MSTA Forums
Ride Reports => Just For Fun Ride Reports => Topic started by: NinjaBob on September 03, 2023, 04:49:48 PM
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Not an event report but a report of a 6000 mile road trip by 4 MSTA members to the Pacfic Northwest in August. The jouney was made a bit more interesting by large swings in temperature and dodging wildfires blocking our route! The plan was to ride out to the Pacfic in Washington State and then work back through Montana and the Dakotas.
The group included Kevin from the NOLA area on his R1250 GSA, Tony on his R1250 RT and myself on my Yamaha Tracer 9 GT from the Baton Rouge area and Scott on his R1250 GS form northeast OK We met up on a Saturday in Amarillo TX. I left on Friday and rode to Paris Texas for the night, about half distance to Amarillo and a frequent starting point for my trips out west. Saturdays 400 mile ride to Amarillo saw temps as high as 105F. The humidity was not as high as I am used to in south Louisiana and I was not terribly uncomfortable in my mesh riding gear and cooling towel. However, I made sure to stop every 100 miles or so to rehydrate and wet my towel. It was certainly good to have a motel room waiting for me with the AC on full! The four of us enjoyed a steak for supper at the BIg Texan Steak Ranch a short walk from the motel.
Sunday's destination was Salida, CO. We rode through Dalhart, TX and Clayton, NM to Raton, NM where we picked up I-25 to Walsenburg, CO. From there we went west on CO 69 which I have ridden several times on trips to the Sport Touring Association Rendesvous in Avon. A few miles soth of US 50 we took a shortcut on a county rod to Cotopaxi where we stopped for fuel and a snack. THat is Tony seated on the right. The two guys on the left were local dual sport riders, also taking a break.
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The ride on US 50 to Salida was pleasant. We ate at the first of several Mexican resaurants but the Margheritas and food were great!
More to come.
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Monday's destination was Rock Springs, WY, one of our longest days, 432 miles. We rode up US 285 and US 24 to Leadville one of the highest elevation cities in the US at 10,158 feet. We stopped there for breakfast. Our typical riding day consists of an early start followed by a 75 to 150 mile run and a stop for a good breakfast (usually skipping lunch, except maybe some pie). Today's breakast was at the Golden Burrow Cafe a favorite eating spot for our riding groups on our many treks to the Rockies. However after studying the menu we realized the place has turned vegan since our last visit! Three of us were outraged and elected to eat only pancakes. I enjoyed a healthy breakfast scramble with hashbrowns, spinach, fake eggs and fake sausage topped witha pretty slice of avocado. It was pretty tasty!
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After breakfast we continued up US 24. A quarter mile from the cafe I noticed my GPS was not in its cradle. I immeditely let the group know over our Cardo communicator group that I was turning around to look for it. Kevin was able to turn around faster than I could and when I did I see him standing in the road waving for an 18 wheeler to stop! He picked up my Zumo and remounted. THanks again Kevin!
WE rode US 24 which has some nice curves and scenery to I 70 which we rode west to Rifle, CO. Then CO 13 a 64 to Dinosaur, US 40 to Vernal, US 91 into Wyoming to I-80 and finally a short jog east on I-80 to Rock Springs
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Tuesday August 15 was our shortest day, only 267 miles, because the Klim fans wanted to stop at Klim headquarters and retail store in Rigby, Idaho to try on gear and shop.
We rode US 191 and US 189 North Northwest to Teton National Forest with a stop in Pinedale WY for breakfast at the Wrangler Cafe. Then US 25 to Alpine and into Idaho following the Snake River on US 25.
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The Klim store was pretty neat, they do have great gear. After a about an hour of hanging out while Scott bough some gloves and a shirt we made our final short leg to Rexburg.
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August 16 was a 443 mile day to La Grande, OR. US 20 to Boise and then I-84 up to La Grande. The only memorable thing about this day was our breakfast stop in Arco, ID. Thr food and service at Pickle's Place was oustanding and the guys who had pancakes all said they were the best and largest they remember ever eating.
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My breakfast YUM!
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Hi Bob,
I'm not sure how many actually read the forum and I still can't see what Facebook has to offer over a forum...but it is what it is I guess.
Regardless, I'm interrupting the flow of your trip report with this post to let you know there is at least one person out here enjoying it!
Wow, fake eggs and fake sausage?..you're a tough dude. :clap:
Sorry for the interuption...now please continue. 8) :)
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I'm still getting back to my former routine...including checking out recent posts to the forum. But yes, I'm enjoying these posts as well. And dreaming of days when I can again be doing things like this myself again.
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Thanks guys! It was getting slightly depressing to not get ANY comments.
More and better pictures to come.
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And Geoffrey, my best wishes to you for a full recovery!
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And Geoffrey, my best wishes to you for a full recovery!
DITTO for sure! (although behind your back I call you "Jeff" :P, so get well soon so you can *lecture >:(* me on that {*aka: kick my rear end})
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August 17 our ride was 358 miles to Astoria, OR and some great scenery and fun roads along the Columbia River Gorge. I 84 follows the gorge for many miles and the views from I-84 were great. At a couple points we left the Interstate and rode the historic highway. We stopped for photos at Horsetail Falls and the Vista House Overlook. The beautifully paved winding road up to Vista House was a delight!
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Very good report and quite enjoyable read Bob. I don't get on the forum as often as I used to, but always enjoy these kind of stories. I used to get razzed by some in my group for posting lengthy ride reports to our email list. Then this year after Fly By nobody posted and somebody asked "we need one of Steve's old fashioned ride reports. I did a quick one, just didn't have the time then.
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Thanks Steve. More to come. I am sifting through all the pictures looking for the best ones.
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Astoria is at the mouth of the Columbia River and seemed like a once popular tourist trap that has seen better days. Our accomodation was at the Atomic Motel, advertised as decorated in 50s style (most likely because that's when it was built) and without Air Conditioning. We were able to stay reasonably cool with a box fan in the window. Next door to the motel is the quaint Pig and Pancake diner. We ate supper and breakfast there, good chow!
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Yes, keep the ride reports coming. Some of us have to live vicariously through others. I don't think of it as rubbing it it in, more like telling of an exciting ride. Greetings to GEOffrey also. Good to hear from you ol' buddy. best to all injured on the fateful weekend. TM
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On August 18 we breakfasted before heading out. We crossed a super high bridge over the Columbia River into Washington and rode north on US 101, making a short detour on WA 102 to Seaview Beach where a gravel road runs out to the actual beach. We stopped and took pictures of our bikes with the Pacific Ocean in the background. We continued up scenic 101 with plenty of views of the Pacific and on to Port Angeles and finally Silverdale on the Puget Sound.
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Saturday the 19th we were forced to alter our planned route via awesome WA 20 due to forest fires, shortening ourr day from 320 to 260 miles. We began the morning with a ferry ride across Puget Sound into downtown Seattle. The Washinton State Ferry system lets two wheel customer go to the front of the line so we enjoyed a nice view from the front of the boat.
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Yes :trink39: enjoying the posts but we did miss you last weekend at the BS Rally.
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Thanks! Miss you folks at Theodosia, but after 6000 miles and 18 b days on road had a bunch of domestic catching up to do.
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I don't get on here every day, but I do try to check in regularly. I tend strongly toward lurker rather than poster, so I apologize, Bob, for not giving you feedback. I'm really enjoying this thread about your trip! PNW is a region I hope to ride in the future, so thank you for sharing!
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Thanks Byan! Glad you are enjoying it.
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Bob
Just curious on tire wear on yo're 6000 mile trip.
I have a Tracer GT and usually get around 4000 miles on a set of tires
Dougt
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Bob
Just curious on tire wear on yo're 6000 mile trip.
I have a Tracer GT and usually get around 4000 miles on a set of tires
Dougt
Doug, before the trip I had just over 5000 on the OEM Bridgestone T32s and they looked only about half done. I hate to change tires with that much tread left but I did, to Dunlop Road Smart 3s.
Now at 6200 miles on the Dunlops they too look only about half worn. Of course we know looking half worn does not mean they will last another 6 or even 3 thousand as tires seem to wear faster as the tread gets thinner. But I am definetely getting significantly more than 4000.
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Bob, glad to relive the ride again. Definitely many lifetime memories with a great group of riders. Keep them coming! Glad you are here to document it!(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230913/0a784b58ee83ac970ddaa4d9042e1b8f.jpeg)
Beautiful sunflowers!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Thanks Scott, was great sharing the ride with you. Thanks for contributing the picture!
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Our wildfire avoidance route took us on US 2 through Snoqualnie and Wenatchee National Forests and along the Wenatchee River and back on another stretch of the Columbia River. We turned off of US 2 at Coulee City onto WA 155 for our final leg to Gand Coulee population 972, next to the Grand Coulee Dam.
We had a pleasant stay at Trail West, a small but nice mom & pop motel.
Sunday August 20 was a 350 mile ride to Hungry Horse, Montana. Although the highway into Grand Coulee was mostly flat and straight our road out of town took us up a winding trail up the mountain. I was not ready for major twisties first thing in the morning! But the Tracer's tires felt good on the smooth pavement and I soon got into the zone. Old Coulee Hill Road soon fed back into WA 174 and we were soon back on US 2 but we soon reached Spokane and got on I-90. We were soon back in Idaho and passing through Coeur D'Alene and Coeur D'Alene National Forest. After crossing into Montana we exited I-90 at St. Regis and rode state roads 135, 200, 382 and 28 and once again US 2 for the final leg to Hungry Horse and our motel the Mini Golden Inns Motel.
Hungry Horse, population 828, is another Dam town, established to house workers that built the Hungry Horse dam, completed in 1953. The original town name was Damtown but later changed to Hungry Horse. The name comes from a local legend about two horses that escaped and almost starved to death in deep snow.
A cute little town but not really photogenic. This is my only photo. I observed the warning and took appropriate action.
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Bob
Just curious on tire wear on yo're 6000 mile trip.
I have a Tracer GT and usually get around 4000 miles on a set of tires
Dougt
Well Doug, if you slow down once in a while you might get a few more miles. I'm sure the middles have tread. ;^) TM
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I do have a secret for extended tire life. Riding like an old man.
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The overnight in Hungry Horse was strategically planned to facilitate the tricky execution of the highlight of the entire trip, The Going To The Sun Road through Glacier National Park, perhaps one of the top ten motorcycling roads in the USA. I had attempted to ride the Going To The Sun from the estern end on my way to the first STAR (Sport Touring Association Rendesvous) in 1991. Unfortunately it was still closed in June of that year do to snow. So I was as eager as my comerades to ride it. Unfortunately due to road construction and high demand vehicle reservatioins are required to enter the road from the west entrance. The chances of all four of us getting reservations for the same time were slim to none but Kevin found a hack. Boat tours are a big thing in the park and visitors with boat tour tickets were giving entrance passes. We all bought 25 buck tour tickets. I was a liitle skeptical but it worked like a charm. We were all granted entrance, however only 3 made the ride. The problem was 9 miles of mud. The first 9 miles were under construction and dirt. And it was beginning to rain. The lovely Park Ranger at the entrance warned us that road conditions were treacherous. Having total my Concours on a muddy road a year ago I was not willing to risk my 4 month old Tracer 9GT. I told the guys I'd meet them at the Eastern end of the park.
I backtracked to US 2 and rode it mostly in light rain to East Glacier.
So, the following photos of Glacier NP are are not mine:
(https://ridemsta.com/mstaforums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barrowcreek.com%2Fgallery%2FPNW2023%2Fglacier_np.jpg&hash=3659947bdb574a3e98e9d113700a487405c782ab)
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I hooked up with the guys in Browning. Their bikes were covered in mud. One had gone down and suffered cosmetic damage, a torn pants leg and minor road rash.
I was not regretting by decision to bail out.
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I do have a secret for extended tire life. Riding like an old man.
I rode like an old man when I was much younger. Hahahahahaha!!! Still do. ;) TM
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The overnight in Hungry Horse was strategically planned to facilitate the tricky execution of the highlight of the entire trip, The Going To The Sun Road through Glacier National Park, perhaps one of the top ten motorcycling roads in the USA. I had attempted to ride the Going To The Sun from the estern end on my way to the first STAR (Sport Touring Association Rendesvous) in 1991. Unfortunately it was still closed in June of that year do to snow. So I was as eager as my comerades to ride it. Unfortunately due to road construction and high demand vehicle reservatioins are required to enter the road from the west entrance. The chances of all four of us getting reservations for the same time were slim to none but Kevin found a hack. Boat tours are a big thing in the park and visitors with boat tour tickets were giving entrance passes. We all bought 25 buck tour tickets. I was a liitle skeptical but it worked like a charm. We were all granted entrance, however only 3 made the ride. The problem was 9 miles of mud. The first 9 miles were under construction and dirt. And it was beginning to rain. The lovely Park Ranger at the entrance warned us that road conditions were treacherous. Having total my Concours on a muddy road a year ago I was not willing to risk my 4 month old Tracer 9GT. I told the guys I'd meet them at the Eastern end of the park.
I backtracked to US 2 and rode it mostly in light rain to East Glacier.
So, the following photos of Glacier NP are are not mine:
(https://ridemsta.com/mstaforums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barrowcreek.com%2Fgallery%2FPNW2023%2Fglacier_np.jpg&hash=3659947bdb574a3e98e9d113700a487405c782ab)
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(https://ridemsta.com/mstaforums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barrowcreek.com%2Fgallery%2FPNW2023%2Frandom02.jpg&hash=c230358a2ae04a55c36f4b4ead9a3b3257d9bf0a)
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I hooked up with the guys in Browning. Their bikes were covered in mud. One had gone down and suffered cosmetic damage, a torn pants leg and minor road rash.
I was not regretting by decision to bail out.
It was beautiful once we got past the mud! I was white knuckled a few times…. I took my time at my pace…. We passed several cruisers going the opposite direction. I’m sure they weren’t happy with the road conditions!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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While I've blanketed the eastern US during my 40ish years of riding, I'm looking very forward to experiencing the eastern half of Canada once I get back to riding. And the PNW is very much on my list as well. I think I could spend more than a few months just visiting the National Parks in California.
Just a reminder...check those rear view mirrors every time you slow down. There might be someone there ready to hurt you.
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While I've blanketed the eastern US during my 40ish years of riding, I'm looking very forward to experiencing the eastern half of Canada once I get back to riding. And the PNW is very much on my list as well. I think I could spend more than a few months just visiting the National Parks in California.
Just a reminder...check those rear view mirrors every time you slow down. There might be someone there ready to hurt you.
Thanks for the reminder Geoffrey. I have been rear-ended while stopped twice in the last few years so the rear view mirrors are always on my mind.
I hope your rehab is going well. Hers's to many future great road trips to you!
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On August 22 we had a 292 mile ride from Glasgow to Dickinson, ND. North Dakota is one of only four states I had not ridden on a motorcycle and it was good to check that off my bucket list. Also the weather was much improved from the previous day. The highlight of the day was a tour of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I must admit I had never even heard of it before this trip!
We headed south out of Glasgow on MT 24 to MT 200 and then on east on I-94 to Theodore Roosevelt NP South Unit. The park has a 22 mile loop with beutiful scenery and wildlife along the way but there was a road closer near the end so we about 17 miles and then backtracked. At a couple of pint the road was literally block by a few dozen Bison, requiring a ranger to herd them off the road with his truck. We slowly rode past several huge beasts within a few feet of our machines! The park is also home to a herd of wild horses but they kept thir distance.
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Dickenson, ND is less than 300 miles from International Peace Gardens, Dunseith, ND. We were there in mid- July, 2023. After reading about it, we had wanted to go there for a few years and finally made it there this year. It is very peaceful and heart warming. It covers over 3,000 acres with camping available, lakes and many memorials and museums as well as part of the towers from 9-11 attack.
There were not a lot of people making for a great visit, without the crowds. As someone said, if this was located near New York, there would be a lot more people, but ND just does not get that many visitors.
If you go, take your passport or other ID as listed on their website. It is located half in the USA, and half in Canada.
They also have a sense of humor in the rest rooms. See photos below.
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While I've blanketed the eastern US during my 40ish years of riding, I'm looking very forward to experiencing the eastern half of Canada once I get back to riding. And the PNW is very much on my list as well. I think I could spend more than a few months just visiting the National Parks in California.
Just a reminder...check those rear view mirrors every time you slow down. There might be someone there ready to hurt you.
Thanks for the reminder Geoffrey. I have been rear-ended while stopped twice in the last few years so the rear view mirrors are always on my mind.
I hope your rehab is going well. Hers's to many future great road trips to you!
Prior to this incident, I had only been bumped from the rear one time (at a traffic light) in nearly 40 years of riding. The lady that hit me this time, per the accident report, slowed from 35 to near 30 while the estimate for me on that report was slowing from 35 to near 10 mph. I was unconscious for an extended period of time after the impact, so I can't even guess why I was slowing (especially to a speed as slow as 10 mph) and I don't remember the impact at all. But if she really hit me with a closing speed near 25 mph, it's no wonder I've suffered the injuries involved. That's a substantial impact!
I don't know how fast the guy that hit Brick recently was traveling, but seeing the pictures of the front of that car tells me he hit Brick at a substantial speed.
I go in a couple of weeks for another exam by the orthopedic surgeon who did my pelvic reconstruction. If he says my pelvis is healed enough that I can be weight-bearing, maybe I can start more rigorous therapy for walking and balancing (leading eventually to maybe riding), and more. My fingers are crossed. I've been in a wheel chair or bed for nearly 2 1/2 months. Others have had worse injuries, but this is by far the worst thing that's ever happened to me.
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We are praying and hoping that you get much better soon. And, be able to walk easily, maybe even run soon, and back on a cycle. The hope is what will help you get better also.
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Get well soon Geoffrey!
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Yes, keep the ride reports coming. Some of us have to live vicariously through others. I don't think of it as rubbing it it in, more like telling of an exciting ride. Greetings to GEOffrey also. Good to hear from you ol' buddy. best to all injured on the fateful weekend. TM
Well said Tom. After MPFB one of our former riders asked "where is Steve's report" which I'd often post after an event or local ride. I don't tell the best stories, too much of my analytic brain going with route details or other less interesting stuff. But good to know people were still enjoying them.
PS that Atomic motel in Astoria looked cool, reminded me a bit of the Alleghany Inn in Sparta NC.
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9 miles of mud? No way I would have tried that no matter what I was on. Going to the sun road, it was still closed when we tried to do it after STAR in Rapid City, so its on my return to the west list.
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Time to wrap this story up.
On Wednesday the 23rd we rode 363 miles south through western South Dakota and to Chadron, Nebraska. Our route took us through the Black Hills and through Deadwood and Custer on US 385 which took us all the way to Chadron. This would be the last night for the four of us together. We had a nice meal at Helen's pancake and Steak House.
Thursday would be a 413 mile ride for three of us through Nebraska to Phillipsburg, Kansas on NE 250 and 2 and US 83 to Oberlin, Kansas where three of us turned east on US 36. Kevin continued south on US 83 on his way back to Amarillo to pick up his truck and trailer.
The Cottonwood Inn in Phillipsburg proved to be a real dump, which was surprising since the Cottonwood Inn in Glasgow was super nice. However the Sand Trap Bar and Grill turned out to be a very friendly place and the food was fine.
For Friday Tony and Scott had a nearly 500 mile day to Scott's place in Kansas, OK and they left way before dawn to beat the heat. I had a much shorter day, 253 miles to my son's place in Wichita and waited for daylight to hit the road. The short ride to Wichita was pleasant. I spent Friday night and Saturday hanging out with my son and his family. We had a great visit and I headed home on Sunday, a trip I've made many times, stopping half way in Paris, Texas arriving home on Monday, 6071 miles in 18 days.
It was a great trip! Happy Trails with great friends. I was quite pleased with the performance of my new Yamaha Tracer 9 GT. I had been worried about downgrading from a shaft drive bike to a chain but my Tutoro auto oiler worked as advertised and no slack adjustments were required.
Below are links to Google maps from our track log, broken into two parts due to size limit in Google Maps.
Part 1
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Pfne7AKZUAzRt60iD2fZoklz9YqRABs&usp=sharing (https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Pfne7AKZUAzRt60iD2fZoklz9YqRABs&usp=sharing)
Part 2
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1huzcFr4lQL0ytmA3acvI70qrW51CYbM&usp=sharing (https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1huzcFr4lQL0ytmA3acvI70qrW51CYbM&usp=sharing)
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Great ride report Bob! Good to relive these epic adventures again!(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230928/23e7a7b70b9c07ca5a0b8258959fa17f.jpg)
On the way home…. The largest ball of twine….
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