Jul 06 - Day 04 2015 Tour - Missoula, MT

I love old buildings...how weird izzat?

Leaving Kenniwick early I planned to ride highway 12 all the way to Missoula, MT. The route I chose avoided major highways and followed pristine rivers through forests in a general eastern direction. It was going to be hot again so I'd be taking it easy enjoying the slower pace.

I reached Walla Walla by mid-morning and stopped for breakfast, then back-tracked a couple of miles to see an historic site commemorating a major battle between the locals - Native Americans versus the US Army. Eventually the Army won.

Small digs for a family

With Walla Walla behind me I rode through miles & miles of Washington's grain fields. Well, maybe not actually through the fields, that would be dumb wouldn't it? More like next to them. On pavement. See?

Pomeroy seemed like a welcome rest stop & photo op. I sat on a bench in front of  the local agra-biz  office and gulped down a cold can of designer drink. Been consuming a lot of that type of stuff lately, gotta keep the electrolytes up to speed. Whatever those things are. Ask Linda....

If I lived in Pomeroy this is the house I'd want. Wot?

Hot Dogs!

Note the temperature reading....Phew!

Shortly after leaving Pomeroy I reached the scenic drive that follows a meandering river nearly all the way to Missoula. Sidecar pilots take note, the sign says it all.

This would be a major workout

My bike's outfitted with an electronic deer whistle and today I saw it in action. The first doe I encountered looked up, then ran upwards through the brush and away from the sound. The next one I saw was several miles down the road; she stood her ground but shook her ears and stamped her front foot. Beats heck out of having them jump in front of me.

I also saw moose on two occasions, the first one was standing in water eating the tender greens and the next was busy snacking on whatever moose snack on when not in water. Eh? 

Road side snack time

I arrived in Missoula right at 7:00 pm mountain time which made me an hour later than I expected. Not a 

problem though, I scored a nice room at the local Super 8, had a small pizza at the Pizza Hut next door, and crashed for the night.  

Today's mileage was 385, tomorrow's a whole new day. This ain't so bad.

LL

Jul 05 - Day 03 2015 Tour - Kenniwick, WA

I managed to get on the road early today in spite of sleeping in. Sally made a great breakfast while I loaded up my gear & filled my cooler with ice left over from the party. I decided to head east along the Columbia Gorge as it's so beautiful, especially this time of the year. I followed I-84 around the east side of Portland until I reached the Corbit exit, then headed uphill on the old historic route to see the Vista House overlooking the Gorge.

Along the way I stopped to check out the view from Chanticleer Point, an attraction that was new to me.

The view was spectacular

I continued along the old highway and arrived at the Vista House in short order. It was also devoid of visitors, no doubt due to the early hour. What a treat it was having the place all to myself.

Tourists & photographers love the Vista House for obvious reasons. The view of the Columbia Gorge overwhelms

Sunny Sunday morning but a bit early for tourists

That's the Gorge way down there. Beautiful isn't it?

 Moving on I stopped for a brief look at Latourell Falls. There were actually tourists beginning to arrive. Time for me to move on I thought.

Back on I-84 I continued east past Hood River & The Dalles stopping for gas & then a lunch break at Boardman. It was starting to heat up but my choice of riding gear was working well, the leather jacket worn with the zipper partially open allowed enough air flow to evaporate my sweat causing a cooling effect. Nice.

Hot out & getting hotter

Lunch at The Sunrise Cafe I tried one of their Mushroom & Swiss burgers. It was delicious but I think they left out the 'rooms. Nice people though, and good service.

Arriving in Kenniwick I decided I'd had my quota for riding in high temps for the day; time to hole up in my favorite low-cost digs, Motel 6.

Our home away from home

That's it for today, time to go see if I can score something to eat, then grab some shut-eye. Not many miles today - 235 - but a nice ride just the same. 

LL

Jul 04 - Day 02 2015 Tour - West Linn, OR

The 4th of July! Yaaaay! We had fun! We drank margaritas! Ole!

Thanks Dale & Sally, I had a great time & loved seeing so many of the old gang again. We're all hoping you'll do it again next year. Hugs!

LL - 00 miles today

Jul 03 - Day 01 2015 Tour - Portland, OR

The first few days of a new tour always seem crazy, so many things going on, wondering what I forgot, will the bike croak because I overlooked something, etc.

On the road again...

Stopped at the truck scales for a weigh-in. What a monster this rig is!

Coos Bay water - fog's on its way in

to

Strange new building going up in Elkton...no one seems to know what it's going to be.

I followed the highway along the North Umpqua from Reedsport to Drain, then it was I-5 to Portland. Not a lot to say about the final ride to Portland, I managed to avoid a major traffic jam just north of Wilsonville by using the back roads into West Linn. I got lucky on that one as I used to live in the area and knew the shortcuts.

Easy ride today, I arrived at my friends Dale & Sally LaFollette early enough to go out to dinner. They took me to a great little pub in Willamette after which we headed back to their house. Tomorrow they're expecting 65-75 guests for the big 4th of July get-together so there's still lots to do.

My notebook PC overheated on the way in, so bad in fact it locked up and I was unable to post a report.

254 miles today, at least the bike ran fine.

Jul 02 - Day 00 2015 Tour - Bandon, OR

Summertime at Bearhead Mt Lane - Hot & Dry 

After days of procrastination I've finally decided which beastie to ride on my 2015 summer tour. The Bumble Bee gets the nod mainly because I can haul a ton of stuff with me. Weather variations across the country can tap your imagination and preparing for any and all events is impossible. At least it's impossible if you're riding a scooter that is. With a sidecar you really can haul the kitchen sink including all manner of garb, rain gear, cold temperature gear, perforated jackets for hot days, the list is endless.

Surely this critter has a load limit?

So it's now the eve of departure, the hack's packed to the gills and I can't think of anything else to take along. Jerry Smith once said to me "There's nothing you can't find on the open road, all you need to do is rub a Visa card up against a Walmart and they're everywhere."

Yes I'm a sucker for stickers. More like a fetish even....

I liberated this map case from another ride - it's a handy item to have around

Beginning mileage for the tour

Riley's hanging out keeping an eye on everything I do. He knows I'm up to something.

That's about it for today, I'll be heading out early in the morning for coffee with another bud, Gene Fitch at Bandon Coffee. Got a dozen cookies waiting to take with me for a 4th of July get together in Portland. Some of my dearest friends are hosting what is going to be the last big gathering of our aging group, many of whom I haven't seen in several years. I'll stay with them for two nights, then continue on with my tour. Wuzzat? Where am I going you ask? Frankly I don't know at this point, I guess I'll just let the hack decide when we get back on the road.

I'll keep you posted.

LL

You're leaving me home again, aren't you? 

Sorry Riley, you'll just have to stay home and keep Mom & Toby company.

Apr 08 - Bumblebee - The hack finally gets a turn signal

Slick dog turn signal found on EBay

Awhile back I picked up a turn signal on EBay that more or less matches the ones on the beemer. Today I got around to installing it and it doesn't look too bad. I pulled the feed wire off the bike's RH signal so it doesn't work, taped it up so if and when the hack's removed all that's needed to make it work again is plug it in. Simple deal. I like the idea of having more separation between the two signals. 

Now I suppose I should rewire the hack's tail light so it includes a brake light. But wait, that would mean two brake lights so maybe the LED unit currently on the bike will suffice?

I think I'm good with this setup the way it is for now, it's definitely better than what I had before and that's good enough for me. 

While I was shopping for a suitable light I ran across this one too. It's pretty classy and I really thought it would look good on the hack's fender but mounting it was not going to be easy and it was a far cry from the Bumblebee's light design. Now it's resting in my junk box...anyone interested?

Anyway there ya go, another exciting day spent fiddling around with the Bumblebee. Hey, what else is there?

Ride safe...

LL