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Tim TomCross Country Adventure

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    #91
    Not having a face with with to express my displeasure at stopping, I resorted to body language...



    At least to stops provided a chance to stretch and walk around a bit. And photograph (the bikes of course)

    Here you can see the mounting of the emergency gas cans on top of the cases. Very glad I picked up those cans in Denver!



    After what seemed like 10 stops, we found ourselves in Lasson Volcano Park. We had not planned to stop here, the road we were on went through the park, and we had no real choice other than to make a 100 mile detour. So we braved the 15 mph speed limit for the next 35 miles. At least the roads were interesting, even at that slow speed!





    Being a volcano park, every once in a while we got a strong whiff of sulfur. Yum.

    The 850 was running great though. No more leaks, and no more smoking oil coming from my engine. Cant see my face in the Stig style picture, but I assure you I'm smiling.



    Even more unexpected than the sulfer fumes, we found some snow! In July! This especially pleased Kyle.



    The park was not very crowded that day, and despite the annoyingly slow speed limit, we enjoyed our time there.



    After the park we picked up Rt 299 west. This road was awesome. Tight canyons, rivers, going under huge wooden rail road trestle bridges, and hardly anyone else on it. I need to go back there and spend a day just riding and photographing the 60 mile stretch we did. I didn't take too many as I was having too much fun.



    Unfortunately though we ran into another road closure. This time due to a forest fire! The road was shut down, and they were allowing one lane through at a time. Eventually we got to go, and I wished I had taken some pictures of the burning trees RIGHT NEXT to the road. I was just thankful to make it to the other side though.

    Eventually we made it to highway 101, and our plan was to head north to see the giant trees. By the time we got there, it was cold, and starting to be wet. So we pulled of at the first campsite we found.

    A very nice older woman was behind the desk, and while assigning us a site, she asked if we had a big tent. I replied since we were both on motorcycles our gear was pretty compact. She smiled and said "You just said the magic words! The owner of the camp ground is a motorcycle fanatic, and anyone who rides in gets $10 off the fee!"

    The owner then came out, obviously having just gotten back from a ride, wearing a full leather suit, and carrying a helmet. We talked bikes for a bit, then went to set up our camp. He gave us some good advice on how to avoid the mud on the paths in the campground.

    Our home for the night under the big trees.



    The redwoods are very tricky to shoot in, the intense tree coverage will trick the camera into using too slow a shutter speed. A tripod would have made these shots much better...



    However we had a great night sleeping under the trees, as it was actually cool enough to sleep well! The next morning started off cold and wet so we got all bundled up and went to go look at some big trees!

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      #92
      Tim Tom,

      You drove on 299, which is just about about an hour+ south of me . I'd like to know where the campground that gave you the discount was, or it's name. The redwoods can be cold and damp in the mornings. Thanks for the pictures.

      cg
      sigpic
      83 GS1100g
      2006 Triumph Sprint ST 1050

      Ohhhh!........Torque sweet Temptress.........always whispering.... a murmuring Siren

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        #93
        Charlie, 299 is a great road! We both had tons of fun on it, and if I lived only an hour north of it, I would ride it every weekend!

        The name of the campground was Emerald Forest and its in Trinidad. It was a really nice place, with a general store and the sites were very private and secluded. Would make for a great getaway.
        Last edited by Guest; 08-22-2012, 09:01 AM.

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          #94
          Boy I missed out on this one. It was a shame I didn't make it your place when I came back to US, I'll make it up to you next time, I promise.

          What a ride and nice to see another 850 with boxes strapped to it. Those boxes are indestructible, a bit on the heavy side but will out-live you probably.

          Ride safe and make that 850 proud

          Comment


            #95
            Tim,

            Great reading about your cross country trip. It inspires. I am still hoping to do a medium length trip along PCH at the end of summer, and thanks for your advice and encouragement.

            Paul

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              #96
              Originally posted by shirazdrum View Post
              Boy I missed out on this one. It was a shame I didn't make it your place when I came back to US, I'll make it up to you next time, I promise.
              What a ride and nice to see another 850 with boxes strapped to it. Those boxes are indestructible, a bit on the heavy side but will out-live you probably.
              Ride safe and make that 850 proud

              Thanks Chris! Your epic ride was part of my inspiration to go. I figured if you could ride your beast solo through South America, I could take minem with a buddy, across North America. This trip certainly will not be the last for my boxed 850. An interesting side note about my cases, I found the date stamped on them, one is from 1982, the same year as the GS, and the other is from the year I was born! I thought it was a cool coincidence.

              Currently planning a trip up the east coast to Nova Scotia. Not quite the same distance, but should be equally as thrilling. Honestly I think the best maintenance you can do for these bikes is ride the snot out of them. They love it and ask for more. Don't let your GS sit, your not doing it any favors .


              Originally posted by pmong View Post
              Tim,
              Great reading about your cross country trip. It inspires. I am still hoping to do a medium length trip along PCH at the end of summer, and thanks for your advice and encouragement.
              Paul
              Thank you Paul. Hopefully I should get some time either today or tomorrow to continue to post pictures, the next two days of the trip were the highlight as we traveled down the PCH. Lots of great roads and scenery. Definitely worth the 3000 miles we rode to get there. Ride it midweek and it's like your own personal track day, with stunning views to boot! The weekend it jams up with tourist traffic and they take the fun out of it . When you do go, take plenty of pictures and post em up!

              Comment


                #97
                Originally posted by Tim Tom View Post
                T
                Currently planning a trip up the east coast to Nova Scotia. Not quite the same distance, but should be equally as thrilling. Honestly I think the best maintenance you can do for these bikes is ride the snot out of them. They love it and ask for more. Don't let your GS sit, your not doing it any favors .
                oh? do tell... maybe i can make some good use of my upcoming paternity leave to finally squeeze in a decent road trip

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                  #98
                  im riding across the states as well

                  im riding the states as well...from philly to portland to san fran to arizona to austin back to philly. im currently in denver. leaving todAy headed to utah. would be great to catch up to you two. where u at and where u going?

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                    #99
                    Originally posted by maro View Post
                    im riding the states as well...from philly to portland to san fran to arizona to austin back to philly. im currently in denver. leaving todAy headed to utah. would be great to catch up to you two. where u at and where u going?
                    They have been home for over a month, he is just now getting it reported.

                    .
                    sigpic
                    mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                    hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                    #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                    #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                    Family Portrait
                    Siblings and Spouses
                    Mom's first ride
                    Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                    (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

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                      I know there are more pictures to come...stop teasing us...
                      Bob T. ~~ Play the GSR weekly photo game: Pic of Week Game
                      '83 GS1100E ~ '24 Triumph Speed 400 ~ '01 TRIUMPH TT600 ~ '67 HONDA CUB

                      Comment


                        Maro,
                        As Steve said we've been home for just over a month now. Your route sounds very similar to mine though. Have a blast, and stop at every fuel stop when crossing the western deserts. Especially Nevada. There isn't much out there. If you haven't yet you could very well do some dirt roads in Utah and Nevada. Especially if your doing off the beaten path camping. Your Vee should handle it just fine, my GS did .
                        Have a blast on your trip! It's a once in a lifetime experience (or never) for many people.

                        Bob, I will get to posting up more pictures soon I promise!

                        Aaron, nothing definite yet. All I know is July and Nova Scotia. Trying to get Nate (my oldest brother) to accompany Kyle and I. I'll keep you posted.
                        Last edited by Guest; 08-28-2012, 02:42 PM.

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                          Originally posted by Tim Tom View Post
                          All I know is July and Nova Scotia. Trying to get Nate (my oldest brother) to accompany Kyle and I. I'll keep you posted.
                          Better plan on taking some heated clothing.

                          Two of my sisters and their husbands went to Nova Scotia in July a few years ago. From the time they left Maine until they got back, the temperatures never got above mid-50s. They were VERY thankful they all had their Gerbing jackets and gloves.

                          .
                          sigpic
                          mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                          hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                          #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                          #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                          Family Portrait
                          Siblings and Spouses
                          Mom's first ride
                          Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                          (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                          Comment


                            hahaha, dayum.

                            im jealous u did it on a gs. well kinda, im really enjoying the wee. so im camping in moab, headed to portland. please give me some tips on good camping spots from portland down to la. whats was ur route?

                            Comment


                              I still can't believe that I did it on GS. We went from Utah, up to Reno and Lake Tahoe, then north east to see the redwoods. Hit the Pacific Coast near Eureka. We only got as far north as Orick, California, about 50 miles south of Oregon. From here we took Hwy 1 until it split off to Rt. 101 (PCH) above Ft Bragg. I strongly recommend the stretch from Hwy 1 to the coastline, it's a super twisty fun road. We took 101 down to Pismo beach then headed back east. We got about 80 miles from LA.

                              Be sure to ride 101 on a weekday. Much less traffic = much more fun.

                              I can't really help you from Portland, but in California we had a good site staying near Trinidad, at a place called Emerald Forest. The owner is a bike nut, and gave us a discount for riding in. The campsite was in the redwoods, and pretty cool.

                              The other cool place we camped on the CA coast was at Half Moon Bay, about 15 -20 miles south of San Fran. We found an RV park there, which had an awesome pub attached to it. Great hot food and drinks, plus two genuine London Double-Decker buses built into it! The place is called Camerons, and I understand it's sort of a local landmark. Lot's of interesting people there. Worth the stop. Plus they have showers.

                              Enjoy the ride and take tons of pictures! The PCH is awesome!

                              Comment


                                More pictures now!

                                So as we last left the story off, Kyle and I were camped at the feet of giants in California. We woke up to a cold and damp morning, and suited up for the day. The plan was to head north up Rt 101 to see some of the ancient coastal redwoods. We stopped at Ladybird Johnson Grove to have a look. Words cannot describe how big they actually are.



                                It was a very misty morning, which I was told is typical for that area.



                                The redwoods were way more interesting in person than I thought they would be.





                                It was a very quiet an eery morning surrounded by giants.



                                Very beautiful though.





                                We spent a little bit of time at Ladybird Johnson Grove, but the road called us back, and we headed south. We shortly found our first view of the Pacific Ocean.



                                A bit anticlimactic really, but we were ecstatic all the same. Even though it was too chilly to remove the helmet for the picture.



                                To be continued soon!
                                Last edited by Guest; 08-29-2012, 03:56 PM.

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