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VancouverWA to AustinTX = MotoGP


redfjniner

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What kills me is that I’m only a three hour ride from COTA, the weather looks to be perfect, but I’m not able to attend the MotoGP races this year.   Ugh.   

Poor planning around family commitments is keeping me close to home.  For those that can attend, have fun for me!  

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8 hours ago, partypat said:

Maybe you should think about taking the 99 vs I5 South....   That puts you on the East side of the central valley away from that smell.   Also closer to windy mountain roads along the foothills.

99 might be a little closer to the Sierras but it ain't in them. Having done both multiple times, I would recommend just stay on I-5 and hold your breath past Harris Ranch. 99 is no more fun than I-5, and you get to deal with traffic through Modesto and Fresno.

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3 hours ago, keithu said:

99 might be a little closer to the Sierras but it ain't in them. Having done both multiple times, I would recommend just stay on I-5 and hold your breath past Harris Ranch. 99 is no more fun than I-5, and you get to deal with traffic through Modesto and Fresno.

This.

'15 FJ09

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On 4/9/2019 at 7:52 PM, keithu said:

99 might be a little closer to the Sierras but it ain't in them. Having done both multiple times, I would recommend just stay on I-5 and hold your breath past Harris Ranch. 99 is no more fun than I-5, and you get to deal with traffic through Modesto and Fresno.

Plus the 99 is one big giant speed trap, lots of places for the 5.0 to hide. At least on the 5 if you pay attention you can see them a little ways off. 

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1 hour ago, whitecrow said:

Plus the 99 is one big giant speed trap, lots of places for the 5.0 to hide. At least on the 5 if you pay attention you can see them a little ways off. 

And if you're under 80, they don't give a shit.

'15 FJ09

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Well here I am sitting in my motel room waiting for the rain to stop on Day 11,  and haven't post a single thing.  Too much to do while riding, drinking, eating and sleeping.  

Day 1:  Checked weather and it  looked like no rain, so I didn't put on the rain gear.  Rode through Portland in the rain, Eugene in the rain and one more shower, but never really got wet.  Dried quickly and just kept riding.  After 110 miles I stopped to put on my rain gear to get warm.  Ending in Weed, CA with no events on I-5.  Nothing to report and no picture.  366m, 8h8m.

Day 2:  Checked weather and put on rain gear to stay warm and defend against a few drops that fell from Weed to Redding, CA.  After Willows, I took off the rain gear and pretty much had dry to the Motel 6 near Coalinga, CA.  There was some smell from the cattle, but the wind helped push another way.  No pics today.  416m, 8h44m.

Day 3:  No rain.  Rode down to CA-138 then over to CR-N2.  This was a surprise as it wasn't anything I expected, I will give you a picture to entertain you.  I got 10-14m into the road before turning around as it would take too long and wasn't worth it, I  think, maybe if I had a dual sport.  From 138 to CA-14 and just past Palmdale I turned off on Angeles Forst Road.  Best road so far and well worth including in any ride.  Angeles Crest Hwy was closed at CA-38, but I rode up to a Observatory and then backtracked on ACHwy to LA.  Got on the 210 and made it to Upland.  298m, 6h22m.

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CR-N2:  Old road never repaved.  Orig. is concrete with garbage asphalt easing the tight corners.

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You can see  the orig. conc. with the asphalt on the right easing the corner.  Lots of pot holes etc.    Great views.

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View from where I turned around.  Would have been fun if I had time and  the right bike.

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Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours
(2)2005 FJR1300abs:  230,000 m
2015 FJ-09:  114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K)

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I find traveling across the U.S. kind of boring, but we try to find things along the way that are kind of interesting.

Day 4:  Played golf in LA.  Met with cousins and their families.  That was fun.

Day 5: 4-7-19 Ride across the desert from Upland to Gila Bend, AZ.  I took a detour through Joshua Tree N.P.  Pretty much just rode through it.  Took a few pictures, but it isn't as interesting as so many of the SW N.P.'s.  Went South on Old US 80 and took pictures of an old rusty bridge and remains of a dam, both named Gillespie.  Old US 80 was a pleasant ride.  384m, 8h45m.

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Joshua Tree National Park.

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Joshua Tree National Park.

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Rusty Gillespie Bridge, 1912.  I don't think it has ever been painted more than once.

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Gillespie Dam.  Too bad it failed.  My motel sucked in Gila Bend, but it was cheap.

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Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours
(2)2005 FJR1300abs:  230,000 m
2015 FJ-09:  114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K)

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Day 6:  Shorter ride to meet up with friends in Sahuarita, AZ.  I took the hwy to the south out of Gila Bend so I went through Ajo, AZ.  Although a ways from the border, it is a border town with a central town center with the churchs, public building and markets, all done in white and stucco.  You can do a 360 degree on Google Earth.  Felt like I had been there before as I did that.  Some nice rock formations just North of town.  My pictures didn't get the best ones, but I did get this picture of a couple cacti waving at me.

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I met up with my friends that I would be riding to Austin with.

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Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours
(2)2005 FJR1300abs:  230,000 m
2015 FJ-09:  114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K)

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Day 7:  Leaving Sahuarita to Columbus, NM.  Ride over to Tombstone, short visit, then on to Bisbee for breakfast.  On to Portal for a visit to the Canyon there. 

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A little store/cafe at Portal. 

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Saw some deer in the Canyon.  Then on to Columbus, NM. 

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We have stayed in this little motel, Los Milagros motel and ate at the little cafe across the street, Borderland Cafe.  We fought a 30 mph wind all day.  Slapped us around pretty good and we all were tired.  290m, 8h15m.

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Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours
(2)2005 FJR1300abs:  230,000 m
2015 FJ-09:  114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K)

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Day 8:  Riding across New Mexico on NM-9 isn't very interesting but you are usually less than 30 miles from the border and see lots of Border Patrol vehicles and establishments.  Hardly any gas stations, so you must plan gas stops.  We are headed for Fort Davis, TX today.  Ridding through El Paso and SE on US90 then left on TX166.  Around 200 miles of desert with a big city in there.  We are headed for the hilly country of Texas and the first spot on our radar is to ride around Baldy Peak.  A nice road with sweepers and a few twisties.  Very enjoyable.

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Some of our group rode up to McDonald Obseratory, to experience the highest paved road in Texas and then down to Fort Davis.  We were staying in the Old Limpia Hotel.  The last 100 miles was the best.  305m, 6h30m.

Day 9:  April 11, 2019.  Todays ride will be the best Texas has to offer, as far as we can determine, or the best we can get coming from El Paso.  We headed due South to Presidio about 81 miles, with activity occurring just after passing a Border Patrol Check Station.  About 10 miles back we passed a Toyota pickup doing about 7 over.  After passing the pickup the Ahole in the truck started to tailgate our fella in his red Honda S2000.  I was the last bike and had observed this maneuver and the guy kept repeating it over and over.  Two of our guys had stopped to put on winter gloves because it was around 42 degrees and they were getting cold.  The caught up with us just after the Border Patrol Station and a mile or so decided to pass the truck.  Not wanting to be behind the car and in front of the truck the first bike  to pass was doing so quickly.  As he passed the truck, the truck immediately pulled out behind him and light up.  None of us suspected that.  No radar was used.  The cop pulled over that rider, which right in front of me, as I had slowed down.  The two riders in front of me never saw a thing.  It was a Sheriff, with an attitude.  He just checked if the rider had a motorcycle endorsement and didn't give a ticket.   Most likely he didn't know how fast he was going (100+ I imagine).  I had pass the lead bikers and pulled them over in a safe place and we discussed the happening.  Shortly the Sheriff showed up with his lights a blazing and stopped to chew us out for exceeding the speed limit.  No citations.  We proceeded and shortly passed two Hightway patrol vehicles in the next 5 miles.  I don't know if the Sheriff was saving our asses or was just a jerk.  No pics.  We proceeded to Presidio for breakfast and then followed with the best ride in Texas, as far as I know, on RM 170, then Big Bend N.P. and Santa Elena Canyon.

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The Rio Grande above.

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Our group with their: FJR1300, C14, R1, 929, S2000 and my FJ.  Windy today too, but a little less, like 20 mph.

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Cool road RM-170.

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Santa Elena Canyon.  Mexico on the left and the US on the right.  We are approx. halfway across the river based on high water banks, so I'm still in the US and the guys on the left will soon be illegally entering the US.

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Just on of the mountains of interest.  Big Bend is not supper spectacular but a nice addition to the N.P. system.  We continued on to Sanderson, TX with two places to eat, Strips Gas station and a restaurant at the other end of town where all the ladies (waitress) were packing.  We stayed in the Budget Inn.  Other than being run down, not bad.  Swimming pool is now a flower bed to grow cactus.

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Upon getting our rooms, the manager gave us treats to eat with our beers, banana and bottled water.  There was a hose outside our door, so I washed by bike.  Yes it was windy today too, but kind of a sideways tail wind. 321m, 8h42m.

 

 

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Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours
(2)2005 FJR1300abs:  230,000 m
2015 FJ-09:  114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K)

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Day 10:  On to Austin.  Passed over the  Pecos River.  Brushed by Del Rio,  and enjoyed US-377 and TX-41.  Fueled and ate breadfast in Rocksprings.  Finished the day riding on US-290 into Austin.

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Bridge was tagged

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Pecos River.  361m, 7h5m.

 

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Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours
(2)2005 FJR1300abs:  230,000 m
2015 FJ-09:  114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K)

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