Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
Senior Member
Joined: 02/02/2005
View Profile
|
I am way behind here on rides, so am a bit out of sequence. Today, went down to the Open House for Gerbings new place in Tumwater. Met at the Big Foot Java in Auburn at about 7:45, Dean was already there, Mark was in the left turn lane, as Greg and I rolled in.
Nathan was late, as usual, and we picked up Rick on the way south. I had my redneck GPS,
which worked up until the entrance to Gerbings, which I rode right by. Gold Wing GPS said make a u-turn, dummy. I followed the wings back to the entrance and pulled in. Free coffee and donuts and pastry, so I bought a pair of gloves. Fair trade, it seemed. Lots of bikes, mostly tourers and such, way more Harleys than I expected to see.
We left south on Old 99, to Waldrick, saw this neat old abandoned house,
then some other back roads to Rainier, north on SR 507, east, on the prairie,
and down to Lake Kapowsin, then north into Orting, and lunch at the Firehouse. Had a beer with lunch, as did a couple of others. Out onto the highway, and north on SR 162, and home. 126 miles for me.
* This post was
edited 04/18/09 05:15pm by Ride_Slow2004 *
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."
-Doug Larson
|
Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
Senior Member
Joined: 02/02/2005
View Profile
|
Pastor Gary called a ride, Sunday afternoon. We met at the Supermall Wendy's at 3pm. Marks wife was the only passenger, and when she saw that no other ladies were riding or passengers, she had Mark drop her off at their house. We had 5 bikes total, Gary, Rick, Curt, Mark, and myself. Plan was to ride to Eatonville, grab a bite, and head back.
I realized I forgot my camera. Rats. 20% chance of showers, cloudy, and not very warm. Mid 60's, I think. Mark caught up with us at Valley Ave and SR 410 in Sumner, and Rick and I were in the lead. It wasn't getting any warmer, and Rick peeled off at Orting, he hadn't brought a jacket. We caught Oroville Rd, south of Orting, and headed south.
Lowland lakes are open, and the road runs along Kapowsin and Ohop. Lots of traffic, lots of folks parked on shoulders, so no really getting on the throttle. We eased into Eatonville, and since I had no idea where to eat, I let Gary take the lead. We passed a couple of places, and Curt said Bruno's was good, he had eaten there before.
He was right, decent food, and not too expensive, plus we got to see the end of the Mariners game, they won!
Back north to retrace our route, we got behind a convoy of 3 vehicles, 2 trucks carrying ATV's and dirt bikes, and a minivan. Waaaay too slow, and so when I got a clear shot I hit the gas. Mark came with me, but we had caught Gary and Curt napping at the switch. They finally got around, and caught up. We turned right at SR162, and headed out thru South Prairie, and turned left on Mundy-Loss Rd. Picked up the Sumner Buckley Highway, and then turned right on the Tapps-Buckley Highway. We stopped at the gas station at Kersey Way, to recap the ride. We all thanked Gary for putting out the call, and he said he was going riding anyhow, it was nice to have us along. We will do this again.
Only 78 miles, and 4 hours, but good for a Sunday afternoon.
* This post was
edited 06/08/09 09:13am by Ride_Slow2004 *
|
osun061
Houston, Tx.
New Member
Joined: 06/03/2008
View Profile
 Offline
|
Sunday we rode down to Gilchrist on Bolivar Penn. where we have a hole on the beach front where Hurricane Ike blew our Beach Camp away . County has just decided to allow building back on the Beach front. We haven't decided if we will or not. Looks strange seeing the dunes completely cleaned off and no houses for miles. Lots of people set-up and camping on the beach this weekend.
We stopped for lunch and headed back home , made a nice 160 mile round trip.
Terry
|
Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
Senior Member
Joined: 02/02/2005
View Profile
|
I went and looked at the area on the net. You weren't kidding, that place was swept clean.
|
RSTD46
Midwest
New Member
Joined: 06/10/2009
View Profile
Offline
|
Just rode locally approx. 80 miles for a shakedown cruise from having the mc in shop for electrical repairs. Wanted to make certain everything was operating properly prior to leaving for laconia, NH rally. My son and I take a mc trip every summer together. Last 2 years did not go on a trip due to medical reasons. So I am really looking forward to going to Laconia this year. This bike really needs the tires rotated it has been sitting tooooo long.
HAPPY & SAFE RIDING TO EVERYONE!
|
Grippy
da UP
New Member
Joined: 08/17/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
Not far. I went down to Peshtigo, WI. to look at the "Big Dig". US Highway 41 is being improved and materials are being extracted for the earth (ain't it great) for the project and they have created a 100 acre 35 foot deep lake. Cool. I got there and I couldn't get there cause the overpass was impassable. So I took 41 to B to BB and came a new way home. Always nice to find new roads.
Grippy
|
Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
Senior Member
Joined: 02/02/2005
View Profile
|
Always wanted to do this, and finally did. 1000 in 24. With the able assistance of the volunteers at South Sound BMW, and the Motorcycle Tourers Forum, my B-I-L and I made the ride, and submitted the proper documentation, to join the Iron Butt Association. Will tell the story later, but here are some pics from my camera, will get Gregs up when he sends them.
Fuel in Sprague, WA
Fuel in St. Regis, MT
Lunch in Drummond, MT, where we all turned around and headed for home.
Rest stop on I-90, putting on jackets, gets cold when the sun goes down.
End of ride, 1 am, South Sound BMW
So, here is the report:
Iron Butt. Most all motorcycle riders know what that means, a group of riders that are dedicated to riding long distances safely, quickly, and document ting the ride. You become a member by following the rules they have provided, and submitting proper documents to the Iron Butt Association volunteers, to certify that you did, in fact, do the ride.
The entry level ride is the SaddleSore 1000, going 1000 miles in 24 hours. The top level ride is the Iron Butt Rally, held every 2 years, traveling over 11,000 miles in eleven days. Many levels in between these 2 are listed at the web site:
http://www.ironbutt.com/ridecerts/
South Sound BMW, in partnership with the Motorcycle Tourers Forum, decided to sponsor a local SS1000, and posted the information in their email newsletter. .
http://www.mctourer.com/rides/2009/SS1K/index.html
After looking at my calendar, I decided now was the time to do it. I checked with my riding buddies, and got one response, another Kiwanian, Greg Clark, Past President of the Valley Club. We discussed preparation, and on the day in question, June 27th, 2009, Greg rode up to my house at about 4:15 am.
We rode together to South Sound BMW in Fife WA, where we could have the volunteers sign off on our forms, do our final preflight, and head off into the night.
My Primary Route Certificate was signed off at 0457 hrs, and Greg and I, along with about 20 other riders, spread out over about 30 minutes, rolled out of the parking lot. Destination; Drummond, MT. This was an “Out and Back” route, designed for beginner long distance riders. We were both pretty excited to be out on the road again, that we both forgot to get any pictures.
This is not a speed contest, but more of an endurance contest, as you only have to maintain an average speed of 42 mph to complete the ride in under 24 hrs. What is required is a reliable motorcycle, a comfortable seat, and awareness of personal requirements for food and water. And Ibuprofen!!!
We traveled a long distance for our first stop, fuel, in Fife, at the corner of 20th and 54th.
We got out onto the freeway, and began to settle into the rhythm of the highway. Speed was held fairly steady, about 5 mph faster than the posted limit, which kept us from attracting any attention. Some vehicles faster than us, and us a bit faster than some. Good place to be. Nothing complicated or unusual about the route, 5, 18, 90, and back. I enjoy the sunrise from the saddle, watching the color shift on the roadside from the gray of night, to the warm glow of sunrise, to the bright light of day. Crossing the Pass into the dry side of our state, the underbrush thins out, the trees change, and the vista’s begin to open up. Just seem to see farther, without so many tall trees blocking the view.
First stop for fuel in Ellensburg, basically just in and out, and back on the road. May seem odd, but rolling along the Interstate at 75 mph, is peaceful. Rolling grassland, irrigation ditches, workers in the field, the highway follows the contour of the land, straight across the fields, and up or around the hills and ridges.
Somewhere east of Ellensburg, Greg is stretching, and standing up as he rides, and his extra seat cushion comes off the bike. I am able to get stopped, and retrieve it from the roadway, before it gets crushed by the truck traffic. I later catch some flack from other riders, they thought I had a problem with my Harley, but I had to explain, it was the Honda Goldwing that was shedding equipment.
Next stop for fuel was at the Sprague Chevron in Colfax, WA. We had a stretch, and grabbed some Jerky, and were back on the road. Traffic through Spokane was strange, construction had different lanes closed, and drivers were not planning ahead very well, so we really had to be on our toes. Out through the Valley, and into Idaho, watching the speed limits, and waiting until we could hit the 75 mph zone. I-90 is a quick way across Idaho, with some great sweeping curves, and excellent scenery. We didn’t stop again, until . Regis, MT.
Several other riders were also fueling. A couple of pictures, and back on the road.
It was nice to see the exit for Drummond, MT. Our scheduled turn around, and lunch. It was a rodeo weekend, and lots of horse haulers pulled by 4x4 diesel 1 ton pickups, were heading into the fairgrounds. On another day, I would have stayed for the show.
Decent road food, and a good time visiting with the other riders. We were well ahead of schedule, and took a long time for this break, over an hour. One of the tips for long distance riding is to eat light. Ease off the hamburgers, and look for something that won’t literally slow you down by making you sleepy!
Next fuel was in Haugen, MT. Apparently, this area is huge for ATV users, serious family sport, whole families riding, dad leading, kids in the rocking chair, (riding between the lead and the tail,) and mom bringing up the rear. They would group up around the pumps, gas up, and be off into the hills. Lots of Jeeps, and built 4x4’s, also.
It was time to break, and we pulled into Old Mission State Park in Idaho. They have a small picnic area, and a new Visitor Center. The oldest standing building in all of Idaho is found here. The Mission of the Sacred Heart or Sacred Heart Mission was constructed between 1850 and 1853 by Catholic missionaries and members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. The park features the Sacred Heart Mission building, a restored Parish House and an historic cemetery. The visitor center includes an interpretive exhibit about the Mission and the Coeur d'Alene Indians
We had negotiated the busy parts of Idaho, and Spokane safely, and now were westbound into a bit of a headwind. I had overestimated how far I could run on a tank of gas, and actually expected to run out on the highway. I got to the Tokio Templins station, and it was closed. PANIC! Oops, I forgot, this is Eastern Washington, they left the pumps unlocked, and the card readers on. I put 4.5 gallons into the 5 gal. tank. We visited with another Harley rider, (not an SS1000 rider) and he shared some outstanding Jerky from the custom meat shop in Cle Elum.
Cle Elum was our last stop out on the highway, and I was now into the coffee and sugar. I knew I could buzz with the caffeine, and not come down before the end of the ride. I am understanding the draw of the road for the serious long distance rider, I just don’t want to quit. We have to follow the route, so we can’t really add more miles, but we will be doing this again. Even though the roads are very familiar now, it is still different from the seat of the Harley. The engine smoothly humming along, the wind, the road noise, even the traffic add to an almost tranquil setting, albeit at 75 mph, you don’t want to doze off.
We fuel in Fife, to get the last gas pump computer slip, and check in to South Sound BMW. The last riders in! It is not a race, but I guess some folks treated it as such. We had a good time, and a good ride.
Starting time 0457 hrs, at 56621 miles.
Ending time at 0035 hrs, at 57742 miles.
1,121 miles in about 20 hours. Next attempt will be the Bun Burner Gold, 1500 miles in 24 hours. Who wants to ride along?
* This post was
edited 09/03/09 07:20am by Ride_Slow2004 *
|
Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
Senior Member
Joined: 02/02/2005
View Profile
|
Rode to work today, slight windstorm, trees blown over, roads closed, power out, and actually getting hit with flying debris; clonking off the helmet and bike. Think riding tomorrow in the rain will be a little less stressful.
|
Blatherbeard
Austin Tx
Full Member
Joined: 02/17/2009
View Profile
Offline
|
Ride_Slow2004 wrote:Rode to work today, slight windstorm, trees blown over, roads closed, power out, and actually getting hit with flying debris; clonking off the helmet and bike. Think riding tomorrow in the rain will be a little less stressful.
You sir, are a braver man than i.
|
howsit2003
J'ville,Florida
Senior Member
Joined: 09/13/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
riding to Bike Oktoberfest tomorrow....yeehah....ok...so it's not a long trip for me...maybe 90 miles one way....but it's a nice ride down the coast...sparkling Atlantic Ocean...a myriad of mandatory stops....a nice clean oceanfront hotel waiting for me when I arrive...tough to beat....
kickstand up at 9:30-ish.....estimated arrival time at hotel.....3 pm-ish....
weather will be gorgeous....49 in the morning...mid-70's by noon.....can't beat that....
|
|
