Riding for a Reuben - Sammich that is!

[Tyler]

Awhile back, forum friend Ray posted up about a restaurant in his home town of LaPine, OR. He highly recommended the reuben sandwich and asked if anyone wanted to do a RTE (Ride To Eat) to experience it. About 80 of his closest friends descended upon the town... but I'm getting ahead of myself. I had originally planned to fly up but saw that I had enough time in the vacation bank to take a couple of days to get up there and back... so I did!

Left Thursday morning to meet Doug and Tom in Hope Valley as they were returning from Lee Vining. It was warm down in Jackson (97 degrees) and the climb to higher elevation and cooler temps was most welcome... another shot of Caples Lake...

The fall colors were just beginning their annual show along 88...

 

[Fairlaner]

Nice pics Tyler.....

R

 

[Tyler]

Doug and his buddy, Tom, were late and so I ended up getting chatted up by an older gent while I waited... he told me just about his entire life in just under a half hour!

From Hope Valley, we went around Lake Tahoe via 89, hopped on 80, and then Doug took us on a few of his local roads... I haven't spent that much riding around that area so it was really fun riding some new roads! Doug and his lovely wife, Gayle, were kind enough to put me up for the evening so, once the bike was unloaded, we headed out for dinner at their favorite haunt, The Wilo. But first a quick stop at their shop (weed and pest control business)...

Doug with one of his tropies... an empty (thank goodness!) wasp nest... it was actually really cool to look at up close without fear of any buzzing buzzers...

You can tell when fall is starting because the sunsets really are awesome...

Gayle and I practicing our poser pose...

My hosts for the evening... they're kind of like local royalty... I can't tell you how many people came over to our table to say hi to them!

Food was very good and Doug wanted me to make sure that Mark/WheatonFJR knew that all the lights had been replaced in the GGBridge painting... here's what it looks like in all its glory!

Russ arrived at the house around midnight and we were all up early to have a little coffee, some homemade banana bread (yum!!), and pack up to meet the rest of the folks who would be traveling up to LaPine with us.

Thanks, Richard... more coming! B)

Nice pics Tyler.....

R

 

[Tyler]

My first view of HotRodZilla (aka HRZ or AJ)...

We headed out along 49 without much ado although did run into a few time sinks from roadwork... here SacMike is saying, "Chinese fire drill... GO!!"

I didn't get a lot of photos on 49 as I was just having too much fun riding it... last time I'd been up that way was on a photo ride with OM about 4 years ago... the river runs alongside the road and we could get a peek of it while waiting...

My dear friend, Don, who stuck with me all day when we broke off from the group later on...

Barry/bustanutjoker did some stretching... either that or he was farting...

A left turn onto Gold Lake Rd. and a stop at the vista point...

This was my first time meeting Barry... he was everything I expected... and more (and I mean that in the best way possible, B! )...

Russ was looking for UFOs... he figured maybe the mother ship would want Bust back for experiments...

Sam/puppychow...

We scooted into Quincy for some food and landed at the Courthouse Cafe located right across from the... courthouse - imagine that!!!

Food was very good and we all gave it a big thumbs up!

Russ soaking in the atmosphere...

Gettin' ready to head out...

 

[Tyler]

Up 70 to 89...

Past Lake Almanor and then a stop at Subway Caves... the cool air was a relief from the day's heat and Sam, ever the gentleman, lent me his arm as we traversed through the cave... had we not had flashlights it would have been pitch black and I'm sure I would've tripped as the floor was very uneven and bumpy...

"Oh no, after you, Doug... I'll come get ya if you get lost... really!"

It was kinda creepy in there so when we got to the other side, I decided to forego the return trip underground and almost got lost trying to find the parking lot! At the junction of 299 and 89, Don and I split off from the group to take the more direct route to Klamath Falls where we would meet up with even more friends all heading for that rueben sandwich!

One of my favorite towns... just makes me laugh every time...

A couple of views of Mt. Shasta...

Juniper Valley...

And on in to Klamath Falls for a killer sunset...

We dined with friends at the restaurant right next door and then everyone headed off to their respective rooms to plan the next day's route, share a few stories, and maybe imbibe in an adult beverage...

 

[MEM]

So far, so great, Ty!

 

[Tyler]

Oops... double posted! :dribble:

 

[wheatonFJR]

Doug and wifey are great. She's the queen and he's the helper bee.

Definitely royalty.

I still have my Willo T-shirt...brought it to EOM this year.

 

[Old Michael]

... I ended up getting chatted up by an older gent while I waited... he told me just about his entire life in just under a half hour!

Tyler, that's bull. It only took me 20 minutes.

...and good that you captioned this pic .....

....'cause at first glance I thought it was a shot of Dougie and Dr. Rich.

Lovely shots of the high country, T. Is it fall already?

 

[Tyler]

I really wanted to ride around Crater Lake as it'd been years since I'd been up there and a few like-minded folks decided to join in the festivities... so we set off around 8 a.m. in the brisk, VERY brisk, air and headed for the lake... first stop was at Vidae Falls which was still running...

And then around the east rim of the lake... there was very little traffic to deal with that early in the morning although I heard it got pretty packed later in the day... but we enjoyed having the place mostly to ourselves...

AJ reflecting...

Sam/nightshine taking a photo of me taking a photo of him... lol

And then we rounded the corner to the first vista point, Phantom Ship...

Sam doing his Pink Panther impression...

Next stop was at Cloud Cap... wonder why they call it that??

Can you see the little tour boat on the water?

Hard to really get the feel of this place... it is amazingly beautiful and photos really don't do it justice...

AJ and Joe...

 

[Tyler]

And then we high-tailed it to LaPine so as not to miss the whole reason for riding there... by the time I got there, the place was packed... I don't think Ray thought this would turn out to be such a huge event!

These sandwiches were HUGE!! I could only eat about a quarter of one... I think it was worth the ride.

OM was entranced...

Tall tales...

Love you too, OM...

Lots of smiles with friends...

And I finally got to meet Duke, the Wonder Dog, and his master, WhatsHisName...

If you're ever passing through LaPine, be sure to stop off at Harvest Depot and tell 'em Ray sent ya!

After lunch, a few of us decided to go exploring a little bit and Ray pointed us to a nearby road, Paulina Lake Rd., that was supposed to be very scenic... so Sam, Doug, and the Hycles joined me and off we went...

Lake Paulina

Mycle didn't realize going for a ride meant he should have enough gas to do so... so they headed back to town...

Cool clouds in the sunny blue skies...

I'd say it was a pretty nice road...

Ray had told us there was a dirt road up to Paulina's Peak where you could see for miles on a clear day... so we found a dirt road...

But it wasn't the right one so we turned around...

Then we found another dirt road...

But we weren't feelin' it so we headed back for pavement...

Stopped off at the lava beds and saw lots and lots of rocks...

Stairway to rock heaven...

Lots and lots of rocks...

"Man, that's a lot of rocks..."

"I like rocks..."

"I think... therefore I am... a rock."

All hail, King of the Rocks!!

Long way down... don't trip!

 

[exskibum]

Great shots, as usual, Tyler.

 

[Tyler]

As we headed back to Ray's for the bbq at his place that evening, the smoke from a nearby wildfire had descended upon the area... I was amazed at how quickly it enveloped the sky... this has been a really bad year for wildfires...

Before...

After...

The ominous cloud followed me to Ray's...

By the time I arrived at Ray's, the garage was full, tire changes were in play, and lots of shop talk was floating around...

The welcome sign for unwanted visitors...

The truck taxi was enroute to and from the hotel to shuttle wayward motorcyclists so they could enjoy an adult beverage and not have to worry about getting back to the hotel... above and beyond the call of duty, Ray and Patti... you guys ROCK!!

 

[Tyler]

Joe getting ready to get checked under the... um... hood...

Busted!!!

Glad to see someone knows how to react around a camera...

TomInCA

"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?"

I have no idea what Shiny said to AJ here but he sure thought it was funny...

AJ tried to show his appreciation...

My two favorite pups...

Meanwhile outside the sky was putting on its own show...

And then it was time for dinner... again, superb host/ess and also to all their kids who threw in to make all of the dinner happen... did I mention y'all ROCK??

The food was beyond awesome...

Goober...

Sir Goober...

The room I was staying in was covered in Patti's handmade quilts, one that she made for her SIL who is dealing with breast cancer... this photo doesn't do them justice but the craftmanship and artistry in these was amazing...

 

[Tyler]

I awoke the next morning in time to see the gang off before enjoying a cup of coffee, chatting with Ray and Patti, and witnessing the canine love spectacle...

These are some very well loved pups!

And so I packed up my bike and headed out on the road... I was a little bit anxious as it would be my first overnight solo trip since the accident... but at the same time, I was looking forward to it... as the miles rolled away underneath me and the bike, I found my mind wandering... thinking through some things, letting go of "stuff"... releasing any negative... freeing the mind, body, and spirit of that which weighed me down... and I felt lighter and the sun felt just a little brighter and the world was just a little bit better of a place to be...

I managed to dodge a vicious bear attack...

And enjoyed life's music that had nothing to do with an iPod...

Coming back through Klamath Falls, the color of the day was BLUE...

Clearing one's mind enables the "little" things to come through and be noticed...

The artwork of the land around you...

The grandeur...

Okay so not everyone gets it the same way... lol

 

[Tyler]

I stopped in Burney to fuel up and started chatting with a local gent, Pat, who lived in Cassel, just a couple of miles down 299... he said I should take Cassel Rd. which would take a short detour but then put me back onto 89... I decided to take his suggestion... I came across this whimsical display of metal scupltures next to a construction company (forgot the name)... seems every other year the two brothers that own the company create a new sculpture and add it to the menagerie...

Taking the grandkids to see the big animals...

This one bugged me...

You're heard the saying, "When pigs fly"? Well, here ya go...

Pat had told me to look for a peace sign hanging in a tree and that was where he lived on Cassel Rd... found it!

I was greeted by his springer spaniel, Cocoa, and he showed me around his property... seems he likes to build custom cars... this is the beginning of what will be a flatbed custom vehicle that he'll be able to tow other show cars around...

We chatted for awhile and then I needed to hit the road so as not to be out too late and run the risk of deer strikes... there were too many of them already! So I thanked my new friend and went on my way...

Back around Lake Almanor... had the place to myself...

Setting sun...

Day is done...

And I arrived in Quincy, picked up some food for dinner, and headed for my home away from home for the evening... the Ranchito Motel...

If you are ever in Quincy, I would highly recommend this place... run by a husband/wife, it's simple but comfortable and definitely priced right... the grounds are lovely and would make for a great group gathering... as I unpacked the bike, I was greeted by two Beemer gents who were in the building next door... one a retired fire captain, the other one of his EMT team... the two of them entertained me for a couple of hours with tales of their experiences... I can't imagine doing what they do every day... in my experience, I am very glad and grateful that there are people like them that do.

 

[SacramentoMike]

Nice pics, Tyler. And did you know about this?

Clifford is 50! Holy crap!

(If you take a close look at her plate, you'll know why I posted this.)

 

[Tyler]

I had a lovely night's sleep (very comfy bed!), made myself a cup of coffee, and sat outside enjoying the quiet morning...

Bike packed up, I headed for the reason I was there... Quincy-La Porte Rd. I had ridden this one years ago and remembered that I really loved it so wanted to go experience it again... this road is a sublime combination of this...

With views like this...

And throw in a couple of these for a little added excitement! This guy was doing pretty good with staying inside the lines...

His buddy? Not so much... I was REALLY glad I had been able to hear these guys engines as they came down the hills and could pull over and wait for them to pass...

Then the road opens up a bit with a little bit of this...

I then traversed a bunch of connect-the-dots roads winding my way through Nevada County... Willow Glenn and Marysville Rd. with a stop to New Bullards Bar Dam...

And how could I resist this?

I avoided getting shot at by moonshiners and found a new little gem...

Pleasant Valley Rd... and it was very... pleasant!

It goes from a 2-lane down to a 1-lane road and 15 is the number of day on this one!

Nicely paved though...

Bridge Port (not to be confused with the town Bridgeport off of 395!)...

Bitney Springs Rd.

Oh yeah, baybee!

And just for Tom... there's more than one...

Barn...

And what happens to a cow when it eats too many Oreos...

Revisited Indian Springs, McCourtney, Lime Kiln, Duggans, and Wolf Rd., down 49 until finally succumbing to this...

I had a brilliant five days but I was ready to be home so slab it would be. I never thought I'd ride over 1600 miles just to get a sammich... but it sure seemed as good a reason as any!

Ray and Patti (and your kids too!) - thanks so much for all the planning and your hospitality... you guys are the cream of the crop.

Bust - you were everything I thought you'd be... and more. Awesome to finally meet you "in the flesh" (so to speak... as far as I know, there was no ass flashing going on this time around)...

Doug and Gayle - thanks to you both for a lovely evening a the Chateau du Bugnatr... really enjoyed it and hope to do it again soon!

Beemerdons - thanks for being my "ride buddy" on Friday to Klamath Falls. You are a gentleman even if you are Irish. :wub:

AJ - great to finally meet you too... even if you are a bit of a hot head.

So many great people and experiences... thanks to everyone who made this such a memorable event!

FIN

 

[rogdeb]

:clapping: :clapping: :clapping: Beautiful photography Ty