The rally in Myrtle Point, Or., has been going on for more years than I've been eligible to be a member, and so I feel right at home with the 97 other folks that showed up this year at the Coos County fairgrounds. They came on Honda Gold Wings, Harleys, in motor homes, and in cars, for the three days of reunion, good grub, and much philosophical discussion on the art of getting older while maximizing fun.
That's me in the doo rag, Bruce, in shorts, Rapid Robert in the black jacket, our good friend Corrie in the vest, and 87 year old John in the helmet. We all left together from Grass Valley, Ca. the morning of Aug. 19, rode to Red Bluff, and over Hwy 36 to Arcata, on the Calif coast, where we spent the night. Hwy 36 is a fine, twisty, ideal motorcycle road over the coast range from the central valley, and winds its way thru Grizzly Creek Redwoods state park, where the giant redwood trees are even older than some of the club members. It was 98 degrees when we left Red Bluff, and 52 degrees in the cold, misty fog by the time we got to Arcata. Such is Calif in the Summertime. To quote Mark Twain, "The coldest Winter I ever spent, was a Summer in San Fransisco".
The next morning, we had breakfast at the Samoa Cookhouse, out on the ocean peninsula just South of Arcata. It is also a lumbering museum, and well worth the stop to see all the historic photos and artifacts. There is one picture of a downed redwood tree, with about 30 loggers sitting on it. They are holding the 28 foot hand saw used to fell the 26 foot diameter tree.
The run up the coast to Bandon was cold, foggy, and somewhat wet at times, and interupted by frequent road construction stops, the bane of traveling weekdays.
Paul Bunyan, and Babe, the blue ox, at the Trees of Mystery, near Klamath, Ca.
See the following link for more pictures from the rally: http://picasaweb.google.com/cyberfish2/MyrtlePtRally
The Coos County fairgrounds had been substancially improved since I was there two years ago. Several of the "dangerous" trees had been removed, and a nice pond with a waterfall, and flowers had been added. I had previously camped in a tent under one of the dangerous trees. We bikers live on the edge. I stayed in the Myrtle Trees Inn this year, with the luxury of being able to stand up to get dressed, and a bed I didn't have to blow up again in the middle of the night. This also enabled me to pack the bike a lot lighter - no tent, sleeping bag, etc. Last time, I loaded all this stuff on my '03 Road King. It looked like I was going for a month. So....
A few comments about the new '09 Street Glide. ABS brakes. Six speed. 96ci motor. Wider frame. Cooler, rerouted exhaust. Removable tour pack. Radio. Fairing. Six years worth of improvements made it well worth trading in the Road King, which I loved.
Breakfast Fri & Sat mornings was a Mary McMuffin, just like a McDonalds McMuffin, but nice and hot, and without the eggshell. Fri night, we had all kicked in a can of chilie to the main pot. It was great, with the hot dogs. Sat night, we had a catered seafood feast, with fresh local oysters, albacore, halibut, and cod, probably the best $15 I ever spent.
We roared (at least the Harley did) into town Thursday afternoon, happy to be in sunny, 78 degree weather with a nice breeze. Doris Walter, my riding buddy for Fri & Sat, was already checked into the motel with her granddaughter, Janice. Doris is a great poet; I got to read her book while I was there. They came all the way from Texas, by plane and car.
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Janice took this picture Sat. morning, just before we left on the poker run.
Even with a GPS, and printed directions for the run, I had to ride with a group to find all the right stops. We had perfect weather; even the cold ocean wind held off till afternoon.
I had high hand for the Hi/Lo poker wheel, and got to split the $80 pot, a first for me. Won a couple cans of smoked albacore in the raffle, too.
The ride home Sunday was much more direct, from Myrtle Point east to I-5, south to Red Bluff, Hwy.99 to Hwy 70, and on home to Grass Valley on SR-20, about 440 miles for the day, and some 1284 miles for the four day trip. Redding, Calif. was downright cool at 92 degrees. This will be my only long trip for this year. I'm really looking forward to doing it all over again next year.
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