Oregon, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, etc

[pdedse]

oh my what great photos. Just beautiful. Glad you made it home safely and that the bike performed well.
Looking forward to more great pics from the trip.

Thanks Ferret! Good to be home, and yes the bike did awesome. More on that later.

Great photos, sounds like a nice trip...What type of seat do you have on the bike or is that some sort of cushion? Looks comfy..

Hey Block...my seat is stock. I chased after a comfortable seat when I had an 04 Sportster, bought a nice Mustang seat--it was better, but I'm not sure my rear end is really worth the $400+ I spent on that seat. Have done long trips to Mexico and Central America on my KLR650, and I decided to simply use a sponge pad for those trips. Felt fine! With the CB, I first put on 1" pad that's used for bleacher seating ($4.95 from Dick's Sporting goods...the red one under the black one) and a mc pad that's ribbed from Walmart (the black one, cost of $20). Together, they raised the seat height 1.5" compressed, helping my knee and hip angles (I'm 6'4"). So I'm out $25, but kept my stock seat. I do know that my rear is worth $25.

OK, let me try this again, but after the fact. Made it back last night from a 5,500 mile trip to Illinois and back. I posted a ride report at advrider.com but that was with the cell phone and I think if you you're not registered at adv then all you can see are the thumbs as mentioned above. I'm going to take more time and post my favorite pics from the ride by day now that I've got my own computer again. Started Aug 25...

Oregon / Washington, along the Columbia



Day 1
I rode from Gresham, OR to Coeur d'Alene. After 100 miles I started thinking, why am I doing this trip? Why not just fly out to see my mom and family? By day's end, that question seemed silly. I had 3 weeks plus if needed, just enjoy it all. If anything really came up, park bike somewhere and fly out to see her, worry about details later. Before Spokane...

Wheat fields! I grew up in Kansas and love agriculture and flat lands for the beauty they are

The next morning, I was on the road 7am, perfect weather, and wanted to arrive in Billings, MT to visit an ol' friend

Headed east on hiway 90 and felt like a kid in a candy store with the outrageous views through the C.d'Alene Natl. Forest. Ride or stop to take photos? I could have stopped every 30 seconds, a theme for me throughout the trip, but I did have to get places too. Fairly warm weather riding, shorts under my mc pants, a t-shirt under my mc jacket and boots, light gloves. Just a lovely morning.

I think you answered your own question about why not just fly? and in a grand way I might add
There are few things in this life cooler than seeing this country from the seat of a good motorcycle

Bingo! I might add any country!
To finish with Day 2...
Montana is none less spectacular than Idaho. It's really hard not to stop for photos at every bend, river, mountain, viewpoint. My only commitment for the day was to be in Billings by 7pm for dinner. The friend who introduced me to my wife and his family were putting me up for the night and chicken enchiladas were on the menu.

I didn't know it at the time, but I would backtrack for this range the next day...

My friend likes to have fun: cow in coffee!

It was good to catch up with Kurt. When he and I were students in Costa Rica back in 1988, he asked me if I didn't want to go to a play with a gal he knew from a friend back in the states. I said sure and that night I didn't know that I had just met my wife!
If people like mileage numbers:
Day 1: Gresham to C.d'Alene: 361
Day 2: C.d'Alene to Billings: 522