So I've been on a little trip! here's a quick run down of where I went...
It was wet for most of the ride, but the scenery was rather spectacular regardless. Many of the stops we made were so BFCG (BA member Flat_Penny) could collect flattened souvenir penny's. The riders on this trip consisted of BFCG (HD Sportster 883 Custom), his wife Lisa (HD Sportster 883 Low), their daughter Faith (she rode with BFCG), our friend Rick (Kawasaki Concours), and his daughter Lisa (she rode with her dad). I've put a * next to stops where there were penny machines. So there. The overall route consisted of heading SW to Astoria and riding Hwy 101 all the way down as far as Eureka, CA, then over to Redding, CA and up through Central OR/WA and then home across Chinook pass.
Day 1 we made stops in Tillamook, OR at the cheese factory* and Rodeo Steakhouse (Great burgers there, YUM!), Pirate's Den gifts* in Depoe Bay, OR and then spent the night in Newport, OR.
Day 2 we made our first stop at Toad Hall in Yachats, OR where the owner, Valeria, commented that I looked like I was 13 (she had never seen me facial-hairless). From there we rode down to stop in Florence, OR for a couple different penny machines followed by a stop at the Harley Davidson dealer in Coos Bay, OR. Cold wet riding followed from there as we made our way to Crescent City, CA. I spotted a deer crossing the road along the way!
Day 3 started with a stop at the Trees of Mystery* where we hiked around in the redwoods and took a gondola up through the trees to an upper observation area. After that we went to a spot where you can drive through a Redwood and then we went down a roadway that has three of the largest redwood trees along it where we also some some elk. Traveled on to Eureka, CA to a candy shop* and then headed to Redding, CA where we saw the best weather, roads, and scenery as we rode down the other side of the mountains separating the coast from the central corridor of Cali. Had dinner at In and Out Burger (first time for all of us and it was delicious) and got a hotel room.
Day 4 had a good start. Sunny and warm! Then we gassed up in Weed, CA and another biker we met there suggested we put our rain gear on as the weather was wet to the North. As soon as we pulled out of the gas station we hit the first rain drops. We cut over into central Oregon and stopped at Crater Lake* where there was still lots of snow off to the sides of the road. It was foggy and SO.COLD. Plus, we couldn't see the freaking lake! Cruising around to the other side of the rim gave us a rather spectacular view, however, so yay! The rest of the ride to Bend, OR was uneventful, although the wettest so far, and we got a room there.
Day 5 started wet, but thankfully it got nicer as we headed North. By the time we got to Washington it was dry and warm. We stopped at a World War I memorial that is a replica of what Stonehenge was thought to look like originally and then headed through Yakima, WA to eat at a small, yet SO GOOD burger stand in Naches, WA. From there it was home stretch... headed up and over a very cold and foggy Chinook pass and kept on riding with one stop to part ways with my friends.
It was a great trip.
