July 1, Wednesday Another very early wake up - this time at 5 am, and we were on our way eastbound along Route 66. Coffee stop in Seligman, and then on to our planned stop in Williams AZ. This was another little piece of advice gotten from the visitor center guy in Kingman. He told me about a great little National Forest campground just off the highway, on the west end of Williams called Cataract Lake campground in the Kaibab National Forest. $14 per night, and it was perfectly placed for a two day stay. After setting up the tent at about 9 in the morning, we climbed aboard Bear and headed north to the Grand Canyon. For those of you who've been there, you know what we saw. For those who haven't been there, and ... read more

June 26, Friday On southbound along Route 101 the Oregon coast is full of huge rocks, water just cascading in, over and around the sea stacks (huge rocks sticking up out of the water just offshore) it's beautiful. The road meanders from right along the edge of the ocean cliffs to a bit inland making hairpin turns deep inside the ravines that lead the streams to the ocean. The only trouble is occasional slow moving "tourists" that refuse to utilize the many "pull-outs". Not that I'd EVER pass on a double yellow .... but..... We crossed into California and at the Humboldt Redwoods State Park we pulled off highway 101 to follow the Giant Tree Avenue for many miles, mostly because I had no idea where the campgrounds were located in this park. Eventually, quite by ... read more

June 21, Sunday Last minute clean up of the house, and on to Bear and off we go. It feels really good to be on the road again. We headed south to Penticton, along Lake Okanagan and through some beautiful country, unfortunately through many light rain showers and chilly temps. Crossing the border into Washington State, USA was very easy this time. We didn't even have to get off the bike. I wish they were all this straightforward. The agent was pleasant, asked intelligent questions, and dealt with the idea of our adventure with understanding and not unbelief. We headed on to Seattle, as I had a flight booked for Monday. I was taking a chance by riding without a good license, but to fly from Canada would have been an extra $400. We pulled into ... read more

June 11, Thursday We rode two-up into Kelowna today to the Southwest Motorad BMW Dealer to see if he had the mud guard parts I needed. They tapped out the sheared off bolt, and just like Gina's BMW in Iowa City did, they robbed another bike for the parts, and replaced the mud guard. I was called to the garage, and the mech's showed me how with just a bit of bouncing, the rear cross bar from the Micatech bags was striking the mud guard, lacking about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to clear it. This happens even when lightly loaded, and coming off the center stand. This is what is causing the bolt to eventually shear off. After the fix, we visited a few outdoor gear shops, a few fabric stores, and Starbucks, then rode back ... read more

June 5, Friday This morning we headed southwest to the greater Vancouver area to visit Deb's siblings. I rode in a car for the first time since riding in the mini-van taxi in Corozal Town, Belize back in April. Prior to that, the last time in a cage was on January 31, in my Toyota truck getting out of town. It's a slightly weird feeling, that's for sure. To get anywhere in BC involves going around lakes and mountains, with occasional across lakes, and through mountains. We took the quickest route through Kelowna and Merritt, but it still took a tad over 5 hours of driving. Deb's sister Deanna is very nice, and I met her husband Tony and friend Mark. I also discovered that "personal use" of certain mind altering substances is legal in BC, ... read more