Chef Ralph

When you turn off of hwy 97 to drive the 20 miles to Crater Lake, the first thing you notice, is that this is the longest stretch of road you have ever seen. It is 15 miles to the first bend and because it is going up you can see em all. Crater Lake is a caldera formed by a collapsed volcano and is in addition to being as much as 1900 feet deep, it’s 5 miles by 6 miles in size. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, and the park is a National Park. The rim of the lake is between 7 and 8000 feet in elevation. It may seem odd at first to drive to the middle of Oregon to look at a lake, but the pictures don’t completely tell the story of seeing the lake in person. The road is closed much of the year, and when we stayed at the lodge a few years ago in August, it got below freezing at night even then. I have made the bottom photo my current desktop and if anyone wants a full sized picture, just email me.

Within an hour of leaving the house I stopped at Chinook Pass at 5440 feet. It was a bit cold…inthe 50′s..there was alot of snow!

In the next hour I was going through Yakima and Toppinish Washington and it was 105 degrees.

 The tempature stayed at that 105 mark for most of the ride to Truckee except for a side trip to Crater Lake, which at 6200 feet also had some snow on it. (more on Crater Lake later)

The trip back started out mild…like 85ish and when I got to San Francisco, the bottom fell out of the tempatureIt stayed at 53 to 57 for the next 800 miles and fog, lot’s of fog. Did I mention the wind gust on the Oregan Coast..whew…it was bueutiful beyond words, but the weather could have been more equalized.

 When you tell people you are going to ride your motorcycle 2000 miles..the thing that 100 percent of the people say to you is “Be Safe” What they are saying is I hope you don’t get in a wreck, because it won’t be fun. Well after doing the 2025 miles, 95 percent on back roads, the one thing I did learn (already knew) was that people on the country’s back roads are nicer and more laid back. The 30 or so miles that I road on the interstates are where the people are honking and changing lanes and swerving out of their lanes…well you see it every day!  The back roads are where people drive who are not really in a hurry, they gave a friendly honk when I pulled over to let them pass in one of the many turnout lanes that I pulled over in along the way. These are the folks that waved back when I waved to them for not pulling out in front of me from a side street or a parking lot. So what about this be safe campaign…we should all be safe every day driving, it’s the everyday driving that is crazy. Now, true on a motorcycle you have to be at least twice as safe as a car driver. This trip has caused me to be even more conscious of other drivers, on 2 or 4 wheels.

Remember how people drove the week after 9-11….I think it’s OK to drive like that today

2025..?  That’s how many miles I rode.. It was about 825 down to Truckee and 1200 back up the coast. I will review photos and the notes that I took and will post a few times this week..I will be going to Homer Alaska next week, so there will be a break in the story. But check back and read what I experienced on this 2025 mile journey.

Well…The day has come to take off. I have everything I need and It’s all packed . The bike is in perfect shape and next stop Truckee California.. 840 miles. Until I get there, I have no way to update the blog, and I don’t know if I’ll have a way to upload photos…but there will be photos and stories…so…Let’s Go !

If you plan a road trip you toss everything you want into the trunk of your car and away you go!..Not so on a motorcycle. As you can see the bike does come stock with saddle bags which can hold a few things. But these can fill up quick with items that you will have to have for trips even around town. A few tools, extra clothes, your paperwork, maybe a quart of oil. Packing for 12 – 14 days, brings a whole new set of problems with it. Enter Motorcycle luggage!

 I choose a Saddleman Deluxe Sissy Bar Bag! I also choose the one with chrome studs to match the other bags on the bike. It has 4 outside pockets, a separate roll bag Not in photo (will use for rain gear) and a large main compartment. I guess large is a relative statement. It’s large in it’s category. It came with straps, tie downs, an adjustable sissy bar mounting system and a rain cover. At night it will simply lift off and I can carry into the motel with me. Come back and see what I decide to pack into this valuable space

In 6 days I will leave for a 2100 mile trip on my Harley. I have owned the bike for 4 years and put about 2000 miles total on it. It’s a 2001 Heritage Softail Classic and I am the 3rd owner. It currently has 14300 miles on it and seems to run pretty good. I got a tune up last August  and they did quite bit (tune-up wise) at that time. I will be going to Truckee California, where I will meet up with the rest of the family after they fly down. I am giving myself 4 days to get there as it is only 800 miles, but I am taking all back roads and stopping along the way to see things.

Here is the bike before the trip !

Last night the kid and I went to the Dream Theater and Iron Maiden concert at the White River Amphitheater.  Dream Theater  started on time at 7:30 and played until 8:30. Then 20 munchkins scurried about dragging stuff of the stage until in a short 15 minutes Iron maiden took the stage and rocked for two hours!. We were seated 250 to 300 feet from the stage and it was loud. You could feel every note, and the concert we great. The trip home was the best, we went the opposite way of 90 percent of the traffic and got home in 40 minutes. Good times and good music!

School is out and it’s time to move forward..I will be making changes as fast as I can read the Dummies book that is my blogging bible…stay tuned