Part IV - Kickin' It And Rippin' It.


April 29/15

We decided to take yesterday off and have a rest day which was a good call as we both woke up feeling tired and achy from the long ride the day before. When I went downstairs to extend our stay for another night the gal at the front desk obliged and cut our rate by another 15%. Sweet!

Returning to our room I had great intentions of going to the 'Museum of Clean', however; the call of the bed was too great and we ended up sleeping 'til the early afternoon. Now refreshed we take a run up to the local Suzuki dealer to look for a tank bag but unfortunately they only had the strap and magnet type and I really wanted the new clip-on style. Not to worry we had a nice chat with Matt at Pocatello Powersports who really wanted to help us. Friendly guy! Next we scoot over to the Harley-Davidson shop to look for an in-line switch for my heated vest. No stock but once again we meet a really friendly gal, Elissa, who also went out of her way to help us. She and Lori got along great, talking about Native culture and rituals while I kicked some tires in the showroom. One more errand to Walmart for some odds and ends and we're feeling hungry. Luckily for us the Texas Roadhouse was right next door so we pile in for ribs 'n' chicken for me and a sirloin for her Ladyship. Great dinner, friendly service....two thumbs up.

We rocket back to the hotel and it's chill time.


April 30/15

I wake up raring to go, brekkie, check out, load up and roll out. After topping up the fuel tanks we're on the slab, no choice for the first part of today's run, and roaring south doing 80+ mph heading for Salt Lake City about two and a half hours away. The slab is fast and clear and we cross the state line about an hour or so later. We want to skirt Salt Lake City, avoid the inevitable traffic and get out of there as fast as we can. I plotted a route on the GPS starting with I-15 to I-215 to I-80 West and then veer south on Hwy 36. We clear the city in record time and stop on I-80 just before the Hwy 36 exit for a boo at Great Salt Lake which always smells to me. Maybe just my imagination. Back on the bikes and two minutes later we pull into the Chevron for some gas and a coffee. I take the opportunity to check the bikes over, lube the chain and check the air in the cooling tires. The half hour was a good investment as I can stretch my legs, drink my coffee and depart feeling refreshed.

Now the fun begins! Hwy 36 starts off going through the two small communities Stansbury Park and Tooele. Not too much going on here, just the usual run of strip malls and gas stations. We`re soon clear of civilization and the road opens up before us. The posted speed is 65 but you can get away with the low 70`s. The riding is very enjoyable with the temperature in the low 20`s and lots of bluesky and sunshine; the winning combination. The landscape started with rolling ranchland then turns to scrub desert, a lonely orchard, back to more ranches, grazing cattle and back to scrub for the last few miles to the junction of Hwy 6 where we swing south-west with our sights on the town of  Delta where we stop for the night.

 

Lori ridning along Utah Hwy 36 South

 

 

Utah Hwy 6 West

 

 

Rippin`along on the `Strom.

 

We`re stopping early as this is the starting point for tomorrow`s leg which we`ll need all day for. An early finish sets us up for an early start so this was a strategic move by your two intrepid riders.

Checking the web we find rave reviews for the Mexican restaurant across the street so no persuasion is needed. Very tasty chicken chimichanga and an interesting beef dish for Lori which I don`t have the name of.

 

 

Excuse my shaky hands...I was hungry.

 

 

 

Lori ordered the server`s personal favorite. She always does that.

We walk back to the hotel and there`s time for some blogging and a Clint Eastwood movie on the tube. Tomorrow is going to be a BIG day so it`s buenos noches mi amigos.

Distance for the day

303 miles
488 kms

Steve
Delta, Utah

Part III - Hi-dee-ho From I-dee-ho!


April 28/15

We're up at a reasonable hour for a change and have a quick breakfast in the hotel. We've got the groove going, pack-up, load-up and roll out.

Once again we worked together and plotted another cross-country ride using all the secondary roads we can find. Today's route was Lori's careful pouring over the map and determining a destination within a comfortable day's ride. Well let me tell you she outdid herself by coming up with a ride nothing short of fantastic!

First things first it's a quick scoot over to the local bike dealer and do some shopping. Lori's helmet accidently fell on the ground, cement ground that is and we all know what that means. It's toast. She finds a real nice new helmet in her colour, red and after some bargaining with the parts and accessories gal and we're good to go.

 

Lori's new bucket. Pretty flash!

Hwy 30 is our starting point and it takes us into Idaho through an industrial area of warehouses, truck terminals and train yards. The temperature is starting to climb and I can feel the sun's warmth through my jacket.

Soon we're off Hwy 30/95 and onto Hwy 52 which takes us to Emmett and on to Horseshoe Bend. The ride so far has been a mixture of factories, farms and forests and getting better by the minute. We grab coffee and fuel up in Horseshoe Bend, which is well named because everybody round these parts owns horses, even the folks in the mobile home park have corrals beside their double-wides.

Now it's a quick sprint north on Hwy 55 to the crossroads at Banks where we head east on the Banks-Lowman Highway. I'm no stranger to this hundred mile stretch having ridden it a couple of years ago with Don and Nick, aka Sal and Paulie on our way to Salt Lake City. This is the Boise National Forest and it's pure Idaho with all the mountainous, rivers and canyons you can handle. The day is warm, twenty-five degrees Celsius, the sky is blue and the sun is shining. The bikes are running like hares and we're zipping in and out of the turns like gates on the giant slalom. This is motorcycle heaven folks, about as good as it gets.

 

Boise National Forest

                                                                                                                          

We pass through the village of Lowman and now continue east on Hwy 21 towards Stanley. The elevation rises to 7200' above seal level and while the road surface is clear and dry and there is still snow in the ditches and under the tress. The temperature briefly drops from twenty-five down to 18 but the cool air feels glorious as it swirls into my open jacket. The road is open and deserted; so deserted that I come around a bend and there is a goat standing in the middle of the road. I come to a stop and the goat ambles onto the side of the road and effortlessly dances up onto the rocks all the while posing for my camera.

 

 

Mile high V-Stroms.

 

 

We come flying out of the mountains dropping from 7200' to 6000' doing at times 80 mph with the sun and the smell of the pine trees. Hot pine gum has to be one of my favourite smells and it never ceases to inspire and refresh me.

 

Pine trees give way to meadows with herds of grazing deer and the Sawtooth Mountain Range in front of us. Soon we're in Stanley where we take a break for some lunch. Lori gets a couple of bandanas in the shop and I score a wool shirt which will be a great addition to my bike wardrobe. In the cafe I opt for the pulled pork with coleslaw and onion rings while Loris orders the turkey melt, the waitress's personal favourite and a salad. Maybe it was all the fresh air and riding but this lunch was simply delicious. A couple of cups of coffee and we were fueled and ready to roll.

 

 

Stanley, Idaho with the Sawtooth Range in the background.

 

 

Referring back to our map and planned route we see we still have another three and a half hours or two-hundred twenty miles of mountains, canyons and rolling prairie before our day is over. 'better get moving so we hunker down, Lori in the lead and we're off and running. Hwy 21 comes to a T-junction at Stanley. To the right it's Hwy 75 going south to Sun Valley and Ketchum. I did this road two years ago with Don and Nick so our itinerary is to turn left onto Hwy 75, the road less travelled.

 

Once again we're treated to the magnificence that is Idaho. Ranches, mountains, more rivers in fact the first few miles out of Stanley follow the Payette River, right along the edge of it's banks so it's watch where you're going and don't get caught looking the wrong way or you'll be in the drink. Hwy 75 takes us to Challis and the junction of Hwy 93. We're pounding along and the sun is low in the sky and according to the GPS calculations we're going to be riding until after 9:00 PM. Our fuel is getting low and we stop in MacKay. I grab a quick coffee and we pull out our heated vests and warm gloves as we know as soon as the sun goes down this place at over 5000' is going to get cool real fast.

 

All bundled up we're clipping along doing seventy, seventy-five with zero traffic on the road. Can this get any better? Once in the village of Arco we turn onto Hwy 20 and keep rolling onto to Blackfoot where we pick up I-15 for the final 20 miles into Pocatello and the Comfort Inn, our home for the night. Thanks again to Booking.com our room is waiting. It's hot showers, a little blogging and this day is coming to a close.

 

When it comes to Idaho I'm struggling to find the words to describe just how wonderful a motorcycle destination this place really is. To all my friends back home in B.C. I urge you, no I challenge you to get down here and see for yourself only let me know when you're going so I can come along and re-experience this beautiful state.

 

I'm done. Good night.

 

Distance for the day:

 

389 miles

632 kms

 

Steve

Pocatello, ID

 

Part II - East Is That-a-way!

Monday, April 27/15

No early stuff today so we ambled down for breakfast, watched the news and generally took our time getting into the day. After packing up and checking out we departed Kennewick mid-morning and started heading East.

Lori and I put our heads together and plotted a course South-East to Ontario, Oregon right on the Idaho state line using all the backroads we could find while maintaining a reasonable forward direction. Once out of Kennewick we grabbed Hwy 12 east to Walla Walla rolling through farmland and scrub. After passing through town we realized we'd missed a turn so it was a a quick backtrack of maybe five miles where we found the sign for Hwy 125 which passes through Walla Walla and quickly turns into Hwy 11 at the Oregon state line. There's was minimal traffic and very little people out and about. Other than farming the only other major employer I could see was a huge prison on the outskirts of town.

Once into Oregon we have a clear shot south on Hwy 11 and are soon at the junction of Hwy 204. Now things got interesting. Hwy 204 rises up out of the farmlands and the grain fields fall behind as your steadily climb up into Umatilla National Forest. This was my first time on 204 and I was impressed with the turns, the rising and falling of the hills and with spectacular views this road is well worth the time.  If you're in this part of the state you have to give this road a ride. Eastern Oregon has become one of my favourite destinations for great riding with little to no traffic, fantastic views and good road conditions.

 

Hwy 204...Fantastic!

                                           
                                                                  Lori on the mountain.


Continuing on 204 arrive at Elgin and stop for a coffee at one of the little coffee shacks that have sprung up like mushrooms all over the North-West. Speaking of mushrooms, next to the coffee shack were two women seated at a table buying wild mushrooms picked in the fields and forests by the locals. The two gals buy the mushrooms on behalf of an organic distributor`where the pickings are destined to high-end vegetarian restaurants although one woman said the bulk of the mushies end up overseas for medicinal purposes.

After coffee it was onto Hwy 82 for a round-about route through Island City and on to Cove and lastly ending up in village of Union.

We`ve dillied and dallied all day and with the later start we`re getting tired, from what I don`t really know, hungry and wanting a shower and some relax time. We opt to jumping on the `Slab`for the last few miles down to Ontario our destination for the night. Thanks to Booking.com I have our hotel lined up and waiting. We pick the next day`s destination and I then line up a room so we`re not scrambling in the evening when you tired and hungry from a long day`s ride.

There is Mexican restaurant a 15 minute walk from the hotel so off we go looking for some dinner. I really like Mexican food and this place....well....it wasn`t the greatest. My burrito dinner platter was tasteless even with generous shots of hot sauce. The precursor chips and salsa was a let-down too as the salsa(?) was all watery with no substance. The best thing about my dinner was the Pepsi was cold.
Now Lori was intuitive enough to ask the waitress what her favourite entree was. It turns out this is the way to go as Lori thought her chicken fajita dish was very good but she didn't like her ice tea so she scooted into the bar next door and returned armed with an icy cold Bud.Smart gal my Wahine.

A nice walk back to the hotel and I'm feeling tired so I dabble with a crossword puzzle but it's tough fighting my closing eyes so it's pack it in and live to fight another day.

Day's milage:
281.9 miles
458.0 kms.

Steve
Ontario, OR

Part I - Up And At 'Em


Sunday, April 26/15

Like Robert Burns said, "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry" and I can tell you the same applies to men, women and motorcycles.The plan was to be up and at 'em early, which meant a 6:00 AM alarm, a quickie cup of tea, maybe some toast then load and roll. Sounds great in theory but....well I'm sure you can guess the rest.

The alarm does go off, albeit at 7:00 AM; I'm still bagged from the day before so it's roll over and hunker back under the covers for another hour. By eight I'm up, Lori's got the kettle on and making her famous egg, ham, tomato and cheese brekkie sandwiches with I'm wandering round gathering up the last few articles we'll take on the trip.

Some phone calls, last minute bill paying, emails to deal with and it's getting on for 10:00 but why stress it? I had just come off a ten day run at work without any time off and I was still feeling trashed from the ordeal so I'm justified in a little ass-dragging besides it's the journey not the destination which in this case is Nowhere.

We meander our way to the garage and start loading up the bikes. Using the Jeep, I top up the tires with my trusty DC powered pump, a handy little device that works like a charm. Soon we're good to go and motoring along the Fraser Highway towards Abbotsford where we'll cross the border into Washington. The border is not very busy so combine that with our Nexus Passes and we're through in a matter of minutes.

Highway 9 starts in Sumas so we grab it and point 'er South. I've been on Highway 9 a lot of the years and it never fails to deliver a wonderful ride. This two lane piece of black-top passes through farmland and forests with quick, twisty bends, long lazy sweeping curves, very little traffic and just enough small villages to make it interesting. This highway is a gem and it's right in our backyard so if you're doing a run south skip the I-5 and give Highway 9 a try. I guarantee you'll soon have it on your list of personal favourites.
 

                                                Coffee Break on Highway 9 near Big Rock


I asked the gal in the store where the washroom was to which she jerked a thumb over her shoulder and said, "It's 'round back...to the left" Well she was right it was easy to find!

 
                                                                      Country Comfort


At it most southerly end, just east of Everett, Highway 9 runs into Highway 2 which cuts diagonally across the state to Wenatchee. Hwy 2 is another fun road to ride with its twists and turns and elevation gains. This road is much more open that Hwy 9 so it's a great opportunity to let the dogs have a run. Again the is no traffic to speak of so we're quickly climbing up into Stevens Pass where the air is cold and fresh. We've fired up the heated vests so we shoot through the pass and we're rocketing down the other side and pulling into Leavenworth where we fuel up and stop for refreshments at Starbucks. I had a delicious piece of pumpkin loaf and a Fast-Ass (whole milk) Latte while Lori opted for a yogurt and blueberry muffin and washed it down with a Chai Latte. Oooo! Trendy Wendy! 

                                           
                                                A little self indulgence never hurt anybody.

                                 The ever present windmill farms. Very popular in Washington.

                                              Roadside lookout. Hwy 97 near Yakima WA.

                                         
                             View from the lookout facing North. Hwy 97 near Yakima WA.

I kill a few minutes texting with old pal Don Sigston who's touring on his Beemer GS with Nick and Scott somewhere in New Mexico. We have a somewhat vague plan to meet up somewhere along the trail although at this point we have no idea where that could be. They will be heading north in a couple of day while we will be roaming wherever the sun is. Western Colorado or Utah might work, however; it depends on the weather as I don't want to be messing around anywhere near the Continental Divide this time of year. We'll stay in touch and see how this plays out.

It's getting cooler now and Lori and I are speeding our way towards Kennewick, our planned stop for the night. We've left Leavenworth, breezing along Hwy 2 then turning south onto Hwy 97. Once again the traffic was nonexistent and the road was fun and in great condition so it was rip 'n ride. Next it's Hwy 24 east across some scrub prairie, a quick right onto Hwy 240 and we're rolling into Kennewick just as the clock says 8:30 PM. Not too bad; just under four hundred miles and with later start on the day.

We check into the Comfort Inn, grab a shower and send out for some pizza from Papa John's which I must say was absolutely delicious. Lori's watching some TV while I update the blog. What a wonderful start to the tour and if today is any indication as to how the rest of the trip is going to be well then we're in for a real treat.

Now all we have to do is figure out where we want to go tomorrow. Stay tuned as there's lot more to come.

Good night.

Daily Distance
388 milrs
624.5 kms

Steve
Kennewick WA

The Road To Nowhere - Introduction

Welcome back!

By popular demand it's time for another installment in the Motorcycle Odyssey series. It's been nearly a year since the last blog, 'Desert Honeymoon: A Motorcycle Odyssey' where Lori and I went touring around Nevada and Eastern California on our new 2014 V-Strom 1000s.

I've been itching for a trip and to do another travel blog and this opportunity came at just the right time. Spring arrived early in South-West British Columbia in fact we never really had a winter so for a lot of us, much to the chagrin of my friends in the East who really took it on the chin, it was business as usual, riding to work and and getting together for weekend day trips. Now I have two weeks off, a freshly serviced machine, a more than willing partner with same so let's get it going.

Where to? Where to? Such a dilemma. As far as direction is concerned it's a no-brainer; North..nah still cold in the upper interior. East? It's late April, however; the mountains can still be treacherous and throw out some inclement weather. West...ahh..there's nowhere to go unless you have a boat so that only leaves South. So where South? I struggled in a quandary for several weeks until I hit on the answer. How about nowhere? A trip that goes nowhere, in particular that is. Why have a destination? Why have a schedule? Why have a purpose other than to enjoy the sun, the wind and the loneliness of the road balanced by the companionship of your best buddy.

So this entire tour has been boiled down to a Gas'n Go. Load 'em up and roll. Kick off will be April 26th so let's see where this run takes us. The emphasis will be on secondary back-roads with a deliberate avoidance of the Inter-Slab, photo ops, road reports, food critiques and the good, the bad and the ugly.

So friends put on your helmets. rev up your chair and come for a ride on The Road To Nowhere.