Sept 13 –
It took a few days, but we now had a solid plan for an Oregon handoff. Mickey6 was going to travel over from Roseburg, OR and we were to meet in John Day, OR. Steve was along again on his Pacific Coast. We left early afternoon on another warm day. Our route was US26. This is yet another great road that traverses river bottom farmland, mountains, and high plains featuring abandoned farms, farms that look abandoned but aren't, forests, deer jumping across the road, expansive vistas, mountain passes, scenic valleys, etc, etc, etc. It is not a technical road with a lot of curves (there’s a few curvy sections, tho), but there is plenty to look at. There is a lot that fans of the ‘Abandoned’ thread on this forum would be interested in.
Here is the post office in Jamieson, OR. It looks sort of abandoned but it is still in operation.
Here’s one of those farms that looks abandoned but isn’t –
Coming out of the hills looking toward Prairie City –
Here’s a video along US26 as we skirted the edge of a thunderstorm. The farm shown in this one was probably abandoned, but you never know. From what I’ve seen, some people out here don’t seem to sweat not having glass panes in the windows that much.
US26We beat Mickey to John Day by about 30 minutes. We began to set up camp at the fairgrounds. It wasn’t long and we heard the mellow, civilized exhaust note of what could only be another SOHC4. Turns out it was indeed Mickey on his trusty CB500. He had made pretty damn good time. I surmised that he may have bent a few of Oregon’s rather conservative speed limits on the way over.
Some Oregon art found near the campsite. It appears someone wrapped a cigar band around a turd, an example of artistic self-expression more commonly seen around Portland but apparently making its way eastward.
Sept 14
After breaking camp, we repaired to the local McDonalds for a dollar meal breakfast and the handoff. There was a little confusion as Mickey fired up his 500, after which Steve and I couldn’t tell if our bikes were running. But I decided to trust the tach, and sure enough the bike responded when I eased out the clutch. Hey Mickey, good thing you have that washer in there or that thing would really be loud.
The handoff-
GZ on his new perch –
A gas stop was in order before heading out of town. Progressive state that it is, Oregon understands that not just anyone should be pumping gas, so prohibits the untrained from doing so. Fortunately, there is a cadre of schooled professional pump jockeys across the state there to get the job done. This is undoubtedly a much safer system than in other less enlightened states that recklessly allow just anybody to pump gas. The downside to this is that because of the rigorous training and strict requirements, with the resulting high washout rate, there is an apparent shortage of pump jockeys. So sometimes you have stand around for a while waiting for one of the pros to make it over to you. Kind of a pain, but if even one child’s life is saved, it is worth it. So whatever you do, don’t be handling your own nozzle in Oregon.
We turned north on US395 just west of John Day. This is yet another great road with plenty to look at. Lots of deer though, so you have to pay attention.
Here is the old post office in Fox. This one has been decommissioned.
I first saw this gas pump back in 1994. I am surprised it is still there, as these things are sought after by restorers and collectors.
More old stuff along the way -
GZ has to eat, too. I’m pretty sure Mickey intended to swab GZ down with Lysol or something later. But is case he didn’t, you guys with GZ now better not touch your face or anything else after handling GZ until you wash your hands really good.
Back on the road. A Mickey6 flyby –
Mickey6 flyby.aviRoundup time. Mickey can tell this part of the story if he wants –
round upWe split up at the junction near Ukiah, with Mickey heading north to Pendleton and Steve and I east toward La Grande. Thanks again to Mickey for his epic ride to make this part of the relay happen. Like Kris from Calgary and everybody else I’ve met on this relay, he is a true biker and I am proud to make his acquaintance.
This next image was supposed to be a video of Mickey blasting off toward Pendleton, but since I can’t work my own friggin camera right, here is a snapshot of nothing instead.
Here are a few more pics of old stuff on the way back. If you like to look at and photograph old buildings that are still somehow more or less defying gravity (I do), then you’ll like OR244.
That’s it for me. Between the Nevada-Utah leg and this Montana/Wyoming/Idaho/Oregon trip, these rides have been as satisfying as, or more so than any I have ever been on. (And there have been quite a few.) That is because I was on the old 750 that has been with me for over 34 years now. It used to be my touring bike, but for the last 20 years other bikes have filled that role, while the 750 has been mostly relegated to commuting and making runs to the hardware store. I’ve bragged many times that even with all the miles on it, I wouldn’t hesitate to ride it anywhere. When this relay came about, it was time for me to put up or shut up. And the bike came through. Especially in Nevada, the bike carried me solo through some places where it would have been
very inconvenient to break down. But it never missed a beat.
Thanks again to all you guys who followed through and did what you said you would do to get the relay done. I had to ride a considerable distance to get to the handoff on each of the legs I did. Everybody I met had to do the same thing and everybody was where they said they’d be when they were supposed to be. I don’t take that for granted. Pretty awesome and much appreciated.
