Pacific Northwest with an Italian Supermodel

Nice to meet ya at Motocorsa (I was the glove guy).

Ride safe and stay dry.


Paul

Fucking awesome read.

Thanks, guys. I always cringe a little when I hit 'reload', just prior to reading the comments after a night of writing, wondering if I've gone off the deep end, became intelligible or insane. Happy I'm not there yet.

'Sup, Paul! After riding back to my place here (I got lost about 17 times) I'm completely soaked, and so is all my gear. Should be dry by Monday. Hit me up if you want to go for a ride or grab a bite.

I'll do a full write-up on MotoCorsa, but for now: they just finished a bike build--the kind of bike that makes me think maybe 'Round the World with an Italian Supermodel' isn't as crazy as it sounds:



















Of course, it's no supermodel anymore....more like 'Round the World with an Italian TerraCorsa"

Sick, just sick.

Something this cool shouldn't exist.

That. Is. Badass.

"Humvucati"

That is an awesome bike! But why the covered tail section? part of the design? trying to hide something? or is it a bag?

Bags.
Look at the pic with our hero astride the.... umm.... whatever that thing is now. Freakin' sweet!

Sent from my fat thumbs on a small touch screen.

Yep--gear bag. They headed off towards the drier sections of Oregon (East/SE). For pics/vid, check out Moto Corsa's Facebook. I'm not on FB, so me have no links.

Video of them leaving the shop here.

Wait... is that a smile right there??

Glad you are still on the road and making new experiences. I really appreciate how unfiltered and honest you tell us about your trip. Especially your last post about wandering at night etc. was pretty deep and personal, I like that.

Keep doing what you do, I'm sure there will come the time you'll find the perfect place to settle down for a while. Until you find this - keep enjoying the hell out of your life of daily discoveries!

Thanks, lurw. And yeah, that's a smile. :)

When I first arrived in Portland I made my way to a Peruvian restaurant called Andina. I'd been there years ago and it made a fairly substantial impression on me. Peruvian food can be very traditional Incan cuisine, but is commonly influenced by European, Japanese, Chinese and even African flavors and ingredients. Hundreds of years prior to "Fusion Cuisine," Peruvian cooks have been alloying bright tastes and indigenous ingredients using culinary techniques from around the world. Bah--who am I kidding, I'm no food historian--I'm just a curious glutton who dines alone and takes lots of pictures of his food to torment hungry inmates snacking on bugles in front of ADVRider:


(Above: ANTICUCHO DE CORAZÓN, or Marinated beef heart, skewered and grilled. The tough meat, broken down with a marinade, has a wonderful flavor and texture unlike anything else in the kingdom of beef cuts. (If only there was such a thing as beef heart marrow).


(Above: ANTICUCHO DE PULPO. No, it's not Octopus heart (I wish), just a lumpy, juicy, flavorful hunk of Octopus Tentacle with Chimichurri. Mouth watering deliciousness.)


(Above: SACSAYHUAMÁN - habanero pepper vodka shaken with pureed passionfruit and cane sugar, served up with a sugar rim and cilantro leaf garnish. It's a bit sweeter than I remember, and not nearly as spicy. What used to be the best cocktail I've ever had is now a little soft and spongey around the edges, but still pretty f'in good.)


(Above: CHICHARRON DE POLLO (and Prawns). Quinoa studded--think Peruvian fried chicken and shrimp--but a little healthier and not as tasty.)

No, I didn't eat it all, though I tried (I hadn't eaten much in two days). I shared with the businesswoman eating adjacent to me, who was kind enough to share some of her entree back.

Portland's food scene is unreal, by the way. My theory is that the Top Chefs who dream of changing the culinary landscape of the world end up selling their soul to investors, just so they can open a restaurant in NY, LA, SF or Vegas. The result? They lose all creative control to the investors who error on the side of playing everything safe. Portland's kitchens are a place for stubborn misfits, the true 'artists' of taste, for whom cooking is a compulsion, for whom sacrificing creativity for 'prestige' is akin to slicing off one's tongue to pay for the privilege to record an album. Portland, my dear friends, is right now, the epicenter of gastronomic genius.

Now if it would only stop raining....

The crap quits Monday night with a little water Tuesday. Wednesday through at least Saturday should allow for some proper riding. Mine's been sitting under a cover the past four days, and I'm getting The Itch. Hell, if it weren't for class all week I'd be happy to show you a few choice spots. About the only one to avoid is Washougal River Road; every idiot and their drunken 2nd cousin rides it. Lots of law, too. SR-14 to 141 to BZ Glenwood Hwy to Goldendale is an absolute kick!

Touring the Pacific Northwest by Motorcycle - Motorcycle Roads Northwest

Thanks for the link to roads, Bogfarth. I might be around for longer than a week, esp. if the weather clears up. And/or if I can get a functioning rain suit. Two down so far. I think I'm meant to just get soaked every time I ride.

Speaking of dry weather--it was a sunny day the first time I stopped by MotoCorsa. One of the finest Ducati shops I've been to. Even yesterday when it was pouring it seemed guys would just come in with no reason to be there other than to worship and it's not hard to figure out why.









And for all those women and new-to-motorcycling people for whom Ducati doesn't currently make a bike, here's some hope:


And if that doesn't float your boat, this probably won't either, but so cute you could punt one over the fence:

D16RR. Not one, but....


...two!





And not one, but six Motocyzyczszzzs:



(I'm not going to bag on this electric bike because it's been to the Isle of Man TT and I have not).


I'll own one when I grow up:


I'll save my full write-up for MotoCorsa Part II. But safe to say that this shop is pretty friggin rad. Everyone here is super cool, the techs are wizards (thanks, AJ!), the service manager (Hannah) has raced about every R version Ducati has made and Arun (Bossman) rocks. More to come....

Rode around Portland happily after my visit to MotoCorsa. I'd been working quite a bit lately, so the only time I had to ride was while going from one place to another. Having no destination was a relief.









My God I love this bike!

Andina night two.

Beets. Damn, I love beets, too. Sashimi of the soil.




Ceviche, with a Ron-Yki-On cocktail waiting patiently in the background. (Ginger rum shaken with cane sugar, fresh grapefruit and lime juice with cardamom-sugared rim.) I should have just poured the entire drink on the ceviche they went so well together.



Chicken kebobs, with a "spicy" salsa (nothing is ever hot enough).

Met up with one very cool dude from Episode 1. He'd moved from San Diego to Whidbey and was deploying soon, so I cut my time in Portland short and headed up to Seattle. He knew a great sushi place and, clearly, I hadn't been eating very well , and nothing succeeds like excess (this was about half of what we ordered):





After that, we headed to the gum wall for some dessert:



Then we just rode around terrorizing tourists and stunning locals with booming pipes 'fore stopping for a train.






This storage place rotating-color-lights, which was kind of a cool, opportune backdrop-and-light-stage all in one.







Not even sure how to describe the night better than the following picture does. Without any real purpose, we relaxed into momentary 'passivity', turning down alleys, riding 'lost', absorbing the lights, the sounds, the night air. We had an indifference to purpose. A moment before we were somewhere else and in a moment, somewhere after, but the 'now' was all that really mattered. It was as if we were trapped in an Asahi 'drink responsibly' ad, only without the women in the background peering curiously.

All of my favourite walk/ride/drive memories have involved such journeying for nothing but the sake of the experience itself.

Loving the writing and riding. What's the name of the sushi place and what did you order? Hearing that way this next week and need it track that down.
Are you still shooting with the RX100? I really enjoy your pics as well.

In! Thank you for sharing. Again.

You met Arun and AJ... great folks. That is a really cool shop. They had always taken good are of me. I actually miss going in there since selling my last Duc about 4 years ago.