Kickstand up for Tillamook Day 7

Day 7 September 14, 2007

I wake up pretty early about 6 am. I can't get back to sleep so I decide to head over to the lobby and get a cup of coffee. I open the door to go outside and it is pitch dark outside. What the heck? I look at my clock and it is really only 5 am. I guess I must of misread it when I first woke up. I didn't have my wrist watch with me because I took the advice of Peter Fonda and I "Lost my Watch" before I started on this trip, well actually I just left it home instead of throwing it away like in "Easy Rider". I decide to go ahead and leave early so after I pack up I hit the road. In case you haven't noticed by now I have avoided I-5 and tried to stick with the back roads on this trip. This morning though I decide to go ahead and head out on I-5 towards Sacramento. The miles go by pretty fast and by 10:30 I am pulling into Old Town Sacramento. This is a great place to visit and I spend a while there walking around and making some phone calls. After that I head out and follow the Sacramento River Levee roads west. This is a great ride and worthy of a complete ride report about the levee roads alone. I didn't stop much to take pictures I just rode and enjoyed the scenery as it unfolded. I made a stop for lunch along the way and then continued over the hills to the town of Livermore and then to my last stop before home, Sunol. I stopped at a place I had wanted to see but it was usually closed. It has been restored and re-opened on work days to the public. It is called the Sunol Water Temple.
It seems kind of strange today with the technological advances of the modern age but back in 1910 the idea of bringing pure drinking water all the way from Sunol to San Francisco was a major accomplishment. The temple was built to allow the public to come and see the wonder of pure water cascading over the 40 foot high waterfall inside of the temple. Today only a small amount of water cascades over the falls and it is just for effect only it really does not connect with the water system of San Francisco. Our expectations today are for bigger and better things and ever more complicated technology so it is nice to see a monument to something we all take for granted today, pure drinking water, right out of the tap! Amazing isn't it?

After my visit to Sunol I hit the freeway and headed home to Salinas. I was glad to be home.

357 miles.

So, why does a guy in his mid-fifties go alone on a 2000 mile motorcycle trip? When I tell others about my journey even if they don't ask the same question I can still see it in their eyes. The only answer I can come up with is about the same as the mountain climber who was asked why he climbs mountains. He said because they are there. Its really the same reason John Muir filled his pockets full of biscuits and headed to the High Sierras for weeks at a time. Humans seem to have a desire to go into the unknown, to find out what is over the next mountain, to explore and to travel, and to eventually return home. After some time on my own on my motorcycle the return home was just as pleasurable as the trip itself. Maybe that is why I went in the first place. Will I ever take a trip like this again? Hum, lets see now where is my map of the southwest? I wonder how long it would take to ride to Durango Colorado? They have a great train ride there I would like to go on again someday........

Trip total miles: About 2000.

Kickstand up for Tillamook Day 6

Day 6 September 13, 2007

The day dawns and I decide to do a little motorcycle maintenance before hitting the road. I had noticed that my chain seemed a little loose so I got out my tool kit and adjusted it in the parking lot of the motel. I lubed my chain and in general gave the bike's running gear a quick inspection. I check the tire pressures and then pack up the bike and head out east on 58 towards Willamette Pass. It was a beautiful morning and the road was in great shape with lots of nice curves. It must be a main route between Klamath Falls and Eugene because there is a lot of truck traffic on the road. There are lots of nice places to take pictures of the scenery along the way. After I make it over the top of the pass the road intersects highway 97 and I head south on 97 towards Klamath Falls. I stop there at the Black Bear Dinner and have a nice big lunch and then I head for Lava Beds National Monument. This area was the location of a war between the Modoc Indians and the US government in 1872 to 1873. The Modocs eventually lost and went to the reservation like all of the rest of the tribes eventually would. To bad they hadn't invented Indian Casinos yet, if so the whole war may have been averted. I took this picture at the monument.The road south from the monument was the most "interesting" road encountered on the trip. The Federal Governments idea of repairing pot holes is to simply fill them up with loose gravel. It maded for 15 miles or so of dodging and careful maneuvering to avoid slipping and sliding. Eventually I make it to a county highway and then back to highway 139 south towards Canby. I take the Lookout Road as a shortcut to 299. Just after turn off on this road I think to myself "I better watch out for animals on the road." Right after this thought I come around a corner and up ahead is a small herd of cows on the road! I slow way down and pass by them without any problem. A little while later I see two young deer right next to the road up ahead. I do my best high performance slow down so if they head across the road or if mom is nearby I can stop in time. I get past them with no problems. A little later I see a buck well off of the road and pass by him too. Wow in this one stretch of road I have encountered more wildlife than the whole trip up to this point. I make it to highway 299 and head west through Macarther and Fall River. I make a stop at the Pit One powerhouse.




















This powerhouse is one of eight built in this area by the company I work for, Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Pit One was a headquarters with housing for workers, a cookhouse and even a swimming pool! I was built in a time when even a powerhouse was designed to be an interesting building to look at. I always liked the way it resembled a castle. Oh well those times are gone and today if PG&E was building a powerhouse they would not spend a dime on non-functional elements like how pleasing it would look in 50 years from now. I think we have lost something in the modern corporate goals of maximizing profits to the exclusion of all else. I continue on west 299 through Burney then over Hatchet Pass and down to Redding for a nights stay a motel 6. Tomorrow will be my last day on the road.

318 miles.

Kickstand up for Tillamook Day 5

Day 5 September 12, 2007

The day dawns and it is a nice one. It turns out the motel I am staying at is right on highway 99 so all I have to do is gas up and head south. After 4 days of twisty roads it feels kind of nice to be cruising along on some straight roads through beautiful farm and orchard country. I pass through several nice towns and then I see the turn off for the Evergreen Aviation Museum.
This is a huge building that houses the "Spruce Goose" and a large number of other aircraft, mostly military. The official name of the aircraft was the Hughes flying Boat or Hughes H-4. It was built entirely out of wood and it was intended to be used as a transport for military supplies that was safe from enemy submarines. The plane was built out of wood because it was considered a material that was not essential to the war effort. The plane was not finished at the end of the war and the congress ended funding for it before it was finished claiming that it was just a big rip-off by Howard Hughes and it would never have flown anyway. The press named it "The Spruce Goose" a name the Mr. Hughes hated. Howard Hughes spent 7 million of his own dollars to finish the plane and on November 2 1947 with Howard Hughes at the controls the H-4 was doing taxi testing in Long Beach Harbor when he accelerated the plane and took off and flew about 70 feet off of the water. After landing he put his plane away and there it stayed , perfectly maintained until he died in 1976. Now it is here in McMinnville for all to see.





























The plane is so big that it is hard to get a picture of it that really shows it well. In addition to the the H-4 there are many other interesting aircraft on display, all beautifully restored to factory new condition. Here are a few more pictures.




























This is really a great museum and on the same caliber as the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. For anyone who is interested in aircraft I would highly recommend it. In addition to the museum there is also an Imax theater there and under construction is a new building that will hold space related exhibits. I spent several hours there then I mounted up and continued down the road towards Eugene. I really enjoyed the ride down the Willamette Valley on highway 99. I got on the freeway at Eugene and it was a little tense. The with the traffic, aggressive drivers and trucks made me think I was back in the Bay Area or L.A. again. I made it to the highway 58 junction and there I left I-5 and headed east through the Willamette Valley towards Willamette Pass. I decided to stop for the night in a really nice little town called Oakridge. Here is a picture of the little motel where I stayed.
After settling in I look for a place to get a bite to eat then back to my room for a good nights sleep.

168 miles.

Kickstand up for Tillamook Day 4

Day 4 September 11, 2007.

Another cool foggy morning. I head north on highway 101. Between fog banks I see some nice places to stop and take some more pictures of the coast.






























Lots of heavy forest lining both sides of road now and with the foggy weather it makes the roads wet and a bit slippery. I am being very conservative in my riding, I really don't want a close encounter with Mr. Pavement today. Another concern as I ride are deer and even worse elk on the road. Lucky for me I don't have any problems. I notice along the way a closed truck scale and as I pull through it displays the weight on my bike with me on it. 850 pounds! No wonder my bike feels like it weighs 1/2 of a ton, it almost does! The road goes a bit inland after Lincoln City and the country changes from seascape to dairy farmland. Very beautiful and I suspect that the cows here are just as happy as the ones in California.












I finally make it to the Tillamook Airbase.
The air museum is located in a blimp hanger. Blimps were used to protect the United States from enemy submarines during World War II. The base at Tillamook was one of 14 constructed across the country at the beginning of the war. They were built on the west coast, the gulf coast and the east coast. This hanger was one of two built at Tillamook. The other hanger was at the right of the air museum. Unfortunately someone decided it would be a good idea to store hay in the hanger in the 1990's. It caught on fire and quickly destroyed the wooden hanger. Now there is only one hanger left.


This building is so big that it could hold five blimps inside of it at the same time.






















Inside are some interesting aircraft to see and also some other interesting displays. Outside of the hanger is the plane that I came to see, the Mini Guppy.

The original Pregnant Guppy was built to transport rocket components from their manufacturers to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The only other option for transporting these oversize components would have been a 3 month barge trip from California to Florida. They took a C-97 Air force transport plane and added an oversize fuselage to accommodate the cargo. The Pregnant Guppy and the much larger Super Guppy were a big part of this nations quest to put men on the moon before 1970. Next came the Mini Guppies. Two were built in the hopes that air transport of oversize cargo would be a commercially viable business for AeroSpacelines, the builder and owner of the the Guppies. The tail of the aircraft swings open to allow loading of cargo. Unfortunately during flight tests of Mini Guppy number one the simulation of a lost engine during take off caused the plane to unexpectedly roll causing the wing to strike the ground. The plane was destroyed with the loss of the flight crew. The remaining Mini Guppy seen here had only limited commercial success. I worked for Aerospacelines when we were undergoing flight certification for the Super Guppy Transport (SGT1). After that was complete we started SGT2 but I got laid off before it was done. Later on SGT3 and SGT4 were built. They were all bought by the company that builds the A300 Airbus. The planes were used to ferry fuselage sections from England and Germany to the final assembly plant in France. They have been retired now except SGT4 which was bought, ironically, by NASA, to transport rocket components which was the original purpose of the Guppies. I feel kind of bad seeing the Guppy here as it is. There is no plaque or other information about the plane and it is a very interesting piece of aviation history that was built by some very creative and talented people. The plane looks to be in pretty good condition but I sure would like to see it inside and protected from the elements. It would be pretty cool if the public could get a look inside of it too. The cargo area is very impressive to see how big it is.

After I left the museum I decided to continue north to Astoria. The road goes back to the shore line and then at the Columbia River it turns east towards Portland. One can continue north on highway 101 by crossing the bridge at Astoria, it is several miles long. I find a little restaurant near the bridge and have a great dinner of fried clam strips and rhubarb pie for dessert.








The object in the foreground of this picture is all that is left of a boiler that served the cannery that used to be located at this site.











After dinner I take a ride to the top of a hill in Astoria to see a monument called The Astoria Column. You can see all around the area with great views of the Columbia River.
One can climb to the top of the tower if they wish but I pass this time. I continue east on highway 30 which follows the Columbia River to Portland. My plan is to find a nice little campground along the way but I really don't see anything. I continue on in till it gets dark and before I know it I am in Portland. Humm, no campgrounds here so I find a motel for the night. At least it is nice and warm and dry here.

288 Miles.

Kickstand up for Tillamook Day 3

Day 3 September 10, 2007

Finally I have left the road gremlins behind and have a smooth day on the road. After 150 or so miles yesterday I try to cover a little more ground today. I spend about 8 hours on the road. It is still foggy and cool on the coast with a lot of drizzle along the way. I stop at a place where people view the wild elk that are in the area but I guess they must be at the Elks Club because I don't see any here.

Elk viewing area.














On the bridge over the Klamath River there are four gold bears two on each side of the bridge. I think it would be cool to get a picture of them but there is no place to stop on the bridge. As I continue on I notice two more bears on the side of a frontage road so I set my camera on a rock and get a picture of one of the bears and me (and the rock!).Just a short distance north of Klamath I stopped to visit some of the local celebrities.














I stop for lunch in Crescent City California for lunch. From there it is only a short drive to drive to the Oregon state line. Lots of trees and forests lining the road sides all the way up the coast. In places I noticed that behind a few rows of trees the forests have been clear cut by loggers. Its almost like the trees lining the road are a false front to hide the ugliness of the clear cut forests behind, kind of sad.

I ride through Coos Bay, it smells like new sawed wood, lots of big piles of wood chips around the water front. I noticed a lot of fishermen on the rivers fishing, for salmon I guess. There are lots of lakes and bays along the way and also some very beautiful bridges along the way. Just north of Coos bay is the Conde McCullough bridge. It looks like you are going through a cathedral as you drive over it.














This bridge is over the Rogue River at Gold Beach.

And this one is in Florence.

There are lots of nice ocean views along the way also.




























I found a room in the town of Florence.

I have dinner at the Hot Rod Grill a pretty cool place with lots of old car and 50's stuff inside. Some of the booths are in old car bodies like in the movie "Pulp Fiction". I hit the sack after dinner and get some rest for tomorrow.

259 miles.

Kickstand up for Tillamook Day 2

Day 2 September 9, 2007

Campground at Caspar Beach.
















I woke up about 7 and fixed something to eat. I packed up and looked around the area a bit. The beaches around here are well know by Abalone fishermen. They put on wet suits and dive for the Abalones, a shellfish that clings to the rocks underwater. They are considered to be a great delicacy and are very expensive in restaurants.

Abalones are found on the rocks under the water.

I took a ride up highway 1 to Fort Bragg and looked around the harbor a bit. it looks like fishing is the main industry around here.

Harbor at Fort Bragg.

I continue north on Highway 1 over another great motorcycle road but because the road is quite wet I am very cautious. I am still getting used to the extra weight of my bike with all my gear on board. It weighs about 600 pounds without me on board. As I continue up highway 1 the sun comes out and I stop to stretch and warm up a bit. A nice couple, Roy and Nancy from Ohio stop to stretch too and we visit for a while. They are in a rented car but they both ride bikes back home. I tell them to be sure to stop at the Samoa Cookhouse on their way north, more about that later. I make it to highway 101 at Legget. I decide to take the Avenue of the Giants a scenic alternative to highway 101. I am finally starting to relax and just enjoy the ride and not worry about getting anywhere in particular.

Rest area on the Avenue of the Giants.

I stop again to change my visor and while trying to turn around on some gravel I turn the handle bars to far while I am going slow and the bike goes over. I don't get hurt except for my pride. Try as I might I can not get my bike back on her feet. A guy pulls up in a Corvette and offers to help me and between the two of us we get her up. Turns out he is a rider too. The road Gremlins have struck twice in two days but hopefully I will lose them after today. I make a quick stop in the small town of Scotia one of the last company owned towns in the Pacific Northwest. It is a lumber town with 2 mills in operation. I stopped at a little park and took a few pictures of the old locomotive and donkey engine on display there.
This a picture of the towns history museum.

The Samoa Cookhouse.

I stay at the Motel 6 in Arcata and head over to Eureka for dinner at the Samoa Cookhouse. It is a real cookhouse that was used for many years by mill workers on Samoa Island near Eureka. Back in the 1960's it was opened up to the public. The mill is all gone now but the cookhouse remains.

The menu is pretty basic, you get what they are serving on that day served family style on long tables covered in red checked oil cloth. You get to visit with your neighbors as you eat. It just so happened that I talk with another couple from Ohio during dinner but not the same folks as I had talked to before on the road. After dinner I ride to the south end of Samoa Island then I turn around and head back to Arcata and my motel room to rest up for tomorrow.

Total miles 149.