friday

This has nothing to do with motorcycles, curly roads, craggy mountains or really anything I generally blather on about. It is, however, valuable and useful information for you, the people of the world.

I was watching Platoon the other day, and it occurred to me that it's twenty years old. And Charlie Sheen looks exactly the same. See for yourself. Empirical evidence of the age-defying powers of coke and hookers. Do with it what you will.

thursday

Absolutely nothing of note has happened in the last several days.

Sorry. I will endeavor to be more entertaining in the future.

monday

Yesterday, Comet and I went around the Olympic peninsula (Bremerton-to-Bremerton on US 101). I took a nice ferry ride from Seattle and Comet rode up from Montesano to meet me. We then proceeded to sport our way around counter-clockwise to Montesano (where Comet stopped, as he lives there) and I finished my circle and rode back up to Bremerton and the ferry home.

We stopped in Sequim for lunch and deployed the camera (one of many gizmos in Comet's workspace) to take some video as we rode the good part along Lake Crescent and through the Hoh rainforest. Mostly as an equipment test for his upcoming ride to the MotoGPs at Laguna Seca next month. I don't yet know how to post video, but eventually that will be a feature here at 100miles. It was a perfect day for riding (85F inland 70-75F on the coast), and aside from the slow-movers on the curly part by Lake Crescent (double yellows for miles, no shoulder, few pull-outs...not that most folks use the pull-outs), it was nice.

Just FYI, before lunch on a weekday this tasty stretch of road is all but deserted. But don't try to go there then...that's my time.

It's not right to ride to the ocean and not take a picture of it, so here are some nice at-the-beach shots.

Ride Safe! Vote Hubbard!

thursday

I saw the map at the bottom of this page (or, rather, one like it with different states colored in) on The Iceman Bloggeth, a moto-blog I look at from time to time. He does "unconventional" modifications to his Kawasaki ZZR-1200 (Thom, many of these seem to be Concours-compatible...) and I appreciate MacGyvering in all its forms.

Click the link below the map to make your own, it's a variation on a "How many countries?" map, so that option also exists.

Congratulations on those back to back Saddlesores, Ice.

wednesday

Onward! Into the mountains!

While the North Cascades Highway (SR 20) isn't exactly the Passo dello Stelvio, it is a blast to ride. Craggy mountains, soggy-looking evergreens lurking in the mist...you know, all poetic and stuff.

If you look close, there's a guy on a 1200 Bandit about two-thirds of the way through that hairpin, and he's haulin' ass. I was gonna take video of him as he went past me, but by the time I moved the switch to video and pointed the camera at him he was zippin' by and dragging his sidestand through the left-hander at the top.

I must admit, I wish I’d taken pictures of the signs at the summits of Washington Pass (5477’) and Rainy Pass (4855’), but I have pictures of those somewhere, and I’m new to this “take pictures all willy-nilly, you’ll never run out of film” digital photography. I’m used to husbanding my film and not just snappin’ away. Otherwise I tend to run out of film inconveniently far from where they keep the new film (one of several reasons why I only have 3 pictures of Yellowstone-but that‘s for another day).

Honestly, though, neither of them is like the Beartooth or Going-to-the-Sun which both have a spectacular vista to put behind the sign. These are just a sign and many damp trees, I have lots of those (I like to collect summits, the higher the better...pavement required).

This mighty crag is right above the hairpin with the speedy Bandit guy. I'm almost certain he never saw it. Way too fast for sightseeing. That's why I stopped. Then back to scientifically testing the appropriateness of the posted speed limit. For a 40' RV it's apparently just a tad too high. There should be a different speed limit for motorcycles. How about "Reasonable and Prudent" like the Montanans used to enjoy...but just for bikes. Have to add that to my "List Of Things To Do When I Become King".

Ross Lake, just before Diablo (which is about the same size as its dot on the map). Not nearly as cold here, but still pretty chilly. It looked as if western WA was going to be mostly overcast and slightly damp (I have no idea why this surprised me) so I decided to loop around through Darrington and Arlington and back over Stevens Pass (4061' - US 2) and Blewett Pass (4102' - US 97) and camp on the east side of the Cascades, where all of the warm is stored.

My site at Swauk campground ($13) was considerably more camping-y than the previous night's. It came with some unique-to-a-Sunday benefits, too. I got my pick of the choicest site, there was already a nice packed-down flat spot for my tent and, best of all, there were only two other occupied sites. Both far away. I pitched my tent about 5:30p, in shorts, t-shirt and motorcycle boots. It was a beautiful day, I bought two pints of Paulaner Lager in Leavenworth and put some huevos rancheros (okay, chili & eggs) on the propane stove and before the whites of the eggs set up it was like somebody turned a dial somewhere...it got cold.

I rarely have a fire when I'm tenting solo, so I hadn't bought any wood in Leavenworth (it was, literally, right next to the beer cooler).

Fortune smiled. I had packed the big tent which I hardly ever use because it's so much bigger than the small tent when it's packed (when it's set up, too,). Dunno why I did, just variety I suppose. I do know that I could barely get my little chair into the small tent, never mind getting in there with it and sitting down. But I had packed the big tent. I could sit in my chair with a beer and a book (thanks again, Comet, for the CD folder with the built-in speaker) and let my body heat and the candle lantern heat it up inside. Worked like a charm. Oh, it was still cold, that campground isn't much below Blewett summit, but it wasn't un-fun because of it.

Monday morning, while the rest of the world was knuckling down to a hard day's work (already went for coffee, a little too early to go to lunch), I was sporting my way back over Blewett and Stevens and home-again home-again, jiggity-jig.

And then I had breakfast.

tuesday

Excellent riding this weekend. Not too much traffic (plenty on Sunday afternoon, but all going the other way), very few intentional blockers and more than the usual amount of moving to the right to let me get on with enjoying the twisties. Once the Interstate portion (a nice two hour warmup) was out of the way, it got good.

I rode to Waterville, just because the 15 miles or so of US2 right before you get there is so good. Lots of elevation change, good pavement, not too much gravel (eyes open) and then I turned around and went back, because after Waterville it's as straight as a ruler for sixty miles. I couldn't decide whether to ride up the Methow (MET-oh) valley (SR 153) or over Loup-Loup pass (US 20)...so I did both. The result was that I got to ride up the Methow valley twice. So many deer! Warning signs everywhere. Apparently they're lurking in wait for travelers and then one of them throws itself onto the road in an attempt to crash the vehicle. It's said that the remaining deer first eat the dead and then toy with the survivors, sometimes for days, before eating them as well.*

(I thought) I was lucky to find a place to pitch my tent at 8:30 on a June Saturday night, when I got to Winthrop the last Vacancy sign was 20 miles behind me and the nearest State Park was Pearrygin Lake, very popular with the "this little seventeen-inch TV is roughing it...help me with the tripod for the satellite dish" people. They are good people, I'm sure...decent, honest, hard-working families who make up the bulk of our population, but that isn't camping.
I found an empty spot (on the $19 side, the $13 ones are not on the lake, and were full) and parked, unbungeed my gear and pitched my tent. The Mom of the family in the next site said "Hi." I opened the 22oz. Arrogant Bastard ale I bought in Carlton and wrote some notes on the day. Beautiful sunset, smooth, grassy pitch for the tent...it turns out that the stick with 153 on it that I parked and pitched my tent by (and paid $20 for) was for that site over there, and this is part of the site on the other side. The soft chewy center of this story is that the Park Lady (there's always a Park Lady, you just don't always see her) gave me back my $20, now in tens for some reason, and I poached a (unused) corner of a giant family jamboree (roughly 300 children on tiny bmx bikes saying "Woo" and "Aaaa", and things of that nature) with three trailers and about six tents spread over four sites. I've become an unintentional squatter. There's no extra vehicle charge for bikes, but if the jamboree people want a little green for my spot I'm cool with that. They didn't ask, I didn't offer. All good.

Sunday by 9:30a the RVs were far behind and I was well into the run up to Washington Pass (5477') and Rainy Pass (4855') which are about four or five miles apart. I got some gas in Mazama (which did not cost nearly as much as they could be charging) and on into the very cold mountains. Before noon on a Sunday, the road was all but empty, I didn't even encounter any bikes until I was almost at the top. Lots of them later in the day, though. Going both directions. I was never overtaken by a herd of squids, but they would go zooming by (six or eight of 'em at a time) every time I stopped for a picture or to add or remove a layer.

Blogger doesn't seem to want to add any more pictures right now, so...

To Be Continued.


* RIP Larry Grodsky, you will be missed. Eyes open, people, no joke.

monday

For the last few days this has been my office (an odd choice of word since I don't work in an office, but "...this has been my kitchen" doesn't sound right).

And I went here:Blue on Saturday, Purple on Sunday and Yellow on Monday.

*

Now I'm going to have a shower and a beer and eat something I don't have to rehydrate first. More words and pictures soon.

____________________________________________

For the record, Comet is not whipped. And he does not work weekends. He does, however, work Mondays- and he most surely does not sleep on the ground at 3800' in June (it was cold). Just for the record.

saturday

Gone ridin'.
The radar says I'm going east. I'm on my own because Skeyeler and Mike are totally whipped.

Have a fun weekend, I'll be back Monday.

thursday

"If you ride a motorcycle often, you will be killed riding it. That much is sure as night follows day. Your responsibility is to be so vigilant and careful as to continue to push that eventuality so far forward that you die of old age first."

-Unnamed old (in the 1950s) man quoted in a magazine

thursday (late wednesday?)

Nothing really to post today, but look at all the new links! (over there 4)

tuesday

I just ran across this map on somebody else's blog, so I took it...this is the oldest map showing the State of Jefferson. Yreka, CA was to be the capitol.

But Jefferson is for next month, and I'm torn for this weekend. 101 south is a great ride and I haven't seen the ocean in months...but the North Cascades Highway beckons. Just have to let the radar map ( http://www.wunderground.com/radar/map.asp )decide Saturday morning.

I got an email this morning from a much more far-ranging traveler this morning, Thom is riding eastern Australia at the moment

(the link to his blog, RealityCheck, is over there >)

and I would be hard-pressed to be more jealous. "The Loop" (all the way around Oz) has been a dream of mine for years. He's not doing that (or I'd have to bludgeon him unconscious with a rolled-up ANZAC hat), but is riding in Australia and I (and probably most of you) am not. He says "Hi", by the way.

Now go look at his blog, because Tuesday though it may be to the rest of the world, it's my Monday- so off to the j-o-b (...must...support...motorcycle...habit...).

-coho

monday

Meant to post some pictures today, but the weather and my mood didn't lend themselves to photography.

Next month I'm going riding in Jefferson (http://www.jeffersonstate.com/) and many nice pictures are sure to result. However, since it's been six months or more since I had time to spend more than three hours in the saddle at a stretch, I'm taking three days next weekend to just ride, ride, ride. I need to refresh. I could lay down a thousand miles right now, but I doubt I'd be able to do it again the next day (I'm such a slacker, I've let my endurance muscle atrophy). So, a nice tune-up ride.

I can't wait to find out where I go.

saturday

I'm coho, and this is my web thing.
I periodically ride to places where stuff happens.
Now you get to, too. Lucky you.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Good.

-coho