Dirt road = muddy bikes

Left Grant's Pass at 830 am. Breakfast at Elmers was hearty....that was a good thing. We were in search of the Redwood Forest and headed down hwy 199. Soon Mike pulled off to pull on more headgear- it was cold and nippy. For some reason we just cannot find any sun. We pull into the Redwood National and State visitor center....the people were helpful in telling us where to go see the BIG redwoods. Just go back a couple of miles and across a bridge and down a dirt road. Mike says "I don't think this is such a good idea" but I am determined to see the redwoods off the pavement.

Off we go, back a couple of miles, across the bridge and on the dirt road. The dirt road has potholes the size of craters (translated= broken wheels/bodies possible) but we traverse around them slowly. Oh- I forgot- this is a single lane road and we are the only ones on it at this point. We see some huge trees, take pictures and keep going. This 10 mile road eventually ends up in Cresent City. Now we have other cars on the road with us- we let them go around us and then they are coming towards us. When someone tells me that a road is "single lane"- I assumed that meant one way as well. Ok so I was wrong in that assumption.

The road is getting muddy- we slip around a bit and the challenge in on....keep the bike on the road and not in the deep ravine. Mike is ahead of me. I come around a corner and see him stopped. His bike is down and a car is headed at him buts gets stopped. I attempt to stop but the mud is too slick....the bike stops just short of hitting Mike. I think I have it made but then the bike slips and falls down on its side. Now we have a car stopped in the middle of the road, Mike's bike is laid down, mine is on its side. The mud is about 2" deep and we are trying to get the bikes back up. Mike has his up and standing. I need help getting mine up. The car just sits there....and now we have a line of cars backed up behind us as well. Oh- did I mention the DEEP ravine on one side??? OK-bikes are up....we get our wits about us- no damage- everyone is OK. The drops were controlled so no injury to anyone. Mike takes off....I leave some space so I can come up behind him. The ruts are deep and getting through the mud is difficult- we slip all over the place. Now I am scared that I will not control the bike and end up in the ravine....who cares about those damn trees!!! This was not such a great idea....Mike is way ahead and telling cars to slow down. The mud gets much worse- now we have hills to deal with...Mike slips up the hill and waits for me. I have the bike in gear but cannot get going without sliding...finally I make it up the hill. I rest a bit, get my composure and go again. For every hill there is a downside which poses different issues- gravity and mud do not mix well. Traffic is unforgiving and passes us on blind curves- remember it is two way traffic on a single lane road with pullouts. Finally the road appears to dry up a bit, I silently rejoice only to see the mud starts up again.....AT LAST..... the road changes and we are in Cresent City.

We pull into a parking lot and determine that a car wash is badly needed. Our boots and the bikes are muddy. We find a carwash, park the bikes and go have some lunch. The bikes must cool off before washing them. A quick lunch of soup and salad and then a wash job gets things back to normal. Mike is not mad and we are happy with our ability to get out of a bad situation.

We go to the "Trees of Mystery", see Paul Bunyan and his Ox- Blue. We walk through all the trees (just off the pavement)We ride the gondola up to the top of the hillside and see the view. Wow- this was so much easier than the morning's ride through the mud and muck. Like every other day...it starts to rain lightly. We forego the raingear in hopes that it will stop. It does stop a few miles down the road.

Goal for the afternoon- Redding, CA....4pm we take off- first the Coast hwy 101 and then we get on hwy 299. Curvy, twisted and hilly....another challenge for us but on the tail end of the day it makes for a long ride. The road has alot of edges and breaks so it is important to see the road for what it is....broken. It takes us 3 hrs to go 150 miles.....alot of steep switchbacks at low speeds guarantee that we make it to the Holiday Inn. It is a beautiful drive with the Trinity river on one side and rocky hillside on the other. Traffic is light and the pullouts frequent so we can ride our own speed without being pushed.

7pm we pull into the Holiday Inn...hungry and beat. It was the longest 150 miles we have ridden and boy are we ready for some dinner and a bed!! Tomorrow will be better and hopefully it will be warm and WILL NOT rain. Heading east towards Nevada to see the Grand Canyon.

The new definition of Insanity

Ok so today we left the sun and warmth of Bend Oregon at 830 am for Crater Lake. on hwy 97. Thirty minutes into the ride we were in 30 degree temps and it was not getting any warmer. We stopped to slap our hands together and get other gloves out. Stomped around a bit as our toes were cold too...next stop will be for gas. It was still sunny but very cold with light cover of snow on the ground. Stopped into Chemult for gas...the attendent gave us free coffee so we stood around in their HEATED building chatting them up. The big find for the day was white liner gloves for $1.29 each. Without those- we never would have survived.

We continued on 97 then onto 138 then hwy 230....now we know we are really crazy!! We turn the corner and we see SNOWMACHINES and all the campers affiliated with it!! We are crazy to be here but what choices do we have? We want to see Crater Lake and the only way to get there is on these wheels. At this point the snow is only about 5' deep on either side of the road....we continue up the mountain.

By the time we get to Crater Lake- the snow is at least 15' high on either side of the road. We are cold and very INSANE so we continue on. Amidst avalanche warning signs we slowly crawl up the road. We know the visitor's center has soup, sandwiches and hopefully hot chocolate. We pay our $5/person and enter the park with at least 20 other cars. Up the hill through wet curvy roads covered with red gravel (slick) and potential ice....we finally arrive only to sit on the road waiting behind a motor home. 30 Minutes later amidst snow flurries we find out that an ASIAN TOUR BUS was missing a few of their TOURISTS and was blocking the parking lot. It was funny to watch the tour guide running around like a crazy person (join us- we are certified) with his yellow flag looking for his lost people. The park is socked in with snow- 591 inches so far this year- so those ASIANS could not have gone far.

Finally we arrive, park the bikes (we are the only crazies in the lot) and enter the visitor center only to find that we have entered "Pakistan". I swear every Indian, Pakistani or Indonesian was at Crater Lake today. We were in the minority with our white faces and heavy jackets. Anyway...

We did NOT SEE CRATER LAKE...it was not viewable due to low clouds and SNOW. We did see lots of tall trees, a postcard with a great picture of the lake and deep snow up to the second story of the lodge. We will have to come back on a SUMMER day since winter just won't release its grip this year. Sort of reminds me of trying to see Mt McKinley- sometimes impossible.

We did learn alot about riding on snow, ice and sleet...again. Today Mike finally said- "Boy I wish I would have brought my smart wool long johns"....I have been waiting for him to say this. When I was packing for this trip...he told me I would never need that wool sweater and long johns I have been wearing EVERYDAY since leaving South Dakota. He did not want me to pack it around the country...now he knows...I know how to pack!!

We head for Grant's Pass and cross the Rogue River Bridge...it is still raining on us and we are still very cold. Holiday Inn has hot showers and laundry...we are very dirty from all the road spray. I have a new appreciation for all motorcycle riders....we are all crazy.

Tomorrow- the Redwood forest...hopefully the weather will be better???

Just a quick note

Yesterday while we were waiting to get into our room at the Best Western, we decided to find the HD Dealership. Three people gave us directions- only one was correct. Finally we arrived at the tucked away building. for those who do not know this- the HD dealers are a great place to warm up, have a decent bathroom break, get a cup of coffee or water. We found my front axle nut covers (more bling) for my bike and a warm set of gloves for Mike. I will now wear the borrowed ones from Cousin John (too tight for Mike). As we were checking out- the guys asked us where we were from- Trapper Creek, AK....they gave us free T-Shirts and sent us on our way!!

What an ending to a cold rainy, snowy day!

Today- we just looked out the window- clouds and looks like Snow....I will keep you posted later!!

Friends, Preparations & Road Trip to Goldendale, WA

We have been very busy over the last week visiting our old friends and family. Mike and I had dinner with Dennis and Vicky Derks and newly college graduate- Bailey. A trip to Chuck Hook's leather shop was completed so I could get a belt adjusted and to obtain laces. Coffee each day like the "good old days" and discussions about the world's issues were in order. A trip to Nordstrom's Anniversary sale, the nordstrom rack and a visit to our friends at the Jewelry Source made our wallets thinner.

Since we were leaving on Friday- Casey and Star decided to ride with us part of the way. We made our travel plans one night after dinner and Lola was showing her disgust with our idea of leaving her at home for the weekend. What a character!! Casey and Star's neighbors (Danny and Linda) were invited to ride with us to Goldendale, WA. There is a WWI Memorial that has been there since 1929 and is the very first USA War Memorial.

The trip to Goldendale started at 0830 hrs on Friday Morning. It was a cool morning- about 45 degree. We geared up, got ready to go and then took a look at the skies....it looked like rain. So out came all the rain gear....15 minutes later- we were all covered in rain repellent coats/pants and boots.....all of us except Danny and Casey. We took the backroads to I-90 so we could "go over the mountain". Breakfast at North Bend was the goal and hopefully no rain. A quick stop at a gas station for Danny to get "rain geared up" made the rest of us appreciate that we had already done that. Getting all of that stuff on is like trying to stuff sausage.

We did get breakfast and we did not avoid the rain. There is nothing like entering the I90 freeway with Walmart trucks throwing water all over you. Luckily that was just a short span and we exited off to get breakfast.

Yakima was the stop for a late lunch at "world famous" Miner's- (I had never heard of this original burger joint). Huge burgers and salads greeted us as we sat outside in the sun. What a difference a few hours made - now we had sun and no wind.

Further south we went to Goldendale....the War Memorial was calling. We wanted to get there before sundown. Curvy roads and wind farms created this wierd eerie feeling. The winds were unbelievable and the wind mills are so close to the road that the blade's shadows are cast on the road as they rotated. The War Memorial is just off the Columbia River and is a recreation of Stonehenge as it was perceived to be prior to its demise.

Our evening was spent at the Ponderosa Motel. The challenge of the day was finding a place to eat that had real food (no bar food and open). Finally we found a place at 830 pm. They were glad to have us and we were glad to have found the Sodbusters restaurant. Saturday we would all go our own ways- Danny and Linda were heading back to Marysville while the kids were going on their own adventure.

Saturday we woke to cool sun and light winds. 40 degrees required more layers and headgear. Heading down highway 97- we headed for Crater Lake. Little did we know that the weather had other things in mind for us. Just 22 miles north of Bend, Oregon- we stopped at the weigh station. I had to go to the bathroom (thank goodness for all that "Alaska wilderness training". The skies looked like rain so once again we geared up with all the rain coats/pants. Just a couple of miles down the road and we were hit with small hail, sleet, snow and rain. This was a major problem- my windshield was quickly covered with solid white. I could not see anything!! Mike was in front of me and I could see his glowing tail light so I just kept going... 55 mph. I did not want to get run over by the traffic behind me. I just sat straight up and peeked over the top of my windshield every little bit to make sure I was still avoiding deep standing water. Obviously we made it through that weather situation. Mike was saying "good job". I think he now knows he is married to a really tough one. Three miles of that crap and we were out of it and back into rain- YES!! Rain feels much better than sleet. Bend, Oregon looked so good and the Olive Garden was our haven while the weather continued outside. We found a hotel and are staying the night. Hopefully tomorrow will be better weather.

Scrub-a-dub-dub

Bikes washed- check

Laundry done- check

Korean scrub- check

Spa day for me!! If you ever have a chance to have an authentic Korean Scrub- go for it and don't be shy!! A full description is in order so you can fully appreciate the process....

Arrive at spa one hour prior to your scrub. Pay $160.00, get locker key and take your towel/robe. Take off shoes (no shoes allowed inside) and put into assigned cubby (which corresponds to locker key). Find locker and take off ALL clothes, jewelry and makeup. Lock all items in assigned locker. Wrap towel or robe around yourself. Take shower and wash hair. All of this is done around other similarly naked women.

Next enter the "tub room" to soak for 50 minutes prior to your scrub. In this room are four large soaking tubs with a variety of temperatures ranging from 60 degrees with a water fall to 90 degrees, 97 degrees and 104 degrees. A mugwort trough is available for bowls of mugwort to be poured over your body between the different tubs. Each tub will hold about 10-15 people at one time. A wet and dry sauna are also available to encourage the body to sweat.

My soak is enlightening.....I appreciate my somewhat "lean" body compared to those around me. I also appreciate the tattoos (peacock feathers around a torso and flowers around a breast) that I would never see otherwise as well as a breast cancer survivor's scars (what a brave woman). Regardless of body type (michellin woman, sumo lady and skinny girl) they are all there for the same purpose- to get a scrub.

The Korean gal calls your number and invites you to her table. She tells you to lay face down onto that vinyl covered table. A quick spritz of water and soap, she starts scrubbing with a "Scotchbright" type of scrubber. Starting at my feet she works her way up my one leg, backside, back up to my head, arms and then back down the other side. That is step one- scrub and rinse with a bowl of warm water. Step two- scrub all those places again and rinse. Step three- scrub and rinse. By now the floor is covered with dead remnants of skin.

Then turn to your side and three scrubs/rinse on your left side then the same for your right....then face up- another three passes of scrubs and rinses. You cannot be shy as you are not the only one laying stark naked on a vinyl covered table. Ten tables all in a row with a variey of sizes/body types getting scrubbed....what an experience and the best is yet to come...

So after all of that- a moisturizing process is in order. First olive oil is rubbed into your skin from head to toe and feels like a massage, then warm milk to poured and rubbed onto your body and finally honey is rubbed in. Cucumber paste is applied to your face then warm towels are laid on your body and you fall into a deep sleep. Your Korean scrub girl wakes you and you go about your day with new skin. After a scrub your skin feels like a new baby's skin- smooth, soft and nice. I only wish we had one of these facilities in Alaska....it would be a quarterly visit to get rid of all of this old skin!!

Idaho to Washington = crazy

So I forgot to log all the excitment from yesterday!!! We had stopped for gas and were filling up the bike when a school bus pulled up to the opposite side of the gas pumps. It was bright yellow without any insignia and was a "short bus". The driver was older (65-70) than us and was all in fluster. He and his wife were the delivery team and could not get the pumps to work. Back and forth the wife delivered messages to her husband. Finally she was waving her hands around and yelling at him to move the bus to a different island.....

So he jumps into the bus and moves it WITH THE GAS PUMP HANDLE in the bus!!! Needless to say- you could hear the stretch of the rubber line and then the line separated from the handle with a POP!! and whipped around towards me. Luckily the gas pumps had big columns to the upper overhead roof so that stopped the line from hitting me. Mike is doing his best "Ronnie Miller" (cussing and yelling)...the bus driver just jumped out, threw the handle on top of the pump and drove to the next island....and I am realizing that the "short bus" driver probably should not be delivering vehicles.

Anyway we all survived that little incident. The next challenge was getting through the gauntlet (single lane I-90) between Coeur d'Alene and Spokane. The lanes were narrow, entrance ramps short and traffic heavy at 7am. We got through that, went to the top of the mountain, through Snoqualamie Pass and into HEAVY traffic. That is to say...it was heavy to us. I was wishing for the open roads of Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana and would even take the wind and rain with it!!! The drivers here in the Seattle area have not gotten any better...they are aggressive, rude and dangerous. Obviously we got here OK and safe but we watched the cars around us like hawks.

Today we are washing clothes and catching up with Casey and Star.

400 miles/ day

Well let's see....left Kennebec and headed for Rapid City on Tuesday morning. The wind was from the southeast and just beat us up. Mike took me through the grasslands south of I-90 and through a small corner of the Badlands. Amazing to see pelikans in this part of the world....they are a long distance from the ocean. Seagulls also are in the area- why I don't know but they reside here without salt water. Got to John's house and went to a great restaurant- Minerva's. Susan (another cousin) joined us for wonderful evening.

Wednesday we left Rapid City and headed for Bozeman. It was cold and looked like rain so we started out with rain gear on (what a hassle). Boy were we glad we put on those "clown pants and coat". It started to spit on us and it was very cold like 50'. At one point- I thought it was going to snow on us but it was only heavy rain. Sidenote- my dual headlight got broken on our way to South Dakota - rock hit it. Mike got a new light (translation= expensive $299) and fixed it. Just out of Belle Fouche- I got hit again and once again one of the lens is broken but not smashed- it still works and we will not replace this one until it falls apart. So- back to that rain....it started to rain as we entered a construction zone. The road had been ground up and grooved. Scared me to death as the front wheel just wobbled all over the place. I kept slowing down because of that wobbly wheel AND I couldn't see due to the rain. Imagine a windshield with rain all over it and then your sunglasses are also covered. All I could see was that yellow line that separated me from that oncoming traffic. Slower and slower I went...Mike finally stopped me and gave me "the pep talk". We let a bunch of traffic go by and off we went again. Luckily it was only 15 miles of grooves and holes but I thought I would get bucked off the bike if I rode too fast!! Glad that initiation is done.

So the good thing- Eastern Montana is green as can be....looking at the pastures and hillsides reminded me of a painting I entered into a 4-H contest. The painting was of a house and green lawn and the judge told me that no lawn was ever solid green. If I remember correctly I did not get a ribbon. That judge obviously had never been to Montana- those fields were painted a "solid" John Deere green and there weren't any other blips of color. The cows looked like intense black spots against all that green grass.

Today (Thursday May 19) we were lucky to ride in good weather with light winds, full sun and basically good roads. I was nervous to ride the I-90 passes - Continental Divide, Lookout and then Fourth of July. Even in a car- these curvy mountain roads can be tricky but the bike and I handled it well. Actually it was easier to ride than I thought it might be. There was still snow on the mountain side and the air was very cool. Tonight we are in Coeur d'Alene and tomorrow we head to Seattle to see the kids.

The views have been tremendous- there is nothing like being out in the wind, smelling everything so intensely and feeling very small. When you are in a car- you don't get that same effect. The trees are taller, the mountains snowier...you get the idea. Needless to say- our sight seeing has been as we travel the roads. After a day on the bike, the only thing I really want to see is the inside of my eyelids!!

Busy Busy!!

This week has been busy. Making mints, Coffee and work...luckily my computer is still working and the orders are coming in for the month. Mike polished his bike even though it has been very windy and raining. The temperature also got down to 35' at night. Thank goodness these two weather patterns did not happen at the same time or we would have had snow.

Friday May 13th we rode to Chamberlain to honor the National Guard unit that is deploying to Afghanastan (sp). Wind gusts up to 30mph and a temperature of 45' reminded me of riding in Alaska. Mike and I had no idea that we were enlisted to ride in a parade and then down the highway at about 80mph. It was COLD. We were supposed to ride all the way to Pierre but with the weather- we all cried "uncle" and went back to Kennebec.

Graduation was Saturday May 14th so we helped Jordan celebrate his new position in life as a graduate. Cake, punch and mints at the family and friends gathering.

Today (Sunday May 15th) we woke to light winds and the promise of some sun. About noon the sun came out the winds got alot stronger and we took off on the bikes. The Pioneer Auto Museum has an annual auto and antique auction so we went to see what that was all about. A quick tour of the museum left us $18.00 poorer and we determined that alot of our parents junk may have ended up there. The few cars that were of interest were covered in dust and had not seen a carwash for quite some time.

Tomorrow I have phone meetings all day so we will leave for Rapid City on Tuesday.

Kennbec- here we come!

So a great night of sleep after a day full of riding! We hit the road today at 8:30 and headed to HD of Sioux Falls. Parts were sucessfully obtained for KJ and off we were again. The temp was about 70' and felt too hot to wear a coat (or so we thought). Just try riding at 60 mph without a coat and you will FREEZE...we both called "uncle" and got out the leather coats. The wind was on our nose and the sun behind so we were in great shape to ride fast down I-90. Brunch was in Mitchell at Perkins and then gas at Kimball. A quick ride through Chamberlain to see what has changed (not much changes here). Kennebec arrived sunny and hot- just in time to take off the leathers and relax at the Millers. Catching up with the family, getting organized for graduation party and enjoying the quiet. I know we are now getting old...we sit around talking about our health issues, medicines we are taking and exercise we need to do.....darn it all!!!

High Winds and HOT!

So this morning we left the Iowa family farm and head to the nearest HD dealership. Time for an oil change and 1000 mile check on my bike "Mr. Fat Bob". So 90 minutes later and an oil change, a pair of new boots for Mike and a windshield bag....we were off and headed North-West to South Dakota.

Backroads were the chosen routes- Story City- stop for water and bananas, Lehigh to shed the leather coats and to use the public restroom in city hall, Dolliver Memorial Park for a tree lined ride through a curvy river hugging road, Fort Dodge for lunch at Zakees, gas at some little town (it becomes a blur), a pitstop somewhere else and finally a shower and hotel room in Sioux Falls.

This was my longest ride and probably the most challenging to date. The wind was from the East and like the wicked witch....it was awful to deal with. The bike and I were usually at about a 15 degree lean on any roads headed North. Thank goodness the East-West roads were easy and very good. We saw some great barns, wonderful farm houses and lots of field work being done. I know I had acquired a bit of of dirt from each county as we headed west....my headscarf and neck were black with windblown dirt. I suppose since farmland is so expensive- I should have saved it for later!!

There was not much traffic except near Sioux Falls and consequently the idiot driver factor doubled there. It is simply amazing how rude people are to each other.

Tomorrow- another trip to HD in Sioux Falls to obtain parts for KJ...we will deliver them so he can get his bike put together.

Motorcycle Adventure

So long time- no writing....seems life has gotten in the way of adventure so once again we are creating a new one. Tomorrow we start out on a motorcycle trip from Iowa , South Dakota, Seattle then back to the midwest. All over the next eight weeks we will experience the wind in our hair (mine anyway), bugs in our teeth and rain down our necks!! Wish us luck and follow our blog across the miles!!