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I left Vancouver, WA at 6:45 AM and met Alan, my riding partner about 30 miles out on the south side of Portland, OR. Alan's a transplanted HSTA member from Louisiana who moved to the Portland area a few months ago. We took the fast (but boring) way south to Eugene -- 100 miles of straight I-5. Alan was on his GTS1000 (stock except for Heli bars and a Corbin saddle) and I rode my '84 V65 Sabre (Hondaline fairing, Corbin saddle, Krauser Starlet hard bags). We ran into a few showers on the first leg, but nothing serious; we just droned down the interstate.
At Eugene we got gas then picked up Highway 58, heading over Willamette Pass to the east side of the Cascade range. Once we started to climb (the pass is above 5000 feet) we got into a steady drizzle. With the fairings on our bikes the rain wasn't a problem, but the road construction was. Sitting in line in the rain waiting for the flagger to wave us on, then driving through construction mud in 40-degree temperatures, isn't fun. Once we crested the pass the construction and rain passed and things dried out and warmed up. We stopped in Chemult for lunch and a change of gear, and the weather continued to improve -- mostly sunny and warming into the 70's.
From Chemult we continued south on 97 to Klamath Falls, got gas, then headed for 139 in California, and more road construction around Tulelake. Once clear of that, the two-lane road was wide open with great pavement and a 65 mph speed limit, so we ran southeast to Adin averaging somewhat above 65. We took a break in Adin and met some of the locals, then we tackled the last 70 miles of 139 to Susanville, arriving at about 5 PM. At the motel we borrowed a hose to wash the worst of the Willamette Pass mud off our bikes. We were only moderately successful.
Friday morning we got on the road about 7:30, heading south on Highway 395. More wide open, 65 mph road with little traffic, at least to start with. As we approached Reno, 395 turned into a 4 lane freeway and the traffic got much heavier. Even with the traffic we quickly got through Reno, then on to Carson City, where 395 is the main street passing in front of the state capitol building. On to Gardnerville for gas and a break, then we continued south on 395. We got to the Sierra Nevada Inn in Mammoth Lakes at about 1 PM and spent the rest of the day meeting other riders as they got to the hotel.
Mammoth is at about 7500 feet and my bike didn't like it at all. It ran much too rich -- fifth gear felt like sixth. Alan's GTS, being fuel injected, was less bothered but its power was still off a little. Dennis Erdman (the event organizer) had prepared a route sheet with many interesting courses laid out. We (Alan, Jacque Cekalla, Jacque Hulsey, and I) began the day at about 9 AM by meandering to the eastern part of Highway 120 via some back roads, then west on 120 to 395. Great roads! Sweepers, dips (~2 gees at the bottoms, 0 gees over the tops), straights, and some tight sections. I traded bikes with Alan part way to 120; he wanted to try out a Sabre and I'd never ridden a GTS. Well, now I have -- its got a great suspension, good power even at elevation, but the seating position put too much weight on my hands, even with Heli bars. And a strange thing -- it's shorter, lower, and lighter than my big Sabre, but it steers heavier, much heavier. Several times I found myself in the middle of a turn needing to adjust my line. I pushed on the appropriate grip as I would on the Sabre, but nothing happened. I had to shove, very hard, to change my line. Once redirected the bike was very stable, but I found the high steering force unnerving. When we reached Highway 120 we swapped back and headed west to 395. The road started with some great straights so I let the Sabre run a little -- I got it up to about 115, which was as fast as I wanted to go just then.
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After reaching 395 we visited the Mono Lake visitor center in Lee Vining, then made the loop around June Lakes (low speed with great alpine scenery!). About a dozen of us had lunch in June Lake, and soon found ourselves in the middle of a June Lake City Council meeting. It was over 70 degrees outside, but they were making plans for snow removal -- ah, life at 7500 feet! After lunch three of us headed back to Highway 120, this time taking it further west, up to Tioga Pass and the entrance to Yosemite National Park. The elevation at the park entrance is just under 10,000 feet, and it was cold and windy! The bikes (and riders) didn't idle well there, so we soon pointed the bikes down hill, back to 395.
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Alan had a meeting in Portland Monday morning, so we decided to ride home in one day. Since we wanted to miss the road construction that delayed our trip down we modified our route home. We decided to take 395 back to Susanville, head northwest to Mount Shasta, then run for Portland on I-5 (not really as bad as it sounds; I-5 from Redding, CA to Eugene, OR is a pretty good motorcycle route). Leaving Mammoth at 6:50 AM, we kept a close watch for deer (This is a major deer migration area -- there have been many strikes in the last month).
The run to Susanville was great. Not much traffic and good weather. The sky was clear and the sun was behind us, making for good visibility. We got gas in Gardnerville, NV at about 9AM and arrived in Susanville about 11:30AM.
The weather started to change around Susanville, going to mostly cloudy. We headed northwest from there under the thickening cloud cover. The plan was to stop for lunch in Mount Shasta and get weather reports from people who had driven south out of Oregon, and then decide about rain gear. But about 25 miles from Mount Shasta our luck ran out -- a major thunderstorm dumped on us. We quickly stopped and struggled into our rain gear (I know, we should have done it sooner), then continued at a slower pace. Two advantages to this much rain: it washes the road oil off the highway, and the deer tend to stay put.
In Mount Shasta we got gas and lunch then spent an hour drying out our gear and putting the rain gear on right (funny how it never goes on right when you're putting it on over wet leathers at the side of the road). We headed north on I-5 into more rain, but once we reached Oregon the rain quit. The rest of the ride was dry but cold and threatening, so we left the rain gear on. With gas stops in Grants Pass, Eugene, and home, I got home at about 10 PM (Alan headed west as we entered Portland; he probably got home a bit sooner). In just over 15 hours on the road I'd ridden 788 miles. It's not Iron Butt Rally-type mileage, but it's a record for me!
I haven't been to a WeSTAR for a few years so it was good to get to one again, see some old friends, and ride some great roads!
Last modified 18 Mar 1998