Hairpin turns--the adrenaline rush.  What is your favorite ride with the most hairpin turns, or your least favorite?  As the backseat driver I hate heights, so any road that puts me near the edge has me slinking down in my seat and leaning (I know you are not supposed to lean) to the inside edge of the road and saying a prayer that God will look out for us.  Add in hairpin turns and I just about can’t breathe, my heart is thudding, and I have a death grip on the back of my husband’s jacket. 

No, we are not going to Norway to do this ride! I just thought it might be interesting for those of you who are real adventure junkies and want bragging rights.  Trollstigen, Norway, is a narrow mountain road with a 9% gradient and 11 hairpin turns. Fog, poor traction and limited visibility during rain make the road even more dangerous for riders; but, at sixty-two miles long with an elevation gain of over two thousand eight hundred feet, it would certainly be an interesting, if terrifying, ride!

I will convince my driver to stick to calmer roads like Chuckanut Drive or Highway 2 over the Cascades (Washington’s Alps!) and leave the Trollstingen to someone else.

How Winterize Your Motorcycle

Recognizing that winter weather is about to curtail or alter some of our riding, we gleaned some tips about preparing our trike and equipment to deal with the weather and we are sharing our findings with you.

If you don’t have the proper tools, enough time or you are not sure what do to, call your local trusted motorcycle shop and make an appointment to have your bike winterized.  For some that live in areas of snow or heavy rains for months, that means getting your bike ready to sit in your garage.  In this case you will need a battery tender that is plugged in to prevent your battery going dead.  Some Harley dealers will store your bike for the winter if you don’t have a garage to protect it from the elements.  You can also see if a friend or relative has space to store your bike, but make sure to keep your bike out of the wind and rain to prevent mildew.

If you are going to winterize your trike yourself, make sure you have all the tools you need before starting.  You will need, cleaning cloths, spark plug wrench, a trickle battery charger, four or five quarts of high-quality oil, new oil filter, oil can or device to get oil in the cylinders, fuel stabilizer, spray can of WD40, a breathable motorcycle cover, plastic gloves, items to clean and wax your bike. A gentle wash detergent and water will suffice.

Start by removing road grime and insects to protect the finish of the bike. Dry completely with a good chamois. Clean and polish all aluminum and stainless surfaces with the appropriate metal polish. Finally, finish up with a coat of good wax polish on all painted and chrome surfaces.

Add a fuel stabilizer to the gas tank. Fill your tank with gas as full as it can go. This is very important because as fuel ages, more volatile components tend to change, leaving sludge and gummy substances that can affect the carburetor fuel injectors. Run the bike so the gas and fuel stabilizer get to the carburetor and fuel injectors. then turn off the fuel and run it dry.  We try to only use ethanol free premium gas in our trike.

Clean and treat your leather seats and saddle bags.  Remove any food or drink items in tour packs or bags that might attract rodents or bugs.  Remove spare batteries that might corrode.  Remove any first aid items in tubes that might leak.  Don’t forget to clean your helmet, chaps, jackets, and boots.

Check your tires and inflate them to the correct pressure before storage to retain their proper shape. Also, if you are storing the trike on the tires, rotate each wheel once a month to prevent flat spots. And grab yourself a good motorcycle tire-pressure gauge to check the pressure each month.

Make sure your motorcycle is covered with your homeowner’s insurance if it is stored in your garage.  If you store your trike offsite at a storage facility or at family/friend’s home, make sure you have your own coverage and don’t rely on someone telling you it is covered by their insurance.

Dave McNeill R.I.P.

Our good fiend, Dave McNeill, was our road captain, leader and planner for many years. Dave and his wife, Lorie, planned and led the ride posted below and a couple of weeks later he was in a motorcycle accident. Here is his obituary.

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bellinghamherald/obituary.aspx?n=david-victor-mcneill&pid=190042378&

2018 Summer Ride

Friday July 20^th

It has been five years since we have been on a trip with friends riding the bikes.  Way too long but life has a way of throwing unexpected events at you that are beyond our control.

New tires and brakes on the trike and the Red Vixen is gassed up.  A new cooler for drinks, camera, bags are packed (thank you again, Dawn, for the packing list).  Passports, nexus cards, golden access pass for the parks, medical cards, rain gear, cool gear, heated gear (not sure other than the 1^st morning anything heated will be needed but with a temp of 65 degrees at 55 mph real feel is 25 degrees) and I am sure there will be something we forget; just hope it is something small that we can live without.

I forgot what it takes to pack for seven days on the road.  Throw in crossing the border to Canada with a few extra do’s and do nots--Whew!  Ready. Set. Go.  Excited!

Saturday July 21^st

We met up at Starbucks and it was wonderful to see everyone.  Updates on life, laughs, and we were on the road.  Dave, Lorie, Maynard, Bill, Marla, Larry, and myself.  We were missing Dave and Dawn, but they were unable to ride this time.

Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway

Lookin' for adventure

And whatever comes our way

Nexus cards should be checked before trying to use them to cross the border.  Mine expired on my birthday last month.  That meant a trip inside the building with ID’s to explain where we were going and if we were with those other bikers.  Good thing I also had my passport card.

We left behind the cornfields in Whatcom Country and smells of watering fields with liquid manures.  The fields quickly turned into forest in British Columbia and I could smell the fresh scent of the pine trees.  Traffic was not too bad and really cleared out east of Hope as we continued on highway 3.

Riding as the sweep behind Bill and Marla, was fun to watch as Bill reached back to pat Marla’s leg.   Something you will see the guys do often.  Love pats. 

I never did plug my heated gear in but wore the liner as a layer.  In Princeton I packed it away as the day began to heat up.  Lunch in Princeton was at Billy’s and Marla took a chance and ordered the borsch soup.  Probably the last time she orders it.  Copper mining is the main source of employment and our waitress said it is predicted they can mine for another fifteen years.  The glimpses of the hillsides being cutaway in layers is both a marvel at engineering and sadness to see the beautiful hills destroyed.

Lots of twists and turns through the mountain passes and we arrived in Castlegar about six PM.  So how hard is it to use a hotel key card?  Not as easy as you might think.  There was one luggage cart, but it was not to be found, so we had to carry all our bags down a long hallway to find the elevator.  If we had found the luggage cart it was two steps below the hallway we needed to walk down.  Go figure.  Some of us found the elevator right away, some of us walked by it still searching and cussin’ (no names will be mentioned to protect the guilty).  We were all on the third floor and you needed a key card in the elevator to get to the third floor, no other floor, just the third floor.  Lorie’s key did not work, mine did not work so back down the long hallway to the desk to figure this out.  The desk clerk said my key was working so back down the hallway to find Lorie and Marla and neither of their keys worked.  Mine finally did and we made it to the third floor.  I went back down to help the guys since the women had all the keys and as the elevator door opened Dave and Larry stepped out, they came up when I punched in the down button.  Well it seems like Marla gave Bill the key card to the breakfast room instead of a room card and he could not go up or down.  When he finally arrived on the third floor he could not get into his room because again the breakfast card won’t work in the door.  Maynard is the only one who appears to have figured out the system.  You really need to hear Bill tell the story because it is much funnier than I can convey.  A quick rest then we walked to Boston’s for dinner and called it an early night because we need to be on the road between 7:15 AM and 7:30 AM the earlier the better.

Larry said today was “a practice day” meaning to ease into the heat that we will start to encounter on Monday.

Total miles 352

Animal sightings:  cows, horses, llamas, goats, 1 deer, 1 eagle

Sunday July 22^nd

Continental breakfast included omelets, I was told. I was like wow great breakfast and then Dave burst my bubble and told me they were precooked, prepackaged, heat the microwave--so it was strawberry yogurt for me.

Still riding east on highway 3 through the mountains.  I had my heated liner on but not plugged in.  I could have used my heated gloves, but I forgot those at home.  Warning signs to watch for deer, caribou, mountain goats, deer, and moose but they must have been playing hide and seek.

There are still small pockets of snow in some of the north facing cervices on the mountains.  Looking down at the river I could see a meadow covered in dew that glistened as the early morning sun came over the rise.    Kootenay Pass was 5,820 feet with a small pond near the top as we began our descent.   Blue flowers lined both sides of the roadway as we entered Creston, although they could have been weeds but who cares they were beautiful. 

Cranbrook is a big town, bigger than I expected.  We had a pit stop at A&W and I asked Dave if he had ever been to Cranbrook and he said, “I’ve been everywhere.”  So, leader of the pack has a new theme song by Johnny Cash.

I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Travel, I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere

We stopped for lunch at Smitty's Family Restaurant in Fernie (one of Dave’s favorite towns) before starting the afternoon leg of our journey.  We passed through Sparwood home of the world largest truck, a 1974 Terex Titan built by General Motors and the only one that was ever built.

Still traveling on highway 3 we passed through Crow’s Nest Pass, the site of the largest landslide in Canada.  On April 29, 1903, 82 million tons of limestone rock broke off the peak of Turtle Mountain. The section that broke was 3,300 ft. wide, 1,394 ft. high and 490 ft. deep traveling at 70 mph.

The terrain changed from thick forest as we left British Columbia and opened up into vast farmland fields in Alberta.  Mile after mile of mustard in various stages of growth and color, light green, lime green, soft yellow, to brilliant yellow. 

We are now riding south on highway 2 and drove through the small community of Stand Off which is part of the Blood Indian Reservation.  The Indian Nationals Final Rodeo was in town and trucks parked everywhere near the fairgrounds and on the opposite side of the road was the fair with rides and kids.  Small town life is the same everywhere.

Our home for the night was in Cardston Alberta Canada.  It was good to get a shower and get rid of the road dust and grime.  Dinner choices were limited but staying in a small town you expect that.  Bill got his appetizer at Burger King and then we dined at Subway.

Total miles 332

Animal sightings: I saw 1 deer, Marla takes the prize for seeing turkeys.

Monday July 23^rd

Up and on the road.  When you stay in a small-town, chances are there won’t be any places open to eat at seven AM, or to gas up.  We headed to the border and saw several deer grazing next to the road.  Dave and Lorie went by and the deer stayed put.  Maynard drove by and the deer spooked.  Bill and Marla rode by and the deer were running beside them.  Larry and I thought the buck was going to jump in front of us but at the last second it turned away from the road.  Thank you, God, for watching over us. 

The border crossing was easy, and our guard was from Blaine WA, just up the road from where we all live.  This nice border guard also asked why we had an enhanced drivers license, a nexus card, and a passport card.  We explained and then he told us everything we need is on our enhanced driver license card and we only need the real passport if we are flying out of the country.  Too bad someone had not explained that before we paid for each of those extra cards.  Lesson learned, ask more questions.

On a wing, a prayer, and almost fumes, we made it to Saint Mary’s for fuel for the bikes and our bodies.  The Park Café had coffee, bacon, eggs, and more coffee.  Now the fun part begins, Going to the Sun, Glacier National Park.

This is my third trip and favorite direction to view the park, East to West-- hugging the mountain side, away from the sheer drop off with a foot-tall rock barrier.  Can you tell I am afraid of heights?    The weather was perfect, no clouds and you could see to the top of the mountains and the valleys below.  There were far fewer cars going west which made the trip even nicer.  We started in Saint Mary’s, passing Rising Sun, Going to the Sun and Logan Pass at the top where we stopped.  Marla found several Columbian Ground Squirrels near the visitor’s center.  She might have dropped a piece or two or three of her healthy granola bar that the squirrel found.  I might have dropped a few cashew nuts accidently when I was pouring the nuts out of the bags into Larry’s hand.  Sorry; we tried to be good, sometimes accidents happen.  We continued past Red Rock Point and McDonald Lake, into West Glacier park entrance.

Larry and I have been through a lot in the last year and a half, losing Larry’s mother at age 99 and my mother age 100, within six months of each other.  This trip with friends is part of the healing.  When we came off the mountain and began our ride alongside Lake McDonald I could feel some of the heaviness that had been weighing on my heart and mind begin to lift.  I am sure the car behind us wondered what I was doing when I threw out my open arms and lifted my face to the sun and said thank you God for giving us true friends to laugh with, talk with, and enjoy the adventure of riding with.

Being back in the USA meant we could now find unsweetened tea in the convenience store and restaurants. It seems all tea is sweetened in Canada.  We stocked up as we were leaving the park.  The adventure for some was not over as a few needed to sit on the Sinclair Dinosaur.  You just never know with this group.

We rode south heading for Missoula along Flat Head Lake which is largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River.  Riding alongside the lake it seemed to go on forever as did the cherry orchards.  There must have been a fruit stand every hundred feet.   We stopped in Polson for lunch and then a short ride into Missoula and the Harley shop.  Larry needed to get the lug nuts tightened on the bike and of course we all needed to do a bit of shopping before finding our hotel for the evening and having dinner.

Total mileage 237

Animal sightings:  Columbian Ground Squirrels

Tuesday July 24^th

It was a dark and stormy night…haha Marla and Dave.  In reality it was a hot and hotter day.  As we began our ride on highway 12.  The road side sign said 99 miles twist/turns and it was.  Beautiful scenery riding next to the Clearwater River in the morning.  A bit chilly but one I would not have traded to have that cool morning air as they day wore on.  There was even a small stretch of the roadway that was wet from a squall that moved in and out before we got there.  Federal prison labor was used in the late 1930s to build the road.  Japanese internment labor was used during the last two years of World War II, working out of the Kooskia Internment Camp to complete highway 12.

The morning ride was on part of The Lewis and Clark Trail.  In 1804 Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark formed the first American expedition to cross the western portion of the United States.  It took a year and half to complete the journey.  Our portion of the trail only took us a few hours on the twisty road with multiple stops for construction.

We stopped at the summit on highway 95 to view the scenic lookout and read about the Nez Perce battle.  The northbound grade of White Bird Hill Summit climbs 2,700 feet in seven miles.  Originally, the old road was twice the length and had a multitude of switchbacks ascending a treeless slope.

While we were resting a nice woman told us about the fires down below where we would be traveling.  Started by lightening strikes they grew overnight and we watched helicopters dropping buckets of water.  This was a closest to a forest fire that I have ever been.  To see the burned trees, the ground smoldering, and the occasional flames from the uncontained fire was horrendous.  The fire crews were doing an amazing job saving homes and structures.  Over the hill beyond our vision we could see huge plumes of smoke with an occasional burst of black smoke.  With more hot weather in the forecast it will be a lot of hard work to contain the fire.  God bless the firefighters.

We stopped for lunch at The Seven Devils in Riggins and as Marla said, “you have to love yourself before you can love someone else.”  So, our waitress was from the dark side and clearly did not love herself and it went from bad to worse.  Ever see a chicken taco with a chicken finger stuck inside a cold tortilla and nothing else?  How about chicken fingers that looked like nuggets or tough hamburgers you have to cut with a knife.  She was a bit peeved because we needed separate checks and we did not see the sign that said only one check for groups over six.  Dave offered to move but she was already in a really foul mood by then.  A tip, did you say, when the check came?  No, not this time.   The real kicker was Larry forgot his water bottle for the bike and I volunteered to walk back to the restaurant to get it.  If looks could kill I would not made it out alive, but I got the bottle and got out quick, feeling lucky our waitress had not dumped the water bottle.  I stood across from the bar with my thumb out hoping my husband would stop and pick me up.  Of course, I had that water bottle he wanted so I was pretty sure he would stop.

We made the last pit stop of the day at a little bar/store where we found cold water, iced tea, and Gatorade.  The workers were friendly and chatted about rides, Sturgis, and Harleys with us.  Need a plastic cup, no charge.  Maybe we should have paid for the air conditioning because in hundred plus temperatures it was welcome relief.

Found our lodgings for the night in Ontario Oregon, with a restaurant near by that we could walk to.  Lights out early because it is another long day with more hot weather.

Today was 350 miles.

Animals sightings:  turkeys, geese, deer and an Eagle

Wednesday July 25^th

We were on the road by 7:00 AM.  Dave has adjusted the route to shorten a few miles off the day in anticipation of high temperatures.  First song up on our sound system as we rode out was “I Will Survive.”   We are headed towards John Day on the roads less traveled and I really mean less traveled as it appeared we are almost the only ones out there on the road.  It is cool, but I won’t complain because I know by late afternoon I will be wishing it was in the low sixties.

Farmland as far as you can see growing onions, alfalfa, and hay with an occasional stockyard that you could smell before you actually saw it.  Lots of small dying towns made up of several buildings with boarded up windows.  Some communities had a school and a grange hall, maybe a church.  You really have to love farming to live a fairly isolated life.

The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is amazing with the painted hills, and the Clarno Palisades.  We were warned of a fire ahead of us, but it was farther west and did not interfere with the ride.  A lot of sagebrush and open land, but again the weather was not as hot as predicted so the ride was more comfortable but still hot.

Last leg of the ride was 37 miles and we saw 29 vehicles which was more than we saw in the previous 258 miles today.  Civilization!  Hermiston near the Columbia River was our stop for the night. (Larry’s note: We passed by Ruggs Ranch, a pheasant hunting ranch that I’ve been watching on outdoor channels…I put my hand over my thumping heart!)

Total miles 295

Animals:  ducks, a deer and her fawn, an elk and her calf, but Dave wins for seeing a coyote

Thursday July 26^th

Heading to Colville and the weather is predicted to be only in the ninety’s. 

Starting out our day riding next to the Columbia River watching seagulls swoop low over the water looking for fish.  Glad we were going east as a huge number of truckers were going west.

Miles down the road after a truck going the opposite direction passed us, onion skins floated through the air.  Lorie said they looked like butterflies when she first saw them. 

Wheat fields began to appear near Walla Walla--Yes! I finally made it to Walla Walla.  The wind turbines also began to appear lining the ridges of the hills as far as we could see.  The wheat fields went from Walla Walla to the Palouse, up into part of Idaho.  We started out in Oregon, passed into Washington, then into Idaho, then back into Washington.  When you travel the backroads near the borders only the road matters, not which state you are in.

Couer deAlene, Rathdrum/Spirit lake, Newport on to Colville for the night.  A small motel we have stayed at before with a nice restaurant next door.  Early to bed early to rise.

Total miles 369

Animal sightings:  seagulls, mules, bison

Friday Day 7

,

We were packed up, ready to go and rode out at 6:30 AM for the ride home.  Through Republic, one of our destinations for several years, then Tonasket, Okanogan, and Winthrop as we headed over the mountain. 

For a heart stopping few seconds we wondered if we were going to make it home.  Double yellow line for both lanes and a truck pulling a boat decided to pass another small commercial truck going uphill.  The truck/boat was in our lane and Dave was hugging the shoulder and Larry was moving over fast.  The truck/boat had plenty of time when it saw us to back off and pull back into his lane but on he kept coming putting all our lives at risk. 

We stopped at the Diablo lookout to breathe.  Deep breath.  Then it was onto Marblemount to gas up the bikes and find lunch.  The weather was perfect to sit outside on the patio and enjoy the company of friends.  We took highway 9 for the last leg of our route home and stopped at Acme for a short break.  A three-wheel Vanderhall bike pulled in right before we left.  Unusual in that it looks more like a car with the driver and passenger sitting side by side.  Fun to look at but I like our Harley trike better.  We waved goodbye in Ferndale.  So much fun to ride with friends, laugh, see new sights, visit some old places, and make new memories.  Can’t wait to ride again.

Total miles 303

Animal sightings:  deer and her fawn

Thanks again to Dave and Lorie for planning this great ride.

8 days, 3 states, 4 bikes, 8 friends, 1,850 miles

Dave M. itinerary notes:  2013 OREGON RIDE………Leisure riding with short mileage and time for sightseeing, viewing of flora and fauna and the resting of aged joints

We went on line made a reservation for the ferry at Coupeville to Port Townsend and I was then ready to begin planning and packing…well, it’s been months since the talk of this ride began so I had to restrain myself from not packing sooner.  Can you tell I—we--needed to get out on the bike, ride with friends, get away, take a break…it doesn’t matter what you call it, or how you put it into words, a bike vacation is just what we need.

I know, for those who don’t ride, you might find it hard to understand why we would think a vacation on a bike (not just any bike but a Harley) would be something to celebrate or why you would take a vacation with not just one couple but three other couples.  We laugh, we share what we have seen during the day, we enjoy meals with friends you trust to always have your back, you know that what happens on the trip stays on the trip (well maybe a few phone calls to one couple who couldn’t join us this time so they can participate), and then there are the photographs to remember the sights.  I wouldn’t trade these motorcycle vacations with friends for anything.

Saturday it was rise and shine, well sort of…it’s not quit sunny outside but my heart is…time to ride to Starbucks to meet up with our friends and the adventure begins.  Funny thing is no one wants to be the last to arrive.  Larry and I are riding down the freeway and I see Dave and Dawn on the overpass above, ready to approach the on ramp.   As we arrived at Starbucks, all four bikes pulled in at the same time.

Coffee anyone?  The perfect song for our group was playing, Zippity Doo Dah and Rick was singing it as we left Starbucks: 

Zippity doo dah, Zippity aye,

My oh my what a wonderful day

Plenty of sunshine coming my way,

Zippity doo dah, Zippity aye.

Mister blue bird's on my shoulder,,

It’s the truth,

It’s actual,

Everything’s satisfactual!

Zippity doo dah,

Zippity aye,

Zippity doo dah,

Zippity aye!

We pulled out of Bellingham headed to the Coupeville ferry that would take us to Port Townsend wearing all our layers and plugged in.  Well, we almost missed the ferry….we pulled in, paid for our reservations, drove into our lane, waited about five minutes and then the boarding began.  There must have been about thirty bikes on the ferry when we left the dock.

Enough time for coffee or hot chocolate and a bathroom break and we were almost ready to dock.  We drove down highway 101 on the Hood Canal enjoying the views of the water and the small sleepy towns we passed through. We stopped for lunch at the Rusty Tractor in Elma, a nice little restaurant we frequent on our journeys south.   We continued on through Raymond, once known as a wild and wooly lumber mill town and now famous as the place the group Nirvana played their first gig.  The city of Raymond is also lined with flat rusted metal sculptures of animals and people.

Our final destination for the day, Long Beach, Washington,  originally called Tinkerville, and had a narrow gauge railroad at one time.  It has a fairly mild climate and hosts annual sandcastle and a kite flying contests.  You can see mountains of oyster shells, visit the kite or cranberry museum, go for a walk on the beach, or the half mile long boardwalk.

Bikes unloaded, coffee in the lobby and we were ready to explore.  We split up in two groups wandering the few blocks in town, checking out the sandcastle competition and walking to the beach.  It was quit windy on the beach but that wasn’t keeping anyone from picnics, kite flying, or using their four wheel vehicles on the sandy beach.  We found a small restaurant a couple of blocks from our hotel to enjoy a good meal before strolling back to our hotel.

Sunday morning we left around eightish down highway 101 to Florence Oregon.  It was a pleasant day riding down the coast, past one of my favorite towns, Seaside.  It was a little early so we passed on stopping at the Tillamook for ice cream and really glad we were going south instead of north, because all the weekend tourists were headed home north.  Lincoln City was stop and go through the lights and traffic and as Larry would say, “we successfully defied death and destruction.”   We stopped in Depot Bay for lunch at the Hag and saw sea lions on the rocks and a fishing boat maneuver through the narrow opening into the protected bay.  We passed through Newport which was also busting with traffic going north as we continued on south.

Well, we had a little excitement…seems some teenage driver out for spin in dad’s truck decided to pass us on a double yellow line, cutting into the middle of our group when he realized he couldn’t quite clear all four bikes without hitting oncoming traffic.  All of this was taking place on blind curves on highway 101.  Well that was enough to get our blood boiling but it was over, or so we thought.  We passed a pull out for viewing and there was the truck preparing to pull out into traffic again, headed our direction.  He pulled up hard on Dave and Dawn and again on a no passing section of the road he proceeded to pass us….again seeing oncoming traffic he pulled in between our bikes, he pulled out and quickly pulled in between our bike and Rick and Marina.  He wasn’t done yet…he pulled out again and leap frogged between Dave and Lorie and Rick and Marina.  God was looking out for Dave and Lorie today because this jerk was riding their bumper.  He pulled out on a double yellow with traffic coming in the opposite direction and passed Dave and Lorie again.  I guess when you are young you think you are invincible…think again because more than your life is at stake when you drive a weapon with no regard for your life or anyone else’s. 

We got settled in our rooms at the River House and found rubber duckies sitting on the edge of our bathtubs, this brought laughter and smiles to our faces.   We walked through old town to scope out places to eat dinner and settled on the Firehouse restaurant.  After dinner we walked down the street to the ice cream shop for dessert and I had black walnut ice cream, so hard to find, but black walnuts always reminds me of home, Missouri, black walnut fudge-- time to call mom.

Monday we left Florence, Oregon for Bend, Oregon around eightish (this time is what would become the joke on the trip, just ask Lorie what eightish means).  We rode on highway 126 next to the river under a canopy of trees shading the roadway and making us glad we had our heated gear on and plugged in.  The covered canopy gave way to a tree lined road that then opened up into a road with trees set back off the road.  The curving forest road turned to wide fairly straight road through flat farmland and orchards.   This was a road that our leader had never been on and it amazed us because it seems likes he knows all the back roads and byways of Washington and Oregon.

We managed to wind our way through the maze of city streets in Eugene heading east on highway 58 and 46 to Bend.  The farmland quickly turned to dry high dessert and warmed up quickly and we stopped for cold drinks and to remove layers of clothing.  We passed the lava fields and stopped at Cultas Lake Resort for lunch on the outside patio.  It was a pleasant break looking at the grass lined shore of the lake and the boat docks.  We saw children and adults playing in the water all the while we sat on a cool, tree covered deck.

Back on the road we headed to the Harley store in Bend for a few necessities before locating our rooms for the night.  Showers, cold drinks, coffee, and we were ready for dinner.  The food was good but a little pricey and the service was lousy at The Crossings Restaurant at The Riverhouse Hotel.   A 19% automatic tip for a waiter who clearly didn’t want to wait on us and then would not break our check down into separate bills after agreeing to this is unacceptable.  I wrote a review on Yelp and Tripadvisor to warn others to stay clear of this restaurant.  Thanks Dave and Dawn for being the first to put up a credit card and get us out of there.  I did however tell the manager what we thought of the waiter and how we were treated.  The waiter got to keep his 19% auto tip and we were offered dessert to go…no thanks….guess they just wanted us out of there, and we didn’t want to stay a minute longer than we had to.  Too bad the service personnel had such bad attitudes because the atmosphere on the patio was pleasant watching the river run behind us. 

Tuesday, day four of our adventure, we left Bend at eightish moving on down the road headed for Baker City.  We drove through tiny little towns in the middle of farmland and you could smell the cut alfalfa waiting to be baled in the fields.  Occasionally you could smell the sage brush and maybe juniper trees.  It is heating up and as we take a break and get something to drink, we are all removing the layers, and using the sunscreen.

We stopped for breakfast in Prineville which is east of Bend.  Prineville is the county seat and was founded in 1877 and located on the on the Crooked River at the mouth of the Ochoco Creek.   Breakfast was entertaining as we watched the rainbow bus filled with modern day hippies in their broken down bus with two blown tires.  The waitress said they were from Portland looking for a place to camp when they pulled into the restaurant parking lot.  Wow…camping without reservations…who would do that in this day and age of technology.  I removed another layer as it was beginning to warm up by the time we were ready to mount up again.  There is a chance of thunderstorms throughout the afternoon so we may need to pull over for rain gear later on or as Dave M. says, we will dry out as fast as it rains.

We stopped in Mitchell Oregon for a break and cold drinks.  There isn’t much to the town except a café and a general store, but it is the gateway to the Painted Hills.  The area around Mitchell was at the bottom of the Cretaceous Sea, home to the giant Tiger of the sea, the Plesiosaur, 80-90 million years ago. 

How hot is it?  It is time to stop again in Mount Vernon to remove all extra layers and grab cold drinks.  There isn’t much to this town except the Clyde Holliday State Park we passed as we pressed onto our final destination.

The last stop before Baker City was Sumpter where the only place in town that was open was a small bar.   Our eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting and we seated ourselves in the back room and ordered a round of tea, sodas, and iced water.  Refreshed and ready to go we drove back to the junction and turned east for the last twenty- six miles.  Sumpter was rich in gold, timber and ranching but today is mostly a tourist town.   They had a railway that went from Baker City to Prairie City, electric lights, an opera house, churches, newspapers, and sadly when the mines closed, the town died.  Fire almost destroyed the town in 1917 and they used dynamite to put out the fire, destroying twelve blocks.    An excursion train still runs through Sumpter and several years ago during the Hells Canyon Rally Larry and I rode those rails even if it was a short trip.

The Hells Canyon rally was the weekend before we arrived so riding through Baker City seemed fairly quiet.  The city may have looked quiet but the hotel was jumping.  It was almost booked when we checked in, but we did have reservations, thanks, once again, to our illustrious leader.   Showers, a change of clothes, a cold drink, and we were ready for dinner.  Why drive when there was a perfectly nice restaurant at the hotel.  Wow, the servings were huge.  A salad could feed two people and the prices were really good.  We talked, we laughed and then it was time to retire.

The railroad came to Baker City in 1884 and it was the largest city between Salt Lake City and Portland by the 1900’s.  It is the county seat and the historic district is on the national register of historic places.   The art deco Baker City Tower is nine stories and the tallest building east of the Cascade Range in Oregon.

Wednesday , eightish, day five, we rode east out of Baker City on highway 86 passing The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.   There are lots of exhibits and you can view the ruts of the Oregon trail through the five hundred acre site.    Worth the time to stop which we did on a previous visit to Baker City.  The Oregon Trail is approximately two thousand miles long from Missouri to the the Willamette Valley.  It began as trails used by the Native Americans, then fur traders and in 1843 a wagon train with over eight hundred people, one hundred and twenty wagons, and five thousand cattle made the five month journey.

We stopped in Richland at Annie’s Café for breakfast.  Eight people can be overwhelming for a small one person café, but the owner handled it with great service and a smile.  He kept the coffee coming while he took orders and cooked as fast as he could go.  Dawn helped out pouring coffee for our group and we had an enjoyable meal to start off our morning.  Rick did, however, miss his chance at homemade cinnamon rolls; but he said they were too big to put in his tour pack.

Warm and it’s getting hotter, we stopped at Scotty’s Hells Canyon Outdoor Supply for cold drinks before turning onto highway 39, the Wallowa Mountain Loop over the mountain.  Dave M:  “No need for a potty break as your butt cheeks should be puckered so tight you couldn’t do anything anyway. Last time I was on this road it was gravel back in about 1956.”  Well the road has been improved and has been designated a scenic byway as an, “All American Road,” going through the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.    We stayed by the river winding through the forest where the temperature was about twenty degrees cooler than it had been when we stopped at the store.  As we climbed higher, the temperatures began to climb also.  We turned west on highway 350 into Joseph where we stayed at the Indian Lodge Motel. 

We wandered around town, stopping for colds drinks and light snacks before dinner.  The bronze statues throughout the downtown area were amazing as were the wooden planter boxes that were filled with a variety of “flora and fauna,” each unique and different, some sponsored by local families or groups.  Larry made a necessary stop in the Joseph Fly shop for fishing supplies.  A guy can never have enough flies, so I guess he won’t complain if I buy another pair of shoes because a girl can never have enough shoes, right?  We had dinner at The Stubborn Mule where enjoyed a nice meal, reasonable prices, and plenty of time to talk about the day’s adventures. 

There just is not enough time to see everything, and Joseph would definitely be a place to revisit.  Wallowa Lake has great fishing, or a tram will take you up to the top of Mt. Howard where you can dine at the 8,150 elevation, and you can stay at the Wallowa Lake Lodge.   Check out www.wallowalake.com  or www.wallowalake.com  for more information.

Thursday morning we walked down to The Old Town Café for breakfast because it was seven twenty and we were all ready to go, way ahead of eightish.  Good food to start off the morning.  I had a cup--which turned out to be extra large glass cappuccino cup--filled with vanilla yogurt, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and fresh made granola.  The menu cover read:  Welcome to The Old Town Café, where the menu, prices, hours, and attitudes change without notice.   It was not until the next day that Rick mentioned the chocolate covered coffee beans at the restaurant and Lorie wondered why Dave M. had not scooped up a spoonful for her.

We traveled north through Enterprise on highway 82 then onto highway 3 up the Wallowas Mountains known as America’s Alps.  We left the range land where we saw dogs and a herder bringing the sheep into the pens.  Dave and Lorie were blessed as a deer that jumped just feet in front of them only caused them to put on the brakes and the two fawns stayed put on the side of the road.  We stopped at Joseph Canyon Viewpoint to view the winter grounds of the Nez Perce Tribe.

From here we continued north to The Rattlesnake, a series of switchbacks that took us down to the Grand Ronde River.  We were warned about gravel and rocks that we did find in some areas and we needed to weave around them, but not as bad as it could have been.  We began our climb back up WA highway 129 with more switchbacks and blind corners, stopping at Fields Spring State Park for a break.  From here we were in the rolling hills of the Palouse heading north to Lewiston Idaho, where we stopped at Asotin, WA, for cold drinks.  We crossed into Idaho and maneuvered through Lewiston and a construction site leaving the bikes, our boots, and chaps covered with mud from the gravel worksite.    We were at full throttle riding hard and fast uphill out of Lewiston on highway 95 where we as far as the eye could see were fields of mostly wheat and a few other crops. 

We approached Moscow for a little sightseeing of the downtown area.  It is an old city and has a certain vibe to it like other smaller college towns.  Four lefts and a right and we found a gas station.  The Moscow area was originally named Paradise Valley but had the nick name of “Hog Heaven.”  We were just a few miles east of the Washington border.

We stopped at Dad’s diner in Potlatch Idaho which didn’t look like much on the outside but the food was good and the bakery items fresh.

Somewhere in our wanderings this morning between Oregon, Washington, and Idaho we changed to Mountain Time zone and back to Pacific Time zone.  I know I saw the signs but I can’t quit remember where we were..or what time it was. 

We wandered highway 95 to hwy 5, back to hwy 97 and then to our destination of Harrison Idaho.   We stayed at The Lakeview Lodge overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene.  There was a osprey nest on a pole sticking out of the water, visible from our rooms.  We could occasionally see two little heads bobbing around, looking for mom who was never far away.   We had a short walk down the street for dinner and then back to the hotel to sit on the patio to visit before retiring for the night. 

Day seven and sometimes the best made plans change.  We wound around the lake wearing our layers because the east side of the lake was shaded from the morning sun which was hidden by the hills.  We headed west on highway 90 and then north on 41.  This is where we had a change of plans with a relatively quick fix mechanical problem on Rick’s and Marina’s bike.  If you have to pull over and wait, let us recommend a truck weigh station, wide parking, easy on and off the freeway, and easy to describe to the truck and trailer sent to pick you up.  We had a short delay and visited Lone Wolf Harley Davidson in Spokane and wished Sasha Oakley a happy birthday in person.  Sasha loaned Rick and Marina her car and we stopped for lunch at Shari’s restaurant.  We drove back to Lone Wolf HD for the bike and then we were on the road again.  A big thank you to Lone Wolf HD for the quick response, immediately working on the fix, the staff for greeting us at the door with bottles of cold water when we arrived, helping us as we shopped while we waited, and filling our bike water bottles with ice and water before we departed. 

We stopped in Newport, WA, for cold drinks and to sit inside to cool off before continuing on our journey.   In Colville we stopped again because it’s hot and you begin to look for alternative ways to cool off-- like standing in front of the automatic car wash, catching the spray off the rinse cycle.  We continued over highway 20 and Sherman Pass to the Northern Inn in Republic, our home for the night.  We walked up to Esther’s Mexican restaurant for dinner after it had cooled off a little…a very little.  As we walked back to our rooms we decided to leave eightish in the morning.  Would that be five till, ten till, seven thirty?  Who knows.

We’ve been eight days on the road

New roads, new places, new memories

Down the coast and over the river

Snaking up and down the canyons

Hells Canyon to the plains of the Palouse

Our hometown’s coming into sight

We’re happy, we’re sad

The end to a journey

Eight days on the road

We’re gonna make it home today

Can hardly wait to go again

Saturday morning we left at eightish for Tonasket, located on the Okanogan River.  Tonasket was named for Chief Tonasket of the Okanogan people.  We began removing the first set of layers and finding cold drinks.  Dave M. was standing at the drive-up window for at little coffee stand when a truck pulled in.  While Dave was waiting for his order he proceeded to take the order for the truck waiting.  I think Dave M. would make a good barista when he retires from his day job.  He could certainly keep the customers entertained. 

Breakfast was at the Koala Restaurant in Omak where we had great service and lots of coffee.  All remaining layers came off as we were heading into the Methow Valley, stopping in Twisp for gas.  We decided to bypass a stop in Winthrop for ice cream because the blues festival began on Friday and parking is always at a premium.  We passed the parking and campgrounds for the festival and were amazed by all the vehicles and tents in the dry dusty fields.  My idea of camping is a hotel with a mattress, running water, and solid walls.

We climbed into the North Cascades, through Washington Pass, and stopping at Diablo lookout.  Next stop would be Marblemount on the west side of the mountain.    It was definitely cooler on the west side of the mountain but still warm and feeling warmer when you are not riding down the road catching a breeze. 

Rick and Marina left us in Sedro Woolley and the rest of the group headed home on highway 9.  We were beginning to feel the cooler air as we took the easy turns headed north.  We stopped at the Acme store for drinks and snacks.  From here we continued north and then west on Mt. Baker highway, with Dave and Dawn leaving us we reached Smtih Road.  We continued on with Dave and Lorie until they turned off for home.  A few more miles and we were pulling into our driveway.

If you want to find out more about America’s scenic byways, check out this website and you can order a free fold out map of one hundred and fifty byways:  http://byways.org/

Along your journeys you can also check out www.roadsideamerica.com to find offbeat tourist attractions.