| Author | Message | ||
     Dr_greg |
(cross-posted from ADVrider.com) Yet ANOTHER robot conference? Yup, the Robotics Systems & Science conference (RSS) comes around once a year, and this year is in the USA. This year it's in Seattle...a perfect excuse for a road trip. So the plan is to leave Albuquerque Monday morning 6/22, slab it to Barstow, CA, then on to Santa Cruz and stay with friends. Onward north to Seattle, then back some different way. '06 Uly S/N 564...RIP '06 S/N 044 I put 55,623 miles on '06 Ulysses S/N 044 then hit a deer on 12/06/08. Uly totaled. Dr. Greg with three more fractures to add to his previous seven. Two months to the day I was back on a bike, and it was another '06 Uly...a little newer, and orange instead of black. Mismatched tires, but I fixed that yesterday...    So tomorrow morning it's up early and head for the west. I'll try to check in and update this RR every few days. Gonna stay with ADV inmate Daveel in Eugene, OR one night. Five nights at a nice hotel in Seattle during the conference. Stop off in Spokane to visit with some old friends. But I'm gonna camp between Spokane and Albuquerque, so there might be something interesting happen...if anyone has a memory, I'll take it easy on the low-water crossings. --Doc (Message edited by Dr_greg on July 20, 2009) (Message edited by Dr_greg on July 20, 2009) | ||
| Dr_greg |
Day One...ABQ to Barstow entirely on I-40...UGH! Guys, I just want to get to the West Coast. I ordinarily shun the interstate, but there's a time and a place... And man, am I beat tonight (at Barstow motel)...here's my GPS at end of day. I know, nothin' to the IBA guys, but enough for me. Whew!  So...I'm not gonna spend as much effort on today's report...I gotta get to bed and get some sleep. Maps... I figure this collection of maps oughta do it...  Did I leave anything out between NM and WA and back? Hope not  Anyway, I get the bike loaded Sunday night and finally get to bed. Set the alarm for 5:30 but didn't make it outa bed till 5:45 (gotta cuddle Mrs. Greg a little...now, now, there was no monkey business, I'm an old man). A few more things to throw in the top case (I pack clothes there)...go to close the thing, and CRAA-AACK!  See those little pieces on the floor? That's the problem. Busted latch! The H-B cases are notorious for that. But hey...I HAVE ANOTHER TOP CASE!  When I hit the deer last December, I didn't have the top case mounted, so it (obviously) survived! (The side cases were totally demolished). Well, just gotta find the key for it (I did); transfer my clothes over, and hit the road!  Mrs. Greg would catch me with my eyes closed...gotta teach her! I-40 is, well, I-40...there are some pretty rocks at the NM/AZ border (note I'm using a crappy little camera so my pics are likewise...sometimes I enhance them but I'm too tired now).  Here's a pic from the "cockpit"...hey, it's "high noon!" Note the black walnut bazootie needs refinishing, but still doing its job. Thermometer indicates a nice cool 80 degrees. That will change before the end of the day...  As someone said, I-40 is the "armpit of the Southwest?" Well, this pic would serve to affirm that statement. Somewhere between Holbrook and Winslow, IIRC.  Ramon... I stopped in Flagstaff to grab a burger, and as I was changing from my warmer gear to my cooler gear (impending descent of the Colorado Plateau) a gentleman walked over, saw my license plate, and said "hey, you're from New Mexico...me, too..." Ramon and I struck up a conversation. You can barely see the 2-inch freshly-stitched scar on his right forehead...courtesy of some "friends" the night before. He was trying to get back to Gallup. Well, considering what "we've" done to the American Indians, and considering all their service to the USA, it was the least I could do to slip Ramon a few bills and wish him good luck. Maybe it'll go for booze or meth, but dammit, I'm not gonna run him down. Enough coldness in the world... Godspeed, Ramon...  Sitgreaves Pass I always take this route to Needles. To think of the "dust bowl" folks climbing this bearcat in their jalopies is rather sobering. The ADOT folks had done the courtesy of applying some fresh tar snakes (the rider's friend), so I tread gingerly...  Here's a pic of the good ol' '06 Uly on top...  In case you can't read the sign...  Even though it was ten degrees cooler at that elevation, the Uly lived up to its name...  The fan did eventually quit, but it took a while... Lonesome Uly headin' west...  BTW, '06 Uly S/N 564 lived up to its predecessor and ran like a champ. Never missed a beat, didn't use any oil (I just switched to Mobil-1 synth before this trip), and showed this oil temp in needles:  Finally, it was hot in Needles, but not THAT hot...  I came through Needles in May 2008 and it was 115 degrees going out, and an honest 55 degrees (I had my heated gear on) coming back through. That was that big Memorial Day storm over the west last year. The ride tomorrow I'm leaving Barstow and riding to Santa Cruz. Either one of two routes, and I don't think I'll have net access in Santa Cruz, so it may be a few days before I can update. I'll stay with old friends in Santa Cruz, then swing by the Stanford University campus, where I'll meet with a colleague with whom we're writing a big 10-year proposal (that will fund me until my retirement, if we win it then on to San Francisco where I'll spend Wednesday night with another old friend. Till next time, you guys take care! --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
Day TWO! Sorry it took so long... Left Barstow for Santa Cruz, CA...Uly looking forlorn in Barstow early morning... [imghttp://drgreg.smugmug.com/photos/571887326_rowY8-M .jpg} Uly RANGE? Meant to fill up as I left Barstow, but the on-ramp was so close I plumb forgot...the fuel light came on (at 160 miles as usual) and I looked at the map...hopefully I get to Kramer Junction. Yep, I did...with 31.0 miles on reserve. Plenty of extra fuel. Yeah, right!  US 395... Now, ya gotta go back with me to 1968. The Triumph Triple was just announced, and rumors were floatin' about the upcoming Honda Four! I'm an only child, and my dad (the legendary Duke Starr) was, um, indulgent, so after readin' the ride reports in Hot Rod magazine (Duke was a charter subscriber) by Bob Greene (best M/C tests around) I remember the magical names of the towns they rode the "Honda Four" through on their test up US 395...Red Mountain, Atolia, ...man, those names were magic. Then Duke and I went down to Skip Fordyce Triumph/H-D/Honda (a recent addition) in Riverside, CA, and I ride home on a brand-new '69 Honda CB-750 Four (sandcast, of course . Rode it around 13,000 miles till a drunk hit me and I spent two months in traction in March-April-May 1972 with a broken femur, radius/ulna, two-week concussion. But still, US 395 is a magic road for Dr. Greg...  Stopped in Red Mountain for this classic grocery store...  And nearby...man's best friend(s):  And--OOPS! Hadda hit the binders fast to catch this gem: ADV riders take note!  Joe Walker, Mountain Man After reading "The Big Sky" by A.B. "bud" Guthrie (great book, BTW), I got interested in some of the so-called Mountain Men, and Joe Walker was the best. At least in terms of accomplishment. So after I turned off on CA 178 through the southern Sierra Nevada I was gratified to see this historical marker:  Self-portrait of Dr. Greg on Walker Pass (pretty lousy pic, IMHO, but here it is...)  Note the Doug Polen T-shirt... The descent for Walker Pass showed promise...and it delivered!  Heading west on CA 178 was very enjoyable...  Well, fellas, it's almost 10:00 here in Seattle, and I'm bushed. I'll pick this RR up tomorrow evening. Lotsa good pics and stories to follow, I promise. --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
South Fork of the Kern River Coming through souther CA on 178 one follows the South Fork of the Kern River...the southernmost of the "great" Sierra Nevada rivers. Here's a pic of the valley of the Kern...alfalfa hay, etc.  With all the stimulus money, there's even more construction delays, right? At least I was at the head of the line!  Lake Isabella is formed by the damming of the South Fork of the Kern:  Here's the South Fork from CA 178:  Doesn't look all that impressive here, but hey, to someone from arid country (SoCal, New Mexico), ANY flowing water is a minor miracle. One of my heroes---Dave Barr ("Riding the Edge") lives in Bodfish---I meant to email him to see if he was home so I could drop by, but forgot. Here's to ya, Dave!  California...citrus groves and golden hills:  Now here's where the South Fork of the Kern gets a little more rambunctious:   Bakersfield...UGH! As luck would have it, as I traversed Bakersfield on CA 58, the road was narrowed down to one lane due to a construction project. Ugh! Hot ("only" 95F), gridlock...but it finally passed. Godspeed, James Dean I always go across central CA on 46, and the intersection of 46 and 33 is where James Dean was killed back in 1955. He was driving a Porsche RS550 Spyder (a car my dad always coveted). RIP JD...  Hey, nice shiny container!  Joanie's House in Santa Cruz... Uneventful ride up 101 and over to Santa Cruz. Kinda chilly in Chualar (alliteration?) so I donned warm gear. Also headwind (true for several days to come). Here's Joanie's house; she's a friend of over 25 years. Feels good to stop and look forward to a good meal.  And here's "Joanie" in her natural habitat...  Much more to come! --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
Leaving Santa Cruz, CA and heading for San Francisco Got a fairly early start leaving Santa Cruz; here are Joanie and husband Michael by the Uly in their driveway.  Stopped at the lighthouse at Ano Nuevo,  Big flock of birds here, kinda hard to see. Typical coastal summer weather: cloudy, cool, windy.  Clouds notwithstanding, just a few miles over the Coast Range there's nice warm sunshine!  I thought these rocks, sea, etc. were kinda pretty...  Now I went to grad school at Stanford (1969-1976 w/two years out for Vietnam), so I know the cool roads in the area. Rather than go across in hwy 84 (through La Honda...home of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters) I took Tunitas Creek Road. Didn't see a single other vehicle (OK, one cyclist) and there are gorgeous dank forests of all kinds of somber trees. These pics aren't very good, but the area IS!   This has GOTTA be as deserted as "Alice's Restaurant" ever gets...10:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Dr. Greg's coffee cup and iPhone...  Not another bike in sight...just the poor ol' Uly. A few people inside the cafe...   Dr. Greg in a pensive mood...  Crossing "Skyline Road" (CA 35) at Sky Londa (Alice's), the descent into Portola Valley was even twistier than I remembered it...not much traffic so it was fun!  Stanford University and a Robotics Lab I had forgotten how beautiful the environment around Stanford University is...    The Stanford Biorobotics and Dexterous Manipulation Lab I stoppped to meet with faculty colleague Mark and some of his students. Here's Sal with a tree-climbing robot.  And here's "StickyBot" that has MEMS-based feet that can adhere to smooth vertical surfaces; this guy can climb smooth walls! Unfortunately he currently has a broken leg.  The Stanford campus is HUGE...after walking about 100 miles my feet were hurtin'...  Oh yeah, here's where me and Mrs. Greg (aka "Deadbeat Annie") lived as grad students back in the early 70s...woo-hoo! Escondido Village 80-A.  One final thing...as a mechanical engineer I'm a sucker for cool machinery like this bell tower ringing mechanism:  One final final thing...I parked in a visitor structure and fed FIVE HOURS worth of quarters into the meter; got back to find 7 minutes remaining. Is that good planning or what!?  Onward to San Francisco... Left Stanford about 4:30 to ride up to San Francisco, where I would stay with longtime friend John, who was my initial academic adviser at Stanford in '69, and was best man at my wedding. He has a very cool place right smack in the middle of the Haight-Ashbury district. And...he even has the most coveted thing in the "city"...a GARAGE! So the Uly got to stay off the street. We had dinner at a nearby Thai restaurant, then I slept rather well. In the morning John got the coffee and other stuff going:  BTW, this was my bedroom in San Francisco. Great view out the back, although you really can't see it. Note Dr. Greg's iPhone and laminated map.  Here's the front door of John's Haight-Ashbury palace:  And its owner hisself. Is this a good guy or what!?  And a final pic of one of my very best friends ever (this guy is 70 YO and in way better shape than me) ready to see us off:  Just crossed the Golden Gate..."the coldest winter I every spent...summer in San Francisco." Man, it WAS freaking COLD! I had my heated grips on.  Well guys, that's all the time I have. Gotta go eat dinner, then get packed up to leave Seattle tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the North Cascades! Woo-hoo!! --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
Let's Get this Ride Report MOVING Again!!... I've not been able to update it for a while...for those of you who have been interested in my trip even a little, there is a WHOLE LOT more excellent scenery, people, places, and yes, the odd robot (don't get too excited about them). Leaving San Francisco. Well, as the previous pic showed, I did get across the Golden Gate. The GPS led me out exactly the way my old friend described, except one street sign was wrong, so a consequent U-turn (not allowed, of course :wink  . Here's another shot of the Golden Gate:  Does this guy look a little like Jake Holman (Steve McQueen) in the Sand Pebbles? Anyway, he looks a little chilly, and for good reason.  I had originally intended to follow CA Route 1 up the coast, but---not being constitutionally a lover of cloud and fog, and needing to get to the Trinity Lake KOA tonight---I opted for US 101 instead. Much better weather, and still some interesting country. Interesting country, maybe, but not interesting enough for Dr. Greg to take any pics, I guess. When passing the junction of CA 116 which leads from Jenner on the coast over to US 101 just north of Santa Rosa, I recalled my 1970 bicycle trip UP the coast (BTW, no cyclists EVER ride UP the coast because there's a perpetual headwind. But I was (am) just a dumb engineer. Anyway, same deal in 1970; got fed up with the fog and pedaled across on 116 to nice warm sunshine. Lotsa wineries along this route, but frankly I prefer drinking the wine to taking pics of the vines. Actually I'm a beer man myself (homebrewer), with the odd bit of bourbon now and then... ...so I rode on up 101 through Santa Rosa, Cloverdale, Willits, and Leggett, where CA 1 joins US 101. Starting around here one gets into some big redwood groves (and a little more traffic, but might as well go slow and look around)...  CA 299 --- the Uly takes on Two Sportbikes and Holds His Own About ten miles south of Eureka 101 gets close to the coast, plus the clouds and fog move inland more. It gets downright miserable! Cold, windy, not my preferred weather. My plan was to get through Eureka to Arcata (as a kid I remember Arcata and Scotia as big lumber towns) then turn inland on CA 299 to the junction with CA 3, then north to Trinity Lake. Had a bad start when I missed the turn, but finally got on 299 and things improved quickly! The weather warmed up and the road got twisty! Double win! CA 299 was excellent; scenic, forested, and quite twisty. This is primarily a two-lane road, and there are a number of climbs, hence there are not infrequent passing lanes on the climbs. I had pulled over for some reason, and when I re-entered 299 I noticed two riders coming up behind me. "Hmmm, looks like they're on sportbikes," I thought to myself. Come the next passing lane, I pulled right and waved them past, then tucked in behind them. The three of us then proceeded to have great fun! They had out-of-state license plates, so probably didn't know the road (nor did I), and they weren't going THAT fast. But we were hauling the mail pretty good! Lots of double-yellow passing, etc. Note that my view is that on a motorcycle the double-yellow means "pass with extreme caution," which I feel we did. Now, they had seen my loaded Uly when I initially let them past, and it must have really ticked them off when THEY COULDN'T DROP ME! Hee-hee...the Uly handles just about as good with all the gear on as it does bare, and that's pretty damn good. Now, I'm a 61-year old geezer, with a wife and four kids to return to, so I don't push too hard. But I got a kick out of sticking with those guys (both on I-4's of some kind; full leathers, no luggage at all) on this loaded pig:  They finally got ahead of me in traffic (there was not much, but some), plus it was getting quite warm and I still was wearing my warmer gear, finally my junction with CA 3 was coming up. So I pulled over at a gas station, changed riding gear, and snapped the above pic. Now THAT was fun! :clap Trinity Lake and the KOA. I followed CA 3 north for 20-30 miles to the KOA. I've never stayed in a KOA tent space before, but I wanted somewhere I could count on (remember, I'm on a schedule to get to this conference), so here goes. The tent spot they gave me was pretty lousy, but there was potable water nearby, and---as I would come to discover the next morning---there were SHOWERS! I didn't know that before...very nice. So I guess my $15 got me something. It had been a longish day, what with the cold weather initially. It felt good to sit for a while...  Note that the plastic bottle just behind the water bottle contains some Knob Creek, which brought the day to a marvelous ending. Here's a pic of my camp setup. The weather was so nice (actually it was on the warm side, but hey, it's SUMMER) that I didn't put up the rain fly.  The aforementioned liquid refreshment made a perfect complement to my iPhone 3G, equipped with the Kindle software and a book I'd just gotten, "The Color of Lightning" by Paulette Giles. It is based on the historical struggle of Britt Johnson, a recently emancipated black farmer in the Texas Panhandle, trying to recover his captive family from the Comanche-Kiowa in the late 1860s. The John Wayne movie "The Searchers" was VERY loosely based on this book. A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou, I guess. Or something like that. BTW, no eyestrain at all reading on the iPhone. And very compact for packing.  The next morning, after my shower (:thumb) I packed up and resumed heading north on CA 3, through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and just east of the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area. Then I saw a sign which brings joy to the spirit of every true-blue motorcyclist:  And boy, they were RIGHT!! CA 3 was very tight and twisty; a wonderful road! From the KOA all the way to Callahan I didn't see ONE far; only one rider on a Strom. I stopped and took a pic that showed CA 3 almost looping back on itself, but I can't find it now!! I suppose I screwed up in transferring from the camera to the laptop (a MacBook Pro in my case). Sigh. Well, it was an amazing road. NEWSFLASH! Found the picture; here it is. Not the best, but you see what I mean...  North to Oregon! My host the next night was inmate Daveel, who lives in Eugene, OR. My route was to continue north on CA 3, on through Callahan, Etna, Fort Jones, and connect with I-5 a Yreka, CA. I stopped briefly just north of Callahan, CA to take a break; this is Scott Creek.   A young man jogging spoke to me, so we had a brief talk. One of the benefits going alone...people are more likely to talk to you. He was interested in the Uly, had never heard of it (typical). I dread when people ask "what bike do you ride?" I've gotta go through the whole explanation. I've been tempted to just say "a Honda" or something like that. Much easier. Oh, well. I took I-5 across the CA/OR border; the pass there (Siskiyou Summit, 4310 feet) is the higest point on I-5. Woo-hoo! Rapid descent into Ashland, OR (big Shakespeare festival here). At Medford I turned north on OR 62 towards Crater Lake. I didn't plan on going to the lake, just wanted a better route than I-5. Hwy 62 follows the Rogue River. In particular, the town of "Shady Cove" on the Rogue River sure looked like a nice place to live. Man, I can't wait to retire. For me, another 8-9 years of work till I'm 70 or so. Then that's it. Pretty little church in Shady Cove, OR...  OK, fellas, that's all the time I have now. Gotta video of the headwaters of the Rogue River that I'd like to post; I assume I have to put it on YouTube (does SmugMug host videos?) I'll look into that. --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
Rogue River Gorge While near the OR/CA border on OR 62 (I believe) I turned off where a sign said "Rogue River Gorge Observation Point." It was AMAZING!  Now you have to understand that I grew up in an arid climate (desert SoCal) and live in an even more arid climate (central New Mexico). So any sight of running water is---to me---somewhat miraculous. I figured this was a good time to try out the video capture on my dinky little camera. Here's what I took: When I stopped for fuel in Oregon, an attendant came over and began "pestering" me...oh yeah, as I recall Oregon only allows "full serve" fueling. Well, they generally leave riders to do it themselves. I used to pump Richfield gas at my folks' "mom and pop" (Starr's Market) store in SoCal. Stil the only store I've ever seen that sold fresh meat (my dad "Duke" was the butcher) and gas. So gas attendant is a job I know; and it's not a good one...  Oregon was just flat BEAUTIFUL! I'm ready to move.  This is Mt. Thielsen at 9,182 feet; just north of Crater Lake. Gorgeous!  I believe this is Odell Lake, near Willamette Pass...  Eugene, OR and my hosts Dave & Shelley... I arrived at inmate Dave (Daveel) and Shelley's house w/o incident. Here's a pic of Dave; he's not been riding for a while...  In fact, he's not even drinking beer (!) to aid his recovery, but he quickly took care of Dr. Greg:  Here's the whole crew: Dave, Shelley, and the dog (he's getting along in years):  They have a beautiful place in Eugene:   And it's very close to Hayward Field, the Mecca of track & field in the USA! I'm a big track fan; when I was an undergrad at USC from '65-'69 (same class as O.J. Simpson, but I'm not sure he received his degree) I went to maybe two football games, but saw ALL the track meets! I could tell you stories... Naturally, Dave is a rider...in fact, I'm the first guest he's received from being on the "Tent Space" list. C'mon guys, drop in on these folks more...they're GREAT!! Of course he's got a few bikes. I guess to live in the NW ya gotta own a KLR...  Then there's this Beemer with which Dave has a "love/hate" relationship. I can't imagine that...  Check out the mean-lookin' Muzzy (naturally) pipe on this cool ZRX:  Finally, my favorite! A Honda FT500 Ascot! Always like these bikes. This is Shelley's, BTW.  Well, I'm gonna leave it at that for now. Next leg will be from Eugene to Seattle! Stay tuned... --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
Northward to Washington!... At Dave's suggestion I took I-5 only as far north as Salem, OR, where I turned west on OR 22. After leaving the Salem area this turned into a beautiful little two-laner. Had to stop and take a pic of my namesake:  A "Buell Park," eh? Sounds like just the place my trusty Uly could get some R&R. Alas, its fate was to keep heading towards the coast... This is my last name. Gotta catch it wherever I can...  Here are a couple pics from OR 22 on the way to US 101 at Hebo, OR...   Just beautiful country; temp in mid-70s. I guess I hit US 101 just north of Cloverdale.  Oregon is SO beautiful...  US 101 to the Columbia River at Astoria. Now this stretch---along with going through Bakersfield---was just a little frustrating. Traffic was VERY HEAVY. And to top it off I encountered my first (and mercifully last) big pack of Harleys. I guess I share minimal DNA with those guys, but that's a stretch. There were a group of 25-30 bikers in typical close "formation." Two-lane road, hard to pass. And---of course---they're riding under the speed limit. Well, Dr. Greg's gotta get through... Nothing for it but take 'em a few at a time when possible. This has the consequence of allowing me to experience what "riding in a pack" is like. Well, IMHO it sucks! Noisy, scary, my nerves were REALLY on edge. Finally got through. And of course then I couldn't stop anytime soon, because they'd probably pass me again. Definitely not my style. Lewis & Clark... I stopped at the Lewis & Clark visitor center near Astoria (not easy to find, IMHO). Took one pic of their "charter"...  Uly at the parking lot at the visitor center...  Over the Columbia! Got lost going through Astoria (thanks GPS), but finally got straightened out and approached the bridge over the mighty Columbia. The "high portion" is on the south side, as seen here:  I had intended to snap a pic from the highest point. I have to take both hands off the bars, dig out my camera, take the pic with both hands, etc. Camera out, I approached the elevated part:  Once I got up on top, it was just TOO WINDY!! I chickened out. Took a pic after getting across the whole thing...  You may be able to see the elevated part of the bridge in the far distance; it looks like a "ramp." It was darned impressive... My first "park" in Washington and it didn't have a very nice name. I guess L&C arrived (and stayed) through a pretty dismal part of the year...  I took 101 up through Raymond, WA, then 107 to Montesano and WA 12. Stopped of at Olympia to see fellow Uly owner JPhish (John). He had just ordered a pizza (it was about dinnertime), and the pizza and I arrived at the same time! Perfect. I figured to stay a while so I even had a beer (which I never do when I'm riding, y'unnerstand). Here's John and his '08 Uly. He's had a few issues, but his KLR and ST1300 never get ridden anymore; the Uly is too much fun! I know the feeling...  He also took a pic of Dr. Greg at his beautiful house.  SEATTLE! Here's a pic from the UW campus to prove that I made it!  Much more to come... --Doc | ||
| Jlnance |
Great trip! I rode the Kern river road in the opposite direction back in 2007. It's good to see it again. | ||
| Galloper |
Great report Doc. Wish I could write something like this in September when I go back to the Swarzwald/Swiss border. | ||
| Dr_greg |
You can! And please do... --Doc | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Excellent Doc! Thanks for posting. Any plans for the return trip? | ||
| Idaho_buelly |
Awesome report!...Keep it coming. | ||
| Will742 |
Great RR. Can't wait for the next leg! | ||
| Dr_greg |
Mrs. Greg has a case of food poisoning, so I'm minding the store. Back to the return trip ASAP. --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
In Seattle, mostly near UW. The UW campus is very pretty; here's their big fountain (Mt. Rainier in the distance):  Lotsa green grass up there...  Here's a better pic of the fountain and Mt. Rainier. The weather was like that the entire time I was there...70s-80s and sunny. I'm ready to move. Oh yeah, there's the other six months...  Random shot of the greenery on the sidewalk; the Seattle University District is very pretty.  The Banquet. At most conferences, the middle day there's an evening banquet. Well, the organizers of Robotics Systems and Science '09 went one better: a cruise out to the Kitsap Peninsula, and a traditional northwest salmon dinner at the historic Kiana Lodge. Here's a picture of the boat leaving Seattle...  I'm sure some of you recognize that skyline...  Of course Dr. Greg was happy to see this below deck...a pint of ale awaits!  Glad I wore my heated jacket liner!  Under the bridge...what beautiful country! Washington is the "Evergreen State" and I do believe it.  Disembarking (is that the right word when you're leaving a ship?)  A view towards the Kitsap Peninsula...Kiana Lodge is in there somewhere.  The grounds of the Kiana Lodge were beautiful.   I completely forgot to take a photo of the actual salmon dinner, but it was GOOD! In fact, after I finished stuffing myself (and a couple more ales) I felt a bit like this guy...  The ship awaits our return to Seattle...  And my attempt at capturing the nighttime Seattle skyline:  Next segment: Packing for the return trip and a mini-crisis! Don't worry, mini-crisis was averted. Mrs. Greg has a case of food poisoning, so I'm minding the store for the time being. I'll resume this RR ASAP. --Doc | ||
| Jlnance |
Give Mrs. Greg my best. Food poisoning is no fun. At least it doesn't last too long. | ||
| Sayitaintso |
Take care of Mrs Greg and the things that are important. Us Bozos aint going anywhere and will be here when things settle down. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Interesting. I'm cross-posting this here and ADV as well; two well-wishers for Mrs. Greg here; none there. Mighty big pond over on ADV; we're pretty small fish...thanks guys. I suspect I'll be catching up the RR over the weekend. As well as taking a ride, of course  --Doc | ||
| Road_kill |
+1 Give Mrs. Greg our best. Hope she feels better quickly. Great RR. Look forward to the rest of the story. | ||
| Galloper |
Hope Mrs. Greg is feeling better (even from this side of the pond) | ||
| Dr_greg |
Mrs. Greg is recovering from her food poisoning, so let's get this ride report going again... The 1909 "Alaska-Yukon-Pacific" Exposition. While walking around the UW campus, I found this great exhibit on the 1909 AYP Exposition. I'm a sucker for stuff like that, so I spent an hour looking at all the stuff. To quote the exhibit, "IN THE SUMMER OF 1909, the City of Seattle and the University of Washington hosted the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. With a design created by the renowned Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm, the Exposition transformed what was then a mainly wooded campus with a handful of scattered buildings into a sculpted parkland... The Exposition, organized by a group of Seattle business people, showcased the resources, industries and beauty of Washington state, while promoting Seattle as an economic gateway to Alaska, the Yukon Territory and the Pacific Rim. The state Legislature mandated that at least four of the fair's nearly 70 buildings, most of which were built to be temporary beome a permanent part of the University..." It was all very interesting. One thing that caught my eye was this statistic:  Yikes! I didn't know life expectancy was THAT short only 100 years ago!? Man, I'd be 14 years on borrowed time by that figure...the "good old days," huh? Mini-Crisis: where are my Bungee Cords?!? Got all packed up; bags outside in front of the hotel ready to affix to the bike. But...where are my bungee cords? I use two to tie down the dry bag, folding chair, etc. Thought sure I brought them into the hotel, but they're nowhere. Now the Seattle "University District" is not the kind of place with a Wally World close by. I lamented my plight in the lobby and "Heidi" (shown below)  heard my cry of desperation and gave me the phone number of a pharmacy within walking distance. I called and yes, they had bungee cords. I hotfooted it down there and bought these babies,  which were nicer than the ones I had been using. Yeah, I know, I should get some "proper" straps (forget the name, but I know the ones). Next trip. After getting the Uly loaded (note the new straps) a gentleman walked over and began admiring the Uly. "Good taste," thought I, and we proceeded to have a nice chat.  Turns out he is Steven Kimble, General Manager of the Silver Cloud Inn - University Village. He is also a rider. I told him I would plug his hotel; it truly was a fine place to stay (my employer UNM is picking up the tab). Nice swimming pool, good breakfast, and I suppose an exercise room (didn't use that). So if you're in Seattle and need a place to stay, I recommend it. I promised Steve I'd send him a link to this RR (if I ever get it finished). North Cascades here we come! My next destination was the Spokane, WA area, and my Uly buddy JPhish in Olympia recommended that instead of I-90 (ugh) I head north to Burlington then turn east on WA 20 through the North Cascades. That sounded like just the ticket! Unfortunately after the bungee cord debacle I had to take the shorter of the two possible routes through the North Cascades, however I'd still go through all the North Cascade portion. Excellent. It was another beautiful day as I rode north out of Seattle on I-5, then turned east on 20. Here approaching Hamilton, WA:  Even though it was the Thursday before the 4th of July weekend, there was surprisingly little traffic away from the towns,  Approaching from the west, this is the first thing that looked like a mountain,  I hadn't fueled up since well before reaching Seattle, and it was hard to tell from the map which of the little towns had any services (many didn't). I was grateful to see this sign; also the last place with any services for something like 70 miles:  With all the fast food lunches I'd had, I'd almost forgotten what a more "traditional" burger tasted like:  While I ate this fellow kept looking over my shoulder...I was to see a fully alive version a few days hence.  North Cascades National Park. I entered the park proper shortly after, and at a pullout I encountered a range I'd heard of back in my mountaineering days (40 years earlier). With my little camera zoomed in to the max I took this picture, which isn't very good. But the peaks look quite formidable to me...   Here are a few more pictures from the North Cascades area. To really get into that country you have to get off the highway (typical), and I didn't really have time for that. The Uly does OK on hardpack, but I wasn't up for much backcountry travel on this ride. BTW, the river is the Skagit River.      This is Ross Lake and a view to the southeast (Mt. Logan and Goode Mtn?). At this point we're about 15 miles south of Canada:  Looking north,  and back west,  More rugged mountain country in the North Cascades:     BTW, it can get warm in the North Cascades - picture taken at the Visitor Center...  Of course it's cooler up a little higher...but a gorgeous day! Next: Grand Coulee Dam and friends near Spokane, WA... --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
The Grand Coulee Dam. As I exited the North Cascades I entered rolling alfalfa country,  Not long after I reached the Grand Coulee Dam. Whenever I think of this dam (never seen it before) I think of Woody Guthrie, whom I know was there during its construction. Still pictures couldn't capture it, so I tried to get a video (forgot to narrate it, so narrate it yourself...) My Friends near Spokane, WA. David Wilson---one of my best Ph.D. students ever (finished in 2000)---has family all around Spokane, WA. He flew up there from Albuquerque for the 4th of July weekend, and I rolled in to his mom's back yard about 7:30 p.m. on Thursday evening. They had saved some BBQ for me:  The food was great, and they had one of my favorite beers!  Uncle Earl (on the left) used to be a national-class hydroplane racer, and appeared on "Wide World of Sports" several times during the 60s. He's also a great engine builder, and was a buddy of Keith Black (whom you may remember as a top fuel engine builder a while back). Great bunch of guys...  David---my former student---had been fixing up a 1956 Chevy truck. His cousin Mike "tidied it up" a bit as a surprise "early birthday present" for him. I got a ride around the block...it's pretty trick. Small-block Chevy mill (327).    At the "Cabin" on the Pend Oreille (Ponderay) River. The next day David and I drove up to his "cabin" (he and cousin Mike built most of it during 2003) on the Pend Oreille (Ponderay) River. It's about 1.5 hours north of Spokane, and quite near the Canadian border. To call this thing a "cabin" is a little misleading: it's a two-story house on around 4 acres of riverfront property.   Dr. Greg on the Pend Oreille River! They even drug my tired old bones out on a "tube"...I think I'm the middle guy on the left.   After the river trip, they asked me how we cool off in Albuquerque. "Hmmm, we don't!" was my reply. Bummer. Dr. Greg on FOUR wheels! Cousin Mike (getting his hair cut by wife Wendy) has a TOY for every season.  This is his latest one: a Polaris RZR (Razor). Now Dr. Greg is a confirmed two-wheel guy, but this thing looked more like a miniature dune buggy (we built a Corvair-engined dune buggy back in rural SoCal in 1964).  Cousin Mike twisted my arm...and I'll be darned if the RZR wasn't a lot of fun! Great suspension, and (in 2WD mode) you could steer with the rear! I better not drive one of these things again...note that my attire is NOT recommended! On a fire road above the river...  We had a GREAT time hanging out by the river. The mighty Rio Grande (in ABQ, at least) is about 5% the size of the Pend Oreille. This north country is pretty nice. At least during the summer. I recall last winter the city of Spokane ran out of places to put the snow. Maybe I'll stay in New Mexico after all.  All too soon it was time to leave. My plans were to generally head SSE towards Albuquerque, New Mexico. Finally, I had no real schedule to maintain. Uncle Earl talked me into taking I-90 through Idaho and into Montana. So I did. Not much worth photographing along the way. Rode through some rain squalls in the Idaho panhandle, but it cleared up in Montana. Stopped in Missoula for a burger, and the characteristics of a rural college town began to show: primarily squids on sportbikes screaming up and down the main drag wearing T-shirts and flip-flops. They never seem to go anywhere. I left Missoula heading east towards Butte, Montana (birthplace of Evel Knievel, I believe). Leaving Butte there was lots of donwhill and actually it was pretty fun. East of Butte, MT I turned south on US 287 towards Yellowstone. Now, I DID NOT want to go through Yellowstone, but I wanted to go down the western portion of Wyoming, and if I didn't go through a corner of Yellowstone I would have to detour west to Idaho Falls, which is not very pretty IMHO. So Yellowstone it is. Ugh. But that was too far for today, so I started looking for a campsite. My map showed several campsites on 287, but the ones I saw from the road were not inviting. Finally I found what I wanted; it was a BLM campground:  These are the "Palisades" (Madison river down in the greenery):  Camp pretty much set up (note the beautiful day):  Getting late in the day...  After dinner I took a walk back up the road,  This road is on the TransAmerica Trail (the bicycle one, not "ours"); these guys were riding from Virginia to Oregon:  The guy second from left had also hiked the Pacific Crest and Applachian Trails. Lucky guy! The kid on the far left was just entering grad school and wanted to be a professor, so I gave him some of my "sage" advice, FWIW. His dad is on the far right. Really nice folks. I used to be a cyclist; have done some racing and quite a bit of touring. Hmm, motorcycle better! Bad Moon Rising. Full moon tonight. You'll notice that my rain fly is now up. When I first set up camp the sky looked so nice I thought about leaving the rain fly off (some of the cyclists decided to sleep "under the stars"). Before turning in I had the good sense to put up the fly.  At exactly 1:00 a.m. I was awakened by KA-BOOM...and at exactly 1:07 a.m. it began to rain. It rained moderately hard most of the night, but thankfully I saw sunshine illuminating the end of my tent in the morning. I'll bet the "under the stars" guys were scrambling. I slept VERY WELL all through the rest of the night. Thanks, $99 Kelty tent. Next: Dr. Greg confronts Yellowstone Park and lives to tell the tale... --Doc | ||
| F_skinner |
Dr Greg, I am really looking forward to your next installment. I was planning to stop at Yellowstone on my next trip coming up. Frank | ||
| Moxnix |
Much appreciated guided tour down memory lane for this NW born & raised motorcyclist. You covered a lot of familiar territory for me up and down, east & west. Keep up the good work. | ||
| Road_kill |
Awesome. Great pics. Thanks for sharing. | ||
| Mtuly |
Dr. Greg, great write up and fantastic photo's. I spent 4 hours test driving two Ulysses today. One thing that was pretty obvious was the need for additional wind protection. I currently ride a naked harley and am very used to the wind, but for covering hundreds of miles a day, the Uly surely needs additional protection. What did you add and can you tell me how much wind slips by your head and do you get any buffeting? | ||
| Court |
Absolutely spectacular ! . . . man . . . what a trip! | ||
| Dr_greg |
It sure does. I use the Laminar Lip, which is a wind deflector that affixes to the upper part of a stock windscreen. It deflects the wind to just above the bottom of my helmet, and off all ones torso, which is what I wanted. There is no buffeting. I am 5'-9". It still feels like a "roadster" but the ride is much nicer. My first one (on the first Uly) "came unglued" at hwy speed on another trip and I could really appreciate the difference. Some people want more protection than that. It's very much a personal preference. There have been MANY windscreen discussions on BB&D. --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
Leaving my camp at the BLM Palisades Campground, I headed generally southeast on 287 towards Yellowstone. Now into "Mountain Man" country (see recent excellent RR through that country if you're interested). I became fascinated with the Mountain Man sagas after reading "The Big Sky" by A.B. Guthrie. He won the Pulitzer Prize for this book; it's excellent. Highly recommended. Here's a pass pioneered by Jim Bridger...have to admit I couldn't find it on the sky line like they said.  Not much traffic...that was soon to change. Weather not the greatest, but so far so good...  Yellowstone National Park in early July...the Worst Decision of this Trip? Like I said, I needed to head this way to maintain my direction of travel. Here goes...  There were 5 or 6 lanes going in the West entrance...still time to turn back, Doc!  Too late now. I paid my $20 (motorcycle fee) and went in. Within a few miles (two-lane road now) I hit... GRIDLOCK!! Sigh. Actually the traffic was moving incrementally, but WAY too slowly for the Uly's rather tall first gear. Too slowly for almost any first gear. Well, maybe our old XR50... I couldn't get any pictures, but there really wasn't much to see. After about ten minutes of this, with no end in sight, I began eyeing the shoulder: it was about two feet wide, and nicely paved. Outside of that the gravel dropped off at a slope that would spell instant doom to us both. I thought about it for a couple for minutes, then headed to the right (no chance of "lane-sharing" here). At idling speed in first gear (about fast walking pace) the Uly and I made a little progress up the road. No problems at all from the frustrated motorists (not that I heard, anyway). Even passed a couple groups of Harleys who were patiently waiting in line. Then up ahead I saw disaster looming in the form of a huge "housecar" (I refuse to call them motorhomes). It was just about as wide as the lane. Now with those H-B side cases the Uly is also a bit of a "widebody" so it was gonna be close! I put my front tire right at the edge of the shoulder, closed my eyes (well, not really), and idled on...whew, made it!! After that it was easy. Then gradually the traffic began moving, so I merged back in. Never did see the cause of the gridlock...probably some longago disturbance that left its temporal mark on us poor suckers. Moving on, we got into some very pretty country. See the fly fisherman in the background?   This is the river from the preceding picture; I'm still attracted to any flowing water...  Geysers and stuff? Fuggetaboutit! I approached several prominent sections of geysers, etc. I turned in the first one, figuring since I'm here might as well see a geyser, right? Absolutely no place to park! So I gave up after that...and these weren't even Old Faithful or anything. Must be the cheap gas. There was a big campground at one point, and---although it was much too early in the day---I decided to ride through and take a look. What a mess! Campers jammed right next to each other; who would voluntarily stay in such a place!? The tent area was really not much better. Sigh. Glad to just be passing through. As I proceeded through the southwest quadrant of Yellowstone the weather began to degenerate,  but then it began to improve as I turned south. Signs of the big 1988 Yellowstone fire were everywhere. It must have been a HUGE fire. I just checked: 1.2 million acres. Wow.  Construction Delays. I thought I had "paid my dues" with that gridlock on the way in, but that was nothing compared to the three construction delays on the way out. No real way around those, either.  Finally got through the last one and made my way out. Whew. Yellowstone Park is a beautiful place, but I honestly wouldn't recommend anyone going there during prime summer vacation season. A fall trip would probably be perfect. Unfortunately I'm tied to the academic calendar, which---for me---rules out the fall. Bummer. Well, time to get back to work. Next: Grand Tetons and Best Campsite Ever! |
