About Larry

I live in Bandon on the southern Oregon coast and I've been riding for a long, long time, years, decades. We won't go there kiddies but believe me, it's been awhile. During that time I've done most of my riding on the road with occasional off-road forays, most of which were intentional. Some weren't. Until just a couple of years ago I'd never ridden a hack - that's sidecar to those who aren't familiar with the lingo. I figure riding a hack up Alaska's infamous Haul road all the way to Deadhorse should top off my torture tank for quite awhile.

About Mac

Mac hails from Robins, Iowa and has been riding bikes longer than most people have been around. He managed to torture his old BMW past the 100,000 mile mark and presently rides a Yamaha FJR. His newest ride, a 2008 Ural Patrol is waiting on the dealer's highest shelf until the flood waters recede after which they'll assemble it and turn it over to him. The fact that he's heading to Alaska for his first journey on a new rig should tell you all you need to know about him...

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Day 4 - July 4th - Independance Day! Oregon City, OR











I said sad goodbyes to Tom & Robin this morning and headed north on 101 to the turnoff onto 26 east. Weather was a bit on the damp side, occasional showers but no big deal. The run from the coast inland to Portland takes you through some of the prettiest forests you can imagine, the stuff that tourists remember most.

Along the way I came upon the burned out remains of Oney's, once one of the more popular tourist stops between Portland and the coast. Sadly it appears someone decided to torch the place and so ended fond memories for thousands of travelers. There's a reward poster on the fence so maybe someone will end up paying for their misdeeds.

Arriving in Portland I stopped for lunch at my favorite place, Burger King and topped off my cholesterol tank for the morning. Figuring it would be prudent to find a place to pitch the tent early I called my former racquetball partner and long-time friend Marilyn for help. Our mutual friends Randi & Mac were up in the San Juans sailing over the holiday and I usually stay at their place when in the Portland area. Marilyn, keeper of the keys arranged to meet me there and let me in.

On the way I stopped by the falls at Oregon City and naturally nothings changed, still as interesting as ever only nowadays there are white-water boats full of tourists bobbing around taking pictures. When I was little I regarded the Willamette river as my grandpa's river; he had a small boat dock and ran a couple of hundred crawfish traps. We lived close to the river in Wilsonville and each year it would come to visit us....never quite reaching our house but that was just luck, it had flooded that same area many times.

Once unpacked and out of my riding gear we went to dinner at Bugatti's in Oregon City where great food and friendly service are their benchmarks. Afterwards we headed back to Randi & Mac's where Marilyn put a call through to them on the sailboat. Mac was kind enough (and a risk-taker as well) to provide me with the pass code to his wireless network so I could work on this blog. Just one more reason why I like these guys so much, they're absolutely the best. If you ever read this, thanks Mac & Randi!

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