BMW F750GS...Portland to Gonein60

[pdedse]

I'm dedicating this trip and photos to forum member Gonein60 and Mrs. Gonein60 ...it should have been them doing this trip.

I don't even know the year of the bike, but left Portland area last Thursday morning on a BMWF750GS to deliver it to the Long Beach, CA area.

Wanted to get as far south as possible the first day as my goal was to leave plenty of time to ride hiway 395 as much as possible. I-5 south to Redding...


Mt. Shasta looming in the distance late afternoon, some forest fire smoke still lingers


Got I-5 fatigue and made time for a little loop on hiway 263 in northern California near Hawkinsville


This late in the year Shasta has lost its snow cover


Shasta Lake sunset


Felt very nice to swim all alone in the cool waters of the hotel pool after a day of riding

Friday...today was to be the main riding of interest on 395 south of Reno, a hiway I had wanted to ride for some time now. The goal was to get to Bishop, CA and either stay at a hostel I had reserved or look for a hammock-camping spot.


Started by heading east out of Redding through the chilly forests towards Susanville--heated grips and 5 or 6 layers upper body, 3 for legs kept the chill at bay. Then past Reno and towards Lake Tahoe.

The F750GS is easy to ride, passes vehicles easily enough with plenty to spare to really get up and go when necessary.

Just after lunch took hiway 50 west to briefly visit Lake Tahoe. It was the spot of one of my very first long distance mc trips back in 2004, so 20 years later, it was good to see it again. Very fun twisty, winding road up and down.









...
...There was a gorgeous view right before Mono Lake, but alas, truck traffic was thick right at the lookout point where I wanted to pull over. Had to settle with enjoying the long descent down with friendly, gentle curves to take at 85-90mph...very enjoyable. The view below closer to the lake wasn't bad.


Most of the day the elevation was at 7000' plus, and if the hammock was going to be a bed time option, I needed the elevation to drop...I was happy when it began to some time before Bishop.


I rode into Bishop around 6pm and the light was starting to fade. I went past the hostel where I had a bed--along with 9 others in the same room--and I didn't care for the vibe even though it had great on-line reviews. The temps had risen as the elevation dropped and the evening was still at 70f. I had seen a few established campgrounds 5 miles prior so I rode back and didn't like either one--too many skeeters at one site and too many people and $$$ at another. But...I found a baseball field with a concessions stand near the second camp site...it had a lovely row of mature oak trees, picnic tables, and a nice spot to hide the bike from view of anyone overly curious. So I set up the hammock and waited for drowsiness to kick in...



I'm glad I waited...some texts with Gone and a few phone calls to others, some star gazing...and soon it was 9pm and I thought it was time to try out the hammock, fully mc clothed. Right as I was about to get in the Gilligan-bed, the sprinkler system came on...and the sprinkler heads were heavy duty, max water pressure and dousing everything in their path. I sprang to action and removed the hammock.



Had to wait another hour for two sprinkler zones to turn-off, and then...off to bed. If interested, check the Bearbutt hammock system. It works great and is quite comfortable...but, my RLS knees began acting up and sleep evaded me...that and there was an animal trapped in the metal trashcan nearby scratching and clawing. Thought I'd let it out after an hour...but one quick lift of the lid and I realized it was not a racoon, but a ...skunk. Slammed that shut licketysplit. I'm sorry mr. skunk...you deserved to get out, but I was not about to risk getting sprayed. Perhaps you would have innocently scurried away. But perhaps you would have perfumed the area, my bike, my riding gear.

[MagnaRider]

Very good write up! Sounds like a fun adventure!

[pdedse]

Saturday...

Didn't sleep more than 2 hours, but that's not unusual when I camp. I still enjoy the experience. I also knew that the Bishop Denny's was open all night, so I packed up at 4am and headed into town for a long breakfast. Graded some papers for my classes, and got underway by 7am to take advantage of the morning light.



I had all day to arrive in Gone in 60 territory so I took my time.






Gone had mentioned that I was going to pass Manzanar, location of WW2 relocation camp. You likely know the general story, but it was startling / striking to see in person.




And then it was just a question of meeting up with Gone. He sent me the location of a Starbucks just off the hiway 91.



After riding 1300 some miles in relatively liight traffic, entering the LA area perks one up rather quickly. It was nice to know in the back of my mind that I'd be in good hands soon and Gone in 60 would lead me the rest of the way home.
After getting cleaned up, Gone, Mrs. and I went out for dinner, but first we took in some Halloween / Day of the Dead decorations in a local neighborhood. Very fun...







Next day Sunday, Gone took me to some of his favorite spots, a local bar/rest that is biker everything, sorry can't remember the name


Electric Chopper!?


And then he took me to where he serves as a guide for the Petersen Automotive Museum. All I can say is ...wow! I've been to El Prado in Madrid, and this place gave the same feeling. Wonderful sensory overload with soooo much too see. Gone gave me a two hour tour highlighting some very famous automobiles and their former owners. Gone is a walking "google" of info with these automobiles. I cannot say enough about this experience...THANK YOU!









And my personal favorite, 'cause I like green


Gone in 60 "in action", pointing out finer details...



We hit another mc mini-meetup late afternoon but it was already winding down. No matter, it was so fun and relaxing to have someone guide you through the LA free-way system as we made our way to the different sites. Gone was on his orange RE Interceptor 650--I used to own one of the same color--and he graciously allowed me to ride it a spell for old times sake.

Gone and Mrs. took me to the airport late Sunday and I was home by midnight--an amazing 4 days!

Thanks again Gone, and please thank Mrs. once again for your combined hospitality. The goodies made it home safe and sound!

...LA...

[the Ferret]

Awesome pdedse..what a job lol...and you take great pics!

[Gone in 60]

Hey, Pdedse, nice pics, but after you flew home, Mrs. G and I were slapping our foreheads that we never got any pictures of us together during the trip! Ugh.
It was so great to hang out with you! And, you were actually helping me out by riding the bike...

To give a little back story, I have mentioned that I have enjoyed MotoQuest's "Transport Specials", which are super low-priced rentals of motorcycles between their West-Coast locations in Long Beach, San Francisco and Portland. They also have a location in Anchorage, but I've never gone up that far north. These rentals pop up a few times per year, and give riders the opportunity to move bikes around when they need particular models in specific locations. They're a great deal, and once you commit to delivery dates, it basically forces you to take a riding vacation. I like them because they make me get off my butt and take long distance rides rather than saying "maybe someday", and I'm putting wear and tear on a rental bike.

Having ridden these rentals up to Portland and knowing I was in Pdedse's neck of the woods, when one came up recently to pick up a bike in Portland and return it to Long Beach, I snagged it and Mrs. G and I were going to hang out with Pdedse and his wife and then ride down the Oregon and California coast to deliver the bike. Unfortunately, after I reserved it, I got word that my company was going to close down. I was needed in the shop during the time we were going to ride to handle logistics of the shutdown and had to cancel the trip.

I called MotoQuest to cancel the rental and they said sorry to hear, but since the bike I was going to deliver needed to be quickly turned around for a tour to Baja Mexico, I was putting them in a bind by dropping out. Hmm... how do I get out of this jam and still get to see Pdedse? He consented to grab the rental and ride down to see us!

We had a great weekend! It was wonderful to hang out, ride together to show you around, and check out our whacky Halloween neighborhood. You are one tall dude, and I have to admit that you dwarfed that Interceptor 650. I'm picturing you riding yours from Oregon to San Diego and back. Glad you enjoyed the museum, and you did great managing the L.A. freeway system. You even got to experience some "local color" with the old guy with the string suspenders and weird questions about motorcycles.

You also helped me by bringing me out of the funk I've been in lately with work and family issues, taking my mind off of it for a few days. Mrs. G had someone to host and bake goodies for, taking her mind off of her recent intense study course too.

Last night, Mrs. G and I went for a long walk to the store. I was a bit down and quiet for most of the walk. Mrs. G said I must have been sad because my friend and riding buddy had to go home.

[the Ferret]

Great reply Gone

[Cormanus]

Some of the friendships made through this forum are wonderful. Well done pdedse and Gone.

[michael1954]

Some of the friendships made through this forum are wonderful. Well done pdedse and Gone.

This was truly an inspiration to read, and he got papers graded!

[Gone in 60]

That is true! We're all friends on the forum, of course. But, getting to meet in person is a special treat.
It was especially neat that a planned trip to visit Pdedse fell through turned into a trip that had him visiting us, so we still got to hang out.

[pdedse]

Awesome pdedse..what a job lol...and you take great pics!

Thanks! But sometimes I wonder if I take too many?

Hey, Pdedse, nice pics, but after you flew home, Mrs. G and I were slapping our foreheads that we never got any pictures of us together during the trip! Ugh.
It was so great to hang out with you! And, you were actually helping me out by riding the bike...

To give a little back story, I have mentioned that I have enjoyed MotoQuest's "Transport Specials", which are super low-priced rentals of motorcycles between their West-Coast locations in Long Beach, San Francisco and Portland. They also have a location in Anchorage, but I've never gone up that far north. These rentals pop up a few times per year, and give riders the opportunity to move bikes around when they need particular models in specific locations. They're a great deal, and once you commit to delivery dates, it basically forces you to take a riding vacation. I like them because they make me get off my butt and take long distance rides rather than saying "maybe someday", and I'm putting wear and tear on a rental bike.

Having ridden these rentals up to Portland and knowing I was in Pdedse's neck of the woods, when one came up recently to pick up a bike in Portland and return it to Long Beach, I snagged it and Mrs. G and I were going to hang out with Pdedse and his wife and then ride down the Oregon and California coast to deliver the bike. Unfortunately, after I reserved it, I got word that my company was going to close down. I was needed in the shop during the time we were going to ride to handle logistics of the shutdown and had to cancel the trip.

I called MotoQuest to cancel the rental and they said sorry to hear, but since the bike I was going to deliver needed to be quickly turned around for a tour to Baja Mexico, I was putting them in a bind by dropping out. Hmm... how do I get out of this jam and still get to see Pdedse? He consented to grab the rental and ride down to see us!

We had a great weekend! It was wonderful to hang out, ride together to show you around, and check out our whacky Halloween neighborhood. You are one tall dude, and I have to admit that you dwarfed that Interceptor 650. I'm picturing you riding yours from Oregon to San Diego and back. Glad you enjoyed the museum, and you did great managing the L.A. freeway system. You even got to experience some "local color" with the old guy with the string suspenders and weird questions about motorcycles.

You also helped me by bringing me out of the funk I've been in lately with work and family issues, taking my mind off of it for a few days. Mrs. G had someone to host and bake goodies for, taking her mind off of her recent intense study course too.

Last night, Mrs. G and I went for a long walk to the store. I was a bit down and quiet for most of the walk. Mrs. G said I must have been sad because my friend and riding buddy had to go home.

I must have told myself 4 or 5 times, "ok, next stop be sure to get a photo of the RE and GS together"...and then I forgot each time! I'm gonna blame it on the fact we just got to talkin' too much.

Hey, Pdedse, nice pics, but after you flew home, Mrs. G and I were slapping our foreheads that we never got any pictures of us together during the trip! Ugh.
It was so great to hang out with you! And, you were actually helping me out by riding the bike...

To give a little back story, I have mentioned that I have enjoyed MotoQuest's "Transport Specials", which are super low-priced rentals of motorcycles between their West-Coast locations in Long Beach, San Francisco and Portland. They also have a location in Anchorage, but I've never gone up that far north. These rentals pop up a few times per year, and give riders the opportunity to move bikes around when they need particular models in specific locations. They're a great deal, and once you commit to delivery dates, it basically forces you to take a riding vacation. I like them because they make me get off my butt and take long distance rides rather than saying "maybe someday", and I'm putting wear and tear on a rental bike.

Having ridden these rentals up to Portland and knowing I was in Pdedse's neck of the woods, when one came up recently to pick up a bike in Portland and return it to Long Beach, I snagged it and Mrs. G and I were going to hang out with Pdedse and his wife and then ride down the Oregon and California coast to deliver the bike. Unfortunately, after I reserved it, I got word that my company was going to close down. I was needed in the shop during the time we were going to ride to handle logistics of the shutdown and had to cancel the trip.

I called MotoQuest to cancel the rental and they said sorry to hear, but since the bike I was going to deliver needed to be quickly turned around for a tour to Baja Mexico, I was putting them in a bind by dropping out. Hmm... how do I get out of this jam and still get to see Pdedse? He consented to grab the rental and ride down to see us!

We had a great weekend! It was wonderful to hang out, ride together to show you around, and check out our whacky Halloween neighborhood. You are one tall dude, and I have to admit that you dwarfed that Interceptor 650. I'm picturing you riding yours from Oregon to San Diego and back. Glad you enjoyed the museum, and you did great managing the L.A. freeway system. You even got to experience some "local color" with the old guy with the string suspenders and weird questions about motorcycles.

You also helped me by bringing me out of the funk I've been in lately with work and family issues, taking my mind off of it for a few days. Mrs. G had someone to host and bake goodies for, taking her mind off of her recent intense study course too.

Last night, Mrs. G and I went for a long walk to the store. I was a bit down and quiet for most of the walk. Mrs. G said I must have been sad because my friend and riding buddy had to go home.

I was really looking forward to your visit. We were lining up options for you to choose from: Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helen's, The Columbia Gorge, hikes, boating on the Columbia, taking the CB1100 and W800 out for some riding. But I have a good feeling that it's going to happen still...right?

Hey, Pdedse, nice pics, but after you flew home, Mrs. G and I were slapping our foreheads that we never got any pictures of us together during the trip! Ugh.
It was so great to hang out with you! And, you were actually helping me out by riding the bike...

To give a little back story, I have mentioned that I have enjoyed MotoQuest's "Transport Specials", which are super low-priced rentals of motorcycles between their West-Coast locations in Long Beach, San Francisco and Portland. They also have a location in Anchorage, but I've never gone up that far north. These rentals pop up a few times per year, and give riders the opportunity to move bikes around when they need particular models in specific locations. They're a great deal, and once you commit to delivery dates, it basically forces you to take a riding vacation. I like them because they make me get off my butt and take long distance rides rather than saying "maybe someday", and I'm putting wear and tear on a rental bike.

Having ridden these rentals up to Portland and knowing I was in Pdedse's neck of the woods, when one came up recently to pick up a bike in Portland and return it to Long Beach, I snagged it and Mrs. G and I were going to hang out with Pdedse and his wife and then ride down the Oregon and California coast to deliver the bike. Unfortunately, after I reserved it, I got word that my company was going to close down. I was needed in the shop during the time we were going to ride to handle logistics of the shutdown and had to cancel the trip.

I called MotoQuest to cancel the rental and they said sorry to hear, but since the bike I was going to deliver needed to be quickly turned around for a tour to Baja Mexico, I was putting them in a bind by dropping out. Hmm... how do I get out of this jam and still get to see Pdedse? He consented to grab the rental and ride down to see us!

We had a great weekend! It was wonderful to hang out, ride together to show you around, and check out our whacky Halloween neighborhood. You are one tall dude, and I have to admit that you dwarfed that Interceptor 650. I'm picturing you riding yours from Oregon to San Diego and back. Glad you enjoyed the museum, and you did great managing the L.A. freeway system. You even got to experience some "local color" with the old guy with the string suspenders and weird questions about motorcycles.

You also helped me by bringing me out of the funk I've been in lately with work and family issues, taking my mind off of it for a few days. Mrs. G had someone to host and bake goodies for, taking her mind off of her recent intense study course too.

Last night, Mrs. G and I went for a long walk to the store. I was a bit down and quiet for most of the walk. Mrs. G said I must have been sad because my friend and riding buddy had to go home.

Hey, that was a fun trip! I'm just glad I don't have to see myself when I ride the CB1100, the W and the RE...my wife always says I look better on the Suzuki DR650.

Hey, Pdedse, nice pics, but after you flew home, Mrs. G and I were slapping our foreheads that we never got any pictures of us together during the trip! Ugh.
It was so great to hang out with you! And, you were actually helping me out by riding the bike...

To give a little back story, I have mentioned that I have enjoyed MotoQuest's "Transport Specials", which are super low-priced rentals of motorcycles between their West-Coast locations in Long Beach, San Francisco and Portland. They also have a location in Anchorage, but I've never gone up that far north. These rentals pop up a few times per year, and give riders the opportunity to move bikes around when they need particular models in specific locations. They're a great deal, and once you commit to delivery dates, it basically forces you to take a riding vacation. I like them because they make me get off my butt and take long distance rides rather than saying "maybe someday", and I'm putting wear and tear on a rental bike.

Having ridden these rentals up to Portland and knowing I was in Pdedse's neck of the woods, when one came up recently to pick up a bike in Portland and return it to Long Beach, I snagged it and Mrs. G and I were going to hang out with Pdedse and his wife and then ride down the Oregon and California coast to deliver the bike. Unfortunately, after I reserved it, I got word that my company was going to close down. I was needed in the shop during the time we were going to ride to handle logistics of the shutdown and had to cancel the trip.

I called MotoQuest to cancel the rental and they said sorry to hear, but since the bike I was going to deliver needed to be quickly turned around for a tour to Baja Mexico, I was putting them in a bind by dropping out. Hmm... how do I get out of this jam and still get to see Pdedse? He consented to grab the rental and ride down to see us!

We had a great weekend! It was wonderful to hang out, ride together to show you around, and check out our whacky Halloween neighborhood. You are one tall dude, and I have to admit that you dwarfed that Interceptor 650. I'm picturing you riding yours from Oregon to San Diego and back. Glad you enjoyed the museum, and you did great managing the L.A. freeway system. You even got to experience some "local color" with the old guy with the string suspenders and weird questions about motorcycles.

You also helped me by bringing me out of the funk I've been in lately with work and family issues, taking my mind off of it for a few days. Mrs. G had someone to host and bake goodies for, taking her mind off of her recent intense study course too.

Last night, Mrs. G and I went for a long walk to the store. I was a bit down and quiet for most of the walk. Mrs. G said I must have been sad because my friend and riding buddy had to go home.

We'll have to do more riding, Oregon style.

Some of the friendships made through this forum are wonderful. Well done pdedse and Gone.

It really is kinda cool. It's been several years since a West Coast Rally was last held. It makes me think another one is in order.

Some of the friendships made through this forum are wonderful. Well done pdedse and Gone.

This was truly an inspiration to read, and he got papers graded!

Oh yes, definitetly a business trip