Epilogue - Spring 2004

Five days after arriving home, I’ve yet to take any of the bikes out. This is due mainly to the weather; overcast and some rain. I have replaced the Nolan helmet with a Shuberth Concept which I haven’t had a chance to try out yet, and ordered a Gerbing electric liner. With the Kanetsu vest, I need to wear a fleece layer just to keep my arms warm; I hope the liner will preclude the necessity for the fleece (and I got one for Jennifer too) thereby reducing the bulk some. The VFR needs to have its oil changed, the air filter cleaned, the whole rear end of the bike cleaned, the muffler repacked correctly, and probably the chain needs to be changed too. Generally, the whole thing needs to be cleaned. In addition to that, both the Magna and the ST need to be ridden – it’s been over a month since I had them out last, and to prevent drying up of seals and gas going bad, both bikes need a couple hundred miles. I’m hoping that tomorrow and this weekend it will be nice enough to do that.

On June 19^th we’ve planned another trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon, but I’m not sure I want to bring the VFR. There are some very nice things about the Audi: Carry more gear for greater comfort, less exposed to the elements, and so on. However, every day I don’t ride I feel more inclined to take the VFR again, despite it’s shortcomings. I’m not looking forward to the 2 days of hard riding to get there, nor needing to change between riding gear and hiking gear, but traveling by motorcycling does immerse me into the area I’m riding in. In addition, we are planning to spend a few days at one campground, removing the need to pack/unpack every day. There has been talk of changing the trip to a shorter, touristy ride around the Pacific Northwest, but the whole ‘get off and back on’ the bike, with all the unplugging, earphones, etc. rigamarole would be increased. On the other hand, riding with buddies is quite a bit of fun and helps make severe irritations bearable if not completely dissolving them. I am fortunate to have such good people to ride with that I look forward to the campfire banter after the ride (not the mention the breaks during the day).

I have a week to decide.

In the meantime, Windy Ridge (behind Mt St Helens) has opened up again and I would like nothing more than getting back into “The Zone” on an unencumbered bike. I’m not giving up motorcycling, but I might not be making very many camping trips on it in the future.

In my mind I’ve been calling this trip the “Trip Of A Lifetime” because I don’t think I’ll ever make that trip again. I didn’t particularly like the southwestern landscape. Post-ride reflection really underscored that I felt out of my element in the harsh sage deserts. It was hard to see beauty in hues of brown littered with trailer homes surrounded by junk. While the terrain was more mountainous than the Midwest, it was not easy on the eyes like rolling hills and farmland speckled with golden wheat, leafy trees and green fields of maize. The roughness of the southwest just isn’t my thing. I was happy to be back in Oregon amid the lush green forested hills.

The other negative thing about the southwest was the lack of good coffee. Would you believe that Wichita Falls only has one Starbucks, while we have over 360 in the Portland area? Good beer wasn’t as hard to come by, yet not as prevalent as home. I was also going through McMenamins withdrawals – perhaps I’ll make a stop this weekend. Generally the meat was better in the southwest, I’ll give the area that much.

I suppose that this trip really underscored how nice it is at home, and how much at home I feel in Oregon. I don’t need to travel very far for great scenery and recreational opportunities. Among the many things I thought about on this trip was camping on the coast at Ecola beach, a mere 45 miles to the west of our home, or reaching the summit on a 6-mile hike up Elk Mountain 30 miles to the west. Or perhaps spend a weekend next to Mt Hood on Lost Lake. Make a 4-hour loop to the coast along twisty windy roads, or scrape up behind Mt St. Helens on a 350-mile ride – the best roads I’ve experienced are mere day rides from home. While there are some great roads in northwestern California, they’re not THAT much better than what we have here.

Thanks for reading!