Wandering from my meandering (Latest: NE WA/NWP)

NOTE: Permalinks are embedded in the list of places below.

Updated JUNE 2019: I retired from the fire service in the fall of 2017. For a few months, I traveled down the west coast of the US in an RV with my then GF. We pulled a small cargo trailer with my F800GSA amongst other stuff. We sort of settled in southern AZ in the winter, and I left there in July after we broke up. More wandering than meandering ensued till I parked in Seattle in October to spend that fall and winter near my kids. Currently back in Spokane trying to figure out what happens next after failing in an attempt to un-retire (a questionable endeavor at best). Lots still up in the air, so stay tuned.

This thread chronicles my “side trips”, originally envisioned as motorcycle trips away from the RV travels. Situations obviously have changed, but it still is a matter of doing rides from an unfixed base.

So Far:
Across WA Spokane to Seattle and back
Tillamook Bay OR
Lost Coast
Sacramento Delta
Lost Coast II & CA1
Pine Flat Lake
Death Valley
NE AZ Mogollon Rim
Painted Desert AZ
Apache Trail AZ
East of Ajo AZ
Organ Pipe National Monument and thereabouts
Baja 2018 (Separate report)
Tohono O’odham Nation
Moab 2018
Northern part of Continental Divide (in the US)
Badlands SD
Black Hills SD
Salmon River loop ID
Cyprus
Way too early St Joe River Rd
Moab 2019
IDBDR (north end)
MacKay Bar (Salmon River)
IDBDR Sections 6 through 1
Custer Motorway
White Bird Grade
WABDR (Sections 6 - 3)
WABDR (Sections 2 & 1) November 2019
Custer Pass (Sierra Nevada Mountains) Feb 2020
Baja and N Mexico (Separate report)
Tacoma Cr (NE WA) May 2020
Spring Palouse Ride (E WA) June 7, 2020
St Joe Wild and Scenic Area June 20, 2020
Moab 2020: June 22 through 25
Salmon River/Lost Pass area July 10 - 12, 2020
IDBDR Sections 4, 5, & 6 with Chipmunks July 18 - 21, 2020


Possible near future rides: Uncertain

Meandering is no longer endangered, but even less organized. More to follow.

Enjoy the trip. Been full timing for a couple years but not traveling much in the RV. Living in one full time is a definite change. Good call on insisting on a trailer. I had a 6x10 for awhile and after a year with it and just one bike I decided it was too small. By the time you hang up extra gear and throw in a small tool box and some cleaning supplies it was too full. Great for you to have the opportunity to do that. Enjoy and keep us posted on it.

October 26, 2017
Run across WA on US2

Had some business to take care of in Seattle, while back in Spokane wrapping up a few things. So jumped on the GS and took the slightly longer way over Highway 2. It's always chancy to cross the passes in the fall, but the weather had been favorable. The winter wheat was sprouting, and the fall leaves in the Cascade Mountains were in full splendor.

Banks Lake



Moses Coulee







Waterville Plateau




Dropping into the Columbia River Gorge





Through the Cascades









Snoqualmie Pass back to Spokane

Nice.

November 3, 2017
South side of Tillamook Bay OR

We were staying at Cape Lookout State Park for a few days. I took the bike out for a day ride up the coast through the small communities. I had wanted to do some riding on the logging roads in the area, but they were all on private land and gated shut. Also, the road between the community of Cape Meares and Cape Mears SP (where the lighthouse is) was closed, so it really wasn't the loop it was supposed to be. Weather was overcast most of the day, but I only got sprinkled on once.

View from Anderson Viewpoint at Cape Lookout



Three Arch Rocks




Netarts Spit



Views from Oceanside OR








Cape Meares Lighthouse



Bayocean Peninsula

In mid-November, while staying in Florence OR for a few days, I did take the scooter out for a spin between downpours. There's some neat riding there with the dunes, but not so much on my bike. Didn't get many decent pics.

My riding skill is getting to the point that riding a 500 lb. bike in deep sand isn't as bad of an idea as it used to be, but it's still not a good one.

November 19
Avenue of Giants and the Lost Coast, CA

We stayed a couple of nights at the Burlington Campground in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. This was pretty cool being in the extremely tall trees. I took a day to ride out to the Lost Coast. My GF stayed at the camp. I had great weather all day long, but she said she couldn't tell. The canopy is so thick that it seemed like heavy overcast all day long, and eternal dusk.

I started north along the Avenue of Giants and then hopped the 101 for a short bit to Scotia and Rio Dell. From there I took Monument Road to Bear River Ridge Rd and through the hills over to Mattole Road. Mattole is the main road through there, going to the coast from Ferndale, through Petrolia, then back to the Avenue of Giants near where we were camped. I ended up thinking I had enough time to turn south at Honeydew CA to cut along the King Range National Conservation Area to come out near Shelter Cove. All in all, some spectacular riding and scenery. I did get back to the camp site after dark, but made it to HW 101 near Redway in time. I hate riding after dark.

Avenue of the Giants (one of the straight sections anyway). Really neat riding winding through the Redwoods. The road yields to these giants.


Dyerville Train Trestle over the South Fork Eel River


Monument Road outside of Rio Dell



Bear River Ridge Road






Watch out for the cattle on the open range. And respect the private property.

Government property is fair game though.



Mattole Road



Road surfaces in the Lost Coast area are "variable" at best.


Sometimes the washouts and/or construction areas that were dirt were better surfaces than the pavement. Sometimes.





(BTW: not really the western most point in the CONTINENTAL US. Look up Cape Flattery WA)

Lost Coast (continued)

More Mattole Road




Mattole Point, west from Petrolia


If I'd have been on my own on a longer ride, I'd have totally stayed here the night at the campground. Some hippies hiking and a couple of older RV's parked, but it was very cool there on the beach.


Not sure what the may pole was for...


Up the Mattole and then south on Wilder Ridge and Kings Peak Roads



There were a couple of switchbacks along the way...




Not a giant redwood


Looking down towards Shelter Cove


Shelter Cove

This is the aforementioned Mendocino Lighthouse. It was disassembled and relocated to Shelter Cove at a park.

Seal Rock (named so for obvious reasons)


Black Sands Beach (whomever named the local landmarks was not very imaginative...)



No pictures from the ride between Shelter Cove and Redway. A little because I was trying to beat the sunset, at least to the main highway (101). But mostly because of how much fun this road is to ride. It is semi-officially my most favorite road ever now. (at the very least as of when I rode it)

I was left wanting to come back. The Usal Road looked very interesting. But we were heading further south the next day. Perchance I could work something out if I only had some silly reason to do so. (This is what they call dramatic foreshadowing if you hadn't caught on yet).

Great job. Please continue as I sit here in the cold of winter

My GF says we’re chasing the sun, but we’re still getting some chilly weather. Certainly not Kansas (nor Washington) winter cold, but cold nonetheless. Had the water hose to the RV freeze a couple nights ago.

Thanks, You are bringing back some good memories. Keep it up...

Great photos I lived in Humboldt Co. for a few years, all of your Lost Coast photos bring back a lot of good memories. The road surfaces look like they are really in bad shape now, as they were not that great 5 years ago. Thanks

I was glad to be on a dual sport. There were spots I think a cruiser would have bottomed out, on the pavement.

November 24
Sacramento River Delta and North Bay area

The GF and I were staying for a while at Sandy Beach County Park at Rio Vista. I had been jones-ing around ADVRider looking for some riding spots in the Bay Area, when I stumbled across the "California Tag-O-Rama." As it turned out, the current "tag" was about fifteen minutes away from where we were staying. Excuse to go riding?? Sure!
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/california-tag-o-rama.881528/page-85
The riding on the delta islands was ok. While flat, the levee roads were mostly windy. Interesting and unique sights with the fields and "land" being below the level of the water on the other side of the dikes.
I also rode around the North Bay area. One is supposed to put up a new tag within 48 hours, so I tooled around looking for some sort of landmark or recognizable view.

The recreated tag pic


Harvesting sugar cane (I think...)


Swinging bridge


Rest area/view point on I80

I got a couple of odd looks when I pulled up onto the sidewalk. Hey, if you don't like the way I drive, and all that...

Mare Island
Vacated military base. Pretty well repurposed but still lots of vacant structures. This was my back up "tag" if I couldn't find anything. I figured something else out.



As you can see, I also did some errands. Making full use of the "adventure" part of the bike.

Awesome, I will be starting my full timing in minus 4 years....plan on taking the GSA with me as well.

November 28-30
More Lost Coast, and CA HW1

After grabbing the tag, I knew from reading the thread that it had been kicking around the bay area for a while, so I decided to move it farther north. At least this is the excuse I used to go back north to the Lost Coast. I had not had nearly enough of it, and also wanted to ride some of the famous HW1. So I packed up the bike for a three day jaunt. Went north through the hills south of Clear Lake, then took the 101 back up to Redway, then over to Shelter Cove. I camped just south of Shelter Cove the first night, then went around the gates and took the Usal Road south to the 1. Then rode much later than I wanted the second day before camping near Gualala. Last day went down the coast and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge before heading back out to Rio Vista.

Day 1: Back north




No lack of twisties north of the Bay.



Devils Gate Dam and Lake Berryessa



The hills made for some awesome riding.


For my Scottish GF.


At the Sho-ka-wa Casino


Not much to stop and take pictures of on US101, so next ones were my new "tag" pics at Shelter Cove at Black Sand Beach.






The lighthouse was still thankful.

Had pizza in Shelter Cove before going up the hill to the BLM primitive campground.

Day 2: Coastal roads

Woke up with a damp tent, but otherwise in pretty good shape. The only challenges had been a feral cat shadowing me a few times, and some raccoons (I think) absconded with my tortillas when I was putting up the tent. Found them across the creek with the bag torn open.

Riding all day long was in pretty great weather for the last days of November. No rain despite the sometimes thick overcast. The riding and views were again tremendous.

Going down to Orchard Camp. The elk were plentiful.




One hadn't done as well. Crows eating on the carcass.





The view from Orchard Camp.



Usal Road
Keep in mind that this road was closed. And the damage already to it from only being shut for two weeks was pretty significant. I suspect that it doesn't get a lot of upkeep in the months leading to winter. Fortunately, there were no significant trees across the road. In the closed part anyway.

The Usal is pretty hard on rigs.






I didn't take many shots while on the Usal Road as it was very challenging riding pretty much the whole time. Took around four hours to get through it. I had just gotten past the second gate, when I came up to a tree completely across the road. Of course this was where the brush had grown tall, so there would be no way to work around it. Just as I shut the motor off on my bike, a small pickup drives up from the other way. Two geologists going up to do some permitted work. Fortunately, they were familiar with the challenges of the road, and had a chainsaw with them.
Sometimes it's way better to be lucky than good.

CA1 from Usal Road.

Official warning signs.

Less official markings...

Why, yes. That is (supposed to be) a penis.

CA1









Rode for a while after this, looking for a cheap spot to camp. Ended up biting the bullet and staying at Gualala park, setting up after dark.
The only place open in town to eat was of course another pizza place.

Day 3: To the Bay and back

Woke up with a drier tent. While eating my breakfast and packing up, a guy from Chile walked up and introduced himself. Chris had been riding for several months, having come back down from Alaska just as the weather was turning to crap. He had a pretty sweet, brand new Honda AT he'd bought on the East Coast, then ridden across Canada on his way to Alaska. Nice talking with him as I want to make the ride from the Arctic Sea to Ushuaia (or further) starting next summer.

Gualala



There was quite a bit of construction on HW1

This didn't detract too much from the riding, and certainly not the views.




Somehow it's postcard views around every corner.


Marin Headlands


The Headlands were simply astonishing great riding. Those of you fortunate enough to live near enough to ride this area on occasion are truly blessed.



SF Waterfront



Crossing the Bay Bridge

Once out of SF proper, it was mostly bumper to bumper slab back to Rio Vista. But that was a small price to pay for the wonderful riding of the three days. The area is very rich for riders.

Nice report. I grew up in a Rio Vista and my parents still live there. Does this look familiar?

Great ride report, as soon as the weather clears somewhat I am heading back up that way. When I lived up there I would leave my house and cross Bear River Ridge just to clear my head and decide where to go next. Thank You.