1 Desert & Great Basin West Explore Wed Jun 14, 2023 7:33 am
Two Wheels Better
Moderator
What with all this free time I find myself with, it's time for a ride to see old friends.
The outline is to "slab" (Verb: American slang for
mainly boring interstate highway travel) my way to New Mexico, hang out in and around Albuquerque, where I once lived, then gradually make my way back to the Pacific Northwest before the end of June. I've been to the Grand Canyon multiple times, so that's out, but there are many more interesting places in the desert and mountains. Let's see what we can find.
I'm slacking on fixing up the '96 K1100RS, I sold the S1000XR (busy, buzzy, chain drive), the R100 is quaint, how did I (we) ever ride those things cross country(?), the K1200R is good for an overnight or long weekender, so the K1300GT is the last, obvious choice. It's rangy, long legged, has cruise control (que monotonous interstate highway memories), and a large fuel tank, plus it goes round bends nicely. I just 're-bearinged' the final drive, and removed, flushed and pressure bled the cooling system, as well as replacing the cooling fan. The result is the engine running consistently at the one third mark of the temperature gauge rather than smack in the middle with the fan cycling on and off every five minutes. At 84,000+ miles both were due.
First day out, I left at 6AM to avoid traffic and promptly spent 45 minutes clutch in, clutch out, trolling through traffic to get past Tacoma. Once clear of the prang I throttled up highway 18 over Tiger Mountain (down to one lane either direction) then onto I-90 east for the run up and over Snoqualmie Pass.
Here is the view back towards Umatilla, Oregon from Emigrant Pass. Not far from here, ladies once wore bonnets and couldn't wait to see the green Willamette Valley after riding on the comfort of a wooden bench seat in that era's Conestoga, all the way from Missouri. You can still see their ruts in the landscape in places.
When I left it was cloudy and 15°. By mid arvo it'd climbed to 30° (about 86f). I stopped to doff some layers. Then came the afternoon mountain rain. The sky was black, the winds came in sideways, bringing rain that found its way in through seams. Standing water covered the highway surface. Cars drove without headlights (a clear lack of imagination). Trucks sprayed lashes of water over me as I passed (a clear lack of proper mudguards).
I loved it. Riding in dangerous situations may make one clamp the seat with clenched bum cheeks, but it sure keeps you alert and aware for miles.
[size=43][/size]
Over the Snake River separating Oregon from Idaho, is a lovely green rest stop. Petrol is considerably less expensive, too! I sat on green grass listening to the sweet chirping of songbirds drown out the steady hum of passing traffic. I could have about taken a nap. I know a cheap little motel in Mountain Home with a Mexican restaurant a short walk away. I know where I'm stopping tonight. Thunderstorms and 30mph gusts are forecast for tonight but you wouldn't know it from this now sunny and hot (87°f) afternoon.
Tomorrow, somewhere in Utah.
The outline is to "slab" (Verb: American slang for
mainly boring interstate highway travel) my way to New Mexico, hang out in and around Albuquerque, where I once lived, then gradually make my way back to the Pacific Northwest before the end of June. I've been to the Grand Canyon multiple times, so that's out, but there are many more interesting places in the desert and mountains. Let's see what we can find.
I'm slacking on fixing up the '96 K1100RS, I sold the S1000XR (busy, buzzy, chain drive), the R100 is quaint, how did I (we) ever ride those things cross country(?), the K1200R is good for an overnight or long weekender, so the K1300GT is the last, obvious choice. It's rangy, long legged, has cruise control (que monotonous interstate highway memories), and a large fuel tank, plus it goes round bends nicely. I just 're-bearinged' the final drive, and removed, flushed and pressure bled the cooling system, as well as replacing the cooling fan. The result is the engine running consistently at the one third mark of the temperature gauge rather than smack in the middle with the fan cycling on and off every five minutes. At 84,000+ miles both were due.
First day out, I left at 6AM to avoid traffic and promptly spent 45 minutes clutch in, clutch out, trolling through traffic to get past Tacoma. Once clear of the prang I throttled up highway 18 over Tiger Mountain (down to one lane either direction) then onto I-90 east for the run up and over Snoqualmie Pass.
Here is the view back towards Umatilla, Oregon from Emigrant Pass. Not far from here, ladies once wore bonnets and couldn't wait to see the green Willamette Valley after riding on the comfort of a wooden bench seat in that era's Conestoga, all the way from Missouri. You can still see their ruts in the landscape in places.
When I left it was cloudy and 15°. By mid arvo it'd climbed to 30° (about 86f). I stopped to doff some layers. Then came the afternoon mountain rain. The sky was black, the winds came in sideways, bringing rain that found its way in through seams. Standing water covered the highway surface. Cars drove without headlights (a clear lack of imagination). Trucks sprayed lashes of water over me as I passed (a clear lack of proper mudguards).
I loved it. Riding in dangerous situations may make one clamp the seat with clenched bum cheeks, but it sure keeps you alert and aware for miles.
[size=43][/size]
Over the Snake River separating Oregon from Idaho, is a lovely green rest stop. Petrol is considerably less expensive, too! I sat on green grass listening to the sweet chirping of songbirds drown out the steady hum of passing traffic. I could have about taken a nap. I know a cheap little motel in Mountain Home with a Mexican restaurant a short walk away. I know where I'm stopping tonight. Thunderstorms and 30mph gusts are forecast for tonight but you wouldn't know it from this now sunny and hot (87°f) afternoon.
Tomorrow, somewhere in Utah.
Last edited by Two Wheels Better on Tue Jun 27, 2023 6:40 pm; edited 1 time in total
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"How many cars did we pass today?" "ALL of them."
1977 R75/7-100, '93 K11/K12 Big Block, '93 K1100RS, '95 R100 Mystic, '96 K1100RS, 2 x '98 K1200RS, '06 K1200R & '09 K1300GT