The Longest Day

21st June 2015

The Summer solstice and the longest day of the year. I have decided to get maximum value from it and my alarm goes off at 03:45.

I stumble out of bed and get showered and dressed. My bags are packed (and I'm ready to go) downstairs already. My house is like a bombsite at the moment - of which more later.

I have a quick cup of tea and then the taxi turns up - five minutes early at 04:25. It's a quiet run to Norwich Airport and I keep racking my brain to think of what I might have left behind. I'm packed identically (I think) to last October, but both bags are considerably lighter...



I arrive at the hive of activity that is Norwich International at just before 05:00 and check in...



...pay the £10 "Give us more money" tax...



...and then settle down with a vastly overpriced bucket of coffee flavoured milk in the KLM departure lounge.

Actually, that makes it sound a bit more grand than it is - it's actually just the departure lounge - I just happen to be waiting for a KLM flight...



We are soon called to board the little Fokker and are airborne exactly on schedule at 06:15.

It's only 30 mins or so flying time to Schiphol, but I swear we must have taxied most of the way...

I have a couple of hours layover in a damp and muggy Schiphol before boarding the Delta A330 to Portland OR.



Although the flight is pretty full, I am lucky to have a spare seat between me and Ram, a software engineer from Portland, in a row of three seats...

We have favourable winds and arrive, after nine and a quarter hours, at Portland International, where US Immigration does its best (as usual) to prove it has little corporate sense of humour. Hey-ho..

I eventually clear Customs (my stash of Cadbury's Flake made it safely through) and I'm met by Jorge - my Adventure butler, who whisks me away to his house...



...where Daisy, Brandy and I reacquaint ourselves...



...actually Brandy was a bit stand-offish...



...and I set up my laptop on the rear deck, in the beautiful afternoon sun - 75 F...



After a while, it's time to walk into the garage and say hello to an old friend...



Life is good...

Are you getting the Weber fired up?

Probability 95%

Excellent, I'm in

roadrider said:

Excellent, I'm in

Click to expand...

And why ever not.....

I can see the rumblings of another great ride report Subscribed ...

And I see a BeckerTechnic trolley under the bike . Like the others I'll wait for more updates.

Perfect! A Mike O travelogue coming up, I'm in

Where's the fire extinguisher?

22nd June 2015

I stayed up until about 21:45 local last night and slept well until about 04:30, then dozed until about 0600 before getting up and sorting myself out.

I’d spent much of last night repacking my gear. Having done a journey on this bike last October, I’d packed my clothing back at home with transferring it to the bike luggage in mind.

My house needs a new bathroom. The current one was built at the same time as the house (25yrs ago) and I have lived with the knowledge that the shower could fail in a major way for the last 12 years or so. Trouble is, it’s a real pain living without a bathroom whilst it’s being done, isn’t it? So I've just kept putting it off...

I get dressed and start doing some last minute additional packing on the bike…



Jorgé insisted... :lol3

I get the bags packed and am about to put my CamelBack on when I realise I haven't got my phone. Cue a comedy five minutes whilst Jorgé rings me and we both race around the house trying to hear the sound. Jorgé eventually points at the roll sack strapped to the back of the bike - I find the phone hiding in one of my boots...



Time to go! Jorgé has his usual flash of doubt as he sees me ride off on his pride and joy.

"Don't fucking break it Oughton!" echoes down the street behind me.

It will be over 20 minutes before I realise I've left the CamelBack in the garage...



It's a beautiful morning, though less so for the commuters I share the road with. I have asked Doris (Bettie's step-sister) to find me a winding route to Westport, as an initial aiming point.

The bike feels slow to turn in and it's clear the tyre pressures are low, so I stop just down the road from Harvey...



...the vaguely unsettling looking mascot for a failed boat dealer...



...and spend a couple of minutes and 75c putting air in the tyres - the rear was very low, so I'll keep an eye on it. The bike has done 5 miles since I gave it back to Jorgé last year - the distance from his old house to the new one, so it isn't surprising there's been some loss.

I'm back on the road quite quickly and heading out of town and towards some twisty little roads Doris has selected for me...



The temperature is in the low 60s F and it's just about perfect riding weather...



I'm soon climbing up into the hills north of Portland...



...inhabited by the occasional truck slowly returning to nature...



I reach the summit and can see for miles - although the pollen in the atmosphere makes the view hazy (and is apparently wreaking havoc on Jorgé's allergies).

Time to go - I've realised by now that I don't have my CamelBack and have resigned myself to having to buy another (Jorgé will be at work by now). I ride back down out of the hills and down the old highway, which parallels the new one for a bit - there are signs warning of a rough road surface and they aren't wrong...



Rejoining the main highway, I decide to look for some breakfast...



I ride into Scappoose looking for a restaurant - this one has the best sign - a full car park. I wander in, passing this nicely restored little Honda...



...and Dorothy brings me...



...French toast, peppered bacon and a couple of eggs 'over-easy' (you have to learn the language when abroad - the locals appreciate it), as well as a superb cup of coffee.

I have a text from Jorgé - he's found my CamelBack and left it out for me by the front door. I do some sums - it'll take just over half an hour to get back home and pick it up (I'll be going the most direct route), so I finish my breakfast and - for some reason having difficulty zipping my jacket back up - walk out to the bike...



Well there's something you don't see every day - any one care to guess make, model and year?

Actually I think I may have seen this car in Portland last October - there can't be many in the USA...

I have an uneventful ride back to Jorgé's house, where, sitting by the door...



I retrace my steps to Scappoose...



Apparently pot is becoming legal in Oregon from 1st July this year...



The lady driving this Mercedes was eating from a Chinese take-away container between her legs, using chopsticks... :huh

Anyway.



Time to head for the coast...



Noticed this old chap sitting quietly on the edge of a transport yard...



The temperature is now up to the high 60s F and it's hard to think of better weather to be riding a bike in...



The roads are well surfaced - and empty...



...and the barns are particularly impressive...

Yesterday was Fathers Day - I saw this rather odd message on a church noticeboard...



Anyone else find that a little weird?

Onwards!



Doris suddenly turns me to the left up the splendidly named Greasy Spoon Road...



There are no indications that this is regularly used by traffic, but the road goes where Doris indicates, so I have a look...



Several miles up the road it abruptly stops.



It looks like there was a landslide here - but years ago, as the vegetation has taken hold again. Hey-ho - it was a good ride anyway.



I ride back down and use the 'avoid roadblock' feature on Doris for the first time, and I am soon retracing my steps for several miles in the hunt for an alternative route.



As I am riding along in a fairly spirited manner with my visor open, an insect hits me on the lower lip and then falls into my helmet. Unfortunately, it then decides to express its displeasure at this turn of events by stinging me on my chin before I can get it out. Never mind, my beard will hide the hideous swelling and stop immediate comparisons with the Elephant Man...



I spot this old girl at the roadside - any guesses for the make and year?



This is logging country and there is a constant stream of logging trucks in both directions - either loaded with logs, or carrying their rear axle in a dolly mounted to the truck on their way back to get more forest...



I get to Westport at just after midday and decide to take on some more fuel...



...in the form of "Navy Bean" soup, and...



...Huckleberry pie...

I waddle back out to the bike and ride across the road to a Shell garage. I hand my card to the chap at the pump and it says 'contact provider'

I fill up and pay cash, then ride the short road down to Westport Ferry...



...to find I have missed a ferry by 15 minutes and have 45 minutes to wait for the next one.

Having time to kill, a good signal, a mobile that works at no extra charge in the USA and the phone number of my bank, I spend fifteen minutes getting my card unblocked. All this despite my calling before I left to say I'd be here etc etc - no bloody care for the customer at all - they run things entirely to their own satisfaction.

Anyway - the card should now work OK...



The little ferry comes into sight...



...and is effortlessly manoeuvred into place and the customers disembark...



I'm directed to the front right (or Starboard forr'ard, I suppose)...



...and the ferry gets under way immediately. I'm charged $3 for the crossing - which, despite the hourly service, is less than a mile in length...



We are quickly deposited on Puget Island (where I enter Washington state) and I follow the main road towards Highway 101...



At the north end, the island is connected by a bridge to the mainland...



...bloody chin still hurts...



OK - just for anyone I work with - this one's Green - OK?



Onward!



I have decided to deselect the 'winding roads' option this afternoon and therefore Doris directs me empty, well surfaced wide roads - with a frustratingly low 55mph limit...



Hello - what's this? Extreme caution - must be a bit hairy...

Turns out to be a 200m diversion over a well paved road.

Hey-ho...

There are frequent reminders of how close to the Pacific coast I am getting...



I've seen a lot of bikes today - commuters in Portland and longer distance riders out here...



I'm quite excited to be entering Cosmopolis...



...as I'm expecting it to be full of super-heroes or something. Alas it's a pleasant enough town (in a sort of twinned with Swindon type of way), but no home for heroes, but rather a huge processing plant...



...making textiles, as best I could work out.

Onward!

I enter Aberdeen - a location I'd been thinking about stopping at when planning last night.



The Trip Adviser reviews of the Travelodge were enough to change my mind. There may be nice parts of Aberdeen, but Doris didn't steer me past any of them...



Aha! the first signpost mentioning my target for tonight - Ocean Shores...



I'm soon checking into the Best Western - I reserved my room whilst waiting for the ferry. I go up to my huge room...





...complete with balcony and "partial ocean view"...



It has been a long day (about 280 miles) and I ache all over. I clearly need to get used to relatively long hours in the saddle again.

Great day, though...

Isn't the first car a Citroen Light 15 from about 1950 with a different grille?

Thanks for sharing

Great stuff, once again

This with Franco's report are brightening up a dreary week in the UK

diplomaticdanny said:

Isn't the first car a Citroen Light 15 from about 1950 with a different grille?

Click to expand...

I think it's a 1952 Citroen 'Traction' - but it has been extensively customised. I wonder how many there are in the USA?

Mike O said:

I spot this old girl at the roadside - any guesses for the make and year?

Click to expand...

'67 Buick Skylark.

Schtum said:

'67 Buick Skylark.

Click to expand...

Correct - you know your US metal Mike...

Nice write-up, thank you!! Chopsticks, eh!

23rd June 2015

I manage to stay up until 2200, writing up the day’s journal and doing some admin. I’m determined to power through the jet lag on this trip and forcing myself to stay up until a reasonable time is part of the plan.

I sleep really well, until 0400 – when I am awoken by someone practising playing their acoustic guitar in a nearby room…

I call reception (Manned 24hrs) – there’s no reply. I put a pillow over each ear and eventually doze off…

I stumble out of bed and into the shower at about 0700 and, fully abluted, present myself for breakfast shortly afterwards.

I go out to the bike - I noticed a snag when unloading last night...



The tab on the orange lens has snapped...



This is the second such failure and the cause lies in the rear (black) part of the indicator, which has been deformed (most likely in a drop) and is putting the lens under stress.

Never mind - this is why I bring insulating tape along...



There you go - good as new...

I pack the bike up, check out and I'm on the road at the crack of 0945...



It's a beautiful day, with some wispy high cloud and a light breeze - even this early in the day it's in the early 60s F.

I've decided to add a little randomness to the day - I have no plan as to where I want to be tonight, so I ask Doris to plot me a course to a far-off aiming point (in this case Kalispell, Montana) via winding roads. When I have used this method in the past it has brought me to some interesting places...

I stop for fuel and find that my card has been blocked AGAIN

I pay cash and resign myself to another phone call later in the day.

My route initially retraces yesterday's...



The rather interesting choice of words on this sign attracted my attention. It's apparently a project to encourage parents to 'bring up' the subject of alcohol and drugs and counsel their children on it.



I ride back through Aberdeen and Cosmopolis and then turn left into some forest roads...



They seem to have speed limits of 35mph...

I decide to ignore this - it'll take me ages to get anywhere otherwise...



So, I thought, since I'm going to be out of the country (and therefore the house) for three weeks - wouldn't it be great if I could find a builder who I could trust to fit a new bathroom whilst I was away? Luckily, my next-door neighbour Steve (who is also my window cleaner - it's all a bit incestuous, business wise, around here ), had his garage converted into a lounge recently - by a good friend of his. The workmanship is top notch, so I asked for the builder (Chris) to give me a call.



This is still agricultural country...



...and any vehicles released into the wild tend to be trucks...



I think I'd like the person that lives at number 25...



I wonder what the postman thinks each time he has to reach inside the pig's bum...



Stuck to a tree nearby is an oddity...



An insect trap...

Onward!



Quite suddenly the paved road turns into a 'primitive' one. It's sort of an amalgam between pavement, dirt and gravel. It’s fairly rough, but there's no need for any standing on the footpegs or anything...



I make pretty good time along it...



...but stop every now and then to enjoy the view and the peace and quiet - I've not seen another vehicle for over an hour...



The road abruptly becomes unprimitived and I spot this old girl for sale. Paul, the owner, comes out when he sees me taking the picture. He's owned it 15 year, but potential purchasers should be aware it has a cracked block because he neglected to renew the antifreeze one year.
Any guesses for make, model and year?

I ride on and, rounding a left-hander, am confronted with a doe and two fauns in the road. Mum immediately leaps into undergrowth to the left, leaving the kids running about in panic...



...for long enough for me to get the camera out. They both disappear into the greenery and I ride on. Slightly more sedately.

For those who are not aware, I hit a deer in Idaho in Sep 2006 and - although fully recovered now - it's not an experience I wish to repeat...



I'm relieved to leave the woods behind for a bit and enter meadowland again...



I wonder why so many barns are painted red? Was it something cultural brought here by settlers from a particular country?



A large piece of snow-covered rock dominates the horizon, as Doris steers me onto a larger road for a while...



I'm stopped briefly by a huge train in the town of Napavine...



...and then by a cheeseburger at a truck stop near the Interstate...



OK - I have no idea what this is...



Anyone?



Onward!



What a beautiful day...



I love Washington's threatening anti-litter signs...



It's getting fairly warm - well into the seventies - and last night's interrupted sleep is making me feel a bit weary. I put Yakima (the largest town on my way towards Montana) into Doris and start making tracks...



Better fill up first - damned card didn't work AGAIN.

Never mind, I meet Anna...



...who has a day off work and has been for a couple of hundred miles on her 1986 Fazer. She's had it about three and a half years and has done about 5000 miles on it. I go in to pay for my petrol and buy us each an ice cream sandwich - which she accepts with glee, saying "This is the best sort of time to eat ice cream".

I am forced to confess to her that alas, I've not found a bad sort of time for this activity...

Spotting my Touratech scarf thing she tells me that the firm (who her cousin works for in Seattle) are having their annual meeting near Leavenworth this weekend. I ask if she's going, but she's working.

Anna's a barista at Starbucks - this weekend is Gay Pride weekend in Seattle and she's going to be serving customers. I ask her if she wears a costume...

"Last year I dressed as a rainbow unicorn - I'm hoping to wear that outfit again"

We finish our ice cream - Anna makes a note of the ADVrider website address - say goodbye and go our separate ways. What a top girl...

Fuelled and rested, it's time to get on the road...



I start a long climb into the mountains around Mt Rainier...



...it's beautiful and - thankfully - a little cooler with the sudden gain in altitude...



The view from the summit of the pass is breath-taking...



I start the long descent...



...noticing it's getting warmer a LOT quicker on the way down into this valley...



So I keep up a brisk pace...



...thankfully not running into any of Washington's finest...



At the base of the pass, the landscape is very different - arid and brown...



...a very different sight from the eye-watering greenness I have been used to over the past days...



It's now about 90F and it's time to stop. The first two hotels I try are fully booked - there's a convention in town...



Thankfully one of the helpful reception staff at the Holiday Inn suggested I try the Super 8 at Union Gap (where Gary Puckett was brought up) - they have a room for a very reasonable $68.



I dial the Air Con to "Neptune" and relax in its frosty embrace.

Another great day...

Another top days riding & reporting, cheers Mike O