Have you ever had that moment where something happens to you, then you remember that time when someone older than you warned you about that exact situation? I’ve been there many times. So, the last time I got one of those warnings, I acted on it. Talking to a guy I work with, who is my dad’s age and married with kids, he told me about his dream of a “hunting trip.” One where he flies to a distant city, searches for a beat up classic car that interests him, stays in that city till he gets it running, and then drives it home for his next project car. Then he said things don’t work like that for him anymore, and he wished he had done it when he was my age.
So I did.
I don’t have the time-off work or garage space to pull off the same adventure, so I made my own. To save money I opted to buy a motorcycle instead. To save time, I negotiated a purchase with an owner of a bike before I got there. Also, I talked a good friend to coming along and doing the same thing with me.
The only rule we set for the trip is that there would be no schedule and no destination, other than we had 9 days to get back to Minnesota so we could get to work on time. Nothing was booked ahead of time, no plans, no routes, no backup plans for breaking down. We just wanted it to be as free as possible. Because of that I can honestly say it was the best week of my life.
Day 0:
5/9/14 Minneapolis airport, evening flight to Seattle, Washington.
Day 1:
We both bought our bikes on separate ends of Seattle. So the agreed meeting place was the Space needle as it was the only place we would be able to find without looking at a map.
View from atop the Space Needle.
View from atop the Space Needle.
I saw some ferries from the Space Needle, so we decided that would be a fun way to get out of town. The longest, curviest route was to Bremerton, so that’s where we went.
Front row parking on the ferry.
Dan’s first experience with his new GoPro: “How do you know if this thing is on?”
First stop, the Astoria Column in Astoria, Oregon.
The Astoria-Megler Bridge:
My ride for the week was a 1700cc Warrior. Quite a change from my crotch rocket. I sold the rocket when I got home and kept this. I actually have 2 now!
We made it to Cannon Beach, Oregon just in time to watch the sun go down over Haystack rock.
Day 2:
Bright and early the next morning we took a walk on the beach and explored the city. It has to be one of my favorite cities I have ever been to. Highly recommended.
Haystack Rock.
We stopped for one last look at the beach on our way out of town. Next stop: somewhere farther south.
Dan’s bike was a VTX 1800.
We stopped to stretch our legs and adjust the baggage somewhere on the coast of Oregon. This was our view for most of that day. So much better than the view from my desk at work.
Another roadside stop, this time to pee. I can’t say that I’ve ever had a better view for that.
Another break to stretch the legs. It’s starting to get later in the day now.
Last stretch of the day: time to check the map and look for a city to stay the night.
Day: 3
Our little shanty we got for $42 in Brookings, Oregon. This city is just a few miles north of the California border.
Pulling off HWY 101 to ride the Avenue of the Giants. If you have never been here, I suggest you make an effort to do so. Especially if you can do it on a bike.
My favorite scenic ride of the whole trip. The roads are in great shape too.
The scale of these trees is so hard to depict in a photo. It’s amazing.
Resting our arms after the curviest, most exciting part of the trip. It’s 44 miles of non-stop corners in the redwood forest from Leggett to Fort Bragg. This was at the halfway point.
Action shots of Dan.
Random pit stop to make a saddlebag lunch on the guardrail at the edge of a cliff.
Another pit stop to stretch. This cliff is about 490 feet tall, according to the elevation tables I found.
Some good old California scenery.
Last photo-op before heading to the next city to stay the night.
Day 4:
The view from our hotel room in Bodega Bay, California.
Made it to San Francisco before lunch.
Screenshot from a video crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.
Palace of Fine Arts
Day 5:
Breakfast with my aunt before leaving San Fran. She is a SF local.
Worst toll booth experience ever. The sign on the highway said something like $1.50. Turns out it was $5.00 and we didn’t have it on us. He made us dig through our bags for every last penny. We didn’t have many fans in the line behind us. We also don’t have tolls back home.
Over Donner Pass…
…through the desert
… to the Biggest little city, Reno.
Riding around Reno.
Day: 6
Leaving Reno bright and early. We had the road all to ourselves.
Taking up both lanes cause ‘Merica.
I was wondering how fast my bike would go on a salt flat…
Mexico
After riding across the never ending salt flats at 100mph for what seemed like forever, my taillight let loose. So we stopped for some roadside maintenance.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Day 7:
We had talks of maybe going north to Yellowstone and then cut across to MN. But, after hanging out with a friend in Salt Lake, we changed our minds. He had tried to drive through Yellowstone the weekend before and advised us not to take the bikes through there. It was under snow and impassable by motorcycle. The only way home was either I80 or I90. We decided that either of those routes would be much more enjoyable with a radio and some candy bars. So we tucked our tails and rented a truck in Ogden, Utah.
…and we are glad we did. Temps dropped to low 40’s and the rain came in heavy.
The trucked topped out at about 74, so the floorboard made a good cruise control all the way across Wyoming and South Dakota.
Day 8:
The first order of business when we got back to Minnesota: a motorcycle ride to our favorite part of town.
So I did.
I don’t have the time-off work or garage space to pull off the same adventure, so I made my own. To save money I opted to buy a motorcycle instead. To save time, I negotiated a purchase with an owner of a bike before I got there. Also, I talked a good friend to coming along and doing the same thing with me.
The only rule we set for the trip is that there would be no schedule and no destination, other than we had 9 days to get back to Minnesota so we could get to work on time. Nothing was booked ahead of time, no plans, no routes, no backup plans for breaking down. We just wanted it to be as free as possible. Because of that I can honestly say it was the best week of my life.
Day 0:
5/9/14 Minneapolis airport, evening flight to Seattle, Washington.
Day 1:
We both bought our bikes on separate ends of Seattle. So the agreed meeting place was the Space needle as it was the only place we would be able to find without looking at a map.
View from atop the Space Needle.
View from atop the Space Needle.
I saw some ferries from the Space Needle, so we decided that would be a fun way to get out of town. The longest, curviest route was to Bremerton, so that’s where we went.
Front row parking on the ferry.
Dan’s first experience with his new GoPro: “How do you know if this thing is on?”
First stop, the Astoria Column in Astoria, Oregon.
The Astoria-Megler Bridge:
My ride for the week was a 1700cc Warrior. Quite a change from my crotch rocket. I sold the rocket when I got home and kept this. I actually have 2 now!
We made it to Cannon Beach, Oregon just in time to watch the sun go down over Haystack rock.
Day 2:
Bright and early the next morning we took a walk on the beach and explored the city. It has to be one of my favorite cities I have ever been to. Highly recommended.
Haystack Rock.
We stopped for one last look at the beach on our way out of town. Next stop: somewhere farther south.
Dan’s bike was a VTX 1800.
We stopped to stretch our legs and adjust the baggage somewhere on the coast of Oregon. This was our view for most of that day. So much better than the view from my desk at work.
Another roadside stop, this time to pee. I can’t say that I’ve ever had a better view for that.
Another break to stretch the legs. It’s starting to get later in the day now.
Last stretch of the day: time to check the map and look for a city to stay the night.
Day: 3
Our little shanty we got for $42 in Brookings, Oregon. This city is just a few miles north of the California border.
Pulling off HWY 101 to ride the Avenue of the Giants. If you have never been here, I suggest you make an effort to do so. Especially if you can do it on a bike.
My favorite scenic ride of the whole trip. The roads are in great shape too.
The scale of these trees is so hard to depict in a photo. It’s amazing.
Resting our arms after the curviest, most exciting part of the trip. It’s 44 miles of non-stop corners in the redwood forest from Leggett to Fort Bragg. This was at the halfway point.
Action shots of Dan.
Random pit stop to make a saddlebag lunch on the guardrail at the edge of a cliff.
Another pit stop to stretch. This cliff is about 490 feet tall, according to the elevation tables I found.
Some good old California scenery.
Last photo-op before heading to the next city to stay the night.
Day 4:
The view from our hotel room in Bodega Bay, California.
Made it to San Francisco before lunch.
Screenshot from a video crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.
Palace of Fine Arts
Day 5:
Breakfast with my aunt before leaving San Fran. She is a SF local.
Worst toll booth experience ever. The sign on the highway said something like $1.50. Turns out it was $5.00 and we didn’t have it on us. He made us dig through our bags for every last penny. We didn’t have many fans in the line behind us. We also don’t have tolls back home.
Over Donner Pass…
…through the desert
… to the Biggest little city, Reno.
Riding around Reno.
Day: 6
Leaving Reno bright and early. We had the road all to ourselves.
Taking up both lanes cause ‘Merica.
I was wondering how fast my bike would go on a salt flat…
Mexico
After riding across the never ending salt flats at 100mph for what seemed like forever, my taillight let loose. So we stopped for some roadside maintenance.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Day 7:
We had talks of maybe going north to Yellowstone and then cut across to MN. But, after hanging out with a friend in Salt Lake, we changed our minds. He had tried to drive through Yellowstone the weekend before and advised us not to take the bikes through there. It was under snow and impassable by motorcycle. The only way home was either I80 or I90. We decided that either of those routes would be much more enjoyable with a radio and some candy bars. So we tucked our tails and rented a truck in Ogden, Utah.
…and we are glad we did. Temps dropped to low 40’s and the rain came in heavy.
The trucked topped out at about 74, so the floorboard made a good cruise control all the way across Wyoming and South Dakota.
Day 8:
The first order of business when we got back to Minnesota: a motorcycle ride to our favorite part of town.
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