Wild HOGS part deux

I spent 4 days in Wilsonville, OR during the annual Oregon State HOG (Harley Owners Group) Rally. Thursday evening Latus H-D wined and dined us with a taco bar, sodas and a great DJ.

My bike, Lucky, is ready for the road


The boys wait patiently while I'm out riding

This is the new 2008, 105th Anniversary version of my bike

This bike is ready for the Drag Races

Hundreds of bikers met at Salem H-D Shop for the Friday rides. Before riding we enjoyed a Biker Breakfast of biscuits and gravy, sausage, fruit, coffee and assorted sweet rolls. I joined a group of riders from the Tacoma, WA HOG Chapter for a 130 mile ride through the beautiful Oregon countryside.

About 28 miles into the scenic ride at the intersection of Murder Creek Rd. and Kamph Dr. I rounded a sharp curve and came upon this scene. The black skid marks were already there, but you can see the whitish skid mark caused by the bike.

OUCH!!!

The lead bike of the group of 15 riders leaned a bit too far and ended up skidding on the left footboard. The local Paramedics arrived quickly and deemed the riders not seriously injured. Not too sure about the bike though - a 2002 Ultra Classic.

The Albany H-D Shop was about 3 miles away and sent a trailer to pick up the wrecked bike and the riders. The rest of us rode on to the H-D Shop where we helped Dan and Colleen shop for a new bike. And we enjoyed free hot dogs and sodas.
I globbed onto a group of 3 bikes from Lynnwood, WA for the rest of the ride. Here we stopped in the Silver Falls State Park for a photo op.

Friday night we dined on BBQ chicken, beans, and cole slaw while lisenting to a local rock band at Paradise H-D Shop in Tigard.

Saturday morning a Biker Breakfast of donuts and coffee greeted us at the Wilsonville Holiday Inn. Saturday I joined a few riders from the Friday ride, including the slightly injured Dan and Colleen riding a loaner bike. We had planned to do an easier, shorter version of the prescribed 235 mile ride over to the coast. Well, our easy day ended up being a very long, 10 hour day finished off with a 40 mile section of the twistiest road I have ever been on (the road between Beaverton and Carlton). To top it off, it included a 5 mile section of dirt. YIKES!! I hate dirt roads!! I survived it, but I arrived back at the RV park around 6:10 which was not enough time to feed, walk and play with the boys (until they forgot I left them alone all day), and make it to a nearby Hotel to catch the bus ride to the undisclosed location for the Saturday evening festivities. So I missed the Saturday dinner, entertainment, and awards ceremony, but I had a great time with the great guys and gal from Tacoma, WA, and one guy from Colorado Springs, CO.

Dan and Colleen The Saturday ride group

A beautify view of the Pacific Ocean from Cape Meares

Cape Meares Light House

Sunday morning I left Wilsonville and headed south to Eugene where I'll be for 3-4 days.

Sherwood, Tillamook and Portland

My parking spot at the Beaverton, OR Elks lodge.
On Wednesday August 15th I went on another beautiful 200 mile motorcycle ride, this time from Sherwood, OR to Tillamook, and back.



While in Tillamook I visited and toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It's a very popular tourist destination. They offer a self guided tour of the factory where you get to observe the factory workers hard at work. Then you wait in line to get a few free samples of cheese, then a long line to buy one of their famous and very delicious ice cream cones, then a line or two to purchase something in one or both of their gift shops, then a line to order lunch, then wait 30-45 minutes for your food to be delivered to you. I passed on the free cheese samples and the ice cream cone, but I did purchase a small package of Garlic White Cheddar Cheese. Boy is it tasty!! Then I opted for one of their ready made turkey sandwiches and coffee to bypass the long wait for a salad or burger.


http://www.tillamookcheese.com/

Tillamook Cheddar Cheese is usually on my shopping list when I go to Costco.


Here's my parking spot at the Sherwood, OR Elks Lodge. This lodge offers beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and lots of blackberry bushes ripe with delicious berries.

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One evening I joined Portland's Ron Paul for President Meetup Group at a Banner Event along Hwy 5 at the the Rosa Parks Way off ramp. Ron Paul isn't my first choice in the Presidential race at this time, but I love an opportunity to join Patriotic Americans and wave my American Flag.

http://ronpaul.meetup.com/118/

Beaverton, Oregon

A funfilled Saturday was spent at the Beaverton, OR Farmer's MarketLots of delicious locally grown produce, flowers and homemade bakery items

And entertainmentMy good friends Randy and Al and I entertained each other while shopping, eating and discussing and solving the problems of the world

Some ate a little too much

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Every parking spot has it's memorable nuances. The Beaverton Elk's Lodge had two Alpaca neighbors.

My grey and white critters were very intested in their new found grey and white friends.
This guy seems to have a cleft palate, and one very protruding lower tooth.

Portland to Astoria to Long Beach, WA

I climbed up the 165 steps to the top of the Astoria, OR Column
This is a view of the parking lot from the top of the Column. That's my Harley way down there!!
www.oregoncoast.com/Astorcol/Astorcol.htm

A shot of the Astoria Bridge, taken from the top of the Column

A shot looking down the 165 steps spiral staircase (see my boots)
A shot looking up the spiral staircaseThen I continued up the coast to Long Beach, WA. Long Beach is famous for it's annual Kite Festival, coming up later this month, and the World Famous Kite Museum.

www.worldkitemuseum.com/

A shot from the Long Beach 4/10 mile long boardwalk

http://www.funbeach.com/attractions/discoverytrail/index.html

This is the restaurant where I enjoyed a cup of Clam Chowder while enjoying the company of two fellow motorcycle riders I met along my journey. One of the fellows attended a neighboring, rival High School of mine in Southern California. He was a few years behind me. Tom and Allan are still up there in the far left window of the protruding restaurant section.

Columbia River Gorge

Wahkeena Falls was the first stop on my 200 mile ride today through the Columbia River Gorge 1/4 mile down the road was my second stop at the beautiful Multnomah Falls

This picture was taken from the lower bridge seen in the previous picture

This picture was taken above the bridge. I didn't venture much further up since I was wearing a biker ensemble rather than hiking gear.

This picture and the next were taken just before I ventured across The Dalles, OR bridge. The Dalles Dam is in the lower picture

After crossing the Columbia River at The Dalles, I continued on to Maryhill, WA home of the famous Maryhill Stonehenge
www.iinet.com/~englishriver/LewisClarkColumbiaRiver/Regions/Places/stonehenge.html

Looking westward from Stonehenge, toward Mt. Hood.



Stonehenge was built to honor the soldiers who died in WWI from Klickitat County

The town of Hood River, OR is know as the wind surfing capitol of the world.

http://www.el.com/to/hoodriver/

Not only Wind Surfing, but also Kite Boarding is popular