The final day of a long ride is often predominated by a sense of urgency to get home. I think of it as the pull of the tractor beam. Stable nags yearn for the barn. I was ready to be home.
There are some circuitous twisty routes home from Oregon, but today evening plans with Dana had me in the beam. I'd go home directly, over Status Pass on Hwy 97 then slab it home on I-82 and I-90. A warm and sunny morning had me underway before 0800 and the run to Wasco, Biggs and the Columbia River was a fast delight of empty roads and clear vistas.
It was a surprise to arrive at Biggs and find the cross-river bridge closed for repair. After a 15 mile detour down river, I pulled out the laptop to determine if I should continue home via Portland, or track back upriver and regain Hwy 97 at Maryhill. From the Dalles is was about a wash, and since I'd done the slab from Seattle to Portland just 17 days before, I chose to backtrack upstream.
The run past Goldendale and over Status Pass was delightfully light in traffic and a
breeze to ride. Gaining I-82 and the beginning of the slab it was time to hold the throttle five over the limit and cruise. Soon I was checking in on the phone from Elk Heights Rest Stop near Cle Elum, and it was over the pass at 1300. When I stopped in Preston the shed my jacket liner and open some vents it was 81F! What a day. After a stop in Ballard for an errand, it was home by 1500.
Distance for the day: 316 miles
Total distance of trip: 4,460 miles.
Number of Performance Awards: None.
Number of Washington State Patrol seen: 2
Oregon State Patrol seen: 6
California State Patrol seen: Dozens
Number of Washington Drivers pulling over to let me pass: none.
Number of Oregon Drivers pulling over to let me pass: 2
Number of California Drivers pulling over to let me pass: 40%.
Average Washington Traffic Flow: Speed Limit.
Average Oregon Traffic Flow: 5mph over Speed Limit.
Average California Traffic Flow: 15mph over Speed Limit.
Antelope seen: 12
Deer seen: 6
Wild Turkey seen: 12
Turkey Vultures seen: hundreds
Coldest temp ridden: 32F
Warmest temp ridden: 82F
Cheapest Premium Fuel: $3.76/gal in Oregon
Dearest Premium Fuel: $4.19/gal in California
A special thanks for the hospitality, company and friendship of Greg, Jill, Norm, Grace, Marc, Bill, Sandie, John, Judy, Joanne and Ed.
Thanks to the guys who picked up my bike on Jalama Road, and the boys at Alturas NAPA for the use of your tools.
Good luck in school girls, go UCSB!
This is the final installment of this travel blog. It was a pleasure to write and share this adventure. I hope you enjoyed it as well.
-Bill
Back HomeThe trees are in bloom and the lawn needs mowing.
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Send Private MessageBill, thanks for the fab narrative of your amazing trek from Seattle to The OC and back. We Angelenos appreciate the rarity of having a Seattleite say something NICE in PUBLIC about us, like how 40% of us pulled over to let you pass. But Bill, you forgot to mention that there wasn't any smog here, man. Spring and fall are pretty nice now that we use special low emission barbecue fluid, special gas, and of course try not to belch. If I had the cojones, I'd learn to ride like you, and tool around on a vehicle that doesn't leave much of a mark on Earth. Alas! Thanks again, Mr. Hucks, for the (amazingly) detailed diary of your West Coast 2008 adventure.
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