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Now that you are getting over in my area, I can recommend Highway 12 in Idaho along the Lochsa River. No highway hypnosis on this road. Leave Missoula and enter Idaho. Stop at the Lolo Hot Springs and soak. End up in Lewiston and then angle up to Seattle. Just a thought.

 
Another wonderful day!!!

Up and on the road with the sun. This was our last day of chasing shadows. (besides just the short jump to the ocean tomorrow morning...) Left Spokane, WA and headed west on the interstate.

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Crossed into Oregon, and jumped onto I-84. When planning today's route... I looked at the fastest route. And on the map, this interstate is situated next to a river. Looks nice, figured it would be able to be seen occasionally. Was not expecting anything spectacular from this section of road. And boy was I proved wrong!!! The road dropped down into a canyon, with a large river! And the interstate curves right there along with the river! And the beautiful natural hills, cliffs, and views all around!

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Mt Hood then made an appearance. When Brandon and I pulled over for a photo opportunity and a small break... we both looked at each other with wide eyes and amazement. Neither of us were expecting such a great road!!! It had everything we wanted! Cool temps, interstate with passing lane, hills and cliffs, water right next to us, and a mountain in the background! yes yes yes!!

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Once we reached Portland, we headed south. Construction zone had split pavement. So Brandon, who needs to conserve rubber, he decides to stay on the smooth new asphalt. I decide to try the rougher older pavement. Really put those Metzelers to the test.
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Driving down the interstate, I got a smell reminder from home! Sure made me miss home... slightly... okay, maybe not.... LOL!

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And we pulled into Eugene, OR a little after 3pm local time. That gave Brandon enough time to run around the corner and get a new rear tire mounted-PR3. Now he has peace of mind for the ride home.

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The early arrival also gave me time to do a load of laundry at the hotel. And heat-off base layers got washed and hanged to dry. And this might be one of the only acceptable times to see a man using a hair dryer....

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(this is payback for the lightswitch in the shower....)

So today we had a short day of 463 miles today. Nice and easy, and quite pleasant. Tomorrow will be the pacific coast and down into California for the Redwoods.

 
Wonderful day Julie, looks like you two had a great ride to the left coast!

Looking forward to seeing the next couple days through your lens...you've got some spectacular scenery coming up!

--G

 
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You're having such a good time, I can really sense your excitement through the pictures and your words.

In my dreams, I get to see Glacier for the first time just the way you depict it. Endless sky, no traffic, perfect temperature, clean smooth road, the occasional mammal ..... EXACTLY how you show it.

One day.....

 
We do have awesome ride stuff here in the PNW. I find no need to go anywhere else as I age. You are having a splendid trip, I enjoy your posts, and wishing you safe riding.

 
I have a big problem with this entire Ride Report. It is so good that I am running out of "Likes" for the day!
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Your pics, your delivery, your enthusiasm, and your endurance are impressive. Consider me a fan.

I admire your independence with regards to lifting the fallen bike. Obviously, you have your stuff together and could give better advice than you get but let me provide a friendly word. The (top) heavily loaded bike is a bit different to lift than the empty bike. There is no shame in getting help on the road. It is so easy to pull a muscle or otherwise injure yourself while wearing awkward riding gear and not being properly warmed up for the lift.

I know you are something of an athlete and probably know more about this than most, but do set aside your pride if the need arises. It would be a shame for an easily avoidable roadside injury to derail such an excellent report.

But I am the same way. When I drop the bike I try to snatch it back up before anyone sees me!

Please be safe. Even though we have never met, I am your friend now. Besides, you HAVE to finish this RR!

 
hey everybody!! I have rolled into tonight's town. Brandon has decided to get a heads start for his slog home to the east. So he has headed eastbound and out.

The day's recap RR will be coming later this evening. I have some things to see and do here in town. And I have a dinner date with a "random man from the FJR internet". Lol!

I just wanted to give everyone a thank you. A huge THANK YOU! Thank you for your enthusiasm for my trip. That might be weird to say, but it's how I feel.

I definitely don't have enough "likes" to acknowledge all of your comments. But I do read them all, laugh and smile at many of them, and look forward to posting the next RR.

 
Day 7? Officially a week on the road. So 7 days after leaving Ohio... I finally step into the Pacific Ocean. Amazing!!

This morning, we leave Eugene, OR and ride a nice stretch of road to get to 101. That's the farthest west we can go! So we turn left and start heading south. And that's where the road gets real nice. The scenery gets beautiful. And then we see water!!!!

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After taking our beach pics, and picking a "Pacific pebble" for my rock collection, we continue on. Luckily it's a Tuesday late morning, so the road barely has any traffic on it. We eventually make our way into California!!!!

And when you are coming up to a fork in the road... and you see this painted on the hill of the road.... you just gotta check it out!

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And yes! It was worth it!!

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And then I decided to try a different shot.... lol

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It's just gorgeous how the road sits there on the edge of the land with the waves crashing below. And sections of rock jutting up from the water. Beautiful!

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Entering into the Redwoods NF area, we stop at a visitor center to get a map, and ask for recommendations on roads to ride and things to see in the area. Armed with a few suggestions, we continue on. Of course, a stop for a photo at Paul Bunyon and Babe was on the list.

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Then down another mile or so to the Tour Thru Tree. We each take our turn riding through a Redwood tree.

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Then we ride a few "off 101" scenic drives. Very nice roads and the pavement takes you through the trees. Talk about being right next to them!

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From there, we continue on down the road a bit, and stop at an overlook. At this point, Brandon has decided that he has stretched his time as much as he could, and he needs to be heading back to the east. So instead of staying the night in Arcata, he gets a head start on the next 2500 miles that he has to ride to get home. So we say our goodbyes, and off he goes. Safe travels!

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I head to the hotel, and then contact an FJR rider that I had met online. We meet up, and he takes me to the Samoa Cookhouse. Good food and great company! Then we do a little tour of Arcata and Eureka, which includes a stop at a beautiful mansion, and at the Black Lightning Motorcycle Cafe.

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(photo credit to Ed Quier)

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(photo credit to Ed Quier)

So that finishes off my day. A shorter mileage day, but lots to see and do!!! 365 miles.

Tomorrow I head back inland and east. I shall make my way to Reno. I will meet up with another FJR rider from the internet, as I get closer to Nevada.

 
This just keeps getting better and better! Now I'm REALLY going to have to find a way to make YFO 17 a reality.....thanks for taking us along for the ride!

 
Wish there was time to show you some of my favorites... there's so much more in our lovely state but I think you got a good taste...
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That rider in Eureka wouldn't be Eddie, would it? He took me to many of the same places a few years back.
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Wish there was time to show you some of my favorites... there's so much more in our lovely state but I think you got a good taste... ;) That rider in Eureka wouldn't be Eddie, would it? He took me to many of the same places a few years back. B)
Yes it was!!! And meeting up with Randy this afternoon over east and south a bit. ;)
And California definitely warrants a whole nother trip!!

 
Wish there was time to show you some of my favorites... there's so much more in our lovely state but I think you got a good taste...
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That rider in Eureka wouldn't be Eddie, would it? He took me to many of the same places a few years back.
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Yes it was!!! And meeting up with Randy this afternoon over east and south a bit.
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And California definitely warrants a whole nother trip!!
Working on the Yosemite gathering next June... come on out and play! B) Say hi to Randy for me! :D

 
"The wind knows the songs of cities and canyons
The thunder of mountains, the roar of the sea
The wind is the taker and giver of mornings,
The wind is the symbol of all that is free."

Today. Today. Today. I left the coast this morning. Headed back inland. And east. Sad time. lol.
Was surrounded by a comforting fog for a bit.
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Rt 299 from Eureka to Redding was nice. Scenic, twisty, and decent road quality.....
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Except for those moments when there wasn't even a road....
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Then I headed east some more before I dropped south. And I decided to ride through Lassen Volcanic National Park. Sure glad I did that!! Beautiful!
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And the rise in elevation also brought the temperature down a bit from what it was in Redding- which was hot.
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So much so, that there were still plenty of piles of snow!!!!
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Once out of the park, it got hot again. That is my cockpit, with the thermometer reading 106*. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if I could have kept a decent speed. But with construction bringing things to standstills, and then getting stuck behind logging trucks... It got annoying.
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I had a goal of getting to the home of another "random guy from the internet". Once there, he offered to let me borrow and try out his cooling vest for the rest of my trip. And since he had had it soaking in the sink in an ice bath, it felt very nice putting it on!
Randy and I then headed down, continuing on my route. Which included another construction stop. As I stop to assume to position of about 7 cars back.... Randy scoots to the shoulder, and waves me behind him. I follow, and we arrive at the front of the line. WOW! That was cool! lol. (I wish I would have realized I could do that about 400 miles ago- during all those earlier construction zone delays!!!!!)
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And soon enough, we start up a chit chat with the sign holder. We stand in his shade, and talk about construction, lane splitting, and me being the weirdo from Ohio....
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Who else can say they got their picture taken with a construction worker!?!?!
Don't mind me... I'm from out of state... Just being a tourist.... LOL!

So we rode for a bit together, and then I went searching for something in Truckee, and Randy turned around and headed back home.
I wanted to stop in and see the Donner Monument at the Memorial State Park. Been there when I was younger, and then just a few months ago, the documentary about their excursion was on TV. Reminded me about it, and realized I was headed right near there. Worthy of a stop- monument and visitor center/museum.
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I then jumped on the interstate and headed through Reno, and stopped for the night just on the east side of town. 414 miles for today.

Tomorrow is a shorter, "straight shot" day. I only need to get from one side of the state to the other. Salt flats in the evening. I think tomorrow is going to be a sleep in day.... See if that can help me get over the 4o'clock sludge I seem to get.

 
Great trip and ride report. While reading it, I often think about your coworkers who were freaked out that you'd take this trip. We (forum members) see all the fun you are having, but they probably don't (unless you are sending photos back). I imagine you walking back into work and them saying "How was your vacation" and you say "Ehhh, it was okay" trying to hide the huge grin on your face from all the fun, knowing their vacations weren't nearly as exciting :)

 
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