Thursday, July 31, 2014

Business in Boulder, back to Minnesota

The purpose of driving to Boulder was to visit daughter Vanya and also to look for a car for her - her old Subaru was stolen two weeks ago. She's very busy at work and has had no time to look for a car. Besides, it's a dad thing to look at cars. In Boulder I stayed at the Rodeway Inn Broker. This is an elderly inn that was probably quite chic 30 years ago.  I'd stayed there two times previously, and each time the faded elegance is more faded. I think on my next visit to Boulder I'll stay at a different place.

Vanya has only ever owned cars with manual transmissions, and she would like to keep it that way. A quick  check of Craigslist revealed that used Subarus were thin on the ground, and cars with stick were scarcer still. I also discovered that the Denver area is a hot market for used Subarus - all were priced well above blue book and late model cars with tens of thousands of miles were going for just a couple of thousand dollars less than a new car would cost. I visited the Subaru dealer in Boulder, an auto broker in Centennial (way on the south side of the Denver metro area), and the participating Costco program Subaru dealer, also in Centennial. All the places had an Impreza Sport Premium with manual coming in shortly, so it was a matter of choosing the color combination and the best deal. However, that day there was a new posting on Craigslist for a 2008 Subaru that fit all the requirements, and it was close to Boulder. On Tuesday morning I called the seller and we agreed to meet in the early afternoon. That same morning Vanya called me to say that there had just been a Craigslist posting for a 2010 Outback (based on the Legacy platform and larger than the Impreza). Vanya has been driving a borrowed 2010 Outback, and she liked the car and wasn't put off by the larger size. I called the seller, who was in New Mexico and headed for his home in Evergreen, which is near Golden, Colorado. We arranged to meet at a gas station in Ken Caryl (!) that evening. The seller also said that there was another interested party who was meeting him there.

The '08 Impreza was a nice enough car, but it was a little tired and, while it had been maintained, it looked like it hadn't received much love, so I didn't make an offer right then. The '10 Outback had many miles, but the owner was a sales rep so most of them were highway miles, which are easy on a car. The car drove fine, the tires (Michelin) were almost new, and it had been maintained by a dealer except for oil changes, which the owner performed himself every 5000 miles using Mobil 1 synthetic. The other potential buyer arrived, and he drove the car and made an offer (the owner was professional enough to keep us separate). The owner had priced the car according to blue book, so it was below market value, and I bid a bit higher and got the car. I gave him a small deposit and we shook hands and went on our ways. Vanya should get the car next week.

I was very relieved to have this business taken care of. On Tuesday I'd received a call from Moon Motorsports, the shop in Monticello that was repairing the bike.The service manager said that the rear universal joint was almost frozen, and that the driveshaft assembly (front and rear U-joints and the shaft) would have to be replaced. There were only four available in the country, and they would have the part sent next day delivery from the warehouse in LA. If all went well, the bike would be ready late on Thursday. Wednesday morning I awoke to a hard, cold rain and I was glad that I was in a car. I let the GPS send me on the quickest route, and I followed the directions to Fort Collins and then east on I-80 to I-76, and then in North Platte US 83 north to I-90. The rain eased  up by noon, and the route was mostly the one that I'd taken three days previously on my way to Boulder. On the Interstate I noticed many motorcycles going west to the rally in Sturgis, SD, and I stayed in the same motel in Chamberlain, SD where I stayed on Saturday.

This morning was cool and dry, and I listened to the CDs I'd purchased a few days ago when I started out on the unexpected car trip - Stones, Elvis, Janis, Dylan, Credence, Beach Boys, Dead, The Band, and Rascal Flatts (just  to get one group from the 21st century). I had breakfast in Canistota, which is a few miles off I-90, at  a restaurant in the Ortman Hotel. There were quite a few Mennonite customers there, dressed in dark and conservative clothes. I'm familiar with the Amish, but apparently the Mennonites embrace the new technologies; it was slightly weird to see a woman, whose hair style and clothing looked like she was from the 19th century, talking on her cell phone.

The rental car was a Chrysler 200, which was pleasant enough, but not a car I would buy myself. It is priced in Honda Accord territory, but it doesn't seem to be as good a car - it feels heavy and ponderous, the engine works hard, and the driver's seat doesn't offer much support. On the other hand the speakers are quite good, the car is quiet on the road, and at the motel an older (my age) gentleman commented on what a pretty car it was - perhaps he was taken in by the ruby red paint job.

I arrived at Moon Motorsports at 2:30 PM to find that they still had some work to do on the bike, but that it would be ready in a couple of hours. On the sales floor was an '07 R1200R with 22k miles that had panniers and a top box. At $8000 it wasn't a bad deal, and I reflected that if they hadn't been able to fix the bike I could always have purchased the R1200R. I went to the post office to mail home the jeans and CDs that I'd purchased as well as a few items that I picked up at the rally. After a much-needed cup of coffee at a nearby Caribou I unloaded the car at Moon's, returned the rental to Enterprise (just half a mile away), and walked back to the dealer. The bike was ready, I paid the bill, examined the old parts, loaded the bike, and headed south on MN 25 at 5 PM. The bike felt fine and it felt very good to be riding again, especially through the green Minnesota countryside on a balmy summer evening. The people I've met here in Minnesota have been very pleasant and helpful (rather like Canadians), but I'll be glad to finally get out of the state tomorrow.

The offending U-joint

The drive shaft assembly minus the rear U-joint

Trinity Lutheran church in Montrose, MN

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Mechanical issues

When I looked out the window of the motel on Friday morning I realized that it had rained overnight, and I was glad that I wasn't camping at the rally. My first stop at the BMW Rally was at the Michelin booth to inquire about a front tire for the bike. The mechanic looked at the tire and said that it really didn't need replacing, and that it would be good for at least another couple of thousand miles, which should get me back to San Francisco. With that chore out of the way, I was free to wander the rally grounds, see what the many vendors had to offer, and attend seminars.

Tents are everywhere, and packed close together - one reason why I didn't camp at the rally

This colorful bike was at a booth for a company that does tours in Mexico
 There are usually between 4500 and 6000 people at the annual rally, and I suspect that this year drew at least the larger number. There was a large building devoted to shopping - at least six tour companies, several booths selling riding jackets and suits, gloves, boots, auxiliary lighting, camping gear, and just about anything you can think of related to motorcycling. In addition there were several dozen vendors in tents or under awnings outside on the rally grounds, as well as food services, and live bands in the evening. The seminars covered just about every topic related to motorcycle travel, and several that had nothing to do with motorcycling. I enjoyed a technical seminar on directions in motorcycle oils, and all of the 60 people there were paying close attention. Another seminar on motorcycle clothing has me rethinking my choice of outerwear.


That morning while riding to the rally I noticed a slight vibration in the rear of the bike that I put down to weird pavement. However, when I rode back to the motel I realized that the vibration was present over different surfaces, so I put the bike on the centerstand and rotated the rear wheel. There was a rough, grabbing feeling every nine inches of rotation, almost as though the rear brake were being applied. This was definitely not normal. The brake wasn't dragging and the only things I could think of were a bad bearing in the rear drive or a bad universal joint. One of the local dealers had their mechanics at the rally doing tire changes, so my first stop on Saturday morning was at the Metzler tire booth to ask a mechanic to look at the bike. He said there was definitely something wrong, but that the read end would have to come apart to determine the problem. He, too, thought that it might be a universal joint. He said that since all their mechanics were at the rally, the earliest someone could look at it would be on Tuesday. He also said that another dealer about 50 miles away might be able to look at the bike right away, and that they were open on Monday. I rode to the other shop in Monticello, only to find that neither BMW mechanic was available - one was at a class in Denver, the other was assisting at the rally. However, the service manager said that they would take apart the rear drive on Monday, let me know what needed to be done, get the parts, and get me back on the road.

Fortunately, there was an Enterprise car rental office a half mile away from the dealer, so I rented a car and headed west. I'm currently in Chamberlain, South Dakota and tomorrow I'll drive to Boulder to visit daughter Vanya. On Monday the shop will call and let me know if and when I can get the bike back - I figure Thursday at the earliest.

Last year at a gas stop in Rawlins, Wyoming, we (John and John and I) met a fellow BMW rider on an R1200R. She commented that she used to have a bike just like my R1150R, and we looked at each other and realized that we'd met at a gas station in Nevada on US 50 three years previously. We exchanged email addresses so we could keep each other apprised of our motorcycle travel plans to see if we might meet on the road again. Her trip this summer brought her out west again, but it didn't seem as though we would be in the same place at the same time. However, at a rest stop today I received a text from Leslie in which she said that she'd just passed through Chamberlain, SD and she was on I-90 heading east. I watched the eastbound side of I-90, and about 15 miles outside of Mitchell (home of the Corn Palace) I saw a rider on an R1200R wearing a Hi-viz yellow jacket and a yellow helmet. Last year Leslie was wearing a blue and gray Aerostich suit, so I didn't think it was her. After dinner tonight I called her cell. She had just checked into a motel in Minnesota, and she confirmed that she was wearing a different jacket this year and that it was she whom I saw. So, we came within a couple of hundred yards of meeting again this year.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

The BMW Rally

This morning I said my goodbyes to my gracious Greenbush hosts and headed west on WI 23 to Fond du Lac, then north on 41, and west again on 21 to I-94 - this route avoided the detour on 23 around Ripon. I stopped again in Osseo at Norske Nook for lunch - a salmon wrap and rhubarb pie. The rest of the day was spent on I-94 until I exited in St. Paul for the fairgrounds and the BMW Rally. Traffic at 4 PM was surprisingly heavy going east on the Interstate.

Registration for the rally went smoothly (I had pre-registered 10 days ago), and I spent an hour and a half looking at all the vendors (more than there are at the annual International Motorcycle Show in San Mateo), and asking at the Michelin booth about a front tire for my bike. There are four places doing tires at the rally, and all were busy. I'll take my bike to the Michelin booth tomorrow morning to see what the tire guys think. The tire doesn't seem to be wearing much, but it does have 7k miles on it.

The weather this morning was dry, cool, and partly cloudy - a very nice autumn day. It was 70 when I left Greenbush, and gradually warmed during the day, clouded up, and became more humid and windy. At the fairgrounds the wind picked up and there were a few sprinkles of rain, but that was all.

Tomorrow I plan to spend all day at the rally, perhaps attend a few seminars, see if any of the many vendors has something that I desperately need.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Duluth to Greenbush

Tuesday morning in Duluth was cool, gray, and threatening. It had rained hard during the night, and I prepared for a rainy day by starting off in my rain gear. Naturally, it never rained and the weather became warmer and sunnier as I rode south.

Leaving the charms of the Grand Motel, my first stop was at the Aerostich factory on 18th St. near downtown, an old, red brick building where Aerostich motorcycle riding suits are made. The factory has a small shop on the ground floor where many items from the huge Aerostich catalog are sold, along with some clothing, seconds, and discontinued items.

Only one other bike at the Aerostich factor at 8:30 AM. When I returned a couple of hours later there was a row of bikes that took up all the parking space
 I had packed too well and needed nothing, so after a short look around the shop, I rode downtown and turned right into Canal Park, where I had an excellent breakfast at Amazing Grace.

Outside the Lake Superior Vistors' Center and Museum

Afterwards I went to the Lake Superior Visitors' Center and museum, but it didn't open until 10. Since I had a full riding day ahead of me, I skipped the museum and went to Fitger's Brew Pub where I asked directions to the Bob Dylan manhole covers. After a little riding around I found one near the library on Michigan St., also known as Bob Dylan Way. It was in the middle of an intersection, so I only had time for a quick shot.

Terrible picture - I was in the middle of a crosswalk. (reference is to Subterranean Homesick Blues - better jump down a manhole/ light yourself a candle/ don't wear sandals)
I remembered that I'd meant to ask about my sticky jacket zipper at Aerostich, so I returned to the factory, and was directed to Dylan, who is the zipper expert. He quickly replaced the slider, and now the zipper works much better. From Aerostich I got on I-35, I-535, and US 53 south across the bridge to Superior, WI and then straight south. US 53  is four-lane local access at first and then turns into a limited access expressway. It's all farm country and woods and rivers and lakes. I stopped in Osseo at the Norske Nook for lunch and a slice of rhubarb pie, which was excellent. The only other time I'd been there was with Carol in 1977 on the way to Maine for our wedding.

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Victor poses outside the famous Norske Nook
South of Eau Claire US 53 merges with I-94 and I followed that to Mauston, where I headed east on WI 82 and then 23, which I rode all the way to the turnoff for Geo and Annette's house in Greenbush. The dogs must be used to me, because they didn't even set up a ruckus as I rode past the house and into the garage. Since I'd seen Geo and Annette just two weeks ago in San Francisco, we didn't have a lot to catch up on, but we still talked into the evening.

Today Geo gave me a tour of the Wade Carriage Museum in Greenbush, where we spent an hour examining various horse-drawn carriages as well as a steam powered fire engine. Somehow I always manage to visit a transportation museum on my trips.

A steam powered fire engine



 After lunch in Sheboygan we visited Bookworm Gardens, a project that uses children's books as the basis for botanical displays and children's play areas.

Geo at the entrance to Bookworm Gardens



The magic schoolbus

A wind sculpture


Tomorrow I'll be up early to ride to St. Paul and the BMWMOA rally there. While I'm thinking about it, I'd like to thank Kwik Trip gas stations in Wisconsin for offering premium gasoline with no alcohol - Victor appreciates it.




Monday, July 21, 2014

Minnesota

Before  I left De Smet, SD I took a few pictures of Laura Ingalls Wilder associated buildings in town.

The Surveyor's house,  where the Ingalls family lived

Brewster school - where Laura taught (?)

Ingalls house - the house that pa built
Back on US 14 I went east and stopped in Arlington at the Pheasant Motel for breakfast - $4.50 for two eggs, ham, toast and coffee. Once in Minnesota the land became greener and there were more lakes and rivers, more farms, and more small towns on the road. I went northeast on State Route 23, which I followed all  the way to Duluth. I saw a sign outside of Granite Falls for Fagen's Fighters WWII Museum, which seemed interesting. Unfortunately, they are not open on Monday, but as I stared forlornly into the window, a guy came up and invited me into the shop where they restore the planes. Jason once had an R75/5 and now rides a Honda 919, which he just rode to Montana. He's in charge of the shop, and he explained that they maintain the corporate planes for Fagen, Inc. and also restore  WWII era planes. They have several P-40 fighters, a P-38, a P-51, and a B-25 Mitchell (like Yossarian flew in Catch-22). They are showing a couple of the planes at the big Fly-In in Oshkosh next week.

A P-40 with the cowling removed

A P-40 with the usual shark-tooth engine cowl

A B-25 Mitchell medium bomber
 

A P-51 fighter. Perhaps the final development of the piston-engine fighter

Back on Highway 23 I continued northeast. There were a few hills, no curves worthy of the  name, and the road went back and forth from two-lane (55mph) to four-lane and four-lane divided (65mph). I crossed the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, which may have some charming sections but none that Route 23 passed through. However, I found a Caribou Coffee for my lunch and afternoon break.

One of the scenic  views along MN 23

The last 50 miles into Duluth was along a scenic byway, and I found a cheap motel (The Grand Motel - it is anything but) right in town. Up early tomorrow to visit Aerostich.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Badlands and De Smet, SD

Seventy-five million years ago the entire Great Plains was beneath a shallow sea and in today's Badlands the bottom of that ancient sea appears as dark sedimentary rock called Pierre (pronounced "peer") shale, which is a rich source of fossils. The reddish bands in the rocky buttes that make up the Badlands are fossilized soils.

The ride from Rapid City to the Badlands was devoid of places to eat breakfast, so I waited until I arrived at the park and ate at a lodge there. One place on the road promised to be open, but it wasn't.

The "open" sign lies
There were quite a few people in the park, enjoying the stark scenery. The road winds up and down rocky hills and offers views of canyons and jagged buttes. The road had been chip-sealed recently, so there was gravel about and extra caution was necessary.

View from the lodge at the park entrance

Victor poses in front of a rocky outcropping

Why they call them Badlands
The road outside the park ends at Wall, SD, home of Wall Drug, where I didn't stop, having been there and done that. One exit east on I-90 and I was on US 14, riding through rolling hills and rocky, empty land that  gradually turned into gentler hills, flatter land, hay fields, and then farms and a few small towns. I crossed the Missouri River in Pierre and continued on 14 the rest of the day until I stopped in De Smet, SD, famous as the setting for at least one book by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and where the author lived for several years.

Carol (who read all the Little House on the Prairie books) and I stopped in De Smet 1977 when we rode my R75/5 from San Francisco to Maine for our wedding. During the summer there's a Laura Ingalls Wilder pageant, which I attended this evening. It was held in an open field outside town, and the production was definitely amateur, but fun nevertheless. This year's pageant is based on Those Happy Golden Years, which is about teenage Laura as a schoolteacher, and her courtship and marriage to Almanzo Wilder.

The theater

The actors pose for pictures after the show

Alonzo and Laura sign programs

Tomorrow I ride to or near Duluth. The weather is suppose to continue to be fair but hot, and I'm looking forward to another day on the plains.





Saturday, July 19, 2014

In the zone

After a week of riding I've found the rhythm of the road. That is when you've finally discovered where  all your gear is packed, a gas station appears just when you want one, a likely cafe is alongside the road when you are hungry, there's no traffic, the weather is perfect, the scenery is interesting, and the wind always seems to be at your back (which is often the case when riding from west to east).

After yesterday's extra 115 miles due to full motels, I slept in and got a late start. The first stop was the Little Big Horn National Monument, site of Custer's Last Stand. This is a surprisingly popular site and there were tour buses in the parking lot, and many people watching the video presentation in the theater, on tours with rangers, and examining the artifacts in the visitor's center. I'm actually not that interested the Battle of Little Big Horn, but apparently many people are, perhaps because there have been several TV specials about it. In any case the visitor's center is well-designed, the exhibits are interesting, and the paths around the battlefield area are well documented.




US 212 runs gently southeast through rolling hills, hay fields, and rocky buttes. There wasn't a single curve that required rolling off the throttle, but it was a relaxing and pleasant ride, helped by the very reasonable 70mph Montana speed limit and few cars. Montana seems to have a surfeit of casinos. There were only a few towns along the road, but each one had at least two casinos - even if there was no gas station. The morning was quite hazy from the forest fires in Washington and Canada, but the haze dissipated the further east I went. US 212 goes through a little corner of Wyoming and then into South Dakota. At Belle Fourche I turned south on US 85 through Spearfish and rode through Spearfish Canyon, a very pretty drive along the Spearfish River through the Black Hills National Forest. The speed limit was only 35mph, so I kept the speed down a bit and enjoyed the scenery. I rode through Lead and then Deadwood, and there were more cars and motorcycles on the road. Deadwood looks the same as it did 10 years ago when I drove through there with Andrew, and I didn't stop. US 385 goes south through the forest and there was a fair amount of traffic - it was Saturday and  this is a popular tourist  area - but it moved mostly at the limit and there were places to pass. I turned east on SD 44 and stopped just outside Rapid City to check the GPS for a motel. It seems that there's a big music festival in town and many motels were full, but I found a slightly seedy place that is fine. It is called the Time Inn Motel, and next door is the Time Out Lounge and Casino.

Tomorrow I'll visit Badlands National Park, and ride across South Dakota.

Friday, July 18, 2014

An old classmate, Yellowstone, Beartooth

At the 50th reunion of the Euclid High School class of 1963 I met Bob, whom I hadn't seen since High School. We discovered that we both enjoy long distance motorcycle riding, and he invited me to stop by his house in Big Sky, Montana, if I was ever in the area. So, this morning I rode towards West Yellowstone and stopped at Bob and Sylvie's house, which overlooks a ski resort. We talked for a couple of hours about our motorcycle trips and he showed me the bike that he and Sylvie rode in two Iron Butt rallies. (For those of you who don't know: The Iron Butt Rally runs every two years and entrants have to visit several checkpoints and also collect bonus points by visiting various sites around the country. Typically, riders cover over eleven thousand miles during the eleven days of the event. Very few entrants ride two up, and Bob and Sylvie did it twice.

The BMW K1200GT which Bob and Sylvie rode in the Iron Butt

Bob and Sylvie are riding this CVO Harley to Vermont in a couple of weeks

Yellowstone Park was what you might expect in mid-summer - crowded. The traffic situation wasn't helped by the fact that for some reason people think that it is just fine to stop in the middle of the road to take a picture of a bear or moose or bison. In one such jam I overheard a woman, who was walking on the road, tell the driver of the car ahead of me that all the people alongside the road with cameras on tripods and large binoculars were there because someone saw a bear on the hill. There was a black dot about 300 yards away that could have been a bear, I suppose. People - go up to Squaw Valley or Heavenly in the winter and you'll have bears on your back porch. Yellowstone Canyon was impressive as always, but I was just passing through on my way to the northeast entrance and Cooke City. The Beartooth Highway begins there and goes over Beartooth Pass (almost 11,000 feet) and then down into Red Lodge, and it is over 50 miles of curves, switchbacks, and stunning views, which you mostly don't see if you are concentrating on the road like you should. The weather over the Beartooth can be rough, but today it was gray and cool but dry.

I'd planned to spend the night in Red Lodge, but I discovered that there was a Harley rally in town and there were no vacancies. I stopped for gas and while I was there it began raining, so I put on my rain gear and swapped out the sun shield on my helmet for a clear one. By the time I left the station the rain had stopped, and five miles outside of town it looked like it hadn't rained for a month.

There were no rooms in Billings, either (a large wrestling  tournament, I was told) so I rode another 45 miles to Hardin, where I'm spending the night. Tomorrow I'll  probably visit Little Big Horn, site of Custer's Last Stand, and try to figure out what I'm going to do with all the time I have between now and the BMW rally in St. Paul next Thursday.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

A new tire, a bad bearing, and Philipsburg

This morning I parked by the service entrance of Big Sky Motorsports, the Missoula BMW dealer, fifteen minutes before the shop opened. There was a new R1200GS water-cooled bike already there, and the owner and I talked about our trips until the shop opened. They put my bike up on the rack right away, and about half an hour later the service manager told me that the mechanic had noticed that I had oil seeping from the pivot bearing area on the rear drive. This is something that could last another 5000 miles or it could fail in the next 10 miles. I asked if they had the parts in stock, and if they could do the work. He said that they probably didn't, and that they were heavily booked for the day, but he would check. It turned out that they did have the parts, and he was able to squeeze me in between other appointments. It saved a little time since the bike was already partly disassembled for the tire change. They even had time to balance the throttle bodies. I was back on the road at 1 PM and noticed a big difference when shifting and rolling off the throttle - no more jerk and clunk from the rear end. I also noticed that the bike was slightly smoother (throttle bodies). I really should have noticed myself that the play in the rear was getting worse, but the shop where I had a major service done a month ago should also have noticed the problem. So, props to Big Sky!

This bullet-nose Studebaker was parked a couple of doors down from Big Sky
 The unplanned half-day in Missoula meant that I wouldn't be able to visit Bob in Big Sky in the afternoon like I'd wanted to, but he said that Friday morning would be fine. Missoula is a town that grew too fast, and the main thoroughfares are congested. I got out of town and onto I-90 and cruised along at the 75 mph speed limit, enjoying the big sky scenery.

After about 50 miles I exited south on MT 1 towards Philipsburg, an old mining town. If you ever read James Crumley's novel, The Last Good Kiss (and if you haven't you should), then you will know that the book is dedicated to the poet Richard Hugo, from whose poem "Degrees of Gray in Philipsburg" the title of the novel is taken.

You might come here Sunday on a whim.   
Say your life broke down. The last good kiss   
you had was years ago. You walk these streets   
laid out by the insane, past hotels   
that didn’t last, bars that did, the tortured try   
of local drivers to accelerate their lives.   

Philipsburg is no longer a run-down mining town, but has become a touristy and quaintly restored old town. Gem stores, jewelry stores, a huge candy shop, and various bars and restaurants compete for the traveler's dollar, but the town stops short of being tacky. I'd hoped to find out what, if any, connection Richard Hugo had to the town, but the museum closed early, and I didn't want to interview every shop owner who looked old enough to have been around 40 years ago.

Downtown Philipsburg

One of the old buildings - now a brewery


Back on MT 1 I headed south to Anaconda, which, although the huge mine closed in 1980, still looks like an old mining town, at least judging by the enormous mound of tailings outside the town and the large number of bars in the town.

The face of the building shows why the Club Moderne was so named

Back on I-90 I rode east over the Continental Divide and Homestake Pass (6300 feet) where there was a brief sprinkle of rain and the road was wet from a previous shower. It had been 95 degrees when I left Missoula, so the little bit of cloud and rain brought pleasantly cooler weather, at least until the road descended to a lower elevation. I'm spending the night in Three Forks, MT, where I'd hoped to stay at the Sacajawea Hotel, but it looked rather expensive (and full), so I'm at the Broken Spur Motel instead. Just as well, because it turns out that Sacajawea did not actually stay at the Sacajawea Hotel, and indeed had no connection to the establishment.

Tomorrow I'll visit Bob and Sylvie in Big Sky, and go into Yellowstone. If the weather is good I may ride the Beartooth Highway.


Wednesday, July 16, 2014

The wrong damn dam

This morning (Wednesday, July 16) I was on the road early because I had a long day ahead on twisty back roads. I wanted to spend the night in Missoula or close to it, and yesterday's detour had left me over 400 miles away. Baker City, OR is a proper city with a real downtown area, and I was soon through town and on I-84, which I took north for one exit to OR 86, which goes east to Oxbow and the Snake River and Hells Canyon. It was a very pleasant and mild morning and I enjoyed the road and the scenery. After 60 miles I came to Oxbow, where I would follow the river to the dam and cross into Idaho. Unfortunately, I had it in my mind that I was going to the Hells Canyon Dam, and I followed the signs for that. The road along the river was old and patched but a lot of fun with no traffic and tight corners. After 23 miles I came to the dam, and was disconcerted to find that the road ended at the Visitors' Center. I asked the Ranger what I'd done wrong (although I'd begun to suspect my error) and she informed me that I should have followed the signs in Oxbow for the road to the Brownlee Dam, which takes you into Idaho, ID 71, and the town of Cambridge. She was nice enough to tell me that I wasn't the first person to make that mistake. So, as much as I'd enjoyed the ride to the dam, I wasn't that happy to repeat it. In Oxbow I saw the clearly marked sign to the Brownlee Dam and Cambridge, and I followed the road along the river in the right direction. This road was every bit as much fun as the other road, and in better shape. The guys I usually ride with monitor their on-board GPS units every quarter mile, and I've become used to having them correct me if I take a wrong turn. I'll have to pay better attention to my old-school paper maps...

Nice road. Too bad it goes to the wrong dam.

ID 71 ends in Cambridge at US 95, which goes north through small towns, hills, valleys, and woods. There were road construction delays in several spots, and the temperature was in the mid-90's, which was uncomfortable when I was waiting for the flag person to let us through. Otherwise it was a pleasant ride through Riggins to Grangeville, where I took ID 13 to Kooskia. A few years ago four of us went on this little canyon road  on our way to Glacier Park. I'm happy to report that it is still bumpy and twisty and hasn't been improved. In Kooskia I went east on US 12, which follows the Lochsa River and the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Since I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and it was almost four in the afternoon, I stopped at an excellent cafe along the road and had a small meal of salmon chowder and a salad. Refreshed, I continued east, enjoying the gently twisting road and the ever-present river. The speed limit is an unrealistic 55 mph - even 50 near the pass - but there weren't any Idaho Troopers about, or much of any other kind of traffic. In any case there were plenty of passing zones and once over the Lolo Pass and into Montana the speed limit was a more sensible 70 mph.

I'm spending the night at a Super 8 in Missoula, since it was the first place I saw, and I didn't want to spend time searching for my usual picturesque motel. At least it is conveniently close to the BMW shop. 

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Fire on the mountain

Tuesday morning was sunny but a bit cool at 60 degrees when I left the Blue River Lodge and headed east on highway 126. After 15 miles I turned right on 242, which goes over McKenzie Pass and is a beautiful, twisty, and delightful road through woods and over a rocky summit that compares to the roads over the Sierra in California, but without the traffic or the elevation - McKenzie Pass is only 5200 feet. I saw very few cars - maybe even more bicycles than cars.

Looks like volcanic  rock at the summit.

The road ends in Sisters, where I stopped for breakfast at the Sisters Coffee House. Everything was gluten-free and organic, and everyone looked just a little too bright-eyed and healthy, but the eggs scramble was delicious, the house coffee was very good, and the staff was friendly. Dan would say that Sisters is entirely too precious, and that may be true - there was a surfeit of yarn shops, galleries, and craft stores. It looks like a retirement community for moderately wealthy people who are also very healthy. After breakfast I spoke with a bicyclist from LA who was on his way to New York. I am not worthy!

Picking up Route 126 in Sisters I rode east to Prineville, where I continued east on US 26 towards John Day. Unfortunately, I missed a sign warning of road closure ahead. It was one of those signs with blinking lights for letters that usually remind you to fasten your seatbelt, and I just caught a glimpse of it as I was passing a truck. Thirty miles up the road (very nice road, suspiciously non-existent traffic) I came  to a roadblock. It seems there was a fire on the summit and the road was closed.

Yep, the road is closed alright

I went back to Prineville and headed north to Madras, where I went north on US 97 for 25 miles to  Willowdale, where I turned  on 293 to Antelope. From  there I took 218 to Fossil and then 19 south back to 26. All of this added at least 150 miles to my day, but  it was worth it because the small roads were a lot of fun and I'd  never been on them before.The roads on my detour went over a couple of passes and they were in good shape, but there was gravel in some of the corners and enough tar snakes that you had to be alert, which is as it should be.

After dinner in John Day I rode another 80 miles on 26 and OR 7 (another twisty and beautiful road over a pass) to Baker City, OR, where I'm spending the night at the Oregon Trail Motel - $42 and breakfast at the restaurant is included. Tomorrow I'll ride into Hells Canyon and Idaho and up to US 12 over Lolo Pass to Missoula, MT, where I'm scheduled to have a new rear tire installed at the BMW dealer there on Thursday.

The long detour and hot weather (it was 95 degrees in the middle of the day) notwithstanding, it was a good day with great roads that I had mostly to myself.

Victor poses in front of a fake town at a tourist stop in Mt. Vernon. It's a lot easier packing when you aren't camping.


Monday, July 14, 2014

The Gang of Four Minus Three

"Plan your ride and ride your plan!" is a favorite saying among experienced, long distance motorcycle riders. This year's ride by The Gang of Four was originally built around the BMW rally in St. Paul, Minnesota. This seemed like a fun ride and a good fit for Dan, who lives in Illinois and therefore wouldn't have to ride halfway across the country to meet us as he has done in years past. Unfortunately, Dan will be busy giving a lecture on ancient medicine that weekend and would be unable to attend the rally. With that news the rest of us decided that we really weren't that interested in riding all the way to St. Paul for the rally, and so we worked out a route up the coast and across the northwest to the Black Hills and Badlands. I say "we" but John C. did the heavy lifting planning the route. Unfortunately (again) a few days before we were to leave John C. bowed out due to a persistent cough that he was afraid might be something serious. Two years ago Dan had to ship his bike and himself home from Anchorage, Alaska when a cough that he had wouldn't clear up, so John's caution was perfectly understandable. Now we are down to two.

John P. and I left from his house in Marin County on Sunday morning, July 13. We took US 101 to Cloverdale where we rode to the Mendocino Coast on CA 128. Traffic was light in our direction and we enjoyed the scenery and the twisty road. That far north on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH - US 1) there wasn't much traffic, and we stopped in the town of Mendocino for a lunch break.While we were there John got a phone call from his wife, Celia. She'd stumbled on some stairs and she thought that she'd dislocated her ankle. When she called she was waiting for the ambulance to take her to the emergency room. John and I continued up  the coast past Fort Bragg to Rockport, where the PCH turns inland to connect with 101 at Leggett. The ride along the coast was spectacular, and there was no traffic between the coast and Leggett, so  we (well, I did anyway - John probably had other thoughts on his mind) were able to enjoy the twisty road. We stopped just before Leggett because John had heard from Celia. The X-ray showed that she'd broken a bone in her ankle joint, which was the cause of the dislocation, and she'd need surgery to repair the damage. John and I said our goodbyes - he wished me a safe trip, and I told him that Celia had my heartfelt sympathy. At 101 John headed south to look after Celia, and I went north to continue the ride as The Gang of One. (Update: Celia had surgery today, which involved a couple of pins, and she should go home tomorrow.)

The town of Rio Dell in Humboldt County has little to recommend it unless you have a particular interest in agricultural products of questionable legality. I checked into a motel there and spread out the maps to re-plan the ride. If I'd been on the Suzuki, I might have considered riding to Yellowknife in the Canadian Northwest Territories, which had been one of my thoughts for the summer ride. However, I was on my BMW, and BMW dealers are nonexistent in that part of Canada, so I decided to go back to the original plan of the BMW rally in St. Paul. I registered for the rally online and booked a motel room in St. Paul for two nights, and now I have a destination.

On Monday morning I woke to heavy fog, wet roads, and 55 degree temperature. I rode up 101 to Oregon, where the fog lifted and the day warmed up a bit. John C. advised me to ride the coast as far as Reedsport and turn inland to I-5 then continue east across central Oregon. The southern part of the Oregon coast isn't as spectacular as the northern California coast, but it is very scenic with wide beaches, rocky outcroppings in the water, and a well-maintained road. There wasn't nearly as much traffic as I'd feared, and there were plenty of places to pass. I rode past Gold Beach, stopped in Coos Bay for lunch, and five miles inland from Reedsport the temperature went up fifteen degrees. Highway 38 follows the Umpqua River and it is another scenic road with little traffic on that day and ample passing zones. I went north on I-5 and after a little jogging around in Creswell, I rode east on OR 126  along the McKenzie River to the town of Blue River, where I'm spending the night. Dining options are limited in Blue River, so I snacked on a turkey and cheese sandwich and a small watermelon. tomorrow I'll call a couple of BMW shops to find out when and where I can get a new rear tire.

Covered bridge along the McKenzie River on OR 126