Go Big And Go Home - Day 4 - Is there no end to the WOWs?

Wow…bet you are getting tired of hearing that word….good thing you aren’t travelling with us.  It is the single most used English word so far on this trip.

We left Salem this morning by 8:30 am wanting to get a good start on the day.  We travelled through the city, crossing another bridge with a “cheese grater” for a platform.  Not long after this we were in the countryside.  Temps were around 20 which was comfortable.  As we moved along the 22W, the route had some tree coverage so we would move from 20 degrees to 16 in the shade which was a nice change from yesterday afternoon.  As we moved along this route we started closing in on the Cascades….yup you guessed it.  Only this time instead of open spaces we were moving along twisting roads under the canopy of some of the tallest trees we have seen.  

At Dallas, OR we took the 223S.  When we got to Wren, OR, we took the 34W.  This brought us through more canopied forest and long twisting roads as well as a bicycle event through the area called Alsea.  Luckily for us they were coming the opposite direction so we had a clear trail through to the coast.  The cyclists had great temperatures which was good as they had a long climb through that route.

We enjoyed this part of the ride so much that we rode for 3 hours straight stopping only at the end of the 34W when we reached the coast at Waldport, OR where we stopped for gas and got our first peek at the Pacific on this trip.  White sands, calm water and fog but an absolutely beautiful area.  

We stopped for lunch in Yaghat (pronounced Yack it) at a place recommended by the guys at the gas station.  LeRoy’s Blue Whale…seemed like destiny!

We started down the 101S along the coast and it did not take long for that shoreline to change.  Our second glance came as we started to climb in elevation AGAIN.  We were surrounded by rock and trees…mostly trees.  The roads just seemed to wind around the coast on our right and around the mountain of trees on our left.  

We stopped at least 2-3 times to take in the coastline as it changed that many times in a very short distance.  The fog kept rolling in and out along the route at this point as you can see in the photo.  Again much like the canopy of trees across the Cascades, the temps dropped to 16C until you came out in the sun and started warming up at 20 C

 

The things that stand out to us so far are the changes….we are seeing leaves changing to red and yellow much like home, the changes in temperatures when we ride under the canopy of trees - the temperatures dropped 4 degrees right away, even the changes along the coast.  As I mentioned, the first sighting was calm water and beaches..as we drove along the coast the view to the west kept changing….the shoreline became rocky, then we passed through thick forest and then the biggest sand dunes ever.

Tonight our faces are slightly wind burnt which might seem odd given we have full face helmets…but we couldn’t stop lifting our visors to feel and smell the air…spectacular and probably has medicinal properties that make us sleep well at night.

We have landed in Bandon tonight, managing to get one of the last rooms at the Best Western Inn at Face Rock.  We walked down to their private beach to try and catch the sunset.  Fortunately while taking pictures as we walked along the path, I managed to get some shots of the sun as it was setting.  The fog rolled in so the final setting of the sun was obscured….we had some fun on the beach though.  

I will share our dip in the Pacific, the huge expanse of beach and of course the setting sun…it has been a great day….another day of….well see the WOWs for yourself.

 

Go Big And Go Home - Day 3 - Changes in Altitudes, Changes in Attitudes

Wow…Day 3 and it feels as though we have been travelling for more.  Despite the fact that we are not even hitting 400 kms each day, we have been exhausted by the time we arrive at the hotels at the end of the day.  Today was a bit better even with the 33 degree temps (and higher at times) in the later part of the day.

Before we departed Goldendale, Washington this morning we were treated to one more glance at Mount St. Helen….well it wasn’t actually the last one but it was the last photo.  Stopping on the side of the road in some areas is difficult as there is no shoulder.  Sometimes we can find a spot but honestly, I can take a picture and I can post it here but you just have to understand that it is not in anyway close to what you see in person.  Firstly it is bigger, it just is.  Secondly, unless you have a camera with a lens designed to take these photos (which I didn’t bring), the photo is just a far away shot much like one you would take of the moon.  Ms Helen showed herself as we left Goldendale including being at the end of the street for about a 4 km stretch.  I never get tired of looking at the mountains….or riding them…so back to our departure.

We left Goldendale taking the 142 heading towards Oregon.  The Road Atlas indicated it was a scenic route…what it didn’t indicate was the elevations and the turns.  Again Washington treated us to steep drops and switchbacks into a deep deep valley just like we found yesterday.  At times we were riding along rock faces, dropping into pines and then back into meadows high above us on the rocks…it just kept changing and creating a backdrop worthy of any documentary or movie.  We came down into a valley canyon to a small village of Klickitat (say that three times).  We lifted our visors and took in the smell of the forest and pines and the river.  We followed the Klickitat River for quite sometime.  It appears to be a glacial river with many creeks spilling into it.  The colour, a sweet sage, and the rapids were quick. 

This brought us out to Lyle where we stopped at a rest stop along, yes again, the Columbia River…this river never ends, I swear.

From the rest stop we could see Oregon and the highway that runs along it.  The Columbia River actually runs along more than 60% of the border between Oregon and Washington.  As I mentioned before, Washington at times has reminded us of the Grand Canyon and Arizona…if you look at the rock formations, the river runs through what are like canyons similar to the Colorado River which runs through the Grand Canyon….rock cut by glacier melt.

We proceeded to Hood River Bridge and crossed over into Oregon and I would like to say, it was without too much fan fair but since it is a very narrow bridge open to all traffic including very large trucks, I was happy I was on my bike….however, the one thing that wasn’t so great about crossing on a motorbike is the metal grate that was the road.  Riding on this surface is just like trying to catch a greased pig or at least it feels like that.

This bridge is a draw bridge and spans 1.4 kms across the Columbia River.  It was built in 1924.  We didn’t get a picture of the bridge but we did manage to get a “Welcome to Oregon” and special instructions for motorcyclists…helmets are a thing here which is good…we wear ours all the time.

We then proceeded along Oregon 35S which took us to the Mount Hood National Forest.  What a difference in landscape.  No gold here, just tall green trees. The air again clean and so fresh that we took several opportunities to lift our visors.  We were starting to run into early afternoon and the weather was warm yet cool enough that it made for just a magnificent ride.  Not long after we entered the park we came around a turn and there was Mount Hood.  We had a chance to pull off the road to take a photo…again, the photo does not do it any justice.  This mountain looked a lot bigger in person and this is what we got to stare at for the next part of the ride.  At times it would pop up as we rounded a corner, always a surprise when it did because somehow it had grown larger.  In fact you just didn’t realize how much closer you were getting to it.

Although the road was a beautiful vantage point to see the mountain, we did manage to find a park where we could stop.  This offered the best view of Mount Hood.  We were also closer to the mountain so it was easier to get a bigger than life photo (or at least the biggest one you can take with an iPhone).  If you look closely at the two pictures it would almost seem as though you are looking at two different mountains.  In fact, you are just looking at different sides of the same mountain.  We were in awe.  We took our time at this stop to take in the site.  I would dare say, despite all the fabulous roads, this was a high-light of our day.  After the park we stopped at Government Camp for fuel and then down into the village for lunch at the Huckleberry Inn for a bowl of homemade chili.

The Mount Hood National Forest is part of the Cascade Range which runs from Washington, through Oregon and into California.

We stopped for the night in Salem (or as I call it “West Coast Salem”) for the night.   The afternoon had turned hot and the last hour of riding was really through some small towns so a lot of stop and go. 

Tomorrow we are heading for the coast.  We are going to ride the coast down to California….looks like there are a ton of State Parks along here including a couple that have been recommended to us.  Until tomorrow…Teddy says Hi from Mount Hood National Forest!

Go Big And Go Home - Day 2 - Another Fabulous Day

Going to make this a shorter post…not sure how but I will try. Today was different landscape, different types of roads but oh my….it was just as fabulous as it was yesterday. 

We rode out on the 28W, down Adams Road to 26W. This is all range country…lots of fields mostly corn in these areas. The roads were fabulous and lots to see.  We turned off on Beverly Burke Road only to be detoured but not deterred.  We started to see lots of vineyards and another crop that was strung up on large poles.  Come to find out it was hops….

As we were heading west on this part of the journey, we had the most beautiful views of Mount St. Helen and Mount Rainer.  They stood out on many parts of the journey however getting a photo worthy was challenging as the best views were in areas we couldn’t stop.

As we headed down the the 243 we followed the Columbia River and crossed it on the 24.  Right after this we took the 241 heading to Mabton, Bickleton and subsequently to Goldendale for the night before crossing into Oregan tomorrow.  Well outside of about a Km of loose gravel the rest of the road was fabulous and fully of twisties and amazing views.

Looks like we may follow the border and take in some of the Oregon coast as recommended by someone who lives in Oregon that we met at the hotel. 

It has been an awesome two days. Some photos from today. 

Go Big And Go Home - Day 1 - Unexpected Gifts

So this is actually the same blog trip but part II.  Therefore I have decided that I will renumber the days regardless of the fact that we have been living out of suitcases for 90 days.  We were home for the month of August as I mentioned so this is part II of the trip because we are now actually starting the trip with just us and for us.  This is our journey home, with all of the adventures we hope to have and new great memories we want to make.  So...Day 1 started off with unexpected gifts and just kept giving all day.

Yesterday we rode down to Grand Forks to stay with our friends Doug and Jane...after a great evening of catching up and BBQ, we asked our friends who are familiar with roads to the south, what roads they would recommend.  After several "oh this is a great road" and "you would love this area" they finally just said, you will love whatever route you decide to take....they were not wrong.

We get up this morning, and review some roads with questions over breakfast.  As we are packing up to leave, I come out to the bike with "stuff" to load to find Doug and Larry with my top case doing what appears to be surgery...in fact, the day previous I discovered that the wires that control the brake lights on my top case had pulled free.  Doug is fixing it for me....he does a fine job and his surgical techniques and those of his nurse do not escape me.  However as we are testing we find a couple of other minor "issues" with the breaking lights and break lever to which Doug makes fast fix of as well.  It is a real skill to be able to look at something and just fix it.  Also got all my connectors lubed at the same time!  Doug and Jane were our first "gift" today in more ways than one.

When we finally got away it was around 11 am which was only an hour later than we anticipated.  We arrived later at our final destination in Soap Lake but oh it was sooo worth the ride!

Gift 2 came as we crossed the border.  The border agent was super nice and even provided recommendations and confirmation that the routes we were taking would be amazing.  We proceeded along the way through winding roads along Highway 21.  We followed this road along the Kettle River to Curlew but the only straight parts were never longer than half a kilometre.  We stopped in Republic for a break and a quick bite and then continued along the 21 but this time we followed the Sanpoil River to the Keller Ferry.  We met a few other bikers on the ferry heading back to Spokane and had a nice chat as we crossed.

Gift 3 came as we got off the Ferry and continued along the 21....after crossing the Columbia River, this gift was the one that kept on giving in a ton of different ways all the way to the Grand Coulee Dam.  Our next change in direction was to be Wilbur for reference, but we didn't stop there at all.

As we came off the ferry and proceeded along our chosen route, this took us up along some really cool switch backs...at certain turns we could see the expanse of the Columbia River or look down to see all the turns we just made.  Some of these turns were 180 degrees (very sharp ones) and the early turns had a recommended speed of 25 mph.  It is hard to describe what it is like riding your bike around these corners...you are definitely at a lower speed but you also have to keep the speed up because you are leaned and the turn is on the up grade so it is in essence like a banked turn....a very sharp banked turn.  As we got higher the recommended speed was 15 mph...which means they were even sharper and higher.  It had been recommended that we stop at a pull out at the top of this to take pictures but of course in all of our excitement and gawking we missed it.  

As we reached the top we were met with what is referred to as a high prairie....and that is exactly what it was...fields upon fields upon fields of crops that have already been harvested, golden and everywhere you looked there were dust devils including one that crossed the road in front of us.  What an amazing contradiction to the first part of the ride up the side of the mountain to find flat prairie at the top!  We turned at Wilbur onto Hwy 174 heading to Grand Coulee Dam.  This road was straight as an arrow and just paved.  It black pavement was in strong contrast to the golden fields however the road flowed like a ribbon and the landscape still made for an amazing ride.

We started the ascent and turned onto Highway 155 towards the Grand Coulee Dam..while a really Coulee spot, it was probably the least exciting part of the day....still really exciting but the next part....well lets just say we made 3 stops in the next 80 kms from Grand Coulee to Soap Lake.....Gift 4 was the best part of the day.

Gift 4 along Hwy 155 was totally unexpected.  We were in Washington State...mountains and hills, trees and lakes were expected but the rock crops and roads and well let's just say...the pictures don't in any way do it justice.  Just when we thought this was the coolest part of our day, we see Dry Falls....yup...Dry Falls.   You need to Google this.  During the Ice Age, this is reported to have been the largest waterfall in the world.  It is amazing to see and it is easy to imagine this area as a waterfall.  The striking part of this ride is that it is more reminiscent of landscape you might see in Arizona.  It has the feel and look of the Grand Canyon and totally not what we expected.

Gift 5 was our stop in Soap Lake.  This is a small town and we managed a room at the Soap Lake Resort and Spa.  On another day it would be great to take advantage of everything it has to offer but tonight, given that we arrived later than our usual time for the end of the day, it will have to wait perhaps for another time.

Day 1....has been absolutely amazing!  Pics will have to be updated tomorrow as I can't seem to get them loaded.  Wifi and cellular seem to be in short supply and not that strong...but if I have to make the choice about the roads we travelled and coverage....these roads are worth every little of bandwidth I don't have for other things.

Til tomorrow, when we can. hopefully get some photos uploaded.

Go Big or Go Home Interlude - 87 Days of Living Out of a Suitcase

Well.....as we get ready to start Part 2 of our tour, I am reminded that I have not posted anything about what we have been doing...in the meantime.

So much has happened.

We returned from Vancouver and spent a few more days in Kelowna.  Incredibly the weather was just too hot for us to really ride.  Our rides were limited in July to Salmon Arm, Vancouver and a bike wash/trip to the dealer for new tank bags and helmet fixes.  

We had already made the decision to fly home for the month of August, to catch up with family, birthdays and just give south of the border some time to cool off.  

We flew home on August 4, got in some garden weeding, guitar practice, and a quick visit with my sister, who was home visiting from Georgia.  Celebrated birthdays and anniversary's, and did a lot of visiting with folks we haven't seen in a very long time as well as meeting a new friend from "over the pond".  We also ate.....a lot!

Sunset on East Coast

We did manage some down time in between all of that at a friends cottage on the Kennebecasis and Saint John Rivers (thanks Dave and Linda).  Our stay here with Ted provided for some wonderful experiences which brought back childhood memories, watching big lightning storms and the sound of loons, not to mention more than one spectacular sunset.

Fires on West Coast

It was while we were staying here that we also learned of the devastating fires in Kelowna not even two weeks after we had left.  We were concerned for our friends and also for my nephew and his girlfriend, who had just moved there.  We followed each day and as stressful as it was for us knowing the situation, the area, and more than a few close friends there, I know it was even more stressful for them.  Happy to report that they are all safe and sound.  With only one actual evacuation amongst the group we were grateful that they all managed to make it through.

During our month home, we visited Tapley Manor (thanks Katherine and Bridget), visited with Tom and Judy, had spectacular drinks and tapas at Palette, dinner at Sofia and Spritz with friends on their way to Newfoundland (thanks Paula and Alf) which included our two girls who hadn't seen them in almost 16 years, and more than one spectacular meal at Ted's, a great breakfast at the Kingston Farmers Market (so big I couldn't finish) with Mary Ann, Jocelyn, Jim, Liz, and Ted...so many more meals and people.  It was wonderful to connect with everyone at home and with some folks that I haven't seen in a very long time (Beth, Robyn, Bing and Jessica).

We returned to Kelowna on September 4th with some East Coast goodies (lobster and Digby scallops).  Our friend Brad (part of my original harem back in early July) also rode out from Calgary to spend time with us.  

Divide where fire stopped on West side

Today we got in a great ride around Lake Country and got to see first hand some of the devastation caused by the fires.  It is unbelievable how fires can destroy an area or building and yet 30 feet away leave another building fully intact.  Trees and ground scorched like someone took a torch to it and deliberately marked out a path of destruction.  Thankful for all of the buildings that survived and from what we have seen today, there are a lot of buildings that survived.  The amount of buildings that were destroyed were minimal in the big picture....not minimal to those who have lost homes and property by no means, but certainly we are reminded that fire is indiscriminate and we have the hard work, long hours and heroic efforts of men and women to thank for all that they did to contain this fire in the midst of a heat wave (not including heat from the fire), and high winds.  We take for granted the fact that there are people who do this work under extreme conditions and many do so as volunteers.  Bless them all!

So tonight we will celebrate with our friends, one hell of a great trip, their generous hospitality, unwavering patience and fabulous games of golf (card game), meals, laughs, long talks and seemingly short days.  We love and appreciate you all on both coasts and in between....Special thanks and appreciation to Ted, Pat, Buddy who looked after us as well Mom and Dad who kept us mobile at home in addition to looking after us.

Monday we leave Kelowna and head to Grand Forks to spend the night with friends as we start our next phase of travel.

Tuesday Part II begins as we cross the border into Washington State but this will now be known as Go Big AND Go Home...the next adventure.

Go Big or Go Home Tour - Day 43 - Among the Giants

One exciting thing I forgot about sitting around the other night was that I looked up to see the Space Station crossing the sky.  A chance sighting given that we had no idea it was tracking across that sky, the sky was clear and even with all of the city lights we could see it clearly.  The last sighting was actually on our 2016 cross country trip, on a beach searching for it in the sky.  Sitting on a log with Buddy, Brad, Larry and myself.  So it was pretty special to catch it.

We headed out early so that Mori and Kelly could start their work day with little or no interruption.  I managed to get another snuggle with Freddy and Ella, the two pups who live across the street.  Freddy is a fluffy Pom with personality plus.  Ella is a 2 year old Labrador.  Her specialty is joy and kisses.  Was a great way to start the day.  

The temperatures were nice and cool, the traffic very light as we made our way East.  We were feeling rested and refreshed so we rode straight through to Hope where we stopped at Tim’s for a breakfast sandwich and tea/iced coffee.  We had ridden about an hour and half including some time on the TCH 1.  We stopped for gas and then pressed on to Princeton. 

The change in geography is amazing once you start through the Fraser Valley…this time we were seeing it from a different perspective/direction so we saw the river differently, and the Giants…..I couldn’t help but remark to Larry that riding through the valleys and gaps felt like you were being swallowed whole….or like you are an ant…and just as you make your way around one Giants boot, another appears!  It is also interesting to see where previous fires and slides have happened.  It is a place of amazing beauty, but also one that is a harsh mistress if you live or travel through here, especially in the winter.

The roads wind through, up and down, around the mountains, down into the valleys, around the winding river.  You are always looking for that next valley or ahead to see what that next turn might reveal.  There is often awe and even more often thrill.  These are the roads our bikes are designed to travel on.  The power and handling and the cooler temperatures.  The bikes respond in such a way that makes this kind of travel such a pleasure, an experience that you carry with you always…and each time you travel through here, this being our third…each trip is different, each thrilling moment is one you either forgot from the last time, or has changed and is all new this time…the mountains have a very chameleon aspect to them…changing with the weather, the season and the traveller.

We stopped in Keremeos on our way back as there was a couple of things I wanted to pick up at the market we found on our trip to Vancouver.  We also stopped for lunch at an Indian restaurant.  It was after 1 pm so there wasn’t a lot of people around.  As we seated ourselves at the table, we were attended by a young lady who brought us our water glasses and our menus…she was all of 6 years old and clearly enjoying her very “adult” responsibilities.  As she appeared to be our server, I asked if there was any daily specials.  She very politely told me it was only the menu and proceeded to show us both that there were 3 pages of menu items.  I asked her what her favourite dish was and she acknowledged that the chicken, the yellow one was her favourite (assuming she meant curry).  We were thoroughly entertained by her presence.  Larry then took his turn at inquiring if the job paid well, to which she pulled out a five from her apron while giving a very high brow and smile….duly noted tips were obviously good.  We ordered our meal which was good and plentiful.  Despite the fact we were sharing, we still couldn’t finish it.  We left a $5 tip on the table as I went to pay the bill.  I let them know we had left a tip for the little one.  They gathered her up to clear the table so that she could discover the tip that was left for her….first thing she noticed and promptly dropped the five into her pocket and picked up a couple of the dishes left on the table.  Oh one thing I left out…we were sitting at a bar height table…she barely could reach the top of it.  Absolutely adorable.

We loaded up, stopped at the market and then headed through to Penticton on the expressway which shortened our trip by about 15 minutes which was good, as the temps were starting to reach 30 degrees.  We were tired and hot.  It was a slow but steady ride through Penticton and a nice run through Summerland, and Peachland as we started our approach to West Kelowna to ride over the bridge…..this part, not so nice…the traffic was crawling and the temperature was climbing.  By the time we arrived at Pat and Buddy’s we were soaked, exhausted and ready to start using our feet…Pat greeted us with a large glass of ice water as we pulled the horses into the garage….a strip of all our gear followed as did a beer and a Mikes.  

It has been an amazing trip so far, in large part because of all the friends and family that we have had the pleasure and privilege of not only spending time with but who have hosted us.  It has made our time so very special.  Looking forward to more.

Go Big or Go Home Tour - Day 42 - Sweet Memories

Today was Baileys birthday…..while it is hard to be away during these celebrations we did get a chance to have a video call and we will be home soon to celebrate together.

After our call, we hopped on the bikes for a little side trip.  Riding in this part of the city was much easier than expected and we really enjoy the countryside aspect of this area of Vancouver.  Mori and Kelly live in a great neighbourhood, it is quiet and close to all the amenities and to the city.  Patti had recommended we visit Krause Berry Farm and Market, so that was where we were headed.

The objective of our visit was to have a waffle with fresh berries and fresh whipped cream.  I hate to disappoint friends.  When we arrived we found that there was much more to Krause Berry Farm and Market than just the waffles.  It was hard not to be distracted so we had to keep turning our attention to the pursuit of edible happiness.

After a walk through the market and a quick inquiry we were able to make our way past the ice cream, baked goods, and corn pizza….past the coolers filled with berry pies (OMG piled so high with fruit) and all the cool stuff in their store to Waffle Nirvana, or for today, our lunch.  We. Ate. It. All. Every. Morsel. 

One we were done lunch, we wandered over to the wine store and then took a ton of pictures of the U-Pick flower garden (searching for ideas)….What an amazing venue and you can pick any kind of berry in season.  They were still picking raspberries and blueberries, which happened to be todays berry on the waffle.

We headed back to where we were staying, with a quick stop for more wine.  I was looking forward to seeing a couple of people I hadn’t seen in a while that I used to work with.  Mori was kind enough to invite them so that I could get a chance to see them.  Vinny and Monica arrived within a few minutes of each other and it didn’t take long to discover that they lived across the cul-de-sac from one another and this was their first time meeting.  It was great to see them both.  I hadn’t seen Monica since 2007.

We are headed back towards Kelowna tomorrow.  Not sure if we will make it all the way or not but we will sure have a great day for riding.  Looking forward to sorting out our stuff and getting ready to head home for a couple of weeks to see the girls and family.  Until then…some pictures of our lovely afternoon.