Because yesterday was Thanksgiving Day here in the USA I had the day off. The forecast was for dry weather all day. A welcome change from the 3" (7.62 cm) of rain and huge storms we experienced on Monday/Tuesday this week.
We decided since it wasn't too chilly out 49˚F (9.44˚C) that we needed to get out on the bikes. It has been quite a while since we did any riding besides back and forth to coffee on a Saturday morning.
By noon we had all our gear layered on and a route planned. We were off to find more covered bridges. Since Oregon has 50 of them there are lots to choose from. Here is a link to an interactive map of the bridges ----->
LINK.
We headed west towards Philomath for petrol ($3.479 a gallon) and then Southwest on Highway 34 to Alsea. Two miles beyond Alsea we turned left to arrive at the
Hayden Bridge, originally built in 1918.
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| (Troubadour taking a picture of Hayden Covered Bridge) |
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| (View of the bikes taken from bridge. Highway 34 in the background) |
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| (With all the rain the river is running swift) |
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| (Road on the other side of the bridge - not sure where it goes) |
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| (Troubadour - I asked him to smile for the camera) |
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| (Old barn beside the Hayden Covered Bridge) |
Back on the bikes we turned around to get back to Highway 34. Turned west on Highway 34 for 20 miles until we made another left turn on Five Rivers Road. We meandered our way along the back roads and were rewarded by arriving at the
Five Rivers (Fisher School) Covered Bridge.
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| (Five Rivers - Fisher School - Covered Bridge) |
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| (Troubadour thinking of future geocache sites) |
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| (Artsy leaf and bike shot) |
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| (The sun trying to come through the clouds was making photo exposure difficult) |
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| (I did a little iPhoto contrast adjustment to get this retro effect) |
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| (This river isn't running as swift) |
We got back on the bikes and headed further down the road. The plan was to cut across the mountain and into Deadwood on Highway 36 for another covered bridge. The road narrowed a little and was littered with fall tree debris. There wasn't any traffic so we stopped for the occasional photo.
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| (Beautiful road along the river) |
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| (One of my favorite pictures of the day) |
Further and further up the mountain we climbed. We passed hunters who's dogs tried to race the bikes for quite a while. And did I mention tree debris?
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| (Tree debris - a test in picking your lines) |
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| (Max picked up a little of that tree debris - he wanted to play fetch perhaps) |
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| (Where we are going - stopped to check the map) |
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| (Morale is high, I am laughing because Troubadour is behind me tinkling) |
We pressed on and the road got a little worse and then we came to a road closed sign. We needed to turn the bikes around and head back. We were really hoping we didn't have to back track the entire way as we knew we'd be chasing daylight. Troubadour turned both bikes around. I didn't want to chance slipping in the muck and dropping Max.
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| (Bike turned around - heading back from where we came) |
Luckily a short way back was another side road. Troubadour looked at the map once again and figured we could do a few miles of gravel to avoid back tracking 20 through the rough forestry road. Good call. Soon enough we were through the gravel and back to a main road. We managed to get to Highway 36 and a rest area to use the facilities by 4:00 pm.
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| (Max really needs a bath) |
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| (The heart of a dual sport lurks under that flashy blue and white exterior) |
We originally were going to get two more covered bridges but had 70 miles to go to get home and only half an hour of daylight. With a twist of the throttles were were off and didn't stop until we got home just after 5. By the time we got home the temperature had dropped to 43˚F (6.11˚C). Our feet were cold. To warm them up and bring back some feeling we put a little warm water in the tub to splash our feet in.
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| (Yours truly warming my feet - apparently I just tossed my socks on the floor) |
We had leftover Chinese food for dinner and held the sofa down and watched a movie. It was a great day.
It was Thanksgiving Day and I can honestly say I am thankful for heated gear, heated grips and most of all my wonderful husband who has faith enough in my riding abilities to "lead me down the garden path" on a chilly fall day. (I think this is his way of telling me I need a Tiger 800)
- Au Revoir
"A we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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A 'thankful' day, riding and a quiet evening....it doesn't need to get better than that.
ReplyDeleteIt was a pretty darn good day.
DeleteWhat a great way to spend the day off, and bonus, you still got to stay dry. (Not happening over here, the rain has declared war on us.)
ReplyDeleteThose covered briges are gems, especially as they seem to "live" in areas with nice roads.
I am sure I would have had difficulties to turn around my Harley on the mucky road, that's for sure.
We took advantage of the dry day since we knew the rains would be back friday and they were. While we were out on a 6 mile walk.
DeleteI never thought about the bridges being near some good roads but they are all on back country roads so that is nice.
Trobairitz:
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to find a DRY day. Pouring rain here all day, but luckily we were at work Yesterday and today, no Thanksgiving Holiday for us -- we had ours last month.
Did WE manage to wash Max when WE parked your bike. You know, the same WE that turned your bike around ?
I smiled when you mentioned "tinkling" but you were standing in the way
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
Rumor has it tomorrow may be dry too but it was rainy yesterday and it is also supposed to rain today.
DeleteMax got put away dirty. It was after dark when we got home. MAybe one day he'll get washed. I think I've washed him once in the almost 2 years I've had it. Usually it is the same WE that turns my bike around to back it into the garage.
Someone needs a Wee (and I'm not talking about what Troubadour is up to)...
ReplyDeleteHa, funny. I laughed out loud. I think the Gladius is a Wee at heart since it is a Suzuki 650 motor. In fact the new 2012 Wee had it's engine based off the Gladius. I think mine is lighter, no windscreen and has less plastic.
DeleteThey now make TKC-80s for the Gladius but I don't think they'd be a god idea.
These photos make me very, very nostalgic for Oregon. All the water, wet, mud. And the tree farm! I'm glad I didn't have that many to shear. I'd still be there. Very nice farm. Thanks for taking that photo.
ReplyDeleteI have great memories of Oregon. I suppose that's why I like Wisconsin so much. Someday I want to come back to visit.
That was a little tree farm compared to the ones south of us. One day I'll get a picture of them. They load them out of the farm by helicopter. I was going to try and get a better picture of the trees for you but the lighting wasn't right and they were dark.
DeleteGreat trip post! I really enjoyed it. Adventure, dangerous side roads and thrilling ending. Glad you made it home safe and somewhat warm. Last picture is the best one:)
ReplyDeleteThank you. I laughed at Brad taking the picture, but it sure was nice to get some feeling in my feet again. My Sidi boots keep my feet dry but they were a little chilly.
DeleteGreat ride report. I enjoyed the pictures and the narrative. Those leaves look like they are pretty slick.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably be stopping by for Saturday coffee on the 8th if you were going to be in town. Just passing through on the way back from San Francisco again.
I think I only had two instances where I felt the tires slide. One was over a wet branch and the other was in the leaves. Uphill wasn't bad but downhill around the corners I was in 2nd gear. Steady as she goes.
DeleteWe will be at coffee on the 8th and would love to see you. You know to stop by anytime you are in town.
It may not have been raining - but it sure looked damp and dreary. Glad you had fun just the same.
ReplyDeleteIt was a little dreary, but with yellow lenses in our glasses it looked quite bright, until we took them off that is.
DeleteWe were thinking of you as we were going over the forestry road. Definitely not flatlandia. I was thinking there was no way you'd want to follow us through there. Oh, you could have done it, but I don't think you would have wanted to.
Oh more kissing bridges, you guys should get a room lol. Looks like a nice little ride and max actual got dirty. Who washes him you or troubadour?
ReplyDeleteI must say max is a nice looking bike.
Yes, but did you notice we didn't do any kissing pictures? How's that for self control, lol.
DeleteYep, Max got dirty alright, not the first time though. He likes a nice covering of mud puddle after riding in the rain too. And yes Troubadour usually washes him when he washes his bike. Yes, I'm spoiled.
And thank you. I like the way the bike looks too. You sure don't see many of them around. Speaking of which we didn't see one other motorcycle that whole day.
"Tinkling"?
ReplyDeleteIs it what I think it is i.e "having a tinkle"?
Greetings from Europe, N
Greetings Nikos. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI guess I should have said: "he was taking a whiz" or "watering the trees" I was trying to be polite without actually saying he was peeing. So yes, he was "having a tinkle".
Those roads look slippery with all those leaves .. well done on a great report on what looks like it was a fun ride.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see that the weather didnt keep you off the roads and that you still got out to explore.
I bet Max loved getting his feet dirty :D
They weren't as slippery as you'd expect. Maybe because the tires are fairly new. Not bad as long as you were steady on the throttle and no sudden moves or front brake.
DeleteIt might have been Paul Simon that sang the song Slip Slidin’ Away. For some reason, that song came into my head when looking at those leaves covering the road ....
ReplyDeleteI love that song, and now I have it stuck in my head. Thanks for the ear worm. And there were a few slippery bits.
DeleteNice ride! Thanksgiving would have been a great day to ride - it reached 60 degrees ... but we were have company for dinner. By late afternoon/early evening it plummeted to 20 something and snowed. Glad you were able to get out there and ride.
ReplyDeleteOooh 60 degrees. That sounds like lovely riding weather. I bet you were happy to have family over though. The 20 degrees and snow however, does not sound like fun. Hopefully it has melted for you by now.
DeleteLooks like a great ride and a great day overall. The more I read about people waxing eloquent about their heated gear the more I think I may just have to get some to extend my riding season by a few weeks. With my regular gear I can stay comfy down to about 10C (about 50F) for an extended ride, but much below that and I'm pretty cold after an hour or so.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great day. I think hubby had his heated jacket liner for 2 seasons before he finally convinced me it was worth the money. Well it took me that long to be convinced it was worth the money - he knew it was worth it right away.
DeleteIt definitely extends the riding season. We were out for 5 hours and I was toasty except for my toes. And only had the jacket liner on low. We both have FirstGear Heated Jacket Liners - even the collar is heated. Nothing like the feeling of wearing a warm electric blanket while riding.
I did have yoga pants on under my Rev'it pants and even with no faring on the bike my legs weren't cold. Knee socks might have helped a bit with that too.
Nothing sweeter in my estimation than to explore the wooded backroads and find a few old bridges along the way.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, thanks for giving me a "little ride out in the country" here from the indoor recesses of my now-suburban home!
Glad you both had a fantastic day out on the machines!
Lovely photos...
I am glad I could take you along for the ride. The bridges are a good destination. Since we went vegan over a year ago doing 'ride to eat' rides are more difficult as there aren't many vegan options when puttering through the countryside.
DeleteNice way to spend the day. More great pics. I love the river and mirror shot, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathy. I am remembering it fondly as it won't stop raining right now. If it would hold off a bit we could sneak in another ride.
DeleteI love your photo's and the place looks so inviting! I absolutely love riding in the mountains! I also love the river pictures and the one in the mirror! I had a giggle when you said it wasn't too chilly riding at 9,44 degrees C. The reason being those temperatures would be very cold for us in sunny South Africa. Our winter temperatures are on average 0/2 degrees C in the mornings and maximum 12 in the day. On very hot summer days we can reach a maximum of 32 degrees C!
ReplyDeleteWe are also fortunate to have long summer months and short winter months!
Thank you. We too like riding through the mountains, just wish we had to do more of it.
DeleteIt didn't seem to chilly that day, but maybe because I had a heated jacket liner and heated grips. It sounds like you have fairly consistent weather in South Africa. When we have a heat wave in the summer we can get up to 38-40˚C, luckily that isn't very often. In the winter we've been known to get down to -9˚C and hubby has been known to ride in that chilly weather as long as it is dry and not icy. Too darn cold for me.
I agree that would feel like torture for me :-)
ReplyDelete