LONG RIDE
I just celebrated my 73rd birthday. I was not happy about getting older but yesterday I turned the corner by taking a long motorcycle ride.
I loaded my camping gear and packed my cooler with food and headed off to the coast of Oregon.
I had planned to camp by the ocean but the camp sites were full and motels were too expensive. The raw air rolled in from the ocean so a night in my tent would be a little chilly.
I saw several loaded bicycles heading south that brought back memories. This stretch of coast highway is hard because of the endless up and down curvy roads. The motorcycle was much easier.
I left the house at 11 am then headed up Mount Batchelor and on to Eugene. The road was empty with amazing forest and lake views. A coffee, fuel and a bathroom break then off to the coast.
I jumped on the interstate for a few exits to test the road worthiness at speed around trucks and traffic. The wind was buffeting but the bike was nice and stable.
Heading north to Newport I put "home" in my GPS and saw it was 160 miles away. I had a little more than an hour of daylight so part of my trip would be in the dark.
I reached Corvallis, fueled up and rode off into the coming darkness. My hands were hurting because of arthritic but other then that I was holding up well. Another cup of coffee and an apple I was ready to take on the mountain pass.
It was now completely dark with no moon. The road is very curvy but the traffic was very light. Several miles were being paved so uneven pavement and the lack of paint caused me to slow down.
After this day of curvy highways I realized I was no longer thinking about how much to lean, counter steering or where to look. My throttle control had improved and the bad gas I got outside of Eugene was finally gone. I usually use high test but they only had regular, lesson learned.
It was cold in the mountains but my gear was working great. Other then my hands things were good as I entered familiar territory.
I rolled in around 11 pm tired but with a smile on my face. A snack and a shower later I checked my GPS and found I had traveled 460 miles. Not bad for an old guy.
I got up early and cleaned up the bike, I was actually ready to ride again. A long cross country trip is now a real possibility.
