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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Wanderlust - Day One

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Well, wanderlust bit us again last week. About Wednesday we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do for the weekend. Thoughts came of a ride somewhere then camping was thrown into the mix. By Thursday night we had our minds made up to ride to Crater Lake on Saturday and stay overnight somewhere and ride home Sunday.

Friday, since I was off work at noon, I went and bought a few supplies and a new Canon HS 300 pocket camera. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and input, but I had to go with the model Bobskoot recommended. We love our other Canon he recommended and this way the USB cables for both cameras are the same as well.


The rest of the pictures in this post were taken with the new Canon.

Friday night we packed up the bikes and looked over maps. Max was elected to carry the sleeping bags while Lucy carried everything else.

(Two sleeping bags in the blue stuff sack)


(2 bedrolls, 1 tent and everything else in the bags)

Saturday we got up at our normal time, made sure all was secure and headed to Saturday morning coffee. It was a big crowd for a coffee meet up so we were glad we made it prior to riding out.

Jim was there with his Ural and sidecar unit and took another rider, Dani, for a quick jaunt since she'd never been in one. Jim also rides a Triumph Tiger.

(Dani and Jim)

On a side note, this is the same Dani that was our inspiration for our 3-day trip to Wolf Creek a few weeks ago.

While at coffee Andy (another Tiger rider) decided he'd ride part way with us. He also graciously lent me his 'Go Cruise Throttle Control' that he picked up while at Laguna Seca a few weeks ago. It clamps on to your right grip and once the desired speed is reached you use your index finger to press the straight section down to contact the brake lever and hold a steady speed. It was a life saver. I didn't think I was going to use it and urged him to take it back, but he knew I'd appreciate it. Thank you Andy. I'll be returning it to Andy at coffee next week, and I'll definitely be picking one up for myself.


DAY 1: (200 miles, elevation gain from 237 to 3100 ft)

We didn't get away from coffee as early as I expected but before we knew it we were in Oakridge and taking a break for a snack and to fill the bikes with fuel. We said goodbye to Andy at this point. He went off to hunt gravel roads on his Tiger while we headed East over Highway 58 and Willamette Pass to Highway 97 then South. We stopped in Chemult for a break and to get something cold to drink. Troubadour went inside and picked up a few bottles of Powerade Zero. Subconsciously he picked up an orange and a blue one. Hmmm color matching your bikes is not just for toothbrushes. FYI - the orange one tasted better.



(We'd already poured the orange one into the travel bottle)

We saddled back up and headed further South then East on Highway 138 before turning off South one more time in search of a campsite closer to Crater Lake. Apparently Troubadour has good camping karma. The first place we stopped was Farewell Bend campground and for $16 he scored a private campsite with river frontage, no close neighbors and it had potable water and flush toilets with electricity in the bathrooms. Hooray.

It was about 5:30 pm by the time we started unloading the bikes and setting up camp. First thing to do was set up the tent.

(Bikes pulled into the campsite)


(View of campsite from the bikes - tent gets set up on the plateau beyond the picnic table)


(view of tent from picnic table)


(View of river standing by tent)


After setting up, it was time for dinner. Luckily Troubadour has a handy dandy Jetboil system and we had some local Mountain House freeze dried goodies. I say local as they are made by Oregon Freeze Dry in Albany, only 10 miles from home. I present camping food porn:

The first course was vegetable lasagna. The bag serves two and we just shared a bowl and used a nice chewy bagel for soaking up the sauce.


Second course was boil in the bag Cumin and Chili Chickpeas from Trader Joe's (good source of protein)


(that's right, ate it out of the lasagna bowl)

Third course was dessert - Freeze Dried Neapolitan Ice Cream. Yummy.



Someone looks awfully happy to be motorcycle camping.....



After washing up the dishes and tidying camp we had time before dark for a quick self portrait, please excuse the helmet hair.



And then we sat and enjoyed the fire.





By 9:30 we were yawning and decided to turn in for the night. We knew Sunday was going to be a long day. Troubadour tucked the bikes tight together for the night....


.....then we tucked ourselves in too.


Things I learned on Day 1:

1) When your friends tell you to bring bug spray to the mountains heed them well. You will be glad you did;
2) Drink plenty of fluids when riding especially in warm weather;
3) Jetboil systems are a must for motorcycle camping; and
4) A two person tent isn't quite big enough for two large sleeping bags and two person's worth of motorcycle gear.

Up next, Day 2: Another 300 miles and 4,600 feet higher in elevation.

- Au Revoir

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

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11 comments:

  1. What a wonderful trip , looks just fantastic. It is awesome that you guys enjoy doing such things together. Looking forward to hearing about more soon...

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  2. I shall be using your blog as my definitive guide as to how to motorcycle camp - I just bough a tent for $15 in K Mart during my recent visit - what else do I need??

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  3. That looks like a great trip - and you're doing well to ride that many miles in one day!

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  4. Trob,

    I just got back from a motorcycle camping trip and completely agree with your nuggets of wisdom. I love the 'jetboil' we used the 'max' system, which is coleman and another brand, it was tiny. You need to carry extra fuel if you're going to be away from the city for a while, but I love the portable appliance.

    I drove ten miles back to town from a campsite in WA just for bug spray. For the really crazy stuff. DEET.

    We also had luck buying food at the grocery store: granola bars and the soup aisle. Dried soups and the like. Soups take a long time to cook. (though you can turn your jetboil way down once temp is reached) but it's a nice departure and not very expensive.

    Brady
    Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life
    http://www.behindbarsmotorcycle.com/

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  5. I like the colors in the campfire shots. The camera seems to work pretty well. It's nice to be able to get out for these weekend camping trips. I'm jealous as I get the feeling that our summer is ending (we already had frost in Fairbanks a couple of days ago) before I've been able to get out at all....

    It's been a long time since I've had freeze dried food so maybe it's improved but why eat it on a motorcycle trip? Even when I went backpacking, I would bring fresh ingredients. On a bike, you can stop and pick stuff up before stopping for the evening. Just wondering (as someone who can't stand freeze dried meals...)

    Looking forward to part two!

    Richard

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  6. Trobairitz:
    What fabulous camping photos! I'm envying you Northern Hemisphere guys and your weather at present but at least our decent weather is just round the corner.

    BTW: Our mossies in NZ aren't too bad but the sandflies (a bit like noseeums)will drive you mad without repellent, particularly on the west coast of the south island.

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  7. Great camping photos! I think when we get around to motorcycle camping I am going to have to learn to travel light. Moho traveling is a lot different and I tend to bring the whole house.

    I have a canon and love it. Just about all of the pictures on Princess Scooterpie are taken on my little canon. They make a great camera and are easy to use.

    Freeze dried ice cream now that sounds interesting, I think I am going to have to try that. Beats marshmallows, I am s'mored out now. We are at my folks right now, but are heading back to Tofino again on Friday and I am going to try surfing. (I am dreading what I will look like in a wetsuit though - I will just go to my happy place and forget about that for now)

    Looking forward to seeing more of your adventure!

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  8. Trobairitz:

    I like to read about your camping adventures. I have not been a camper before, but I have been thinking about it a lot lately. I like the idea of having "facilities" rather than lack of.

    it's great that you had a good time, and good weather for your adventure

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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  9. Nice outing. The relaxed expression on your faces says it all: good ride, lovely venue, full belly, and a campfire going. You are one wild romantic couple.

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  10. @Raftnn - thank you, we had a great time. I learned a long time ago if I wanted to spend more time with hubby I'd better learn to ride :-) It works.

    @Nikos - now you just need a $28 sleeping bag from Costco and a $99 Jetboil set from REI and you'll be set.

    @El Diente - the 200 miles on Saturday wasn't bad, most I'd done prior to this trip was a 214 mile day. Sunday was a 300 mile day so a record for me.

    @Brady - We had Luna bars and Lara bars with us so that was nice and we brought oatmeal for breakfast. The main reason we took the freeze dried meals with us is because we already had them purchased for when Troubadour was going to do his back country trip. Might as well use them. And they weigh less than a canned counterpart. Dried soups are a good idea and coucous dressed up would be easy too.

    @Richard. We too feel summer is ending. The days are already starting later and ending sooner. I think that is why we are trying to cram so much in all of a sudden. Where we were the closest store was 50 miles away and was a gas station - where we got our cool drinks. One of the reasons we didn't want to bring fresh fruits and veggies from home as it was a 90˚ day and they would have baked in the black saddle bags all day without an ice pack which would again add weight.

    @Geoff - It won't be long and you will be shaking off winter's shadows for spring's sunshine and flowers. It was the little noseeums at the campsite that were biting. Mosquitos came Sunday at the lake.

    @Dar - definitely learn to travel light. My bike doesn't haul much since I don't have bags for it yet. One of the reasons for us going so minimal is that we were restricted to what we (and by we I mean Troubadour) could carry on the Tiger. So far I am loving the Canon. I remember you recommending a Canon too, thank you. Good luck surfing. Won't the wetsuit act as a girdle? Should be slimming. That's my theory, you go girl.

    @Bobskoot - this is the first time we've been camping in 6-7 years so it was really nice to get out. The facilities were nice considering I was thinking we'd have to rusticate. And we sure can't complain about our weather. Hasn't been too awfully hot. Southern Oregon is a little warmer though.

    @Sonja - We can't be too romantic after 15 years of marriage - we were sleeping in separate mummy bags that don't zip together, lol.

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  11. Ah...the makings of a wonderful trip! I hadn't seen the Chickpeas before. I will have to start tromping through our Trader Joes. Those would be nice in the campsite!

    I have friends with the JetBoil, and they love them. But I still love my little alcohol stove. Takes a little longer, but it fits inside my cooking pot! :)

    Looking forward to hearing about Sunday!

    And love the shots from the camera. Are you happy with it?

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