Day 22 - June 22, 2014

 

A view of Highway US 62 near Eureka Springs, Arkansas

 

 

Day twenty two.  All is well.  Overnight in Arkansas.

 

This morning when Doug and I awoke we packed our bikes, just like we have done for the previous twenty one days, and then we went our separate ways.  I had someone in Eureka Springs, Arkansas (Pop. 2000) I wanted to see, and Doug planned to ride just a bit more before returning home. 

 

Our joint travels ended yesterday.

 

Although we have not made it back to our initial starting locations (our homes), today's ride (and this posting) will be considered the end of our big circle ride around the western states for 2014, and feels like (in some ways) the end of our journey. 

 

Doug and I will be riding for a couple more days, but adding more to this blog about that time does not seem necessary or appropriate.

 

All in all it was a GREAT time.  Our camping adventure on this ride only lasted one night, which was the first night of our trip.  That was the only night where the temperature was suitable for camping (for us).  Doug packed the tent, on the back of his bike, all around the country (without complaint), and we both had our sleeping bags, etc. that we did not need or use further.  In the end having the tent and the sleeping gear along did not seem to make much difference in our loading and unloading each day, how the bikes were packed, or our ride for the day.

 

We saw a lot of some very beautiful country.  Some of it either Doug or I (or both) had seen it before.  But seeing the places we visited never gets old, no matter how many times we might repeat the viewing. 

 

We met some interesting people along the way.  We found that a great joy of the trip.

 

Doug is a great companion on any ride, and especially on a ride like this.  I am/was never concerned about riding safety with Doug.  Not only is Doug an excellent rider, he is a very conscientious, thoughtful, and safe rider. In one of my earlier posts I openly teased about Doug getting out ahead of me because he was riding fast.  Doug never rides faster than the conditions justify, and he did not on this trip.  From time to time I think we both rode faster than the other wanted to ride, for whatever reason, and we each learned to adjust our riding to the other while still riding at our own pace.

 

We rode across the desert in temperatures of up to 106 degrees.  In Montana we saw a low of 35 degrees, and promises of snow in some of the passes.  We saw very strong storms that blocked our path for one day, and we rested, washed clothes and stayed another night in our comfortable motel room instead of fighting the heavy rains, wind, and possible hail.

 

We rode through gusting winds of 50 miles per hour and greater for most of one day, and part of two others.

 

It rained, from time to time.  Only once (our first day) did we not stop (my fault) and put our rain gear on before we entered the rain in front of us.  So, even though we rode through rain, and that is never desirable, it is not dangerous, and we did not get wet underneath the rain gear.

 

It was a good ride, every day of it.  Over three weeks of riding in as many days.  I am thankful that I could make the ride, and I am thankful that we both travelled safely and all went well on the trip.

 

Another good day.

Day 21 - June 21, 2014

 

Does anyone but me find that combining a museum for teaches and gunfights as odd?

This is in Dodge City, Kansas, next to "Boot Hill", a local ark re-creating

the Dodge City of another era.

 

 

 

Any stop in Dodge City necessitates at stop at the Long Branch.

 

 

 

So we stopped.  None of the folks we typically associate with The Long Branch

was there, but they served beer.

 

As we got west of Wichita the greenery increased.

 

And Highway US 400 neap Pittsburg, Kansas is a good indicator of

the countryside over which we travelled late in the day.

 

Day twenty one.  All is well.  Overnight Pittsburg, Kansas.

" . . . and for three hours the Arkansas River was filled with the buffalo, crossing so fast that they could not stop to drink, they should be overwhelmed by the crowd thronging behind."  Matt Hill from On The Santa Fe Trail, a collection of Matt Hill's journal entries from his 1839 trip along the Santa Fe Trail.  

Some estimates place the total number of buffalo in North America in 1800 at 70 Million.  One herd just south of Dodge City, Kansas was estimated at 4 million.  By 1890 there were less than 1,000 buffalo left.

As we traveled today and yesterday, across the great grasslands of plains of Colorado and Kansas it was/is easy to see how this extensive land with the prairie grasses that covered it at that time could support the numbers estimated.  For many hundreds of miles, just in these two states alone, there were/are expansive grass lands.

As we traveled further east the amount of cultivation along the route increased, and the brown grasses became less brown, and finally green, and trees began to appear more naturally.  Irrigation is still necessary for much of the crop land.  Sorghum is a major crop, and more abundant as the greening commenced, to feed the thousands upon thousands of cattle being "feed out" at the hundreds of feed lots across southeastern Colorado and Kansas.

Yesterday and today as we traveled in the open air on the bike, getting all of the smells of the area.  The smell of the feedlots was most noticeable. There are thousands of cattle in these numerous lots across southeastern Colorado and much of Kansas. When we opened the door to our motel this morning we were greeted with the smell of pinned cattle and all of their excrement.  The smell of cattle feedlots permeated the air, and is stronger in areas where there are larger or numerous feedlots.  

Dodge City, Kansas, est. 1865, (pop. 27,340) is a city of legend and lore, made so in part by books, movies, and of course TV.  Marshall Matt Dillon, Doc Adams, and Miss Kitty existed only on TV, but Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and other lesser names often attracted national media attention for their exploits, embellished by the writers of dime novels which were popular in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.  In the later 1800's Dodge City was a frontier town, complete with cowboys with six guns, where the saloons were wide open saloons.  It was geographically located to attract a wide range of colorful individuals, and it did.

Wyatt Earp Boulevard is Dodge City's main thoroughfare, running right through the middle of town. Dodge City is a modern small town, with the conveniences expected in a city of its size.  It is still a railroad town that traces its growth to the railroad center of its early days and the Santa Fe trail before that.  

 

We are overnight in Pittsburg, Kansas (Pop. 21,000) is the home of Pittsburg State University (Enrollment 7,100 undergraduates, and 1,200 graduate students).  Pittsburg, Kansas was named after the Pennsylvania city of the same name, but without the "h" on the end.  This is a beautiful town.  The downtown area made me think that the population total was higher.  The PSU campus is very nice, although ghost town like this early summer day on a late Saturday afternoon.

 

Our ride today was not as hot as yesterday, with an average of ten degrees cooler.  Although it was still hot we managed it much better.  The crosswinds were also less today, which allowed for a more comfortable ride.

There was too much to see for the limited time I set aside to be there.

Another good day.

 



 



Day 20 - June 20, 2014

 

This is a photo of what appears to be an endless prairie.  In

  the early 1800's this was an endless grassland.

 

 

 

And speaking of endless, Colorado Highway 71 appeared to be

without end.  The sign before we entered here warned that there were no

services for 75 miles.

 

 

This is a photo of some of the hundreds of wind turbines we

saw along the early part of our route today.

 

 

This is a photo of the Kit Carson Museum.

 

 

I made this photo when we were stopped at a traffic light in

Lamar, Colorado.  The lighted sign which is just above the truck in

the middle, shows the temperature to be 103 degrees.

 

 

Day Twenty.  Overnight Garden City, Kansas (Pop. 27,000).  All is well.

 

Today we followed secondary roads through Colorado and Kansas, ending the day in Garden City, Kansas, which is 50 miles west of Dodge City, Kansas.  Garden City is on Highway 50 and 400, which tracks the Santa Fe Trail.  In the early 1800's The Santa Fe Trail was the connecting route from Franklin, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  In the late 1800's the Union Pacific followed the same route, and when Highway US 50 was built it did the same.

 

Our travels today have been across high prairie grasslands.  This land was once covered by millions of buffalo.

 

The fourth photo in this post is of The Kit Carson museum, located in Kit Carson, Colorado (Pop. 233).  A history of the town of Kit Carson includes the story of a Russian Archduke guided by General George Armstrong Custer killing a buffalo when the town was surrounded by buffalo.

 

Kit Carson, Colorado was founded in 1838, and took the name of the famous Kit Carson (He would live another 30 years from the founding.).  There is no record of Carson ever being in the town that still bears his name.  Since it was a railroad terminus for a brief time it was a wild place, with saloons, six guns, shootings, and even a lynching. Today it is a wide spot, with a few businesses, and not even a stop light.  It seemed interesting, the name was a curiosity, and they had a nice old depot for a museum...so we stopped.  

The elevation from my start of the day was just over 5,000 feet.  Garden City, Kansas' elevation is 2,839, and it continues to drop as we travel east.

 

The land is semi-arid, and there is cultivation of the land, often with the assistance of irrigation. There were/are very few small towns along the route, and only a couple of slow-down areas in the last three hundred miles. The first photo with this post represents most of the landscape, although there were a few areas of very low rolling hills.

 

Early along our route today we saw hundreds of wind turbines.  I do not know the size of the wind turbines in the third included photo, but they are huge.  A quick search showed that the average height for new wind turbines is 275' and the rotor diameter is 308' (Recall that a football field is 300'.)  One source said that a wind turbine that produces 2 MW of electricity cost $3-4 Million (I know ...a large range.) as an installed price.  There were hundreds of these along my route of travel today.  There were a few not turning, but nearly all were...clockwise.

It was hot today with triple digit temperatures for part of the time.  We encountered strong, gusty winds after we left Lamar, Colorado, en route to our destination.  The winds today appeared to be as strong as those we had yesterday, and made for an interesting ride.

 

Another good day.



Day 19 - June 19, 2014

 

This photo was made on I-90, shortly after leaving Sheridan.

 

 

We decided to drop south instead of following I-90.  This photo was

made on I-25, shortly after leaving I-90.

 

 

This is another photo from I-25.  Note in this photos, as in the others on this

post, that there is much green this early in the season.  As the summer

arrives, and continues, much of the green will turn brown.

 

 

 

 

Day nineteen.  Overnight in Brush, Colorado.  All is well.

 

We started the morning in Sheridan, Wyoming.  When we departed Sheridan the temperature was 63 degrees, and the skies were free of the menacing rain clouds we had seen in recent mornings past.

 

For our travel today we decided to drop further south to escape the on-going turbulent weather that has beset the Dakotas and Minnesota, both of which were in our previously intended path.  So, shortly after leaving Sheridan we left I-90 at the I-90 - I-25 junction, and took I-25 which took us almost due south.  We followed I-25 until we stopped at a Fort Collins, Colorado exit, when we re-mapped our travels and took secondary roads to our destination in Brush, Colorado (Pop. 5,500).

 

Brush Colorado is northeast of Denver.

 

As we travelled south on I-25 we were getting strong wind gusts from the west, directly from our right side.  At various locations along I-25 there were lighted signs warning of wind gusts of 40+ miles per hour.  Both Doug and I had ridden for extended periods in high wind before so we knew what to expect.  Four years ago we rode across parts of South Dakota and had a constant wind of 50 miles per hour which caused us to ride the bike leaning into the wind, as if we were going into a deep curve at high speed.  Our lean angle allowed us to maintain directional control, but it did present an interesting ride. 

 

Today's wind was different in that it was not a constant wind.  The wind varied from light to strong gusts.  We have no way of knowing how strong the gusts were, but we agreed that the warning speeds were at least met.

 

The temperature through most of this ride was in the mid 70's, which typically would make for a comfortable ride with lighter clothing, but because the winds were coming from the side these temperatures required a  light jacket or more for comfort.

 

We had planned our route to take the bypass (E475) around Denver, but after stopping at the Colorado Welcome Center in Fort Collins (65 miles from downtown Denver) we re-routed to follow secondary roads to Rush, Colorado, which is northeast of Denver, but more in keeping with our intended route in the morning.

 

Yes, today was a day of riding.  Although we did not stop for sightseeing today we were afforded some gorgeous scenery, especially in Wyoming.  We are on the wrong side (east) of Colorado to get views of the mountains.  The Wyoming countryside has a beautiful green cover on the hills and in the valleys along the interstates.  As the summer starts and wears on the green will turn to brown, but for now the countryside is a beautiful green. 

 

The terrain is some lower now on the east side of the Rockies.  The elevation of Fort Collins and the surrounding area is approximately 5,000 feet.  As we track east tomorrow we will see the elevation get lower, gradually.

 

Another good day.

 

 

Day 18 - June 18, 2014

 

Riding I-90 east in Montana.  Looking to Doug's right front you

can see the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

 

 

This is another view of the ride east on I-90.

 

 

The countryside was one scenic view after the other.  BNSF railroad

tracks paralleled much of I-90 along our route of travel today.

 

 

 

We stopped at Little Bighorn National Park, which is always worth

the time to stop and visit.

 

 

Day eighteen.  All is well.  Overnight in Sheridan, Wyoming.

 

We had enough of the rain and cold, and according to the weather prognosticators the storms that had been very strong along our intended route of travel had either dissipated or passed on through the area.  This was also what we could see on various internet weather maps, so we loaded up the bikes and headed out.  Although we were ready to leave the area for something a little warmer we regretted that the weather was not more favorable which would have allowed us to spend an extra day or two in Montana.

 

When we left Missoula the temperature was 44 degrees, and the skies were overcast.  We have grown accustomed to cool temperatures since leaving San Diego two weeks ago. 

 

Our planned ride for the day kept us on I-90 all day, and because of that we made 475 miles for the day, with an overnight in Sheridan, Wyoming (Pop. 18,000).  This was the most miles we have covered in one day on this trip, however, because it was all interstate it was not very tiring at all.

 

Our ride (mostly southeast) was cool until we passed through Butte, Montana (Pop. 32,000), where it was somewhat warmer.  We crossed the Continental Divide just east of Butte, at Homestake Pass, at 6,393 feet, which was above the forecasted snow elevation for the two nights before.  It cooled as we climbed in this area.

 

When we passed over "The Divide" we saw no indication of snow anywhere near us, and the temperature was in the high 40's.  And, although it was overcast there was no precipitation until we passed Billings, Montana (Pop. 165,000).  Billings was a lunch and gas stop, and although we could see the precipitation ahead of us on our internet radar I assumed that it would not cross our paths until we were through that area.

 

But, I misjudged how fast the weather moves in this part of the country, and with a strong wind blowing the storm, which was a strong wind and rain, it reached I-90 before we arrived at the path of travel for the storm.  Before we entered the rain we stopped under an overpass (There are very few overpasses on the interstates in this part of the country.), which not only provided protection from the rain which was beginning to fall, it also shielded us from the 50 miles per hour winds that carried the storm along.

 

Although the weather maps we were looking at showed the storm to be fairly large it had passed by the time we reached Little Big Horn, which is 65 miles east of Sheridan.  By the time we had completed the tour at Little Big Horn, and listened to the park ranger lecture (40 minutes for the lecture), the storm had long since passed, and we rode to Sheridan under blue skies and temperatures in the high 60's.

 

After getting checked in to our motel we quickly went to a very good local restaurant (Wyoming's Rib & Chop House, 847 North Main) where we had a tasty dinner, in a pleasant setting. 

 

Another good day.

Day 17 - June 17, 2014

 

The sunny skies gave way to cloudy skies, and then rain, with snow

above 6,500 feet.

Day seventeen. All is well.  Overnight in Missoula, Montana.

It rained heavily last night in Missoula, and the rain continued into late today.  The temperature dropped to thirty five degrees last night and it remained in the forty's most of the day.  So we stayed put in Missoula for another day.  We both took this stop as an opportunity to wash clothes and catch up on some other things, like rest.

There is more rain forecast for tonight and again in the morning, and we will be riding over elevations above 5,000 feet.  We expect it to be cool, but we hope to make it to Billings, 345 miles east on I-90 tomorrow.  Our preferred route would have taken us through Helena, but the revised route will be scenic, and will begin to get us to lower elevations quicker, and hence warmer temperatures.

When we planned this trip we had planned on spending a few days in Montana riding some of the countryside, though some of the valleys, etc.  The unseasonably cool and wet weather has necessitated a slight change in plans.  But, there is still much to see along our route.

Another good day.

Day 16 - June 16, 2014

 

This is a photo from a rest area shortly after our departure this morning.

Still in Washington.

 

A photo from I-90, looking toward the snowy mountain tops.

In Montana.

 

This is another photos from the east bound lane of I-90.

In Montana.

 

This is yet another photo in Montana, 40 or so miles west

of Missoula.

 

Day sixteen.  All is well.  Overnight in Missoula, Montana.

 

Our morning started in sunshine with a brisk, gusty wind.  The temperature was 52 degrees. 

 

Today we traveled on I-90 (the longest interstate in the US), and for the most part we made good time. There were a few construction slow downs, but no stopped traffic along the way.  The first thirty miles of our ride were in sunshine, which was unexpected since we had become accustomed to riding with a cloud cover.  We stopped at the first rest area and applied sunscreen. The top photo of this post was made at that rest area.

 

After leaving the rest area we rode until it was time for gas, and lunch, roughly 200 miles from our starting point for the day.  After fueling and lunch we planned our evening stop, which ended up being Missoula, Montana.  There are fewer options for fuel, food, and lodging when riding through the mountains, and Missoula was on the edge of our preferred stopping point.  Having fewer options of places with basic service is  common when travelling throughout the less populated portions of the western states.

 

After leaving the rest stop, after applying sunscreen, another thirty miles along it became apparent that rain was in our path, so we stopped and donned the rain gear.  As expected within twenty miles we began to see rain on our windshields, and a little further along the rain intensity increased.  And, as with any rain producing cold front the temperatures dropped to 46 degrees (Again.  For the first time today, but, again, as again from yesterday.)  We rode though the rain, which was light, for a hundred miles or so, but by the time we stopped for lunch the rain had stopped and it was a few degrees warmer (54).

 

At Coeur D Alene, Idaho I stopped to see someone I had not seen in a long time.  I spent an hour or so there before continuing my ride to Missoula.  Doug did not stop, but continued to ride to Missoula alone when I stopped.

 

Doug and I compared our riding experiences when I got to Missoula.  Apparently we both rode though rain for some distance between Coeur D Alene and Missoula, and at times the rain was heavy.

 

I-90 between Coeur D Alene and Missoula has some of the prettiest scenery of any interstate route in the US, and ranks in my top five for interstate scenery.  At the top of my list is I-70 between Richfield, Utah (the midpoint of interstate travel between Los Angeles and Denver) and Grand Junction, Colorado.  It is truly breathtaking at times.

 

The Coeur D Alene to Missoula I-90 interstate corridor has gorgeous scenery along the way.  Although it offers Interstate speeds of up to 75 miles per hour, the curves are occasionally too tight for comfortable navigation at the speed limit, and recommended speeds are posted.   The road surface is generally good the entire distance.

 

Another good day.

Day 15 - June 15, 2014

 

This is a photo of the approach of Fort Clatsop, near Astoria, Oregon, on the

Columbia River.

 

Inside Fort Clatsop, still wearing the rain gear.  It also breaks the wind.

 

Back on US Highway 101, still headed north.

 

US Highway 101no longer tracks the coast as closely as it did farther south,

so it is time to head east.  This is where we left 101 and

enjoined Washington State Highway 107, for our travels east.

 

Now headed east on Washington State Highway 18.

 

 

Day fifteen.  All is well.  Overnight in Cle Elum, Washington.

 

This morning started like many others had started for us during our travels up the western coast, although we were not along the coast when we awoke - we were well inland, in Portland, Oregon.  Just like our mornings on the coast, it was cool (54 degrees), and cloudy.  By the time we had breakfast it had begun to rain, and the rain continued until early afternoon as we traveled along our way.

 

Last night we had planned our first stop of the day to be the 1805-06 winter home of The Corps of Discovery (aka the Lewis and Clark Expedition), Fort Clatsop.  Fort Clatsop is located near the town of Astoria, Oregon, which sets on the southern banks of the Columbia River.  The present day fort is a replica based upon the drawings and dimensions made by Captain Meriwether Lewis.  The original Fort Clatsop decayed in the wet climate of the region.  The first re-creation was destroyed by fire in 1955.  Today's version is the third edition of Fort Clatsop.

 

Getting to Fort Clatsop proved to be more of a challenge than we would have preferred.  In my attempt at expediency I simply entered the National Park / Fort Clatsop address into my GPS and engaged it to the fastest time.  I failed to also look at a map, and realized only after we were well into the trip that it took us through some of the most back roads in that part of the country.  In the Ozark Mountains they have a series of roads that motorcyclist find interesting, and they affectionately call those "The Pig Trail".  Today's roads were not so well maintained "pig trails".  They had a multitude of sharp curves, were narrow, rough, and travel was made more difficult because it was raining.

 

But, we made it through the route without any issues, save it took longer than it should have taken.  I am not sure that the way we went was truly the "fastest time".

 

Once at Fort Clatsop we spent time in the museum, in the bookstore, and on the grounds, plus we took a tour of the tiny fort before getting back on the bikes to again continue north on US Highway 101.  By the time we arrived at Fort Clatsop the rain had stopped, and it was not raining when we left there.  The temperature remained cool however.  54 degrees was the highest temperature we saw all day.

 

Our route after leaving Fort Clatsop took us across the Columbia River over the magnificent Astoria-Megler Bridge near Astoria.  This was the last completed structure on US 101, having been completed in 1966. 

 

Our chosen course took us through the back roads until we hit I-5, 30 miles south of Tacoma. The ride was without rain until we made the turn west and after we passed through Tacoma, just south of Seattle.   After travelling through Tacoma on I-5 we got on Washington Highway 18 to connect to I-90.  Once on I-90 we crossed the Cascade Mountains along the Snoqualmie Pass (elevation 3,022 feet).

 

Once we neared the mountains, and throughout our crossing of the mountains it rained, and the temperature dropped to 46 degrees.  Interestingly (at least to us) was that the 46 degrees mark was exactly 60 degrees lower than the highest temperature we saw on this trip (at 106 degrees) in both Texas and New Mexico.

 

As we descended into a valley on the east side of the Cascades we arrived at our overnight location, a small town by the name of Cle Elum (Population 1,872).  The temperature again rose to 54 degrees.

 

Once again we arrived safely, with another interesting day completed.

 

Another good day.

Day 14 - June 14, 2014

 

US 101 again tracked the coast as we began our day.

 

Several rivers flow into the ocean along the coast, and

there were a number of bridges along the way to accommodate the highway as

it continued north (for us).

 

There are McDonalds everywhere.  Sometimes they afford an opportunity for a

retreat from the ride, with water or coffee.  Sometimes it is breakfast.

I think we had one lunch at a McDonalds along the way.

And of course....free WiFi.

 

 

Doug at the hotel tonight.

 

Day fourteen.  All is well.  Overnight in Portland, Oregon.



 

We departed Coos Bay Oregon this morning with the temperature at 57 degrees.  We continued our travel north along US Highway 101.  We stopped for fuel and breakfast (McDonalds) about 30 miles north of Coos Bay in Reedsport (Pop. 4,000).

 

Reedsport is typical of many of the small towns along the coast in southern Oregon.  Like many of these towns, Reedsport sets at the mouth of a river (Umbqua), and is struggling economically because of the decline in the timber industry, which has been the foundation of the economy for over one hundred years (Not so much in the last twenty.).  Today Reedsport is trying to rebuild their economy by attracting tourist to fishing and ride ATV's along the sand dunes that are very prominent north of town.

 

Reedsport's average high temperature for June is 66 degrees, and the average low is 50 degrees, and Reedsport gets 91 inches of rain per year, with December being the rainiest month (19.5 inches).  All of this is typical along the Oregon coast.

Fifty miles or so north of Reedsport (still on US 101) the long stretches of desolation (trees, roads, and no people) begins to show the influence of the metropolitan areas to the north.  US 101 seems to have a small town every ten miles or so; all catering to recreational activities and tourist that flock to the coast.  An increased number of towns means an increase in traffic, which translates into slow travel times.  The beauty of the ride on previous days is repeated only briefly, and interrupted by the traffic.  This was probably made worse because we traveled though the area on a Saturday.

Nonetheless, the traffic and resulting slow travel makes us reconsider our plans to travel 101 as far north as the Columbia River.  Instead we make reservations at a motel in Portland and continue on 101 to north of a small town called Neotsu where we take State highway 18 east to Portland.

Traffic along Highway 18 was near the posted speed limit of 55 much of the way, but we were slowed while travelling through Newberg, which was apparently having a parade as part of some type of celebration.  Traffic backed up both east and west of Newberg, as this is a busy corridor for those tourist that I referenced above....making their way to and from the coast.

Highway 18 was good (two lane), and we made it into Portland without any difficulty.  Doug's GPS tracked us into the general area of the motel.  For some reason neither his GPS nor mine ever accepted a multiple variations of entries made for the address.  This happens from time to time.

We did not cover as many miles today as we had hoped, but it was still a good day.  The weather was again cool (mid 60's) and overcast, which has proven to be the norm along the coast.  This temperature makes for comfortable riding weather with a light jacket.

Another good day.

Day 13 - June 13, 2014

 

This is a photo overlooking Crescent City, California, ten miles south of the

Oregon border on Highway US 101.

 

We had the opportunity to view some places along the way where the

road ran only a few feet above the ocean.  Note the whitecaps on the water.  The

wind was again cold, gusty, and strong.

 

Big Trees Country.  I thought we would travel to one of the many groves

of standing Redwoods.  But, the road soon turned to very loose gravel.  Doug

manages to turn around without incident, as did I.  No spills.

 

Another awesome view.  This one is in Oregon.  Sill on US 101.

 

A view of US 101 (Still part of the Pacific Coast Highway), in Oregon.

Excellent road so far in Oregon.

 

We stopped in Gold Coast, Oregon for lunch.  Young elk were roaming unmolested and

apparently unthreatened.  When Doug approached the doe above she ignored him, and then stopped and left a little something for him before trotting off to the next rose bush.

 

 

Day thirteen.  Overnight in Coos Bay Oregon.  All is well.

 

We continued north on US Highway 101 out of Eureka, California.  The Pacific Coast Highway is now US 101, and so far has been excellent, with few of the curves and turns of the state highway in California.  There have been some exceptions to the tight curves, but very few.

 

We are overnight in Coos Bay, Oregon (Pop. 16,000).  Coos Bay is the largest city on the Oregon Coast.

 

The morning in Eureka started out quiet chilly at 53 degrees.  It was dry, and there has been no rain throughout the day.  The temperature reached 63 degrees along our route, but by the time we got to our destination it had dropped below 60 degrees (to 59) once more.

 

Much of the Pacific Coast Highway on which we travelled today was designated as "The Redwood Highway", as it skirted the western edge of the Redwood State and National Forests.  Redwoods (commonly known as sequoias) generally refers to a species of trees which occurs naturally only in groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.  

 

Giant sequoias are the world's largest single trees by volume, and grow to an average height of 164-279 feet.  As a frame of reference that is as tall as buildings 16 stories to 28 stories high.  Record trees have been measured as tall as 311 (That is over 30 stories in height.) feet high and 56 feet in diameter.  The oldest known giant sequoia is 3500 years old.  Think of that.  It was 1500 years old at the time of Christ.  If you are interested you can follow the link below: 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron_giganteum 

 

Doug and I wanted to see some of the larger groves so he followed me (reluctantly I am sure, but being the good sport that he is he did not grumble....as least so that I could hear him.) up a mountain on a one-lane road that went from blacktop to dirt and loose gravel.  We continued until we saw that the grove which we wanted to see was still another three miles still further up a road that appeared to be getting progressively worse.  We managed to turn around and return to 101, and continued our trek north.

 

Many of the small towns (And there were a few, with population of less than 5,000) along the coast had ties to the timber industry.  Those that grew to any size (Crescent City, Eureka, and Coos Bay) all had deep water ports that allowed them to more easily ship lumber to the great cities along the west coast, principally San Francisco.  Several fortunes were made in the lumber and shipping business soon after the turn of the 20th century.

 

US 101 in Oregon has been a very good road so far, with wide, smooth lanes, travelling through tunnels of trees surrounded by a rain forests. Rain is abundant along the Oregon Coast during the winter months, and drier during the summer season.  The coastal regions get 70-80 inches of rain annually, while inland, just over the Cascade Mountains, 75 miles or so, the rain diminishes quickly, with eastern Oregon getting less than 10 inches annually.

 

All this talk of rain.  So far our trip along the entire Pacific Coast has been dry.

 

Another good day.

Day 12 - June 12, 2014

 

Doug is still smiling.  We were/are still on The Pacific Coast Highway,

headed north.

 

This is a photo at one of the stops along the way.  We were

high above the beach and water below.  The winds were very strong, and

what appears to be a peaceful scene was very cool, with strong gusty winds.

 

After awhile this morning we again left the shoreline and rode inland.

The mountains were rugged and appeared endless.

 

Then as we approached our evening's destination we begin to see the

evergreens, the cedars, pines, and of course some of the redwoods.

 

 

Day twelve.  All is well.  Overnight in Eureka, California.

 

Our day began in Santa Rosa, California.  It was 57 degrees when we at last loaded our bikes, and began our trip for a new day.  Most of the day kept us along or near the coast and the temperature did not rise above 63 degrees, and was mostly below 60 with gusty winds.

 

The coastline and the road was much the same as yesterday, but as we travelled farther north we began to see evergreen trees, particularly pines and cedars.  These were most apparent in the areas where the highway pulled away from the shoreline to allow us to navigate the very mountainous terrain during this stretch.  The smells of the evergreens were all around us as we rode north through the dark tree-lined road.  It was a smell like the mountain areas of Montana, or the areas around Flagstaff, Arizona or Durango, Colorado, smells that I recall from another time.  The smell was a blend of the leaves, the bark, and the dryness of the ground all around.

 

The scenery along the ocean front, or in the forested highway was amazingly beautiful.  The road surfaces were generally good, but still perplexing in that it is apparent that during construction no thought was given to the moving traffic that would follow.  Most of the road surfaces in the curves are flat, and some curves have an outward banking, making the curves more difficult than they should be.  This has been continuous since the beginning of our ride on this road, so we rode accordingly.

 

In most instances California Highway One is the Pacific Coast Highway, and in places Highway One and US Highway 101 share the same road.  Today we were on Highway One most of the day, but near Fort Bragg we took California Highway Twenty east where we picked up US 101 (which is also called "The Redwood Highway" in this area, and followed that to our destination, Eureka, California (Pop. 27,000).

 

Eureka is 100 miles south of the Oregon border, and is 270 miles north of San Francisco.  Eureka is the largest city of a population of 25,000 or more between San Francisco and Portland, and has hundreds of Victorian homes located in the Old Town District of the city.  Tomorrow.

 

The Redwood Highway / US 101 was well populated with motorcycle traffic, which is something we have not seen much of at any point along our route, going back to day one.  But, 101 was different, at least for our time on it this afternoon, beginning in Willits, California.  We saw large groups of motorcyclist, many of whom had bedrolls, and yet others had baggage of some kind, both indicative of a future or past overnight stay.

 

Our trip continued uninfluenced and on course.

 

Another good day.

 



Day 11 - June 11, 2014

 

Two old dudes sitting on a rock with their back to the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

This is a photo of The Bixby Bridge, which is the most photographed

bridge in California.  It was build in 1932, and was the longest bridge (714') on the

Pacific Coast Highway.  It is located 120 miles south of San Francisco.

 

This is a photo of Doug riding north on the Pacific Coast Highway,

somewhere well south of San Francisco.

 

Ditto.

 

This was a stop at one of the "turnouts" along the highway.  This

stop afforded a panoramic view of the ocean, and allowed one to look

back toward the mountains and the highway, as I did in the photo below.

 

The highway can be seen in the top half of the photo.  Note that there is no guard rails,

which was common.  I did not look it up, but from a causal observation it

looked lack at least half of the highway did not have guardrails.

 

 

Day eleven.  All is well.  Overnight in Santa Rosa, California.

 

The morning started in Lompoc, California, 337 miles south of tonight's overnight stop in Santa Rosa, California (Pop. 170,000).  As we departed Lompoc it was 59 degrees with a very fine mist.  (Rain?)  Since it was so cool and since there was a light mist we put on our rain gear.  The temperature did not increase above 63 degrees along our route all day, and we kept our rain gear on throughout the day. 

 

We stayed near the coast on California Highway One, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway for the entire day.  As can be seen in all of the photos with this post there were clouds all along the way, high clouds, shrouding the sun, but none of the clouds had an intent of producing rain, and they didn't.

 

As our day started we rode inland slightly and passed through a highway lined with eucalyptus trees.  Their pungent aroma engulfed the bikes as we rode and mixed with the cool morning air.  When the treed tunnels stopped the cultivation began.  At first we saw the strawberry fields with various stages of strawberry production at work.  Some fields were partially covered with new seedlings, getting extra water nourishment.  Yet others were getting beds and prepared, while still others had workers bending, kneeling, and getting close to the plants to pick the berries by hand.  Along the ends of the rows were strawberry crates, some filled, some empty, stacked two stories high.

 

The smell of eucalyptus seemed pleasing only for a short while.  Where the strawberries were being harvested the sweet smell of berries found us as we rode along, and we hated to leave the area, and that wonderful strawberry aroma. 

 

We rode through one small town after another in this farm belt as we continued north.  All of the towns had beautiful names that conjured up in my imagination an earlier time in history of the area.  There were names like Santa Maria, Casmalia, Guadalupe, and Arroyo Grande.  And lastly before we again started riding the coast line was Morro Bay.

 

After Morro Bay, California Highway One was pinned between the mountains to the east, and on the west, a high ledge above the waters below.  Yesterday I used the word "spectacular" to describe the lower portion of the coast highway.  I don't know how to exceed that, but certainly the views, the road, and all the breath taking scenery today exceeded the spectacular. 

 

In some ways it was like riding "The Dragon" in The Great Smokey Mountains, but with the unforgiving fall to the ocean on one side, and the side of the mountain on the other.  The curves were often equally as challenging, and this was made more difficult because the curves on the coast highway are not banked.

 

Add a cold wind blowing in from the Pacific, blowing in off a cold (55 degrees) churning surf, which produced an air temperature of 59-63 degrees, and you have the ingredients of a great place to ride a motorcycle.

 

I should mention in passing (which we did - We didn't stop.) that The Hearst Castle is along this route of travel.  It is "one" of the former homes of William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951.  The Hearst Castle is located just off Hwy One, 245 miles from both Los Angeles and San Francisco.  During its heyday, in the 1920's and 1930's, all of the 'A' list superstars of the day were either guests or wanted to be guests.  It was the "in" place to go on the west coast.  Today it is a museum and tourist attraction.  Getting to the mansion is accomplished by getting a ticket at a staging area, and then taking a bus from there to the mansion and back.  Minimum time commitment - four hours.  We passed on the opportunity,

 

The City of San Francisco sets along our intended route of the coast highway, and we debated the best way to get though the city without the required delays from traffic.  Ultimately we decided to make a longer day of it and ride on through, braving the rush hour traffic as we found ourselves within the metropolitan area around 6:30.  We made the right choice, and missed the heaviest of the traffic.

 

As our riding day was nearing an end we rode across the spectacular (Am I overusing that word?) Golden Gate Bridge.  The city of San Francisco collects tolls on crossing the bridge ($7.00) only when going southbound.  They do the same thing when crossing the Dover River Bridge when entering Philadelphia from New Jersey.  If you think about it that makes sense.  But, hooray for us.  We will not be going back across, so I guess someone else will pay our share.

 

Riding across the bridge on a motorcycle lets you feel the cold, gusty winds from the bay.  It made me appreciated and marvel at the brave men who toiled to build this marvelous working monument.

 

Our ride across the bridge was a nice achievement for a great day riding a motorcycle. 

 

Another good day.