The First 3 Days - Sept 4 to 6

I pulled the fully loaded bike away from the house at about 9:15am on Friday, September 4 to get this trip underway. I had already plotted a route that was entirely backroads with the exception of a few miles on I-205 to get over the Columbia River from Washington to Oregon (the only other nearby option was I-5 -- so this was one of the expected cases when I couldn't avoid an interstate without a long detour). The route (along the Clackamas River in Oregon on State Routes 224 and 46) took me over an incredibly beautiful road with almost no other traffic. It was exhilarating to get the trip underway after years of dreaming and months of anticipation. And to get it started on a great road that I had never been on was an added bonus. Almost immediately I was treated to some of the fun and funny road signs that seem to populate our roadways. My favorites on this day included "No Services Ahead." I'm used to signs that say "no services for x miles" but "No Services Ahead" certainly made it sound like it was a dead-end road -- which it wasn't. There were/are "services ahead" so why did some sign official deem this sign appropriate when it might have said "no services for 50 miles." Oh well, it made me chuckle but I was less amused by the sign that said "Caution - No Target Shooting." I'm guessing the specificity was meant to allow hunting but not shooting at targets. It wasn't a happy thought to know that hunters might be shooting along this heavily treed route.

As I previously mentioned, Deb/Ben/Debi and the grandkids drove over -- leaving later in the day so I was able to arrive in Bend, Oregon in time to make two brief stops to meet some long-time friends of my parents and to say hello to friends of ours. With a little cell-phone coordination, I was able to time my arrival at the Sunriver destination within a few minutes of the other family arrivals.

We stayed in Sunriver for two nights enjoying some wonderful family time and superb food prepared by Ben's grandfather as well as touring the area and getting in 9 holes of golf with Ben, his grandmother and his uncle. Thankfully, my motorcycling is more satisfying than my golf -- a past time that I have only taken up within the past several months.

The cross-country trip got restarted around 9 am Sunday, September 6 from Sunriver. Thanks to some last minute recommendations from Ben, I changed my planned route across eastern Oregon to the more scenic State Route 26 that traverses several scenic mountain passes along the John Day River, home to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument areas. As one of the overlook signs related about the area: "John Day country is an elaborate mosaic of geologic action... Only our limited sense of time maintains the illusion of life on a stable platform. Yet, occasionally a volcanic explosion, or the earth trembling beneath our feet, will remind us of the colossal powers at work shaping the land."

The day started with a few sprinkles as I was leaving -- but stayed dry the rest of the day. Early on I changed to heavier gloves as the temperatures stayed in the 50's until mid-day -- and clearing and warming thoughout the afternoon eventually reached a toasty 77. Except for the last 50 miles of straight, this route into Ontario, Oregon, another first for me, was spectacularly beautiful and fun for motorcycle touring. The signs today weren't so humorous but rather a sobering reminder of one of the ever-present risks. Many miles after I spotted 3 rather-fresh dear carcasses alongside the road, there were both regular signs and especially placed electronic signs warning of "Wildlife Crossing Next 30 miles." It was obvious that the deer don't read the signs -- and the signs probably should just read: Remember Wildlife Cross Everywhere.