California/Oregon

If you haven't figured it out---everytime we make a border (OK state) crossing we spell the first 2 letters of hte state with our fingers.
I told you we weren't completely without skills !!!!

Into Fort Bidwell, California at precisely Oh--dark--thirty.
No gas, no motel, no internet connection, no lights, no food---no people ????
I found a nice Mexican fellow finally and ask him sheepisly about lodging.
He grinned----and pointed down the road and said "Motel"
What motel ??? I didn't see no Motel.

After beggin on the porch of this Motel built in 1906 Donna (a very nice lady) agreed to let us stay.
"But no drinkin', partyin', smokin', carousing, spitting, fartin; or chewin'---and I ain't cookin'
"Yes Maam"

We scurried up the stairs to our cozy 2 bed-------- room for the night and piled everything to eat out of our backpacks on the bed.
We divided up the food and tore into to it like starving alligators and devoured it all in seconds.
Now we had nothing---and our gas tanks (both of them) said we could ride 28 more miles----it was 23 to gas.
One wrong turn and we wouldn't make it.
Oh boy what a day it would be tomorrow.

At precisely Oh---dawn--thirty I smelled freshly brewed coffee thru the crack in the door.
I sat up in my bed and a cat ran across the floor and out the door scaring the beeeeejesus out of me.
I went down and Donna had a pot of coffee going--GasPipe showed up.
She poured us a cup of coffee and reminded us she ain't cookin'--------"OK"
We are having lots of fun and Donna was such a hoot----we all talked about an hour and she told us great stories about FortBidwell.
Then her husband John showed up for coffee too (hope he wasn't hungry) and he filled us in some more.
She had 3 dogs-----one a Pit Bull that didn't know he was a Pit Bull---very friendly guy.
And there were cats everywhere--sneeky little devils peering out from under every piece of furniture ready to pounce on us if we got out of line.

We finally sauntered outside and said our goodbyes-----when ?????
I noticed the back end of the XR was sitting suspiciously low---I'd seen this before.
Good Morning----another GasPipe flat tire.
"Riggity-Rat--Ruffin'-Splat-DagGum-Friggin'X*#@&!!!#XZ-BrrRumbly-Flat-Riffin"-and on and on and on.
Better not cuss in front of Donna---she'll have you by the ear.
We thru in a new tube in 6 minutes flat---2 minutes faster than Fred in Moab.
There ain't nothin' to this tire fixin'---it's way over-rated.
Danny (on the porch) furnished us with a 5 gallon bucket and an air compressor--could't get that at Fred's.
Off we went------slowly---in gas conservation mode.

"No, No, No, No, Nooooooooo---this can't be !!!!!!
Not More Snow
We can't go back---we haven't enought gas !!!
We have barely enough to set our bikes on fire so someone would find us----but refrain.

We had to take a chill pill---and we coasted back down the mountain with our motors off.
I picked up a 1/2 gallon of chain saw gas from 2 fellows in a pick up.
GasPipe picked up a 1/2 gallon of chain saw gas back at the Motel.
Ever heard an XR650 and Husky TE610 on chain saw gas ???
Ring a ding a thump-----Ring a ding a thump.

Welcome Smelcome-------where's the gas ?????????????
To Heck with the dancing girls---we want gas!!!!

We rode slowly down the mountain on fumes.
I knew I couldn't push my Husky more than 12 or 13 ft.

Civilization ????? The motel looked like it had been closed for 40 years.
We got gas at Gomers gas station just as he was closing up at about 5PM.
Hey Andy----Hey Gomer
We asked about lodging----"well if she ain't closed up you can get a room at that there motel down there----go to the store and ask Thelma------ if she's still there"
Thelma was still there----said her feet hurt and she was going home---but not before she gave us a key to the luxurious Silver Lake motel.
We love it here---Population 19
The good part was Thelma said the Chicken Pluckin cafe opened up for breakfast at 5AM---Perfect.
GasPipe even conived a beer out of Thelma--being the handsome devil he is (remember Otis don't you)

Up at precisely Oh---Dawn---Thirty
Breakfast at Oh--4 Cups Of Coffee--Oh--Clock
And we hit the trail after (not before) Oh----Turd--Thirty
The even had beer at the Chicken Pluckin' Cafe--but GasPipe refrained.

Thru the forest we go.

A few miles down the trail and it's like you in a different country---I can't take it anymore---pinch me !!

And just when we got comfy----a big ole' mud hole to liven things up a little.

A Mirage---no can't be.
They were suppose to get the Cascade mountains cleared out for us.
Ahhhhhh---surely we can get thru.

Not
Windago Pass hammered us--big time
U-turn

Now that it's all said and done-----we were glad Windago was a no go
Yes glad--the by-pass put us just too close to Crater Lake to let it slip thru our grubby little fingers.
This was Sunday and we heard from locals they had just plowed the road barely open enough to get in the previous Thursday

Snow was 12ft. deep in places up here--the road around the rim was impassable.

Crater Lake has been a very big dream of mine---I really thought I'd die someday and never have gotten to see it..

It's 5 miles across---over 8,000ft. high----thousands of ft. deep and only gets water from rain and snow.
It was a volcano that erupted 7,700 years ago--it fell into itself--sealed itself up and here it is.

Down the mountain we went inot Union Springs, Oregon
We poked around this town for a bit and found Roque Gorge..
We walked along it for over 1/2 mile and the sights were beautiful.
It looks lie frozen water--the roar from the water was very powerful sounding.

We got us a little cabin in Union Creek and had a nice meal with pie and coffee across the street at the cafe.
The cafe had a black and white picture of it on the wall dated 1945---Becky's cafe I believe.

We just took a few pictures of the obstacles we encountered across the road in Oregon
There were many.
Sometime we went under--sometimes over and sometimes around.
We got thru all of them.

Which reminds me---how many stop signs and intersections did we run thru in Oklahoma ??
All of them !!!!!

Well.... seeing the world largest ball of twine in Kansas ain't nothin' to the tallest sugar pine in Oregon.

Right around the corner this hill about ate our lunch---it was straight up for about a mile.
Loose rocks, shale and boulders all the way.

Everytime we topped a mountain we thought we'd see the ocean.
After all you see the Rocky Mountains 90 miles away when approaching from the East.

Bad picture
Closed bridge---treated it like a stop sign in Oklahoma.

Our first view of the ocean!!
It was almost Oh--dark--thirty.
Man we had a very long and tough day today.
Port Orford Oregon was still a 1/2 hour away.
I was freezin' cold as I was just to lazy to put some more clothes on. I was chilled to the bone.
I had my heated grips on all day today. HIGH !!!

The GPS says it's the ocean--must be the ocean.
GPS's never lie----never.

GasPipe ripped around the beach like a madman--finally burying himself in the sand.
He took a picture of his bike and was satisfied--pulled her out Paris Dakar style and rode off into the sunset.

As Far as we could possibly go.

Tahlequah

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