Monday, June 26, 2000
I didn't take any pictures today; we just rode clear across California. We left South Lake Tahoe on US-50 through Sacramento, then rode Highway 128 past the Napa Valley wineries to Geyserville. From there, we took a road that isn't numbered on my map past Lake Sonoma to Stewarts Point on the coast, then north on Highway 1 to Gualala. The last part was the most difficult.
The road from Geyserville to Stewarts Point looks like about 25 miles on the map. Don't let that fool you! We reached Lake Sonoma after about 10 miles, then we reached the sign saying it was 44 more miles to Stewarts Point. That is one of the crookedest roads I've seen. It takes every possible twist as it winds through the mountains. Our average speed was probably somewhere around 25 MPH. Because it didn't look so far on the map, we didn't top up our gas tanks at Geyserville. By the time we reached Stewarts Point, the low fuel lights on both our Wings had been on for quite a while and it was late.
The first gas pump we found that was open was a few more miles up the coast at Gualala. It was unattended, but the pay-at-the-pump dispensers were operating. The seafront motel across the street normally charges $150 a night, but offered a room for $95. Ordinarily, we would be too thrifty to fall for that, but we were tired.
The kitchen had just shut down at the bar across the street, but we were able to eat in another restaurant/bar a short walk up the street.
Tuesday, June 27, 2000
Northern California
Beach
Gordon driving through
Chandelier Tree
Wil driving through
Chandelier Tree
We rode up California Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, as far as it went, then US-101 to a campground at Crescent City, California.
Highway 1 is quite twisty, but not nearly as bad as the mountain road between Geyserville and Stewarts Point. It stayed foggy all day, but the fog thinned a little in the afternoon so we could at least see the beaches. There are some sand beaches, but most are rocky, great big rocks in many places.
Gordon started this trip alone on a Goldwing last year, but it abruptly ended in disaster on Highway 1 near Fort Bragg, California. He was tired after riding all day, and he entered a curve too fast and ran off the road. He broke his collarbone and cracked some ribs. The bones are all healed now, except the collarbone still has a loose spot where the broken ends didn't fuse together. He had his Goldwing repaired in California, but he couldn't ride, so he sold it rather than tow it home. Later, when he felt he could ride again, he brought his Honda Pacific Coast out of retirement. He decided this year he would ride thorough that curve and complete the trip on a new Gold Wing. Now the curve is behind us, and the rest of the adventure awaits.
We drove our Goldwings through the Chandelier Tree at at the Drive Thru Tree Park at Leggett, California. The sign reads:
| Chandelier Tree | |
| Height 315 ft. | Diameter 21 ft. |
| Maximum Age 2400 years | |
| Drive Thru Tree Park | Legett CA |
We passed by many giant redwood trees along the northern California coast while passing through Redwood National Park just south of Crescent City.
We camped overnight, but I don't remember where, exactly.
Wednesday, June 28, 2000
Just north of Crescent City, we saw elk crossing the road and grazing alongside. We left California and continued riding US-101 up the Oregon coast. We had a great breakfast in Brookings at Mattie's Pancake House, which was recently rebuilt after a fire. The pictures on the walls reflect someone's enthusiasm for classic cars. The Oregon coastline is much like the northern California coast, so I didn't take any pictures today.
It was foggy again today, but it cleared quite a bit in the afternoon. It was nice and cool along the coast, about 60°F, but temperatures climbed whenever the highway turned inland a bit. The radio weather reports said it was as hot as 100°F along the I-5 corridor.
We discovered an actual soda fountain in Beaver (not Beaverton), Oregon. That was a real treat! Continuing north, we rode past the Tillamook Cheese Factory, which is a popular stop for vacationing families.
We camped for the night in a KOA at Warrenton, at the northwest tip of Oregon at the mouth of the Columbia River.
Thursday, June 29, 2000
From Warrenton, we followed the Columbia River on US-30 to Portland, Oregon, then rode north on I-5 just across the Columbia to Vancouver, Washington for lunch with my friend Jim and his family.
Jim and I worked together at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, for several years. A short time before I moved to Asheville, he and his family moved to Vancouver to be closer to relatives. Jim's new job is going well; he was recently promoted. Kelly, Andrew, and Lindsay are doing fine.
We had planned to all do lunch together, but Jim's company is merging with another and he was stuck in meetings. Instead, we lunched with Kelly, Andrew, and Lindsay. We found a campground during the afternoon and then joined Jim and his family for dinner.
Friday, June 30, 2000
Mount St Helens
Outside the
Observatory
We finally reached my Mom's home today.
We rode up I-5 and diverted on Highway 504 to visit the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The visitor center at Silver Lake was informative, but the slide show there was kind of lame, just music and still pictures and not much else. The Johnston Ridge Observatory, the closest visitor center to Mount St. Helens, was much better. A wide-screen video presentation described the events before, during and after the eruption. At the show's end, the screen and the curtain behind it were raised to reveal a large window that looked directly across the valley to the crater. Wow!
The force of the eruption blew down or destroyed trees over an area of 150 square miles. Part of that area is being left alone so the regeneration process can be studied.
On the way back to I-5, we lunched at a logger's restaurant. At the evening meal, they present a dinner show with demonstrations of tree climbing, chopping, chainsaw carving and logger poetry.
Because it was late in the day and rain was threatening by the time we left Mount St. Helens, we zoomed straight up I-5 to Federal Way and Mom's.
My Mom's condo is really small, but her across-the-wall neighbor, Annamarie, had offered her spare room to Gordon, so he didn't have to find alternate lodging.
Saturday, July 1, 2000
This was mostly a chill-out day. I didn't get out my camera. We didn't even ride our motorcycles.
My mom, Katherine, my sister, Bev, and Gordon and I took Mom's car to Seattle to the revolving restaurant at the 500 foot level of the Space Needle for brunch. The original Space Needle Restaurant and adjoning Emerald Suite Restaurant were remodeled earlier this year into the Sky City Restaurant. Bev's husband, David, wasn't feeling well, so he didn't go. Almost as soon as I sat down at the table, I began to feel slightly uneasy. We had a great brunch of about four courses, through which I gradually developed a headache. After brunch, we toured the observation deck, inside and outside, then drove by the Seattle waterfront and back home.
[I later learned that the Space Needle's revolving restaurant had been sped up. Since it was built for the 1962 Worlds Fair, it has revolved once every 58 minutes, though all the promotional materials rounded that to once per hour. In 1996, a new motor with an adjustable gear was installed, and since then, the building engineers determined that the current rate of once every 47 minutes was the most efficient speed and the easiest on the equipment. So, at the window seats, the current speed is 0.072 mph, 24% faster than the original 0.058 mph. Could my headache have been caused by whirling around at such a dizzying pace?]
After returning to my mom's, everybody napped. Then I napped some more until it was time to go to bed. I slept through the night, and my headache was finally gone by morning. Meanwhile, Mom and Gordon talked until late.
Sunday, July 2, 2000
Mom on my
Goldwing
Gordon and I rode to Bev's where he met David, who was feeling much better. We had called ahead to see if they had a hose and supplies to wash the Goldwings. David was ready for us when we arrived. He had already stretched out the hose and set up a table with sponges, washcloths, brushes and several kinds of car wash detergents. Gordon prepped his bike with ProtectAll before the trip, so his cleaning went much quicker than mine. I'll have to try that stuff. [I have. I'll see how well it works for me next time my Wing needs a wash.]
Gordon said Annamarie kept him up late last night watching baseball and a movie. He said she really gets into the game, cheering and such.
After rain foiled our first attempt, Mom and I went for a ride on the Gold Wing. Of course, it started sprinkling again, but only a little, so we didn't let it stop us. We rode to see Pat, who was Mom's across-the-street neighbor before she moved into her condo. Pat had moved out of town, but he's been back in Federal Way for a while. He was really surprised to see Mom on the Goldwing.
We then rode over to see Mom's friend Gwen. Even though she knew I would be in town, she, too, was surprised to see Mom on a motorcycle. Mom said later that Gwen would have something exciting to talk about at church that night.
I didn't take any pictures today, either, but here's one of Mom and me at my house in Asheville last summer just after her first motorcycle ride ever. (No, she didn't drive, and yes, we wore helmets.) Adventurous, isn't she?
After we returned home, it started raining in earnest, so we just had a quiet evening talking and reading and packing. Gordon and I have a reservation on the Anacortes to Sidney, British Columbia ferry tomorrow, and we have some stops to make along the way, so we will have to leave the condo around 9:00 AM.