Pete and I left Bob’s at 9 am, gassed up and stopped for coffee. Sometime around 10:50, while still at the coffee shop, I realized that I had left something at Bob’s…so it is obvious that we were not in a hurry.

Sometime around noon we stopped on Hwy 20 for another coffee and a cigar so Pete could call Master Chief Taylor in the tri-cities area to make sure he could join us tomorrow night.

Pete came up with today’s theme at this stop when he looked at me with a big grin on his face after the call and said “This DOES NOT suck!”

Pete taking a picture of me…

…taking a picture of him.

If you haven’t been over the North Cascades highway, it has some beautiful vistas, just come prepared for the weather. It rained on us, snowed on us, and sunshined on us all in about a 50 mile stretch. Here are some photos:

We reached Winthrop around 3pm, had lunch, and checked into the Duck Brand hotel and restaurant. Here is the view from our balcony:

And last but not least, a photo of Pete laughing at me trying to blog with the frackin’ sun in my eyes.

Tomorrow we have to find our way to Tim Moon’s home in the tri-cities area. I’ve been hearing “Moon” and “Master Chief” stories for over ten years and meeting these guys is one of the “must-do’s” of this trip. Pete swears that my face will hurt on Sunday from laughing so hard. Bob (a.k.a. The Big Unit), if you’re reading this, it’s only a three and a half hour drive — we’ll leave the light on for you…

Today is a slow news day. I’m taking the bike in for its 4k service and spending the night here in Seattle again.

Addendum:

My friends at Lake City Kawasaki got the bike in and out quickly, so we had plenty of time left to; as Pete put it “corrupt our first young ‘en of the trip.” Connor joined us for his first cigar, a Rocky Patel.

Have you seen a prouder father?

I would apologize Kim, but he is 19, and that’s older than Josh and Daniel Madison were when they smoked their first one. 😉

Except for the constant rain between Eugene and Seattle there wasn’t anything to see, take pictures of, or to complain about for that matter.

Driving all day in the rain gives you little time for thinking about anything other than the road, what’s in the road, and if the driver of the cage next to you is actually paying attention to the road. I actually saw one guy either text messaging, or keying a really long phone number into his cell phone. That was the only time of the day I “got in a hurry.”

I’m staying at the Rankin’s until Friday morning and the big disappointment is that Kim and Jessica are in DC, so I won’t get to see them. Connor and Peirce are here and I’ve yet to figure out Noah’s whereabouts.

Since it’s been a couple of years since Bob, Pete, and I have had a chance to get together, we wasted no time…

Day Two: May 1, 2007

Well, today got a little exciting. Not only did I take a pass that was much more suited to a dual-sport, I almost ran over two squirrels, a chipmunk, and a rather large rock in the road.

Suffice it to say that I highly recommend that you have a dual-sport before you attempt today’s extravaganza. In short, 80 miles took over three and half hours!

The road started out well enough. Early on, I ran across this very well landscaped area. The color was simply stunning.

This is a view from the mouth of Hellgate canyon where I started out.

There were some beautiful views

But the road wasn’t all it wasn’t all that impressive. In fact, it left much to be desired. I’d love to show you the more desperate spots, but I didn’t have the guts to stop the bike an take a picture. 😉

Here is a shot from the top of Bear Camp road. It was freezing cold. No one in his or her right mind would try this route this early in the season. That goes double for anyone on a street bike. And yes, I know what that says about me.

Fortunately, since Eric warned me that it had snowed nine inches in Colorado last week, I came prepared.

The road was rough to say the least. Wash outs that looked like they had been repaired by blind Irishmen (I’m Irish, I can say that.), not to mention squirrels, chipmunks, moose, and the inevitable logger.

This section found the bike doing a Pirouette on the newly installed freeway bar. No harm done, but I should have entered this section in First instead of Second. Picking up a fully loaded 660lb bike is no picnic. Where is my wingman?

Even though it was overcast much of the day, the views were still worth the trip.

The weather took another turn for the worse as I reached the coast, and with moose warnings galore, the and time running out for me to reach Seattle by Wednesday evening, I reluctantly turned inland on Hwy 38 to reach Eugene. Another two and a half hours in the rain found me there for a hot shower and a friendly pub with Stone IPA on tap! I figure things happen for a reason, and I was obviously intended to be here in Eugene tonight. The northern coast of OR will have to wait for another trip…

Wednesday should find me in Seattle by early afternoon.

Bob, warm up the scotch. I’m bringing the cigars…

For my fellow gearheads out there. I was pleasantly surprised at the way the 1500 handled fully loaded. I about half expected it to wallow like a drunken hippo in the high mountain passes. It was a little slower to respond than normal, but the balance was still solid and the cross winds were easily navigated. The more miles I put on this bike, the better I like it. As the trip continues, I’ll have more to say, but here is a list of the gear its first impression:

Saddlebags: Although they are wide, the hold a lot and don’t seem to affect the handling at speed.

Tankbag: I like the magnet tank bag — it seems sturdy enough. This model is intended for a sport bike, so it has a few quirks. It is nice to be able to carry all my valuables when I step away from the bike.

Driver backrest: At the end of the first day, I love the support it provides.

AirHawk Seat: This air cell seat, loaned to me by Jeff Meehan, is a real bum saver! Unlike previous daytrips where I needed to get off the bike every hour by the end of the day, today I only had to stop for fuel and bio-breaks.

Highway bars and foot pegs: The way these are set up I, have added about five different positions I can use to stretch out my legs.

Luggage Bag: Less than thrilled with this bag. Plastic D rings seem cheap (I’m afraid I’m going to cinch one of them down the bike and break it.) and it’s a royal pain to access the main compartment. It could also use a bigger sleeping bag roll.