Topic: Interesting Roads and Destinations

[andy750]

Great photos and text Greg - always enjoy your adventures. I recognise some of the places from my 2001 trip through there. Wish I had known about the dirt roads back then.
Thanks for sharing!
Andy

[ofreen]

Thanks Andy, here's another one you might like.  Oregon 242, aka McKenzie Highway, runs along a historic wagon route through the Cascades between Sisters and Belknap Springs over McKenzie Pass.  It is a very curvy road, especially in vicinity of the pass.  It is as curvy a road as you will find anywhere.  You may expect to go around one of the bends and see your own tail light ahead.  There are spectacular views making it hard to concentrate on the road, but you'd better watch what you are doing as the road will bite you.  You will be hard pressed to remember where you have seen so many lava flows, reminding you that you are in a very active volcanic region.  The Dee Wright Observatory is at the top of the pass, built out of lava rock set on top of lava rock.  The observatory is one of those busy-work projects built during the Great Depression by a CCC crew almost 90 years ago.

Here are some photos from the summit of the pass.  The road is not to be missed if you are in the area.

Looking south toward the Three Sisters -



The Dee Wright Observatory, a stonemason's wet dream -






I'd probably rather not be in this thing during an earthquake -


Many Cascade peaks are visible from the observatory and this bronze lump serves as a 'peak finder.'


The windows in the observatory are intended to point to individual peaks -


This bird's-eye view gives a hint how curvy this road is. 

[Stev-o]

Looks amazing, Greg.  Thx for sharing.

[Kelly E]

McKenzie Pass is a great road. The only downside of McKenzie Pass is when the bicyclists show up. They tend to clog up the road so you can't pass despite the constant signs telling them to not ride the centerline. Once our 7 bikes and one car were blocked by two bicycles for about 2 miles. Actually it was only one bicycle because his wife/girlfriend was riding the fogline. The car in front of us was already trying to wear out his horn when we caught up. I finally found a place to pass safely and the last bike was a VRod with an open 2 into 1 exhaust system and a right side turn out. It nearly blasted the dudes bicycle off the road.

My favourite road so far is US-12 between Lewiston Idaho and Missoula Montana over Lolo Pass. It's about 200 miles of curves and not crowded. Much of it is along the Clearwater River with plenty of little rest areas and pull outs. One thing is you need a bike with some range. You really need to have a little over a 150 mile range. With the 7.5 gallon tank on my 94' Concours it's not an issue.
We stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Lewiston and in the morning ride to Missoula to have dinner at the Montana Club and stay at the Super 8 across the street. Next day ride back westbound to Lewistown and the Holiday Inn.

[ofreen]

My favourite road so far is US-12 between Lewiston Idaho and Missoula Montana over Lolo Pass.

US12 is one of my favorites too.

[ofreen]

A combination of roadside art and abandoned buildings is hard to pass up without checking it out.  This spot is west of Redmond, OR on SH126. 

[ofreen]

Another post for eastern Oregon, this time the little town of Unity, on US26.  It resembles a ghost town, but people live there.  I suppose at some point it will get cleaned up and its charm ruined.  In the meantime its rustic appeal is there to be enjoyed.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

You must be getting spoiled. I KNOW your F really misses you  :'(

[ofreen]

I KNOW your F really misses you  :'(

  Those photos are from last summer.  I've been on the RK exactly once since the beginning of the year to ride down to the HD dealer to get some oil for it.  Don't worry about the good ole 750F being neglected.  I've had it out a few days a week since the end of February when the weather cooperates.  Sale price is up to $166,275.10 today.  It will probably stay there for the next few days with the rain and snow we are getting, but my goal is to get the price up to $170,000 this year.  The CBR and the GS-PD are the neglected ones.  The CBR has a slightly hazardous hanging idle I have to figure out, and the GS has a new greaseable driveshaft waiting to go in.

[ofreen]

I made a post way back in January 2010 on NM 152 here - http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,63295.msg711966.html#msg711966

I haven't been on it since 2012 and finally got back last August.  It was even better than I remembered.  It is one crazy, curvy road.  Previously I had been on either the CBR1000F or the R100GS-PD, so I wondered how it would be on the more bulky Road King.  The bike did great.  No doubt I went a little slower than I did on the CBR, but it wasn't any more work.  The RK continues to impress.







One change since I was there last was a big fire in 2013.  The area has recovered well since -


A little history -


There are two little towns on the road, Kingston and Hillsboro.  These photos are in Hillsboro -







This building has been re purposed a few times over its long history as noted on the plaque.  It makes me laugh that a bank became a whorehouse.  A step or two up, I'd say -




Pretty cheap, and while you usually only get what you pay for, I'll bet in this case the service is fully as good as anywhere else.  (Apologies if there are any psychiatrists on the forum)



I mentioned the side roads off of NM152 in the post from 2010.  NM27 heads south from Hillsboro towards Deming.  For the northern half, it is quite a curvy, rollercoaster road in its own right, plus all the sand, gravel, and mud washed across it around blind curves from all the monsoonal rains last summer made it interesting. 

The Lake Valley ghost town is off the highway on a dirt road.  A washout about a half a mile in made me wish I was on the GS, but the Road King scoffed at the idea of deep ruts, a little mud and rock holding up progress so we made it to the town.  A few photos of a subject I seem to like best, old buildings in the process of falling down -

[Stev-o]

As always, great ride report Greg.  Thanks for sharing...

[ofreen]

Thanks Stev-o.  One thing, I have never seen it so green that time of year across New Mexico and Arizona as it was last August.  Or as much mud and rock across the back roads.

[Stev-o]

Thanks Stev-o.  One thing, I have never seen it so green that time of year across New Mexico and Arizona as it was last August. 

I bet it would be different looking this year, as parts of NM are in a major drought [as well as here in Cen Tex].
It could be another bad year of wildfires...

[scottly]

Thanks Stev-o.  One thing, I have never seen it so green that time of year across New Mexico and Arizona as it was last August. 

I bet it would be different looking this year, as parts of NM are in a major drought [as well as here in Cen Tex].
It could be another bad year of wildfires...

We had 9 inches of rain here last July, which is why it was so green. It's also the reason the weeds and underbrush are so thick now. The fire season is already off and running in the south west. The Crooks fire, near me, has been burning for two weeks now and has consumed 9400 acres. The Tunnel fire north of Flagstaff that started the next day has burned 19000 acres. High winds and low humidity have been a major factor. It's far worse in New Mexico, with over 120,000 acres in the Calf Canyon and almost 60,000 acres in the Cooks Peak fires.  

[Stev-o]

Thanks Stev-o.  One thing, I have never seen it so green that time of year across New Mexico and Arizona as it was last August. 

I bet it would be different looking this year, as parts of NM are in a major drought [as well as here in Cen Tex].
It could be another bad year of wildfires...

We had 9 inches of rain here last July, which is why it was so green. It's also the reason the weeds and underbrush are so thick now. The fire season is already off and running in the south west. The Crooks fire, near me, has been burning for two weeks now and has consumed 9400 acres. The Tunnel fire north of Flagstaff that started the next day has burned 19000 acres. High winds and low humidity have been a major factor. It's far worse in New Mexico, with over 120,000 acres in the Calf Canyon and almost 60,000 acres in the Cooks Peak fires.  

Sorry to hear it, Scott.  The Tunnel Fire has made the national news over here...

[ofreen]

US 191 between Morenci and Springerville, AZ is a road I had in mind when I started this thread.  Of all the amazing roads I have ridden over the years, this one stands out.  I haven't posted it before because it is fairly famous, unlike some of the others in this thread.  But I always run across people who don't know about its awesomeness, so here goes.  What makes it awesome?  Remote with spectacular scenery, ridiculously twisty, and it is that way for almost 120 miles.  These photos are from different years.

The first photo was taken on the way out of Morenci many years ago.  It was my first time on the road, and we were under that thunderstorm within a couple of miles.  It rained all the way to Springerville.  Didn't see a damn thing as we were in the clouds and rain the entire way.  It was a wild ride.  The CBR took it in stride, though. 


It was obvious the road was something special, so I got back down there a couple of years later.  Morenci is the home to one of the largest open pit copper mines in the world.  An impressive hole in the ground -






Here is some of the scenery I mentioned.  The first couple of photos are looking south back toward the mine -







Note the buildups to the far north.  There's a closer look at them a couple of photos down.


I also mentioned the road is twisty, one of the twistiest I know of for such a long distance.  It is so twisty, even the road signs are confused -


I have ridden the road only once without getting rained on.  Afternoon thunderstorms are common on the route.  I had just ridden under the first one, with another ahead.



By the time we got to Alpine, it was truly hazardous to continue.  This photo was taken while we hid under an overhang on the front of an abandoned building for a couple of hours.  It was a crazy day.  But what a great road.

[RAFster122s]

191 will absolutely wear you out, as it is super curvy and will take you longer than you might expect to traverse it. Section of it I am thinking of is between I10 and E of Phoenix. Take rest breaks and don’t push it too much as running wide on a corner can really ruin your day/week/life.  Watch out for gravel in corners if it has rained recently. The Highway crews try to keep it safe but lots of roadways to address after rainstorms have gone through.
Pretty country but you will need to pay attention to the road and take breaks for hydration and rest to enjoy the scenery more…

Alpine and White Mountains are gorgeous… Apache Reservation area, fwiw

When we have rainstorms move through in Northern AZ the “Chocolate Falls” are worth seeing… they’re a western equivalent to Niagara Falls…free to check out…

David
Tucson area

[C317414]

My favourite road so far is US-12 between Lewiston Idaho and Missoula Montana over Lolo Pass. It's about 200 miles of curves and not crowded. Much of it is along the Clearwater River with plenty of little rest areas and pull outs. One thing is you need a bike with some range. You really need to have a little over a 150 mile range. With the 7.5 gallon tank on my 94' Concours it's not an issue.
We stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Lewiston and in the morning ride to Missoula to have dinner at the Montana Club and stay at the Super 8 across the street. Next day ride back westbound to Lewistown and the Holiday Inn.

Weather can be a factor here in late spring or early fall.  A couple of years ago my buddy and I were camped at Lewiston and decided to do a loop: US-12, Kamiah, Nezperce, Spalding, Lewiston.  As we rode past Orofino it started raining.  Then, it turned to sleet, and heavy snow, so we were forced to turn back.

 

[C317414]

Central Oregon - Dayville

My wife and I like to set up a base camp at a campground and do a few loops in the area.  Last May we camped a few miles west of Dayville, Oregon.  The riding was great, a combination of rural, country roads and more twisty mountain roads.

[ofreen]

191 will absolutely wear you out, as it is super curvy...

Yes it will.  I was wondering what it would be like on the Road King.  But I think it was easier than the CBR1000F, which is known to carry a lot of weight on the front.

Weather can be a factor here in late spring or early fall. 

Yup, I've been snowed on every month of the year on the bike.  Colorado is great for that, but it happens anywhere there is some elevation.

Central Oregon - Dayville... The riding was great, a combination of rural, country roads and more twisty mountain roads.

Great country, great roads.  Lots of paved roads, but many more unpaved that go to some beautiful places.  Eastern Oregon is hard to beat.

[RAFster122s]

We are having a Winter Storm warning tomorrow night along with a high wind advisory... Snow expected down to 2500 feet which is much of Tucson. Had snow around town with rain mix Sunday as well...

[ofreen]

We took off on a little ride the second week of June down to Colorado at the furthest going by way of Nevada and Utah, then through Wyoming back home.  We hit a lot of familiar roads, but some new-one-to-me here and there.  Saw a lot of nice country, had nice weather, tailwinds most of the time (weird, that never happens), so here are a few photos.

Currie, Nevada.  I've ridden by this largely abandoned pit stop on US93 who knows how many times, but somehow never stopped.  Did this time, though.







We tented it in Ely KOA, one of the few decent KOAs left, then headed toward Great Basin National Park, maybe still my favorite national park.  One reason for my preference is there is no entrance fee, (you do have to pay to tour the Lehman Caves), and because of its remoteness, uncrowded.  Still no fee, but it has been discovered.  It was busier than I have ever seen it by far, maybe because the word has gotten out and it seems like nobody goes to work anymore.  But still a great place to visit and the Wheeler Peak road is spectacular.  Takes you up over 10,000 ft and looking off the side of the road is like looking out of an airplane, like Logan Pass in that respect.




From there we worked our way across Utah, taking Utah 31.  I will feature this road with its own post on this thread when I get around to it.  We found a nice campsite up the road from Huntington.


The next day we worked our way to Green River, UT on some other roads that deserve their own posts on this thread, and took a short hop on I-70 to get to US191 and Moab.  Moab is nothing like it was the first time I went through there 30 years ago when I moved from Alaska.  Gets more zoo-like every year and makes me sad.  Well, boohoo for me, but getting down to UT46 made up for it.


We spent the night in the hills above Paradox CO, in a very nice campsite.  Free, and you can't beat that.



Paradox CO -



We always take a break at the Naturita store, sitting on the same bench for 25+ years.  The bench is on the north side, always in the shade.


The following photos are along CO 141.  I've never featured it on this thread because it is well known how great it is, but here goes anyway.

This cabin is a ways off the road, and easy to miss if you are paying attention to the road like you should be. 








When you are on the road, check out the remnants of the hanging flume, an engineering marvel (not being facetious).

[ofreen]

And then there's the Driggs Mansion.  Completed in 1918, it is in sad shape now.  They have been trying to save it, but it looks like a losing battle.  I wouldn't be surprised if the log cabin pictured above is older but it looks like it has held up better.  I think I will stay away from sandstone as a building material.




Taking a break at the Gateway store, a small slice of civilization -


After enduring Grand Junction, we hit CO 139.  An otherwise great road, but in poor condition for much of its length.  The Road King said no sweat, though.  Here's shot at the top of Douglas Pass.


We spent the night in the city park at Rangely.  Very reasonable fee, and there are flush toilets and a shower.


The Dinosaur National Monument is outside of Jensen UT.  It is a nice little ride up to it.  Thanks to the $10 lifetime parks pass (now $80 but still a bargain) I bought when I officially reached geezerhood, it was free to get in.  Interesting place.  Dinosaurs apparently had a tough time dealing with mud.





Going north from Vernal, US191 continues its spectacular ways.  The twisting climb north of Vernal is great fun.  Again, the RK impresses in the curves for something so bulky.  And it seems impossible to not stop in the Flaming Gorge area to takes pictures.


After covering more familiar ground in Wyoming, we got up into SE Idaho.  Hit some back roads and came across some old homesteads.  They built this one in what is basically a swamp.  The bugs must have driven them crazy.






Some very nice folks are trying to revive the historic Henry, ID store.  I wish then success in their effort.  Stop in and Whitney will give you a tour.












It has been many years since I've seen the Palisades Reservoir full.  Great to see it.



I was very disappointed to find that the iconic Spud Drive-in Theater's 75 year old screen near Driggs, ID had blown down last year in a windstorm.  I have photos from before the calamity that I'll put up when I run across them.  My brother and I have intended to make it over to watch a movie but never made it.  I found a news article that said they intended to have the theater up and running again this year.  I have my doubts.  It will take a lot of work and money to get it open again.  The article said "supply chain" issues were to blame.  A nice catchall reason (or in some cases, excuse) we see too frequently these days.




I'll conclude this epic with a view of the Big Titties Mountains (aka Grand Tetons) in the distance.

[grcamna2]

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[Stev-o]

GREAT ride report Greg!