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