2700 Mile Trip to Glacier National Park

[jim63]

We were gone a total of 14 days this time. Left Aug 1st and returned on Aug 15th, covering a total of 2700+ miles in the process. The trip was not problem free, like last year, but no major disasters. Main destination was Glacier National Park, but we also hit Jackpot Nevada, cruised to the Oregon coast and back home north on highway 101. This year the temps were not so extreme, but believe it or not, did some some patches of snow, yes snow, in some shaded areas along highway 395 in Oregon at higher elevations. Will break the trip down in sections, like last years trip. here is an over view of the entire trip. I did take alot of pics as well.

[jim63]

Day 1, We left our home in Sedro Woolley, Wa at 9am, and headed east out of town on highway 20. We followed highway 20 to Marblemount where we topped off our tanks prior to crossing the Cascades where the next place for fuel is about 70 miles away. The crossing is very scenic, and crossing eastbound is easier on the scooter (less extreme elevation changes). Weather was somewhat chilly in the 50's at higher elevations, but not to terrible. On the east side of the mountains we passed through Winthrop and stopped for gas in Twisp. Twisp and Winthrop are small towns that appear to cater to the tourist crowds, and sportmans. A few miles east of Twisp we left highway 20 and got on highway 153, headed toward Pateros and highway 97. The 30 miles we were on highway 153 was a pleasant 2 lane road in good condition, with speeds at 55mph. You pass through a few towns, but they are of the blink and you miss them type. Once we reached Pateros, we headed north on 97 to Brewster. We had lunch here at a Subway, then cut through town and crossed the Columbia river and was on highway 173, for a few miles till we intersected highway 17. Followed highway 17 for about 16 miles till we intersected highway 174 which we followed all the way to Coulee Dam, where our hotel was at. The roads from Brewster to Coulee Dam were all 2 lanes country highway type, light traffic and a pleasant ride. We arrived at our hotel the Coulee House at about 3pm. This place was chosen due to the casino, next door, and right across the street is a viewing area for the Dam laser light show, which is shown nightly and is free. We watched the show was really impressive, the laser show uses the dam as the screen for the show. The Mrs. got to gamble for a few hours which made her happy, and we saw a free show. The hotel was very nice was given a discount, even though we didnt qualify which knocked off $30 from the bill, which was really nice.




Refuel stop in Marblemount


Touring setup, with the GPS on a handlebar bag


Coulee Dam from the viewing area for theshow, across the street from our hotel.


Coulee House hotel


Another pic of Coulee Dam from our balcony, at the hotel

To be continued

[Steven Spielburgman]

Wow. That's some hard-core scooter riding. Nice couple of bikes. Did you ever try anything like that on your MC-54-250B or Sunl?

[jim63]

Never took a real long ride on the 54B or Sunl. Longest ride was probably to south of Seattle, about 100 or so one way from our home. The Sunl's longest ride, was about 60 miles one way. Was my wifes scooter, I didnt ride it much.

[jim63]

Day 2, After spending the night in Coulee Dam, we had a short travel day. Was all of 80 miles or so. Went to the Northern Quest Casino/Resort, which is just outside of Spokane. Left Coulee Dam and headed down highway 174 east again. Followed this for 16 miles till we got to Wilbur, where we intersected highway 2. Followed highway 2 east through Davenport and quickly after that we were there at the resort. Even with a stop in Davenport for a bite to eat, it took all of 2 1/2 hours to get to the resort. The main reason for the short travel day was to meet my oldest son who left the same day we did (Aug 1st) to move to Spokane to continue his college. We got to the resort at 11 am, way to early for check in. So we gambled next few hours, was fun, and made arrangements to meet my son and his girlfriend for dinner. Was a fun day overall, didnt win any cash. But got togather for a nice dinner at the casino buffet.

Day 3, Was another short day, this was also set up for a reason. This days destination was Bonners Ferry, ID. This destination was chosen for 2 reasons, one to set up the next days ride across the rockies, and there is another casino here. Got to keep the Mrs. happy, and I enjoy them also. Up to this point the roads we have traveled we have been on before for the most part. We continued on highway 2 into Spokane after leaving the Northern Quest Casino. We continued to follow highway 2 through Spokane and through Newport, the last town before crossing into Idaho. In Idaho went through Priest River and continued to follow highway 2 north to Sandpoint. In Sandpoint we stopped for lunch at an Arby's. Love those Beef'n Chedders. After we got out noticed how much my rear tire was worn compared to my wifes. I replaced tires on both bikes earlier this year. Now I have been riding my scooter alot, and the tires had about 3000 miles on them, but my rear tire had almost no tread pattern in the middle, my wifes bike had maybe a few hundred miles and still looked basically new. As my wife had her after lunch smoke, I sat there and grew concerned. We talked about it and my wife asked what I wanted to do about it. I said the tire only has maybe 3500 miles on it at this point, and hoped it would survive the trip. The last set was Michelin Gold Standards had 9000 miles on them and still had a tread pattern, these are Avon Viper Strykes, my wife got the same tires put on a week or two after I had mine done. This tire would come into play later on in the trip.

We continued north on highway 2 for 37 miles, till we got to Bonners Ferry. The casino is in a Best Western hotel on the Kootenai River. I really liked this Hotel/Casino. Had a coziness to it hard to describe, the casino is broken down into 3 large rooms. I had a good restaurant the overlooked the Kootenai River, had some delicious Ceder Plank Salmon, along with a fine beer. Our room was right across the hall from the pool/hot tub which was another bonus. And we did pretty good at the slots which helped, almost broke even. Never had to look for a drink lady she was always coming around, what more can you ask for. The room was comfortable with a deck that overlooked the Kootenai River. It was however the most expensive on the trip by a few dollars, at $180 for the night.


City park on highway 2 in the town of Davenport, WA


View from our 6th floor room at the Northern Quest Casino/Resort, the little specks are our scooters in the parking lot.


Coming ito Priest River Idaho


View of the Kootenai River from our horel room deck.


Looking across the kootenai River from our hotel room.

[jim63]

Day 4, So far all the roads we have been on have been 2 lane highways we we prefer to travel on, except for a quick 3-4 mile jaunt on I-90 in spokane cause I missed the turnoff to avoid it. Today would be no different, with the 2 lane highways. We continued on highway 2 east from Bonners Ferry and a short 20 miles later we were in Montana. I have never travelled on highway 2 this far east and had no idea what to expect. I know some of the passes on the interstate would be brutal on a 250 coming into Montana, so I expected something similair on highway 2. The road climed but nothing drastic, and I never got to WOT, just cruised right along with my wife at a comfortable 55 mph. Highway 2 follows some rivers and valleys and never go bad at all all the way to Kalispell, where you are basically past the rockies. This is a very scooter friendly route, and would recommend taking this to the interstate anyday. I would bet a 150 could make the trip with little trouble, no real bad climbs or long uphills at all. The 1st town of any size in Montana was Troy about 15 miles into Montana. Can get gas/snacks and one of several gas stations and stores. Next town was Libby, an even bigger town, we are talking fast food chains are here, along with big stores. Now the next 80 miles till you get to Kalispell are fairly remote going through forests and valleys. A very peaceful and scenic trip. We left Bonners Ferry early in the morning about 8am, because I didnt know what to expect or how long it would take. We had the same deal as last year, we would get a hotel room by 3pm, or at least start looking for one at that time. We got into Kalispell around noon, there are alot of hotel options in this town but it was early. We took a break here and decided to get closer to West Glacier, since it was still early. Kalispell is 33 miles from the west entrance to Glacier National park approx, with several towns inbetween. I did take into consideration the chances of finding full hotels will increase as we get closer to the park, but we dicided to risk it. Next big town after Kalispell is Columbia Falls, 12 miles down the road. We started hitting hotels from this point, everything full in this town. Next town is Hungry Horse 3 miles further. The last hotel on the edge of town had one room left, we took it, whew. So now we are situated about 6 miles from West Glacier and the entrance to the park, perfect. Hungry Horse is a small town, couple of hotels, restaurants and gift shops. Huckleberrys are really big in this area. At the gift shops they sell all kinds of huckleberry products and products with it in it. We bought a chocolate bar with huckleberries in it was pretty good. At the hotel were alot of workers, road constuction people working in the park and surrounding areas. Had a nice dinner in a local restaurant, browsed the gift shops, then settled in for the night. You can see alot of stars in that area away from the city lights. Have to be wary of bears in the area also we were told, all the stores sold bear repellant.




Highway 2, entering Montana


Main street Troy


Troy Montana


Gas stop in Libby Montana

[jim63]

Day 5, We left about 8am toward Glacier National Park. Were at the entance in less that 30 mins. Paid our $12.50 each, to enter the park, was told it was good for several days. We were told by others the scenery was spectacular and well worth it. We were not disappointed, we crossed the park on the "Going to the Sun Road" west to east, lotsa traffic but gave plenty of opportunities to see the sights at a very relaxed pace. Saw loads of bikers going through the park, a very popular bike ride. My wife commented at the entrance she hoped to see some wildlife, and at the 1st turn saw several deer on the road. Later we saw mountain goats and some other animals, no bears though. Near Logan Pass, there was road construction which really slowed down the progress. My wife was terrified, in most areas there are no guard rails and the drop goes alooooong way down. It is a impressive 50 mile ride through the park, glacial lakes, snow capped mountains , thick forests, very scenic. West to east is the way to go if you like the edge views, were on the edge more on this direction that east to west. If you are afraid of heights like my wife, I would suggest east to west. Not to mention the roads has alot of gravel on them along with the construction, made for some slow riding unless you got a death wish.

The town of St. Mary marks the east side of the park. We stopped there for a late lunch. We spent about 7 hours in the park. We had decided to spend the night in Browning, if we could find lodging there. There was a casino there, it is on the Blackfeet Indian reservation. The casino was pretty small, maybe 300 slot machines, but was fun. We were able to get a room in the hotel in town. Browning itself is alittle rundown town, that has seen better days. But everyone we ran into was nice.


Entrance to Park


Deer on the road


Cars used for transport and tours in park


Glacial Lake, Lake McDonald


going to the sun road


going to the sun road




tunnel in the park

[jim63]

Day 6. After the ride through the park on the rough roads and crossing 1/2 way across Montana. I did another inspection of the my rear tire. It showed further wear, and the tread pattern was basically non-existant in the middle part of the tire. I saw no bad spots or soft spots as I slowly checked the entire tire on the center stand. We were headed west today, and would check it again after we got back into Kalispell. I saw several cycle dealers and shops on the way out here. Plan for today was to get to Missoula. We hit the road at 7:30am heading west on highway 2 out of Browning. Traffic was light and we cruised to the 1st town 13 miles away which is East Glacier. A tourist town with a few hotels, restaurants and gas stations. The whole town is maybe 3-4 block long not much really. Next town of any size is West Glacier 60 miles away, highway 2 is the lower border of Glacier NP. About 10 miles out of East Glacier, heard a large pop and new I blew my rear tire. Called my wife over the radio to pull over she normally leads the way, with me giving the turn directions. She heard it also even though she was about 20 feet ahead of me. I figured I had a hole and was time to test my patching skills. I had a hole alright, wore right through the belt of the tire. So in a span of 25 miles or so I had gone from rubber to worn through the belt. I was not a happy camper, my tire was toast, the hole was big enough to put a dime through it. Pulled out my cell phone, bingo, you guessed it no cell service, So now the dilemma starts East Glacier has nothing in the way of services for a new tire. and I am about 60 miles from a good chance of getting it fixed in Kalispell. A biker came by a short time later, but there was nothing he could do and wished us well. As my wife had a smoke I decided, I would give it a go at slow speeds 25 mph or so and try to limp it toward a place that can fix it. Didn't want to leave it in the middle of no where. I figured the tire was garbage anyway as long as I was running on some sort of rubber and not my rim it should be ok. I did this for 20 miles, made it to the town of Essex, nothing more than a post office and a restaurant/motel combo. At this point if I continued I would cause damage to my bike, and the tire was just about to totally fall apart. By now it is 9am and the the Half-Way Restaurant in Essex had just opened. Went inside and talked with the owner, and he allowed me to put the bike on the side of his place. I decided against calling a tow truck which would have cost several hundred dollars I am sure to come out and get it. Let my AAA expire years ago. And decided to 2-up back to civilization and rent a truck to fetch my broken ride, and take it someplace to get fixed. So now it is friday, 10am, I need a truck to get my bike, and a place to take it to get fixed, and more than likely a room in a tourist town, with hotels running at capacity more than not. Things are not looking good at the present time.

So my wife who said she'd never 2up with me, is now on the back of her scooter with me driving as we ride the 30 miles to West Glacier and the start of civilization. We are cruising right along at 60mph, thinking this aint so bad, and it starts to rain. I am thinking to myself ok come on give us a break already. We ride through West Glacier and Hungry Horse, both towns dont have much that can help us. In Columbia Falls I see a cycle shop. No tires for my scooter in stock, and they normally dont work on them, more off-road ATV stuff. Continue on to a Les Schwab, I know they dont do bike tires but maybe they'd know someone who does. The young guy behind the counter was a bike rider and bent over backwards to help us. After a few call got in touch with the Honda bike shop in Kalispell (SYM RV250 use same size tires as the Reflex) and they had one in stock, thank God. She said she's put it on the side and if I could get the bike in before 3pm they could do it today. Now I need a truck, the guy told me a U-Haul place was 5 blocks down the street, and he drew me a map so I could find the Honda Shop. This guy was a God send, and I thanked him very much. So off we ride to the Uhaul place. Mr visa secures the use of a truck for $120 including mileage. So now we leave the wifes bike at the U-Haul place, bought some hold-downs at the uhaul place also, and off we 40 miles to get my bike. It is now 11am as we head back east to Essex. The truck was airconditioned which the wife liked and rode nice, was a 24 footer.

We get back to Essex about 30 mins later, was putting some foot into it so there'd be enough time to get it fixed today. The truck comes with a ramp built in, but I was unable to get it up myself and my wife didnt feel comfortable trying to steer it as I pushed. So I go back into the restaurant and the owner agreed to help me. With his help got it into the truck. I thank him for his help, and tie the bike down and off we go. We finally get to the Honda dealer at 12:30,and am told after the mechanics get back from lunch they will start on it. So I unload all of our bags outside the Honda shop, leave my wife there and head back to Columbia Fall to return the truck and get my wifes ride. This evolution takes about an hour and by the time I get back my bike has a nice new tire on it. So now it is almost 2pm, $175 to Lelands Honda (Big thanks to them) for the tire replacement, and another $150 for the truck rental/gas and all is well except for a room. The Honda guy let me use his phonebook as i called hotel after hotel all full. Finally after about 10 calls got a room at the Hotel 6 on the south side of Kalispell. We are both spent emotionally after this trying day and are ready to chill the rest of the day. We check into our room and go to a rather nice upscale restaurant across the street for a nice dinner and drinks. What a day, we were glad the ordeal was over.




In Essex all loaded up


Closeup in the truck can see the goobered up rear tire


New tire installed, parked under a tree at the Motel 6. Back on the road

to be continued.

[jim63]

Day 7, We leave Kalispell and head south on highway 93, todays goal is Salmon Idaho about 250 miles away. There is small casino along the way inbetween Kalispell and Missoula on the Flathead Indian reservation. We have been here before, it is about 15-20 miles north of the interstate and Missoula. We were here about 1 1/2 hours alittle longer than I would have preferred but the Mrs was having fun. Today is saturday and Salmon Idaho is a tourist type town and again I was concerned about lodging. With breaks and our normal pace I figured we'd get there around 3-4 pm. The road from Kalispell to Missoula is a good quality country 2 lane highway, traffic was abit heavy at times but moved along generally at 60+mph, we were getting passed alot on this road. Speed limit was 70mph in some areas but we kept our pace of 55mph for the most part. We got to Missoula around noon. After topping off our tanks in Missoula, we continued south on highway 93. Near the towns of Hamilton and Darby there was sporadic road construction, we had seen alittle when we entered Kalispell from Idaho. In Montana they dont mess around, the road was gone, you are driving on gravel and mud, while they replace it, along with some nasty ruts. My wife is a very cautious rider, to the point it can be painful, she was riding at 10mph or so through these patches that were miles long in some places. Needles to say our progress was slowed significantly, the speed limit was 45mph posted in the zones, we pulled over alot to let groups pass us.

We topped off in Hamilton again for the run into Salmon, through the mountains on the border of Montana/Idaho. After we got through the last of the construction we stopped in the small site of Sula Montana. There is a gas station/store there, got some cold drinks. After Sula is the border of Idaho. Go through some really twisty roads and switchbacks as you go through the passes. Progress was slowed somewhat through here as well, I maxed out a few times on some steep grades at 45-50mph and my wife in some twisty spots. I thought it was alot of fun, my wife was nervous and needed a smoke after it leveled out some. We finally rolled into Salmon at almost 5pm. 1st two hotels we stopped at full, they first place didnt know if there were any rooms left in town. I am beginning to think oh great here we go again. Salmon is in the middle of no where, there is not much around it for miles and miles unless you are camping then you got no issues. The 3rd place the guy was on the phone taking a reservation, so I think this is great he has rooms. Wrong he had a room, the guy on the phone got his last one. But the hotel guy after turning on his no vacancy sign, helped us call other hotels till we found one with a room left. We were down to 1 more place to call after calling 6-7 other places it was that bad. As it happens it was the 1st place we passed coming into town. A biker was behind us with his girlfriend 2up as we pulled into the hotel. I went in before him, told the guy I just talked with him and got our room. The biker guy was out of luck we got the last room. We rode downtown and got some dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Came back and there was some big get togather at our hotel. People were grilling and partying it up pretty, our room was on the backside of the hotel which faced the salmon river. And there was firepits and tables setup there. We were concerned our bikes were parked right in the middle of the partying, but they were not touched. Even though most of the people were wasted, they were pretty well behaved. There was some hooting and hollering going on but nothing out of control. We got invited down to join them but my wife was tired out from the long ride so we declined.


Lakeside Montana


Highway 93, near Polson Montana


rest stop south of Lakeside


Missoula Montana


Sula Montana


Our hotel in Salmon Idaho
to be continued

[robprid]

Lovely adventure , please keep us posted .

[jim63]

Day 8, We leave Salmon headed south on highway 93, ultimate goal is Jackpot Nevada, but we plan to cruise through the Sawtooth National Recreation area and hit the towns of Ketchum and Hailey. With a distance of close to 300 miles making it today would probably not be happening. Sunday morning at 8am the traffic is really light as we appear to be ahead of the party crowd, that is still sleeping. We topped off the tanks last night after dinner, so we leave Salmon without any more stops. Highway 93 is in very good condition, and is a pleasant ride down a 2 lane country highway. Ellis is the 1st town you get to 40 miles south of Salmon, another 17 miles is Challis. We stopped here for gas, but mostly for a smoke break for the Mrs. Also took the time to wrap our backpacks in the plastic bags we brought along. The news said to expect some showers in the mountains (where we were) and the clouds were getting thicker and darker.

After Challis we leave highway 93 and get on highway 75, which will take us through the Sawtooth Rec Area, and lead us to Ketchum and Hailey. When we got to Stanley, the dark clouds opened up on us and we got drenched. It rained, no down-poured for about 15 mins, then promptly stopped. Being from the Pacific Northwest we are used to the all day, misty, miserable sprinkles that keep you wet all day. 30 mins after the rain stopped we were pretty much fully dried out, while riding and the sun poking out here and there. Wasn't to bad at all. Roads got alittle twisty in the Sawtooth Rec area south of Stanley. Was also scenic and relaxing, cruising at 50-55mph. We got to Ketchum around noon. Ketchum is a pretty big town, and highway 75 runs right down the middle of it, probably there main street.. Lots of little shops and restaurants, but not one major gas station on this street in town. The street was crowded with people and traffic, we were doing maybe 25-30mph tops through town. We didnt stop here and proceeded the 11 miles to Hailey. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore live here if I rememeber, guess Demi is with Ashton now. Anyway in Hailey we did stop at the Big Belly Deli, right on Highway 75. The highway is like main street for this town also. Had a killer Pastrami sandwich, it was a big sandwich. It filled my belly for sure. It is a small shop with seating in front of it along with inside. The sun was out now, with temps in the upper 70's with a nice breeze was perfect weather, so we ate outside.

After Hailey we continued south and into lower altitudes, and the temps were increasing rapidly. In the town of Shoshone highway 75 links back up with highway 93. The temps were pushing 90 now with no breeze, getting hot. It is now about 2pm and we take a rest stop here and refuel. We were aboout 80 miles from Jackpot, but we both agreed Twin Falls, 20 more miles, would be it, the heat was wearing us down. After Hailey it was almost like riding in the desert, the trees thinned out alot to almost being gone. Beginning of the day was mountains and forests, now it is hot desert type terrain. 20 miles later we hit the intersection of I-84, and there was a Days Inn along with a truck stop next to it. We thought this was as good as anyplace to stop at. Room was cheap at $75, but the pool/hot tub was out of service, grrrrr.....Oh well, at the truckstop they sold souveniers and had a rack of T-shirts 2 for $10, we got some.








Big Belly Deli in Hailey, Idaho

To be continued

[jim63]

Day 9 would be our shortest travel day, we were maybe 53 miles from Jackpot. We watched the weather reports before we left and rain and wind was expected for a good part of the day. So we wrapped the bags again as we left the Hotel and headed south on highway 93 toward Twin Falls, a short 5 miles down the road. The clouds looked like they could dump at any second, but the wind wasnt bad in the city. We topped off in town, and hoped we could avoid the rain for the short ride to Jackpot. Twin Falls is a big town, all the services you could need, gas, food, hotels etc. Just outside of Twin Falls the terrain opens back up to a desert type, open with hills. Here is where the wind picked up big time. The last 30 miles to Jackpot was hilly, and we were going against a viscious wind. I was maxed out more times than I care to remember, and if I wasn't at WOT I was pretty darn close to it. It was all I could do to maintain 45-50mph, it was brutal. These are the days I wish I had a bigger bike, and think back to when I passed on the Burgy 650 for this at the dealer. Dont get me wrong this RV250 has been bullit proof for 25K miles now, but the rare days like this is where I wish for more ponies under me. I didnt help it was mostly uphill to the Nevada border. The last 30 miles took almost an hour, including a 10 min smoke break for the wife. But we beat the rain, and at we were there at 11am. We went to Cactus Jacks and they had a room ready so we were able to check in right away which was a relief. It still looked like it could rain at any moment, getting our bags in before that happened was a bonus. We spent the rest of the day gambling, drinking and have a good time. Was a fun day overall. And we did go to another casino across the street, forget the name,we did hear the large crack of thunder and lightning from inside it. We along with some of the other people there looked outside and saw multiple lightning bolts nearby and very hard downpours going. We decided to keep playing here for awhile till the rain stopped or at least slowed down. Scooters got a free bath out of it. This took place about 2 hours after we got here, so we were lucky they had a room ready so early, or some of our stuff would've got wet.


Rest stop about 20 miles from Jackpot, Rogerson Idaho


Slight break in the weather as we entered Nevada


Hotel pool as seen from out 6th floor room


Night pic from our hotel room


Looking north, road is highway 93 toward Idaho

to be continued

[jim63]

Day 10, We leave about 9:30am and back north on highway 93 toward Twin Falls. The plan for today was to go to Boise and pick up highway 20 there for the cruise across Oregon, to the coast. I didnt have a detailed map for side highways, so some of today would be via I-84, was just unavoidable without going way out of our way. Before we got back to Twin Falls, we picked up highway 30. This allowed us to skip about 40 miles of I-84, and cruise through some small but nice Idaho towns. Buhl on highway 30, was a nice town. When you think of small town USA this town fits the bill. Houses were all in good shape, clean town. We stopped at a Shell for gas and a break here. While we stood outside resting, several people passed us all said hi. Town just gives off a warm and inviting attitude, I liked it here. Crossed the Snake River a along this road. After the town of Bliss, you hit the interstate. Bliss was not an appropriate name for what we saw. Boarded up businesses, just a rundown area. A complete 180 from what Buhl was.

We are not big fans of the interstate. My wife gets really nervous whenever we get on them, and we got about 100 miles to ride on it. Good thing is you are moving right along, but it is boring for me mostly, just droning along. We got off in Mountain Home for a late breakfast at a Jack-in-the-Box right off the highway. We were making good time and I figured we'd be in Boise by noon. I was looking at the map, and I floated the idea by my wife to press on the interstate for another 150 miles or so into Oregon and we could go to the Wildhorse Casino/Resort near Pendleton. She wasn't to enthusiastic about it, but she loves the casinos, and I figured we could be there by 5pm with reasonable breaks. So we went for it. Cruised to the Oregon border no sweat. Stopped in Baker City, Oregon for gas, 71 miles into Oregon. After La Grande we hit the winds again along with the passes ans steep hills, back to WOT again. We got to the Wildhorse Casino/Resort at 5pm PST, an hour later than I planned , we were in Mountain time when we left this morning. This was almost a 400 mile day our longest of the trip by alot. Not something I want to repeat anytime soon. I got 50mpg out of this tank of gas due to the WOT, hills and wind combo, was getting 60+ prior. My wife wasn't to happy about it either, 250 miles a day is her comfort zone. Slot machine therapy cured this in short order. I forgot the wierd thing about this place. For whatever reason they decided no alcoholic beverages on the gaming floor. You want a beer or mixed drink you must drink it in the bar areas. So it was diet cokes for me..... The sport bar was inviting but the wife is not a sports person, and she prefers soft drinks over alcoholic ones most of the time. So I sucked it up for a day. A big buffet dinner, few hours gambling and I was out like a light when we went to our room around 10pm.




Crossing Snake River in Idaho


rest stop on an off ramp of I-84 in Oregon


Gravel business off of I-84 Oregon


The Wildhorse Resort
To be continued

[jim63]

Day 11, Due to the deviation we made yesterday, I had to reroute us to get back on cousre for the coast. Weather was not going to be in our favor today. A low system was near Redmond, Oregon, slowly moving east. We were heading towards another rain system, but once it passed the weather was supposed to improve for the next few days. The wife was done with interstates unless absolutely unavoidable, I agreed with her. The 2 lane highways are much more enjoyable. We took highway 395 south from Pendleton, we were on this same stretch last year going to Las Vegas. 395 was a pleasant ride through forests, over several passes with some twisty parts. Near Long Creek summit, it got really cold, and looked like the road was steaming, and in the shaded areas on the side of the road was some small patches of snow. Was wierd to say the least, was a very small amount just patches here and there, but the previous night it must have came down as snow instead of rain here. We reached the town of Mount Vernon and the intersection of highway 26 at about 11am.
The last couple of hours the clouds were getting darker, and you could tell the rain was coming as we turned west on highway 26. About 5 miles past Mount Vernon it started downpouring. My wife pulled over since she had trouble seeing with all the rain coming down. So we sat there for 5 mins and just got totally soaked. The rain stopped and I broke out a rag to clear my wifes windscreen. She looks through hers which is a bad deal when raining, I look over mine so not to effected. So we press on after this and start to dry out pretty quickly. About an hour later we get nailed again by a downpour. This one lasted only about 2-3 mins but soaked us again. After this time the clouds seem to be more broken up, can actuatly start to see some blue spots. We stopped in the town of Mitchell for a late lunch. We stopped at an old west style bar/restaurant, which was run by a older biker and his wife. They make some awesome burgers there and have large homestyle fries. I had a double burger and was stuffed. The biker guy went outside to check out our rides, he liked them. We told him we are headed home in a round-about way coming from Glacier NP, he was impressed alittle by that. We continued on to Prineville another 50 miles down the road. Was after 3 pm, and Redmond was 19 miles away so we stopped in Prineville for the night. I was alittle anxious to get these jeans off, my legs were dry but the crotch was still damp from the soakings. Had dry ones in my backpack. The Stafford Inn was our palce for this night. The pool/hot tub were in good working order, the hot tub was fantastic to get relaxed after a long day in the saddle.




cruising highway 395






Restaurant in Mitchell


rest stop on highway 26

to be continued

[Kiwiscoot]

Great ride - thanks for sharing. Beautiful scenery.
kiwiscoot

[shalomdawg]

howdy and thanks for the diary. i was through there with oldlazydog about the 1st of july and riding in the snow for two days. that's really strange about the tires going bad so quick. i have 6000 miles on two of my scoots with no visible signs o wear. i do drive and accelerate more slowly than some though being such an old timer---

you'd get a bone from me.

lotsa miles and smiles to ya --and when ya next get to eastern washington , i would be happy to meet up with ya somewhere.

[jim63]

I am not very happy with the Avon Viper Strykes. My rear tire went out, literally worn out at about 4500 miles. After the trip my wifes rear tire is showing signs of wear also, she has about 3500 on them now. My front tire has developed bulges on it, I have it aired up to 33psi. My wifes front tire looks good. We dont do jack rabbit starts or ride in a really agressive fashion. And we dont overload our bikes either to create a fast wear situation. My original tires were Metzlers and got 9k out of the rear, after that had the Michelin Gold Standards got 9k out of them also. Almost all the roads we travel on are in excellent condition, we avoid the gravel backroads. I can say I will never buy them again, that is for sure. I have investigated even trying to "darkside" my rear tire. I found a tire sold in Europe, no US sellers. It is a Michelin 145/60-13. This is alittle wider, but that should be no problem there is some wiggle room. The aspect ratio is a 60 vs the 70 it has now, which will help keep the diameter from dramatically increasing. There is maybe an inch between the tire and engine case with the tires now. I calculated using this tire would increase the overall diameter less than an inch. So it should fit, but would be real close to the engine, maybe 1/2 inch of clearance. I may try this later on, not trying to hijack my own thread, but this has been on my mind, replace tires is getting expensive. Will continue on the ride story now.

[jim63]

Day 12 and 13, We leave Prineville, pass through Redmond and continue on to Sisters, Oregon where we refuel prior to our crossing of the Cascades into western Oregon and head for the coast. Sisters was an interesting place, little shops/restaurants, was a tourist type of town. The highway cuts right through middle of town. After Sisters you head towards the mountains through thick forests, highway 20 and 126 run togather at this point. After crossing Santiam Pass the highway splits, we continue on highway 20. The road gets pretty twisty after Santiam Pass on highway 20. Was fun to ride this section through the forest. 60 miles from Sisters you get to the 1st town of Cascadia, nothing to exciting. 15 miles after this you hit Sweet Home, which has a plethora of gas stations and other services if you need them. It is a good sized town. After Sweet Home you are back in civilization again, town after town, Lebanon is a good sized town also. 12 miles after Lebanon you get to I-5 and Albany. We had lunch in Albany at Taco Time located just on the west side of I-5. Always did prefer Taco Time over Taco Bell, they more spendy but I think it is worth it.
Corvallis is a short 10 miles past Albany. We past by the University of Oregon on highway 20, can see the football stadium. We stayed on highway 20 all the way to the coast passing through numerous small towns. The ride is a pleasant one with speeds of 55mph posted, except in towns where it drops. Road gets twisty is some parts along the way, so it is fun. Plenty of places to stop if you need breaks, drinks or fuel. It is only about 50 miles from Corvallis to Newport which is on the coast, at the point we pick up highway 101. We take highway 101 north for about 25 miles till we get to the Chinook Resort in Lincoln City. Highway 101 hugs the coast the entire way to Lincoln City and has some good scenic views. It is thursday night and I figured it would be a longshot to get a room for 2 days there. Last year we we tried on a weekend and it was booked solid. So with low expectations I went into the resort lobby to see about a room. They had some suites at $200 or 1 smaller room (non beach view) for $80. Being brought up in a Bohemian family I am cheap by nature so we got the $80 room. The small room was really small maybe 10x12 with a bathroom attached and one queen bed, no way 2 beds would fit in here. But it served it's purpose nicely and was cozy. Was about 3:30pm when we checked in. If you join there casino club, which is free to do, you get a free buffet dinner each. Well friday night is seafood night and was $22 apiece to go so we joined, save me $44 for the next nights dinner.
We had a good time gambling, we did walk on the beach several times. And there are some really friendly raccoons that beg for food and rummage through the trash cans that live nearby. We saw them several times. No way I'd hand feed them, never know about the rabies chance. Friday night the buffet line was super long, so we decided to wait till later to go eat, was open from 6-10pm. About 7pm we started seeing people with those electric lighted things that restaurants give out that flash when your table is ready. At 8pm the line was really short,but we were told the list was so long they didnt think we'd get in but could be put on the list if we wanted. The resort has a upscale restaurant near the lobby of the resort that overlooks the beach we ate there friday night. Ended up using the free buffet coupons sat morning before we hit the road, saved about $20. Word to the wise if you go here for friday night go to the buffet early.




Flag lined street in Redmond


rest stop highway 20 west of Santiam Pass


break in Sweet Home


riding through Lebanon


Entering Newport the ocean is in sight


Picture from a bridge in Depoe Bay


one of the resident raccoons at the Chinook Resort


Sunset on the beach


"D" building where our room was at, the Chinook is a big place

To be continued

[jim63]

Day 14and 15, Saturday morning after the buffet breakfast we hit the road. We are travelling on highway 101 north and have alittle over 100 miles till we get to Astoria. Highway 101 follows the coast for most of the way to Astoria, passing through many small towns. It is a pleasant drive down a country style 2 lane highway, traffic isn't to bad most of the time. Near Rockaway Beach it was bumper to bumper for 2-3 miles, never did see why no accidents or anything we noticed. Once in Rockaway Beach the traffic jam just disappeared and you cruised through town at 35mph the posted speed, was wierd. We stopped at a store called Flamingo Jims, bought some T-shirts and other small souveniers. They have a large supply of yard decorations, from cement animals to fountains to plastic pink Flamingo's.
After a quick shopping break we continued on and were quickly nearing Astoria. About a mile from the giant bridge that you cross back into Washington here, we saw another scooter rider on a United Motors 250, a fellow Washingtonian. Got a pic of him, but the light changed before I could get close enough to talk to him. We were behind him as we crossed the 4 mile bridge, he pulled away there, my wife was terrified of the bridge and proceeded at a slower pace. When we got to the other side he was well ahead of us and we soon lost sight of him.
We stopped for gas in Long Beach, Washington. There was a kite festival going on and the streets were packed with people.
We got back on highway 101 north and were looking to go to Ocean Shores, to the Quinault Beach Casino Resort. We stopped for lunch near Raymond and proceeded to make some calls to see if we could get a room. The Resort was booked, along with 5 other hotels I called. Ocean Shores was a no-go. So I suggest the Little Creek Casino near Shelton. We got there at 5pm, they were booked solid, the hotels in Shelton were booked solid also. The closest hotels that may have rooms were in Olympia or Lacey another 20 miles away. Worst case scenario, we could ride another 2 1/2 hours down I-5 and go all the way home, we were 150 miles from home at this point from Olympia.
Since we were here at the casino the mrs. was adamant about gambling alittle. So for 1 1/2 hours we gambled and had some fun. Then we hit the road again, it now about 7pm and I am not feeling to good about our prospects for a room. We ride highway 101 till we hit I-5 and head north. We see signs for hotels and get off in Lacey. The Ramada was full, but the Comfort Inn had a room left, we nabbed it. Outside our Hotel was a T-Max with Minnesota plates. Never did see the owner, it did have a large cargo bag on the passenger seat.
The next day we went to the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, via I-5 and Highway 18. After that we took Highway 167 into Renton then cruised Rainier Ave through Seattle, along with other side streets to come out at the University of Washington. After the scenic tour of Seattle we took several small highways back north, eventually getting on Highway 9, back home to Sedro Woolley.
We were sad the trip was over, but all good things must come to an end. So after almost 2800 miles and 15 day later it was over. The SYM's performed flawlessly again, never a hint of any issues. The tire was another story, the lesson learned there is to replace them just prior to a trip, not months in advance if you ride alot like I do. My SYM is now over 25,000 miles, the wifes is over 10,000, both have been very good to us. I really like my SYM alot, but I think next year if things come togather I will be on a more powerful ride. Had the same thoughts after last years trip. Hope you enjoyed reading this long story. Scooter vacations are alot of fun, if you get the opportunity go for it.




Passing a Can-Am Spyder on Highway 101


Cruising highway 101 Oregon


Tunnel on Highway 101 in Oregon


Uniited Motors scooter guy in Astoria


Crossing the Columbia River , on Oregon side looking towards Washington


Crossing the Bridge


Coming up to a tunnel in Washington


Arriving at our home town via highway 9

[♣Luke♣]

the two of you are very adventurous, thanks for sharing your pics with us.

[robprid]

Thank you so much for sharing . Cant wait for your next years adventure . Hopefully on a more "powerful" scoot .

[jim63]

Glad it was enjoyable to read. Was definitely fun to do. Something we look forward to all year. Just did some more riding on my RV250 today, and I really like this scooter alot. More I think about it, a few mountains and windy days may not be enough to justify replacing this scooter. I am looking around, and have a few interesting opportunities I may investigate further. There are 2 Burgy 650's fairly close to me I am interested in, both 2008's one is "new" zero miles, and another is slightly used at 300 miles with a Givi box. The other I was looking at was a new 2010, Honda NV700. The Honda originally ay MSRP of $9999 was priced to high IMO, and said if it was dropped $2000 I'd be interested. Well there is one at that price at a dealer in Seattle. Go figure, and the used market for scooters and motorcycles is looking really good now. So If the right deal comes along I will pull the trigger. But only after careful thought, have firmly decided to skip rides under 500cc's. If I am to replace it it would be for more power primarily. The 400's although good, are a slight increase over my SYM, and after reading on other forums may still be wanting in some occaisions for more HP. So I will go big scooter or 650 or better motorcycle.

[kz1000st]

You should look up used Vulcan 800s or something in that class. With saddlebags and a shield they can cruise all day, ignore the wind, get decent gas mileage and last forever. I've seen them with around 5,000 miles for not much more than you paid for the SYMs and that's barely broken in.

[Kiwiscoot]

Great story Jim. You are very adventurous. Enjoy your thoughts on going bigger. I've been mulling things over about going bigger too. My thoughts are that bigger is not always better as I had that experience with yachts. When I had a small one I really enjoyed sailing and kept looking at bigger ones thinking the enjoyment would be proportional to size. Well what a comedown when I got the bigger boat. Only used it a handful of times and then it sat for 4 years.
With your long trips bigger will be better as far as power goes, but then you have to weigh up higher maintenance costs, more involved maintenance, higher fuel consumption, would your wife be happy on a bigger machine as no use you having a big machine and her smaller one not being able to keep up, will you use it in town as much as you use your RV250's. I seem to remember you writing somewhere(forgive if I have it wrong) that your wife was nervous in some situations, will she be better with a bigger machine or will she be more anxious of a bigger machine falling on her??
Somehow I still look at secondhand bigger scoots on our equivalent of Craigslist, but I've come to the conclusion that the Citycom fits my needs and it does not warrant an upgrade for the few times I could've used more power. Sometimes smaller makes the trip a bigger adventure.
Life is a compromise - makes it interesting. happy scoot-hunting/scooting
Kiwiscoot

[jim63]

The bigger bike would be for me only. My wife is fine on the RV250, and our normal "touring" speed is 55-60mph. She can go up the mountain passes loaded up at those speeds without fear of maxing out or worrying about the wind. Me on the other hand toting an extra 100lbs plus gear are not as fortunate in those situations. But those situations are not the normal ones, I usually have no trouble keeping up with her. I am in no hurry to upgrade, actually have plans for my RV250 waiting on the parts for a mod. With the heavy use 25K miles in less than 2 years, and the problem free service it has given me, everytime I look at it in the garage it will be a tough decision to make. It will have to be a super deal to get me to pull the trigger.

[chaz12]

Ya, that is cool. That is a bit far for a Chinese scooter to travel. I own and ride a Bali 250 and mainly keep trips around 400 miles. I changed tires this year and bought new windshield. But the main issues with Chinese scooters, is they recommend checking everything out and half the time will be doing just that. It is a blast just to ride though. Glad you shared pics.

[shalomdawg]

howdy, thanks for the pic's and comments. i don't have the camera for those quality pics.

lotsa miles and smiles to ya

[oscar]

I took an Amtrak ride thru Glacier back in May. That is 1 fantastic park. Amtrak ride was fantastic as well. Like being on a landship & cheap cheap. $160 ticket got me halfway across the continent. If you broke a scooter down & packed it in cardboard boxes you could probably ship it as luggage. You can bring a huge amount of luggage on Amtrak & the ride is so smooth it puts everyone to sleep.

[choirguy]

Loved your post. Just moved to Florida from Steilacoom, WA. Know a lot of the places you visited. Also inspired me to do something similar down here where the weather's a bit more favorable to us dawgs. Thanks.

[jim63]

Glad you liked it, was a fun trip. Best advice given on trips and life in general, do them while you can, you never know what is coming the next day. The trip you may regret the most is the one you didnt take. As long as we can afford to do them, and are healthy enough, we will do our vacations via scooter/motorcycles. Definitely a whole different animal versus taking the car.