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

Monday, September 14, 2015

Sep 14 Day 25 - The Old Spanish Trail - Bandon, OR Home Again

This morning I woke up at 04:30 am and couldn't get back to sleep no matter what. I suppose it may have been due to the anticipation of going home and this was my last day on the road.

I struggled with the early hour but after awhile gave it up and got up for the day. Packing was a chore as last night I hadn't bothered to get anything organized, knowing I'd have plenty of time in the morning.

Out of curiosity I turned on the Weather Channel just to see what I might be up against and they announced there was a 50% chance of rain in the Klamath Falls area. Sometimes it's good to know things like that so after breakfast and loading the bike I put on my rain pants. I'd do my jacket on the road if need be but the pants are a struggle and I don't mind wearing them over my jeans.

As it turned out the rain began within 5 miles of leaving the hotel so I pulled off and got into the rest of my gear, the jacket and the 3-fingered gloves that go over my regular gloves. It never really poured but it was hard enough that without the rain gear I'd have gotten pretty wet.

Rain starting and a couple hundred miles to go. Nice. Welcome home LL

Off in the distance you can make out Mt Doak
What? You've never heard of Mt Doak and you've lived in Oregon all your life? Tsk tsk, you should have paid closer attention during Geography-101 you nitwit.
Mt Doak - The really big view

And for those who care to dismount or get out of their car there's info to be had.
After relishing the touristy stuff about Mt Doak and the Klamath Basin I zipped up all my pockets, lowered my bug-riddled face shield and hit the road again. Who cares if it rains a little, I'd be home in a few hours and I could dry out there.

Riding in Oregon after spending the past few weeks in other states is a bit like running in molasses, everything seems like it's in slow motion. That's due mainly to our 55 mph speed limit. Even when we're allowed to run at 65 mph it still seems sluggish, especially when I recalled work zones in other states that reduced their speeds to 65 mph.

Anyway I arrived home around 2:30 pm and followed Linda through the gates since she'd just arrived too. The dogs were busy greeting her, then they spotted me and went double crazy. All the big dogs were home and they were out of control, especially Toby. For some reason he was over the top about my arrival while Riley was sort of neutral. I think that may be a Collie thing as that's how Chance, our last Collie acted.

Hey, did you bring us anything? No? Humph!
Once all the excitement died down I checked my regular email box and it has 150 postings so that will take some time to go through. Then there's the unpacking and cleaning up, etc, etc. Maybe by this time tomorrow I'll be caught up but for now it's just good to be home.

The trip covered right at 7000 miles, the Bonnie ran flawlessly, I was never cited for speeding, didn't run out of gas or have a flat tire, and for the most part the weather was really good. Hot, humid, and sometimes monsoon-like but that's how it is when you're riding this time of the year.

Most of the motels/hotels were OK, a few were duds (the greedy guys!) and some were outstanding. After mentally reviewing them I'm sticking with my favorite outfit from now on - Best Western wins hands down.

Overall it was really a great ride and I'll probably do it again next year.    
I hope you enjoyed following along, stay in touch.

LL

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