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Still working on the full version, but this should give you a small taste of the ride from the seat of an old, vintage enduro.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A final Note on our Trip
Several days earlier, when Vance had to fly home and drop his plans to ride to the coast with us, or should I say, Lead us to the coast, we decided to do something so he could accompany us in spirit.
Joe cut off one of the knobbies from Vance's TAT bike and carried it with him in his pocket from Winnemucca to Port Orford.
Arriving on the beach, we dipped the knob into the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean. We can only hope that Vance could feel a small cold rush when we did.
The Western Leg of the TAT ride is now over. The TAT has once again extracted a heavy toll on the group and it's machines. The last time this was attempted, 6 were to go, 5 started, and three finished. Only two on Vintage Machines. This time around, all that changed were the names. Is it an omen of things to come forth on the Eastern Section of the ride? No one will know until we try!
Thanks for coming along for the ride!
Gary, Joe and Dave (plus Vance, Anthony, Robert, Mark and of course, NICK!
Joe cut off one of the knobbies from Vance's TAT bike and carried it with him in his pocket from Winnemucca to Port Orford.
Arriving on the beach, we dipped the knob into the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean. We can only hope that Vance could feel a small cold rush when we did.
The Western Leg of the TAT ride is now over. The TAT has once again extracted a heavy toll on the group and it's machines. The last time this was attempted, 6 were to go, 5 started, and three finished. Only two on Vintage Machines. This time around, all that changed were the names. Is it an omen of things to come forth on the Eastern Section of the ride? No one will know until we try!
Thanks for coming along for the ride!
Gary, Joe and Dave (plus Vance, Anthony, Robert, Mark and of course, NICK!
Sunday - NOT a day of rest for the TAT Gruppe
We awakened on Sunday in Shady Cove to yet another beautiful day. Slightly cooler as we had crossed over the crest of the Cascades and were now in the land of green. We started out going North up highway 62 to the aptly named "Trail" and took highway 227 even more North. Spirits were high but the bikes began to sputter a bit with the lower altitudes and moister air. A quick roadside jet/needle adjustment got them on track and everyone could feel the adrenaline glands kicking in as we approached the confluence of 223 and the TAT! A small unmarked road over a small bridge, and we were there.
Once again on the TAT, we rode up shady graveled forest service roads over the range of mountains leading to the Willamette Valley and Interstate 5. The roads were good, the views were wonderful and the rate of speed gave us a false sense of invincibility to reach the coast on the back roads before dusk.
They make the trees a lot bigger out here than the places we have been for the last week.
Once again hitting asphalt roads, we make great time, and nearly miss the TAT turnoff. The GPS once again has us backtrack only to find another of the blasted gates.
So we head off for Canyonville, OR for a meeting with Nick for fuel. Everyone checked their oil and Dave passed the holy fuel can to all in need. Sometime later we discovered he had not screwed Mako's fuel cap on tightly enough resulting in a bit of Magyver inspired repairs. More on that later.
Canyonville is a tiny hamlet, but they have friendly bears.
Dave has made yet another friend . . .
After lunch we head west into the mountains once again. 15 miles into the trip something seems awry and Mako discovers the capless tank mod. A ziplock bag and a couple of zipties later, they are on their way.
That fix would last all the way to the coast!
Ther valleys the roads go through on our bypass are amazing. Unspoiled rivers, amazing geography, picturesque farms, and almost no traffic. The sunshine is just a bonus.
Time for yet another fuel stop for the 360.
The GPS routes us on a spur off the main road and we end up next to a river and sort of spoiled the skinny dipping experience of the folks who got there before us. Whipping out a camera seemed a bit tacky, so we made a quiet retreat. The riding conditions seem flawless at the moment.
Several more times today we would encounter what would become our nemesis:
The final straw was around the corner, but it was a lot bigger than this:
WE turned around, and backtracked a dozen miles, at this time the fuel concerns began to take over. We were able to obtain some at a little hamlet called Agness, which was quite a bit off route, but the only place within range.
It required us to make our last approach to Port Orford on Highway 101 as dusk approached. The fog was just rolling in off of the Pacific as we rounded the last corner before Port Orford.
Once again on the TAT, we rode up shady graveled forest service roads over the range of mountains leading to the Willamette Valley and Interstate 5. The roads were good, the views were wonderful and the rate of speed gave us a false sense of invincibility to reach the coast on the back roads before dusk.
They make the trees a lot bigger out here than the places we have been for the last week.
Once again hitting asphalt roads, we make great time, and nearly miss the TAT turnoff. The GPS once again has us backtrack only to find another of the blasted gates.
So we head off for Canyonville, OR for a meeting with Nick for fuel. Everyone checked their oil and Dave passed the holy fuel can to all in need. Sometime later we discovered he had not screwed Mako's fuel cap on tightly enough resulting in a bit of Magyver inspired repairs. More on that later.
Canyonville is a tiny hamlet, but they have friendly bears.
Dave has made yet another friend . . .
After lunch we head west into the mountains once again. 15 miles into the trip something seems awry and Mako discovers the capless tank mod. A ziplock bag and a couple of zipties later, they are on their way.
That fix would last all the way to the coast!
Ther valleys the roads go through on our bypass are amazing. Unspoiled rivers, amazing geography, picturesque farms, and almost no traffic. The sunshine is just a bonus.
Time for yet another fuel stop for the 360.
The GPS routes us on a spur off the main road and we end up next to a river and sort of spoiled the skinny dipping experience of the folks who got there before us. Whipping out a camera seemed a bit tacky, so we made a quiet retreat. The riding conditions seem flawless at the moment.
Several more times today we would encounter what would become our nemesis:
The final straw was around the corner, but it was a lot bigger than this:
WE turned around, and backtracked a dozen miles, at this time the fuel concerns began to take over. We were able to obtain some at a little hamlet called Agness, which was quite a bit off route, but the only place within range.
It required us to make our last approach to Port Orford on Highway 101 as dusk approached. The fog was just rolling in off of the Pacific as we rounded the last corner before Port Orford.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Holy Frigidare Dave - who stole the Thermostat?
As we moved along towards our goal that day of reaching Crater Lake, the sun was still shining and everyone was dressed pretty light. Somewhere between leaving highway 97 and reaching the Crater Lake Entryway gate, the temperature dropped suddenly about 30 degrees. By suddenly, I mean withing about 200 yards! This necessitated a stop for more clothing. What is that white stuff?
Up the curving road to the top, we find a lot of water streaming across the road from the melting snow. We probably should be off the mountain before that stuff freezes . . . Thre was a fair amount of snow left in the area.
This view is hard to ever tire of, and the photo, even if it were well done, would not do the scenery justice.
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd309/makotosun/tatwest/day%20eight/panorama2small.jpg
There really was a lot of snow up there . . .
WE left the park and linked up with the chase truck and sent him barreling down the mountain in search of any fleabag motel he could find. He ended up clear into Shady Cove, OR to probably the nicest hotel we had stayed in the whole trip! There was little energy left after the breakneck ride down the mountain to beat twilight, so dinner was a gourmet feast of lunch meats that Nick had kept cold all day with snow from the mountain.
After dinner it was pretty much hit the snack and try to recuperate from what was believed to be a 300 mile plus day!
Up the curving road to the top, we find a lot of water streaming across the road from the melting snow. We probably should be off the mountain before that stuff freezes . . . Thre was a fair amount of snow left in the area.
This view is hard to ever tire of, and the photo, even if it were well done, would not do the scenery justice.
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd309/makotosun/tatwest/day%20eight/panorama2small.jpg
There really was a lot of snow up there . . .
WE left the park and linked up with the chase truck and sent him barreling down the mountain in search of any fleabag motel he could find. He ended up clear into Shady Cove, OR to probably the nicest hotel we had stayed in the whole trip! There was little energy left after the breakneck ride down the mountain to beat twilight, so dinner was a gourmet feast of lunch meats that Nick had kept cold all day with snow from the mountain.
After dinner it was pretty much hit the snack and try to recuperate from what was believed to be a 300 mile plus day!
Awakening in Lakeview, Oregon
we decide that we want to go a more direct route to Crater Lake than is offered by the "classic" TAT, but we also want to be riding in the trees and dirt. OK - we are fine with some pavement thrown in at this stage too . . .
Plotting a path in Mapquest that will take us almost directly west across some neat forested public and private lands, we embark, but not before Joe does a bit of electrical work to get his headlight working.
He is successful, but after the fact, we discover that Makotosun's headlight bit the dust the night prior and he is now riding without illumination. This creates not only a legal issue (motorcycles are supposed to run a light at all times) but a pragmatic one - we need to be in a hotel before the sun goes down tonight! We didn't know it then, but the headlight would remain "dark" for the rest of the trip!
The weather is once again overly cooperative, much to my sunburned hands' chagrin. The Solarcane is working though, so it's all good. We head into the hills with high spirits. Even the blacktop slab is good on knobbies in the sunshine!
The mountains are really beautiful and we meet little traffic. An hour or so into the ride, the droning of the two strokes, reminiscent of the whine of a pair of Zeros in a Japanese WWII movie, begins to lull us into a drowsy state. Joe decides to rest a bit on the gravel in the hot sun . . .
<
Resuming the ride after some fluid intake, we discover what will not be our first brush with frozen H2O . . .
It didn't slow us down much, but did raise our concerns for our progress for the day.
We ended up on gravel and sand roads in some of the neatest riding area we found on the whole trip. It is in the woods Northeast of Klamath Falls, OR.
The issues we discovered is that a GPS unit cannot really discern the difference between an interstate and a goat trail, which got us into a lot of interesting pathways. It also does not show all major water hazards on the screen. This little river ford did not show up at all . . .
Not only did it not show up, but there was no way to really get around it and it appeared to be about 4-5 feet deep and running way to fast to try and ford. So off we go backtracking to another route.
Even though it was a big delay, the riding was amazing.
Next UP is a really big wet cold hole in the ground . . .
Plotting a path in Mapquest that will take us almost directly west across some neat forested public and private lands, we embark, but not before Joe does a bit of electrical work to get his headlight working.
He is successful, but after the fact, we discover that Makotosun's headlight bit the dust the night prior and he is now riding without illumination. This creates not only a legal issue (motorcycles are supposed to run a light at all times) but a pragmatic one - we need to be in a hotel before the sun goes down tonight! We didn't know it then, but the headlight would remain "dark" for the rest of the trip!
The weather is once again overly cooperative, much to my sunburned hands' chagrin. The Solarcane is working though, so it's all good. We head into the hills with high spirits. Even the blacktop slab is good on knobbies in the sunshine!
The mountains are really beautiful and we meet little traffic. An hour or so into the ride, the droning of the two strokes, reminiscent of the whine of a pair of Zeros in a Japanese WWII movie, begins to lull us into a drowsy state. Joe decides to rest a bit on the gravel in the hot sun . . .
<
Resuming the ride after some fluid intake, we discover what will not be our first brush with frozen H2O . . .
It didn't slow us down much, but did raise our concerns for our progress for the day.
We ended up on gravel and sand roads in some of the neatest riding area we found on the whole trip. It is in the woods Northeast of Klamath Falls, OR.
The issues we discovered is that a GPS unit cannot really discern the difference between an interstate and a goat trail, which got us into a lot of interesting pathways. It also does not show all major water hazards on the screen. This little river ford did not show up at all . . .
Not only did it not show up, but there was no way to really get around it and it appeared to be about 4-5 feet deep and running way to fast to try and ford. So off we go backtracking to another route.
Even though it was a big delay, the riding was amazing.
Next UP is a really big wet cold hole in the ground . . .
Sorry for the Delays in Information . . .
It has been a couple of days since I posted our progress. The problem has been twofold. First, when you get into a hotel after riding 300 miles on an old enduro, you fall asleep on top of the covers (Yuch!) with your nasty riding gear intact. Second, you often find posting photos with a bad net connection to be too frustrating to deal with.
Hopefully over the next couple of installments I can regain your interest.
We left Winnemucca kind of late, around 10:00 and headed off into the desert. Gravel showed up about 20 minutes into the ride and stayed with us until we intersected 140. The route we took was under some of the bluest skies I have ever seen.
We also came upon a dry lake bed somewhere a bit NW of Winnemucca. It came complete with mirage that looked like a nice, beaconing lake. As hot as it was, it would have been pretty tempting to trek over to it.
As we left the lake and were riding along towards the next destination, someone was either taking a short cut across it, or was doing some speed record time trials. No time to snap a photo, but it was neat to see. The area is pretty but sparse.
After an hour or two in the desolation that is NW Nevada, we hit highway 140 and headed towards Denio Junction. More of the desolation we would become familiar with on the trip.
A herd of deer that ran across our path . . .
We were hoping to locate the TAT where it crosses 140 south of Denio, but there was nothing to be found where the GPS said it should be. We decided to get some gas and ponder our options.
sometime after noon and had some lunch. Highly recommend the burger which consisted of about half a pound of prime beef hand formed an perfectly cooked.
I think this was the Donor . . .
The milkshakes are also damn fine.
After that we caught the TAT off of 140 next to yet another dry lake. It showed as a lake on my Garmin, but not a drop was to be seen. What is it with Sam - he has half a dozen nice county gravel roads to choose from and he picks the antelope trail you would miss without a GPS!
In case you ever wondered how you read a gps on a motorcycle when you need reading glasses and it is really bright sunlight outside . . .
Joe and I decided to brave the trail and where there is really one rule of thumb - try not to hit any rocks bigger than your head! My 400 was tossed about like a rowboat in a hurricane, and Joe's 360 took it even worse. Great view if you make it, probably death if you mess up.
If you survive the hill climb (questionable) you are presented with some really nice backroad two track. We saw a couple of groups of wild Mules and numerous Antelope on the trail. They were too fast for my camera.
Due to time constraints, we decided to hit the trail in sections and slab it on to make the coast on Sunday. Hence, the blacktop called us for a section on to Lakeview. Good road, and another state line crossing.
Met up with our support truck in Lakeview, and spent too short a night at the International 8 motel. Really nice folks and the most rotund mongrel dog I have ever seen.
She said the only thing it ever bit was a donut, and I am thinking it never met a donut it didn't like!
I also made the mistake of riding for awhile in the morning without my gloves as it was too hot. OOOOPS! A large bottle of Solarcane liberally applied inside my riding gloves for the rest of the trip made it tolerable.
Don't try this at home!
I will break these posts up into days for easy digestion. So off to the next day after a slumber . . .
Hopefully over the next couple of installments I can regain your interest.
We left Winnemucca kind of late, around 10:00 and headed off into the desert. Gravel showed up about 20 minutes into the ride and stayed with us until we intersected 140. The route we took was under some of the bluest skies I have ever seen.
We also came upon a dry lake bed somewhere a bit NW of Winnemucca. It came complete with mirage that looked like a nice, beaconing lake. As hot as it was, it would have been pretty tempting to trek over to it.
As we left the lake and were riding along towards the next destination, someone was either taking a short cut across it, or was doing some speed record time trials. No time to snap a photo, but it was neat to see. The area is pretty but sparse.
After an hour or two in the desolation that is NW Nevada, we hit highway 140 and headed towards Denio Junction. More of the desolation we would become familiar with on the trip.
A herd of deer that ran across our path . . .
We were hoping to locate the TAT where it crosses 140 south of Denio, but there was nothing to be found where the GPS said it should be. We decided to get some gas and ponder our options.
sometime after noon and had some lunch. Highly recommend the burger which consisted of about half a pound of prime beef hand formed an perfectly cooked.
I think this was the Donor . . .
The milkshakes are also damn fine.
After that we caught the TAT off of 140 next to yet another dry lake. It showed as a lake on my Garmin, but not a drop was to be seen. What is it with Sam - he has half a dozen nice county gravel roads to choose from and he picks the antelope trail you would miss without a GPS!
In case you ever wondered how you read a gps on a motorcycle when you need reading glasses and it is really bright sunlight outside . . .
Joe and I decided to brave the trail and where there is really one rule of thumb - try not to hit any rocks bigger than your head! My 400 was tossed about like a rowboat in a hurricane, and Joe's 360 took it even worse. Great view if you make it, probably death if you mess up.
If you survive the hill climb (questionable) you are presented with some really nice backroad two track. We saw a couple of groups of wild Mules and numerous Antelope on the trail. They were too fast for my camera.
Due to time constraints, we decided to hit the trail in sections and slab it on to make the coast on Sunday. Hence, the blacktop called us for a section on to Lakeview. Good road, and another state line crossing.
Met up with our support truck in Lakeview, and spent too short a night at the International 8 motel. Really nice folks and the most rotund mongrel dog I have ever seen.
She said the only thing it ever bit was a donut, and I am thinking it never met a donut it didn't like!
I also made the mistake of riding for awhile in the morning without my gloves as it was too hot. OOOOPS! A large bottle of Solarcane liberally applied inside my riding gloves for the rest of the trip made it tolerable.
Don't try this at home!
I will break these posts up into days for easy digestion. So off to the next day after a slumber . . .
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