West Coast Summer Tour....

[axiom-r]

Since I had missed the 2014 WCR I decided the only right thing to do was set out on an epic ride to get the desire out of my system....

My plan was to ride from my home on the Central Coast of California up to the northern end of Vancouver Island British Columbia Canada and back.  I took the coastal route on the north bound trip and went inland to the mountains for the return trip...

On the morning of departure:




You might notice the black fabric tape on the front of my bike.  I cover all the leading areas of the bike with Gaff Tape http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaffer_tape to protect it from bugs, gravel chips and other wear when I am going to take the bike out for a long distance.  The tape is made for concert production and stage use so it leaves behind almost no residue like duct tape would.  Because it is fabric backed it is easy to tear and shape to the contours of the fairing, fenders and forks etc...  It comes in all colors so I use a day-glow yellow on the fork tubes as a high visibility/safety enhancement. It might look funny but it is highly functional and has kept my fairing in like new condition....

The Route North would start in Los Osos and end in Port McNeil BC:


My first overnight (at 530 miles or so) was Arcata, CA.  I connected with my buddy Steve and he rode north with me the next morning on his 2008 FZ1 for the first tank of gas...


The second day saw me arrive in Olympia Washington.  I crossed from the coast over to HWY 5 through Grant's Pass Oregon.  I spent two nights with my sister and then headed north to Anacortes to catch the ferry over to Orcas Island.


I spent a few days on Orcas.  The San Juan Islands are a place of great beauty that you should see if you ever have the chance..... This is a shot of the FJ atop Mount Constitution in the Moran State Park:


One of the beaches we visited on Orcas:


A view of the San Juan's from our picnic spot:


When it was time to head north I endured the only real rain on the entire tour...  Made for a very soggy morning and a wet ferry ride to Friday Harbor.  Bike got filthy too:



I had a very nice night in Victoria recovering from the rain and then headed up Island to see my dad....  all the roads north looked more or less like this:


The view from my dad's backyard in Port McNeil looking south on the Queen Charlotte Straight:


I enjoyed the time up island and headed back south.  Over-nighted in Victoria again and then crossed from there to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington.  Landed in Olympia for the night and was off south again in the morning.  My Southern route was turning east from Portland, OR so that I could get a view of Mount Hood and the Sisters in the Cascadia Range...



Mount Hood:


Shasta:


Summit of Mount Lassen at 8500+ feet.  It was nice to have an altimeter on the GPS Speedo for all the passes.  It got cold at elevation and I was able to see my altitude the whole time - cool!



From Lassen I continued on HWY 89 south into Tahoe and connected with more friends and family.  Saw some great trees and got some time at the lake too!



The last leg of the tour was from Tahoe to Los Osos.  I crossed to the west on Apline HWY 4 that is only open in the summer...  amazing road that you should ride if ever given the opportunity!



All said, it was an amazing ride!!!  I would do it again but not as a trade for attending the WCR.....  Looking forward to 2015 and the good times it will bring!!

Here is the bike moments after arriving home.  3294 miles total!!!   




CHEERS!

tim

[Derek Young]

Great ride report Tim! Its too bad I didn't know you were on the Island, we could have hooked up for a Ride.  Did you ride the Port Alice Hwy? Well worth the effort. Sure would like to check out that FJ in person. Next WCR perhaps.

Derek

[axiom-r]

Thanks Derek.  I know there are quite a few FJ riders in the Pacific Northwest and in BC.  I wish I had more time for both planning and the trip but it came together fast and routed such that I was riding a lot!   I have never been more than a few miles north of Port McNeil on land....  I have known about the Port Alice Hwy as a great road to ride but have never been able to get myself there....  next time for sure!

Cheers!

[Pat Conlon]

Monster ride Tim, very cool.... Anytime you can combine riding and get togethers with family/friends is the best of both worlds. Good for you.

FYI....That Alpine HWY 4 is on the ticket for our 2015 WCR Sierra Rally. 

[axiom-r]

Hey Pat - thanks!

That HWY 4 is spectacular for sure....  not a road for high speeds though.  Fuel was scarce too, I had to locate it in advance and plan the stops.  The camping is insane around Alpine Lake on HWY 4.  It would be cool to go through there during the WCR and plan a night or two in tents.... I saw some spots that I would have like to stay at for sure.

I was lucky to have the road to myself (almost). I only passed 2 or 3 times as it was AM hours and the traffic that was there was east bound for the most part - I was going west.

Cheers!

tim

[ribbert]

tim

Tim, given the amount of trouble you have gone to to protect your finishes you should give this product a try. I only use it on trips, my pants tend to scratch the tank, and remove it when I get home. It's static film, wet it and slap it on, roughly squeegee the bubbles out (don't get too fussy, it's only temporary) then just peel it off. You can buy the product in sheets or these ones come pre cut for the FJ knee indents in the tank. They are from "Tankslapper"
You could also use it on the front of the fairing. Being static film there is no adhesive or residue, great stuff.



(I got some bald fat bloke to take the photo for me)
Noel

[ribbert]

OK, who's stuffed up this months version of Flickr?