Kennewick, WA to Spokane, WA
Short day riding. Lots of relaxing. Definitely needed a down day. Tomorrow, heading to Glacier National Park and will spend five days there seeing the sites and visiting with Hank’s sister, Judy. Sorry for the short post, not a whole lot happened today and we are beat.
Good night and see ya tomorrow.
Cottage Grove, OR to Kennewick, WA
Today was a traveling day, about 340 miles from Cottage Grove, OR to Kennewick, WA. Traffic was a problem around Portland. Stop and go for no apparent reason. Kind of like Philly but worse. Even fewer folks have the luxury option of turn signals installed in their vehicles. Only refinement and a sense of decorum prevented the Jersey driver side from coming out. Verbally. Loudly, complete with naughty words.
We picked up I-84 and headed east along the Columbia River. Beautiful, lush terrain surrounded us as we rode through the rain. The overcast skies gave the river a steely grey-green look that was striking. We were impressed because the Columbia is a river that meets the definition of a river. It’s true dinky at all like so many western so-called rivers. It looked to be about a half-mile across in places, in the same way the Delaware or Mississippi is wide. It’s big enough to have shipping and dams and things. Like a river is supposed to be, you know?
Eventually, the rain stopped and the terrain became arid, not unlike New Mexico or Southern Utah. These are old, old hills that make up ground above the Columbia gorge, covered with light tan grasses that last saw the rain weeks ago. Farmers in this area are working overtime to turn the land into verdant circles. The fields we saw appear to be mostly alfalfa and hay, which begs the question, where is the livestock? We even passed a tree farm! The fields are circular because the irrigation/spray system that travels around a central hub. I’ve noticed these green circles before when flying over, and on Google satellite. It’s good to understand the “why.”
We arrived in Kennewick around 4:30 and hit the local grocery to pick up our dinner and some sundries. Heading to the hotel was an adventure. Henceforth I shall refrain from complaining about Jersey or NY drivers. (Pennsy is still fair game.) These people are truly terrible on the road. It seems the worse the driver, the better the car. A young lady suddenly pulled out in front of us forcing a fast reaction. I confess the continued use of foul language and used large, unmistakable gestures. Was the driver sheepish at all? No, she was not. A cheery wave and ingenue smile were her offerings. Akin to the old question about a tree in the woods: is an insult still an insult if it’s not understood? Is being oblivious a valid defense? Such questions are beyond me at this point because there’s too much data. During the three mile ride to the motel, we encountered a number of additional suspects. I don’t think they are actually stupid, the drivers we encountered just seem to make their minds up late on their next maneuver. Thinking a block ahead is rough work. Thank the Lord we didn’t meet anyone driving farm machinery.
The morning promise of a rainy day.
Hello, Portland!
In the span of forty miles, we went from lush to arid.
Take a minute to study the photo below. Evergreen?
One of several dams we saw while traveling along the Columbia River.
Eureka, CA to Cottage Grove, OR
We had to make a change in our plans today. We were intending to head for Crater Lake National Park in the Cascades in Southern Oregon. It’s such an exciting place to visit (in my mind) – a collapsed volcano that Native Americans had witnessed erupt almost 8,000 years ago. It’s elevation is very high, over 6,000 feet which makes it susceptible to cold weather. Yeah. Weather forecasts are for snow tomorrow. This is June 8th. Yea. Snow and motorcycles don’t mix particularly well. So we’ve rerouted our escapade to get around that white sh#!%t. So we headed to the burgeoning metropolis of Cottage Grove, Oregon (it is possible to find it on a map) on our way around that white stuff toward Glacier Nat’l Park in Montana and our meet-up with my sister, Judy.
While it’s disappointing to miss out on Crater Lake, we did manage to find a wondrous lane through immense and beautiful redwoods. It is the Newton B Drury Scenic Road through Redwood National Park and … it… is … stunning. Pics are attached, wonderfully shot, that give the barest hint of its beauty. Saw some elk in the bargain. It took us almost an hour to make our way through this 5 mile lane. Couldn’t tear ourselves away. Do you have any idea how much peace attends a grove that is filled with ancients like these? I think of the Ents, from Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. Or maybe Mirkwood, or Lothlorien. (Yep, fantastical fictional settings for a wondrous place.) “Wow” came up a lot.
On the way through, we passed a man struggling up a hill on a fully laden recumbent cycle who later passed us on the downhill side as we talked with Arnie Summers who’s Harley was parked on the side of the road. (More about the bicyclist in a minute.) Arnie is on a two month tour like ours and was headed toward Crater Lake, like us. Arnie is from Florida and was a little disappointed with the weather forecast. But he had so much to offer in terms of riding experience and suggestions on what to see and do on a tour of the US. We had a fabulous conversation and are so glad to have met. He is riding solo and heads wherever the spirit takes him. We exchanged contact information and look forward to hearing from him again. It turns out we will be in Rapid City, SD at the same time. Who knows, maybe dinner?
We stopped for lunch at a little diner fashioned out of a log cabin a few miles down the road. We had a simple but sumptuous lunch to die for and met, lol and behold, Mike the recumbent cyclist. He is on a perimeter tour of the country that started on January 1st and (he hopes) will conclude by Christmas. Yep, you heard that right. He’s on a year long tour representing the Fender Music Foundation for music education, www.fendermusicfoundation.org. Heis soliciting donations donations for his worthy cause. Though we passed him in the park, he has way surpassed us in the ambition of his tour. He says he’s behind schedule because a truck hit him and his bike in Texas. It took a couple of weeks for him to recover and get a new bike shipped. As you might figure, Mile is disgustingly fit and trim for his ancient stature (by my standards). A really nice guy, to boot.
The diner was situated right next to an emu farm. While Connie and I were getting ready to resume our travels, a young boy came out and had a face-to-face with an emu. All went well until the boy poked his fingers through the fence. Finger food is tasty, it seems. It was a brief encounter to be sure.
We met the combat vet, Craig, again on the road. We didn’t have a chance to talk, but it was fun riding with him for a while. Someone asked how he can take his dog along on a road trip. (see yesterday’s post.) Seems he has a trailer for his trike that has a compartment in front tailor made for his pup. Remember the folderol around Mitt Romney and his family dog? Same general idea. According to Craig, Sophie LOVES to travel that way. Think in terms of turbo charging a dog’s sniffer. Sensory overload, so forth.
We covered almost 300 beautiful miles today along CA Rt 101, US Rt 199, and I-5. Tired but happy. Lots of twisties and graceful curves. Tomorrow, further on our way to Glacier.
California coastline
Redwood National and State Park
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Great perspective here. Arnie’s bike looks so small compared to the trees.
The ride for Mike, a bicyclist from Georgia.
It’s amazing how many sculptures we’ve seen in Northern California and Oregon. Very cool.
Mendocino, CA to Eureka, CA
We had another good day. After a terrific breakfast at our Inn, we walked out to the point of Mendocino and took in the waves as they struck the cliffs. Satisfying booms and sprays the surf – it is so soothing to hear and see. The town is small and very cute, like most shore towns we’ve seen, even on the New England coast. Even more than our riding gear, our outfits screamed that we were out-of-towners. Jersey no less, though no big hair! Wide, soft-brimmed hats, down vests and gabardines are the uniform of choice. But the welcome we received was warm and friendly. Again. Nice.
We filled up at $5.56 per gallon ( yikes, small costal town ) and set off for my sister Judy’s house in Eureka. We rode a bit more on CA Rt 1 and had gorgeous sights all along the coast. The twisties were fun but slowed us down some. It took us about 5 hours to cover 190 miles, with stops. We met a Vietnam combat vet, named Craig, who had just attended an annual convention in San Diego. He is 70 and was on a Victory trike with camping gear and was riding back (by a circuitous route) to his home in Wisconsin. He does this every year, and yes, he camps at night. Sometimes he manages to take his dog, Sophie, along. He showed us pics to prove it. He had a ton of good suggestions on where to go, how to get there, and what to be careful of. He strongly encouraged us to bring bear spray with us when we head into the northern mountain ranges. He does, and there have been occasions when he’s needed it. Consider it done.
We are spending the night at my sister, Judy’s home and we’re so glad for her generosity. Unfortunately she is not here tonight, but is in Boston. A scheduling mix-up. We’ll hook up in a few days at Glacier Nat’l Park in Montana. We can’t wait.
The weather continues a bit chilly, mostly in the 60’s. (Hmmm, what’s the temp in Jersey these days?) we had to layer up some. Looks like it will remain cool as we head into Oregon, Washington and east into Idaho and Montana. Looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.
Mendocino Headlands State Park
From San Francisco to Mendocino, CA
We had a wonderful stay last night with Dan and Alexandra, and their children, Julian and Louise. And their Great Danes, Virgil and Diesel. And their fabulous collection of birds. Had a great chance to catch up on their very full lives and share some reminiscences of family lore. We were plied with wine and sumptuous food. Just a great evening and morning. I was delighted to show off Trixy to Julian and Louise who were interested in its workings in a satisfying way. To say “thanks”, both got a ride this morning before heading off to school. They are super kids; Dan and Alexandra are terrific parents.
We headed north along CA Rt 1 toward Mendocino, this night’s destination. We missed the chance to cross the Golden Gate Bridge because of traffic. However, the beauty of the roads up the coast more than made up for it. First class twisties and stunning views of the California coast made for a long but beautiful day. We met a trio from Brazil who flew into LA and were riding along the coast on rented BMW’s. Their bikes were beautiful GS1200’s, but were overshadowed by our beast. A little tasteful smugness here. We wound up on CA Rt 128 which took us through a redwood forest. They have grown so high and the canopy is so dense that it felt like we were riding through the shadows of a cathedral. That part of our route was unintentional, but we are blessed to have wandered through it.
We arrived in Mendocino, a small coastal village of about 1,000 souls. Beautiful and quaint don’t quite do it. Had supper in a small Irish pub called Patterson’s and met some of the locals: Judy, who owns a jewelry shop in town, and her friend, Kimberly, who just moved to town. They shared some local color and made us feel welcome.
We’re back at our bed and breakfast, Didjeridoo, which is also very cute. An old mansion built in 1882, its rooms are always booked and every room has a working fireplace. We are very lucky to be here.
Tomorrow it’s off to Eureka!
Our first view of the Pacific!
Came across three identical BMW “little” sisters of Trixy.
Hank’s grand niece and nephew ready for pajama day at school.
Flashing the MC riders’ sign of respect.
Early morning ride with Uncle Hank.
From Groveland, CA to San Francisco, CA
We had a more leisurely day today. It was a short (er) ride to San Francisco. We arrived this afternoon and spent some a nice afternoon evening visit with Hank’s nephew, Danny and his wife, Alexandra, and their two young children, Julian and Louise. It’s late now and Hank is conked out. But I didn’t want anyone to worry if we missed a blog post.
Tomorrow we head up the California coastline in Highway 1. It’s supposed to be one of the loveliest scenic rides in the country. So we’ll have more stories and photos tomorrow night.
Sleep well!
A beautiful day! We got out at 7:30 for the 45 minute drive to Yosemite Park. With various meandering for gas and sight seeing, we arrived a little before 9:00 and found a place to park at Sentinel Bridge. It wasn’t a snap because a LOT of other folks had the idea of coming early. The first sight that greeted us was the glorious Yosemite Falls, which cascades over 2,400 feet in two cataracts. Because the spring runoff from the snow pack is at its height, we were treated to a truly breathtaking sight. We couldn’t tear our eyes away, or take enough pictures, or think of anything else for a time. (Pics attached.)
Eventually we made our way to the shuttle stop, but had some trouble getting a lift because they were all full. A LOT of folks had the same idea we had. So we moved the bike further up Valley and set out for a hike on the Mist Trail toward the Vernal Falls, about 3 miles round trip with a goodly change in elevation. We enjoyed meeting folks along the way and studiously ignored the trail bunnies who jogged by with youthful vigor. Show offs! At last we chugged our way to a bridge built across the raging Merced River. The water thundered underneath us down the steep, rocky incline. The river was so full it diverged in places to foam and eddy in side channels. Again we were mesmerized and awed. The mist cooled the air and was a grateful balm on this hot day. Wonderful!
As we hiked back to our bike, we saw a number of falls that dropped out of the rock faces that towered around us. We got a good view of famous formations like El Capitan, the Half Dome, and the Chapel. If you ever have a chance, watch the PBS series, The National Parks, created by Ken Burns (who did series on the Civil War and others.) You’ll get a feeling for the genius behind the founding of the National Park System, and appreciate why many consider Yosemite as its crown jewel. We did.
A short ride (30 minutes is short by California standards) brought is to the trailhead to the Merced Grove, the smallest of three sites where giant sequoias grow. This hike was a bit over 3 miles round trip along a steep trail, but at the far end 25 mammoth trees await your pleasure. Connie has pics that in some small way convey just how big they are. By rough estimation, one tree appeared to be about 300 feet tall. We tried to gauge its diameter and estimate its about 15 feet in across. That makes it about 45 or 46 feet in circumference. Giant and stately. And the quiet that filled the glade leaves one filled with both peace and awe. We met a wonderful couple, Len and Ann, who live nearby and come there often. When we remarked on this wonder, they expressed that they feel blessed to have this wonder in their backyard.
We feel blessed, too. To be in a position to make a trip like this and see such wonders. The world is filled with beauty and wonder. To see it with open eyes and an open heart is to know inspiration that dwarfs the sometimes tawdriness of the daily grind. It’s all around us. Connie found a quote from John Muir, the founding genius of America’s park system. I’ll close with it tonight.
“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.”
― John Muir, John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir
Merced Grove of Sequoias in Yosemite
From Minden, NV to Groveland, CA, outside of Yosemite National Park
We left Minden, NV this morning on the way to Groveland, CA, just outside Yosemite Park. As we loaded the bike, there was an antique car show just across the street in the town square. I am not an expert on cars, new or old. But I can read and there were Rolls and Dusenbergs, and a plethora of vintage cars, all shined up with proud owners close at hand. Among car lovers in the know, the level of lust was palpable. We enjoyed from a discreet distance.
On the way out, we also got a last look and some pics of the snow capped Sierras from the east. Then we rode up into them for a more intimate encounter on Rt 88 which took us through Carson Pass (alt. 8400 feet) and some slightly lower roads. At points the snow pack was still 10 feet high at roadside, and a number of lakes are still frozen even this late in the Spring. The sights and nice twisty roads made the trip over the summit a lot of fun.
Just over the California state line, everything suddenly became green. Seriously. From semi-arid to lush in about ½ a mile. Aspens, ponderosa pines, and loads of sprouting bushes and grass. Gorgeous. We stopped for lunch a little below Kirkwood, CA and feasted on a breakfast burritos at the newly opened cafe, “The Chatterbox.” We met another biker, Todd, who was riding back home to Cali from Phoenix with his new bike – retired Police bike with “police” emblazoned all over. He cheerfully announced he gets a lot of attention when he rides by. Wonder why.
We picked up Rt 49 which led us a merry chase up and down a number of mountain ridges with switch backs aplenty. The road signs cautioned we take the curves at about 20 MPH and rightly so. Very fun but we had to pay attention. Historically, Rt 49 was built to service the original 49ers (1849 gold rush) who mined the area for gold and silver. Silver was more common over the area we rode. Almost sorry we didn’t stop to stake a claim.
After a wild ride on RT. 120, we arrived in Groveland to a beautiful AirBnB complete with hot tub and all the accoutrements. Although we only rode about 160 miles, they were fairly intense and the stop is very welcome. Tomorrow we plan to visit Yosemite Valley and take a hike to Merced Grove which contains magnificent sequoias. We’ll be up with the dawn to beat the crowds who typically flood the park. So for now, good night and good luck.
Snow and frozen lakes in the high Sierra mountains.
The very windy RT. 120 into the Yosemite area.
Groceries for the next two days. (Alcohol not pictured)
The bluest flowers I’ve ever seen…
Ely, NV to Minden, NV
We had a bit of late start this morning because we met the nicest couple from Hurricane, UT, Mike and Deidre. We found conversation easy and we talked away more than an hour. We learned about the area in which they spent their lives and raised their kids. Mike’s Dad was part of the CCC group that build RT 89, a road we traveled quite a bit during our stay in Southern Utah. They were in Ely to revisit a favorite antique rail and steam engine train. Very cool. Of course we told them about our favorite game, “Rail Baron.”
We had a good long ride from Ely, to Minden, NV, south of Carson City. We covered 340 mostly hot miles across desert plains and 10 picturesque mountain passes bearing names like Pinto, and Robinson and Pancake, and traveled roughly the trails of the Pony Express. Our route was US 50, called by Life magazine in the 70’s “the loneliest road in America. We believe it. There were very few cars and about 80 to 110 miles between gas stations. When we first entered Nevada yesterday, we heard about a stamp book put out to promote the towns along Rt. 50. The goal is to stop in these little towns at the museum, chamber offices, or select shops to get stamps proving you had traveled there. We managed to get 5 stamps and hope to reap the prize: a letter from Nevada’s governor congratulating us on our perseverance and good taste to visit Nevada on this road. We suspect that it also forces travelers to notice the multitude of casinos that tempt the unwary. Whatever. We enjoyed and will reach for the prize. Did I mention it was hot?
From east to west, we crossed the Schell Creek Range, White Pine Range, Diamond Mountains, Monitor Range, Toquima Range, Toyabe Mountains, Shoshone Mountains, the Desatoya Mountains, and two others. Towns include Eureka, Austin, Cold Springs, Fallon and Dayton, all small towns founded on the verge of the huge valleys between ranges. We have some nice pics.
We were so impressed how big the valleys are, up to 50 miles or more with the road slashing across as straight as an arrow. Some miles were filled with little more than hot sand, others boasted scrub and small trees, some miles were even lush with green grass from recent rains. We saw small numbers of cows spread across square miles, and even a small herd of wild horses. We followed a pickup trailing a speed boat, which seemed a bit out of place in the desert. He turned off finally at this beautiful patch of blue water, Lahonton Reservoir. Amazing. And fun.
Tonight we’re staying in an AirBnB in Minden. The founders named the town after their home of Minden, Germany in 1906. It’s cute, pretty even, and is nestled under the east slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which got around 60 feet of snow this past winter. So the view of snow capped peaks is wonderful. Word is that some of the mountain lakes are still frozen. We will have to choose our route carefully tomorrow as we make our way toward Yosemite. But that’s for tomorrow.
Our “Survival Guide”
Scenes from the day …
A mid-day respite from desert terrain.
Dust devils are cool and plentiful in Nevada!
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Our completed map. We collected 5 of the 8 stamps which earn us the title of “Survivors of the Lonliest Road in America.”
Moab, UT to Ely, NV via the “Loneliest Road in America”
Hi, again. Just a short note that it was a long day’s ride along exceedingly straight roads. We both got excited when a road sign indicated a curve, maybe even cautioning drivers to slow to 60. The mountains we saw in the far distance were a nice backdrop. For straight roads. Very straight. I may be repeating myself.
We’re spending the night in Ely, Nevada (pronounced “eelie”) having covered nearly 400 miles. Our total now is 5,100 for the trip. This town is a cute place, nestled between mountain ranges. A couple of notes:
There is so much space out here that even small houses have lots larger than NJ’s McMansions.
There are few opportunities to recycle. Recycling seems to be a foreign concept. Of course, since land is cheap, so would landfills be cheap. We find this very jarring. No one out here blinks an eye.
And wasteful. Portions here are huge and seem more than most people could finish so much goes to waste. More even than a Jersey diner. Same with water use. We’re used to thinking about conservation and recycling.
People are generally very willing and happy to talk and get to know one another. Even in supermarkets while your ice cream is melting. Gotta know what’s going on with the kids/spouse/parents, so forth. Have learned to take deep breaths while in line.
Tomorrow it’s off to Minden, NV, another way point to Yosemite, about 350 miles away. The map seems to show a lot more straight road. I’m sure I’ll dream of Olympic slalom. See you tomorrow on the blog.
At 50 miles …
100 miles …
150 miles …
200 miles…
250 miles …
300 miles …
325 miles …
350 miles …
380 miles … just shy of our destination.
Wandering Retirees 