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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Sunday = Fun Day

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Sunday we decided we wanted to get out for a ride. It was supposed to be cooler than the high temperatures we experienced on Saturday. We thought a chowder run to the coast might be in order even though it was 58˚ and foggy/misty in Newport.

It was about 1:oo pm by the time we finally headed out. We travelled south to Alpine then turned west to ride through the Alsea Falls twisties. It has been a long time since I have ridden through there with just the two of us. Usually we are with a group and I have to worry about how far ahead the group is and then as soon as we catch up they are done their break and off we go, never getting a break ourselves. It was only the second time I'd taken Max on that road.

Soon we were in Alsea and made another turn onto Highway 34 and pointed our bikes west towards the coast. The weather was still warm but was cooling down as we went over the foothills and approached the ocean. I let Troubadour know over the radio that I needed to stop in Waldport for petrol.

We were pleasantly surprised that it was still sunny in Waldport and I thought just maybe we'd luck out and the fog had lifted in Newport. I zipped up all my vents just in case. We made a right turn and headed north on Highway 101 to ride the 16 miles to Newport.

Troubadour remembered a back road that cuts off a lot of the Highway 101 section so we meandered through some unfamiliar twisties and back roads. We did stop for a few pictures at one point. We are in the 44th parallel and have a riding game on the local forum to take a picture of your bike with anything that says 44. This sign caught Troubadour's eye and we made an abrupt stop for a photo opportunity.





Back on the bikes and within a few miles we rejoined Highway 101 and ran into the fog bank. Heavy fog and mist were wetting our visors. Not enough would build up that a head turn would wipe it clean in the wind so a little index finger action was needed to keep it clear every few minutes.

We arrived at our favorite chowder house: the Chowder Bowl. It has been our favorite since we went there in 1994 while on vacation just after we met. It is a little nostalgic for us. Troubadour had excellent parking karma and found a spot just up the street.



(You'll notice the top case strapped to Max. A leftover from when Troubadour was using it for commuting last week)

We anticipated that since we didn't arrive until 3:00 in the afternoon we had successfully avoided both the lunch and dinner rush. No such luck. There was a line up to be seated.

I noticed that the tables on the patio were not set up due to the weather. We graciously volunteered to sit out in the mist in exchange for being seated right away. No problem. We'd barely sat down before we were given menus and someone had put cutlery and condiments on the table. They even put up the umbrella to keep the mist off of us. It was sheltered enough we decided to take our riding jackets off.

It was perfect for us. Nice and quiet with no screaming children running amok like in the restaurant. Just the way we like it.

We each ordered a bowl of chowder and a cup of coffee. It was on the table and ready to eat within minutes. Now that's service. I even had the camera in my pocket and took a few food porn pictures.



The garlic bread is Troubadour's, I opted for the oyster crackers instead. Usually there is a nice pat of butter on top of the chowder but I was trying to be healthy and asked them to serve it sans butter.


We ate our chowder and listened to the music playing on the radio. It was nice that they had speakers outside. We even took a few candid shots with the camera.








The wind started to come up so we put our jackets on while finishing our second cup of coffee. We discussed which route to take home. It was decided to ride down to the bay front area and then along the river to Toledo where we would join up with Highway 20 heading east.

Before leaving Newport Troubadour stopped for one more 44 sign.


The weather was still misty, but before we'd even reached Toledo the sun was once again shining upon us. Traffic was heavy which is typical for a Sunday afternoon. Everyone that wanted to escape the heat in the valley that morning was heading home. Soon we'd had enough of the traffic and Troubadour made a left turn (north) at Eddyville to take the back road and a more twisty route which leads us to Blodgett and back onto Highway 20, but closer to Corvallis.

I'd been on this road before as a pillion rider. It has some rough sections and no less than 5 rural railroad crossings. Yes indeed, some very bumpy sections that attempted to toss my butt right out of the saddle. It was nice to ride at our own pace through that area though. Not too fast, but not so slow that any cars were catching up. Just a nice ride.

Once in Blodgett we rejoined the masses heading east. It was an uneventful ride into town, but that is a good thing. We arrived home about 6:00 pm and relaxed for the rest of the evening. Well, unless you count going out for groceries after 8 pm. That wasn't exactly relaxing.

All in all I had a great day on two wheels.

- Au Revoir

"I hooked up my accelerator pedal in my car to my brake lights. I hit the gas, people behind me stop, and I'm gone." ~ Steven Wright
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12 comments:

  1. That is such a nice to spend Sunday! The chowder looked yummy. We have been getting a weenbit of fog here. It feels like fall already. I love the 44 pics. Don't ya just love adventuring.

    BTW I am contemplating taking a motorcycle course in October, earliest I could get in.

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  2. Trobairitz:

    it's the same Chowder Bowl where Sonja and myself stumbled into last July after we left you two. We also sat on the deck, and perhaps even at the same table but it was a hot summer day, in the sunshine and we both ordered large bowls of Shrimp Salad. You are lucky to have a built in riding partner. I only have myself and I don't always wish to ride alone and have to talk to myself, but I don't mind meeting others along the way. As I look at your photos, you look so young, and Troubadour, well . . he looks so Troubadourish. glad you managed to get a ride together

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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  3. I loved the candid shots , very cool. Food looked great to.

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  4. Trob,

    Nice photo exchange. That made me smile.

    I had never had chowder until I ran down the west coast this summer, not bad, this post really put me in the mood for some. If you're ever travelling to the Midwest, though, get your fill before you leave. People here only hear about chowdah in the movies - unless there is some form of beef chowder...

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

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  5. Drooling over the keyboard right now, I love a good chowder.

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  6. @Dar - It was a great way to spend a Sunday. A ride for chowder with hubby. Will be cool if you take your course this fall. I think you would like the transition from scootering to motorcycling.

    @Bobskoot - It is very nice to have a built in riding parter. He still likes to go off on his own rides sometimes too which works out just fine. And thank for saying I look young. I turned 40 today so it is a great compliment, thank you.

    @Raftnn - Thank you. we had fun with the photos and the chowder was great, as always.

    @Brady - It never crossed my mind that there wasn't clam chowder outside the coastal states. Thank you for reminding me how lucky I am. The Chowder Bowl also sells a base you can take home and add milk to to make your own at home. I'd mail you some but I think it is frozen, not a dried base.

    @Sonja - You should be able to get good chowder in Vancouver. There is a challenge for you Sonja. Take your scooter and find good chowder in your area and get food porn pictures. :-)

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  7. Trob,

    I appreciate the thought, but it sounds like it could be trouble with thawing foodstuffs moving across country. Also, it'd have to be one quick ship, we leave for Germany on Wednesday!

    Brady
    Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life

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  8. I, too, liked the photo exchange between you and Troubadour.

    In the Midwest one can occasionally find some corn chowder, which usually involves bacon and chicken stock.

    Loved the description of the bumpy road. I've been on a few roads that wanted to toss my butt right off the bike.

    Thanks for the share.
    ~k

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  9. @Brady - No chowder for you...... can't wait to hear about your adventures in Germany though.

    @CircleBlue - I used to make a cheap version of corn chowder, using a can of creamed corn and cup or so of milk combined with a dab of butter. Not too bad with some salt and pepper.

    It is one thing for the road to toss your butt off the bike but why do those bumps always happen while I am setting up for a corner?

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  10. A couple of days late but Happy Birthday!

    And I like the photos.

    Richard

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  11. Thank you Richard.

    I had a great birthday weekend in San Francisco. Will try and put up a few posts in the next few days with lots of pictures.

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  12. That's about the gist of our photo exchanges too! Good to know we are the only ones. Wonderful sounding outing. I'm with you. Would have opted for the patio too. Quiet, bucking the trend and enjoyable. :)

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