wanderer Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 Work delayed and delayed me, I missed August, but I am finally escaping next week. It starts with the long fast get-it-out-o-the-way jet up the coast. I'll leave San Diego Wednesday (the equinox!!) afternoon/evening for some quality I-5 time. Thursday landing in Brookings OR. Friday afternoon arrive in Portland to visit my brother. Sunday head up to Seattle to visit an old friend. Leave Seattle Monday. Then it is uncertain, but head inland for solo days heading back down to arrive home on Saturday. Not sure exactly where the heck I am going. I've always wanted to spend some time in the eastern parts of WA, OR, get to ID. Maybe Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, Pullman, down towards Boise, then back over towards Modoc and down the Sierras. Originally, I thought it would be cool to get as far as Yellowstone, but I think time limits and weather make that an unpleasant objective. Unfortunately, much of northwestern CA is on fire. It does look like I could use CA SR36 to make the I-5 to coast transition, staying south of Hayfork. So, any thoughts on the eastern WA, OR and ID areas, let me know! I have not had much opportunity to visit. I usually plan 500 mile days and half regret it, so I am thinking to try to limit most days to 350 planned miles plus digressions. Hikes or trail runs along the way would be nice (in reality, that is something I always think, but then in practice gear swapping from moto to run to sweaty-moto is a big psych barrier). 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted September 17, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted September 17, 2021 9 hours ago, wanderer said: Not sure exactly where the heck I am going. Honestly, that makes for the best trip. I desperately need to get out and do something similar myself… Enjoy, and let us know how it’s going. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted September 17, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted September 17, 2021 8 hours ago, wanderer said: Work delayed and delayed me, I missed August, but I am finally escaping next week. It starts with the long fast get-it-out-o-the-way jet up the coast. I'll leave San Diego Wednesday (the equinox!!) afternoon/evening for some quality I-5 time. Thursday landing in Brookings OR. Friday afternoon arrive in Portland to visit my brother. Sunday head up to Seattle to visit an old friend. Leave Seattle Monday. Then it is uncertain, but head inland for solo days heading back down to arrive home on Saturday. Not sure exactly where the heck I am going. I've always wanted to spend some time in the eastern parts of WA, OR, get to ID. Maybe Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, Pullman, down towards Boise, then back over towards Modoc and down the Sierras. Originally, I thought it would be cool to get as far as Yellowstone, but I think time limits and weather make that an unpleasant objective. Unfortunately, much of northwestern CA is on fire. It does look like I could use CA SR36 to make the I-5 to coast transition, staying south of Hayfork. So, any thoughts on the eastern WA, OR and ID areas, let me know! I have not had much opportunity to visit. I usually plan 500 mile days and half regret it, so I am thinking to try to limit most days to 350 planned miles plus digressions. Hikes or trail runs along the way would be nice (in reality, that is something I always think, but then in practice gear swapping from moto to run to sweaty-moto is a big psych barrier). Here are some random suggestions in no particular order. If you are cutting inland from the coast to I-5 in California, CA36 is AMAZING, if it is clear of wildfires it is a no-brainer. Just north of there, CA299 is very nice also with some great sweeping curves but might have a bit more traffic. If you are riding from I-5 to the coast or coast to I-5 in Oregon there are many nice coastal highways, a few of my favorites are CA199 from Grants Pass to Crescent City, OR42 from Coos Bay to Winston, OR34 from Waldport to Corvallis, OR6 and OR26 from Tillamook to Portland. In Washington, SR20 - the North Cascades Highway is breathtaking, a lot of people ride the Western portion from Darrington to Rockport to US-97 but SR20 continues to the Idaho Border! It is highly advised to check weather conditions, and bring rain gear anytime you are riding in the mountains. In Idaho, US12 from Lewiston to Lolo Montana is not to be missed. Another great option from Lewiston is heading South on WA129 and OR3 - Rattlesnake Grade - you'll thank me later. In Oregon, a VERY nice ride is Pendleton to Burns and continue all the way to the California border on US395. If you need more ideas, post up here, I'll be happy to offer suggestions. 1 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member knyte Posted September 17, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted September 17, 2021 1 hour ago, texscottyd said: 10 hours ago, wanderer said: Not sure exactly where the heck I am going. Honestly, that makes for the best trip. As soon as I read @wanderer's post I thought exactly the same thing!! Man I sure hope there's enough season left for exactly that - gear up and just head in some random direction. Take lots of pics, @wanderer!! Sounds like an adventure! 2 2015 FJ-09 / FJR touring bags / oil plug mod / Evotech rad guard / SW Motech bash plate / VStream touring windshield / Seat Concepts: Sport Touring / Vcyclenut ABS rings (speedo correction) / Cosmo RAM mount Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted September 17, 2021 Author Share Posted September 17, 2021 Thanks so far! Definitely the season is late, I get to pack my cold weather and rain gear! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted September 17, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted September 17, 2021 1 hour ago, knyte said: Man I sure hope there's enough season left for exactly that - gear up and just head in some random direction. Rewind about 30 years, and I was a 25 year old kid leaving East Texas for three weeks with the vague idea of ‘finding Washington DC before turning around’ as my guiding principle. This was way before the GPS option, so my strategy was to find a gas station after crossing into each new state, and buying a paper state map (plus asking the locals) to see what looked interesting. I found DC, via Talimena, the Ozarks, Blue Ridge, Front Royal… 5,500 miles of the best unscripted (and totally disconnected) riding I’ve ever done. Magic. 4 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 1moreroad Posted September 17, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted September 17, 2021 17 hours ago, wanderer said: I'll leave San Diego Wednesday (the equinox!!) afternoon/evening for some quality I-5 time. Pashnit had a good LA to SF alternative. Don't know how that fits into your OR plans. https://web.archive.org/web/20051210125031/http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/CoastalMtnRide.htm 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted September 18, 2021 Author Share Posted September 18, 2021 15 hours ago, 1moreroad said: Pashnit had a good LA to SF alternative. Don't know how that fits into your OR plans. Yep, thanks. In this case, I need an initial fast burst to get me far from home if I am to make it to less familiar territory quickly enough! Leaving in the late afternoon/evening on Wednesday and arriving Brookings on Thursday is going to be a long haul! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted September 18, 2021 Author Share Posted September 18, 2021 Damn. This will be the first time I ride in Oregon. Figured I'd check up the details of that lane filtering bill the legislature passed back in May, only to learn that I had missed out on the update and the governor vetoed it! Shittles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted September 18, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted September 18, 2021 15 minutes ago, wanderer said: I need an initial fast burst to get me far from home if I am to make it to less familiar territory quickly enough! Leaving in the late afternoon/evening on Wednesday and arriving Brookings on Thursday is going to be a long haul! I suppose you could leave work and ride up to Bakersfield or Fresno area and crash for the night and then finish the remainder all day on Thursday. Still a LONG haul. As much as I don't enjoy riding on the interstate, I agree with your thinking and have done the same on many occasions to get to the good riding quicker. 1 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted September 24, 2021 Author Share Posted September 24, 2021 I made my first significant destination, Brookings OR. Took I-5 all the way to Red Bluff, SR 36 west. It's my second time on SR36, and yes it is pretty damned nice! The eastern portion of SR36 is smokey, not for the faint-of-lung. but clear sky awaits to the west! I spent an entirely inappropriate amount of time over the last couple of days readjusting my mirror and dealing with "can't get my mirrors tight". I brought tools, and use them for only one damn thing and that is the mirrors. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted September 24, 2021 Author Share Posted September 24, 2021 My day for WA SR20 was supposed to be Monday, but it looks miserable for rain and cold. I may need to find another way east from Seattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted September 24, 2021 Author Share Posted September 24, 2021 (edited) I had 3 "incidents" on SR 36 today. #1 - a quick right left just over a rise that put me in the left lane. these scare me, second time I've done that. I have to figure out what I am missing. I think that because it is a quick right-left kink in the road, what I see before i get over the rise is that it looks straightened out. #2 - single lane, escorted closure for road maintenance. They seem to be dumping dirt and rocks on the hillside, putting much loose dirt on the road. They quickly bulldozed the larger rocks, sprayed it to keep the dust down, then escorted us through. Of course, what was left was a very thin layer of mud. I totally lost traction for a moment at 25mph. Must have hit a dry patch just in time to save myself. #3 - some guy in a white pickup truck coming the other way decided my lane was his lane around a curve. Not super close, not a very blind curve, but fairly freaky just the same. Edited September 24, 2021 by wanderer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted September 24, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted September 24, 2021 F-ck road construction crews and cagers! Get a grip on it man, you're scaring us. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted September 24, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted September 24, 2021 Capiche? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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