Speedometers usually have some percentage of error - so I think the Garmin number is closest to accurate. So that's why I figure the ride was 8500 miles... or so...
DAY 6
Beginning location: Grants Pass, OR
Day 6 destination: Baker City, OR
States visited: Oregon, (12) Washington
Daily mileage: 561
Cumulative mileage: 4,083
Our destination for Day 6 was Baker City, Oregon – one of
several places we had an advance reservation. Finding a decent play to stay in
the more remote parts of northwest had proven to be a challenge. Not wanting to
get caught without a place to stay while the ladies were with us, we made a
reservation, and this meant we had to reach our goal. Behind schedule, we knew
the ladies faced the longest distance they had ever ridden – more than 550
miles.
We headed north on I-5 to make up some more time. This
proved to be a pleasant ride. In the original draft of the trip, I had us
routed well into Washington to visit Mount Rainier. On a trip of this length,
choices have to be made. In the interest of time and miles, we decided to just
barely make our way into Washington and then cross the state line back into
Oregon to ride along the Historic Columbia River Highway. Annette likes
waterfalls, so after visiting The Vista House, we enjoyed an easy visit to
Latourell Falls. The next waterfall, Bridal Veil Falls, was more of a
challenge. By the time we reached the
Columbia River, the beautiful day we were enjoying was sunny and hot, as the
temperature reached 104 degrees. The hike to Bridal Veil Falls seemed long and
steep due to the heat. The sight was worth the hike, but we were hot and tired
– and we knew time was slipping away.
After seeing Multnomah and Horsetail Falls, we stopped for a
pleasant lunch at the Char Burger Family Diner, which sits at the base of The
Bridge of the Gods. The food, scenery - and the break to cool off and rest were very nice.
After lunch, we continued east, enjoying more of the
Columbia River and The Dalles before turning south on I-84 to get to Baker
City. The girls managed there 561-mile day without a whimper but were
definitely glad to call it a day as we checked in at our hotel knowing we were
back on schedule and set up for our ride to Hell’s Canyon and The Devil’s Tail.
DAY 7
Beginning location: Baker City, OR
Day 7 destination: Pocatello, ID
States visited: Oregon, (13) Idaho
Daily mileage: 490
Cumulative mileage: 4,573
Already we enjoyed great sights and experiences – but we are
finally approaching the real highlights of the trip. In the days ahead, we will
visit Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone. I am equally excited
about the Day 7 run through Hell’s Canyon and The Devil’s Tail.
Our goal destination is Pocatello, Idaho – for no particular
reason except landing there gives us an easy ride to Jackson Hole, and because
we know we can find lodging there. What was originally planned to be our
longest day while the ladies are with us – 490 miles – seems like no big deal
after our Day-6 run of 561 miles.
I expected the highlight of the day to be the ride on The
Devil’s Tail, and I was not disappointed.
The ride to get there, on the Hell’s Canyon Scenic Byway, was very nice,
too – long sweepers at speeds that made this part of the ride even more fun,
and scenery that was not to be missed.
We knew there was a long loop that we could have ridden to
get to The Devil’s Tail, but road construction was going to require us to take
a 30-mile detour on unpaved roads. My Road Glide and I try to avoid anything
unpaved, so we decided on an in-and-out ride on the Hell’s Canyon Dam Road.
This 22 miles in and 22 miles out provided some real riding excitement, and was
definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me. Here is a description I read about this part
of our adventure: Riders from all over
the world come to Hells Canyon to ride this famous motorcycle road. Located in
Hells Canyon, this is the deepest motorcycle road in North America. 2000'
deeper than the Grand Canyon. The road gets it's name from the fact that it
forms the base of the Seven Devils Mountains and the eastern wall of Hells
Canyon. The scenery is out of this world. Makes Deal's Gap look like child's
play. Bring your camera and enjoy a special ride only a experienced by a few.
Another description reads, This is CANYON CARVIN’ at its best, after all Hells Canyon is the
deepest canyon in North America. Everyone should do this ride at least once, if
not once a year! The last 22 miles or so is the ‘Devil’s Tail’ and is
officially know as Hells Canyon Dam Road. It dead-ends at the visitor center,
below the Seven Devil’s Mountains, just past the dam so you’ll have to ride it
twice! The Devil’s Tail traces every curve of the Snake River so I guarantee
you won’t be disappointed.
If you want to see video of our ride to Hell's Canyon, check it out here - but be warned: it's long! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLgHUnUWFfU
If you want to see video of our ride to Hell's Canyon, check it out here - but be warned: it's long! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLgHUnUWFfU
Disappointed we were not! Leaving the excitement The Devil’s
Tail, we crossed the state line into Idaho and continued along the scenic Snake
River. One word of advice for anyone headed this way: Plan your fuel stops.
Opportunities to get gas are few and far between. Those of us riding
American-made motorcycles nearly ran out more than once on this trip, but this
gas crisis was the worst of all for me. I reduced our speed and was shifting
into neutral when descending hills to save fuel, unsure of when we might find a
gas station.
When we finally found gas, we were able to grab some lunch
before jumping back onto I-84 to get to Pocatello as fast as we could. What a day!
DAY 8
Beginning location: Pocatello, ID
Day 8 destination: Flagg Ranch Village, between Grand Tetons
and Yellowstone
States visited: Idaho, (14) Wyoming
Daily mileage: 301
Cumulative mileage: 4,874
As I reflect on the ride and read through the pre-trip
itinerary, it seems funny to consider Day 8 to be a leisurely day. But that’s
how we viewed this July 3rd day. We slept in a bit, leaving our
hotel just minutes before 8 AM. Our plan was to ride to Jackson Hole for a meal
and a stroll through the town square. Parking was hard to find around the
square, so we parked at the Jackson Hole Harley Davidson dealership. Of course,
I felt obligated to buy a t-shirt since we were using their parking. This was
the first of a number of shirts purchased during this grand adventure.
From Jackson Hole, we would ride through the Grand Tetons.
Best case would have us beginning our visit to Yellowstone late in the day –
and this is exactly what we were able to do. We rode into the Grand Tetons
under overcast skies, and we experienced our first drops of rain since early in
the trip. We all put on raingear, but while riding on wet roads, actually rode
through very little rain. Our route took us on the Inner Park Road and around
Jenny Lake Loop Road. We traveled up most of Signal Mountain Road, but started
back down when the rain came again, this time accompanied by thunder and
lightning.
Finishing up our ride through the magnificent Grand Tetons,
we decided to ride past our lodging place for the night and continue north into
Yellowstone. We really wanted to see Old Faithful do its thing, and wanted to
be sure we were not rushed the following day. We were also really concerned
about visiting Yellowstone on July 4th – but given our schedules, I
just couldn’t avoid the holiday.
The decision to see Old Faithful first was a great one. We
had a relaxing ride into Yellowstone and we were rewarded with an eruption of
Old Faithful and another nearby geyser. Following our time here, we headed
south and out of Yellowstone to our cabins at Flagg Ranch Village. This place
was one of the more expensive places we stayed on the trip, but the cabins were
very nice. The restaurant offered one of the best meals I had on the entire
trip. One interesting note: you are completely disconnected in this part of the
country. No television. No cell service. And no wi-fi. (Gasp!!) What is one to
do with no connection to the outside world? Engage in real conversation,
perhaps. Laugh a lot. And quietly reflect on the grandeur of the surrounding.
Yes, we should be disconnected much more often.
