Im cheating and copying this over from my other Triumph forum hangout but I figured a few on here might enjoy a road tale.
My buddy Rick and I had some vacation time to burn before it reset so we pushed it out as far as we could. Luck was on our side and we had some pretty good weather for this year’s oddball spring. What follows is a short pictorial and commentary o the trip.
For me the trip started form home with a short jaunt down I90 into downtown Seattle to the ferry terminal where I couth the 8:30 am to Bremerton. Rick met me at Starbucks at the ferry terminal.
From there we went north and crossed the Hood Canal bridge to 101 around the Olympic Peninsula down through Forks and ended the day in Seaside Wa. The roads were in good shape and we were treated to a few twisties here and there. The early routes were not expected to be anything but an easy two lane with good speeds. The day was beautiful but by the time we were crossing from Wa into Oregon the marine layer decided to roll in and though it wasn’t raining it sure did seem like it.
Waiting for the ferry
The view down from the top deck. Bikes get priority boarding so they are always up front.
Almost to Bremerton, the scenery is amazing.
Biker selfie (Im making a duck face)
This was in Forks Wa. An ancient relic and Superman was nowhere to be seen.
The wing is my Buddys bike. The other thing pulled up and the character that got out was worth the trip. Wow! The 60s are alive and well for some folks.
View from our room in Seaside. By the time we got to the hotel that mist had really broken apart and though it was still chilly it was clear.
The next morning we woke to some serious fog in some spots with sun breaks and crisp morning air throughout. The Oregon coast is just amazing! The coastal roads can get twisty and we were really hitting a rhythm until a log truck came around a corner so fast it looked like we might become pancakes. Well, the logging truck made it andso did we but the road surface turned into a washboard that quickly drained us of any rhythm that we had gained. We did the smart thing and slowed down and enjoyed the safety and scenery.
We made a late morning stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory for a second breakfast that consisted of a Grilled Cheese (it is a cheese factory after all) and some beef barley soup.
This was what we were headed into…
The Oregon Coast
A bit of Triumph and Coastline
Tillamook Cheese factory
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Second breakfast. Not sure why these are soo good but the cheese has a whipped consistency and taste so much better at the factory.
It was about then that plans changed. The weather was showing the possibility of rain rolling through and we were going to head south along the coast. We rerouted and headed inland to Dayton Wa to go see his son. A fairly uneventful ride along the Columbia River with decent road and at times big sweepers that could be taken with little to no effort. Sun was on our faces, our heels were kicked forward and we were rolling.
Eastern Wa is primarily farmland and small towns. Not much else to say. What does become evident after riding these roads is that rarely is there a straight road. The urge to crack the throttle is strong but the law has a strong presence out there. Caution and selfcontrol are a good thing. Not to say we didn’t let loose every so often. The hillsides were green and unusually spectacular. The riding was so good that we really didn’t take many breaks and when we did we seem to have forgot to take pictures. ☹
Another selfie…lol. I call this one my Oregon Selfie… I’m making a duck face you just cant see it (Oregon Ducks – College team)
The following day we did a local loop and had no idea what we were about to ride. We headed south out of Dayton Wa towards Enterprise Or. The fun started, as we turned left onto OR204. Rick didn’t stop for fuel before we made that turn and I now know better – DOH! But that road was amazing. What we didn’t know is that the top of the pass still had snow on the ground that could be measured by the foot. My heated gear stopped heating (later I figured out it was a fuse) and man it got cold. The roads were mostly nice sweeping curves that could be taken at speed and made it very easy to forget that I was low on fuel and how cold it was.
Once we started to see some gravel on the road we slowed and reality set in. I had to pee…bad. I pulled off (Rick didn’t see this and kept going) at a little place on top of the pass. There was a gas pump outside and the “open” sigh was lit so why not. If I didn’t stop there I was gonna make the snow yellow.
As I pulled up there was one car, an old beat up truck. I pull the door open and hear the jingling of a single bell. I walked into the dimly lit convenience store/café that had what seemed to be a haze in the air. It was probably the dust but man, creepy. He two old guys sitting at the table playing cards didn’t even look up. I asked where the restroom was and one old dude simply pointed a thumb over his shoulder.
Well, if I was ever going to be living in a horror movie this was it!
When I came out Rick was just pulling up so I knew I was either going to die with a friend or we were going to be ok. I again asked the old guys a question. “Hey, does that gas pump work?”. The response was “yeah, it works but there aint no gas”.
Great! “Where’s the nearest gas station?”. Response – “20 miles either way”.
Rick and I headed out after a quick candy bar break and sure enough, not more than a mile into it the bike starts to sputter and die. Pull over and switch o reserve, lose the non-working heated gear and put on some old school thick gloves and get outta there.
Snow
Sky
Heading out riding between Elgin and Enterprise was a blast. The roads were once again awesome all up till we had to pass through Lostine then it was like we were in a rally race. The dust in the air covered the bikes, helmets, and got into all the crevices. You could taste it even if the visor was down.
… the road was literally covered in dirt through this little town and the street cleaner was throwing more into the air than it was picking up.
We stopped at the Heavenly’s for some food and I had an awesome Elk burger.
After lunch we headed north on 3 and was an ok and average ride for about 38 miles then it turned into an absolute wet dream for anyone on two wheels that likes to lean. Holly ****** I think this is the west coast version of the Dragon. Maybe not as technical but certainly more fun that Mullholand was a coupe years ago. The next 20 miles was pure twisty heaven. Then some straights for about 18 miles then one last dose of 4 miles of heaven as we dropped into Aostin Wa. From there back to Dayton was not even in the memory because all I could think of was those roads we were just on.
Twisty
The next day was the ride home and though not as eventful as the previous day it was still fun. I mean how many times do you (maybe some of you do) get to see wild turkeys crossing the road.
Turkeys
My buddy Rick and I had some vacation time to burn before it reset so we pushed it out as far as we could. Luck was on our side and we had some pretty good weather for this year’s oddball spring. What follows is a short pictorial and commentary o the trip.
For me the trip started form home with a short jaunt down I90 into downtown Seattle to the ferry terminal where I couth the 8:30 am to Bremerton. Rick met me at Starbucks at the ferry terminal.
From there we went north and crossed the Hood Canal bridge to 101 around the Olympic Peninsula down through Forks and ended the day in Seaside Wa. The roads were in good shape and we were treated to a few twisties here and there. The early routes were not expected to be anything but an easy two lane with good speeds. The day was beautiful but by the time we were crossing from Wa into Oregon the marine layer decided to roll in and though it wasn’t raining it sure did seem like it.
Waiting for the ferry
The view down from the top deck. Bikes get priority boarding so they are always up front.
Almost to Bremerton, the scenery is amazing.
Biker selfie (Im making a duck face)
This was in Forks Wa. An ancient relic and Superman was nowhere to be seen.
The wing is my Buddys bike. The other thing pulled up and the character that got out was worth the trip. Wow! The 60s are alive and well for some folks.
View from our room in Seaside. By the time we got to the hotel that mist had really broken apart and though it was still chilly it was clear.
The next morning we woke to some serious fog in some spots with sun breaks and crisp morning air throughout. The Oregon coast is just amazing! The coastal roads can get twisty and we were really hitting a rhythm until a log truck came around a corner so fast it looked like we might become pancakes. Well, the logging truck made it andso did we but the road surface turned into a washboard that quickly drained us of any rhythm that we had gained. We did the smart thing and slowed down and enjoyed the safety and scenery.
We made a late morning stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory for a second breakfast that consisted of a Grilled Cheese (it is a cheese factory after all) and some beef barley soup.
This was what we were headed into…
The Oregon Coast
A bit of Triumph and Coastline
Tillamook Cheese factory
Second breakfast. Not sure why these are soo good but the cheese has a whipped consistency and taste so much better at the factory.
It was about then that plans changed. The weather was showing the possibility of rain rolling through and we were going to head south along the coast. We rerouted and headed inland to Dayton Wa to go see his son. A fairly uneventful ride along the Columbia River with decent road and at times big sweepers that could be taken with little to no effort. Sun was on our faces, our heels were kicked forward and we were rolling.
Eastern Wa is primarily farmland and small towns. Not much else to say. What does become evident after riding these roads is that rarely is there a straight road. The urge to crack the throttle is strong but the law has a strong presence out there. Caution and selfcontrol are a good thing. Not to say we didn’t let loose every so often. The hillsides were green and unusually spectacular. The riding was so good that we really didn’t take many breaks and when we did we seem to have forgot to take pictures. ☹
Another selfie…lol. I call this one my Oregon Selfie… I’m making a duck face you just cant see it (Oregon Ducks – College team)
The following day we did a local loop and had no idea what we were about to ride. We headed south out of Dayton Wa towards Enterprise Or. The fun started, as we turned left onto OR204. Rick didn’t stop for fuel before we made that turn and I now know better – DOH! But that road was amazing. What we didn’t know is that the top of the pass still had snow on the ground that could be measured by the foot. My heated gear stopped heating (later I figured out it was a fuse) and man it got cold. The roads were mostly nice sweeping curves that could be taken at speed and made it very easy to forget that I was low on fuel and how cold it was.
Once we started to see some gravel on the road we slowed and reality set in. I had to pee…bad. I pulled off (Rick didn’t see this and kept going) at a little place on top of the pass. There was a gas pump outside and the “open” sigh was lit so why not. If I didn’t stop there I was gonna make the snow yellow.
As I pulled up there was one car, an old beat up truck. I pull the door open and hear the jingling of a single bell. I walked into the dimly lit convenience store/café that had what seemed to be a haze in the air. It was probably the dust but man, creepy. He two old guys sitting at the table playing cards didn’t even look up. I asked where the restroom was and one old dude simply pointed a thumb over his shoulder.
Well, if I was ever going to be living in a horror movie this was it!
When I came out Rick was just pulling up so I knew I was either going to die with a friend or we were going to be ok. I again asked the old guys a question. “Hey, does that gas pump work?”. The response was “yeah, it works but there aint no gas”.
Great! “Where’s the nearest gas station?”. Response – “20 miles either way”.
Rick and I headed out after a quick candy bar break and sure enough, not more than a mile into it the bike starts to sputter and die. Pull over and switch o reserve, lose the non-working heated gear and put on some old school thick gloves and get outta there.
Snow
Sky
Heading out riding between Elgin and Enterprise was a blast. The roads were once again awesome all up till we had to pass through Lostine then it was like we were in a rally race. The dust in the air covered the bikes, helmets, and got into all the crevices. You could taste it even if the visor was down.
… the road was literally covered in dirt through this little town and the street cleaner was throwing more into the air than it was picking up. We stopped at the Heavenly’s for some food and I had an awesome Elk burger.
After lunch we headed north on 3 and was an ok and average ride for about 38 miles then it turned into an absolute wet dream for anyone on two wheels that likes to lean. Holly ****** I think this is the west coast version of the Dragon. Maybe not as technical but certainly more fun that Mullholand was a coupe years ago. The next 20 miles was pure twisty heaven. Then some straights for about 18 miles then one last dose of 4 miles of heaven as we dropped into Aostin Wa. From there back to Dayton was not even in the memory because all I could think of was those roads we were just on.
Twisty
The next day was the ride home and though not as eventful as the previous day it was still fun. I mean how many times do you (maybe some of you do) get to see wild turkeys crossing the road.
Turkeys
We are lucky to live around here. I plan on riding at least the peninsula portion of that ride this summer. I made it as far as Hurricane Ridge and back in a day late last summer just to get a taste of it. There is a lot over there to see if one has the time.
