8/1/16 Late Getting Away...Butts

Mount Shasta, CA to Bend, OR - 220 miles

We are late getting away because of someone's butt.  Butt all is well in the end.

It is hot in Shasta and we are testy with each other.  My electrolytes got really low and my eye lid started to twitch.

Someone had parked their car at the pump at Pilot gas station and disappeared.  So, Gary used his card to pump gas.  Well those disappeared folks had $40 worth of gas still on the pump!  Oopsie! I paid her $20 and Pilot refunded the rest in cash.  Didn't want to start the vacation pissing someone off.

Traffic was bizarre all the way to Bend.  People going 50, people going 80.

We saw the smoke from the big fire in Crater Lake.  Big Smoke.

We used Trivago (I used) to find a room at the Sonoma Motel in Bend.  They put us in the alley so we parked our bikes right in front of our room.  Do not get a room at the Sonoma Motel.  Trivag-NO

We drive to Deschuttes Brewery and think we will hit it on a slow Monday but NO.  Monday is locals day and it is very busy.  The thing to remember is that if you can score a table in the bar...you don't have to do a long wait for a table.  Dinner was wonderful and Gary brought a monster black berry cobbler with ice cream back to the room.  Looks good but I am too full.

I took a photo of the dirty glass mandala before I wiped the table down so we could set our stuff on it.

I give this room a C.  C for crappy.  I look forward to tomorrow with hope that we get a better place to stay.

By the end of the day my twitchy eyelid subsides.

Deschutes...Yummy

Dirty ring mandala at our motel.

8/2/16 How Do You Find A Good Place To Stay - Not Trivago

Bend to Pendlton, OR - 270 miles

Our Sonoma Motel room was so bad we decided to skip coffee and showers and head to Bend HD to ask about a part Gary wants.

There is a restaurant right over there where you turned around.  It was a Sonic, open for breakfast.  Well, we are not Sonic virgins any more but we are probably Sonic One-timers.  The help was nice but the food was spicy and the coffee STIFF.

HD did not have what Gary wanted so we headed toward Prineville for gas and some good coffee on recommendation from the gas lady at the 76.

The day is beautiful, mild.  Not hot or windy.  We have not been riding much and 2 days at 200+ miles is pretty hard on my butt.

We stop at Mt Vernon for lunch and some good locals conversation.  Then head up to John Day and coast along the river.

We stop at the Ochoco and meet and old gentleman with his old Chocolate Lab who gets all our pets.

The wind picked up pretty good.  It blew my water bottle off my bike in traffic.  Fortunately no one hurt.

Frequent stops help and an oration occurs:

It's bone dry out here.
No green, and wind.
Except the patchwork quilt
of irrigation
on the valley floor.
Oh, and the little road signs
that tell you  that you're
8 to 10 miles passed the last station
Or still over 100 miles
to your destination.

We stop along the John Day river for a stretch and a photo.  That was very rejuvenating.

We stop at Point Rock at a little day park.  I discover here that I made today's reservation for August 21.  The cuss words flew at that.  I apologized to the houses across the street.

I was finally able to get hold of our hotel and angel Melissa at Best Western Pendelton helped us out. So grateful for her help in making reservations for a room tonight.

After we get to the hotel she also gives us a recommendation for Prodigal Sun Brew Pub for dinner. It is a hit and a good Margarita too.

Hot tub and swim at the hotel and a visit with Sue Davis on the phone.  Sure do miss her.

Another poem:

Fearless at 66

He crests the hill
and raises his hands
going down the other side.
I keep my hands tight on
my handlebars
but giggle every time.
He races just a little
ahead of me.
But I don't mind.
The is the better leader.
Reading maps.
Reminding me
to wear sun screen
and drink more water.

Photo: John Day River

8/3/6 Welcomed In Dayton WA

Pendelton OR to Orofino ID - 190 miles

I wake up dizzy today.  A little food and a full shower seem to help.

Left Pendelton in denim shirts.  The ride was cool but very nice.  Into Washington and grain fields and many little towns.

Architecture on main streets is very lovely with many homes restored to period style.

We are traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail (go figure) and stop at little park to stretch and read the information kiosk.  There is the coolest bathroom built long ago from river rock (see photo).

I am not feeling real well by this point.  We stop in Dayton to sight-see.  Gary goes in to the offices of the Blue Mountain Ski Area to bend an ear.  He also gets his ear bent.

We drop in to the news paper office.  The lady there is elderly, but hale, and chatty and tells us of her experiences skiing at Blue Mountain.  She still skis.  She wishes she could ride a motorbike.  There is some really neat old printing equipment in the shop.  That is why I went in.  She recommends the Moose Bakery for lunch

We go to the beautiful old Dayton Depot and I view the quilt show while Gary and the docent bend each others ears about railroads and look at the map she has laid out on the table.

I don't want lunch but we split sandwich at the Moose Creak Cafe and Bakery before heading out again for Orofino.  The sandwich and tea are delicious.  I feel a little better after lunch.

The ride was always comfortable and I handle the rocky road in to Day's in good shape.

We visit and I am feeling worse and worse as we eat diner.

I remember previous bouts of stale water illness (cleaning my hot tub after long periods of it sitting) and realize I have felt crappy like this before.  Then I understand that I will have a fever tonight.  I hope it burns itself out.

After dinner I am pretty engulfed in fever and chills so I excuse myself and go to bed to start going through the sweat process.

Again, I am in a safe place at Day's.  Grateful. Thankful.

Photos: Gary at Dayton Depot and Lewis and Clark trail bathroom

8/4/16 Flipflops and Shorts

Wanda Orofino to Kamiah  about 20 miles, Gary to Elk City about 200 miles

A down day for me in shorts and flip flops.

A heck-a-bad night with hard fever breaking about 3 am.  Still a little dizzy so the down day at Day's is very welcome.

Derry and I have lunch at the River's Edge cafe in Orofino (I order 2 mini Chicken Salad croissant).  I thought the waitress was saying Too many chicken croissant sandwiches.  It was still too much.

We then spend the afternoon second hand shopping.  Lots of fun!

Gary and Denny are home from their ride to Elk City and Gary has made a little 360 degree video of it.

After several naps we are off to a good dinner at The Jig restaurant.  Denny and Derry's friends join us and it is a nice table-full of people for dinner.

Photo: View from River's Edge Cafe deck.

8/5/16 Leaving The House On The Hill

Orofino to Moscow ID  - about 60 miles

Denny and Derry's hospitality was wonderful.  But the ride down from their house is always  a white-knuckler.

Denny decides to show us the best way out of Orofino.   A beautiful day to ride on Idaho 99 and Idaho 8 past churches, abandoned homesteads and old towns, neglected orchards that still produce. Not much traffic and slow travel.  We are wearing our leathers as we start out.

I am still a little woozy and take some cold medicine before we leave Day's hoping to dry out my ears.

Moscow is muggy.  We stop for iced tea and say goodbye to Denny.  Gary want's to do a little shopping and we have an excellent New York style pizza lunch at Maialina Restaurant.

Our room at Judy Crane's, on Weymouth Drive, wipes my poor choices slate clean.  We found this room on Bedfinders.  You should check it out if you are traveling.

Our room is on the bottom floor of her home, with a home-made quilt on the king sized bed.  We have access to a nice bath, big television.  Her quilting room is also on this floor.

I shower and take a nap before we ride to find the wedding venue at Paradise Ridge Road.

The road to the wedding venue is a scary dirt road ride up to where we find the Finches and all of their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family (and this is just the wedding practice). It will be a busy day tomorrow.

The ride down was also scary and tomorrow we will ride to the event in someone's car.

Flower's on Day's porch.

Lunch at Maialina in Moscow and Judy Crane quilt.

8/6/16 Round Trip to Dahmen Barn and A Moscow Wedding

Moscow, ID to Uniontown, WA and return - about 70 miles

Up to coffee and continental breakfast at Weymouth Drive...ON THE DECK!

We chat with Judy, our host, who recommends going to the Barn in Uniontown, WA.  It is about 30 miles away.

We drive through Pullman and then to the wonderful old Dehman barn with a fence made of metal wheels.

The barn has been re-structured with an artists community in just the right way.  There is ample artists space for many and we see woodworking, fishing pole making, etching, bead work, basketry and more with many artists in residence.

The man, Steve Dehman, who owned the property the barn sits on, was an artist (metalwork) and worked with the Uniontown Community Development Assn to put the barn in to an artists community and maintain it.  It is really a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

We drove in to Uniontown proper for lunch and ate at the Sage Bakery, also a restoration project of the UCDA.  Lunch was good and the people were very friendly.

Back at Weymouth we get ready for the wedding.  We drive to the wedding venue with Uncle Doug and Ante Bat (Joan). Joan wants to take a look at some of Judy's quilts (lives enriched through motorcycling). The venue is packed (a later estimate is that about 200 people attended).

Leslie looks wonderful and in her people-person element.  I meet Molli's  mom and dad.   All of the two families are in the wedding party.

Sam and Molli's track coach is the officiant.  He gives a great service and touches on the strengths of both youngsters and what to keep in mind as they move forward in their newly married lives.

Many in the wedding party are planning a bicycle ride back to Bellingham through North Cascades National Park.  Amazing.

The wedding party hug it out.

Dahmen barn...an artists community.

8/7/16 Potlatch the home of the LOGGERS

Moscow to St. Marie's, ID - about 89 miles

After breakfast at Judy's we are out of Moscow at about 10 am and rain is threatening.  Lightening means business in the distance.  A leather jacket and warmer gloves feel good this day.

The clouds are dark and the configuration is huge with heavy rain slanting toward the north (the way we are going).

We are fortunate the ride takes us around the edge and only sprinkles find us.  The extra clothes feel good.

The road (Hwy 95 and Idaho 6, Idaho 3) takes us through mixed grain and timber with small settlements and burgs throughout.

We stop at Potlatch to stretch and view the points of interest and the big #1 steam engine in the park.  It starts to rain in earnest. As we leave Potlatch I notice that the high school mascot is LOGGERS and I have a thoughtful laugh.

We make it to St. Marie's before noon.  Steve and Donna are gone so we admire all of the changes and hard work they have put in place since last here in 2014.

A garden, laying chickens, new garage (where we park our bikes out of the rain). Lots of care taken here.  We drop back in to St. Maries for lunch.  Steve and Donna are back and welcome us as we roll in again after our lunch.  So good to see them in person and get some Henson hugs.

Donna has been cooking BBQ beef for sandwiches and is making her own hamburger buns "It keeps them coming back!"  She smiles.

After the buns have cooked we let them cool and take a boat ride on the slow St. Joe looking for eagles. moose and osprey.

When we get to the turn around the main boat engine over heats and quits.  Gary gets hit in the head with a big board as he is trying to put oil in the engine.  Steve gets hit in the head as he goes under the boat to see if the jet is clogged.  Donna and I make the best of it dancing meringue to the loud music coming off shore.

Steve hooks up the back up engine and we have a super slow trip home (think Gilligan's Island and the Minnow - a three hour tour).  We are all frozen by the time we get back.  But those buns are cooled and the beef is hot.  We eat fresh salads from the garden and watermelon too.

We are now tired and full so we turn in to our stall, #4 in Badger's Den.

I love rocking chairs
any place in any town.
Contemporary or Antiquary,
they make me want to sit down.