[Xlrrp]

Hi,

This past August/September I did something outside my comfort zone and went for a nine day (1600 miles) solo ride from Washougal, WA to Fort Bragg, CA and back. It turned out to be one of the best vacations I've had and I learned a lot.

A few things I learned are:

I enjoy riding solo as well as with others!
I love my K1200LT!
I am paranoid about running out of fuel and fill up way too early.
I pack too much crap!

I left Washougal, WA and headed towards Bend, OR. Spent a night near Bend (Redmond, OR actually) then went to Crater Lake. Drove around the lake (Awesome!) and pushed on to Klamath Falls. From there I found a twisty two lane road that went past Trinity Lake to Weaverville. Decided I didn't want to spend the night in Weaverville and went a few more hours to Eureka, Ca. Much better.

From Eureka it was a easy ride down to Fort Bragg, CA and I took a few days off to spend time with my parents and visit other family members (and go out to eat a lot).... When it was time to head back, I simply headed North. Spent the night in Coos Bay, OR. Continued up all the way to Astoria, OR and then crossed the bridge into WA. Decided to backtrack to Astoria then over to Longville, WA. From there is was a short distance to where I started in Washougal.

A few things that stand out are I was prepared to camp and stay in motels. The night before I left I decided to just stay in motels. I'm glad I did because getting in late, setting up and packing the tent and stuff up in the morning would have sucked! If I was staying longer than just overnight, I would have enjoyed camping.

I also realized I saw a lot of the countryside but spoke with very few people. Maybe I'm just not very friendly or outgoing but it seemed like the trip would have been more enjoyable (if that is possible) by meeting a few new people.

SO, with all I learned in mind I have started planning next years trip. My first one was because I turned 50 and couldn't afford a convertible corvette.... now I'm going to do a trip every year just because.

I'm looking at heading from Washougal, WA over towards Boise, ID and then to Reno and finally South Lake Tahoe. Because I like the area so much, I am going to remain at Lake Tahoe for a few days. From there I will head over to Hwy 20, past Clearlake, CA and over to Fort Bragg, CA for a few days.

The return trip will be up to Weed, CA and then towards Klamath Falls and on to Bend (love the Bend area). Then back home.

I'm still not going to camp on this trip, but I am going to do something different that is even further outside my comfort zone. Using the site www.airbnb.com I plan to spend the night in rooms that people rent out in their house. That should be interesting and I'd rather the money go to an individual instead of a large hotel chain. I may save a little money doing it this way, but not a huge amount.

So, this winter will be spent getting the bike ready for the trip. I will be stripping it down (for the first time) and changing the plugs, air/fuel filters, coolant, etc. Just put new tires front and rear so those are good.

Anyway, I'm posting for a few reasons. Anyone ever use airbnb.com and if so, what was your experience? We have a room booked this Saturday to attend the BMW Riders of Oregon dinner in Silverton, OR so that will be my first experience staying in someone's house using this site.

Any "must see" things near Boise, Reno, Tahoe or Bend? I want to spend less time riding and more time seeing things on this trip. Ideas and tips would be welcomed.

Last of all, if anyone in the area wants to go along (or do a portion of the ride), I'd be happy to have the company.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Tarmac]

Hey Chis,
When are you planning on going?
Wayne

 

[Xlrrp]

Hi Wayne,

At this point I have not set the exact date but it's looking like it will be in August.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[MattWhite]

Chris

It's all beautiful here - much like Washington.
Must sees are many but I'd say McCall, Stanley, Red Fish Lake, Ketchum (Sun Valley) are a good start.

Of all the roads and rides I've done in this state, Highway 12 was the funnest ride. It goes through the Clearwater National forest and follows the river
the entire route. From Lewiston to Lolo - it's all curves and beautiful green stuff. Great fishing and camping in the area to.

Feel free to PM me and I'll try to answer any other questions you might have.

 

[David13]

Any place you go out there is good, into Montana and, well, anywhere. Go up into Canada, Banff and all that.
As to meeting people. Just talk. Just say anything.
Or, ask questions. A lot of people either ask me, or tell me about what they saw and recommend that I go to see that.
A lot of the people out there on the road just get to talk to whoever is in the car, so they are eager to talk to someone else.
You usually don't get much friendship out of it in the sense of seeing them again, but you feel like you are not alone.
If you need anything, or directions, they are all very eager to help. If anyone cannot help, or give directions, ask the next person you see.
If a person does not respond when you talk to them, just move on to the next person.
It amazes me that so many people cannot talk to someone else. But most people can and do.
dc

 

[Xlrrp]

Well, between work and home it has been very difficult to carve out time for a nice trip but last night I did it... It's a go!

Leaving Washougal, WA on May 26th. Nine days is better than nothing so I'll take it.

From Washougal, it's down to Bend, OR (Tumalo State Park). Then over to John Day for a night (Clyde Holliday State Park if I can find a site). After that it's three days in South Lake Tahoe (D.L. Bliss State Park) then over to visit my folks in Fort Bragg, Ca. for three days.

The return trip isn't as exciting with just one night camping near Crater Lake in Joseph H. Stewart State Park and back home on the 4th for the fireworks with the family.

Last year I stayed in motels, which was nice but this year I decided to do mostly camping. Looking forward to it. Now to work on my packing list which will be modified twenty times before I finalize it.

Chris