Thursday July 30 Challenge Day

Today will be known as Challenge Day. First off this morning, we started out in the wrong direction – however, we did get to travel across the Astoria-Magler Bridge into Washington – twice! (there and back- We really wanted to go north on highway 30.)
Temperature = 16 C.

It didn’t take us long to skedaddle down the road to our first coffee stop in Kalama, at the Columbia Café, where Al & Arlene ordered a bigger cinnamon bun that the Braeburn Lodge ,Yukon makes! Not intentionally, of course! After a quick coffee, Big Ted and the boys decided this would be the time & place to fix the nail in his rear tire.

Thursday July 30, 2009

It also marked the change of drivers in the car from Ted to Corky, with Ted riding as co-rider with Lloyd on the back of his 1800! Temperature report: 24 C at 10:54am.

A little further down the road, we gassed up at Cougar, where Temp climbed to 27 C, so the cooling vests came out. Yale Lake had a spectacular view on the way to Mt St Helen’s.

As we entered the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, the temp rose to 35 C and so we continued on to Windy Ridge, the outlook for the volcano. Two park rangers were there to give us the facts and point things out so we wouldn’t tell lies about out trip there!!

I must add here that BEFORE we reached the top, Ted had given up on being a co-rider. The road was very poor- cracks, heaves, patched pavement, etc. & those bumps, dips etc with no microphone or “ears on” incapacitated him . So he took over driving the car. Corky & I immediately noticed he drove a LOT slower & more cautiously than she had!! (And she was trying to keep up the pace so the other bikes wouldn't overheat on the steep climb!) I think she deserves a medal for her excellent driving skills and I give her honorable mention in this blog.

Our descent began at 2:30 at 33 C with the road down certainly no better, in fact in many places much worse than the road up. However, the ride through what I will call the “enchanted forest” was breathtaking. I could see the ewoks speeding through the trees on their rockets (did you see Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back?) The temperature shot back up to 35 C --- one of the riders mentioned 40 C recorded on his GPS system.

We reached Randle, WA about four pm and would you believe we are staying in a very ancient motel with no phone, no pool, no pets . . . not even air conditioning! We have fallen far from our suites at the Comfort Inn last night. Let me just end with that. I think the boys are making a “beer run” . . . enough said.

Wednesday July 29, 2009

Our departure at 8am took us just around the corner to Fred Meyer’s for a shot in front of the Sand Dunes. Imagine shoveling sand instead of snow!

Wednesday July 29, 2009

Next, we turned in at the Sea Lion Caves – and we found them all at home today. They tell us on a sunny day they are all out playing in the ocean- or catching fish! I wish you smell the smell there! OMG! The site is very well done too. Worth the stop.

Of course, we are on the coast, so fog and cold temperatures prevail today. A stop at the Newport “Golden Arches” was imperative for us to warm up with a coffee!

Carrying on down the 101, the ladies voted for a stop at the Tanger Outlet Mall in Lincoln City: oodles of shops to see and snoop around in. I think the Grandmothers did the most shopping!!

Tillamook is in the heart of dairy country so we took a little side trip to the Tillamook Cheese Factory for ice cream and/or cheese. Mmmmmm . . . .

We had heard from Dennis & EJ Pommen and Emile & Lucy Lambert who are just a spit away in Seaside. They advised us to carry on to Astoria, our destination and they would drop in later. Rush hour slowed us down and we want the best rooms at the hotel!

Tuesday July 28, 2009

We had a later start today, leaving at 9am. It wasn’t long before we pulled off the road to take photos of the beach – once the fog had lifted a bit, that is! What a gorgeous sight! I believe we stopped a few times to record the scenery . . . breathtaking!

At Port Orford, we expected to stop to tour a motorcycle museum, however we discovered that the guy who ran it passed away 2 years ago. So we had lunch instead. . . actually Ted & I had breakfast! The fresh berry syrup on our pancakes was delicious!
Since we didn’t have the opportunity to see a museum, we stopped at a myrtle wood gift shop instead, and the bonus was, the owners took us for a quick tour of their shop. It was fascinating! Myrtle trees do not grow where it freezes or gets over 80 F, so there is a limited radius in Oregon where it grows. It is truly beautiful when tooled into bowls, chalices, trivets, etc, etc. There’s no end to the items that can be made from this aromatic wood.


A stop at Coquilla Point was also well worth it! The views were outstanding! The coast is so rocky and interesting! A person could spend a lot more time here than a quick stop, that’s for sure!
In Reedsport, a few miles down the road, we paused for a comfort stop however, the guys discovered there was a Honda dealer in town and we lost the rest of the gang! Driving Lloyd & Corky’s car, we have only a CB radio, but no GPS, and it seems we lost CB contact for some reason. So we continued on to Florence to our hotel for the night. It gave us a short time to get settled in before the rest of the gang showed up. Florence is a clean, pretty town with some nice restaurants, and we gave full points to the new Chinese place that filled us all up for a reasonable price! Mmmmmm. . . .

Monday July 27, 2009

We discovered the secret to the weather here- it is very cool when the fog moves in close to the coast and just a few miles inland, and the heat shoots up! We managed to catch a look at the beautiful Pacific Ocean early today. (The fog still hung around though.)

Just a few miles down the road we stopped in at the Drive Thru Tree. What a riot! The tree wasn’t as big as I expected, but it was a fun stop. They had a cute little gift shop and I bought a fleece jacket for $22! A group shot around a funny big tree was taken by a lady from Portland. Then we reciprocated and took some of her family. We seem to have no trouble finding willing photographers on this trip!

I don’t know if I mentioned earlier, but the smell of the trees as you pass by is so stimulating: the cedars and the eucalyptus are especially pungent. What a treat for
us to drive the Avenue of Giants and see the huge Redwoods. WOW! Also a lot of fun to take pictures of them! The antics we get in to!

Crescent City, our destination today is right on the coast, so we are back into the fog and chilly air! The seafood is so fresh and delicious . . . guess what we eat for supper???

Sunday July 26, 2009

What a long day we had today, starting along the Pacific Coast! Record temperatures were expected today topping 105 F. We left the hotel promptly at 8am fogged in as we climbed in altitude. At times the road was even wet as the mist settled. The road was as twisty and serpentine as any we have seen so far, then once around a tight turn, we had a little mishap, as one of our group slowly slid into a guard rail. The men all congregated at the site and within an hour, we had the couple back on the road, minus a few parts and with additional scrapes on the paint job. The mishap shook us all up more than we cared to admit, and we needed to stop and recoup our courage.

As we travel along the sea side, the fog obscures our view for much of the journey. At one place you can see the inland side and the seaside going over a bridge. Riding is quite chilly in these conditions!

Our lunch stop was right on the coast and almost the whole gang ate clam chowder with sourdough bread.
After a few more twist & turns and still more fog, we stopped for a sunshine break at a little deli called the Fog Eater. How nice that sunshine felt sitting out on their deck!!
We arrived at Fort Bragg after leaving Corte Madera a mere ten hours before! And no, it is not 39 C---- 14 C!

Saturday July 25, 2009

An excellent day spent in Downtown San Francisco today! We began with our breakfast basket delivered before 7am, then I tried to dry out some clothes I had washed the night before. The humidity here is very high, so it took me awhile using the steam iron and hair blower!
Our hotel has a free shuttle to the ferry and we crossed over the bay to San Francisco passing by San Quentin Prison and Alcatraz! After we figured out what we wanted to do for the day, we hopped on a trolley and scooted down to Pier 39, apparently the 3rd busiest attraction in the USA (after Disneyland and Disney World.) So much food – of course seafood is the freshest right here on Fisherman’s Wharf! Shops and people! Yikes! And sea lions! Goodness what a stink! They were fun to watch, though.

Afterwards we hopped on a downtown tour bus to get all the “dirt” about San Francisco in under 2 hours. The traffic here is nuts, and I’m glad I wasn’t driving the bus or any other vehicle in close proximity!

As soon as Ted saw the Rocket boat, he was hooked! So off he & Dave went for an exciting ride out in the harbor getting splashed and rocked. Doesn’t he look like he had a good time?

Our last appointment for the day was a scrumptious seafood meal at Scoma, (right on the pier), where a beer was $8, a screwdriver $10, a Caesar salad $21, etc. However, everything was top notch, and we certainly don’t eat like this everyday!

On the ferry ride home, we were all rather quiet- I guess spending all day walking and sightseeing in the fresh sea air has taken its toll, and we will all sleep soundly tonight!

Friday July 24, 2009

This morning I woke up at 6:44 and was up and ready to get in the tub and pack. Apparently I won’t be passed around- Ted has decided to have the Reno Honda Dealer fix the Goldwing and he will fly down to pick it up later. We are going all the way to Maple Ridge with Corky in her car, for which she is thankful. (after today on the California freeway- we are all thankful!)

After a long 2 hour ride, we arrived at the Sieman’s plant, which manufactures light rail transit cars. We had the royal tour and it was fascinating! We were not allowed to take many pictures, so I won’t have much to show you. I’m so glad we decided to carry on with the trip and see this amazing facility! It was so tidy and clean, you almost could eat off the floor! All the ladies were impressed!
We were advised by our tour guide to go right away to San Francisco or crawl along about 15 mph later, So off we went – OMG! California drivers are nuts! They change lanes and cut in between even 2 bikes! I was never so thankful to be inside a car and NOT on the Honda in my life! However, after 2 “wrecks” as the Americans say, we arrived are our gorgeous hotel just about 5pm. We are here for 2 nights and will thoroughly enjoy our luxury rooms. We even get a continental breakfast delivered in a basket to our room! WOW!

Thursday July 23, 2009

An easy morning with only 16 miles to go to Lake Tahoe. We started ‘round the south end, which is really the ritzy part of the lake. Huge homes and fancy movie star digs. Not long and we passed into California: Big hotels and shopping! But we have a Lake to circumnavigate, so onward for us! Beautiful California Redwood trees began to appear which are very distinct in the forest. Lake Tahoe is a recreational dream with everything available for the summer vacationer from boating to biking. What you don’t own, you can rent. What I didn’t realize is that the highway is the road around the lake. It reminds me of BC where you wander through the little resort towns along the way.

We stopped at Inspiration Point which was located at the far end of Emerald Bay. The view was spectacular! You can imagine why it’s called Emerald Bay, right? Carrying on, the road twists and turns and climbs higher – just under 9000 ft at the highest point. A biker’s dream!
The road continues to North Lake Tahoe, which is the average guy’s end of the lake. Sure there are some large, extravagant homes too, but it isn’t as neatly manicured as the south part.

We all decided after lunch to head over to Reno to take in the Car Museum. (which we eventually did and it was an amazing collection!)

We were almost there and Ted noticed a funny bike noise. As it turned out, Barry had the Honda dealer on his GPS and we were only 6km from it. I overhead Terry saying that “we each need to give Ted $10 for getting us to the Honda dealer so inadvertently” At first they thought the noise was “U” joints, or whatever that is called on a Honda, but later we found out it was a “finger on the 5th gear” that prevented proper shifting from 4th into 5th and they couldn’t fix it. Many heads are better than one or even 2, so a solution was found as it always is, when travelling with fellow Goldwingers. Ted will continue on in fourth gear, Dave will pull the trailer, and as of yet, we haven’t decided if Raylene will be passed around the single riders!!

Wednesday July 22, 2009

Virginia City, Nevada

This is the p;ace where you entered the mine!

We were on the road by 8am today with a short 300km trip to Carson City, Nevada. Continued are the miles & miles of miles & miles….dry desert for sure! Our first rest stop was in Lovelock where we suited up with the cooling gear. Part of my arsenal is a spritzer that I can use as a water gun . . . bwaa haa!
Most of the traffic we encountered today was big rigs. Snazzy trucks and many are carrying a pup or two. The road is basically straight and flat, so I guess they can pull that many!
On a little detour, the road to Virginia City was very steep, and most of the bikes began to overheat on the way up. Finally we made it all the way and it was a worthwhile trip. What a quaint place. Tiny, but lots of mining history and old fashioned western fun! We lunched there, and toured around for a couple of hours. Part of our touring was entry into an underground mine- out the back of a saloon! What next?
Back in Carson City, we checked in to the hotel, then went for dinner at Grandma Hattie’s. Our waitress had to put up with 15 rowdy Goldwingers, but did we have fun! OMG!

Tuesday July 21, 2009

Ted and I were awake before 5am this morning and had everything packed in the Goldwing before 6am. Continental breakfast started at 6 and we were almost first in line! The sun is just up and the weather gal is promising us 101 F by 5pm.
You’ll notice we stayed in Ontario, Oregon last night, but as it happened we only crossed a teeny corner of Oregon (more later) and passed right back into Idaho. Gone are the corners and twists we loved so much yesterday. The road is miles and miles of miles and miles, pretty much straight ahead. And thankfully, no construction!

Our first break and gas up was just over the border into McDermitt, Nevada in a teeny tiny town where the locals are larger than life. The ice cream shop owner hollered and offered us a nice bowl of soft ice cream for $2, then entertained us with his stories of local lore. I think he was just a BS’er but you never know, he could be a valuable historian! At this point we donned our cooling vests, and Ted added a spritzer around his neck. Cool idea!


We only had 420km or so to go today, so it wasn’t as HOT (only 33 C)! Even so we were glad to have our cooling gear and to arrive at our motel before noon. Lucky for all of us, the rooms were ready, and after a quick wash and a change of clothes, we toodled across the street for soup & sandwiches at The Grill and a wonderful waitress. Is it just me, or are all American waitresses amazing?

Monday July 20, 2009

Promptly at 8pm we left Missoula under clear skies with a great day ahead of us. Lolo Pass is our first stretch and it was amazing! I got my full quota of twists, turns and curves here and it was mile after mile, not just a few! The morning was a crisp one and going high into the mountain pass, the Temp dropped to 9 C at one point. When we stopped for our first break, over half of the group was freezing! The heat yesterday caused them all to dress in mesh wear right off the bat this morning! And the funniest thing was that nobody said anything until we stopped!


What would a summer day be without road construction? We encountered several sections as we travelled to our destination of Ontario, Oregon. Sometimes we had to stop for a flagman and wait, another time we followed a pilot car to the other side. Regardless of which way we went, it slowed us down quite a bit!

The next rest stop was in Lowell where the population was 24 23. We had to wait for Corky as she got stopped for construction and the flagman wouldn’t hear her story about being with all of us Goldwingers!

We continued on around the gorgeous curves all the way until lunch time in Grangeville, Idaho. “Oscars” was recommended to us by a gas station attendant, and it was a wonderful choice. The atmosphere and food were both excellent.
Shortly thereafter we entered “Hell’s Canyon” and it certainly felt like we were in Hell, or close to it. The temp kept climbing up and up. Before reaching Ontario, Oregon, we topped out at 36 C. We were trying to keep ourselves wet either with cooling vests or just dousing ourselves with ice chest water. I took an ice pack and a bottle of water to spill wherever I needed it, and it seemed to work very well.
After showering (how did I ever get so dirty???) and into some clean clothes, Ted & I felt like refreshed and were ready for supper with the gang at Denny’s. We ended up being the rowdy bunch in the restaurant. I even got my first Seniors meal there! (55 and older!)
Another incredible day!

Sunday July 19, 2009

Nothing open in this morning so our plan is to eat breakfast in St Mary’s, MT, which is just over the border. A very quick jaunt to the border at Piegan Mt. No problems getting across quickly, The St Mary’s Lodge had a wonderful breakfast, and the tea was amazing. I bought a couple of little stocking stuffers in their gift shop! Onto Glacier Park, which has free admission today, which accounts for the very high traffic! Then off we went for the ride Going to the Sun.
I must say I enjoyed our September ride of this route a bit better- no traffic then. It was pretty slow going today, as we got stuck behind a sliver car that obviously had not been driven through the mountains. There’s slow and then there was this guy! We didn’t get to scrape the pegs even once!
The summit was so packed with visitors, there were only parking spots for motorcycles! Lucky us! My highlight was babysitting Jasper while his mommy & daddy went to visit, well, you know! Jasper is a little furbaby that travels in a square case with mesh sides that can be zipped over if weather gets wet or too windy.
A leisurely stop for a snack was well earned after the ride through the pass. Not much wild life to be seen today, except Harley riders- and some look pretty scary!
Once out of the Park, the valley was beautiful. Orchards on either side of the road. It was 30 to 33 C here and if it had been a bit cooler, I would have requested that we stop for fresh cherries!
Ted tried out his cooling jacket and he says it worked like a charm. You simply soak it in water, then put it on under your mesh jacket for portable air conditioning.
Some slow going through construction, then we arrived in Missoula, our stop for tonight. A shower does wonders for hot, dusty, crabby travelers, (speaking for myself) and I felt human again, enough to have a nice supper at the Pizza Hut next door with the whole gang. Quite a day!

Saturday July 18, 2009

We arrived at the White Spot just around 8am. Ted deB, Al & Arlene, Terry and Ross & Audrey were there just ready to eat. Dave B and Dave & Glennis came shortly thereafter followed by Lloyd right at 8:30. Two groups of 4 and off we headed on the QE2.
Our first stretch break was in Red Deer- Gasoline Alley at the Honda dealer. Ted deB wanted so see if they had a mesh jacket. No luck! Now we are heading for Hwy 22 to get off the busy freeway!
Lunch break in Airdrie where Corky met us (in her car). She just had knee surgery and didn’t want to miss out on the trip because of it.
Next break at Longview, where they have their Stampede today- lots of folks in town today! Bikers, flea markets, fair booths, the whole shebang! An ice cream and potty stop.
The temperature is climbing to 29 C with a nice breeze- so we are getting used to riding in the heat, in preparation for the desert!
Not far now to Cardston, our stop for the night. Barry & Debbie are meeting us there as well as Rick & Cory Beres from Magrath. We had a Chinese smorg just down the street, then retired for an early start tomorrow Nothing open in the morning so our plan is to eat breakfast in St Mary’s, MT

And They're Off!

After ironing and picking up a few last minute items, we packed up and hit the road! Ma & Pa Bee sitting on the trunk rack!

We arrived in Leduc about 4:30pm all safe & sound. We will be meeting our gang tomorrow morning at 8 to head South! Whoohoo!

Presentation of $4000 cheque for STARS ride

The Westlock Elks Club has donated $4000 to the Wetlock Motorcycle Ride for STARS. The Westlock NEWS photographer was here to capture the picture early this morning.

Squeaker is helping me pack . . .

We are leaving tomorrow afternoon and I don't know for sure, but I think the kitties know something is up! Squeaker has been sticking pretty close and she is very cuddly these past 2 days . . .

CBC Crew here to Interview Ted

. . . and for all the footage they shot, only one line made it to the Newscast! Figures!

(the interview was regarding the Helipad closures, Westlock being one of the 8 locations affected. Flip-flop for Alberta Health Services!! Now they're back open!)

Flashback 1995!

Remember you can click on the image for a larger view!

Westlock Show and Shine 2009

When Emma came running under the covers . . .

. . . I knew something had happened. She burrowed herself down by my feet - and I had to take my earplugs out to hear the thumping. (I worked nights last night) Yes, the canopy had blown up onto the roof - again! (or it tried to) Ted had anchored it with ropes to the window frames, or it would have flown over the house and who knows where it would have ended up. The wind is so crazy these days! Straight from the Southeast today. In Alberta the prevailing winds are westerlies, so we don't often have this problem. Our patio is usually so protected!

Needles to say the cover was ripped again - I just repaired it Friday, but luckily we're in the business, so it's a snap for us! hahaha!!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy 75th Birthday To Nellie!

And also to Ted, who was born on his Mother's birthday!

Bird doggin' again!

Squeaker showed up at the back door with a gift....haha! not this time sweetie. Not coming in the house! Emmas caught sight of the prize and she was after it!

Growling ensued, then Squeak ran off with the sparrow.

We locked Emma inside the house and Squeak returned to the back door to EAT her catch right in front of us ...eeeeewwww!

Don't worry now, we are leaving on holidays end of next week, so you will get diary entries rather than Cat Chat! I'm sure you're relieved to hear that!

My Girls....oops!

This cute little kitty is Emma and next to her is the kitty we bought in Rosebud, AB on the long weekend in May. We thought it looked just like Squeaker, (minus all the doo-dads!)

My girls are sad the last 2 days because it is cold & rainy outside. Squeaker snoozes most of the day in the Tower, but Emma has been whining and complaining to us, like it was our fault!

I can see now, winter is going to be long this year ....*sigh*....

Flashback 1977!

Click on the image for a larger version and to read the journaling.

Other than Drought, what's new is. . .

Over this past weekend, we finally got a few showers and my rain barrels are nearly full. The farmers are really suffering drought this year, and many will simply plough their crops under and collect insurance. The canola was hit the hardest, and many fields didn't even germinate. Makes it tough for the economy which is already showing a downturn.
Friday, I went downstairs to begin cutting some upholstery components for Ted, and I found a black bird hopping around with a broken wing! That Emma! She's stashing birds now! Funny the basement door was closed too (but not firmly).... did I mention before that she opens & closes doors? That brings her bird count up to 4 now.

Pretty quiet Canada Day

Emma was helping me wash curtains. She's so nosy and isn't afraid to look into anything! She still kept snooping after I closed the lid. . . .

Squeaker plays with her beloved ball after everyone has gone to bed. She talks to it and bounces it down the stairs, but she also lays on the step and rolls on it a bit too. (Emma knows not to interfere- that ball time belongs to Squeak!)