on the Chief Joseph highway. I was there 3 weeks ago and it was perfect.

Were they doing chip sealing? I came across bits of that on my trip.

This is fantastic.

I had to snicker and sympathize with your comments about VFR versus gravel roads ...I got lots of streaks in my shorts a few years ago when I rode my 6thgen to Alaska through the Yukon and northern BC....for typical 20 or 30 mile ride segments of that trip on rocks..pebbles loose dirt and wet clay ...front goes left/back goes right...then front goes right/back goes left ...repeat ...

all in good fun ...but I decided that my riding goals and destinations required a different bike...thus the 2015 WeeStrom650AXEXPL ...

Just a quick teaser from Glacier.

https://youtu.be/CFpZa1FBGng

The Flying Ant I stopped at Devil's Tower coming back from SumSum II.

Locked up the bikes/gear in the parking lot ... put on the hiking stuff and hoofed on around the trail that circles the base.

HIGHLY WORTH IT !!!!

From watching all the rock climbers on the back side to checking out the bus-sized pillars of fallen rock .. it was a trip.

We highly recommend doing it.

SCguy

Just a quick teaser from Glacier.

https://youtu.be/CFpZa1FBGng

That was awesome! Man I envy your trip.

In Which I Spend Much Money

Upon regaining consciousness from a (not long enough) night's sleep, I spent most of the morning calling all the motorcycle shops and dealers in the Missoula area looking for a rear tire. The same story everywhere, “That's not a Harley size, we don't have anything like that.” Even the Honda dealer would have had to order the tire at a ridiculous price and it would have meant staying in Missoula for several more days which was NOT on the top, middle, or bottom of my list. I was growing a strong dislike for Missoula, and in fact, only one thing keeps it from being right up there with New Jersey on the “actively avoid” list. That one thing being the breakfast I had at a small local diner.

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I had the Ham Scramble and it was pretty good. Looking around the diner, I noticed that the diner sponsored a local high school trap shooting team. My kinda place. I finally found a place that had a tire and for a reasonable price, but I had to ride 50 miles south to Hamilton, MT to get it. Thankfully, there was a laundromat there and I dropped off my clothes prior to tearing down the bike at the dealer. Strangely enough, it ended up being a Yamaha dealer, Al's Cycles that had the correct size and the tire I wanted (Michelin Pilot Road 4) and were able to balance a single sided swingarm wheel.[image: IMAG0663_zps4cft8xy4.jpg]

Finally, at 3:30 PM, the tire was on, I picked up my now clean laundry and things were looking up. I had to ride right through Missoula on the way to my campsite, ugh. Riding up to Polson, MT was pretty uneventful.

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Nice view of Flathead Lake

I've been using freecampsites.net for locating free or cheap camp sites. It's worked great so far. Until today. I rode around Lake Flathead to Finley Point, a long peninsula out into the lake. Riding back in on the (terrible) pavement, I came across several deer. They were completely fearless, I even had to wait for one to mosy it's way across the road with me honking my (feeble) horn to spur it on. When I rounded one corner, there was a fawn that was either really spooked or stupid as a bag of rocks. He was facing a high fence, backing up several feet and then charging the fence head first and every time, he only made it up to his neck then got flung back by the fence. I stopped and shut the bike off to make sure that I wasn't spooking him into doing it, but he persisted. I made a wide berth around him and continued down the road looking for this mythical free campground. After a complete loop of the land, I came across Finley Point State Park, but they wanted to charge $28 for one tent site. Ridiculous!

The site had said there was a free campground. I rode around looking for it for another 15 minutes or so and finally stopped to ask a local where it was. Apparently, it had been taken over by the state park. I was faced with the choice of riding back to Polson and paying $80 for a motel room, riding 80 plus miles to the nearest free campground at dusk already, or suck it up and pay $28 for camping in a 10 acre state park. I chose to stay at the state park, but they couldn't make me be happy about it. I can see spending that kind of money to camp at a popular or majestic park like Glacier, but a 10 acre state park? Crazy. At least I saw a decent sunset over Lake Flathead.

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Today's Takeaway: Sometimes, a lack of options leads to a lack of wallet thickness, but you don't have to like it.

On our "Grand Tour" .... picked up a nail somewhere after Beartooth Pass.

Luckily, it was a slow leaker and I could just pump it up once in while. But where to get it fixed?

Called my riding buddy on the phone and he was able to locate me the tire I wanted/needed,

we figured out that Billings, MT was the next big city on our path, and then he arranged shipment

to the local Hondoo dealer. Yah. He's a good friend. :^)

Long story shorter ... the tire was late in arriving and we were faced with spending a couple days in

Billings waiting for it. Arghhh!

Then we discovered they had a great water park. Had a blast.

Spent some time at some museums, did laundry, had all our pics put on CD-ROMs and mailed home. More time.

Then the wife noticed that the "Great American Challenge Hill Climb" .... aka, the "Bentonite Monster" was happening

that weekend -- and insisted that we had to stay until the weekend and go see it!

Hey, who am I to argue with irrefutable logic? :^)

All told we were *stuck* in Billings, MT for four days ... and had an absolutely wonderful time. :cheerleader:

Hell I'd pay 28 bucks for that view for an evening. Keep the posts coming and safe travels to you.

highsider989

Hell I'd pay 28 bucks for that view for an evening. Keep the posts coming and safe travels to you.

+1

Hope you aren't coming to CA where the crappy 10 acre campground without the great view is 55/ night.

Montana Redeemed

So far, Montana hadn't made the greatest of impressions, but expectations were high, because today I'd tour Glacier National Park. Glacier is one of the main reasons I wanted to make this trip, so I was really looking forward to it, and boy, it didn't let me down!

I packed up camp back on Flathead Lake, retrieved my food from the bear lockers (first time using those), and set out heading north. It was a pretty uneventful ride to Glacier. I stopped just outside the park for a drink and a snack. The gas station had a wide assortment of chips in various flavors I'd never heard of before, including Cheddar and Beer, Thai flavoring, and Bacon and Maple. I tried the Bacon and Maple chips and they were actually pretty decent!

I headed into the park from the west side on advice from the guys at the diner in Wyoming. They said the best views are had from riding from west to east, and I believe I'd have to agree with them. I was a bit underwhelmed at first, wondering when the climb started. The river was beautiful and all, but following umpteen tour buses needed more than a river to keep my attention. When the climb started, things got dramatic quick. The air was crisp, the wildfire smoke mostly gone. Other than the sometimes monotone rambling drifting out of the open top tour buses, I was left with the sounds of Nature; the wind, the birds, the river, and of course that V4 melody.

Until I rode through Glacier, I dismissed the phrase “jaw-dropping” as a figure of speech. What would compel someone's jaw to hang slack, I asked? It made no sense. Until it did. I don't really know how to describe it, other than coming around a corner and feeling like you've just been gut punched with beauty. Riding on, slack-jawed, every corner offered a new vista, each one a unique view of the majesty that lies within the park.

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Leaving the park (regretfully), I headed north for Alberta. I took Chief Mountain Hwy and the difference could not have been more stark between America and Canada's sides. On America's side, crap. Crap everywhere. Free range cattle lounging on the road, defecating, and sometimes bleeding to death judging by some stains in the road. Canada side? Spotless. Numerous scenic pulloffs with restrooms and tidy parking.

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This was my first time in Canada, so getting through the Border took a little longer, but very straightfoward. It wasn't long and I was at Waterton National Park. Inside the park is Waterton Village a small town of approximately 100 year round residents. There were several restaurants, shops, and so forth. I set up my campsite, then went into town for a little food.

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I chose Wieners of Waterton. Best hot dog ever. It had everything and the kitchen sink on it, and then they offered to add crumbled chips on top, so why not? Not to mention the amazing sweet potato fries with chipotle mayo sauce. The workers were very friendly and welcoming. The fact that the US dollar is a little more powerful these days helped too. Canada gets my vote!

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That evening, right before I bedded down, two bikes rolled into camp. I went to talk to the riders and it turns out they were from California heading for Banff NP like I was. They were riding a brand new Indian Scout and an older but good looking Honda CB900C.

Today's Takeaway: Pictures might be worth a thousand words, but being there, being silent, and soaking in your surroundings is worth unbelievably much more.

We did the "Giant Loop" back in '05 and yes ... Glacier simply knocks your socks off.

Hopefully, you spent a night at the Many Glacier Lodge.

If not, you'll need to do another trip. :fing02:

Boy the weather here has definitely taken a turn the last few days. It's supposed to be nice tomorrow. Let me know if you'd like an escort/riding buddy on the holiday Monday. If not, enjoy the rest of your trip. I too, have noticed the change at the border each time - Glacier is spectacular. Make sure to go up the Icefields Parkway, visit Moraine Lake or Lake Louise before you move on. If you're heading West - Highway 40 through Kananaskis is a worthwhile way to get back to highway 22 and over to highway 3 (Crowsnest Pass).

superfunkomatic

Boy the weather here has definitely taken a turn the last few days. It's supposed to be nice tomorrow. Let me know if you'd like an escort/riding buddy on the holiday Monday. If not, enjoy the rest of your trip. I too, have noticed the change at the border each time - Glacier is spectacular. Make sure to go up the Icefields Parkway, visit Moraine Lake or Lake Louise before you move on. If you're heading West - Highway 40 through Kananaskis is a worthwhile way to get back to highway 22 and over to highway 3 (Crowsnest Pass).

I'm kind of behind on reports right now, I'm actually in Oregon right now.

Oat and Aboot in Canada

Waterton has a great campground. The shower was nice and warm on a chilly morning. Actually, it wasn't too chilly, it was low 50's. I'm sure that number is lower in Celsius, but I can't be bothered right now to convert it. Actually, when I was in Canada, I had a ton of fun. I absolutely love doing math in my head, and having to do all the metric conversions on the fly was a blast, along with figuring out what prices came to in “real money.” I gave up at gas stations, though.

Packing up my tent, I was somehow hungry again, so I headed back to Wieners of Waterton for a breakfast dog. The dog consisted of sausage, egg, cheese, onions, peppers, salsa, and a bit of sriracha. Great stuff! Heading out of Waterton, the plan was Banff National Park. I decided to come in from the west side, which meant going over Crowsnest Pass.

When I stopped for gas in Crowsnest Pass, the guy behind the counter advised against going to Banff. I knew it was cold, but I didn't realize that it was already down to 41 degrees and raining in Crowsnest Pass and Banff was several hours north yet. I pulled up the forecast and I saw something I didn't exactly relish, snow. That sealed it, one of the things I had been looking forward to the most, Banff, was off. Instead of going back through Waterton, I pushed on into the storm over Crowsnest Pass. It was cold. It was rainy. I think I've suppressed the rest of the memories from that stretch.

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This tree has marked the beginning of the Pass for years, but it died in 1971. Wind got the best of it later, so now its anchored with metal rods.

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In what's left of the town of Frank, there was a monument to the buried town. In the middle of the night in 1903, a chunk of limestone over a kilometer wide, 425 meters long and over 100 meters deep broke loose off of the mountain and cascaded onto the sleeping mining town of Frank, burying most of it and sending 70 people to their deaths. Ironically, those working the night shift in the mines were able to tunnel out. The rocks have been unmoved since then, and in a sign of Canadian respect, I was very glad to see absolutely no graffiti on the rocks.

I stopped in Sparwood, BC for lunch. Because I just needed to eat and run and hopefully have WiFi, I chose the local A&W. The Canadians have a fascination with maple flavoring, with which I am totally on board. I had the Maple Chipotle Bacon burger which was really good, and guess what? They offered sweet potato fries with chipotle mayo sauce. I'm digging it.

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Sparwood advertised having the “World's Largest Truck.” I don't know about the World's Largest, but it was big! What blew my mind was the engine took 287 gallons of oil.

Dropping down through Fernie back into these United States, I passed through the border once more. The American side was quite a bit more thorough in their interrogation. Nothing like making you feel irrationally guilty for having done nothing wrong.

Once in the US of A again, I was riding down 37, when I decided to be a little adventurous and cross Lake Koocanusa (terribly unoriginal name, by the way) and ride the length of it on National Forest Service Road 228. This was awesome. I had the road to myself for the best part of 42 miles.

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I passed one or two Forestry trucks in that time, but other than that, the road was my personal playground. It was on this road that I saw the most American scene that I've personally witnessed.

I'm on a extended motorcycle trip across America, camping along the way, riding a forest service road above a beautiful lake. Sheer rock wall to my right, freight train chugging along on the other side of the lake, when a bald eagle swooped down into the lake and had takeout sushi. Amazing stuff.

Moments like this have been branded “Kodak moments” for a little older age or GoPro moments for today, but I argue that it's a memory moment. I'm glad that I wasn't distracted by a camera, trying to capture the scene, but instead was able to view it unimpeded by a need to capture and share it with others. I'm the only one who saw that scene, and while I can try to describe it to you, there's a certain romantic notion in the fact that it will live in my memory only. I feel that so much of today's world is being captured to share with others that we miss out on the moments ourselves or that we allow what we think would be a great shareable media (picture, video, Vine, etc) to force our hand into doing something that we think would be popular rather than just enjoying and living in that moment. In the end, I'd rather have a vivid memory of a scene than a hasty photograph. Despite that, I feel that ride reports are a vital part of travel. I find it's a great time for reflection on the past days and can help prolong memories.

I had to cut a U turn when I saw a swinging bridge. I went for a short quick hike back to Kootenai Falls and the swinging bridge.

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Just incredibly beautiful. I rode on until it got dark and I realized I wouldn't make it to the campground, so I grabbed a room in Trout Creek, Montana.

Today's Takeaway: Live for the moment, not to capture it.

Awesome, keep the updates and pics coming!

Welcome to my "neck of the woods" SC. Beautiful terrain for riding in these parts...There's cold pops in the fridge if'n you want to ride up into Canukistan...30 miles north of Bonners Ferry. .

Too bad you missed Banff and the ice fields parkway

The snow was a bit unseasonable

Should have been in the 60's and 70's during the day, it will be this week for sure.

Thanks again for sharing. I lived in Idaho for 5 years, so your trip brings back memories of the NW.

Scott L.

Glad they got rain there, it was a smoke-fest when we did the Lolo two weeks ago.

Hard to see to pass.

In the dry, Lolo is 70 MPH sweepers for days!

Weather in the mountains is always a crap shoot. With the fires and such it's been a wild year.

The morning dawned like clockwork, no more like dish detergent. I am no morning person, but being awake and ready for a full day of riding is the nearest to bubbly to which I'll come. The birds twittered cheerfully, or since I'm at a KOA, the bird sound clips twittered digitally over the hidden speakers in the trees. Another day of adventure beckoned.

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Rolling back through Kamiah, I headed towards Lewiston. It really was a beautiful morning. Lewiston arrived with a minimum of fuss and talking with a couple of BMW riders, I decided to drop through Hell's Canyon down to Enterprise. What a fantastic road! Climbing out of Washington, the road just cut back and forth on itself like a high score in Snake. Crossing into Oregon didn't dull things, either. Just a great rider's road with beautiful scenery to boot.

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The one downside was that it went down to one lane and the delay was about 15 minutes of sitting in the hot sun. I always feel sorry for the flagman (person). That job would not work for this guy!. Boredom would kick in, I'd give the waiting dtivers a coin toss and hand them a lance for a little one lane jousting.

Arriving in Enterprise, OR, the clouds loomed ominously and rain was starting to come down to my level. What a great time to get lunch and wait out the rain. I chose Thai Enterprise. I had the Pineapple Fried Rice and it was delicious. More about this place in a later report.

Once fed, I exited to find the rain clouds now fleeing in terror back to the mountains. I headed down to Joseph to check out Lake Wallowa and met the couple on BMW's I had spoken to in Lewiston. Enterprise and Joseph were both pretty cool cities, Joseph was a bit too touristy for me, but Enterprise had a very honest feel to it.

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Oregon agrees with me. I absolutely love all the older vehices still being driven, especially as work trucks. I met plumbers driving clean old Ford F100s, contractors pulling trailers with straight old Chevy C20s, numerous Chevy LUV's (I have a special affinity for small pickups), and all sorts of 80's cars still on the road. I've nothing against the 50's and 60's classics that everyone else seems to prefer, but a 57 Chevy and a 67 Camaro are starting to feel a bit cliched to me. I love 70s and 80s cars and trucks. A Chevette? Sure. AMC Gremlin? Saw one and was jealous. Chrysler Newport? Well, I don't have my CDL.

Leaving Joseph, I headed over to La Grande, where I rode through Lehman Springs down into the Umatilla National Forest. My original plan had been to make it down to John Day to camp, but waiting out the rain burned too much daylight. At one point. I realized that I needed gas within 30 miles or so and the nearest gas station was 40 miles away, so I had to backtrack about 12 miles to one I had passed in Dale. When I got to the Dale station, it was closed, and had been since 5:00 PM. I sat outside the station for a while wondering what to do, when the owner of the station kindly walked down from his house, pumped me some gas (no self service in Oregon. Why? Not even the gas attendants know), and gave me a postcard and a short history of the gas station which had been open since 1921, I believe.

It was definitely too dark to make it to John Day now, so I had to backtrack another 15 miles to the Ukiah campground. It began to rain and cool off fast. It was quite the night, sleeping in a wet tent with the rain pouring down at a low temp of 33F.

Today's Takeaway: Oregon is alright (when it's warm)

I stopped at that same place your bike is for photos this summer (mine weren't nearly as good though). Isn't that a fantastic road? A total curve-fest . . :woohoo: If you're heading West still, you should be relatively dry on the East side of the Cascades tomorrow - Wednesday steady rain is moving in on the West side of the mountains toward I-5, with some showers probable in Central Oregon. There have been tremendous fires in the John Day area - expect you'll see a lot of scorched Earth in the vincinity. It starts drying out / warming up on Thursday and should be in the high 70's to low 80's statewide by the weekend. If you can work your way to Fossil (gas available there) and then to Antelope (no gas) heading West, that's also a great road.

Safe travels!

Cheers

Forgot - on the no self service gas thing. It's an archaic law passed in 1951 that still exists today. Attempts have been made to change it but failed. There are many exceptions. You can pump your own Diesel, though some stations don't know it. If you own a business and have an account at a card lock you can enjoy self service there. You can also pump your own gas in a town of 40,000 or less between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (unless they start yelling). No kidding - the governor just signed it recently. Why it's safe for those 12 hours and not the other 12 only our morons in government know. Motorcycles can pump their own 24 hours only if the attendant hands the nozzle to you. That one is so over the top ridiculous that most just leave you alone. They will on occasion ask if you know how to operate the pump. I replied to that once "yeah, I took a class at community college on how to do it." Shut him right up. It's such a stupid, bizarre set of laws that sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit that I live here.

Cogswell

Forgot - on the no self service gas thing. It's an archaic law passed in 1951 that still exists today. Attempts have been made to change it but failed. There are many exceptions. You can pump your own Diesel, though some stations don't know it. If you own a business and have an account at a card lock you can enjoy self service there. You can also pump your own gas in a town of 40,000 or less between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (unless they start yelling). No kidding - the governor just signed it recently. Why it's safe for those 12 hours and not the other 12 only our morons in government know. Motorcycles can pump their own 24 hours only if the attendant hands the nozzle to you. That one is so over the top ridiculous that most just leave you alone. They will on occasion ask if you know how to operate the pump. I replied to that once "yeah, I took a class at community college on how to do it." Shut him right up. It's such a stupid, bizarre set of laws that sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit that I live here.

I told him, "I'll have you know, that I was doing your job because you wouldn't. Besides, not stopping me from pumping my own gas, you're an accessory to the crime of self service. Good day"

Can't pump your own here in NJ either, but I've never had an attendant give me attitude like that while on the VFR. They all hand me the nozzle to fill. Never been an issue.

SCguyYeah, most places just handed me the nozzle. The last place, the attendant was not so attentive, just standing there not doing anything, looking straight at me as I was waiting. I swiped my card. No response. I filled the bike and only after I hung the nozzle back up, he says in a very condescending voice, "I'll have you know, you just broke Oregon state law and you could be fined."

I told him, "I'll have you know, that I was doing your job because you wouldn't. Besides, not stopping me from pumping my own gas, you're an accessory to the crime of self service. Good day"

Not to derail an otherwise great thread but does anyone know the reason for not allowing drivers/riders to pump their own gas? When I was a kid, you had two options here in California, full service and self service, now it's predominately if not exclusively, self service.

Enjoyed thoroughly, thanks SCguy

What a great ride report, excellent pics and commentary. Definitely a nice addition to your life experience portfolio :biggrin:

I was but a lad during the Rajneesh in Oregon period, remember it well from the headlines of the day. The compound is still there, you can ride to it if you don't mind a little gravel and dirt road riding. Here's a linky to a ride I made there a couple of summers ago (a very informative video link in the RR as well).

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php?topic=79696.0;imode#.VfhH1hFVhBc

I'm really enjoying reading about your trip. Thanks for sharing your experience and making it so fun to read. Something about long trips via Motorcycle allows you to be much more connected to the experience. Only problem is you'll want to do a bigger trip next time around. Not such a bad thing I guess. I did a 8 day trip a couple years back and could have keep going.

:1: Great report!

The wife and I did a 7,000 mile/6 week trip back in '05.

Pulled into the driveway, turned off the Viffer, took off the helmet, and asked how she felt.

She thought about it for a moment and said, " ... how about we do a load of laundry and then go reverse the loop."

Yah. Long ones are the best. :wink:

What? No pic of that salad???

Nice report. Thanks. I'm enjoying it. Keep 'em coming.

C

E-Ticket

The wife and I did a 7,000 mile/6 week trip back in '05.

Pulled into the driveway, turned off the Viffer, took off the helmet, and asked how she felt.

She thought about it for a moment and said, " ... how about we do a load of laundry and then go reverse the loop."

Yah. Long ones are the best. :wink:

Best answer I have ever heard for that question!! Awesome!! She's a keeper!

C

Cogswell

Forgot - on the no self service gas thing. It's an archaic law passed in 1951 that still exists today. Attempts have been made to change it but failed. There are many exceptions. You can pump your own Diesel, though some stations don't know it. If you own a business and have an account at a card lock you can enjoy self service there. You can also pump your own gas in a town of 40,000 or less between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (unless they start yelling). No kidding - the governor just signed it recently. Why it's safe for those 12 hours and not the other 12 only our morons in government know. Motorcycles can pump their own 24 hours only if the attendant hands the nozzle to you. That one is so over the top ridiculous that most just leave you alone. They will on occasion ask if you know how to operate the pump. I replied to that once "yeah, I took a class at community college on how to do it." Shut him right up. It's such a stupid, bizarre set of laws that sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit that I live here.

That's fascinating. Weird, but fascinating. When I first rode through Oregon many years ago I pulled into a large, busy gas station (can't remember where) and up to an empty pump. Thinking nothing of it, I swiped my credit card, the pump verified the card and let me choose the grade of gas--as usual. I filled the bike and was putting my helmet on when a guy with the station's logo on his golf shirt materialized.

"Did you help yourself?" he asks cheerily.

"Why yes, thanks."

"You know, you could be fined $500 for that." He points up to a placard mounted high above the pumps that explains Oregon's full serve only law. Guess I got off easy.

I've ridden through Oregon many times since. I just pull up to a pump, get the bike ready, my card out and wait. The attendant invariably swipes the card, selects the fuel grade I specify and hands me the pump. Sometimes they're on hand to hang it up and hand you the receipt. Had a nice chat about bikes with an attendant (in Pendleton, OR) while I was filling up on my way home from SumSum. Nice work if you can get it. :laugh2:

To get back to the point--great photos and ride report SCguy!

Polarbear

E-Ticket

The wife and I did a 7,000 mile/6 week trip back in '05.

Pulled into the driveway, turned off the Viffer, took off the helmet, and asked how she felt.

She thought about it for a moment and said, " ... how about we do a load of laundry and then go reverse the loop."

Yah. Long ones are the best. :wink:

Best answer I have ever heard for that question!! Awesome!! She's a keeper!

C

What ....? Doesn't everyone's wife ride with them?

No? Well, that's a bummer.

Even better?

She's quite the dirt bike rider as well. :^)

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What doesn't everyone's wife ride with them?

No? Well, that's a bummer.

You're telling me...

Your pic of Mt Hood brought back memories of my trip a couple years ago. Cold wet and no mountain in sight. You've probably already past thorough OR but keep an eye on tribal police they like to enforce the 55mph limit when going through reservations. Another benefit of having a radar detector! If your going to be passing through Reno or any of the Sierra Nevada mtns let me know, I could give you some great suggestions.

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Great pics and entertaining commentary! Looking forward to more installments.

Well, all good things must come to an end. I rolled into home last night. New longest day, coming from Gulfport, MS. 656 miles and just so cracking the 10k mile mark on the trip.

I apologize for the lack of updates, but Friday was the only day this week I didn't ride 500 miles or more, so I was tuckered out.

No stops, no drops, only like 1 closeish call. Almost too perfect.

I'll continue to write the ride reports through completion.

Congrats on completing your trip and home safe. :fing02:

SCguy

Well, all good things must come to an end. I rolled into home last night. New longest day, coming from Gulfport, MS. 656 miles and just so cracking the 10k mile mark on the trip.

I apologize for the lack of updates, but Friday was the only day this week I didn't ride 500 miles or more, so I was tuckered out.

No stops, no drops, only like 1 closeish call. Almost too perfect.

I'll continue to write the ride reports through completion.

Congratulations, boss!

And your summary sounds pretty close to the nightly toast the wife and I do on our mo-mo trips:

"Here's to no tickets, no crashes, no fatalities. Cheers!"

SCguy

Well, all good things must come to an end. I rolled into home last night. New longest day, coming from Gulfport, MS. 656 miles and just so cracking the 10k mile mark on the trip.

I apologize for the lack of updates, but Friday was the only day this week I didn't ride 500 miles or more, so I was tuckered out.

No stops, no drops, only like 1 closeish call. Almost too perfect.

I'll continue to write the ride reports through completion.

Epic trip. Great job!

Awesome read, glad you made it back safe and sound.

Not sure what bags you have, but that's one thing I've always liked about the OEM bags: You cannot leave them open unless the key is in them. ( I *think* that's right...it's been a few months since my last LD ride.) If that key is also on your ignition key ring, you can't leave them open and drive away.

Wardrobe malfunction???? .............................

I was going to post a pic but this is a family friendly site so you guys are all familiar with it I'm sure.....

As for your luggage, sorry to hear, it sucks. But at least you seemed to have recovered most of it. Glad to read it.

Those pics from the crater are fantastic!!!

Thanks for posting.

C

Awesome trip and fantastic report/writing.

wgregt

Not sure what bags you have, but that's one thing I've always liked about the OEM bags: You cannot leave them open unless the key is in them. ( I *think* that's right...it's been a few months since my last LD ride.) If that key is also on your ignition key ring, you can't leave them open and drive away.

I went the budget route and went with the JCWhitney GaragePro bags for the side. They worked decent. I'm pretty sure I just didn't latch it correctly this time, although we'll revisit this issue in a few days.

The bugs - oh lord the bugs. I ran in to a similar storm of insects once. We pulled over at a rest area to clean up. Before helmets could be removed there were yellow jackets everywhere to feast on the remains. The bike was swarmed by 'em. All part of the fun I suppose.

Nice photos of Crater Lake. It's a jewel. Its history is interesting. Until 8,000 years ago it was Mount Mazama, about 12,000 feet high, similar to Mt Hood to the north. It blew its top and then collapsed in on itself leaving the caldera behind that filled with water to become the lake.

You really hit the high points on this trip - something you'll remember your whole life. Love to see more photos if you've got 'em.

Thanks for sharing SCGuy. Very well done.

Scott L.

Cogswell

...

You really hit the high points on this trip - something you'll remember your whole life. Love to see more photos if you've got 'em.

I go to Yosemite every year, but I go to ski. Never been there yet on a bike, or during the tourist season. I always go with little/no notice and there's never a crowd anytime past mid-October. Not sure I'd have the patience for tourist season there.

PS How in the world did that lock snap like that? Did you pry up on it or something? They replace the case for you?

JCWhitney said they'd replace the case, but the cost of shipping it in could buy me a new one. I'm just going to leave it as is and keep an eye out for some Givi cases.

Same bag that lost all of it's contents before?

Life always has it's little challenges .

Great ride report !

Switchblade

Same bag that lost all of it's contents before?

Life always has it's little challenges .

Great ride report !

checksix

A pleasure to read, as always.

+1 made up for a bad Monday .

Aye, bacon needs to be crispy around the edge AND soft inside. And it should not be alone on a plate....

Crispy in the making (with some slice sausage)

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Flappy bacon...

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A proper plate

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All dogs be dead?

If this catches one, we will be dead....

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(Port Ellen, Islay)

While at Oklahoma City,couple of years back, I almost did the 3 sisters run but was warned off by the amount of deer collisions .

Thanks for the trip report .

Cant wait till the next installment ....

You are creating some fantastic memories, keep it up!

Too true, well said, well ridden, memories for a lifetime. One of the lucky to have those experiences.

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk

Fantastic writing. Loved every word.

Ryan, greatly enjoyed your trip fables and photos ..Your last one really caps it off. I know your day job is a car mechanic, but you have a real talent for writing. If you love it, I hope you fine a way to pursue it more. Raw talent unfullfilled ends up to be a big regret in life. ......from someone a couple decades your senior. Best wishes. PM anytime.

Ryan, great job! Enjoyed reading every word. I would ride with you any day, any where ;) I actually drive thru Barnwell when I visit my bro( who is porsche tech for Baker in Charleston) next time Ill give you a heads up and buy you lunch.

Ultimatevfr

Ryan, great job! Enjoyed reading every word. I would ride with you any day, any where ;) I actually drive thru Barnwell when I visit my bro( who is porsche tech for Baker in Charleston) next time Ill give you a heads up and buy you lunch.