The Bumblebee and the Vespa 2014

I think it's time for me to redefine what this new blog is about. In the past I've posted individual blogs for motorcycle/motor scooter rides to places like Alaska, Nova Scotia, Key West, Mexico, Canada, New York, etc. That's all well and good but it seems nowadays I'm dividing my rides into shorter ones comprised of two or more weeks each on different bikes. The total time and mileage is about the same, it's just split into multiple rides with a break somewhere in the middle.

The summer of 2014 serves as a good example of that wherein I rode south to Tombstone, AZ on my '92 BMW R100GS Bumblebee/Ural sidecar rig, (phew!) then returned home for a few days and set out again on my '07 Vespa 250ie motor scooter to visit Canada. That summer has gone and the seasons have changed as will the reports, some will be about shorter rides, some will be about maintenance, and maybe on occasion I'll post a photo or two just for interest. I may even introduce other bikes, a few of which are lurking under cover in the barn...

Navigating this blog is easy, just scroll down the list of posts by date to whatever interests you, click on it and you're in. Photos can be viewed in larger format by clicking on them.

Finally, if you'd care to post comments please do so, I'd love to hear from you. CLICK ON "NO COMMENTS" TO ENTER YOUR REMARKS. That seems really silly but that's how it works. The entry window is located at the bottom of each screen. Thanks for visiting, I hope you enjoy your stay.

LL

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Jul 20 - Day 17 Vespa 250 - Twistiest Road in the World!

I'm thinking I'll just post pics tonight without a lot of gabbing. The day wasn't all that long but I'm feeling pooped for some reason so tonight I'm going to watch the tube and just relax. Here goes:

First thing each morning take a pic of where you're headed

Ah the lure of old apple orchards


Didn't find the old orchard, just some old buildings 

Council looked like a good breakfast stop

Ahoy Council! Anyone home? 

This was Information Central for the old courthouse 


The old courthouse - no trespassing Wonder if they've got a town policeman?

Some cool murals on it

Local cafe where the locals eat. And old scooter riders

Main drag 
Old buildings everywhere - all closed on Sunday
Leaving town heading north again. Remember that number, 95 

Little Salmon River



Hero Scooter Rider always waves at Harley people. That has zip to do with this photo, just happened to cross my mind at the moment. Besides it's my blog so I can say stuff whenever I please. 




Salmon River goes on forever


Pretty interesting stuff on all these signs


Can't recall why I took this one...must have had a reason
Hell's Canyon community

Bad ass Nez Perce kicked some butt here



Battle tactics

There 'tis just like the sign says


It's a pretty place. You can see why someone would like living there. Unless they were forced to.

Rolling into Cottonwood 

Took this in case I forgot the name of the place

Seemed quiet until I remembered it's Sunday

Sunday brunch on the road
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Sidewalk bulletin board in Cottonwood

Go ahead, write in anyone's phone number. Fun times in Cottonwood


Now the fun begins

Cool B&B  

Entrance is through the dog's butt. Izzat a rear entrance or what?



Bad luck Indians
Lewis & Clark - those guys were everywhere!

North of Winchester the fun really began - way more twisties than Tail of the Dragon. Scary to ride, no guard rails, no speeds posted, you can never take your eyes off the road.Plus no shoulder to park on. None. Nadda...

Evil, evil road

Beautiful wheat fields artfully landscaped. Or maybe just mowed?
After leaving the twisties you arrive at Culdesac

Lots of single-wide homes in Culdesac



It doesn't look like the trains are coming back anytime soon. Kinda sad.

Nicely preserved old buildings

Jim-Bob parks his pickup in the middle of the street, jumps out and runs over to me. "Can I help you with something?" he asks. "Nope, I'm good" I sez "But I saw you stopped at the other end of town and now you're stopped down here. Looks like you need something" "Oh" I sez, "Well you see I'm writing a book about small towns and I'm taking photos for it. Would you like to be in it?" "Wow, sure!" he says. "Smile then" sez I....

And so he did. Another happy camper.

Oh boy I'm gonna be in a book, wait till I tell the guys!

Arriving at Lewiston from the south

So there you have it, an interesting day for me, saw lots of places I'd never known about. The highlight was the road to and beyond Winchester, the twisty one leading to Culdesac. It was only around 15 miles long but I really enjoyed it and I was apparently the only one on it. I saw two Harley guys riding the opposite direction and one farm truck, that's all. Maybe the locals avoid driving it due to the dangerous curves? Or maybe they stay home on Sundays?

Anyway I'm in for the night, found another Comfort Inn in Lewiston and it's trying to rain so I timed it just right. 210 miles today.

LL





















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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousJuly 20, 2014 at 9:44 PM

    I hope you didn't really tell that good Samaritan he would be in a book! I think people in rural areas are friendlier than those in cities. Nice photos today...almost like being there...but....not quite.

    ReplyDelete

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