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::::::::::::::::::::PART 2::::::::::::::::::
Day 6: Friday
Start: Lincoln City, Oregon
This day starts off well after a great sleep atop the picnic bench. One the most refreshing
Sleep in recent memory. After a drink of vanilla soy-milk, I head off for the showers *rare thing on this road trip?.* and when I get back, I start packing my things on my bike.
?HEY BIKER!!?
I look over to my left , a little confused, and see a man from the site next to me , coming with a cup of coffee in his hand.
?Why don?t you have some coffee to get your day started??
Well, I?ll be!! I certainly don?t refuse this offer , and accept the coffee graciously. Now I can?t wipe the smile off my face as I finish my coffee after packing up, while the bike is warming up. After thanking the man and his wife again, I head off southwards on the Coastal Highway #101.
My next objective on this trip was to make it down to the Redwood parks in California. The trip down the coast takes me through many interesting little towns, and past countless vistas of the Pacific Ocean crashing into the coastline perpetually. That combined with plenty of testing turns and curves kept me fully occupied. Time and distance passed, and I looked down at my fuel gauge, and noticed that it was getting pretty low. I keep going, looking for any gas stops along the way, but none come up. I have my 5 liter jerry can with me, so I know its not a big problem, but I?d rather not go through the hastle, as I have it thoroughly tied and taped to the back of my bike. Turning off the bike on the down-hills proves to little avail, as I run out of gas no less than 1 mile away from the gas station (it never fails!!)
At the station, I discuss with the attendant how long it will take to get to the redwoods. He says it shouldn?t take more than an 1.5 hours, but tells me of another more scenic route that will still get me there, but take me through Jebediah State Park.
?Take the 197, to the 199, and it loops back to the 101 so you can head down to the big Redwoods?
Well, the advice seems good, so I take it. I am not disappointed, as the ride through Jebediah is SPECTACULAR! It?s not only the environment, but the hair-raising twisting road along the Smith (?) river.
I come to the junction of 197 and 199, and turn left. This was my mistake. 45 minutes down the road, I am thinking angrily about the directions I was given (remember, I lost my map book? Too poor to buy new maps?.) After passing the ?Welcome to Oregon? sign, I think to myself?wtf?and stop at a remote motel, and ask if I?m headed to the 101. ?nope? . darn. Not wanting to backtrack, and seeing that its getting dark, I continue east on the 199, until I reach the town of Cave Junction. I stop at the Chevron there, and make some phone calls to my friend and brother, and have a conversation with 3 Gold-Wing Riders, who compliment me on my abilities to tie everything to my bike. We chat for 25 minutes or so, and then they head off for their respective homes. One of the gas station attendants (Solomon) comes up to me and we begin discussing bikes. He tells me of a 69 Triumph 500 that he got for free, that he?s got sitting at home waiting to be restored, and all of the offers he had been given to sell the bike. I just say that if he would like to ride it, than keep it for himself, and he agrees. I ask for advice on a good (free, warm) place to camp that would avoid?.. legal entanglements? He knows of a good place, and promises to take me there after the station closes.
While waiting, some of his friends arrive at the station, and we also begin conversations, and I end up going to one of there houses to have some Green tea . I split off from the group after declining an offer to go to a local party which was happening. Solomon takes me about 12 miles away from the town, to Hogue Meadows . It?s 12:00am, cold, dark, and I?m tired. I tell him its fine, and he heads off. I sit there on my bike for a few minutes and think to myself ?Now what have I done?? I get really bad vibes (probably from too many horror movies) and take off? the back-roads are a bit confusing, and I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
I slow down, and come to a stop, as I noticed something written on the road. I ride closer and stop, and written in white spray-paint, are the words ?Don?t be foolin? where you aughtn? be!? besides the outline of a human body. SH!T?.I turn around and take off, totally freaked out, even though I know its probably some pranksters. I keep riding a little further and notice a sign that says ?Treesort? as I pass it. What the?. Something came up from the back of my mind, and the words ?Southern Oregon? came to mind, as I remembered something I had looked up many months ago. I turn around and head a mile or 2 down dirt roads, until I see the sign ?Out n? About : Treesort?.
AWESOME!! What luck finding a place at 12:30 am in the middle of nowhere? Hoping its not closed, I go up to the front porch of the house with the lights on, and take a pamphlet so I can look at the prices. The cheapest room is $90 bucks??ouch. I still want to stay there, considering that I just want a warm place to sleep, and would be willing to put this one on the credit card, for the sake of experience. A man comes to the door, and sets me up with the ?Serendipitree? for $60 bucks, because I have my own sleeping back to lay on the bed, and due to the circumstances (god , I love being pitied sometimes). I walk up the stairs to my awaiting tree-house, and he shouts ?By the way, breakfast is at 8 am!? What the? It?s a bed and breakfast! Wow, I really lucked out!
The room is fantastic, and sleep comes easily.
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Day 7: Saturday
Out n? about resort: Takilma, Oregon
I am woken up by some children playing and roosters cackling at the rising sun.
The breakfast is a great home-cooked meal, with pancakes, waffles, muffins, omelets, and everything else but the kitchen sink.
There is a man who is writing for the travel column of the Kansas City newspaper, and he?s interested in how I managed to stumble upon this place which he had booked 3 weeks ahead of time, and needed maps to find, at 12:30 am. After asking me about my trip, I strike up a conversation with a group from San Francisco, one of whom used to ride frequently with his girlfriend on a BMW GS (close enough, eh?)
I?m now thinking of how to get to the redwoods, and the owner/builder of the resort Michael comes up to me. He asks me where I?m headed, and I tell him. He then asks me if I would do him a favour, and drive a Japanese man who had been staying at the resort since a tree-house conference held earlier in the week. If I accepted, he said, I would be allowed to stay the night for free. Not really having any concerns but money, I accept.
I take a rope-climbing ?course? soon after, because there were plans for me to join them in climbing the redwoods. How exciting!! I move my things into the Treepee, which is only a few feet off of the ground, but is nice because you can have a fire in it. Riding back into the chevron in Cave Junction, I picked up some weatherstripping and silicon-sealant for no cost.
Back at the resort, I spend the night with ?Tommy? , which was the nickname for the Japanese man. Tommy is still helping out, by taking some climbing ropes out from some large trees, since he is a fairly skilled tree-climber. I asked him if he'd ever rode on a motorcycle before, and find out he rode GN's in Japan!! although only 250 cc's....
Then the clouds move in. It looks like it?s going to be a pretty bad storm, but no rain comes down that night. Another night inside the Treepee with Tommy , and we had some wine and Japanese plum liquor to mix it up.
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Day 8 : Sunday
Out n? About: Takilma, Oregon
I wake up to the sound of rain, and a smoke filled tee-pee. It?s a little chilly with the fire out, but breakfast takes care of that. Michael isn?t feeling well, and it continues raining hard all day long. Tommy still needs to go to the redwoods, but the climbing excursion is called off.
Since were not going anywhere for the day, I decide to be productive, and change my valve-cover gasket to the stock Suzuki one. I had only had a thin piece of gasket paper cut by my mechanic before I left. The troubling thing was deciding whether or not to use the silicon sealant. The mechanic in Vancouver had said they used sealant in the factory, but I specifically remember the Clymer?s manual (when I still had it?.)
Saying NOT to use it, as the material used to make the gasket, absorbs oil, and will swell to fill any gaps. However, I use the sealant on the plastic end caps.
After scraping and scrubbing the breather gasket off for an hour, I decide not to use sealant. If that?s what sealant does, then forget it! With Tommy?s help, I get the valve-cover back on, and let the sealant on the end caps cure over night.
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Day 9: Monday
Out n? About: Takilma, Oregon
Its still raining. The tee-pee has started dripping onto my things, as a flap had blown open in the strong winds. Since rain is in the forecast for the next 5 days, we pack Tommy?s climbing gear into my saddle bags, and I leave my things there , to pick them up later. His gear must have weighed at least 100 lbs?
After warming up the bike and worrying about the oil-pressure indicator flashing, I let the sealant cure for another hour (supposedly, it does this faster at warmer temps.) I start the bike, and everything is fine. Checking that the bags are on securely, and far enough from the exhaust, Tommy and I leave the resort bound for Humboldt county. It rains most of the way there, but garbage bags help keep my legs nice and dry??
After getting some sushi for lunch/dinner, I head south on #101. It?s incredibly windy, and we run out of gas, about a mile or two away from the gas station. This time, I took off my jerry can so I could fit his stuff on?. We push the heavy bike to the station, and then reach Garberville at around 9:30 pm, looking specifically for the ?Redwood River Resort?. I bought a strip of jerky at the 711, and asked for directions at the gas-station, and they tell me it is the same as the ?Redwood Inn? which is just down the street. I don?t buy it, and we end up looking for a motel.
At this point, I have a splitting headache because I?m dehydrated. After booking a room at a motel, I notice a recreational map of the area, and find that the Redwood River Resort is 16 miles down the road. Since we had already paid, and I was feeling really lousy, I had to call it a night. Once in the room, my stomach turns upside down. I just try and get some sleep?
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Day 10: Tuesday
Garberville, CA
Its still raining, and after having some fruit and Green tea, I drive Tommy to the River Resort , right in the middle of the redwoods. I had made the mistake of throwing out the garbage bags, and my legs are soaked in the first ? hour. I say goodbye to Tommy.
I leave from there at around 11:30, and instead of going back the way I had come, I decided to take the ?scenic? route, and went off of the #101, to hwy #299 from Eureka, meaning to take the secondary highway #96 back to the Tree-houses. Going east on the #299 proves to get increasingly cold as the elevation rises, and I?m really freezing as I?m completely soaked, except for my torso. I can?t keep this up, and stop in Willow Creek at a Laundromat. I dry my clothes for an hour or so, and then grab a bite to eat. This time, I make sure to get garbage bags from the gas station when I fill up. They may not look great, but they work pretty well (and they?re free!).
It is now completely dark, and fairly foggy as I head up #96 back towards Oregon. This road is incredibly twisty, and it really keeps me on my toes , especially since it?s a foggy night. Once I reach Happy Camp (9:30pm) , I stop for some hot chocolate at the local convenience store. I talk to the lady at the counter about the road towards Cave Junction, and she say?s that I will be going over a high , mountain pass. A local man who comes in, then tells us that theres about 6 or 7 inches of snow up there, and some of his friends had just turned back from the pass.
He doesn?t believe me, but I assure them that I will get through. I assume someone had gone through the pass in a pick up truck. I head up the road from Happy Camp, and after 10 minutes, don?t see another car?.and begin to see the signs of ?Road not maintained beyond this point? --- ?Rough road ahead? --- ?Roads not plowed?
The elevation steadily rises for the next half hour, and snow appears first on the side of the road, and then all over. For a few miles, It?s really slow (and cold) going, as there is about 5 inches of slushy snow on the road. I do my best to stay in the tire tracks of someone who had gone through the pass before me. I make it through the pass unscathed, and begin my descent.
Reaching the resort at around 11:30 pm, I begin to repack all of my belongings . I catch a few hours of sleep in a chair, by the heater in the shower-room.
************************************************** ***********
Day 11: Wednesday
Out n? about: Takilma, Oregon
I wake up, and begin packing my things onto my bike at about 7 am or so. I also check the gasket ---no leaks!!!--- and top up the oil. I drive off to the Chevron in Cave junction to fuel up. After that, I pull onto the #199 . At the stop lights, I feel a warm breeze on my right shin. I look down , and I can see inside---the oil cap is gone!!!
I head back to the resort, to see if it had dropped onto the ground where I topped up my oil?..how careless!! I must not have tightened it enough. After searching around, I cant find it?.this really makes me mad at myself, but I put some tape on, and head to a local dirt-bike shop, where the guy fits me with a rubber plug, and gives me directions to the nearest Suzuki shop. I head east on #199, and find the shop, and get a metal cap to put on. It just sucked that oil had sprayed all over the rear of the bike .
Finally on my way now. Its almost noon, and I head to Interstate #5, via #199. I stop for gas, and food, and make my way past Mt. Shasta, and take the #89 highway south-east. Once the sun sets, I turn onto #44, and head towards Susanville. Nearly the entire way, is at 5000 ft elevation, and it is snowy, and FREEZING cold! With Susanville in my sights, I blast along at 130+kmph, figuring that the cold will keep engine temp down. Thank god for the garbage bags, as they keep the wind off of my legs, keeping them pretty warm. But, I cant feel my hands.
Arriving in Susanville, I buy some groceries, and eat in my motel room. It?s Much too cold to camp out in a thin sleeping bag.
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Day 12: Thursday
Susanville, California
I leave Susanville, after a breakfast of Banana chips and crackers, down #395, towards Reno. Once there, I get on Interstate #80 , headed eastbound. The driving is pretty uneventful, but I?m not really used to the 75mph speed limit. I keep up, and watch my fuel efficiency plummet as the wind buffets against my gear. I am constantly keeping my eyes on the clouds. It seems as if I?m right between 2 big storm systems.
I stop at Elko, and have dinner at a Chinese buffet, followed by sleep in a motel room.
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Day13: Friday
: Elko, Nevada
I continue east along Interstate #80, and before crossing the border, meet the rider of a Honda Magna, who had been on a cross country road trip since June. I chat with him for a ? hour or so, asking him about the weather ahead. He tells me that Salt Lake City, had just gotten a lot of snow from that storm, and that I should expect some cold riding, even though the roads would be clear. I then head east towards Salt Lake city, where I stop for lunch.
The riding is cold, but manageable, as I alternate either hands on the engine, keeping them from getting too cold. It?s pretty tricky holding the throttle with my left hand, but it seems to work well enough. Along the way, I stop after being flashed repeatedly by the trucker behind me. He stops, and tells me my back signal is out. I jiggle the key, and it turns on. Thinking about it, I figure that I must have jiggled the key when holding down the throttle with my left hand. I tell the trucker where I?m going, and he says:
?Your crazy, you know that??? Aren?t you cold??
I say ?Yeah, but it?s not so bad?
He follows me to the Rock Springs turn-off, just to make sure that if my tail light goes off, he?ll act as a buffer. Once in Rock Springs , I purchase some engine oil for the bike. No store has a blend, and I don?t feel like buying Mobil 1 synthetic at 10 dollars a quart, so I buy one Mobil1 , and one regular dino oil to supplement the 1 bottle of castrol Syntec I had with me. I only get charged for 2 quarts of regular oil, so this cheers me up a little.
Before getting a room, I had another meal at a Chinese buffet. My good mood was soured though, as I was ripped off for a room at the Budget Host motel, paying close to 50 dollars for the night, with nothing else available.
Day 6: Friday
Start: Lincoln City, Oregon
This day starts off well after a great sleep atop the picnic bench. One the most refreshing
Sleep in recent memory. After a drink of vanilla soy-milk, I head off for the showers *rare thing on this road trip?.* and when I get back, I start packing my things on my bike.
?HEY BIKER!!?
I look over to my left , a little confused, and see a man from the site next to me , coming with a cup of coffee in his hand.
?Why don?t you have some coffee to get your day started??
Well, I?ll be!! I certainly don?t refuse this offer , and accept the coffee graciously. Now I can?t wipe the smile off my face as I finish my coffee after packing up, while the bike is warming up. After thanking the man and his wife again, I head off southwards on the Coastal Highway #101.
My next objective on this trip was to make it down to the Redwood parks in California. The trip down the coast takes me through many interesting little towns, and past countless vistas of the Pacific Ocean crashing into the coastline perpetually. That combined with plenty of testing turns and curves kept me fully occupied. Time and distance passed, and I looked down at my fuel gauge, and noticed that it was getting pretty low. I keep going, looking for any gas stops along the way, but none come up. I have my 5 liter jerry can with me, so I know its not a big problem, but I?d rather not go through the hastle, as I have it thoroughly tied and taped to the back of my bike. Turning off the bike on the down-hills proves to little avail, as I run out of gas no less than 1 mile away from the gas station (it never fails!!)
At the station, I discuss with the attendant how long it will take to get to the redwoods. He says it shouldn?t take more than an 1.5 hours, but tells me of another more scenic route that will still get me there, but take me through Jebediah State Park.
?Take the 197, to the 199, and it loops back to the 101 so you can head down to the big Redwoods?
Well, the advice seems good, so I take it. I am not disappointed, as the ride through Jebediah is SPECTACULAR! It?s not only the environment, but the hair-raising twisting road along the Smith (?) river.
I come to the junction of 197 and 199, and turn left. This was my mistake. 45 minutes down the road, I am thinking angrily about the directions I was given (remember, I lost my map book? Too poor to buy new maps?.) After passing the ?Welcome to Oregon? sign, I think to myself?wtf?and stop at a remote motel, and ask if I?m headed to the 101. ?nope? . darn. Not wanting to backtrack, and seeing that its getting dark, I continue east on the 199, until I reach the town of Cave Junction. I stop at the Chevron there, and make some phone calls to my friend and brother, and have a conversation with 3 Gold-Wing Riders, who compliment me on my abilities to tie everything to my bike. We chat for 25 minutes or so, and then they head off for their respective homes. One of the gas station attendants (Solomon) comes up to me and we begin discussing bikes. He tells me of a 69 Triumph 500 that he got for free, that he?s got sitting at home waiting to be restored, and all of the offers he had been given to sell the bike. I just say that if he would like to ride it, than keep it for himself, and he agrees. I ask for advice on a good (free, warm) place to camp that would avoid?.. legal entanglements? He knows of a good place, and promises to take me there after the station closes.
While waiting, some of his friends arrive at the station, and we also begin conversations, and I end up going to one of there houses to have some Green tea . I split off from the group after declining an offer to go to a local party which was happening. Solomon takes me about 12 miles away from the town, to Hogue Meadows . It?s 12:00am, cold, dark, and I?m tired. I tell him its fine, and he heads off. I sit there on my bike for a few minutes and think to myself ?Now what have I done?? I get really bad vibes (probably from too many horror movies) and take off? the back-roads are a bit confusing, and I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
I slow down, and come to a stop, as I noticed something written on the road. I ride closer and stop, and written in white spray-paint, are the words ?Don?t be foolin? where you aughtn? be!? besides the outline of a human body. SH!T?.I turn around and take off, totally freaked out, even though I know its probably some pranksters. I keep riding a little further and notice a sign that says ?Treesort? as I pass it. What the?. Something came up from the back of my mind, and the words ?Southern Oregon? came to mind, as I remembered something I had looked up many months ago. I turn around and head a mile or 2 down dirt roads, until I see the sign ?Out n? About : Treesort?.
AWESOME!! What luck finding a place at 12:30 am in the middle of nowhere? Hoping its not closed, I go up to the front porch of the house with the lights on, and take a pamphlet so I can look at the prices. The cheapest room is $90 bucks??ouch. I still want to stay there, considering that I just want a warm place to sleep, and would be willing to put this one on the credit card, for the sake of experience. A man comes to the door, and sets me up with the ?Serendipitree? for $60 bucks, because I have my own sleeping back to lay on the bed, and due to the circumstances (god , I love being pitied sometimes). I walk up the stairs to my awaiting tree-house, and he shouts ?By the way, breakfast is at 8 am!? What the? It?s a bed and breakfast! Wow, I really lucked out!
The room is fantastic, and sleep comes easily.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 7: Saturday
Out n? about resort: Takilma, Oregon
I am woken up by some children playing and roosters cackling at the rising sun.
The breakfast is a great home-cooked meal, with pancakes, waffles, muffins, omelets, and everything else but the kitchen sink.
There is a man who is writing for the travel column of the Kansas City newspaper, and he?s interested in how I managed to stumble upon this place which he had booked 3 weeks ahead of time, and needed maps to find, at 12:30 am. After asking me about my trip, I strike up a conversation with a group from San Francisco, one of whom used to ride frequently with his girlfriend on a BMW GS (close enough, eh?)
I?m now thinking of how to get to the redwoods, and the owner/builder of the resort Michael comes up to me. He asks me where I?m headed, and I tell him. He then asks me if I would do him a favour, and drive a Japanese man who had been staying at the resort since a tree-house conference held earlier in the week. If I accepted, he said, I would be allowed to stay the night for free. Not really having any concerns but money, I accept.
I take a rope-climbing ?course? soon after, because there were plans for me to join them in climbing the redwoods. How exciting!! I move my things into the Treepee, which is only a few feet off of the ground, but is nice because you can have a fire in it. Riding back into the chevron in Cave Junction, I picked up some weatherstripping and silicon-sealant for no cost.
Back at the resort, I spend the night with ?Tommy? , which was the nickname for the Japanese man. Tommy is still helping out, by taking some climbing ropes out from some large trees, since he is a fairly skilled tree-climber. I asked him if he'd ever rode on a motorcycle before, and find out he rode GN's in Japan!! although only 250 cc's....
Then the clouds move in. It looks like it?s going to be a pretty bad storm, but no rain comes down that night. Another night inside the Treepee with Tommy , and we had some wine and Japanese plum liquor to mix it up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 8 : Sunday
Out n? About: Takilma, Oregon
I wake up to the sound of rain, and a smoke filled tee-pee. It?s a little chilly with the fire out, but breakfast takes care of that. Michael isn?t feeling well, and it continues raining hard all day long. Tommy still needs to go to the redwoods, but the climbing excursion is called off.
Since were not going anywhere for the day, I decide to be productive, and change my valve-cover gasket to the stock Suzuki one. I had only had a thin piece of gasket paper cut by my mechanic before I left. The troubling thing was deciding whether or not to use the silicon sealant. The mechanic in Vancouver had said they used sealant in the factory, but I specifically remember the Clymer?s manual (when I still had it?.)
Saying NOT to use it, as the material used to make the gasket, absorbs oil, and will swell to fill any gaps. However, I use the sealant on the plastic end caps.
After scraping and scrubbing the breather gasket off for an hour, I decide not to use sealant. If that?s what sealant does, then forget it! With Tommy?s help, I get the valve-cover back on, and let the sealant on the end caps cure over night.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 9: Monday
Out n? About: Takilma, Oregon
Its still raining. The tee-pee has started dripping onto my things, as a flap had blown open in the strong winds. Since rain is in the forecast for the next 5 days, we pack Tommy?s climbing gear into my saddle bags, and I leave my things there , to pick them up later. His gear must have weighed at least 100 lbs?
After warming up the bike and worrying about the oil-pressure indicator flashing, I let the sealant cure for another hour (supposedly, it does this faster at warmer temps.) I start the bike, and everything is fine. Checking that the bags are on securely, and far enough from the exhaust, Tommy and I leave the resort bound for Humboldt county. It rains most of the way there, but garbage bags help keep my legs nice and dry??
After getting some sushi for lunch/dinner, I head south on #101. It?s incredibly windy, and we run out of gas, about a mile or two away from the gas station. This time, I took off my jerry can so I could fit his stuff on?. We push the heavy bike to the station, and then reach Garberville at around 9:30 pm, looking specifically for the ?Redwood River Resort?. I bought a strip of jerky at the 711, and asked for directions at the gas-station, and they tell me it is the same as the ?Redwood Inn? which is just down the street. I don?t buy it, and we end up looking for a motel.
At this point, I have a splitting headache because I?m dehydrated. After booking a room at a motel, I notice a recreational map of the area, and find that the Redwood River Resort is 16 miles down the road. Since we had already paid, and I was feeling really lousy, I had to call it a night. Once in the room, my stomach turns upside down. I just try and get some sleep?
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Day 10: Tuesday
Garberville, CA
Its still raining, and after having some fruit and Green tea, I drive Tommy to the River Resort , right in the middle of the redwoods. I had made the mistake of throwing out the garbage bags, and my legs are soaked in the first ? hour. I say goodbye to Tommy.
I leave from there at around 11:30, and instead of going back the way I had come, I decided to take the ?scenic? route, and went off of the #101, to hwy #299 from Eureka, meaning to take the secondary highway #96 back to the Tree-houses. Going east on the #299 proves to get increasingly cold as the elevation rises, and I?m really freezing as I?m completely soaked, except for my torso. I can?t keep this up, and stop in Willow Creek at a Laundromat. I dry my clothes for an hour or so, and then grab a bite to eat. This time, I make sure to get garbage bags from the gas station when I fill up. They may not look great, but they work pretty well (and they?re free!).
It is now completely dark, and fairly foggy as I head up #96 back towards Oregon. This road is incredibly twisty, and it really keeps me on my toes , especially since it?s a foggy night. Once I reach Happy Camp (9:30pm) , I stop for some hot chocolate at the local convenience store. I talk to the lady at the counter about the road towards Cave Junction, and she say?s that I will be going over a high , mountain pass. A local man who comes in, then tells us that theres about 6 or 7 inches of snow up there, and some of his friends had just turned back from the pass.
He doesn?t believe me, but I assure them that I will get through. I assume someone had gone through the pass in a pick up truck. I head up the road from Happy Camp, and after 10 minutes, don?t see another car?.and begin to see the signs of ?Road not maintained beyond this point? --- ?Rough road ahead? --- ?Roads not plowed?
The elevation steadily rises for the next half hour, and snow appears first on the side of the road, and then all over. For a few miles, It?s really slow (and cold) going, as there is about 5 inches of slushy snow on the road. I do my best to stay in the tire tracks of someone who had gone through the pass before me. I make it through the pass unscathed, and begin my descent.
Reaching the resort at around 11:30 pm, I begin to repack all of my belongings . I catch a few hours of sleep in a chair, by the heater in the shower-room.
************************************************** ***********
Day 11: Wednesday
Out n? about: Takilma, Oregon
I wake up, and begin packing my things onto my bike at about 7 am or so. I also check the gasket ---no leaks!!!--- and top up the oil. I drive off to the Chevron in Cave junction to fuel up. After that, I pull onto the #199 . At the stop lights, I feel a warm breeze on my right shin. I look down , and I can see inside---the oil cap is gone!!!
I head back to the resort, to see if it had dropped onto the ground where I topped up my oil?..how careless!! I must not have tightened it enough. After searching around, I cant find it?.this really makes me mad at myself, but I put some tape on, and head to a local dirt-bike shop, where the guy fits me with a rubber plug, and gives me directions to the nearest Suzuki shop. I head east on #199, and find the shop, and get a metal cap to put on. It just sucked that oil had sprayed all over the rear of the bike .
Finally on my way now. Its almost noon, and I head to Interstate #5, via #199. I stop for gas, and food, and make my way past Mt. Shasta, and take the #89 highway south-east. Once the sun sets, I turn onto #44, and head towards Susanville. Nearly the entire way, is at 5000 ft elevation, and it is snowy, and FREEZING cold! With Susanville in my sights, I blast along at 130+kmph, figuring that the cold will keep engine temp down. Thank god for the garbage bags, as they keep the wind off of my legs, keeping them pretty warm. But, I cant feel my hands.
Arriving in Susanville, I buy some groceries, and eat in my motel room. It?s Much too cold to camp out in a thin sleeping bag.
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Day 12: Thursday
Susanville, California
I leave Susanville, after a breakfast of Banana chips and crackers, down #395, towards Reno. Once there, I get on Interstate #80 , headed eastbound. The driving is pretty uneventful, but I?m not really used to the 75mph speed limit. I keep up, and watch my fuel efficiency plummet as the wind buffets against my gear. I am constantly keeping my eyes on the clouds. It seems as if I?m right between 2 big storm systems.
I stop at Elko, and have dinner at a Chinese buffet, followed by sleep in a motel room.
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Day13: Friday
: Elko, Nevada
I continue east along Interstate #80, and before crossing the border, meet the rider of a Honda Magna, who had been on a cross country road trip since June. I chat with him for a ? hour or so, asking him about the weather ahead. He tells me that Salt Lake City, had just gotten a lot of snow from that storm, and that I should expect some cold riding, even though the roads would be clear. I then head east towards Salt Lake city, where I stop for lunch.
The riding is cold, but manageable, as I alternate either hands on the engine, keeping them from getting too cold. It?s pretty tricky holding the throttle with my left hand, but it seems to work well enough. Along the way, I stop after being flashed repeatedly by the trucker behind me. He stops, and tells me my back signal is out. I jiggle the key, and it turns on. Thinking about it, I figure that I must have jiggled the key when holding down the throttle with my left hand. I tell the trucker where I?m going, and he says:
?Your crazy, you know that??? Aren?t you cold??
I say ?Yeah, but it?s not so bad?
He follows me to the Rock Springs turn-off, just to make sure that if my tail light goes off, he?ll act as a buffer. Once in Rock Springs , I purchase some engine oil for the bike. No store has a blend, and I don?t feel like buying Mobil 1 synthetic at 10 dollars a quart, so I buy one Mobil1 , and one regular dino oil to supplement the 1 bottle of castrol Syntec I had with me. I only get charged for 2 quarts of regular oil, so this cheers me up a little.
Before getting a room, I had another meal at a Chinese buffet. My good mood was soured though, as I was ripped off for a room at the Budget Host motel, paying close to 50 dollars for the night, with nothing else available.
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