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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Daniel Kalal on March 28, 2019, 07:37:07 PM
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This is a trip I took forty years ago to visit my sister in Arcata CA and then grandparents and other relatives in Washington. Things were not nearly so smooth running then as—perhaps—they are today.
Brief notes were written during the trip (using a journal I had) and other comments were written some twenty-five years later. Which-is-which should be clear enough. It’s all years ago, of course.
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This was a quick trip north to Washington to see Becky and the grandparents. The trip was notable in at least one regard for the higher than normal amount of roadside maintenance. The following comments have been taken from a brief journal that I kept during the trip, along with additional comments (25 years later).
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/map.jpg)
(http://www.dankalal.net/images/stateCA.png) California
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may001.jpg)
Left Sacramento May 28, 1979 for a short trip to Washington to see grandparents. On way to Arcata, CA to see Becky, I got a ticket for speeding.
There's a really tempting long downhill section of Highway 1 near Garberville that is often patrolled. I know that now. I didn't, then.
Most of the time, I kept the rear trunk and saddle bags off the bike, and often for smaller trips such as this, I didn’t even bother with the rear trunk.
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may002.jpg)
Stayed the night at Arcata. Left Arcata around 11:00 and went north on '101'. Before Crescent City I got a bug in my eye and pulled off on a side road.
Odd; I remember it, now, as a small piece of wood from a logging truck I had been following. In any event, something got in my eye.
While making a left-hand turn, the bike touched down. I straightened up the bike and went off the road. I hit a rock and crashed.
This is a classic example of an accident that should never have happened. Relative to now, though, I was vastly inexperienced... The proper thing, of course, would be to not ride so fast as to drag the pieces of the motorcycle in the turns. But even at that, I should have avoided the common instinct to straighten up and hitting the brakes by just holding steady in the turn and staying with it. Actually, if it hadn't been for the large partially buried rock hidden in the grass, I probably could have saved it anyway. Didn't.
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may003.jpg)
The bike smashed down and I landing about 10 feet in front of it. The windshield smashed to tiny bits
...because I went right through it
and the headlight was gone. Also, much of the left side of the bike was bent. The front forks were very crooked. At a rest stop near the border, I met a man who was interested in the problem. Together we straightened the forks somewhat. Being rather hard to battle the head winds without a windshield, I had to buy one.
(http://www.dankalal.net/images/stateOR.png) Oregon
I got a ticket in Oregon for not having a headlight!!!!
I had tied a yellow scarf around the open headlight nacelle to protect the fuses, which are found there. I remain astounded to this day that I received a ticket despite telling the officer what happened. You might be wondering; but it never occurred to me to turn around. I still have a scar on my left side from that incident. I carried with me (as I still do) a first aid box containing several large medical pads and adhesive tape and gauze. I used two or three pads, and wrapped tape around my waist to hold it all in place. I spent that night camped off a side road just north of Grants Pass. Didn't get much sleep.
In Albany Oregon I stopped at a Moto Guzzi shop and bought a new headlamp and a 'Harley' windshield
...which windshield would ultimately be destroyed on another trip--but that's a story for later....
(http://www.dankalal.net/images/stateWA.png) Washington
From there I went to Portland and then to Walla Walla. I arrived at Walla Walla around 9:00.
Apart from my road problems, my visits to Walla Walla and Grandview were both very enjoyable.
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may004.jpg)
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may005.jpg)
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may006.jpg)
The wheel (front) is still very much out of alignment and will have to be looked at very soon. My mileage has been around 50 MPG. Not bad. The gas situation is good. Stayed in Walla Walla all the next day. Left Walla Walla around 11:00 and had a rather uneventful trip to Grandview. I went directly to the Walnut Grove nursing home where Grandma Shafer is. After visiting for an hour, I went to Harley Dorsey's and had lunch.
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may007.jpg) (http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may008.jpg)
I spent a bit of time in Harley's shop straightening out the forks further.
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may009.jpg)
That's Myra Dorsey on the motorcycle. Notice the brand-new Harley windshield and new headlight.
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may012.jpg)
Harley showed me around his grapes, and I got a good look at the grape harvester. Had BBQ chicken for dinner and some of their own white wine. Ate some Oreo cookies with double stuff. Slept that night in their guest room. The next morning (Saturday) I went out to the nursing home again to see Grandma. Spent about 2 hours there.
This was to be the last time I would see Grandma Shafer.
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may010.jpg)
(http://www.dankalal.net/images/stateOR.png) Oregon
Went to Biggs where I ate lunch. Got gas at Biggs. At a rest stop (before Madras) I repositioned the Generator.
The generator tended to come loose and start to rub on things.
Got gas at Bend.
(http://www.dankalal.net/images/stateCA.png) California
Around McDoel the bike started cutting out due to the generator not operating
When I adjusted the generator, earlier, I had inadvertently pinched one of the wires, and was riding without any charging system. It doesn't take much electrical power to run just an engine, but as soon as I turned the headlight on at dusk, the engine died. I turned the lights off and found a place to stay the night as soon as possible.
Spent the night in the sand next to an abandoned home.
The picture below shows my further repair work on the generator.
(http://www.dankalal.net/1979trip1/may011.jpg)
After fixing the generator, I got a jump-start from a resident of the town. Got gas and food at Weed (parked on a hill). Rode from Weed to Sacramento non-stop (no gas stops or rest stops), about 230 miles
...in part because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to start the bike without a bump start (as I did in Weed), and there aren't enough hills along I-5 to allow an easy rolling start.
End of trip. I-5 is a horrible boring road to ride on. Avoid in the future.
The various problems on this trip shouldn't give the idea that it wasn't a good one. It was.
About 1,800 miles.
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What a great adventure however. My first "trip" was Emporia, KS to Houston in 1980 on a Suzuki GS400. Had a great adventure but with less problems than you. Learned a lot however about gear and clothing. Thanks for posting.
GliderJohn
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I enjoyed your adventure, thanks for taking the time to post this!
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Overcoming problems is part of what makes a trip memorable. Thanks for that.. :thumb:
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:thumb: Kewl Daniel!
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Not the most epic travelogue you have ever posted Deke , but probably one of the best . Thanks .
Dusty
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Great story and great memories !
Glenn
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Great story and great memories!
Yep. Life goes on. Or not. All the people photographed are now dead (except me, of course).
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I enjoyed reading too, especially since it was a long time back.
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:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
Nick
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A blast from the past. :thumb:
A most excellent write-up. Even then your photo essays shone through. Must be in your DNA. :grin:
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I-5 is a horrible boring road to ride on
40-years hasn't changed that! Enjoyed your post and pics, thank's for sharing! My sister lives in Arcata. I've got plans to spend a few days with her in early June after the NorCal NATA-Rally.
http://www.nata-rally.org/
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Sure love your Travel logues Danial ,been reading them for years in the MGNOC news letter.
My first cross country motorcycle trip (from Missouri to California via Colorado,Utah) alone was on a 1973 CB 450 Honda in 1974 I just graduated high school, two weeks on the road ,no pictures but I still can see it all in my mind ,as if it were yesterday.I loved those early days traveling like a nomad on bikes.
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Nice, Daniel!
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Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate that.
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As always, thanks for your article. Reminds me of my "good ole" days of sleeping in bar ditches and cement picnic tables, riding with improper gear and still having fun and looking forward to the next ride.
Tex
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Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose..... :grin:
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Yep. Life goes on. Or not. All the people photographed are now dead (except me, of course).
Ya, but for this time they are back alive.. in all our minds.. So nice story!
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As always, thanks for your article. Reminds me of my "good ole" days of sleeping in bar ditches and cement picnic tables, riding with improper gear and still having fun and looking forward to the next ride.
Tex
You mean two years ago ? :laugh:
Dusty
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Now look at that, touring on a bike that doesn't weigh 800 lbs ...You would have thought it was possible... :wink: :wink:
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Nice sandels
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"Spent the night in the sand, next to an abandoned home"........was my favorite part!! I had many similar trips in the 70's.
Thanks very much for sharing this.
Tim
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Enjoyed that little vignette...nice!
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Great write-up, brings back memories of early, epic rides just like that. You looked like you were fairly well-prepared, unlike me in my early days, but we all survived! Ill-prepared, ill-clothed, probably for sure didn't eat or sleep properly, but it was all so much fun.
I met a guy a few years after college and after I'd had a few "epic" rides under my belt so I knew what suffering felt like, who told a story of he and a buddy riding 2-up on an old CB350 from Indiana to Florida for high-school spring break, following a bus that was chartered for other students who had parents that could afford to send them on the bus. These 2 dudes scrounged the bike at the last minute and I don't even think they new how to ride. Imagine being young, not aware of the incredible danger and stupidity of doing something like that, and with images of your female classmates in bikinis with tans and hidden alcohol, there's NO WAY you're going to be left behind.
That's the beauty of youth.
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Great story and pics thanks. Reminds me of a time when I was riding home for the weekend, about a two hour trip on my NSU Supermax 250. Coming round a blind right hand corner I had to straighten up to avoid a cop car going the other way and crashed into a wire fence.
Only a short distance from the radio station where I worked but the shame of going back with a bent bike was too much. I took the handlebars off and straightened them in the fork of a tree before riding the rest of the way home with bent footrest and a few other things.
Them were the days indeed 😁
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I loved it well done, thanks for sharing
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I so enjoyed reading this. Thank you. bobbyfromnc
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Thanks for sharing your story,and pics. Very cool!
Rick.
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As a millennial I can actually really admire reading something like this, I don't know what it is with all you dudes who were in your prime in the 70's-80's going out and having trips such as this, it seems like everyone I've ever talked to from then had gone out severely under-equipped and under prepared on bikes they weren't 100% about, just sort of reasoning that they'd "figure it out along the way", often times ending up lost/stranded/abandonned and always camping out in a lot or under some park benches or in a cemetery or a sandlot like you. It's all very reminiscent of the whole "back in our day we walked to school 400 days a year no matter the weather up and down the hill both ways through 3 feet of snow and gale force winds" thing, reminds me of my mother. As picky of a sleeper I am though all of that is simply unfathomable to me lol :laugh: really impressive stuff
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Thanks for sharing, my first Guzzi was 850 California the same year .. 1979, 40 years ago.
Jussi K
(https://i.ibb.co/F4537zZ/Kontioralli-1980-a.jpg) (https://ibb.co/F4537zZ)
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absolutely incredible photos
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Another great article and photos. I can't really add to what has already been said, as everyone else's comments / adventures somewhat echo mine. Good times back in the day, even if we didn't always realize it.
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I enjoyed this, Daniel...took me back to the days of Coleman sleeping bags lashed to the forks, army canteens, and plastic trash bag raingear... :thumb: