This ride was put on by the fledgling Portland BMW-GS Riders (PDX GS Club). Ed organized the ride, and he more or less picked the route. I was not sure I was going to actually ride, as Sam and I went Contra Dancing Saturday night, and did not get to bed until after midnight.
I rousted Sam up at about 7:15, and dropped him at his Mom�s by about a quarter �til 8. I was the second to arrive at Stumptown Coffee; Steve was already there on his 1150GS. Steve was not going to be able to ride today, but wanted to at least meet for the pre-ride coffee & chat. Before long, Ken W. showed up on his F650, and then Ed was there with his 1150GS, and soon Pat on his GS. Steve (2) and his girlfriend arrived on Steve (2)�s GS, although they would not be riding with us, and finally Darren on a borrowed (he works for a dealership) GS. All the GS�s that ended up on the ride were bright yellow, oddly enough. Ed took some great pictures, you can see them here : Pictures.
Shortly after 9, Ed led off: four BMW riders, and one lone Honda. In rushing to get ready to go, I had thrown in a long-sleeve T-shirt, and not much else. It was sunny when I left the house, but by 9 there was some cloud cover, and I was wishing I�d remembered my fleece vest. Ugh, this could get chilly. Down through town, and we caught highway 26 west towards the coast. A scheduled stop for gas at Glencoe Road let me put on glove liners, as my hands were getting a little cold. The fairing I added Friday was helping a lot by keeping the cold wind off my chest, and we were getting some sun patches here and there, so I figured I could tough it out. As it was, it got warmer as the day progressed.
Ed suggested we could take back-roads to Highway 47, or continue on 26 to highway 6. I spoke up that I would prefer back-roads, and that was the general consensus, so off we went again, with Ed in the lead. Up to this point, Ed had been keeping our speed down to a maximum of around 65 or so on Highway 26. Somewhere after we turned onto 47, Ken W. decided he needed to wick it up, and zoomed to the front. After this point in the ride, I took on the position of rear guard, as my bike and my experience caused me to be a little more cautious, and a lot slower!
We turned off 47, and followed the Nestucca river. I�m not sure of the road name, so I�m going to have to look that one up. The road is twisty, and very scenic, but not in the best shape in spots. I overcooked it going into one of the sharper turns, and had to slow down a bit, as I was spooked. Four of us stopped, looking across the valley to Trask Mountain, Ken W. having zoomed somewhere far up ahead, and Ed took a couple pictures. Ed assured me that they would stop occasionally and make sure that I�d not fallen off the road, and for me to feel no pressure to keep up. Good thing, because I couldn�t and felt much better riding my own pace.
There was gravel in a few of the turns, which is an ugly feeling when the back (or front) of the bike steps out! I slowed for each of these, and had no real problems. This road is not traveled much (parts were closed just a few weeks ago due to snow) and the vegetation hangs pretty far out, resulting in a couple new scratches on the shield, where a low-hanging branch attacked me.
Up ahead, everyone was waiting for me again where the road had washed out previously. There was maybe a mile or two of gravel before the road went back to pavement. Again, I made it over this section with no real problems, but I did learn a little more about how my bike handles. I think it was here that I decided that the low bars I put on a week ago just were not going to work. I like the aggressiveness in corners, but the ergonomics with the bars are just so unnatural that I can�t get comfortable. By the end of the day, my shoulders were just aching.
I managed to scrape the right side pegs on this trip (twice!), something I�d not done before. I was more conservative on the left, as I know from experience that the side-stand scrapes first. My Continental Blitz tires seem to corner nice, not that I have a lot to compare them to! The front does like to wiggle over rain groves and such though. Loved the new shield, and I�m really glad that Darren suggested it Thursday. Once again, the ButtBuffer and LDRider undies proved there worth, keeping the �down there� comfortable and dry.
One of the reason I came on this ride was to get new road experience, and that I did! I rode gravel more than I had, experienced gravel on pavement, and rough paved corners. I also pushed my pace up by following more experienced riders, and learned a lot. When my confidence wavered, I felt comfortable enough with the group to slow down and regroup. Although in company of fast riders, I did not feel that I had to ride faster than I was comfortable with, and for that I�d like to thank them all!
We all met up again at the Texaco in Beaver, and Ken W. suggested a place in Pacific City for lunch. South on 101 we went, under sunny skies. The ocean was gorgeous, and the clam chowder at the Pelican well worth the ride. Good ride, good weather, good food and good companions, what else can you ask of a day? This one was excellent. Ken W. peeled off to head south towards his home in Salem, and the rest of us headed back north on 101. We stopped in Beaver again and gassed up, choosing the highway 101 to highway 6 route home. We lost Pat momentarily as he missed the turn in Tillamook onto 6, but he caught right up.
Traffic on 6 was usual weekend fare, crowded and slow! Darren and Ed blasted on ahead, leaving Pat and I stuck behind a bit. Pat managed to catch up, but I took a little more time clearing the traffic. This was the last I saw of the group, which was OK, as it allowed me to enjoy a more leisurely ride home. I must admit that by the time I got back to highway 26, I was getting tired and sore, these low bars have to go! I�m glad I went on this ride before Tuesday when I head over to Boise! Finally, 219 miles since we left Stumptown, I arrived home about 3:30PM, tired and happy. Later in the evening, I made the bar swap, but I�m still going to be hunting for the perfect bars.
Ken