Popular Post Salish900 Posted March 10, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 10, 2021 Like many here, I'm struggling with both winter and COVID blues. For me, nothing lifts my spirits like travel! So Friday after work, I'm hopping on my 900 and leaving Olympia, WA and riding three hours down into the Columbia River Gorge. As you go East in the gorge it gets drier, and sunnier, from rain shadow. I'll be camping East of Hood River for the night. Saturday morning I will get up and do the BZ and Klickitat loop near Mt. Adams! Then head down into Eastern Oregon and wander around on the back side of Mt. Hood and the John Day area. I'll camp out in the desert. Sunday a small front moves through that will bring snow to the passes over 1,000 feet, so I will have to ride slab back through the gorge (beautiful) and up I5 home. I'll post some photos when I get back. Is it not the anticipation of a trip that is half the fun? I'm walking on clouds right now. 8 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wintersdark Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Man, I wish the borders where open. I desperate want to get out on a longer ride, and I'd love to head south where it's less freezing cold. So jealous! Have a great ride! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salish900 Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 26 minutes ago, Wintersdark said: Man, I wish the borders where open. I desperate want to get out on a longer ride, and I'd love to head south where it's less freezing cold. So jealous! Have a great ride! I sympathize @Wintersdark. I'm with you on the borders! Man, it's killing me. I'm really hoping they open up by June or July. Though we can ride year round here on the West Side, the passes are either closed for winter or marginal. So we often have to skirt the mountains and head East in the Columbia River Gorge, as I am doing. I have close friends in Calgary and have spent many months adventuring in the Canadian Rockies, so while you may be jealous of winter riding, I'm jealous of your locale in summer! For those not familiar with the PNW weather patterns, our West Side, often referred to as the Wet Side, gets plenty of rain, but the Cascade Mountains block most of it and the East Side is a desert. If not for irrigation from the various rivers, you'd have little agriculture out there. So us West Side folks hop over to the East Side when we can to catch some sun and a break from rain. It's often colder over there, but light and dry is the balm! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wintersdark Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 (edited) Yep; I'm from Vancouver Island (and later Vancouver itself) and am very familiar with Wet Coast life 😃 It's amusing here that winter riding is often simpler here than in BC during the winter, as dealing with -20C temps is just a matter of heated gear, whereas riding in BC... well, anyone riding in a temperate rainforest learns that "waterproof gear" often... isn't. And once you get wet, you're gonna be miserable. Signed: someone who's intimately familiar with wrapping his feet in bread bags before putting on boots. Will say: Kaslo/New Denver area of the Kootenays is probably my favourite riding so far in North America. Absolutely stunning area. Edited March 10, 2021 by Wintersdark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted March 10, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted March 10, 2021 1 hour ago, Salish900 said: Like many here, I'm struggling with both winter and COVID blues. For me, nothing lifts my spirits like travel! So Friday after work, I'm hopping on my 900 and leaving Olympia, WA and riding three hours down into the Columbia River Gorge. As you go East in the gorge it gets drier, and sunnier, from rain shadow. I'll be camping East of Hood River for the night. Saturday morning I will get up and do the BZ and Klickitat loop near Mt. Adams! Then head down into Eastern Oregon and wander around on the back side of Mt. Hood and the John Day area. I'll camp out in the desert. Sunday a small front moves through that will bring snow to the passes over 1,000 feet, so I will have to ride slab back through the gorge (beautiful) and up I5 home. I'll post some photos when I get back. Is it not the anticipation of a trip that is half the fun? I'm walking on clouds right now. I have ridden those areas many, many times and they never disappoint, fantastic riding!!! 👍🏻 With a few days of decent weather forecast, I am trying to plan a quick get away myself. 2 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HGP61 Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 1 hour ago, Salish900 said: Is it not the anticipation of a trip that is half the fun? I'm walking on clouds right now. Yes Yes Yes!!! My two riding buddies and myself have started discussing our weeks summer tour and that's not until June but already the anticipation is making me smile. Have a fantastic time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salish900 Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 44 minutes ago, Wintersdark said: Will say: Kaslo/New Denver area of the Kootenays is probably my favourite riding so far in North America. Absolutely stunning area. Oh boy. I hear you. I did a trip a few years back on my Connie on backroads up into Jasper and Yoho and through that country in BC. It's literally heaven to me. Kill me. That's where I'll be. One summer, as a lad, I walked from the Border to the top of Jasper National Park, solo, through all the Parks. I live every day in awe of those mountains and with memories of what I saw and felt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wintersdark Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 38 minutes ago, Salish900 said: Oh boy. I hear you. I did a trip a few years back on my Connie on backroads up into Jasper and Yoho and through that country in BC. It's literally heaven to me. Kill me. That's where I'll be. One summer, as a lad, I walked from the Border to the top of Jasper National Park, solo, through all the Parks. I live every day in awe of those mountains and with memories of what I saw and felt. Holy crap, that's a heck of a hike. Must have been quite the adventure! Curiously, after a life of riding around here, I've actually never been to Jasper. Keep meaning to do the icefields, but every time a local group of people are doing it I'm busy somehow. Pretty resolved to do it this summer, even if I'm just going myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted March 10, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted March 10, 2021 52 minutes ago, HGP61 said: Yes Yes Yes!!! My two riding buddies and myself have started discussing our weeks summer tour and that's not until June but already the anticipation is making me smile. Have a fantastic time. I just got my June road trip with my brother and 2 buddies, planned and finalized last night. 7 days through Oregon and California, down to Reno and then over Monitor, Ebbetts and Carson Passes with a detour out to the coast to Fort Bragg and the Redwoods. I am eagerly anticipating this trip. 👍🏻 2 1 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salish900 Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 4 minutes ago, betoney said: I just got my June road trip with my brother and 2 buddies, planned and finalized last night. 7 days through Oregon and California, down to Reno and then over Monitor, Ebbetts and Carson Passes with a detour out to the coast to Fort Bragg and the Redwoods. I am eagerly anticipating this trip. 👍🏻 What a righteous adventure that will be! What a grand thing to prepare for. Those Sierra passes are epic. If you can add Sonora or Tioga, you would be happy! My first job out of college was teaching at Yosemite Institute...yes, it spoiled me for life. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted March 10, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted March 10, 2021 6 minutes ago, Salish900 said: What a righteous adventure that will be! What a grand thing to prepare for. Those Sierra passes are epic. If you can add Sonora or Tioga, you would be happy! My first job out of college was teaching at Yosemite Institute...yes, it spoiled me for life. We rode Sonora 2 years ago LOVED IT. The steep 23-26% grades through that epic scenery are my type of riding. 1 1 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salish900 Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 26 minutes ago, betoney said: We rode Sonora 2 years ago LOVED IT I have profound and fond memories of hiking the Tahoe-Yosemite trail north to south, hitting Sonora Pass, and then on the southern side going into Yosemite and what is about the most remote wilderness in the lower 48. Very few people traverse anything but the one major trail. I think I went 7 days at 16-20 miles a day without seeing a soul. Deep time. Silence. Big trout in every lake! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted March 10, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted March 10, 2021 5 hours ago, Salish900 said: Then head down into Eastern Oregon and wander around on the back side of Mt. Hood and the John Day area. I'll camp out in the desert. That's some of the best riding in the country IMO, enjoy! Not sure if you have an exact route planned, but assume all the roads on Warm Springs Reservation are still closed. You can ride straight through on US-26 but that's it. A bit of a bummer, but there are still plenty more great roads out there. Take pics! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member knyte Posted March 10, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted March 10, 2021 4 hours ago, Wintersdark said: Kaslo/New Denver area of the Kootenays I was literally just discussing this ride with a work friend. I've driven through there many times, but a ride would be stellar. 1 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...
Supporting Member knyte Posted March 10, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted March 10, 2021 3 hours ago, Wintersdark said: I've actually never been to Jasper. We did the Edmonton / Cochrane / Banff / Jasper / Edmonton loop last year. Can't wait to do it again. Tip: bring your bread bags...very high altitudes = sudden weather changes 1 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...
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