We
Need
Them. They Need Us. And We Need You.
Day 16
Sold-out
ferry and those damn Yankees!
Departed
8:00 a.m. – 159 Miles – Arrived 12:20 p.m.
The
weather man assured me that Monday would be different - but it wasn’t! I awoke to the rain and cold of northern
Washington. Held off until 8:00 a.m. for
the rain to settle down and then I was along to Seattle with a plan to stay off
the highway. Most of the morning was
intermittent light rain, overcast and cool while riding. The AAA map was needed and appreciated today
as I can’t use the GPS in the rain. My
GPS is a car model and doesn’t hold up well in the wet weather. The AAA map for this area was poorly marked
and led me astray. No, really it wasn’t
my directional dysfunction this time, it was the map!
Mostly
on back roads today and I saw many berry farms.
I did take notice that many of our Northeast summer vegetables
(cucumbers, tomatoes, etc) are plentiful and have reached the road-side market
stands in these areas. After my errant
ride to La Conner I headed to Anacortes to catch the ferry to the islands
heading toward Seattle and then would return to the mainland by ferry on the other
end of the island chain; that was my plan.
The plan was in great shape until I reached the terminal only to find
out that all of the morning trips were
sold-
out and there was a five hour wait. That
didn’t sound encouraging but part two of the news was worse. Once I was to hit the end of the islands the
return ferry back to the mainland was already sold-out for the day as well. Now that the ferry ride plan hit the dust I
had to reanimate myself to the dreaded I-5 to Seattle. I rationalized that the ferry ride would have
been a waste as it was rainy with low level clouds and I wouldn’t have been
able to enjoy the beauty of the “Sound”.
I
selected a hotel in the downtown area so I, and we, (tomorrow when Denise
joins) could be able to walk to most of the tourist type attractions of Seattle
and not have to drive the bike in the city traffic. This Best Western is in an area of the waterfront
where the city and businesses are trying to rehab. It’s not fancy, in a poor section of town, and
highly overpriced. When I asked why it
was so expensive for such an average at best hotel, my answer was that there is
a very large national teacher’s convention, and oh yeah, the Yankees are coming
to town too!
Of
course it was too early to check in so the bell person stored my bags and I
attempted to park my bike in a nearby (3 blocks away) garage used by the hotel. This didn’t work as planed either. I found the garage without any problem but I
didn’t have the super duper special garage pass that is given to you at the
front desk. Why would I…I hadn’t checked
in yet! Back to the hotel for early
check in but there are no rooms available until 3:00 p.m. but I could pre-check
in and get a parking pass, sign me up, as I continue to run out of
patience. Back to the garage I went and
all this great customer service to park my bike only cost me a mere $20 per
day, in addition to the cost of the daily over-priced hotel room. Those Yankees did it to me again, another $50
a day for the same exact room I have for the next two nights all because
tonight the Yankees are in town!
With
some time to spare, I ventured over to the oldest café in Seattle. Both the inside and outside reflect the age, not
to mention it was a big tourist attraction, which meant the prices were too
high and the food well below average. The
only saving grace was that it was within a block of the hotel.
Once
I was able to check in I climbed out of my riding boots put on a pair of
sneakers and began to orient myself with the Seattle waterfront area. I did find the subway terminal I’ll take
tomorrow to the airport to meet Denise as well as the ferry landing (which I
didn’t arrive on) and Safeco Field. I
had purchased tickets for the Mariner’s game for when Denise arrives as she and
I both enjoy seeing new ballparks. When
I got to the Will Call window (two days early) to pick up the tickets I spied a
sign “Family Night” reserved bleachers $11 and hot dogs $2. Wow, I am in!
My brain did the math and I guesstimated it would be cheaper to kill the
night at the game than just meandering around some of the local establishments,
so I purchased the family night special.
The seats were right behind home plate, very high up but still in the
park. As you would say, they came with a
box of Kleenex. I expected to see Bob
Uker but he wasn’t there. Stayed through
six innings and walked back to the little pallor next to the hotel. Safeco gets very dark and cold once the sun
sets behind the high line of the stadium and I wasn’t properly dressed. I joined several at the pallor as we watched
the Mariners lose the lead, and then the game in the tenth.
One
of the highlights of the game was watching a 100 piece, high school marching
band perform during the pre-game ceremonies.
The Spring Lake Park High School Marching Band were named the Patriots
and their banner looked similar to one you’d find in Foxboro, ahh, another reminder of home. I must note that Safeco is right next to Pete
Carrol’s new home stadium, both within the downtown Seattle area. The band was on a ten stop summer tour and
they were excellent. In addition, as a
former educator I was pleased to sit near them in those same very high seats. Once they changed out of their costumes and
band uniforms; the kids were still well behaved and polite. Their parents, city and high school staff
would have been proud.
The
next journal entry will come right before we depart Seattle on the morning of
the 8th. If the sun comes
out, and it is predicted to be beautiful, sunny and in the mid 80’s I’ll
capture some of the local sites and include them in the update. I feel confident that the sun will come out
while I am here in Seattle with Denise because I am here as a tourist for two
days and I am sure the rain will wait to return until I get back on the
bike! Now if I can just retrace my steps
and find the subway…
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6-7 July
2010 - Seattle - Beautiful Weather – 2 Days for R&R - 0 miles
6
July - Of course the two days of R&R and tourist time were beautiful - Denise
had arrived and the weather was clear, cool, sunny and great for riding, if
only we were riding!
We
used Seattle’s transit system called the Light-Link today. What a deal, and what a difference from the
Boston or Chicago systems. These cars
were clean, comfortable, air-conditioned and quiet, plus cheap! It cost $5 per/person for a round trip fare
from Downtown to the Airport, which was well over a forty minute ride one-way
and it took me right to the door of the airport, and I saved on D’s fare as
seniors were half priced!
While
at the airport I took a peek at the USO facility. This one is a 24/7 operation staffed by many
volunteers and was very busy servicing young men and women and their families. As we traveled back from the airport there
were terrific views of the snow capped mountain range along the Puget Sound and
on the other side was Mt. Rainer, which makes me very excited about getting
back on the road as the Mt. Rainer area is next on the schedule.
We
went to the famed Pike Place Market which is the U.S.’s oldest continuously operating
farmer’s market. This is the same place
I had seen on television during football games that showed the men tossing
fish, and yes, they actually throw the fish!
They even gave a few young tourists the chance to catch a fish!
In
the same area we had some outstanding fresh “chowdah” and Denise feel in love
with the organic, Rainer cherries. This
market is part fish, part farmer produce, and part crafts - and is full of
people shopping and looking for that one perfect picture. We had a battle over what was the winner for
best food of the day… first choice was the Market Grill’s (stand up at the
counter and eat) chowder and second was Beecher’s homemade Mac &
Cheese. You can event watch them make
the cheese on site as you nibble. Like
most tourist places, we found that less glitz meant the best food, locals
always know it best!
Wrapping
up a long day, we walked the Market Place and Waterfront, played a couple of
games in the arcade (which Denise lost and she never losses, she blamed it on
jet lag) and grabbed a taste of the local beverage, followed by dinner at a
small Oyster restaurant…Emmett’s Oyster House, we both had the local fish but
no oysters. The folks at the restaurant
were nice enough to let us order even though we arrived about five minutes
prior to closing time. I have noticed that
Seattle’s service-industry folks have seemed to be the best of all the city
stops I have had thus far. They are very
focused on being as accommodating as possible and making your time in Seattle
an enjoyable one.
7
July - If I wasn’t a tourist yesterday; I sure fit the bill today. The day began with a walk to the park close
to the hotel where I came upon the City Meditation Crew. Their mission: tasked with inspiring hurried
citizens to pay attention to their environs one moment at a time. The CMC completes mundane actions a little
more slowly and attentively than usual and there was no question about
that! I’d go crazy in a very short period
of time, surely not an activity for the Type-A personality!
From
there we visited the fire fighters memorial sculpture created in remembrance of
the Seattle Fire Fighters who have lost their life in service to their
community. The FF memorial was very
close to the original UPS building which has now used that space to create a
waterfall and flower garden. It would be
a perfect setting to relax, unwind, and/or meditate.
No
less than ¼ mile away stood the Smith Building - Seattle’s first sky scraper
and excluding NYC, the highest building in the U.S. for the first fifty years
of its existence. We went to the 35th
floor (observation area) to get a 360-degree view of the city. The observation room is all hand crafted with
Chinese wood carvings and the ceilings are delicate Chinese art
depictions. If you were limited on time
and had to choose between the Smith Building and the Space Needle, I would
definitely advise on the Smith Building – less touristy, much less crowded, but
just as interesting. I must note that in
this 35 story building there were perhaps a dozen offices in use and all of the
remaining space was vacant. The elevator
was really cool; it reminded me of the old Nichols elevator in Haverhill,
manually operated. This 1914, manually
operated lift was adorned with bright cooper and brass and also had an
era-attired uniformed elevator operator.
From
there we walked up 2nd avenue heading towards the symbol of Seattle,
the Space Needle. However along the way
we had two interesting stops. The first
was the Seattle Veteran’s Museum which honors the lives of the men and women
from WWII to current day, including Seattle’s loss of men and women in Iraq and
Afghanistan. The memorial wall and some
of the inscriptions were heartfelt and moving.
I found it impossible not to stop, and say a prayer for those veterans,
family and friends, (Ralph, Hollie and Hud) who are no longer with us. I was also amazed at the number of loss’s
Seattle has already suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan. From there we walked into the business/retail
district and stopped into Mountain Hardware to look around. The store was similar to our own north
country EMS. A sign on the wall greeted
us: “Any time spent in the mountains with friends is to be treasured”, Andrew
McLean…so succinct and on target. Noah,
one of the customer service guys gave me some suggestions for bypassing the
major traffic jams when getting out of the city for our trip to Mt. Rainer
tomorrow. We’ll see how that works
out. He was very impressed with The RIDE
and especially for the fundraising effort I was doing for the USO. As Sara said, part of The RIDE’s mission is to
bring awareness of the USO, and we are reaching that goal almost daily.
At
last we reached the Space Needle, a little over a mile from our starting point
and what a tourist zoo! Denise and I
were both glad we selected to visit the Smith Building. D touched the wall of the tower so she could
tell her friend Joan she was there, and then we were off!
Walking
around is the second best way, (motorcycle being number one) to see and get the
feel of an area. Denise reminded me that
after my back surgery when I was walking 10 miles per day traversing our
hometown, I would return after a walk and tell her about something new I had
found in the town I had lived in for over forty years. We walked straight into the Seattle Art Museum
and Olympic Sculpture Park. It was magnificent! The outside area was straight out of Norman
Rockwell, folks biking, sitting, children playing, people walking and in the
middle of such creativity. Picture
perfect weather and what a wonderful find.
As you walked under the bluest of blue natural canopy, your eyes feasted
on the white capped Olympic Mountains in the distance and the bright, colorful
sculptures less than 50 feet away. The
path had us exit onto the walkway at the waterfront which we followed for a
mile or so back to the city center.
Once
at the center we were entertained by a lunchtime concert with Dan Hicks and the Top Licks performing. I’m told that they are an old time blues and
folk group…more free fun and fresh air!
The
early morning sojourn had worked up our appetites and since we were close to
Pikes Market we did a repeat of yesterday, Mac & Cheese at Beecher’s and
chowder at the Market Street Grill. Plus
we caught another round of fish throwing as we passed through the market.
I forgot to mention we had to change rooms due to those damn Yankee fans with previous reservations arriving and taking our larger accommodations. Now we are in the back of the building with a wall for a view…but the upside…we will not have to listen to all the street noise tonight, or so that’s how the hotel staff attempted to make us feel better about packing, unpacking and repacking all of our trips possessions! Right now it’s time to review the maps of tomorrow’s route and then head over to Safeco Field to watch the Mariner’s baseball game. And the adventure will continue on tomorrow…
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8
July 2010
Day 18
Road
construction, broken-down AC, and it just keeps getting better!
Departed
7:20 a.m. – 296 Miles – Arrived 4:20 p.m.
Today
was going to be an easy day, but low and behold it turned out to be a nine
hour, almost 300 mile ride ending in record breaking heat. Denise was a trooper, as it was her first day
back on a long motorcycle trip in quite some time. In order to make up some of the lost time (extra
day in Seattle), we pushed further than the original plan and bypassed Crystal
Mountain for Tumwater, Washington.
The
majority of the day was spent in or around the periphery of Rainer National
Park. The park is hilly, rugged and a
blast to drive. The views are similar to
Montana’s Bitterroots or Washington’s Cascades.
Tall, rocky, pointed, snow capped mountain peaks as far as the eye can
see, however in this case, Mt. Rainer dominates the landscape.
The
ride through the park was stunning but like everything, there is a down side
and mine today was the area near the Naches River. The flagger told us it would be a 15-20
minute wait unless we went straight, so we did just that. Shortly after following the new directions, we
found a freshly painted and remolded farm stand; complete with wine tasting
area, fresh produce and homemade ice cream.
Denise tried, enjoyed, and then purchased some locally raised strawberry
cherries and I opted for the freshly roasted peanuts. No wine tasting since I was driving, however
the valley surprisingly is flush with almost a dozen local wineries. I did manage to enjoy an ice cold orange
tonic, I mean “pop”, and that recalled my memories of drinking an orange crush
when I was ably.
Back
on the road we hadn’t progressed 200 yards and we were confronted with another
traffic stoppage for road construction.
The men were laying down fresh oil and gravel which made the next ten miles
a very difficult ride. Between the
gravel pinging constantly against the lower section of the bike, not to mention
the damage it was doing on the bike’s paint job, handling the bike and keeping
it upright at very low speeds was a Herculean task. The under footing was gravel and oil so there
was little if any traction. I felt
confident that the shiny side up might become less shiny before this day was through. Side-note: the bike weighs in at well over a
thousand pounds when loaded (as it is with clothing, supplies and the two
occupants) and is easy to operate at speeds above 15mph but any lower than that
takes a great deal of strength, coordination and luck, at least for me. After eight miles the road settled in and we
were okay for the remainder of the day.
After
the park we caught a typical road lunch…left over peanut butter bagel, warm
water, Gatorade, fruit and a few snacks.
A good part of the day’s lunch provisions were on the hotel’s morning
breakfast table. I’m not sure Denise is
going to like 8 days of these lunches but they are economical, efficient, and
quick and you can stop pretty much anywhere, grab some shade and fifteen
minutes later you’re back to the road and the hunger bug is temporarily
extinguished.
We
reached our hotel at 4:20 p.m., checked-in, and as I opened the door to the
room it became clear that the room hadn’t been serviced so I was back to the
front desk in a flash.
Denise
was happy that the place was empty and we didn’t surprise anyone. The new room was right across the hall with a
very noisy AC unit which I brought to the attention of the front desk
staff. When we returned from diner
expecting a chilly room we found one almost as hot as when we left and the AC
out of order! Another great hotel stay… no
windows to open and no other vacant rooms!
Tomorrow
we end the mountain range and begin Route 101 which runs the northern coast
line of Washington and then turns south toward California’s Pacific Coast
Highway and historic Route 1.
9
July 2010
Day 19
A side adventure to the true most
north western point in the U.S.
Departed
7:07 a.m. – 341 Miles – Arrived 5:20 p.m.
Today
was refreshingly cooler than yesterday’s ride with most of the day along Rt.
101in the mid to low 70’s. Along the bay
it was closer to and back in the low 80’s when I hit the open road of the
Olympic National Forest. We began on Rt.
101 North which took us along 40 miles spilt between rugged coast line on one
side and the other side; there were 4000 -5000 foot mountain ranges with
multiple trail heads and chuck full of large ever green trees, primarily
Cedar. Behind the cedar were the
picturesque snowcapped, rocky, pointed mountains that we have seen throughout
the state. All this made for an amazing
contrast in land!
A
local contractor gave us the name of his favorite breakfast location and said
the food was great and the service excellent.
He was right! Surprisingly it was
a Chinese Restaurant that does a breakfast menu to supplement their primary
dinner meal crowd. We were served
homemade foods, breads, fresh eggs and potatoes and all of this with white
linen napkins and ice cold lemon water, however no Mai-Tai’s were available as
is was 10:00 a.m. To our surprise just
outside the window a young deer was looking in, with eyes that suggested, is
there any for me? The waitress told us
that the deer often come down from the mountains and cross the two highways
leading into Port Angeles to go to the ocean for its salt. Now I understand more fully the digital sign
just outside of the town border which read: __ days since the most recent
serious collision…Beware of Deer and Elk.
Today the number in the blank read, 4.
Denise
somewhere along the line today had mentioned that I had seemed to be putting
back on a few of the pounds that I had shed prior to the trip, unfortunately
she is correct; a result of too many restaurants and too little exercise. Eat, ride, eat, ride, have a cold beverage, and
then start the process over again, not quite the recipe for a sound body. I have also noticed as I enter day 20-ish of
the trip that my overall body strength is diminishing and I am winded after a
few simple tourist type activities. Come
late August I’ll need to get Harl’s (my chocolate lab who is currently
rehabilitating from surgery), to join me for some hikes in the “Whites”. The roadside stands sold fresh buffalo and
elk jerky, but I figured with D’s last weight reference, a stop for a few
slices of the “fresh” jerky wouldn’t be warmly received.
I
knew I was running ahead of schedule and had planned to continue further than
Amanda Park, which was our original destination, and then I saw a little sign
that read: Cape Flaherty - the furthest
point NW in the United States. Recalling
that Peter and I had visited the most eastern site (outside of Machiasport,
ME.), I decided to freelance and add in this spontaneous side trip. What a find.
Like all things worthwhile, it took a little bit of extra effort (45
miles each way over windy, curving, roads with speeds limited to 20-35 mph). After about an hour of this fun ride we found
Neah Bay and Cape Flaherty. But that was
just the beginning. Once you park your
vehicle you have to walk/hike down approximately ½ mile in the woods to sea
level to be able to claim, “I was at the furthest NW point of the United
States.”
While
resting and grabbing a relaxed breath of fresh air after our walk back up from
sea level I got into a wonderful conversation with the folks from the car next
to us. The women of the group enjoyed hearing the old New England accent. One thing led to another and we discussed The
Ride and the USO and she said, “they are a great organization and we need them
now more than ever, can I make a donation?”
Of course, I said yes! Thank you Chris
and Jim from Seattle. As I have said
frequently through-out my journals regarding the trip, I am overwhelmed at how
kindly the USO and The RIDE are received by so many grateful Americans; I am
indebted and gratified by their genuine generosity.
We
checked into our room in Amanda Park, Washington and enjoyed a dinner of freshly
caught salmon, deep fried with the usual potato offerings. This was a reach meal for me as I am not a
fish person but everywhere up here is advertising fresh salmon so I figured I
should at least try the local fish, which I did, and improvised the meal with a
beverage from a local brew master.
The
western portion of the trip (west from the east corner) is complete and we have
made the turn south and are now headed towards San Diego.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 July 2010
Day 20
A cozy little riverboat and some good eats too!
Departed 6:33 a.m. – 263 Miles – Arrived 2:30 p.m.
I forgot to mention in yesterday’s journal that
a huge area of Washington’s land, and also smaller portions of Oregon, are
actual working lands…timber cutting and lumber harvesting. You are caught off guard when you see the
different shades of trees in the distance until you realize that in actuality
it is different generations of trees and therefore different colors.
The
day was partly cloudy/partly sunny on and off.
Once we moved into Oregon it was clear that the land surrounding the
beach and ocean area was different from Washington. Oregon is a more of “sturdy” land which was
Denise’s coin phrase for the area, but in reality she is correct as the large
evergreens of Washington halt at the upper road side while in Oregon the trees
are above the seas edge and appear to serve as guardians of the beaches.
We
passed Tillamook and its very large Cheese factory shortly after reaching Oregon. The cars were backed up in the parking lot
surrounded by RV’s which reminded me of a good old fashion wagon train. Needless to say, we by-passed the cheese
factory tour and made a point in our minds to check a local venue later for a
sample of the cheese.
As
luck would have it, my idea of surprising Denise with one decent accommodation
worked! In Newport, Oregon we stayed the
night in a simply delightful B & B, which was a real live, working, old
fashion paddleboat, The Newport Belle.
The hosts, Nancy and Mike, two displaced folks from L.A., were marvelous
at their new vocation. Mike worked in
research and Nancy is a former college career counselor from L.A. area. We talked with them into the sunset
hour. The room on the boat is just chuck
full of little nice touches… robes in the bathroom, real cups and saucers for
morning (in-room) coffee, complimentary wine, $1.00 beer (Rogue) and dips on
the counter in the evening, along with a
homemade specialty breakfast and just
about everything you could ask for in a B & B. If you’re in the Oregon coast area this is
the place to relax. Across the river, according
to Mike, is one of the best seafood restaurants he has ever eaten at and
adjacent to the marina is the ROGUE manufacturing plant, restaurant and
pub. Can you imagine - I found a great
room within walking distance of a real live brewery! By the time we checked in and walked to the
brewery we had missed the tour so we went straight to the pub. After our taste testing we ordered a wonderful
meal, which included fresh fish. Fresh,
as in it literally came right off the boat.
On the walk over to the brewery we watched three interesting fish
related events; a charter boat’s collection of people weighing their catch and
selecting to keep or sell a portion of their catch to the charter crew, then a
fisherman filleting an albacore tuna right in front of our eyes, and finally a
boat at the bottom of the ramp selling their day’s catch, fresh tuna $2.25 per pound
or whole fish at $4.00 per pound, all filleted and came with ice and a bag. In my chat with a local fisherman as he was
unloading he said the tide was different this year and the tuna were much
closer to shore than normal. He must know as he had over 100 from the day’s
catch and was proud to remind me that they were all caught with a pole and no
commercial lines.
The
return trip from the pub was equally informative and educational. As we walked by two men (at the same filet
station as the tuna guy on the way over), we watched them clean freshly boiled
Dungeness Crabs. One of the men offered
Denise and I a crab leg to try. I said
no but Denise jumped at the chance, so reluctantly, I agreed. I am not a lover of fish; however I figured
I’d never have a chance again to try crab that fresh. WOW, it was really good! Denise said it reminded her of lobster, just
a little more salty. We were on the recreational side of the marina and these
folks bringing in their day’s catches are just weekend fisherman…the opposite
side of the marina held the larger vessels and fish production plants. A few minutes walk from the crab cleaner’s
location Denise spied a sign: Rogue Spirits, which upon further review brought
us into a small distillery and bar. This
spirit’s bar is associated with the Rogue Brewery but on this site they distill
gin and whiskey. At the urging of the
customers we tried one beverage, an unusual woody taste to the gin but very
good, neither of us opted for the whiskey.
Finally
on the last portion of this small walking adventure back to the Newport Belle
we noticed a bait shop almost directly across from the dock’s landing. The shop is staffed by two very knowledgeable
young ladies, at least in regards to bait lines and crab pots. After a short lesson on the difference
between crab and lobster we explored the different crab catching options;
traps, pots and baskets. I had seen a
boat with multiple baskets stacked on it earlier in our ride down the coast and
had guessed it was for crabs and alas I was right.
When
we checked in Mike asked what time we wanted breakfast, and I said we generally
try to leave by 6:30 and he responded: “then we’ll make you up a little
breakfast bag to go!” Next to the bed
are ear plugs if you so desire and written on the package is a note: for light
sleepers - in the morning you’ll hear the birds, boats and fisherman, perhaps a
little to early for your liking. We did
hear the noise of the fishing boats diesel’s engine in the morning but as
expected we were already up.
Today,
we head further south on coastal Rt. 101 as it will bring us into California and
just a few days away from the trip being half way completed.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11
July 2010
Day 21
Sand dunes and Redwoods…
Departed
9:34 a.m. - 323 Miles – Arrived 5:02 p.m.
Today
began a little later than normal as we stayed aboard the Newport Belle for a
most scrumptious breakfast which well worth the extra time. To top if off, Nancy gave me two of her “Belle”
recipes…I am hoping my version will come out as good as hers! Denise was in her glory watching the boats
launch into the bay from public entry which was next to the marina and just
outside of the window next to our breakfast table. It was interesting for me to see how many boaters’s
had their dogs with them for the Sunday excursion. Many of the boats were piled high with the
green and yellow crab baskets so we had a good idea of the target for the day,
Dungeness Crabs! In addition divers from
OSU were exiting the water as we dove into our homemade granola and yogurt with
fresh berries, breakfast appetizer. OSU
has a major facility near the marina and is constantly conducting ocean
research and monitoring many of the species of fish that are in the area.
Both
the Oregon coast and the coast of Northern California are studded with large
rocks near the shoreline. The Oregon
coast seemed to be more user friendly than Washington as we saw several folks
out frolicking on the beaches. In
addition, the bicycle path that runs the length of the coast of Oregon on Rt.
101 is just terrific. Every day we would
pass multiple groups of riders heading south abiding by the rules of the road
and staying in their lane and the cars were very cognizant and respectful of
the bicycle lane. The state’s investment
in wider roadways appears to be both a recreational and tourism success.
Oregon
has miles of high sand dunes and the ATV, dune buggies and 2-wheel dirt (style)
bikes have a wonderful time tramping through the woods and up and down the
dunes. The vehicles all had special tires
that work in the sand and not the typical tire you would find on an ATV in
NH. The dune riding reminded me of
watching the television series “Rat Patrol”, when I was much younger and
enjoying the flight of the jeeps as they would sky high from tops of the
African dunes. It was a great show, I’m
sure some of the
older
readers may recall the show but it sure dates me.
Today we entered California and after a brief stop at the boarder by the Agricultural police, we went directly into the Redwood Forrest. We didn’t find Robin Hood but by the size of the trees I am sure that Friar Tuck could have easily hidden behind a tree with sufficient room left over for Little John. Our afternoon break of peanuts and Diet A&W Root Beer found us at a gas station/hardware store/auto parts store. This market is owned and operated by a veteran fishing guide and his wife. The walls were adorned with photos of the two of them displaying 28+ pound Chinook Salmon. When I asked the wife if she enjoyed fishing, she replied, “hell yes, it’s a damn lot of fun”. In our conversation she mentioned that the Redwoods are no longer harvested or cut in that area and during the hey-day of Redwood lumbering there was over twenty mills along the river and now there are none. Denise and the women behind the counter both concurred that there was a larger contingent of motorcycles on the road this summer than in past years. I would also echo that remark based on the number of bikes we have seen on the roads, fully loaded heading to a destination, not just riding out and about in town. Tomorrow we head further south and the adventure continues…
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12
July 2010
Day 22
California
here we come…
Departed
7:07 a.m. – 262 Miles – Arrived 3:00 p.m.
Today
we began the trip on Rt. 1 and at Leggit, CA we changed to Coastal (shoreline)
Rt.
101, as it looked more inviting. I
mistakenly thought we could drive thru the beautiful Redwood tree, it would
have been a great photo opp - in actuality you can drive thru…though they are
fake photo opp’s that cost $5 a snap!
Rt.
101 was tranquil and warm and abutted the ocean proving to be a very
picturesque ride south. The sign on the
local gas station exclaimed: “Route 101, 22 miles of twisty roads.” No where did the sign exclaim, 22 miles of
nerve racking, 10-30 mph hairpin turns, and way too many BLIND right hand
corners. Denise was on her imaginary
brake the entire 22 miles. Yes, I like riding
roads that are full of self-proclaimed twisty turns but this wow…After riding
through the dark shade of the Redwoods and Cyprus trees, the last 150 miles of
windy and meandering roads was great in comparison to the first 22 miles of white
knuckles.
The
Northern California coast still had the large rock deposits which we saw in
Oregon, but in today’s ride we noticed that the area between the road and the
ocean was widened with mostly ranch land.
We say many a cow grazing and seeming very happy as they overlooked the
Pacific Ocean. I am sure they had never
heard of the MacDonald’s Angus $3.99 special.
The plus side was that the remaining 150 miles of the Rt. 1 shoreline was
a mix of long winding roads and small towns with speeds that don’t exceed
55mph, so it was a relaxing finish.
The
weather never really reached anything that could be considered warm, however,
on the plus side it didn’t rain. We were
in leather and gloves for the entire 263 miles of today’s trip. Around 10:30 a.m. we grabbed some hot, freshly
made, organic minestrone soup in Ft. Bragg, CA.
The waitress mentioned how the warm temperatures never hits until August
and September and that most of their customers now are folks trying to get away
from the heat in Sacramento and other hot places. That ended my mistaken idea of a warm-sun in
your face-easy ride down the California coast; heck I bet it was warmer in NH!
The
oyster is the prominent catch of the area and all the local restraints market
the oyster in about 10 different styles: fried, broiled, raw and bbq - just to
name a few. We called it a day around
3:00 p.m. because we knew we had a date at the laundry-mat. I have been doing well with clothing even
though it is always a guess just how much to bring and what will fit in and on
the bike. Denise was correct (again), in
that I did take a few items of clothing I have yet to take out of the bag. With that said, so far my laundry needs have
been re-claimed in Wisconsin, Washington and now California. So I’m guessing, Sara’s apartment, somewhere
in the hot southwest and then again on the east coast should serve as my final
three laundry stops, but only time will tell!
Tomorrow we’re off to the land of Patty Hearst! Us older folks recall the activities of Patty Hearst in the late 70’s, not to be confused with her wealthy “newspaper” family. When Denise and I traveled out in this part of the west decades ago, the local restaurants advertised the Patty Hearst Burger; the patty had vanished but you got the bun! After our travels south to San Simenon, we hope to meet up with our friends the Radley’s (Rad & Hobbs) whom I had the great good fortune of meeting at NMHU (New Mexico Highlands University) in the 70’s prior to my winning the selective service lottery. They have remained good friends and fraternity brother’s brother and sisters, unfortunately due to the miles we don’t get to see much of each other but with some luck we’ll catch up again on Wednesday night.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13
July 2010
Day 23
Avocados, 7 for $1 - and
artichokes, 10 for just a buck!
Departed
7:00 a.m. – 363 Miles – Arrived 5:00 p.m.
Today’s
route began on the costal shoreline of Rt.1.
The first 150-200 miles continued the road filled with twists and turns
that we saw yesterday. After about 150
miles the road
smoothed
out and ran the coastline just as a winding and meandering road which was a lot
of fun to drive and best of all, the temps were in the low 60’s, and the SUN
was out for all but the first hour of the day.
We had warmth at our back, blue sky overhead and the ocean to our right,
we couldn’t have asked for a better day.
We
reached our planned destination for the day at 2:38 p.m., just way to early to
stop. Denise wasn’t excited when I said
let’s cancel the reservation and head on down another 100 miles. Overall, it was a good choice with the one
exception for the 30-minute tie up on Rt. 101 due to a trailer hitch letting go
of a cement mix in the outside lane.
Let
me backtrack a little…Rt 1 took us over the Golden Gate Bridge at rush hour and
into San Francisco. Fortunately, we got
through the mess without incident. We
took a photo break at the Golden Gate Bridge where we grabbed a couple of shots
of the bridge, one or two of Alcatraz Prison across the bay, (thought of the
movie, Escape from Alcatraz) and a couple photos for the Mountain Ear, our local
weekly newspaper in Conway.
Once
we remounted the bike we were quickly into the lane of traffic surrounding
San
Francisco as we headed south. You can’t
imagine the housing. Not an inch, not
one, between the homes in the San Fran hilly area. It was like the homes were glued
together. Once we cleared the congested
Chinatown neighborhood the traffic diminished and it was a quiet Rt. 1 ride for
the next several hours except for the sighting of local surfer’s and produce
farms. You could smell the
strawberries. It didn’t matter if I
glanced east or west of Rt 1, each side had an abundance of large produce
farms. The strawberry farms were in the
“picking” mode and you could see hundreds of workers bent over picking the ripe
red berry. Interestingly enough the
smell permeated the air and was a pleasant surprise. The two other selections being harvested were
avocados and artichokes. Check out these
prices….Avocados 7 for $1 and artichokes 10 for just a buck! I was almost ready to stop and mail some
home. Once we passed Morro Bay the land
changed from fresh produce to Vineyards.
In the Santa Barbara area there are over 41 different winery’s and the
vineyards occupy 1,000’s of acres along the coast. Some of the older vineyards use the “heating
pots” to reduce the impact of the temperature and many other of the farms have
moved to the semi-covered, arc framed netting.
The framed metal arc’s reminded me of the Sherman Farm’s tomatoes
growing area.
By
happenstance I reserved a room for the night in Solvane, CA which prides itself
as the Dutch (Denmark) capital of America.
The town is a tourist destination with wine tasting rooms and shopping
boutiques, serving as the two primary activities in town. All of the in-town (4 blocks) buildings are
built or had facades to simulate a Dutch Community. Keeping with the atmosphere of the town Denise
and I ate at the Red Viking, and according to the two signs outside, it was the
2008 and 2009 winner of “Best Local Dutch Restaurant”. Our meal was supplemented by wine from a
local area vineyard and then we completed our dinner with a complimentary
traditional Dutch dessert, Aebleskivers.
The
day ended up being an 8-9 hour journey, covering 360 plus miles which although
longer than anticipated, will serve us well tomorrow as we head south first to
visit Rad and Sue and then on to San Diego to catch up with Sara and Brad, our
daughter and son-in-law. The early arrival should allow me some extra time to
clean up the iron horse before we make the turn and head east next Monday.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14
July 2010
Day 24
Half-way
Home!
Departed
8:00 a.m. – 268 Miles – Arrived 6:30 p.m.
Today
was an easy ride through the back roads of the final parts of the mid-coast
wine country and then on to the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). Our hopes were to ride the coast all the way
to San Diego; however that didn’t happen for two reasons. First, the PCH ran out and forced us back to
the highway and then we had to navigate around the Marine Corp’s, Camp
Pendleton, where you have no option but to ride the highway. So that is just what we did and my goodness,
they sure drive faster on the highway near L.A.! Five and six lanes at 70 plus mph…it was
uncomfortably scary after having spent the best part of a month on secondary,
40-50 mph roads.
On
the first part of PCH we headed to Santa Monica to see if we could find an old
Boston Sports Bar which we had read about in a Boston Globe article last fall, Sonny McLean’s. They opened for business just as we were
going to leave so we stopped in, took a few pictures and chatted with the
bartender from Boxborough, Massachusetts.
On the way into town, we passed several area beaches and saw a host of
young children 8-15 years old participating in Beach Volleyball Camps, being
run by two former US Beach VB Olympians and we also spied a Surf Camp. As I was driving by I was thinking in NH in
the summer our kids go to Basketball Camp, Outdoor Adventure Camps, etc - and
out here, camps use the beach and the ocean as their primary sites. We also saw the pretty, fancy colored, Life
Guard Towers of Santa Monica and Ventura Beach.
I read in the local paper that San Diego is contemplating going to the
colored towers as well because they are funded by corporate sponsors and this
will bring in more revenue to the city.
The advertising on the towers is in good taste (small lettering) and the
color is a nice contrast to the beach sand.
Our
next stop was around 2:00 p.m. when we had a chance to enjoy a bit of lunch and
some great conversation, albeit too short, with two of my college friends from
my days at New Mexico Highlands University in the late 60’s, Scott and Sue
Radley. They own and operate a family
run Financial Planning and CPA business in Laguna Hills, CA. We were happy to have them be able to sneak
away from their desks for a couple of hours.
We supplement the annual trading of Christmas newsletters, with a face
to face every year or two, and say we’ll get together sooner, but somehow
another year passes way to quick before we find the time to get together
again.
After
our wonderful break visiting it was back to the highway for a short run down
PCH all the way into San Diego. We pasted
Torrey Pines golf course, home of many major golf tournaments and we could see
a couple dozen youngsters on the practice driving and putting areas. I learned this morning that what spied along
the way was actually part of the Callaway Junior World Golf Tournament. This isn’t your ordinary city youth
tournament…young golfers, both boys and girls ages 8-15 from all over the world
participate. This tournament also has
seen the youth version of the now famous and professional; Ernie Els, Phil
Mickleson, Craig Stadler and Eldrick Woods, otherwise known as “Tiger”, so this
is the early proving ground for some very talented youngsters.
Finally
we arrived at Sara and Brad’s Casa around 6:30 p.m. to a beautiful blue sky, no
clouds, 80”s and a light breeze…heaven.
I must note that while we were in Laguna Hills visiting it was a cool 106
degrees, so the cooler San Diego temperatures were gratefully received. For dinner, we were off to their favorite
Spanish Restaurant in San Diego and I am told the best in San Diego, Costa Brava for tapas and fine Spanish
Wine. The food, wine, service,
atmosphere and company were outstanding.
My iron horse goes in for service in a few minutes tomorrow – 7, 224
miles to date from Center Conway. Saturday
we have the half-way party, Sunday a little time for R&R with Brad and Sara
and then a quick kiss goodbye to Denise as she is flying home and I’m off for
the second half of The RIDE.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15-18
July 2010
Days 25-28
San Diego R&R and an unforgettable
half-way celebration.
As
I noted in yesterday’s journal the mileage from Center Conway to San Diego was
7,224 - about 500 miles beyond what I
planned in my route as I was planning last January, but all in all it seemed
pretty close to my estimation.
The
weekend respite in San Diego, visiting with my daughter Sara and her husband
Brad, the Half-Way Home Celebration at San Diego Harley and watching a few
games of OTL (Over The Line) have been more than I could have imagined.
Thursday, 15th
Most
of the day was spent at the San Diego Harley Motorcycle Shop waiting for the
bike to be maintained. I had a flexible
appointment, meaning they’d squeeze me in when I arrived. This courtesy was appreciated as you never
know when you’ll arrive at any location on a trip of this nature. The Harley shops within the U.S. pretty much
do this as part of their service plan for folks on major trips or with
breakdowns. The horse was overdue for
its 5K service by almost 2,500 miles but I felt okay about that as I had a
complete 10K service in North Conway before I left and then did the usual LOF
on the road in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Mid-afternoon
brought the news that I also had some repair work that should be completed and
a need for a new front tire. Unlike a
car, tires don’t last nearly as long and given that those two pieces of rubber
are the only things between me and the asphalt, it is critical that I keep them
in good repair - fully inflated and with a reasonable amount of tread. Front tires generally last 15-22K and rear
tires about 10-12K so it was time for a new front tire with 17k plus miles.
After
the preventive and repair work on the bike we headed to the grocery store to
pick up a few things for the frig…any of you that have grown children will
surely recall times when they have asked you to pick up a couple of things at
the store while you’re out and it turns into a full basket quite fast, though I
am sure I put a few things in the basket that weren’t on the list!
Friday, 16th
The
highlight of the afternoon was an escorted tour of the Neil Ash USO San Diego Airport
Center by Ret. Marine Corp SgtMaj. Bobby Woods, the Center’s Director. I was taken aback by the number of young men
and women of the armed services that were in the Center. Every area; the kitchen, computer room, video
area, quiet phone-home area (complete with calling cards), recreation/game
room, children’s lounge and the general relaxing living room area complete with
large screen televisions and about twenty leather recliners were all being used
by these young men and women who provide our freedom. In addition to these areas there was also a
men’s and women’s locker room with showers and bathroom facilities. In case of late arrivals the Center also
provided cots, blanks etc. This Center
handles between 10 and 15 thousand young folks EACH MONTH. That means well over 100,000 sons and
daughters are being assisted in this one center by donations made to the USO
each year. My thanks and appreciation
goes out to Sgt.Maj Woods and the volunteer staff that keeps this center open
seven days a week, 365 days per year. The
mission of creating a home away from home
is clearly being met daily by the leadership and staff of the Neil Ash USO
Airport Center.
Once
Denise and I returned to Sara’s apartment it was time to get cooking! I enjoyed cooking and it was nice to use a
chopping block and knife again. I made
up a batch of filling for my traditional Friday night Mexican meal and a
pitcher of beverages to enhance the authenticity of the meal. Sara had invited a few of here friends over
to catch up with her “ma and pa”. These
little get-together’s have become a part of the San Diego visit ritual for
Denise and I and we do so enjoy the evening.
In addition to her friends being a fun mixture of re-located New
Englanders and locals, they all were actively supporting The RIDE which was a
nice gesture (and sincerely appreciated) as most are young folks just starting
families or careers with limited means.
The conversation, food, and beverages made for a great re-union and
added more anticipation for me to Saturday’s “Half Way Home Celebration”. Each of the kids on their way out said we’ll
see you tomorrow at the party which I knew would impact their normal routines
on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in San Diego, so it was doubly meaningful to
me.
Saturday, 17th
The Half-Way Home Until Every One Comes Home Celebration!
WOW! It was so much more than I could have ever
expected! The parking lot was filled
with all types of motorcycles, although the majority were Harley’s…the side
walk and parking areas had small tents sponsored by the local Harley Davidson Club
with 3 full sized tents for the cook-out/buffet line…there were picnic tables,
a stage with the band of the day and at the end of the parking lot and right in
the middle of all this commotion was the colorful USO San Diego sponsored
tent. The rectangle design of the event
area added to the fullness as everyone was gathered into this space that easily
allowed for conversation and new acquaintances to meet and greet.
The
day started early in the morning for Sara and her USO team of terrific
volunteers. The USO Office is in
downtown san Diego and the San Diego Harley shop is about 10 miles on the
outskirts so all of the supplies had to be loaded, unloaded, set up, reloaded
and returned. When you’re not in the event
business you often forget (at least I forget) just how much preparation and
extra work a special event requires. For
most of us, we just show up at the event and everything seems to be going along
juts famously, thank goodness for great volunteers and event staff.
My
arrival on my Harley was planned for 12:30 p.m. I had the pleasure of being
escorted by three officers, (and veteran’s) from a local San Diego motorcycle
club along with two of Sara’s friends which I had met during my several visits
to San Diego. The bikes were roaring and
my Cooper Harley was proudly flying the full sized American Flag that I use for
PGR missions and we made a theatrical entrance with a background of a 100 or so
motorcycles, tents, music, camera’s snapping and people applauding. It could
very well have been the lead scene of a Hollywood movie. I was stunned!!
The
festivities ran for about two hours and half way through I had the privilege to
present a check for over $11,500 to USO San Diego. This donation could never have been
accomplished if it were not for the many people across this great Untied States
who gave from their hearts to help the mission of the USO. On behalf of the USO, servicemen and
servicewomen for whom this money will provide a home away from home, I extended to you (the readers) my most
heartfelt and sincere thanks and a hope that contributions will continue to
arrive during the second half of my journey – so together, we can reach our
goals.
I
was so blessed to meet and talk with the friends and new acquaintances that
came out to support my arrival. I’ll
withhold from boring you with the details from most of interesting stories that
I heard that Saturday afternoon…excluding these three quick entries…As I was
riding into the ceremony I noticed a young boy, maybe 10 years old, standing at
attention with a full hand salute. I
gave him a nod of thanks as I rode by. Once
I parked my bike I looked back and there he was in the middle of the lot, he
hadn’t moved an inch, so I returned a salute and then he relaxed. He walked over and told me that his
grandfather is currently a Marine in Iraq and he wanted to come to see the guy
who was helping his grandfather. It’s amazing
how children can bring tears to the eyes of grown men. Second, I spoke with many veteran’s and PGR
riders, who discussed their on going efforts in the San Diego area, to help
instill and maintain respect in the community for the 350,000 service men and
women who pass through or live in this area of California. I spent a considerable amount of time at the
USO tent meeting, greeting and thanking folks for their financial contributions
as they made pledges or put cash in the jar.
As the event was closing down a young couple rode into the event on
their bike and came directly over to the USO tent. They told me that they both were active
military in the Coast Guard and had used the services of several USO centers across
the United States; and without the USO they would feel lost. The man put both helmets in his hand as the
young lady reached into her pocket and took out a five dollar bill and change, and
they proceeded to drop all of the money in the jar, “that’s all we have” they
said, “but we wanted to help because the USO helps us.”
What
a way to end the Half-Way Home celebration. Thank you all!
Sunday, 18th
One
of the tips I heard yesterday several times from various people at the Half-Way
Home celebration was that I needed to re-think my schedule for the next several
days as the heat of Arizona will be in the 115’s and up during the day. This excessive heat causes problems for both
the motorcycles engine and of course it also does a number on the driver. With this in mind, I have re-arranged my
departure from the normal 7-7:30 a.m. to the earlier hour of 4:30 a.m. Most of the riders cross AZ., TX, and NM
early in the morning or late at night but never during mid day and I will do
just that.
Today
was spent relaxing on Fiesta Island watching the 57th World Championships
of the famous San Diego OTL (Over The Line) Tournament. It is difficult to explain except to say it
is a modified game of softball, played on a field composed of a triangle
attached to a rectangle and each team has three members. Players hit and field, self pitch but never
run any bases. The score is created by
balls not caught that stay in bounds or by hitting the ball inbounds and over
the head of the furthest player. Women’s teams can use gloves but men play bare-handed. This two weekend event sponsored by San
Diego‘s Old Mission Beach Athletic Club, (OMBAC) uses the tournament as their
primary fund raiser to support the San
Diego area’s youth athletics and local adaptive sports’ programs. Over the two weekends, crowds in excess of over
10-20 thousand arrive to watch and play.
The OMBAC volunteer organization is a 501 (c)3 non-profit group and its
members oversee, supervise and administer this event as efficiently as if it
were the World Series of baseball. It
was an interesting couple of hours as we watched the final games of several
divisions.
Upon returning to Sara’s casa it was time to repack, cancel hotel reservations and make new one based upon my new riding schedule. The heat of the southwest and humidity of the south awaits…
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19
July 2010
Day 29
Heat,
heat, and more heat...
Departed
at 4:30 a.m. – 581 Miles – Arrived 3:00 p.m.
One
omission from yesterday’s journal…Around dinner time on the 18th
Sara received a call that the Local Fox 5 TV Station wanted to do a short piece
regarding The RIDE. The station had
missed the Half-Way Home celebration to cover the Annual Stand-Down Event. The Stand-Down is worth noting as it is a
great concept that perhaps other cities and towns could opt to do. Stand Down is a series of clinics, medical
facilities, counseling and other outreach options for the Homeless Veteran’s
that live in and around the San Diego area.
Anyways, Fox 5 was in the area covering another story and was willing to
shoot our RIDE. If you look at the top
of The RIDE page, you can find a link to see the Fox 5 story….it was a very
cool experience.
Today
I was up, showered, bike packed and ready to head Eastward at 4:30 a.m. My goal was to attempt to get a couple of
hundred miles under my belt before the heat became rehabilitating to me and the
bike. At 5:45 a.m. the sun rose in my
eyes and shortly thereafter the temperature began to sky rocket. By 6:00 a.m. it was in the high 80’s and by
7:15 a.m. as I drove through Yuma it had hit the triple (yes triple) digits and
the temperature remained that way for the entire ride. Tucson, AZ. was 104 when I went through and
Lordsburg, NM was a cool 102 when I arrived at 3:00 p.m. Currently, outside my hotel room door the
temperature is 99 at 8:30 p.m. Needless
to say the first day back in the saddle was long and hot. I hadn’t planned to accumulate as many miles
as I did (581) but the highway speed limit in almost all of Arizona and New
Mexico is 75mph. I have made an honest
attempt to bypass the interstates as they are just so boring, however in this
neck of the woods my options were limited for several reasons…suffice it to say
today and tomorrow will be hot, long and boring. However, the sunrise this morning was elegant! When I stopped to take the some photo’s I
also shed my leather jacket and heavy driving gloves. At 830 a.m. when I stopped for breakfast, I
shed the leather vest and opted for a special “cooling vest”. The cooling vest is made from a special
material that absorbs the moisture.
As
you exit the city of San Diego you begin to increase in elevation from Sea
Level to 4,200 feet prior to the drop back down to the desert’s floor. The geography on the way up is mostly red
rock and red clay in small mountain (or large hill) shapes. The Arizona desert area is flat, spotted with
an assortment of decaying cactus trees, and for the most part, wide open, empty
and for sale. The bulk of the irrigated land is used for raising hay. You’ll note a picture of the hay walls near
Arroyo Grande, AZ. Some of these walls
are 30-feet high and run 3-5 rows deep for 80-100 feet. As you pass through Tucson the land begins to
take on more of a rocky, hilly shape and at the New Mexico border it flattens
out again. Soon after I entered New
Mexico, I saw a series of signs warning: Sand and Wind beware! Visibility may become zero! Do not stop in travel lane! I did run into one of those sand storms; however
it wasn’t as severe as the sign indicated and for that I was thankful. The sand and wind limit your vision as would a
good old ‘nor-easter snow storm white out.
I should also mention that wind signs are posted several places along
the highway as you exit San Diego and head into the high ground. Today there was wind and I had to reduce my
speed and ride at an angle (vs. straight up) for several miles to off set the
impact of the wind, not fun.
As I rode through the desert I saw a road sign that stated: “Sentinel, AZ - Historic Sites in the Middle of Nowhere” and I was thinking exactly the same thing as I rode for miles through this vacant desert. Tomorrow another early start and hopefully beat the heat as the adventure continues….
To
continue following the journey, click here for July 20 - August 3
