What Happened To Gary?

All of a sudden, all posts stopped.  What happened?

My plan was to leave Coeur d' Alene Idaho and head to Spokane.  I had never been to Spokane and it's the second largest city in Washington, I thought it was worth at least one day of my time.

Spokane was just a short ride from Coeur d' Alene and I arrived within about 35 minutes.  I had booked a room at the Hotel Ruby but I arrived before noon and the room was not ready.  I decided to take the opportunity to explore some of the sites on foot.  The Spokane River runs right through the center of town and the River Front Park has several bridges crossing the river.  There are at least 3 water falls and the whole area is really very nice and a great way to spend a day.

                                                            

                                                                             Hotel Ruby

                                              River Front Park

One of several falls running through the center of Spokane

Spokane River

  

After about 3 hours, I headed back to the hotel and checked into my room.  I noticed a small red spot on my left leg that was really starting to hurt.  Within an hour - it was worse.  I didn't think too much of it but decided to go to an urgent care center to get it checked out.  I didn't know when I might be in a town with good medical facilities further down the road.  I was told that I had a skin infection and was given antibiotics and told to stay off my feet and to call if things got worse.  

The next day, I could hardly walk and called a cab for a ride to an emergency room.  I was then admitted to the hospital and put on intravenous antibiotics for 4 days with a skin infection that I understand, if not treated, can end up being very serious.   

I was released from the hospital on Saturday, July 13th and flew home with my wife the next day.  I was told to see my personal physician as soon as I got home.  I've been at home for a week and have still not fully recovered and have been on oral antibiotics since leaving the hospital.  I am better but not completely healed.

Unfortunately I've had to have my bike shipped back.  It was disappointing to not be able to continue my ride but I am thankful for being smart enough to get my leg checked-out and very fortunate to have had great care from all of the staff at the Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane.

When I feel fully recovered I will update this blog with some of my observations made during and after the trip.

Thank you all for following and for you concerns.

Tuesday In The US - September 9, 2014

US and Idaho

I entered back into the US on Monday in Idaho.  Shortly after entering - there were 3 large crosses next to the road and many signs indicating that I was in Minonite territory.  One of the first towns I came to was Bonners Ferry.  There were a lot of ladies with traditional Minonite dresses and head bonnets.  On to Couer D Alene.  I stayed in a local motel.  There were a lot of guys in camaflouge gear.  Maybe it was my imagination.

Bonners Ferry - population 2,500

Today I'm moving on to Spokane.  It's a short ride but I may spend the nigh and take in the second largest city in Washington State.  I give you a report on all of the new "weed" shops....

I've discovered something about my riding.  I like a destination.  I don't just like riding aimlessly.  When I road to Newfoundland I was heading to the fist Viking site in North America.  But a more important destination along the way was to stop and see Amanda in Toronto where she was living at the time.  There are currently a couple of things I want to see on this trip.  I want to travel along the Columbia river and to cross over into Oregon at The Dalles.  When I get back into California my plan is to spend some time at Lassen National Park.

Well - I'm off for the day.

Saturday - Sunday 6th and 7th - 2014

Saturday - Sunday 6th and 7th 2014

What a ride on Saturday from the  lodge at Saskatchewan River Crossing to Jasper at the North end of the park.  The ride was equally spectacular on Saturday as it was on Friday.

                             

                     This is what we woke up to at the lodge

                                

                                                            view we had on the ride north from the lodge

                                        

                                                              Glaciers pushing their way through the mountain

                         

Hike up to the glacier

                              

Close up

                                                   
                                                                           Jasper for lunch

Bill and I stayed in Blue River last night and then we road back to Kelowna. I dropped Bill off and headed south toward the Washington boarder.  Tomorrow I'll ride along the boarder on the Canadian side for a while and then - I think I will head south on 395 to Spokane or - maybe I'll head to Idaho to pick up a potato or two......

Jasper National Park - Alberta

Jasper National Park Alberta - September 5, 2014

When we were checking out of the motel this morning, we met a fellow rider on a sport bike from Spokane.  He said that riding the Canadian Rockies was his favorite ride and that he had been coming to this specific area for almost 50 years - each year.

The weather today from the time we left Nakusp until the very end of the day was great.  We left Nakusp and headed to Revelstoke.  We had to wait an hour for the ferry at the Columbia River crossing.  The Columbia river at the point we crossed is wide.  It took at least 30 minutes.  At Revelstoke we hit Canada highway 1 and stayed on highway 1 until we got to Lake Louise in Alberta.  We then entered the Jasper National Park on highway 93.

                                   

Riding on highway 93 through Jasper National Park in undoubtably the most spectacular road I have ever been on.  Words and pictures will not begin to tell the incredible beauty of this park.  The Canadian Rockies, at this point are at their most rugged.  Jetting jagged peaks with sections covered with glaciers.  Each turn in the road brought more spectacular views.  If you take one trip to Canada -  this is the road to take -  Highway 93 between Lake Louise and Jasper.  This drive is jaw dropping.  Make sure the weather is clear so you can get the full impact.  Coming around one of the turns - I looked off in the distance and it was surreal - It was almost like an animated film.  I just would not believe this road was real if I had not been riding it myself.

                                                       

                      

                                                       One of many glaciers

                                            

                

                                               Bill along side the road along highway 93 on our way to Jasper

Right now we are staying Saskatchewan River Crossing.  We are in the middle of the park at a park lodge.  I am so looking forward to the rest of this ride to Jasper.

Thursday In BC September 4, 2014

Thursday In BC September 4, 2014

Bill and I were up at 5:30am today and got ready to leave but first we went to Tim Hortons to have coffee with his friends.  Bill said most of them had given up on me ever showing up.  Bill had been telling them for about 6 months that I was on my way.

They're nice people - they might be a little conservative. That statement is coming from someone from Sebastopol.  Marx would probably be a little conservative for Sebastopol.

We packed up and were on our way.  We didn't get too far - maybe 150 miles but that's okay.  It's been a great ride through the mountains on some curvy roads swinging back and forth through the turns.  We stopped for breakfast in Lumby, parked the bikes, and standing in front of the Krazy Llama Cafe was the owner and chef (along with his wife).  We were pulled in - I think - because he was a motorcycle rider and he has owned over 40 bikes.  Both husband and wife were originally from Chile but left with their family during the Pinochet regime.

                                                

                                                                     Our new friends at the Krazy Llama Cafe

On our way to Nakusp we took a side road to Edgewood - main industry = weed.  No we didn't...

                                                  

                                                                                Ride to Edgewood

                     

                                                                Ferry on the way to Nakusp

                             

   This is a machine that can whack down a tree is seconds. Great prop for the next horror film.

We are now in Nakusp in a cheesy motel.  I took a shower.  I always take a shower when I can.  It's not like it's always an option.  Riding a motorcycle puts your face right in the all of the available dust and dirt that the road has to offer.  Washing my face with a white wash cloth will end up black.  One scrub will not do it.  It has to be a multiple scrub effort.

Not much traffic on the road but there are a significant number of bikes.  I try to stay away from Harleys - too much noise.  It must be my age.

I'm not sure where we are going tomorrow - I'll let you know.....

 

Wednesday September 3rd In Kelowna

Wednesday September 3rd In Kelowna

I left Oroville around 8:30 this morning and headed towards Kelowna.  The Canadian boarder was only about 10 minutes from where I stayed.  As soon as I went through customs and was in Canada - it started raining.  It rained non-stop until I was about 10 miles from Kelowna.

                                                             

                                            

                                                                Notice that at the border I was behind cattle trucks

I met up with Bill around noon and then he and I had dinner with some of his friends.  Nice people.  I always meet interesting people when I'm with Bill.

Kelowna is beautiful and the Okanagan lake was along the highway until I got arrived.  The lake is 90 miles long and the deepest part of the lake is 600 feet.

                                                     

We are sitting in Bill's living room right now trying to decide where we are going to be heading.  We had planned on Prince Rupert and then taking the ferry to Vancouver Island but the ferry fee was $1900 if we wanted to share a room and $400 each for deck passage.  We're going to have to rethink this.  We should know where we are headed for the first part of our trip by the time we leave.......

Tuesday September 2, 2014

Tuesday September 2, 2014

I'm about 20 minutes from the Canadian border.  I could have easily made it today but stopped in Oraville.  Not the Oroville near Chico California.  I stopped mostly to do some internet based work along with making phone calls before I cross over into Canada where I will be dealing with higher rates.

The ride through the Cascades was fabulous.  There were smooth sweeping curves with plenty of time for pull outs at overlooks and also time for a hike up to one of the many falls in the area.

                                   

                                

I've travelled over much of the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America and they all have some very beautiful and pretty spectacular sites.  But - I would be hard pressed to say that any of them have the geographic beauty and uniqueness that the US has.  Washington is a great state with great and interesting locations but so is Oregon, California, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, New York, etc., etc.  

                                                 

        

                                       Lighter traffic at the turnouts - one day after Labor Day

One of the places I hiked to this morning was the Gorge Dam and water fall.  On the way I passed the Gorge Powerhouse and on the way back I went to the visitor's gallery and checked out the 4 large turbines that provide some of the power for the area and Seattle.  As far as power generating operations go - it's not one of the larger generating plants but what stood out was these same turbines have been in operation since 1918.  The turbines had the same Westinghouse labels they had when the were installed.

                                                         

                                           Gen on Westinghouse - American Labor

I called my friend Bill today and told him I will be at his place on Wednesday.  Then what?  Who knows.....

Northern Cascades National Park

I'm spending the night in the Cascades.  There is significant traffic on highway 20 - heading towards Seattle but not too much heading the other way.  I decided to stay in one of the national campground sites.  There is hardly anyone here - most of the campers are heading home for the start of the new work week.  Not me.

                                                                          

                                                    

                                                                     The town of Newhalem in the Cascades

                                                                                                          Several dams have been built that both provide flood control as well as power.

The Northern Cascades National Park is beautiful.  The mountains are made up of jagged peaks, countless waterfalls, glaciers and permanent snowfields.  There are a lot of spires and pinnacles fo the mountain climbers - that is not me. I went on a trail hike today and I was about the only one hiking.

It's nice to take my time - but it is hard to do.  I don't really have anywhere that I need to be.  I'm not on a schedule but I feel that I should be more pressed to get to a destination - and yet I really don't have a destination.  I will meet up with my friend Bill in Kelowna either Wednesday or Thursday.   I don't really need to be there by Thursday.  Bill's 82 - where's he going....

All of my adult life - I've been pressed to get something done, to be somewhere, to be someone.  I don't know that anything I thought I had to get accomplished mattered all that much.  The only thing that really matters to me today is my family.  I've only been gone a week and I already miss them.

Leaving Seattle - Labor Day

Leaving Seattle

For the last 3 days I have had a great visit with my cousin Bill and his wife Hanneli.  Great conversation, great food and just a fun and relaxing time.  It was also an opportunity to get to know the two of them better.  Like many families with relatives that live more than a day's drive away - we just don't see each other enough.  We've shared stories and learned something about each other that we might have known if we didn't live so far away.  In the past 30 years - this is the third time that I've seen them.  Thanks Bill and Hanneli for putting up with me for the last three days and for you hospitality.

Today - I also had the opportunity to ride to Redmond and visit an old high school friend, Jerry Wouri and his wife Gwen.  I've seen Jerry maybe 3 or 4 times in the last 50 years.

Tomorrow I head north on highway 5 and catch highway 20 over the Cascade range.  I don't know how much internet or cell coverage I will have but I will update my location via "spot" on Facebook.

Friday in Seattle

Right now I'm at Ride West BMW motorcycle dealership in Seattle getting a new front tire.  I asked the service manager where a laundromat was and he asked why.  I said, "so that I will quit stinking."  His response was "how many loads?"  I said - one.  He said, "you can use our washing machine and dryer."  So while I'm waiting on a new tire - I'm also going to have clean clothes when I visit my cousin Bill.  He will feel better about me.

In the showroom of the dealership - hanging for the ceiling is a BMW motorcycle with a story.  See the story in the next photo.

                                    

                                       

Being in Seattle brings back memories of working in Everett WA for a company called Intermec.  They are now owned by Honeywell but trips up here were frequent.  Intermec was the first company to introduce RFID - the technology used for Fast Pass.

Over the weekend I will be visiting an old high school buddy and his wife that live in Redmond - Jerry Wouri and Gwen.  Then my plan is to head out first thing Tuesday morning and head over highway 530 and meet up with highway 20 over to 97 then up to BC.

On The Northern Olympic Peninsula

Right now I'm in Sequim Washington on the upper most tip of the Olympic Peninsula.  There was a bit of rain getting here but not bad.

Some photos and a few thoughts:

The photo below is from Lake Crescent on 101 - about 20 miles from Port Angeles.

                                   The mouth of the Columbia River

                                                    

                                         The bridge crossing over the Columbia River in the back ground

 Riding a motorcycle gives me a lot of time to think. There are few distractions other than the road.  No radio, no cell phone, just the road and a lot of time to notice what's around you.  One of the towns I passed through on my way to Port Angeles was the logging and mill town of Aberdeen.  Just riding into town brought back a lot of memories.  The smells of raw cut lumber, logging trucks, one after the other, bringing Cedar and Fir into the mills. The look of the town could have been any other logging town in the US.  If you substituted timber with coal - it could have been any other small town that survives on bringing the natural resources of the area to market.  The town looked a lot like Fort Bragg about 30 years ago.  There was a lot of activity and people were working but the town was struggling.  There were a lot of "company" houses- a lot of them were vacant, some were occupied, some were in better shape than others but they were all, company homes with the company is living off the backs of their struggling employees.  But the good news is the employees at least have jobs and I'm sure if you asked any of them how they felt about their employer - they would be positive.

I'm not making any statement about the value of these jobs.  The employees are feeding their families.  I'm very familiar with struggling small logging towns.  They're my town.

This is a photo of a clear-cut section of timber land.  It looks bad but it's just a part of the picture.  I've seen many sections of clear cut areas throughout Oregon and Washington but I've also seen hundreds of timber blocks of reforested areas.  The future has been planned.
  

                                             

This photo shows the cutting and replanting schedule.  Congratulations to the Washington timber industry.  It won't happen with oil.

                                  

I ended up feeling pretty good about how Washington is managing one of their top natural resources.

Tomorrow I will be in Seattle at the BMW dealership getting a new front tire and then spending the weekend with my cousin Bill and his wife.

Thursday August 28th On To Olympic

Yesturday was a ride mostly in the fog until getting close to Astoria.  I would gets small glimpses of the coast line when the sun would break through.  I took a number of photos and will try to upload later.  I have spent the last 2 hours trying to upload photos from this iPad to a Blogspot but the iPad will not allow a simple copy and paste.  It's been very frustrating.

When I arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River - I was blown away.  I've never been to Astoria and the site of massive ships and a bridge crossing the river that must be several miles long was incredible.

Right now I'm sitting in Chen's resturant in South Bend WA.  My plan today is to head to the Olympic pennincila to Olympic National Park.

Guess what?  I hear the weather forecast is for rain.  Well - what should I expect - I'm in Washington and on a motorcycle.

My next stope where I can get WiFi I will try again to upload photos.

Tuesday August 27th - Oregon Coast

 The first 3 photos were taken just before I reached Crescent City.  It was around 4:30 and the coast was beautiful even in the fog.  

 

   
Driving up 101 - Trees of Mystery - brings back traveling this route with my parents.  I always wanted to stop.  Other than this photo - I still haven't.




Monday night at the campground.

                                        

 Great Fish and Chips in Coos Bay for lunch on Tuesday,

                                       

                                      

After having fish and chips in Coos Bay - I got stuck on a bridge for 3 hours.  There was a 5 car pile up with a logging truck.  I don't know how serious injuries were.  But I was very thankful that I was just stuck in traffic.

I didn't make it very far yesturday.  I rode maybe another 2 hours and stayed the night in Florence OR., in a nice motel.  Right now I'm sitting in a Starbucks in NewPort OR.  My plan is to make it to Astoria today (Wednesday).

What I've seen:  Not much - the entire Oregon coast has been socked in with fog.  I've debated cutting over to highway 5.  The going on 101 is very slow and not being able to see anything has been disappointing.

Many many mobil home parks.  I think it's fine if someone by choice lives in a mobil home but it seems that more and more it's being driven by economic necessity.  I don't recall seeing one mobil home park in Europe.  There are plenty of RV parks in Europe but not where people live on a full time basis.  We are clearly becoming a nation of the "haves" and "have not."  Why are we allowing "the very few" to destroy the middle class?  This is our country.

What I've Learned:  Trying to blog on an iPad is a pain in the ass.  Uploading photos is a real challenge.

My butt needs toughening,

First Day Out

What I Packed:

Spot Satellite tracker - I use this to show my location along the way and to check in to let my family and friends know that I'm okay.  More importantly - if I get in a jam,  I can press one button and it sends out a distress message along with my lattitude and longetude.  That way the bears and buzzards know where to find me.

Sleeping bag, pad and tent:  Although I will probably be staying in a lot of B&Bs and some cheap motels - I do really enjoy camping.  I like waking up in the morning outside.  The only real down-side for someone my age is getting up to pee 2 or 3 times a night.

• Grizley Bear Pepper Spray - Hope I don't need it
• Mini iPad and Mini iPad keyboard.  This is what I will use to blog and take photos.
• Mini Stove and 2 small gas containers
• 2 dehydrated meals
• Camelback -  When it gets over 80 in the sun - keeping hydrated is essential.
• Tool Kit
• Maps
• 3 Days change of cloaths. (That should last 3 weeks)
• Toilet Paper
• Heated jacket - plugs into an assesory jack on the bike
• Rain Pants
• Other stuff

I made it to Crescent City last night and spent the night in a State Camp ground.  What I saw:  Just as I was crossing the Klamath River I looked down and along river's edge was a big black bear.  What I learned: Make sure that my tent is not down hill from where I might get up to pee in the middle of the night....

Off to Oregon.....