I loaded the final items on the bike and was ready to go a little before 6:00.
I left the house and headed west on highway 12.
I stopped at Ambers to see her and the kids for a quick visit. It was the first day of school for Avram and Amara. I helped wake up Akery. Once the girls were done with their baths, I brushed their hair. Amber fixed oatmeal for breakfast. As Amara got to the bottom of her bowl, she complained that there was a bug in her oatmeal. I asked if it was the fly that had been buzzing around. She said, No. So I took a look. Come to find out Amber made oatmeal weevil for breakfast. Both Amber and Amara began to gag. I said that she just added protein.
Once every one was ready to go, I said my goodbyes and got my hugs from the kids. They began the walk to school, and I bundled back up and continued on my way west.
I needed to get a lot of miles in this day, so all the stops were quick fuel stops with two exceptions. I stopped long enough to eat a sandwich for lunch at Biggs junction.
And I had planned to stop at crater lake. I took some pictures at the first turn out, I then went to "Crater Village". I wondered around the gift shop, used the restroom and then went back to the bike.
As I started getting ready to leave I checked the time on my cell and was surprised to see I had signal. I decided to call Dad. We chatted for a couple minutes and hung up.
I had about 50 miles to where I wanted to camp for the night, so I headed out.
I stopped for fuel at a little off the road, two pump, general store.I made it to Joseph Stewart State Park at about 19:00.
I started setting up camp. I took a little break and walked over to Lost Creek Lake and took some pictures. Then, back to camp and got everything finalized for bed. Once everything was ready, I got out my notepad (paper and pencil) and noted down the events of the day for later reference.
Expecting to have more time today, I didn't get right up and get gone. I took my time packing, ate a granola bar and finally pulled out of camp at about 7:56.
I had a couple hundred miles planned, with a few different places to visit. Finding fuel was of higher importance for the rest of the trip, as I only mapped out distances for the first day (Monday).
I reached California at about 10:00.
First on my list for the day was the Red Woods out side of Crescent city.
I got to the turn off and pulled onto a dirt road. (not gravel, real dirt).
The road was narrow enough that in most places two cars could not pass each other.
I stopped a couple places for pictures.
At one stop, I asked myself... Where is Alison when you need someone to measure a tree?
So, instead, I had to stand in front of the tree with out stretched arms myself.
I also attempted a short video as I rode along one section.
It didn't turn out very well, as I don't have a mount for the camera.
Coming out of the woods, the road drops you right outside of Crescent City. I stopped for lunch at "The Apple Peddler". It shares it's parking lot with "Ocean World" which I also planned on visiting, so that worked out. I called Dad at the restaurant but he was busy.
Once I was done eating, I went over to Ocean World. I had to wait about five or so minutes for the tour to start. Just to be clear, the tour and show are geared towards kids. Small, not a lot too it, yet informative and interactive to help keep kids interested. For $9.95 you wouldn't expect anything huge, but even with all that, I had an enjoyable time.
The tour begins with a small "touch and feel tide pool" that had several types of "local flora".
As the name suggests, they encouraged us to touch the different animals as they talk about them.
Some of which were: Three species of sea stars, Sea Urchin and Anemones.
I learned that Anemones (most famous for being referenced in "Finding Nemo") are of the same family as the jellyfish.
And they do sting, but the only place their stingers can get through our skin is on the tongue.
Hence the saying, Never lick your Anemones.
Ok, Yes, I just made that up, but apparently it needs to be said, cause the tour guide warned us.
She said if you do your tongue will go numb for a couple hours. (or worse)
Now, as we go towards the main aquarium, she points out that it is actually a boat that has been converted. They built a glass bottom boat with the idea of taking tours out into the ocean and letting people see the animals in their natural habitat. However, once they got out there, they found that the water was too cloudy and you could only see a few feet from the boat. So, they pulled it up on shore, and converted it.
We first went down to the lower deck and she told us about all the animals in the tanks. Such as: Rays, eels, crab, rock fish (what fish sticks are made from), sturgeon, leopard shark and some little thing related to the seahorse (among many others).
We then returned to the upper deck where they have a small shallow tank with a couple leopard and swell sharks. Which, of coarse we were encouraged to pet. And of coarse, I did. (Sorry about the lens cap, it swung in front of the lens just as I took the picture.)
Now, the tour is over and it is time for the show. You go back out side (on the other side of the ship/aquarium) where they have a small area for the seal/sealion show. It is pretty short, but for the price, I guess I can't complain.
First, the trainer did a couple things with two seals.
She pointed out that there was a third seal, but it was older and they just let her do whatever she wants.
And on this day, she chose to just enjoy the sun.
Once she was done with the seals, it was time for the sea lion "Cora".
Cora enjoys playing basket ball, as well as being the catcher at ring toss.
And what sea lion in their right mind would like to go down the slide?
There were some things that happened fast enough that I didn't get pictures...
1 That ball hanging from ropes, she jumped and touched/bumped it.
2 That platform where she is catching the rings; she jumped from the water and caught herself with her front flippers and then climbed the rest of the way on there.
(Strong front flippers)
At the end of the show, the trainer mentioned that Cora has her own Facebook page. Then, asked for any questions, thanked us and told us how to get back to the gift shop.
During the show, Dad had tried to call back, so after finishing at Ocean World, I called him and told him I made it through the Red Woods. He was a little worried about the fires in California. I didn't even see any smoke.
The next thing on my list was Battery Point Lighthouse. I rode over to the parking lot at Battery Point Vista. This lighthouse is only accessible at low tide. As you can see in a couple of the pictures, the tide was down, but not low enough to get past without getting your feet very wet. If I had been wearing something else, I probably would have just walked through the water. Instead I took some pictures and hung out for a little while to see how fast/slow the tide was going out.
Then, since it wasn't far, I decided I would go to the next place on my list and then come back and check again.
So, I rode over to the Brother Jonathan Cemetery.
From here I was able to get a different view of the Battery Point Lighthouse.
I looked around at the view for a little bit, and took a look at the cemetery/memorial.
It is "dedicated to those who lost their lives in the wreck of the pacific mail steamer, Brother Jonathan at Point St. George's Reef, July 30, 1865."
Once finished here, I returned to the lighthouse, but the tide still had a while to go, and I was running out of time.
So, I headed to the northern end of the city to see Pelican Bay.
No, not "The" Pelican Bay.
When I was researching what I wanted to stop and see, I found the "The" Pelican Bay is in Florida.
There is a Pelican Bay Prison here, although I didn't see it because I was taking back roads, but it looked like you could probably see if from 101.
As I started heading back to highway 101, I started calculating mileage and fuel in my head. Then I saw the price of gas in California. I made it to Brookings Oregon and didn't have to pay the California gas taxes. Once filled up, I headed towards Coos Bay, filling up again in Bandon.
Turning off the highway a few miles south of Coos Bay, I took the back roads to the Bastendorff Beach County Park. I found a campsite that would due and setup the hammock. I didn't completely setup camp, because I needed to leave for supper and I didn't want to leave too much of my stuff unattended.
I rode into Charleston and found myself down by the Fishermans Wharf. I ate at the Sea Basket, having their Red Snapper Fish and chips.
Once finished, I rode back to camp and finished setting up.
I got out the laptop and copied all my pictures onto it.
Then I started noting down the events of the day as it was getting dark.
I had to pull out a flashlight to continue.
One of the camp hosts stopped by and we chatted about riding for a few minutes.
I finished bullet pointing the events and went to bed.
First, I stopped at "The Oregon Connection - Myrtle wood Factory". It was still closed, but would be open at 9:00. (It was already 8:30ish) So, I rode over to the Coos Bay Boardwalk. I took a few pictures as I walked the boardwalk.
Once done there, I went back to Myrtle wood factory. They have a store in the front, and then the wood working stuff in the back which you can walk through to watch them working the wood.
They had a case of baseball stuff, including a bat signed by Ken Griffey Jr.
Drying Room |
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Sanding Blocks |
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 Wall Hanging |
 Lighthouse |
Does Anderson need a myrtle wood putter? |
I began the ride to Florence about 9:50ish. Somewhere north of Lakeside I started hearing a rhythmic noise coming from the front of the bike. It was subtle as the noise of the road and wind covered it up, and I didn't actually notice it right away. As I got south of Winchester Bay I was attempting to figure out what it was. I then notice that the GPS wasn't working. (I didn't have it playing any music, so I didn't notice.) I stopped in Winchester Bay and tried to get it working again, without any luck. So, I pulled forward about 15 yards to a four wheeler shop and asked to borrow a really small allen key wrench. They had one that would fit, and I took out the battery. I then put it back in and it booted back up fine. I thanked them and was once again on my way. I turned on the MP3 player so I would notice if it quit working again.
I pulled into Florence at about 11:00. I decided that since I only had a granola bar for breakfast, I would eat. I took the first right after the bridge and headed over to Mo's. I had the #2 Combination plate (Fried Cod, butterfly shrimp and clam strips) with garlic mashed potatoes and a cup of clam chowder.
After lunch, I headed for the hills. I mean that literally, as the plan was to ride to the Kentucky Creek trail head and hike to the Kentucky Falls. I took a right on the Florence-Eugene highway. However, it didn't take me long to realize that there was no fuel on this road, so I turned around. Stopped at a station near the intersection and fueled up. I then again headed east. Once I got 26.5 miles out, I took a right off the highway. This road was still paved, as I headed into the trees. I was actually surprised how much of the roads in this area were paved. They are narrow like a normal mountain road, but instead of gravel, they are paved.
I got out a ways and the GPS said, take the left at the fork. So, I did, as it started climbing (still paved though). Once I got quite a ways, the road finally turned to gravel. Which is fine, I just have to slow it down a bit. Then I find myself on this narrow gravel road making pretty sharp turns clear up on this mountains edge. At this point, I'm still ok, just a bit more white knuckling goin' on. As I dropped down the other side, I began feeling much better. Then the road turns into trees. It doesn't take long, before I'm not on gravel anymore. I'm now on what looks to be a four wheeler trail (GPS still shows me on a road). By now, there is no way to turn around, so I just keep going. I can only imagine what I looked like in biker leathers, on a loaded up monster cruiser riding through the middle of the brush. I came across a couple humps in the road, which for the most part I was able to maneuver over without too much problem. However, I did bottom out on one of them. It didn't feel like it was too hard at the time, and the bike didn't pause or slow any. And then, after three to five miles of this, I came out of the brush back onto a paved road. This is when I started calling my GPS stupid. In less than a mile on the paved road, I reached the trail head.
I got parked and began removing leathers, switching boots and getting ready for the hike. This is the point when I notice oil under the bike. I got down a looked and I had a good steady drip coming off the bottom of the oil pan. This is the point that my feelings about the GPS were becoming very strong. (FYI...Google Maps has the same road information as my GPS, not that helps any.) I guess that hump I bottomed out on wasn't as minor as it felt. Who knew I'd need a skid plate on my cruiser.
Now in a disgusted mood I begin to hurriedly switch back to the riding gear and putting away the hiking equip. You see, I'm out in the middle of no where, with no cell reception, no one around for miles and my horse is losing blood. I gotta get out of here before I'm completely stranded with no way of getting help. Now, I know I don't want to go back trough what I just came through, so, even though I don't want to trust it, I start punching things into the GPS to figure out the best way out. I finally decided that it will probably be best to go on forward to the south west, instead of turning back and going north east. You see, if I go north east, and stay on the paved road, not knowing where it will take me compared to where I just came through, and I do get to the highway, I would be going away from civilization. By going south west, I'm at least heading towards civilization. The road stayed paved for the most part. There were a couple places it went to gravel for a short time, I didn't slow down as much though.
Finally, the paved road got wider and had been striped, so I knew I was getting somewhere. I stopped at one house to see if they had any oil on hand, however, no one but the dog was home. The sign said, beware, the dog bits and the owner shoots. The dog was fine, it came right up to me and I pet it. It didn't even bark until I started leaving.
I also stopped and ask a guy that was on the side of the road (looked like they'd been playing in the water.) He didn't have any oil. I continued on, and as I came around a bend the engine stopped. I hit the kill switch, pulled the clutch and coasted to the bottom of a lane/drive way. I walked up to a gate which was chained closed. I couldn't tell if anyone was there, and there was another house just down the road a 145 yards. There was someone there. He thought had some oil, but couldn't find any. He let me use his phone to call my emergency roadside assistance. Long story short, it took about one and a half to two hours for the tow truck to get there from North Bend (Coos Bay). I did go up and coast my bike down the hill to the driveway.
The tow truck took me back to Florence. I called Dad once we got service and let him know what happened. I told him that Shawn should come up and tow me home.
State Farm decided the bike needed to go to the nearest Yamaha dealer. I didn't expect anyone to be there, but as I started to look for a place I dare leave the bike over night, I noticed a lady in the back office. The window was open, so I asked where the best place to leave the bike would be. After some checking, she said her husband was in the shop area and the gate was open and I could take it back there. She also said that afterwards I should go in and she could leave a work order for them to get in the morning.
He was not too excited about me being there. He asked, why I would go there, "we don't do street bikes". I told him State Farm sent me. Response, a reluctant "Oh". He did take a minute to take a quick look and asked if it would turn over. I said, I hadn't dare try since it quit. He said, well, let's try. It not only turned over, it started up. I quickly killed it. Good news, I didn't seize the engine. (I was afraid that it may have.) He said they could put it in the shop for the night. I removed the luggage off the back. I pulled out the shoulder straps for the bottom bag and hooked them up. Grabbed a couple other things I needed, including the tank bag. I hefted the 10-20 lb bag onto my back, and put the tank bag strap around my neck.
I went back into the store and talked to the lady. I had decided not to have them do the work, but I would rent a pickup and just haul it home. She said, "um... we don't have any car rentals in town." I asked if there were any hotels close by. She said, "I don't want to group you into the stereotype, but a lot of bikers like to use the hotel on the corner." I walked the two blocks to the hotel and got a room.
I got out the laptop and started searching for possibilities. The closest rental place (Enterprise) was in North Bend/Coos Bay (45 miles south). As requested, I called Dad to give an update. The more searching/research I did, the more and more I felt like there was no way to get out of this town.
After a shower, a can of mandarin oranges from my pack for supper and a couple last ditch searching, I attempted to go to sleep.
I was up sometime between 5:00 and 6:00. It was pouring down rain outside. I did some more searching and other brainstorming trying to figure out how I was going to get me and my bike home. I checked and found that there is a U-Haul in Florence. Once 8:00 rolled around, I started making calls. After all was send and done, Enterprise in North Bend/Coos Bay didn't have anything for me. I called the U-Haul place and got their 10' inclosed Truck for just under $500. The rain had stopped, so I started walking the two miles to get it. I didn't get too far before it started coming down again. My rain gear was still on my bike, so I got wet.
Once all the paper work was done, I drove back to the hotel and loaded up my stuff and dropped the key off. I then drove over to the Yamaha shop and got the bike. I had my rachet straps in the saddle bag on bike so I was able to tie it down good. (I had been using them for the hammock.)
Since I was this close, I continued to drive up 101. I stopped at the Seal Caves. This was the first time since the Railroad museum that I got my camera out. I took a picture of my new ride and then across the road into the gift shop. Since all the seals were out to sea, they had the price discounted. On the way down to the elevator, I stopped and got a picture of the Heceta Head Lighthouse. There was a couple also going down to the cave that were from Northern Idaho, I think they said Worley.
I got an ok picture of the cave, but there are signs all over saying no flashes, so it was tricky.
I also got pictures of the skeletons.
There is also an area in the back where the old structure used to be, where you can see the Heceta Head Lighthouse.
The rain was coming down pretty good when I stopped, but on the way back to the truck, it was now coming down in sheets. I then continued north and headed into Newport. I made it down onto the very tight Southwest Bay Boulevard and was finally able to find somewhere to park. I was going to go to Mo's but I couldn't find a place to park near it.
So, I went to Ocean Bleu @ Gino's.
I had the Clam Chowder sourdough bread bowl.
You know, I thought the Chowder I had at Mo's in Florence was good, but this stuff was really good.
Once I was done eating, and since I had a little more room to carry things, I also got a pound of their in house smoked Albacore Tuna.
It is also very good.
I headed inland on highway 20 at this point. I had more planned for Newport, but with the rain, and driving a big truck, I just didn't want to deal with it. I took I5 north in Salem and then I205 around Portland onto I84. Coming up on the Biggs Junction I saw a couple police going by and then, trafic came to a stop. It took us an hour to go the 6 miles to Biggs Junction. As we got closer, there was a sign that said the freeway was closed. So, when I finally got there, I got onto 14. I got to Umatilla at 8:30 and stopped at the truck stop. I plugged in my laptop and GPS to charge them back up (since I didn't have any of my auto inverters with me.) I had a peice of pie and a rootbeer. Dad called while I was here and I gave him an update.
At about 10:20 I was going down the road looking for a place I could pull off for the night. After I got down the road a ways, it was clear that I wasn't going to be stopping. I pulled into Pomeroy at about 12:40. I parked in front of Ambers and pulled out my blanket and pillow and layed down in the truck and went to sleep. I didn't want to wake her becuase I knew she needed to get up early to get to work in the morning.
Aug. 30 2013
Amber came out to head to work at 6:00ish just as I was sitting up. I think she was relieved that it was just me and not some "other" weirdo sleeping in a U-Haul outside her house. Since she was leaving so early she had a babysitter come over to the house early. As she drove off she called the sitter and let her know that I wasn't the boogy monster. I gave it some more time to let the kids wake up before I went into the house. (No need to wig out the baby sitter any more.) Once I saw Avram in the window, I went in. I went in the bedroom and Amara was awake, so I talked to her for a little bit. When she went to see the truck I was driving, I woke up Akery. We hung out for a bit and chatted. We then went upstair and got her dressed. (I just had to get her shirt down, cause she can't reach.) When it was time for them to eat, I said my goodbyes, got my hugs, and headed home.
Once home, I began unloading the truck and bike, so I could take it somewhere to unload it before returning the U-Haul. I called Jeff and asked his thoughts on options. He told me what I figured. There's only the one place in town. When they opened, I gave them a call and they said to take it on down. I dropped it off and went back home to cleanup the oil in the back of the truck. Berta was nice enough to follow me over to U-Haul and give me a ride home when I returned it.
And that's that.
AJ's Crazy Biker Adventures
