West coast ride in a week!

[killer_buell]

Good morning all, just wanted to hear any good advice you might have for me regarding a trip I'm planning on leaving on next Sunday. I own a 2006 12ss, and have done one long ride on it-from northern Idaho, where I bought it, to southern California, Orange County area. Now I'm heading back up to the same area to get some firefighter/EMT training in, and I had a couple quick questions about routes/prep.

I'm going to follow the coast the majority of the way, because lets face it-no other route up can hold a candle to it. The first day will get me up to Monterey, and I'll be following the coast from SLO onward. Second day will be from Monterey to Fort Bragg, with a stop in SF for irish coffee, and Sonoma beach for the fantastic bouldering(rock climbing). 3rd day- Fort Bragg to Grants Pass, going through the redwoods. Fourth day will get me to Newport, OR; Fifth to Seattle, WA; and the last day's leg will cross the state to my destination, Sandpoint, ID. The last three days are still in the air as far as sights and stops go.

Questions are these:

Anything I CANNOT miss in Oregon/Washington? I've scoured previous posts about similar trips, and am obviously hitting the big ones in CA(Big Sur, Redwoods), but have yet to find anything specific about the Oregon coast.
Secondly, when I came down last time I somehow got myself onto a tiny road in the Redwoods forest, which was almost as small as a single car's width; it cut over to the coast from south of the "drive through tree", and was twisty, windy, hilly and just all around "HELL YES" awesomeness... I was sweating and exhausted by the time I hit the coast, and my throat was sore from yelling off the exhilaration- but it was the best road I have ever experienced... and now I can't find it. Anyone have any similar roads which lead through the forest they could pass on to me?

And lastly, my bike is just over 10k, and I'm trying to do the maintenance and prep myself as much as I can. All the regular stuff I have handled-filter, oils, brakes, etc. But I was thinking of taking it in for a Digital Tech test at the dealership, which will cost me $50. Is this worthwhile? And I'm working off of BuellPartsGuy's list halfway down this thread-is there anything else I'm missing?

I picked up the Cortech saddle bags/tail bag in good used condition, and I have the buell tank bag which will have my directions/maps. Brand new tires as well.

Sorry about the long first post, but I'm really stoked to connect with you guys, and I'm pretty excited about this trip. Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[go cytocis]

I am also on an '06 Ss and I've done several road trips on it.

Olympic peninsula & Neah Bay at the north west tip of WA are definitely worth a visit. Take some rain gear!

In addition to all the typical parts & tools you are researching, I travel with a copy of Technoresearch Centurion loaded on a small cheap laptop in case I need to replace an ECM, do diagnostics, or TPS reset in a remote rural area.

Good luck & enjoy!

 

[Internet Annoyance]

I live in Oregon and can point to a few spots, depends on what you like...

First of all, that Nor Cal and Oregon Coast route is incredible and highly recomended. HOWEVER, its very accident prone, too many people looking at the scenery, texting, on their phones, handing out burgers to Hunter and Ashley riding in the back of their SUVs, or Drunk or high,, (Some of the best Pot in the world is grown in Norcal and southern Oregon, but sadly, theres a severe Meth and pain pill problem in many of the coastal communitys)
I have several friends who live along the Oregon coast including a EMT and the crashes are bad. Please use EXTREME CAUTION when riding along 101. Not to say dont do it, just be really careful.

heres a couple tips IMHO, first,,Stop in Nor-Cal on 101 I think it is, and see the Paul Bunyan statue,,cheesy,, but fun, then a little north of that site, stop and check out the Pet Rock adoption center. maybe you are too young to remember, but a "Pet Rock" was all the rage back in the 1970s,, made the inventor millions, but when tired of it, you could mail it to the Pet Rock Adoption center along highway 101 there. Its still there and a pretty big pile of pet rocks, maybe even take one home with you. (Spay and Neuter people!).

Stop in at Port Orford, Known by the locals as "Arkansas by the sea" dont let that derail a visit, ride out to the docks, one of the craziest Ports i have ever seen. I have several friends who used to run boats out of their and a seafood company. You gotta ride out there and experience that sight yourself. When you see it you will understand.

Newport is worth stopping for, Besides the Marine sea life museum (formerly home to Free willy) theres a must have stop to see Rogue brewing, tour the brewery, and try the food, both at the brewery or over across the bay at the restaurant and public house, The public house has a B&B with great rooms and good prices, the food is GREAT, and of course the Beer is pretty awesome. Go down to the waterfront and you can rent a crab pot on the dock, and chances are will get a crab, cooked for you on the spot. theres charter boats to fish, or whale watch.
They run them off now because it upsets the tourists,,, but sea lions and seals patrol the bay and sit on the docks, Tourists love it, not so much everyone else. So certain times of the year, Orcas (Killer whales) come into the bay and feed on the seals and sea lions. Nature in action,. the water churns, huge blood stains and swirls in the water, its pretty amazing to see. But it flat out freaks out the tourists, especially the vegan tree hugger hippy types.

Going north,,,,,, Lincoln City is cool,,,,, My Buddy is a city councilman there, runs a machine shop and owns a lot of bikes.,,,

Next must stop place is Tillamook, theres several things to do there that you should consider, first is the Air Museum, soon to move to Central Oregons desert, it has the largest Hanger you will ever see. Originally a military base in WW2, it had Blimp hangers and so large they open the doors and airplanes have flown THRU the hangers and out the other side. Very cool museum now mostly ww2 airplanes, incredible stuff.

Then check out the Tillamook Cheese factory, take the tour, try the samples, then pick up some ice cream, jerky, sausges, and of course the cheeses. Truth is,,,,,,the grocery store across the street has better prices on the cheese, but well worth checking out, awesome ice cream, fudge too,.. foods good in the resturant/cafe

Up the road a little is a Oyster company,,, do the math.

In Rockaway, a Nice sleepy little coastal town,,, try the Blue Bell cafe, AWESOME breakfasts,, the lunches arent bad either, just a little greasy spoon cafe, but we often stay at Rockaway to enjoy the coast and avoid the crowds

Now inland,,,,,,,,, might be worth a detour, not too far from the coast in McMinnville is the Air and Space museum (Evergreen) your tax dollars at work, Evergreen airlines is a preferred carrier for the US Military and other agencys,,,,,,,and some they wont talk about. (CIA, NSA and others) So the owner built an amazing museum.
See the Spruce goose, plus an SR-71 Spy plane (The CIA got SR71s before the airforce and had more of them, they also lost one, and refuse to disclose what happened to it) The rest of the museum is impressive as well,. Bombers, fighter planes, transport,,,,, you name it, plus the space museum has cool stuff. The check out the swimming pool, newly opened, the new water park is a 3rd building, and 3 storys tall with a Boeing 747 on top, you take an elevator to the top, and then slide out of the airplane thru tubes 3 storys down in a water slide and into the pool. Its not cheap, but where else can you do that?

Veterans get discounted admission.

Consider further inland or on the return trip a stop at Antique Powerland. a facility of 14 museums along interstate 5, Including the Vintage car and Motorcycle museum.

In Portland,, theres a Sasquatch museum, a UFO museum, see where the TV show Portlandia is filmed, visit Voodoo donuts (Good things come in pink boxs) we have a Soviet submarine sitting in the river (OMSI, Oregon Museum of science and industry) and then theres the Beer, more micro brews and brewerys per person than any other city in the US. Plus,, we have more strip clubs and strippers than any other city in the US.

The columbia river gorge is pretty amazing, you can go the faster route, Interstate 84 going east along the river, or the fun route is hwy 14 on the washington side, stop in Carson for the hot springs, have lunch in Hood river at the Brewery and then do the Fruit loop, which has several dozen winerys and fruit farms and circles back over Mt Hood (year round skiing) and stop at the Zig Zag inn, but a "I got rolled in Zig Zag Oregon" T shirt, and stay for the pizza and beer, or back on hwy 26 stop at Calamity Janes for their world famous Burgers,

So thats the highlights,,,,,, theres more, lots more,,, but thats the ones that come to mind. Have fun, watch out for deer and other critters,

and one of our iconic governors used to say and actually put up signs on the freeway...

"Welcome to Oregon, enjoy your visit, Now go Home"

 

[go cytocis]

In Portland...visit Voodoo donuts

I understand they serve a Nyquil-filled donut!

 

[Internet Annoyance]

Go look up their website and watch some of the videos, I take a lot of out of town visitors to their store,,
All part of the "Keep Portland Weird" which is painted on a building across the street 15 feet tall and 40 feet long

Theres the "Canadian Bacon", a Maple bar with strips of bacon, the "O'Captain" which has maple sugar and captain crunch cereal on it, They make donuts shaped as penis's, or womens parts (both are filled with cream filling, and a white or chocolate glaze) and many others,

The owners are a hoot. see the websites, watch the videos,

merchandise is popular too... bumper stickers, t shirts, etc,,

"The secrets in the Hole!"
"Good things come in Pink Boxs"
"I got VD in Portland Oregon!" (VD in this case stands for Voodoo donuts) which is fun to put on peoples cars and not tell them when they are here for a visit. or a musicians tour bus

The stores are open 24 hours a day. cash only, no credit cards. expect LONG lines,, on weekends its around the block

 

[killer_buell]

go cytocis [up] thanks a lot, that fills in some of the unknown in Seattle. Good to know that corner is worth exploring! I'll look into Centurion as well, thank you very much.

Good lord internet Annoyance, thanks a lot man! You just made me begin to question whether a week is enough time to get up there; well done! I'm still working my way through all the places you mentioned, but I know I will be stopping at the majority of them; the museums sound like good times, and rogue brewery and the donut spot are unquestionably necessary. I now also have high hopes for my night's stay in Newport; hopefully I will see some of the beautiful local wildlife in action! haha.

Seriously thanks to both of ya, I am really stoked for this trip, and excited to know others out there get that kind of passion.

 

[wanta6th2]

If you take 1 up the coast hit Alices Resteraunt for a Harley burger and racer 5 I.p.a. I live in monterey and love the coast. Have a fun and safe ride.

 

[Internet Annoyance]

Yes, do some research on the net for the websites for many of those places, If you have further questions you can PM me for my phone number. I do a lot of promotion work for the NW Vintage car and Motorcycle museum located at the Antique Powerland facility (We have a new website coming out soon, apologys for the current one), most activitys there at Powerland are on the weekends, we are all volunteers and non profits so hard to be open 7 days a week. But well worth a visit. we have 14 museums on site.
Fortunately or Unfortunately for you depending on your viewpoint, you missed the Naked Bike ride in Portland, part of "Pedalpallooza" a week long bicycle thing,, I heard it was over 14,000 naked people on bicycles this year, last saturday. Even the Portland Art museum went nude, or $1 admission for each item of clothing you wore. There was partys all over Portland,, naked day all day. All part of Keeping Oregon and especially Portland weird.
Book ASAP a room at the Rogue Bed ad Breakfast, the rooms are reasonable, and they will work with you for bike parking. Its a great location, and you can stagger upstairs to your room after eating and drinking,,, a whole row of resturants and bars there. Thats on the north side of the Bay where the Rogue Public house is,, across the Bay on the south side is the Brewery and distillery (they make a great "Dead Guy Whiskey") and theres a restaurant over the brewery and its good as well. Overlooks the bay, a great way to end the day. Look at Rogue brewings websites for more info,.
Theres an awesome highway going back east from Newport and worth a side trip, take it to the Other Rogue Hop farm, and another B & B, called the "Hop into Bed" B&B, Its a 100 year old farm house and its haunted. take a tour at the Hop farm, try the Beer and Cheddar Brocolli soup, made with left overs from the brew process. Its outstanding.
Whatever you do DO NOT ride buzzed anywhere on the coast, besides the obvious safety and legal reasons,, the COPS are extreme speed traps and looking for drinking, the DUI rate is amazing, especially nailing tourists, so again, dont drink and ride, and watch out for speed traps, they are everywhere,, all those small towns are just looking to soak you for revenue.
The Columbia River gorge is also pretty amazing, Western US's largest river,, its our own Mississippi, lots of brewerys and winerys, plus really good resturants, I also meant to add that theres some really good hotsprings and soaking at Bonneville Hotsprings, or the vintage route with the sulfur springs and wraps in Carson Hotsprings, A great way to relax and detox from all that riding and drinking, plus Retox at the mexican resturant and bar in Stevenson (We go often).
You will find that going North up into Washington on 101 is also great up to about Aberdeen, then cut inland towards Olympia,, then head North again to Port Angeles and Sequeim,,, any further isnt that great, almost like civilization ends,.. the olympic peninsula itself is amazing and one of the natural wonders of the world, but that far Northwest leg isnt so exciting,, plus it has its own weather micro climate (Bring rain gear),, If you are into that sort of thing, most of the Olympic Peninsula is Indian Reservations,,, and they sell Fireworks this time of year. Stock up if you are into that. One of the best places to buy is in Sequiem at the Casino. they have a supermarket sized store for fireworks.
Seattle itself takes very careful planning,, theres some great stuff to do there, and an amazing city, But its a traffic NIGHTMARE,,plus its construction season, 1/2 the highways up there are underconstruction,, at least the ones where the bridges havent fallen into the water. The drivers are almost as bad as LA or the Bay area,, in other words NUTS, I hate driving in Seattle,
Boeing field is worth checking out, plus the Boeing surplus store. a Hoarders paradise, tools, metals, fasterners, computers,second hand airplane parts ,,, The fish market is cool, plus check out the hotel on the water where Led Zeppelin stayed and learn the history of the Frank Zappa Song,,, "Mudshark Baby", For good spots to eat,, look up Food networks Diners driveins and dives, for reviews, they have profiled a lot of Seattle resturants.
other than that,,,, just ask.

 

[killer_buell]

This is great information, Internet Annoyance, thanks. I'm definitely going to do Newport and see Portland, than head east on hwy 84 and get in all the sights I can on the river. +10 for mentioning hot springs. I think I'm going to just save Seattle for a shorter trip-sounds like theres too much to see there, and I'd hate to half-ass it. I'll try and post a map when I have the route solidified.

Whats your advice on keeping gear secure while sightseeing? I have my two saddlebags, as well as the tail bag, which will mostly be filled with clothing. But the laptop and camera pose a problem when it comes to exploring sonoma beach, or checking out something like Thor's Well. Should I just pack those in a backpack, and trust no one will snag the rest?

 

[Internet Annoyance]

Um, well im a little paranoid, so the most valuable items i would always carry in a backpack and or easily detachable luggage. I have some friends who have traveled around the world on bikes and had little problems, but a little prevention goes a long way. I realize its not always possible with a bike that just came off the highway and has hot engine parts,, but a bike cover goes a long way, plain, and covers it up,.Plus keep in mind when parked overnight, you ARE on the coastal route,, lots of salt, Think about a good wash at times and keeping it covered when sitting.

A solid lock to secure luggage keeps the grab and go guys from running off. Some places sell Alarms that are shock sensitive,, just a small key pad box that you can strap or clip to items and if moved goes off with a loud alarm, I had 2 of them and used them all over the place, My Jacket in a bar, bike luggage, My refrigerator when i had room mates (I knew that SOB was stealing my food). My Buddy travlled around the entire perimeter of australia, and 90% of New Zealand on his bike, then some tweaker stole his bag in Auckland, all his trip pix on his camera and his laptop. He has this expandable-collapsible stainless steel fishnet thing that he now puts over the bike and closes the bottom and locks it,. Ill have to ask where he got it. Another idea is a blinking LED on your dash, You can buy them from Amazon or electronic supply stores,, all it does it blink, It IS effective in making people think theres a Alarm. I had one on my old Datsun 510 and got a lot of comments.

For the bike itself I usually carry a large flex cable lock thats supposedly hard to cut,And go thru the frame to an immovable object such as another bike or a lamp post,, plus a disc lock thats neon colored and use those on whatever im riding that day. Most areas you wont have trouble, but there are thieves who target touristy areas and your calif plate makes you a target.

Maybe others have better suggestions,

If you ARE going to go up the gorge heading East from Portland, I-84 is the Oregon side and the fastest, but it tends to be 70mph all the way and limited places to pull over.

One high point to consider when going east on the Oregon side is the Old Scenic highway, AKA Crown Point Highway or also the Historic Columbia river Scenic Highway... before I-84 was built,, it starts in Troutdale, at the Sandy river, snakes up thru Springdale and Corbett (This is actually where i grew up, ) and then along the cliffs above the river,, Vista House, then down thru Bridal Mile, all the parks and falls, along cliff faces, then down along the waters edge, to Multnomah falls,Horsetail falls, Wahkeena falls, Bridal veil falls, Latourell falls then east to almost Dodson, then back onto 84 east... Its one of the most photographed areas in the state of Oregon, people travel all over the world here to see it,, and a FAVORITE motorcycle route. call me and if im availible ill ride it with you. At that point,, you can continue east if in a hurry on 84, or if you want more amazing twistys and scenery, cross the river at Bridge of the Gods Several of those Hot tubs are over on the washington side at Bonneville Hot springs or the Sulfur springs at Carson, head east on twisty Hwy 14 along the river,

theres multiple bridges along the way, I-5 in Portland, I-205 Bridge east of PDX, Bridge of the Gods, then Hood River, then the Dalles, so you can cross back and forth at will.
Up further near Biggs Junction is another Bridge, MaryHill Museum is interesting, Sam Hill built it, and he was largely responsible for building the local highways plus theres a interesting side story of European royalty associated with the mansion there. Then check out the exact replica of Stone henge. a popular destination for many local riders,, just because.

One warning tho,,,, is SOMETIMES theres very HIGH WINDS in the Columbia River gorge, we are known for it, a bit tiring on a bike, but its actually a huge draw. The river windsurfing scene started right in Hood River and went nationwide, They are quite proud of it. Plus while in the gorge take a look at the super secret Google mega facility, take pictures and they might lock you up,

Now,,,ill just throw this out there,,,,,,,,, but anyone who wants a ride of a lifetime, people come from all over the world to do it, and you are going to be right there,,,, If you are going to Sand Point Idaho, well, I would be remiss if i didnt mention it. Do some internet searches for the "International Selkirk Loop" read the websites, read the articles, read the reviews, bring your passport, call in sick for another week, and dont blame me.

International Selkirk Loop, after reading up on it, tell me that isnt the coolest ride out there. Right up there with the best worldwide, and you are going to be RIGHT FRIGGIN' there sparky!!!! Im telling you,,,,, RIGHT FRIGGIN THERE!

 

[Internet Annoyance]

Allright Ill confess,,,Ive been wanting to ride the Selkirk loop myself for a while now. I heard about it first from this lady who writes for "Thunder Press", but do a internet search for the following......

"Selkirk Loop, Genevieve Schmitt" and she did the best write up,check out the maps and pictures,, read her article online.

So, im jealous, Harley, several chambers of commerce, the Idaho tourism council and other sponsored a special ride. They rounded up 10 women journalists from all over the world, Harley supplied all new bikes and a variety of them, plus a chase truck and fully equipped trailer with service techs, plus HD reps and tour guides.

These women got the star treatment, the idea was make them ride brand new Harleys, switch bikes regularly, and show them the sights, great food, premier hotels and shopping and sightseeing, all expenses paid. In return they were to write nice things about Harleys new bikes, what a great place to visit and ride in,..

So how the hell do I get signed up for one of these??? So read Genevieves article and then tell me you dont want to do the ride yourself,.

 

[Internet Annoyance]

sent you a PM with my number, Depends on my schedule and yours, might be able to ride on part of this, Or meet for a Beer At McMennamins Edgefield manor. (try the Hammerhead, or Terminator stout)
My Buells arent all operational at the moment but I have several Sportsters running, kinda sorta the same thing but not really.

 

[Internet Annoyance]

Talked to the Killer Buell., there is a unconfirmed story that the Oregon strippers and pole dancer convention was also in town in Newport Oregon last night at the same time as our young traveller. but unconfirmed at this time. Im going into town here shortly and meeting with him for lunch. Im sure ill hear about it then

 

[juGGernaut]

Theres a road near reedsport, or that was on my motorcycle map when i took my MSC, all it showed was twistys for miles, it basically goes from 101 to I5, might wanna look on mapquest and see for yourself.. unfortunately I didnt get to ride it due to being restationed before I had a chance... As far as Portland, personally if it were me I would stay away.. I literally just got back from there about 6 hours ago after being there 10 days with my bike for half that time.. Voodoo donuts is pretty crazy yes, but the line for a "ODD" donut is even crazier....All those damn hippies and hipsters really turned me off of that area... me and my buddies actually witnessed some crackhead about to break into some ladies ford explorer in broad daylight in a Fred Meyers parking lot... the dumbass only stopped cause he saw me and my buddy eyeballing the shit outta him from 20 ft away.. but we circled around and he then tried again till he saw us.. we ended up calling the cops, and thankfuly the lady showed up and left.. but that didnt stop him from circling the parking lot looking for another unsuspecting victim with a partial window down... But to each their own..

101 in general is pretty fun.. I rode that rode ALOT when I was there.. yes there are the typical tourists, but you will know who they are when their doing 40 in a 55... I highly recommend rain gear... Cash on hand.... and hippie repelent.. lol...

 

[go cytocis]

International Selkirk Loop,  after reading up on it, tell me that isnt the coolest ride out there.  Right up there with the best worldwide

I do the Selkirk Loop once a year; next week I'll be doing it again!

Annoyance is right. Verbose, but right. The Selkirks have some of the best riding roads ANYWHERE!

 

[go cytocis]

Hey Killer, did you do your trip?
I just got back from riding the Selkirk Loop down to Sandpoint, awesome ride but stinkin' hot! Didn't see another Ss in town while I was there.

 

[Internet Annoyance]

I met him in downtown PDX while he was here, we had lunch at a pizza joint, but i started a new job that day, so sadly, wasnt able to ride with him. Would have liked to used it as a good excuse to ride the Columbia river gorge with him as even though i live here,,,,,I never get tired of it. I talked to him later on the phone and it sounded like he enjoyed the ride. Havent heard from him since. But im sure he is enjoying his new job and location.
Nice guy.

 

[killer_buell]

Sorry guys, haven't really been keeping up here- is there any way to set up notifications? I haven't found a setting for that.

go cytocis- Yes! I did the trip, and it rocked hard! Settled in here at sandpoint, but living up on the mountain right by the resort, which is probably why we didn't run into each other. How was the selkirk loop?? Sounds like a blast, and something I have to take advantage of while I'm living here.

Spent the last two hours looking for my camera cord; once I find it I'll try and post a few pics of the trip. Shout out to internet annoyance for his help- the old scenic columbia river route was one of my favorite sections of road for the trip! And beer and pizza in portland was a pretty good layover as well. All in all a pretty sweet trip.

 

[killer_buell]

Big SUR!!

Stopped in San Fran for Irish Coffee

Fell asleep on this oregon coast after riding curves for hours.

Dropped in to the Air and Space museum outside of Portland on the advice of internet annoyance. Great spot.

Multnomah Falls, on the old scenic route along the Great Columbian River. great stretch of road, with a number of falls to check out.

 

[Internet Annoyance]

Ahh, you do live and breath still!!! I was hoping you are doing okay, I know you mentioned fire fighting and this year is bad for that. Stay safe. Glad you enjoyed the scenery. We are blessed with some awesome scenery to ride in. Be happy to meet for beer and pizza anytime.