MotoPhotoFile: FOOL ride (with very foolish choices)

This is what Oregon looks like - HEAVEN

Well, I can now said I've been to Oregon. And I love it. While riding, and observing the miles of pure beauty that is Oregon, I decided that words really couldn't do it justice. And unfortunately I didn't take enough pictures. I'll suffice it to say, I've seen heaven, and it is Oregon.

A stop we made to look at sea lions and the lighthouse there.

The impetus for this little foray 600 miles north of Monterey was a VROC gathering aptly dubbed the FOOL ride. FOOL - Fogies and Old Timers Oregon Loop Ride. I'm neither a fogy nor an old timer however, I was allowed on this ride. And I had a great time. I met some great VROC'rs. I also met the guy that is going to be setting the worlds record for fastest VN2000 at the Bonneville salt flats. I wish him luck.

This is a picture of what will be the world's fastest VN2000. No motor. It was getting 'tweaked'.

So anyhow. The trip itself was a 4-day excursion northward. I started the trip at about 5:30am and headed toward San Jose on Hwy101. I had planned on riding 101 all the way up to Oregon and Coos Bay. It was the most direct route. However, as I neared San Jose I decided to split off toward Hwy 5 to save time. I'm glad I did. Hwy 5 is a super-slab highway, have no doubts, but it was a great ride. I went through some beautiful farm country, then wound up into the mountains before entering Oregon. It was perfect. Got to see Mt Shasta, which is a huge beast of a mountain. Quite a sight to behold.

Mt Shasta from a convenient rest stop. August and SNOW!!

I made it to Medford Oregon at around 2:30pm. I was making great time, enjoying myself, and best of all - I was averaging 43mpg. But I needed to know what road to take to get across to the coast of Oregon. Well, I stopped and asked a gas attendant for directions. He was a great guy. Got a map off the shelf and we started looking at it. He pointed to a road that lead from just north of Medford to Gold Beach on the coast. Great I said. I bought the map and left.

This is NF23 aka Bear Camp Road. Note the lack of ANYTHING on either side.

Boy what a mistake. It turns out that the road he had me take is National Forest Road 23 - aka Bear Camp Road - aka road where James Kim died last winter. I had NO IDEA what I was in for. I should have turned around when I saw the giant red sign warning off people. I should have turned around right then, but I didn't. I kept going.

This is the sign at the start of N.F. 23. I should have turned back.

Again, words can't describe this road. It was horrible. At times the pavement disappeared, fallen off the side of the mountain leaving 1/2 of a 1-lane road. Other times, the pavement turned into gravel with no warning. There were boulders in the road, potholes, and frost heaves. I inched along the roughly 40 miles till I finally saw 2-lanes again. Lesson learned, never trust Oregon gas station attendants.

Other than that, the trip was great. I saw great sights and ate great food. It was far too short. I should have taken an extra day or two to stop in at all the tourist trap gift shops and what not. All said, I think I put about 2000 miles on the bike.

This was along HWY42. Sherm stopped to impart some info on the area.

Oh, and a word to the wise, DO NOT travel Hwy101 south from Eureka, CA to San Francisco. It is a nightmare. Actually, its fine till about 100 miles north of San Francisco. At that point it turns into traffic hell. Much more advisable to cut from Hwy 101 to Hwy 5 at Eureka via Hwy 299. I should have. I didn't. I was hating life for 2 hours from 100 miles north of San Francisco to 20 miles south of San Jose.

This is Sherm "Hooligan". He was our intrepid guide for the trip. He really knows where to find good food. Oh, and he's got the best garage I've ever seen. Nothing but bikes, tools, and trophies. I didn't ask about the trophies. Meant too though.