Despite the pictures on Daily Rider getting a bit dusty for updates, there hasn't been a stop to the riding this summer. There have been many after-work jaunts and the occassional day trip, but nothing longer. I found a sliver of time between other duties next week and I'm hoping to get out for something a bit more extended. Two years ago i rode up North, last year i rode South, and I live on a coast so that just leaves one more direction: East. Planning for the route below.
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A few sights I'm particularly excited about:
- Kootenays (BC Highway 3)
- Beartooth Pass
- Crater Lake
- Bonneville Salt Flats
What I'm not excited about:
- The heat at pretty much every location on this route. Many of the stops are over 35C during the daytime high.
- Running out of fuel.
I'm also planning to camp for several of the nights, site depending. Now off to reasearch where those sites would be...
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11 comments:
Looks like you're in for a fantastic trip.
Be warned, Hwy 97 is largely unpleasant, particularly between Madras and La Pine. A much more scenic and interesting detour would be to take the Cascade Lakes Highway south out of Bend all the way to Hwy 58. Then take 58 to Hwy 97 and on to Crater Lake.
If you can plan things so that you arrive at Crater Lake on a weekday, you'll have a much better experience there as well.
You won't have a problem finding gas in Southern Oregon. The last gas heading east on Hwy 140 from Lakeview, OR is at Adel. The next gas is in Denio Junction in Nevada.
Safe travels!
Dan:
++ fantastic trip planning. I would love to ride the Beartooth Highway. There are some youtube videos showing the road and spectacular drop offs. My friend was going to ride there this year but plans fell apart when he got sick.
I was in the Red Lodge area back in 2004 but did know about it at the time and came back via: Whitefish and Highway to the Sun
have a good trip and take lots of photos so we can drool . . .
bob
Wet Coast Scootin
Hi Stacy - thank you SO much for the feedback! It definitely helps and I'm very flexible with the route. I find the only way to 'make it real' is map it out, but the rality is that's just a rough guide.
@bobskoot - i'll be sure to post some pics and hopefully that helps the vicarious experience until you can get back there in person.
I would consider going through NF-25 on the east side of Mt. St. Helen's - more interesting than the I5 =)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=bend,+or&daddr=Nat+for+Dev+Rd+25+to:46.773731,-121.739502+to:seattle,+wa&hl=en&geocode=FT1GoAIdEuDE-ClR0tOl_8C4VDG00SDHrOeIEA%3BFXSawQIdyM-6-A%3B%3BFcJp1gIdWVy1-ClVM-iTLBCQVDGa1URpRmUlEA&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=2&sz=10&via=1,2&sll=46.757739,-121.890564&sspn=0.689616,1.229095&ie=UTF8&z=10
@Chris That looks like a fantastic road. My rationale for the I5 was i'm likely going to be running short on time by the time I hit that leg of the trip, and it's easier for me to get to OR or WA states for weekend jaunts. Last time I rode south i cleared Vancouver, BC, to Medford, OR in one day on the saddle.
It looks like i might try a day trip to Moab from Salt Lake City too now, which will really start pressing the time.
Hwy 25 is a nice road ... did it in late June this year. But, it does take time and if it's cloudy the scenery is still nice but the big views are hidden.
Let me know if you want to meet for coffee when you hit Seattle.
Dan:
I love the Moab area. We stayed there two nights so a day trip is not long enough. You would easily spend a day just in Arches NP with a quick ride to CanyonLands. We also didn't spend enough time in Monument Valley. we breezed through on the main road and missed all the tributaries.
I also rode the NF25 a couple of years ago but from the DOT wetsite the road is not in good condition.
Quick Question: I was thinking of getting the GF1 but I don't wish to shoot RAW and convert for every photo. Is the Jpeg really that bad ? and do you have the pancake lens as well as the small zoom ?
bob
Wet Coast Scootin
@Chuck - I'll definitely let you know if I have some time in Seattle when i pass. But based on what Bob is saying I'll need it all in Moab!
@Bob - I know... here's the challenge: I have 9 days and live in Vancouver. Anything else is up for grabs but i need to be able to get there and back. I don't mind doing 800km days but expect some will be much slower (eg Yellowstone). Just doing Moab as a day trip might be pushing it (which i'm always good at).
I'm now starting to thing that I shoudl forego Oregon and Crater lake and ride up and down the continental divide. It's a land i've never seen and I can do Crater Lake/Oregon as a weekend from Vancouver.
@bobskoot - Sorry missed the GF1 question. I really like the camera, but the picture quality just can't match the Canon 5D mk1 I'm used to. I soooo wanted to replace the 5D with the GF1 for it's size and sell the EOS equipment in exchange for a large format photo printer and moto gear but i'm thinking twice about it.
Is the jpg much worse than the RAW? I don't really think so, but with the RAW you can overcome a lot of the GF1's limitations. This comes mostly in the form of chromatic aberation (blue halos abound) and noise above 400 ISO.
With work the GF1 does look great. But, when i put the 5D images through Aperture the images never need clean up. I usually just end up making them look worse if i try mess with them.
@bobskoot - you might be interested in a processing comparison i did with the GF1 a while back using Aperture and Lightroom with different plugins vs my own doctoring.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zutterbug/sets/72157623925898124/
Dan:
I can't believe I am saying this but "forgo" Oregon. I was last in Crater Lake a long time ago. Roads are not that challenging and you just have a deep blue lake with an island on one side.
I have been to Yellowstone and all I can say it is very slow going while within the park. Sluggish traffic which takes forever to get anywhere. And Old Faithful needs help to spout. I'm not saying not to go there but it will eat up valuable time.
While I prefer not to use the slab, my usual routine is to get to the furthest point right away, then slowly make my way back.
So I would I-5 down to I-90 and make it to Montana in one day. The Hot Rod Cafe in Post Falls is a good stop. From there you could spend a day in Yellowstone and head south to the Grand Tetons and Jackson hole etc.
I don't think you have enough time but we went south from Moab to Blanding then Hwy 95 West to the Escalante and then Bryce Canyon. This is a spectacular road through stunning terrain. You will pass through Arches NP, CanyonLands, Capital Reef, the Escalante is the backbone of the dragon with canyons on both sides
Thanks for the info on the GF1, I want to purchase a large sensor pocket camera but I was told that others are on the horizon for a press release in about a week from Nikon (and perhaps Canon). I would prefer full HD1080p movie mode using AVCHD codec with APS-C sensor
Have a good trip. If I can be of further trip planning help I am free most evenings.
bob
Wet Coast Scootin
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