Man oh man, was the motel in Brigham City ever busy this morning. All the guests and their collection of rug rats were attempting to score breakfast within the same 15 minute period and it was a little frightening watching the melee` that resulted. Fortunately I'd prepped the bike and my gear the night before so my food intake time was minimal and I was out of there like a scalded cat.
Once I escaped from Motel Hell I smoked on up the freeway taking whatever northwesterly route the Garmin gizmo directed.Utah quickly disappeared in the dust and Idaho stepped up for the next segment. Even if there wasn't a state line sign you'd know something had transpired just by the condition of the road surfaces. Maybe the Mormon guys have more pull with the Federalies when highway funds are passed out?
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| What the heck are those Mormons thinking? Are they crazy?!! |
I've been through Idaho a bunch of times and it's difficult to find things to photograph so I kept up a sizzling pace stopping only for gas and pit stops. By early afternoon I'd cleared out of Idaho and crossed over into OR, and what a difference! I love this state and nothing else seems to compare, I feel at home as soon as I cross the border.
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Yaaay! I'm back in OR!!!! Hey what's that odd looking crater in my chin? Am I coming down with Jay Leno syndrome or something? Maybe I'll have to learn how to use Photo Shop so I can fix things like that.
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As a result of the reduced speed limit of 55 mph I found myself idling along and gawking at all the old sights with renewed interest. Pictures that follow may seem a bit bland or common but it was such a great feeling to be back I couldn't help shooting a few.
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| Small farms like this one dot the landscape along the way |
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| Eastern OR farms rely on canals for a lot of their watering needs |
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Boy I like these places, I think if I were a bunch younger I might move there. Raise cows, maybe wrestle steers. Shoot stuff. Yell.
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| Typical of the small irrigation canals. Or maybe that's something else? Gross! |
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| Area around the community of Vale |
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| The road I'd be taking west |
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| Poor little house, no one's coming back for you |
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| Cliffs along the Malheur river |
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| Rest stop, Eastern OR style complete with bushes. AND biting insects. |
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| Time for some manly road food before riding on. |
By late afternoon, around 4:00 pm or so I stopped in Burns to gas up. It was still early enough for me to ride on to Bend and I'd nearly decided to do so but as I headed out of town I spotted the Best Western I'd stayed at before. Visions of a hot shower and clean sheets worked their magic on me and I didn't even hesitate, pulled right in and that was that.
Later I met a couple of Harley riders with matching red fireman commemorative models. They were riding home to Sacramento after a brief ride from Alaska. They'd shipped their bikes up to Anchorage, then flew up and rode them back."Nice ride" I said, "but did you get a chance to ride further north, like on the Alcan?" "Uh, nope." Then they fired up their matching red beasts and went out for another ride through Burns, OR, center of the known world. Complete with cat bowl helmets and FREAKING SHOWER FLIP-FLOPS! Ah well, they're from Sacramento and that's in California, right? 'Nuff said.
After they left I cleaned the larger bugs off BB and added the remaining half quart of oil bringing it up to the full mark so I'm ready for the ride home tomorrow. Maybe I'll take a couple more pictures along the way.
Adios
LL
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