Yesterday's ride was the longest of the trip. Port Angeles, WA to Florence, OR...10 1/2 hours, including stops for food/fuel. I originally had planned on camping, but weather threatened, I was absolutely beat, so I began looking for a motel with a Jacuzzi and a liquor store nearby. Goal obtained, I stayed at the Economy Inn, in Florence, secured a cheap bottle of Chateau St. Jean's Cabernet, soaked for 45 minutes, drank half the bottle of wine, and passed out...slept like a log. Here's my top box packed the next morning and ready to go...
Earlier in this blog I talked about the 'older' guys who would approach you and reminisce about times gone by and their riding memories. Well, this is Ray. I met Ray at a Dairy Queen I had stopped at for lunch. As I walked out the doors of the DQ I found Ray looking at my bike. Usual beginings to the conversation..."Nice bike, where are you from, where are you headed...." It's at the point now, when folks hear the 'where I'm from and where I've been' part, they are like "WOW"! Ray and I visited for a bit. He's an 'old school' rider. Scramblers, 450's, 750's..."I'm a Honda Man" is what he said. Ray stopped riding a couple of years ago, due to a surgery, but still has a bike in his garage. Nice meeting you Ray!
Oregon, like Cali, has an amazing coastline...
Like Cali, the roads hug the coastline, giving you some great views...
Somebody or something, lost it's foot...
More boring coastal views...
The roads also turn inland and provide some nice riding...
Almost New England (ish)...
Came around a corner and had this guy threatening me...had to get a pic with IKRAN! There's a whole forest area, that's a 'pay for' tourist attraction, whereby you venture through the trees, and have a number of dinosaurs on display...
Selfie along the Oregon Coast...
Miles of empty beach areas...this one was neat with all the rock formations...
SO...I finished gassing up, had pulled over in the parking lot to layer down some clothing items, as the temps were now into the high 70's. I see this guy and his sign, I'm thinking of my half bottle of wine, and ask him if he'd like to have it. You'd have thought he had just won the Oregon Lottery. I had to get his pic...not sure how he's going to get the cork out, but I'm sure he'll figure something out.
CALI!!! You know immediately when you've crossed over. The trees. Northern California is known for it's trees and they are incredible. Here's what you get when you enter Cali from the north...
I have always loved riding through the redwoods, the air is cool, and there's just a peacefulness to it...
IKRAN in the trees...
I had to stop here. Cheesy tourist attraction, but a 'cool' cheesy...
Souvenir shop...
A bit of information...
And the star attraction...I've seen pics of these two at attractions in Wisconsin and Minnesota, but I think the one here in Klamath, CA is the best...IMHO.
Made it to Eureka! After settling in at Gil & Becky's, it was time to head to my favorite craft brewery that's in the USA...The Lost Coast Brewery! Had to have a couple draft Downtown Brown's...Get Down With Mr Brown!
The outside from the front...
Inside on one wall, there is a surfboard with an actual shark bite and the article's below, detail the incident, whereby a young surfer and his board were bitten by a Great White Shark...he was put back together and survived, the board not so much...
My friends and hosts, Becky and Gil...awesome people!!!
Gil, Becky, and I go back a ways. In 2002 I met Gil and Becky while meeting up with a group of riders from an online sport-touring motorcycle group. Been friends ever since and a few years ago, while Patty and I were on a 10 day motorcycle trip, we stayed with them. Cool to see how they put up pics in their guest suite, of all the motorcycle riders they've hosted throughout the years...Patty and I at the bottom of this board from 2009!
Here's a second board...
Patty and I in 2009, fun trip!
