Eagerly anticipating today's ride, I woke early. All my previous trips to Oregon had been by car. Oregon is a beautiful state, and today's route would take me through areas I hadn't seen yet. Crater Lake was going to be the highlight. I've seen a few pictures of it on the Net, and eagerly anticipated the ride around the rim. Briefly, I toyed with the thought of riding Highway 1 down the coast, but decided that California would probably provide more than enough of that. It was also real cloudy, and the coast would probably be a real wet ride. Sure didn't need any more of that!
As it turned out, the inland ride down I-5 wasn't much better. Mile after mile of constant drizzle. Occasionally, the sun would peek through the clouds, but not often enough to make a difference. I gassed up in Albany (45.3 MPG) and continued on down I-5. Not a lot to report. The interstate in Oregon is a prettier ride than most states, but it's still just interstate. In Roseburg I stretched a bit after gassing up (36.4 MPG). An employee at the BP station told me he'd ridden CB750's in the early 70's, and loved them. He thought the Nighthawk 750 was an excellent version of the same bike, except in his opinion it was just a little too "sporty" looking for his tastes. You know, as much as I love my bike, I also prefer the way the early CB750's looked, but things do change, and I'm told the modern versions handle and stop better, and there is less maintenance involved with the newer models, so it's an acceptable tradeoff. Still, many of those 60's & early 70's Honda's sure did have a special look to them.
138 out of Roseburg goes east towards Crater Lake. That was the beginning of the most memorable portion of the entire trip. The weather even cleared up for a while, and the scenery was incredible! For most of that stretch 138 follows the Umpqua river. It's hard to concentrate on the road when every curve you round brings you one breathtaking view after another!
As I neared Crater Lake, the sky started to cloud up again. The closer I got, the colder it became. Rising in elevation, I started seeing patches of snow on the ground. Soon it started to drizzle a little but I didn't get too concerned initially. Then, entering the North entrance to Crater Lake, my concern level rose. It was obvious that they had just recently opened up the road, since the snowbanks on either side were pretty high. It was getting cooler by the minute, and I was looking at quite a cloud cover. It was beginning to look like it might snow! Hard for me to even consider that in June! It didn't take long for the inevitable to begin. It was snowing! Now, don't get me wrong, it's not the first time I've been snowed on in my life, but never on a bike! It was light at first, and kind of pretty, but it didn't take long for the thrill to wear off. Soon, it was snowing so hard I couldn't see 10 feet in front of the bike. The windshield was iced over, and it took a constant backhand to keep my visor even marginally cleared. It got to the point where my only guide was the snowbanks on either side of the road, and those weren't all that visible. My only choice was to keep going. Sure didn't want to stop in the road with that kind of visibility. Even if there had been a place to stop, no telling how long it might be snowing. Knowing that the Lodge had to be no more than a couple of miles ahead, I just kept on rolling and shivering. Before long I discovered that my "Winter Gloves" were not quite up to the task. My hands were getting colder by the minute. The rest of me wasn't doing much better. The last mile or so found me shivering pretty good. I actually experienced a bit of teeth chattering! Korea was the last time I'd been that cold. The lodge parking lot was sure a welcome sight. Stopping as close to the door as possible, I dashed inside to warm up. Needless to say, I was on the receiving end of a few stares.
There's nothing like a little lunch and some hot cocoa to warm you up. Not wanting to push my luck, I delayed my departure until the snow stopped by killing time in the extensive gift shop. A few more tacky tourist window stickers joined my collection, along with a couple of patches. The snow stopped, so it was time to brave the elements. It's possible I saw a glimpse of the lake through the mist, but I'm not sure. Oh well, maybe next time.
By the time I left the park, the snow had turned to a light drizzle again. That sums up the remainder of my stay in Oregon---a light drizzle. In retrospect, even though I froze my buns off, it was fun in a perverse sort of way. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to ride through a snowstorm on this trip. Moments like that add "character" to your vacations.
I gassed up in Grant's Pass (50 MPG), then headed down Hiway 199 towards the Golden State. Crossing into California left me with mixed feelings. Weary of traveling, yet not really wanting it to end. Although I missed the wife and kid, my enjoyment of solo touring was equally strong.
Highway 199 is normally a decent ride, but the drizzle lessened the enjoyment. Nearing the California border, the weather slowly improved. In Crescent City, the sun was shining, as if to welcome me home (albeit with a few hundred more miles to go).
Stopping at the first cheap looking motel (although cheap is a relative term in California), I checked in, then rolled over to my room. Just down the row from me was at least a dozen Harleys. They all looked bright and shiny, so I surmised that they'd been there a while (at least long enough for the owners to wipe the oil off). One couple actually waved as they came out of their room. They must be new Harley owners, and haven't yet learned to ignore non Harley riders. Their riding buddies will break them in eventually. Everything wet was suspended near the heater vent, then setting that sucker on high, I opened the windows and left for the Mexican restaraunt down the street. For the next two hours I stuffed myself, had a few brews, and enjoyed the newspaper. Perfect way to end an evening. After a little boob tube, it was off to bed.
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