PNW rally or get together - June 26

[Madness]

Hope you all have a good trip. I'm heading out Friday morning from Albany. My brother and some friends of ours are headed down to N. Cal on the slab. I think we're staying in or around Happy Camp the first night and then heading for the Redwoods and back up Hwy 101 on Sunday. If you spot a Midnight riding with a pack of Hogs, that would be me.

[Dennyz]

Good ride! Mike and I left my house at 7:00am. We rode the slab to Longview and took Hwy 30 to Cornelius Pass. It was perfect riding temperature. Inspite of heavy traffic on 217, we made it to the Fredies parking lot right on time.

Dave and Tony where there wainting. Tony headed off to get gas and wait for us down the road. We saddled up and head west on Hwy99. Just as we were pulling out, Jeff joined in to make a group of 5. Picked Tony up at the Cheveron station and road out of town (10:30am).

By now it was getting hot out. I saw a 88 degrees on a sign shortly after getting underway. Traffic was heavy until we got out of town. The group got seperated a the stop lights, but joinded up at the next town. We ran into a Hwy line painting work parting that cause a short delay in the blistering sun. The temperature must have been in the mid 90s by then.

As we rolled into Lincoln City (12:15) the temperature dropped 30+ degrees. If felt good after the heat in the valley. Tony lead us to Mo's for lunch. The place had a good crowd, but they process it quickly.

I needed to be back in Olympia (280 miles) by 5:00pm and Mike had to be in Brookings (240 miles) by days end. We wolfed down our clam chowder and said our goodbys. Mike headed south on US 101 at 1:00pm. I headed back into the valley at 1:10pm.

I made good time to the freeway (2:30pm). I was amazed at my fuel range. I showed 167 miles and had not switched to reserve. The bike took 4.3 gallons (38.8 mpg) when I gassed up just before getting on the freeway (130 miles to go).

I ran into heavy traffic on the freeway (stop and go) leaving Portland (Cost me 30 minutes in delays). It was 3:15 and I still had 110 miles to go (all slab). Honkered down on the tank pack and turned up the juice. Averaged 78 mph (70mph post limit) and pulled into the driveway at 4:55.

Great ride, 422 miles in 10 hours, with an hour and half of breaks. 180 miles of slab and 242 miles of secondary roads. Average speed was 49.8 mph. Hope everyone made it home OK.

[Geezer]

I got home around 6:00. After we left Moe's I got tired of keeping up the rear, every pack needs a slowpoke but I was tired of being it and went my own way back.

I was planning to do a little shopping and maybe hang out on the beach but with the fog and wind, I turned west at Hebo and in no time at all it was 80+ degrees again.

I had a nice ride back along a very twisty road. I would have more enjoyable but the seat on my 11 Special was killing me. All in all it was a pretty good for my first motorcycle road trip in 15 years.

It was great meeting everybody and I can't wait for the next one (but that seat has to go.)

Geezer

[Mike Hart]

That was a record time sit-down lunch for a crowded place at peak hour - I was out on my own at 1 pm, puttering down the coast with boats and campers and wondering if I'd ever go over 45 mph again in my life when at Yachats, the little towns and boats and campers mostly disappeared and I was making great time down the beautiful coast.

I had begun to despair of ever making Brookings, but the average speed went up considerably after Yachats, and it's a fun road too. It was nice and cool all the way to Port Orford, where the temp came up to mid 70's, and the coastline views and the highway were excellent. The fun factor was increasing steadily.

Arrived Brookings 6:30 pm, found a motel, and called "xs1100avinjar" (Vincent with a 79F), went to get a bite and get to know each other. Turns out he is headed for the San Francisco Bay Area the next day, and though he's not usually an early riser, the thought of company on the ride convinced him to meet me at 5:45am Friday, and we headed out.

Brookings is 19 miles north of Crescent City CA, and after Crescent City there are some great twisties on 101 with sufficient passing lanes to keep the pace brisk. In fact, we never really hit any traffic that held us up longer than a few minutes before we were in the clear again.

101 is full of sweepers and some tighter sections too, though there is one boring stretch just N. of Eureka, where we fueled the bodies and bikes and set out again. Not far S. of Eureka, the Avenue of the Giants through the redwoods in Humboldt Redwoods State Park begins, runs about 35 miles right in the big redwoods, nice and shady and still cool.

Until it ends 6 mi N. of Garberville, and when we popped out onto 101, the temp was near 100, but we didn't spend much time below 70mph the rest of the way into Willits, where I said goodbye to Vincent and peeled off into the hills to see family.

Great ride, not all that many straightaways - I'd guess at least 75% of the 250 miles from Brookings to Willits is curving, YEAH!!!

Great to see everyone, and have company on 2/3 of my trip!

[cbird]

Jeff and I left Tony at Mo's and headed north to Beaver, where we turned east and went up the Nestucca. PNWers, this is a fun road! It goes from Beaver over the mountains 45 miles to Carlton near Yamhill, up the Nestucca a very pretty little river. The road is twisty and variously patched, and includes 2.5 miles of good packed gravel in the middle, a small price to pay. Since the road is small and twisty the speeds aren't real high so it is safe to zoom along. I was on the xs500, a good bike for this road. I got 51 mpg for the day.

Jeff is fun to ride with, those flat bars on his beautiful E model make it look like you've got a dragster in your mirror!

See all soon!

The Crunchbird has new rubber and new fork oil! Hint: if you have air forks, bleed the air first, then the oil. Don't ask...

David Browne