[St] Ride Report!

[Agate47@xxxxxxx]

Hey you all,
 
It is not often that I can launch a ride report, so stand back here it  goes. 
Of course, it is nothing as cool as the Arkansas trips by Mr. Hayes et al,  
but I did have a great time this weekend. On Friday, I took off from Auburn, WA 
 (just SE of Seattle) and slabbed down to Portland. I bailed off the I-205 
bypass  loop to the SE at Oregon City onto Rt. 213. It was a cool road once I 
got out of  town. I wound over hill and dale through some nice farm country with 
larger  hills in the distance in both directions. I went through Silverton, a 
quaint  town and into my favorite name of the trip, "Sublimity." That town 
summed up the  fun of riding a 2000 RS on a road and distance it was designed 
for. Just south  of Sublimity, I turned east onto Rt. 22. This was a mix of 
so-so sections and  some very nice sweepers up around Detroit Lake. Views along 
the entire road were  outstanding. east of Detroit the road even followed a 
river out of the Cascade  Mountains that tumbled and splashed its way toward the 
sea. At the top of 22, I  turned right onto Rt. 20, intending to take a short 
few miles to break off down  Rt 126 to McKenzie Bridge to visit my brother and 
mom for the weekend. Alas and  Alak! I was riding a little faster than I could 
read, and mistakenly followed Rt  20 instead of 126. This led me down some 
very fine road. Picture 11 miles of 6%  downgrade (Large trucks are not 
welcome). I had most of the road to myself  except for a couple miles following an 
Airstream trailer at 22 mph. After  dispatching that gentleman, who was 
apparently scared-spitless, I continued into  Sweet Home where I found a rest area to 
consult the map. I had several clues  that I was on the wrong road, but it was 
a lot fun, and there were almost no  signs indicating I was on Rt 20 after the 
junction.  At least that is my  story, and I'm sticking to it. Amazingly 
enough, Sweet Home actually had  cellphone coverage, so I called the brother and 
my wife to let all know I was  delayed a bit. After 45 miles of backtracking at 
warp-speed (for an old guy like  me). I got back to 126 and to the 
destination. A fun adventure, though just a  touch embarasssing to realize my unfailing 
sense of direction failed me a  bit.
 
Saturday morning, we all got on the bikes since my brother had bought a  
helmet for our mom. She got on the RS and we rode about 12 miles up to Blue  River 
Resevoir. She switched over to my older brother's R1200RT because her knee  
was kinked a bit tightly on the pillion of the RS. Hey, at least we filled the  
square. She got a ride on my bike and enjoyed most of it. The RT is certainly 
 easier on her, but she did experience the Triumph. We took pictures and had  
witnesses in the trailer park. Of course, no one is too concerned about her  
riding motorcycles. She won't be 90 until Oct 21!
 
The rest of the day was a cage ride to Bend to the Deschutes Brewery and  
Brewpub for lunch and a tour. Both were great, as was the several ales we  tasted.
 
Sunday, I rode home on pretty much the same route. I enjoyed the route 22  
immensely. I almost got suckered into riding down 20 again, but I overcame the  
temptation. On I-5 near Centralia traffic was getting thick, and I knew that  
would not be fun as I got closer to Olympia and Tacoma, so I took Rt 507 
through  Yelm, Roy, and Spanaway. I still had traffic in some of the towns, but at 
least  I could relax and enjoy the road between the towns, instead of the 
surging stuff  on I-5.
 
Weather for the trip was cool to perfect. Skies were a mix of everything  
except precipitation, but that was because I had my genuine Triumph Rainsuit  
along. Best insurance available.
 
Hope everyone else had a great weekend of riding. I had been missing out  due 
to the home improvement projects on my list. However, take heart. There is  
hope, if you seize the opportunity.
 
Steve Knudsen
'00 RS - Lucifer Orange
 
 



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