On Down The Road: West Coast Ride Aug 2012

So the plan was Tony and I were going to join our cousin Ron and his crew out of Washington DC as they rode from San Francisco to Sturgis for the annual motorcycle rally there.

It was a great start to the ride and we had an absolute blast for the first two and a half days! We started in San Francisco and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge (shrouded in fog) and north up the coast along Hwy 1 and Hwy 101, through the Redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants, to Eureka CA.

August 2nd found us continuing up the coast to Crescent City CA, then on to Grants Pass OR before a very scenic stop at Crater Lake before riding on to Bend OR for the night.

The third day's scheduled destinations included Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. Unfortunately, when leaving a fuel stop in Detroit OR, Tony's drive belt broke, leaving his bike (my old Road King) immobile. After several phone calls to arrange service in Salem OR, we were recommended a fellow with a trailer to haul the bike to the Harley dealership for hasty repairs. Tony and I planned to haul ass to catch up with the rest of the group that night in Pendleton OR after his bike was fixed. Unfortunately, as we were entering Salem, the trailer hauling the bike fishtailed and overturned, causing irreparable damage to the bike.

Tony and I decided to abandon the ride and he returned to Alaska to await the decision on the bike form the insurance adjuster. I rode to Portland OR on Sunday to visit Kevin and Stephanie Austermann and their boys. After a fun dinner, I rode to Springfield OR for the night.

On Monday, I rode to Klamath Falls to visit Mom's grave. After riding around town, I decided to stay the night. I spoke with a buddy who was on a ride of his own up to Emmett ID. We decided to meet in Winnemucca NV on Tuesday evening.

Bob and I returned to Sacramento on Wednesday, meeting Brad from Central FL and Rob from Boise along the way. It was fun meeting up with the guys and definitely lifted my spirits after the events from a couple days before.

I returned home and was saddened by the half-empty garage.

Click HERE to see the rest of the pictures from this ride!

RIP, my trusty Road King! Thanks for the memories!