we are currently in garberville, after two days, and approximately 800 miles on the road. it's been a good two days overall, but with little terribly exciting to report. we've been on freeway most of the way, and no incidents (which is good). so here's a quick rundown of things thusfar:
this is me ready to roll, all decked out in riding gear. if my smile doesn't seem entirely genuine, that's because this was taken 30 seconds before setting out on a month long motorcycle trip around the country. i was nervous as hell. to be honest, i still am. i've been doing that annoying mental thing where i look for ways out of finishing the trip. mostly on day one, but the whole thing is very intimidating. i know i'm going to love it, but it will also be a lot of work. it's going to be strenuous, both physically and mentally; i just hope i'm up to it. as long as i can keep working through these doubts, i can keep my confidence up, and the good times can keep outnumbering the bad.
the first day was pretty quick,, as things go. we went right down I-5 to corvallis, with a quick stop in woodburn, OR for a delicious lunch of chorizo tacos with two very good friends (for those who don't know me, good chorizo tacos may just be my favorite thing to eat ever, so this was a good start to road food). we pulled in to corvallis mid-afternoon to my cousins' new house and, after hanging out for a bit, had a good dinner at the block 15 brewpub (their "best bitter" is awesome). we crashed out after some top gear and got up early to tackle the long day.
I-5 down to grant's pass, 199 to crescent city and 101 south to garberville. there are some lovely roads here, but also a lot of freeways. 199 is very nice, twisting through the trees on the way to the coast, and you'd be surprised how quickly the temperature drops when you come over the crest and hit that ocean breeze. then it was 101 along the coast.
now, i must clear up a common misconception at this point. 101 is a lovely road, and it definitely has some awesome parts. some nice twisty-windy bits along the ocean, some nice curvy-loopy bits through the redwoods, but the majority of it is a freeway. granted, it's a freeway through some of the most beautiful forest in the country, but still a freeway. not so much sightseeing, and lots of wind buffetting. though the wind was not as bad as on the coast. when we pulled in to crescent city, man it was gusting like crazy. there were a few times i was riding along at a 45 degree angle just to keep going straight, and one or two that whipped my head around a bit. i'll give dad's beast of a bike one thing: it can hold a line through crosswinds far better than my little vixen.
but, the ride went rather nicely overall, and as freeways go, i'll take 101 over 5 any day. here's the coolest store we saw all day, while gassing up in myrtle beach (i think it's oregon):
if i ever decide to pan for gold, i know where to start.
my mental state was far better today as well. i enjoyed the ride and am well on my way developing my iron butt. the number one question i've been asked about the trip: won't your butt get sore? we had a 10 hour day today, about 8 of which was solid saddle time. the answer to that one is a resounding yes! music has also been helping me through a lot. i think i would drive myself crazy in about 20 minutes if i didn't have music to listen to. i thought about posting some inspirational song lyrics i've heard throughout the past few days, but i'm not quite that philosophical yet. give me another week or two by myself on the road, and i'll be quoting steinbeck and whitman to you, but for know i'll just say that i love my music. the lonely forest's "(i am) the love addict" may turn into the trip's theme song, for the simple reason that it's alphabetically the first song on my player, and when i start the shuffle in the morning, that always heads it off. it's a good one. other highlights have been elbow (do they know these days are golden?) and the decemberists (and we are vagabonds, we travel without seatbelts on and live this close to death). there i go, i'm quoting already. sorry.
so far, i've travelled through the washington valleys, along the oregon rivers, and through the northern california forests. this is the part i know and love. over the past two days, i've seen some of my favorite scenery in the world (exlcuding desolation wilderness in the sierra nevadas), but i also know it well. so, my challenge is this, America: top it. show me something more beautiful than my pacific northwest. i've hardly seen any other parts of the country, so show me something good. that is my challenge to you.
until then,
rftc,
scott
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