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As it turned out, I did go to Crater Lake National Park.  As I turned into the North entrance road, I could see that the gate was locked.  So, I didn’t even go to the gate and went back out to the hwy and headed West.  Then I came to my senses…there were 3 pickup trucks on at the gate…on the inside.  There had to be some ranger’s or something around.  And I could at least ask them when the gate would be opened, and if the South Entrance was open.  So, I turned around and went back.  As I suspected, the rangers were right there.  So, I asked one of them when the gate would be open.  He replied, “Oh, about 5 min.  You can wait if you want.” Well, that was a no brainier.  lol

So, I was the first one to get in the North gate to Crater Lake this season.  Don’t let anyone else tell you they were!  lol

For those of you who have never been there, it’s well worth your ride!  It is one of the most breath takingly awesome and beautiful sights on earth.  I knew I had to get back home that evening or early the next day to ship out a package that I sold on eBay, so I just rode up to the lake took some pics and headed back to Roseberg and home.  As you will see from the pics from this ride, I stopped at a number of water falls and talked to some nice bikers along the way.

My new biker friends that I met on this ride. Minnesota Rachael & Gov

I was thankful for my Cruiserworks boots at Falls Creek Falls.  I had stopped to take some pics and was busy placing my tripod for a shot, and stepped right into the creek.  My boot went into the water an inch or two past my ankle.  Cruiser works claims these boots are 100% water proof, so I decided to just leave my foot where it was in the creek, take my pictures and see just how water proof they boots really are.  Well, not only are these the most comfortable boots I’ve ever worn, but they live up to their water proof claims as well!  My foot stayed 100% dry even after standing in ankle high plus cold creek water for several minutes.  So if you’re looking for the best riding boots on the market, look no further than www.cruiserworks.com!

Hwy 138 is a bit boring on the east end as far as twisties go.  But nothing boring about it in the scenery department!  The West end of Hwy 138 however is a biker’s paradise.  Lots of twisties as well as lots of beautiful scenery.  Tons of water falls to stop and look at, campgrounds galore.  You can’t go wrong riding Hwy 138.  Whatever you like, Hwy 138 has it. 

All in all it was another great ride, and one that I would recommend to anyone.

Heading towards Yellow Stone. These pics were taken by my sister who was in the van following me.

We left Jerome, ID this morning and head for Yellowstone National Park.  The weather was outstanding again today.  Riding Interstate freeways can get pretty boring

when the scenery is not that great.  But today, unlike the norm, I had three cars full of wimps (they were in car’s not on bikes…what did you expect me to call them?  lol)  following me, and we all had CB radios which made the boring freeway a little less boring.    However it all started to change as we got closer to the mountains.

Long before we got there, the jagged, rocky peaks of the Titans loomed ahead. The view was absolutely breath taking. I could hardly wait to actually be riding through the mountains ahead.

River running through Yellowstone National Park

And now that it’s over I can tell you I was not disseminated! About 240 miles after leaving Jerome we stopped at a convenience store/gas station in Box Canyon.  The view across the road was awesome, with a gentle, clear water river flowing just a few yards from the road and mountains in the background.  Unfortunately I think my digital pics of that view have been lost cause I can’t seem to find them any where.  The trees and vegetation was starting to look a lot like the pictures you see of Yellowstone Park. After our little break in Box Canyon (marker B on the map), we headed onward.  My brother’s CD antenna was not working very well and it was getting frustrating for all of use.  So we stopped again at the Radio Shack in West Yellowstone and bought him a new one.  It worked!

Here come the bison!

Now we were just around the corner from the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. As luck would have it, there was a long line of traffic waiting at the gate. And my luck only got worse in the line (from marker C to D on the map). lol My mom and dad got to jump into the express lane cause they had a senior citizen pass and did have to pay to get into the park. So, they went through and waited for us on the inside.  My sister has a daughter with CP, so they have a pass to get into the national parks for free, and my brother’s wife has a pass for a disability from a head on car accident a number of years ago.  So, I was the only one stuck at the gate waiting in line to pay.  That pretty much sucked…ok it really, really sucked!  lol They were all hungry and wanted to find a picnic site instead of waiting on me.  So they went on into the park and started on lunch, while I sat in the line.

Bison on this side too!  Look at that bull!

I finally got through, and had to pay more than I though was right…the same price as a car load of people, and I’m one person on a bike.  But oh well, I was finally in. I found the picnic area where the others were and joined them.  After taking a few pics of some elk that were right close to our picnic area, we got back on the road and headed for Old Faithful.

A few miles down the road from our picnic area, traffic slowed…then came to a stand still. I pulled right up to the yellow line (not to be confused with the “yellow stone” lol) to see what had traffic stopped.  It only took a second to see what it was.  There was a huge herd of bison walking right down the middle of the road and along both sides.

This bull was only about 6 or 7 ft from me and my bike when he passed ahead of the oncoming traffic.

People were leaning out of car windows and open van doors taking pics like no body’s business.  Here were all these people leaning out of windows and doors to get a better view and better pics of the bison, and I was right out in the open on my bike with the bison walking within a few feet of me!  Once again, I was convinced I had the better end of the deal and it kinda made up for my having to pay to much for waiting in line at the gate. 

After the bison passed we were driving again.  It was fairly warm and I was riding in a sleeveless shirt and no jacket, but there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground.  When we finally made it to the lodge at Old Faithful, we were told we had just missed her last “spewing session” so we decided to hang around and wait for her to

Thar she blows!  Oh, that what they say when whales spout!  But oh well, this kinda looks like a whale spouting.

blow again. In the mean time the gift shop was calling. I bought a few gifts for my wife Kenisha and my four kids and went outside to wait on the geyser to blow again.

We sat out on the platform for about 20 min and then she blew.  It was pretty cool, but not as awesome as I remember from my childhood days. Sitting on my bike in the middle of a herd of bison was more exciting.  Which reminds me…how many of you guys know the Roger Miller song, “You Can’t Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd?” Well, maybe you can’t roller sake in one, but you can sure ride motorcycle in on! I’m living proof of that on! lol

With time running short and Old Faithful having done her thing, we hit the road again. There were a lot of places we wanted to stop but couldn’t for lack of time.  But it was an awesome ride and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Actually, forget the recommendation.  Just put riding through Yellowstone on you “must ride” list.

We decided to go out the North East entrance because it’s higher altitude and we had heard that you see more wildlife on that route out of the park.  Don’t know if we saw “more” or not, but we sure saw a lot! Including black bears, a grizzly that was to far away to get a decent picture of, antelope, and more bison…and more bison…and then even more bison. lol

Crossing the Continental Divide in Yellow Stone.

The entire route through the park is fabulous.  But there was a section of road on Chief Joeseph Rd – State Hyw 296 that is worth noting as it relates to bikers. It is about 20 miles of very sharp switch backs. And some very beautiful scenery. Not really the kind of road you are going to want ride very fast, but it’s an awesome ride with sheer rock cliffs, snow capped mountain tops and a very deep canyon that you cross.  Great view to the bottom of that one.  Not recommended for those that get squeamish at heights to go to the edge and look down. lol

By the time we got to Cody, WY it was very late and we just hit the hay so we could leave early the next morning.  All in all it was the best ride of the trip so far. I rode almost 500 miles today. Not my longest day, but a good ride.

Frozen Lake in Yellowstone National Park.

Me and my bike at my cosin's place in Cove, OR near La Grande.

Day 3 started with a good country breakfast at my cousin’s place in Cove, OR.  It wasn’t going to be a real long day, so I was not concerned about leaving real early. I left cove around 8:30am and headed for my next RCGT Check point in Horseshoe Bend, ID.  This was another place that I had never been and I could only imagine what it must look like.  As usual, I was wrong. lol I was a very scenic ride and one that I would recommend.

If the last two mornings are any indication of what this tip is going to be like, I’m in for a lot of back tracking for various reasons.  But hey, I’m on a bike and have no real time limit on when I have to be back in Oregon, so who cares?  As long as I’m riding it’s all good, right? The morning air was much warmer than it was in Moscow yesterday morning. Still cool enough that I started the day off wearing my cold weather riding suit, but still a lot warmer than yesterday.  The sun was shining on the snow capped mountains and the view was breath taking.

The dam at the park in the Black Canyon on the way to Horseshoe Bend, ID.

South of Ontario, OR I got off of I84 and headed North on Hwy 30, then East on Hwy 72.  This was not my favorite scenery thus far by any stretch of the imagination.  But as always, the ride was good no matter how brown and dead the scenery looked. 

Once I started into the Black Canyon on Hwy 52 I started enjoying the scenery again.  Canyons are so cool, even if it’s brown all around you.  Although it was pretty green along the river in the canyon.  The hwy was in good condition and was a very nice motorcycle road.  Lots of moderate curves that followed the river along the bottom of the canyon.  It was and easy, enjoyable riding.  Before getting into the Black Canyon, it got warm enough that I was riding in my sleeveless shirt and leather vest.  Another perfect day for riding.

Here I am at Kit's Riverside Restaraunt, the RCGT check point in Horseshoe Bend, ID. A great restaurant and a great ride through the Black Cannyon.

Horseshoe Bend is a small pleasant town with mountains on all sides.  My check point here was Kit’s Riverside Restaurant.  And when they say riverside…they mean riverside!  The back yard of the restaurant was beautiful and set up with picnic tables and went right up to the edge of the river.  It seemed as though there was only 20′ or so between the back of the restaurant and the river, but I’m sure it was more like 60 or 70′.  But it was very close and felt even closer than it was because of how it was set up.  That back side of the restaurant was set up like an old western building.  It was a very attractive place and made the some what boring ride before the Black Canyon all worth it.

This is the back side of Kit's.

I still wasn’t hungry after my country breakfast earlier that morning, but it was getting pretty hot, so I just had an iced tea and sat out in the back lawn at one of the picnic tables to drink it.

There was a Harley in the parking lot when I pulled up.  So when I finished my iced tea, I looked around to see if I could spot my fellow riders.  Sure enough, I found them.  What a pleasant couple. We chatted a while and exchanged ride stories, where we came from and where we were headed. Unfortunately, they were heading for Washington for a funeral.  I gave them my condolences and hit the road again.  This time, headed for my great uncle’s place in Hammett, ID.

A shot from the hill over looking Horseshoe Bend, ID.

I didn’t know where they lived, but they were expecting me, so I decided to call them from a rest area and get their address.  For some reason I was under the impression that they lived in Twin Falls, I stopped to call them from a rest area about 25 miles East of Hammett.  Yup, you got it. I rode right past them and had to back track again.  But once again, that turned out to be not all bad.

Since I had just been on the freeway and was tired of that nice, but incredibly boring road, I decided to take the back roads from the rest area back to Hammett.  That turned out to be Old Hwy 30 and then some other back roads into Hammett.  A much more interesting ride than I84, although pretty bumpy. 

Me and my bike on the hill above Horseshoe Bend, ID.

I arrived at my great uncle & aunt’s place around 5:30pm, had a beer and chatted for the evening.  I will be spending the evening her tonight.  I don’t get to see them very often and we had a very nice and enjoyable time together.  I’m looking forward to going back again next summer. 

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Morning view on Hwy 26 West of Moscow, ID

of time through the night and walked into Winco just to get my feet warmed up.  Finally about 5:45am I gave up and figured I’d be warmer if I was riding.  So I packed and was on the road by 6:00am, headed to Sumpter, OR.  So as you probably guessed, my reason for going to Sumpter is that the Scoop & Steamer Station Cafe was another RCGT check point.  I had never been to Sumpter and had no idea what I would find there, except for the Soop & Steamer.  But that’s the way I like it. 

What?  What’s that you say?

Took this shot between La Grande and Baker City, OR on the way to Sumpter.

Uh, yes…I was just in Oregon yesterday.  And yes I am heading East.  And YES, I went back to Sumpter, OR!  lol  And it gets better, but you’ll have to read on to find out how.

It was a cold, but beautiful morning and the ride was awesome.  My route was very scenic and well worth back tracking parts of the same road that I road yesterday.  Fortunately today the bike ran like a top.  By now I’m convinced that the fuel filter was the problem and that it’s resolved. As I got further South it got noticeably warmer.  And by mid morning on I84 I was out of my riding suite and in just a jacket.  The sky was clear and blue as I had ever seen it.  Not a cloud anywhere.

I made it to Baker City by late morning, got some gas and headed West to Sumpter.  The road from Baker City to Sumpter was a very nice bike road.  Good pavement and plenty of mild curves.  There were a few spots with a bit of gravel on them.  But very few.  All in all it is a road and a destination that I would highly recommend to anyone wanting an awesome bike ride.

The Scoop & Steamer Cafe in Sumpter, OR. It's a cool old mining town with a steam engine train that you can ride and a very interesting gold dredge that you can tour.

I pulled in the the Scoop & Steamer around noon…give or take some.  Is was a very clean and neat restaurant.  I was hungry, and the place smelled like they had some good food some where around.  So, I ordered some.  And my nose served me well.  The food was excellent.

I wasn’t planing on a long day and figured I’d stay in Baker City for the night.  So, I took some time to tour the gold dredge in Sumpter.  That is one amazing machine!  After checking out the dredge and taking some pics, I headed back to Baker City to find a place to spend the night.  Like another parking lot.  lol  While relaxing in the Baker City park I decided to call my mom.  When she found out where I was, she told me that I had some cousins that lived near La Grand somewhere.  So, I got their phone number and called them.  They gladly invited me to spend the night at their house…and I gladly accepted. lol  It was about an hour of back tracking from Baker City, but it was worth it.  Not only for the bed, supper and the breakfast they offered me tomorrow morning,  but for the ride.  They told me about a back road route between Baker City and Cove.  Wow!  What an awesome ride that was.

The day started out very cold, but ended up being an awesome day and an awesome ride.  And the evening was very pleasant spending time with relatives that I hadn’t seen in 20 some years!

The train station in Sumpter, OR.

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Beckie's Cafe - Union Creek, OR - Another RCGT check point down!

After getting my trailer painted in Grants Pass, I headed for a friends plane in Prospect, OR.  What a beautiful place.

I spent the night at my friends house, then headed for my next RCGT check point in Union Creek.  It was another great day for a long bike ride…but then what day isn’t?

I was getting pretty psyched up knowing that in just a few days I would be heading out on a bike trip that I knew would be at least 10,000 miles, coast to coast, and would take me…well don’t really know how long I will be gone.  At least a couple of months the way I have it figured right now. But the plan is constantly changing, so who knows how it will all end up? 

View of Mt. Thielsen from Hwy 62 just North of Union Creek.

After eating lunch at Beckie’s Cafe, I headed North East to  Hwy 97, then North West on Hwy 58, to Odel Lake in the Cascade Mountains.  After taking a short break to take a few pics, I headed back to Brownsville on as many back roads as possible.  Which in Oregon is easy to do.  Gotta love Oregon’s back roads if ur on a bike.   Compared to many other states, Oregon has very few gravel roads and most paved roads are in pretty good shape.

If you are ever looking for a great bike ride, you can’t loose by riding Oregon. 

View of Mt. Thielsen from Hwy 62 just North of Union Creek.

Odel Lake on Hwy 58 in Oregon.

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Mo's West - Our 2nd Rose City Grand Tour check point.

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3rd Rose City Grand Tour Ride to Mack's Dexter Lake Cafe - Dexter, OR

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Mountain Edge Cafe - Rose City Grand Tour check point.

Anyway, my 15 year old cousin Nadia Eash was down from WA today and wanted a motorcycle ride, so we rode up to Mill City to our first check point.  Mom and dad on their 1994 Goldwing trike, and Nadia and I on my Goldwing GL1500.  The restaurant was closed, but the owner just happened to see us heading towards his restaurant and followed us there.  He opened up and let us in just to stamp our passport books.  What a nice guy.  We still need to go back and eat there some day.  It looked good. 

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Even though no one else wanted to go, they sure wanted us to share the cheese curds!  And we did.