N. Cal/Oregon & 5 Nat'l Parks

[VEGASRIDER]

Day 1: Left Vegas at 0330 going thru Death Valley National Park. Not sure why they call it a national park, it's just plain hot, even at 0600 when this picture was taken. Entered from the east and exited out on the west end on Ca Hwy 190, which was a great winding road going that let you go at a high rate of speed, you know the long sweepers.



Mammoth Lakes Ca. Just off US Hwy 395 on the way up to Yosemite.


June Lake. Just north of Mammoth Lakes, took the June Lake loop off Hwy 395.


Ca. Hwy 120 up the Tioga Pass on the way up to Yosemite.




Entrance into Yosemite National Park: Tioga Pass elevation almost 10,000 ft.


Tenaya Lake inside Yosemite.


Inside Yosemite Valley. Since it was a Saturday, it was very crowded. Entering the valley, the road turns one way providing two lanes. The traffic was at a stand still. Hey, I'm in California, I can split. This saved me at least one hour. After reaching the valley, I find that everyone in both lanes has stopped and have gotten out of their vehicles to take pictures which resulted the two mile long back up. :spank: Notice I have stopped ahead of the stopped vehicles off to the side.


There were several rock climbers clinging on for dear life somewhere up there. You needed binoculars to see them.


Left Yosemite and onto Lake Tahoe via Ca Hwy 120, 49 through the town of Sonora and then up the mountain through Kit Carson on Ca Hwy 88, then on Ca 89 into Stateline Nv.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

After 16 hour on the saddle and 690 miles later: Lake Tahoe, north shore. End of Day 1:


Day two: Left Tahoe up Ca Hwy 89 towards Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park. After a nice breakfast in the town of Quincy, this is what I have discovered inside of this national park. Now if there was ever a time to remove your helmet and ride a motorcycle, this would be the stretch of roadway.









Now it's well past noon, and I need to get moving as I have to get to the Oregon Caves National Monument before their dining room closes at 2000. So I blasted out of the park on Ca Hwy 44 thru Redding Ca where I stopped at a Starbucks. Continued on Ca Hwy 299 towards Eureka where the road was nice and twisty. At Willow Creek I headed North on Ca Hwy 96 through the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation and the road meandered along the Klamath River. No, Bigfoot sighting. This stretch of road was very twisty, with very limited vehicles. But I found it very bumpy. So bumpy that during one stretch, my GPS came off my mount and fell off my bike going about 70mph. As I looked in my mirror, all I saw was my GPS shattering into several pieces. Oh well, Oregon has no sales tax, time to get another unit. Good thing I had the old fashioned maps. From Happy Camp, I took a seasonal road into Oregon, Ca Hwy 48. Turns out it was gravel once I got into Oregon, looks like they are in the process of repaving the road. I saw one car, that was it.

Finally up Oregon Hwy 199 into Cave Junction, and up the Cave Hwy Oregon Hwy 46. Probably the top three Epic Roads on my list. Ten miles of twist and turns. Speed limit is 55, but you cannot go that fast during most of that stretch. You don't have to worry about any LEO's either. There are none.


The Oregon Caves Chateau. No telephones, TV's, cell service or wifi.


This where I met Mark, aka MXGOLF who rode in from Portland, a whopping 275 miles! Pictured in the blue shirt inside the historic 1934 coffee shop.


Made from scratch. Oregon Blackberry shake for me, and a chocolate shake for Mark.


End of day 2: Almost 500 miles and 12 hours on the saddle.

Day 3: My Place Diner in Cave Junction Oregon at 0900, wondering where Lone is? A no show at the Chateau last night. Notice the motorcycle parking sign. When we parked, it was just two FZ6's, when we exited, there were more bikes.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Down hwy 199 into N. California into Cresent City Ca to US HWY 101. OMG, Mark just rode thru a tree!



Jeddiah Smith State Park, part of the Redwood National Park system.











Did I mentioned that Mark was having battery issues? LOL...it was push startin time from this day forward.


End of day 3: About 200 miles, a light day of riding. Still waitin on Lone who finally showed up late Monday evening.

Day 4: Waiting to leave the chateau, waiting on Lone. That's his GS650 loaded down like a mule.


Took Or. Hwy 199 into Grants Pass Or where we picked up Galice Road also known as the Glendale Loop. One lane road for the most part that meanders along the Rogue River. It was truly an Epic ride!

 

[VEGASRIDER]

From the Glendale loop, we went onto Or Hwy 227 from Canyonville which eventually led us onto Or Hwy 62, also known as the Crater Lake Highway. We ended up going into Medford Or for the night. End of Day 4: Light day of riding 250 miles.

Day 5: Waiting on Lone. Here is a time lapse on how he loads his bike. Starting with the hard cases.



Then comes the jerry can of fuel and water. His sleeping bag, air mat (Squeak squeak) Snoor, Snoor.


Carries a tire pump.


And there goes Lone. We parted ways, along with Mark as his battery issue kept him from continuing on.


So I solo up Or Hwy 62 (Crater Lake Hwy) towards Crater Lake National Park.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Then I pretty much headed up to Portland to see my parents. End of Day 5: 400 miles.

Day 6: Just spent the day riding around town, maybe 40 miles. Turns out the neighbors across the street who I grew up with were all home for a mini family reunion, so I had to make the special guest appearance. Spent most of the night talking about motorcycles with the oldest kid, who at the time was much older than me growing up and turns out to be a motorcycle enthusiasts/guru himself. He's covered just about every mile of Northern Cal. and a lot of Nevada and Oregon too. He offered to escort me out of town the next morning down to Central Oregon down Or. Hwy 224 from Estacada to Detroit Lakes Or Hwy 22.

Day 7: 0700 Clackamas Or.
Another GS, but an 1100.


You talk about a rider who has confidence with his tires while riding in the rain. Oregon riders, they feel right at home riding on wet pavement.


Or Hwy 224 meanders along the Clackamas River for the most part. It was rainy, wet and damp mostly the entire way and there were a lot of bugs!


We parted ways after breakfast in the town of Detroit. But not after talking about what great motorcycle roads to take. LOL...we spent more time together this morning than the entire 35 years that we have known each other. That's the beauty about two wheels. Amazing.

Or Hwy 242. Mckenzie Scenic By Pass.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

After lunch in Bend Or, on the way towards Lakeview Or. Not a whole lot between. After refueling in Lakeview, I decided to go through Gerlach Nv, 150 miles away,home of the Burning Man Arts Festival. Turns out, it's the beginning stages of the festival as the town of Gerlach was a zoo. A long line of cars, trucks and RV's waited at the only gas station. I pulled up and they told me the entire town was out of power. Good thing my bike can go 300 miles on one tank. So onto Sparks Nv. End of Day 7: 14 hour on the saddle and 640 miles.

Ca/NvHwy 299/447 had it's turns, but the condition of the road was great. Cali Rider and Lefty's time spent behind the flagman/woman paid off for Vegasrider, even though it wasn't this stretch of the road.



Day 8: Depart Sparks NV 0830 via US Hwy 395 through Reno, Carson City, Minden and into California once again. Slight detour up Ca Hwy 108. I went up the Sonora Pass and back down again. Can you see my tires smoking?


Probably the most technical roads I have ever ridden for a number of reasons. 15-25% downgrade. I usually ride in 2nd gear, but I found myself downshifting to 1st often as I just don't have the torque to throttle thru around the corner as I go up the hill. These pictures do no justice.







Even though their is a huge grade, where there is not, it's hilly. Meaning you have multiple crests, and you have no idea whats over these crests. It could be a corner, gravel, cars, wildlife, or a CHP! He was flying! Or maybe it was the combination of us.











There is not a single curve sign indicating how sharp or how fast you should go. You have no idea if it's a hairpin, or a decreasing radius turn. There are no clues for the turns. The road is also very narrow, leaving not much wiggle room. Very challenging. Plus, it was not the cleanest road, as there were multiple areas where the gravel and rocks have accumulated in the center of the lane around a corner. There were times I had to straighten the bike up right in the middle of the turn, as I knew if I hit that gravel I would have lowsided.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

So going back in the right direction, stopped for lunch in the town of Bridgport Ca.



Then onto Ca Hwy 120 eastbound going around Mono Lake. I took a gravel road down to the lake which was about 2 miles off the highway.





Heading back to Vegas down US Hwy 95. Hit thunder and dust storms. It was refreshing to get wet. End of Day 8: 550 miles and 11 hours on the saddle.




Total Miles: 3185

 

[Jblk9695]

What are ya trying to say Kenny?? you have more pictures

Like the ones you posted so far:thumbup:

Jerry

 

[Norbert]

nice pics, Vegas!

i lol'd when i saw this pic. the first thing i thought of was a gorilla riding a bike!

 

[Motogiro]

Awesome shots and epic ride Kenny!

 

[DefyInertia]

Kenny, great pictures...crazy miles like always. It's wet in Oregon, huh?

Death Valley - I take it you just blasted through? It's a National Park b/c it's one of the most amazing places in North America...lots to see. They call it a land of extremes.

Sonora pass - waiting on the oops moment story you mentioned in the other thread.

Tires - what were you running for this trip and how are they holding?

When is your next ride? Hopefully you're taking this weekened off...

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Kenny, great pictures...crazy miles like always. It's wet in Oregon, huh?

Death Valley - I take it you just blasted through? It's a National Park b/c it's one of the most amazing places in North America...lots to see. They call it a land of extremes.

Sonora pass - waiting on the oops moment story you mentioned in the other thread.

Tires - what were you running for this trip and how are they holding?

When is your next ride? Hopefully you're taking this weekened off...

Yeah, I got wet in Oregon and Nevada, but nothing major.

Blew a couple of turns going up Sonora, mostly due to the fact that there was gravel, lucky for me there were no cars coming down.

Same tires as I had when you saw me down in Southern Cal last month. But I don't think I'll be getting 16,000 miles out of these sets. 10k for sure, probably around 12k.

The Oregon Caves Hwy # 46 up to the Oregon Caves National Monument is probably # 1 or 2 in my books for roads travelling under 50 mph. Nothing but turns for 10 solid miles.

Surface Condition: Asphault and great
Debris: None
Entry/Exit/Driveway points: None
Traffic: Depends when you go up and down, if you time it right, you won't have anyone in front of you the entire way.
Leos: None, there is no Cave Junction cops, and no state troopers as it's too far off the beaten path for them, unless they are called. US Park Ranger, I looked inside their SUV, no Radar equipment.
Posted speed limit: 55 mph, LOL good luck going 10 over on this stretch.

 

[DefyInertia]

US Park Ranger, I looked inside their SUV, no Radar equipment.

haha sounds just like something you would do.

 

[rsw81]

Damn Kenny, I thought you were tough $hit when you rode in from Vegas to SoCal for a ride. This is nuts! I'm impressed bro.

Nominated for Iron Butt of the Year Award:thumbup:

 

[mxgolf]

Thanks for the fun and rides. We shall do it again soon! :thumbup:
Kenny I will send you a disc with my pictures on it. PM your address.
I should get Lones address also. TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much fun!
I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time.