Newport, OR to Fortuna, CA

Friday was a big riding day. When planning this trip, we debated.... A slow ride down and back, or a long day with a day to play on the lost coast.  We chose the second option.

We said goodbye to our new friends in Newport, and headed out. We stopped at for gas, a snack, and to talk over our plan for the day. Yup, we were still both down for the long day.

We made our way down the coast on the gentle curves of 101, and were getting hungry around the time we got to Bandon. We decided to stop for our favorite beach town lunch, fish and chips at Bandon Fish Market. 

Check out this cute sign they had in their restaurant!

 

The Halibut and Chips were amazing! The calamari was great too, but together it was too much food. I definitely recommend sharing. In the back of the restaurant, there was a friendly kitty that we spent a little time with.

After that, we wandered across the street to the fudge factory. 

After some savory samples and fudge to go, we also realized they had stickers! We both got an Oregon coast 101 sticker for our luggage. Nathan's first sticker for the new panniers! 

We drove around Bandon a bit to see the beach.

It was a lovely break, but with two hundred or so more miles, it was time to be on our way. Just south of Bandon was the first near catastrophe on our trip. I was riding along, in a post lunch hypnotic state. We hit some curves, and in this comfortable state, I didn't see that the first curve was a decreasing radius turn. Slowly, it dawned on me that my bike was no longer going where I was looking.... Drifting toward the outside edge of the lane, mind racing, I leaned further into the turn, but not before I felt my back tire slip on the moisture of the painted white line, wobbling as it corrected its position back into my lane. Coming up out of the turn, I felt relief and panic set in simultaneously. A crash in that corner could have ended our trip, or worse. As the panic subsided, I let myself relearn the important lesson that you always have to be on top of your game on a bike. No complacency. The good part about this was that I really challenged myself to practice my form on the curves, and in doing so, felt more planted and confident with each mile. 

We stopped briefly at the California border for pictures, and pressed onward toward our campground in Fortuna. The promise of a hot tub and a general store selling beer was quite the motivator.

We found our campground, and I got to practice a bit of off roading to get to our site, as the tent sites and cabins were down their own gravel path. This was starting to get fun! I think I might actually be able to off road this bike!

Nathan set up the kitchen while I set up camp. Having not read the instructions on the stove, I was greeted by the sure of Nathan moving things away from a small bonfire on our picnic table. Nonetheless, he cooked us a fabulous dinner of chilimac, and Apple Crisp for dessert. After a soak in the hot tub, and long hot showers, it was time to turn in for the night. Tomorrow, Lost Coast!

1st Anniversary Ride... Home to Newport, night one

As we approached our first Anniversary, we reflected on all the changes of the past year. Following our honeymoon, our dog passed away.  Then our oldest graduated from high school, we sold our two houses and bought a house in Hillsboro, we sent our oldest off to college, Kris got a new job (Nathan now gets to work from home!), and all the fun things that go along with all those changes. And more pertinent to this blog, Kris decided that she wanted a dual sport after the honeymoon ride, so she got an xt225. And then she got a G650gs.

Which brings us back to talking about the past year, and how we wanted to celebrate our anniversary. It was almost simultaneous, we both wanted to go back to the lost coast. Could we do it in a weekend? A quick Google maps check said no, it was nearly 1000 miles round trip.  But we did plan our wedding right around memorial day... How about a four day weekend?

But we were different this year. We had an even deeper penchant for adventures. We wanted to explore the lost coast fully, and camp on the way. (Too many nights spent watching Long Way Round and dreaming of long long rides....) So the preparations began. Panniers? Ordered and installed. Camping gear? Bought and tested. Dehydrated food? Selected and packed. Kris's off road training? Well, one gravel road at 12 mph counts as training, right?

The week of our trip arrives, and Nathan finds out he has to be in Seattle on Thursday, departure day. So, enthuiasist that Nathan is, he got his boss to promise he'd be out the door by 1, so he could ride home and we'd be out the door by 5! He got home, 400 miles under his belt, and we were off.

Heading toward the setting sun, we journeyed toward a home just north of Newport. One of our first tries with Motostays! (If you haven't already, check out Motostays.com.) When we arrived, Jalene had reorganized the already bike full garage to fit our two bikes!

We walked into Jalene and Keith's enchantingly artistic home, and immediately felt at home. We spent hours talking Motorcycle adventures. Jalene and Keith are about to embark on a two year adventure all around Central and South America. We were captivated listening to this plan, as we dream of having all of the adventures. Jalene was an awesome resource for Kris, and offered to link her up to some women's riding connections. After great conversation, we realized it was a work night for our hosts, so we headed to bed, to rest up for our 350 mile riding day tomorrow.

Destination: Crater Lake (Redding to Mount Mazama)

With one more big destination left on our journey, we set out, determined to get a picture of Mount Shasta and Shasta Lake on the way. 

As we crossed Shasta Lake, I saw the boat giving a tour, and the signs for Shasta Caverns. I added this area to the growing list of places to come back to.

Shasta Lake was beautiful. We pulled off on a service road for pictures.

Hopping on the back of Nathan's bike, I took pictures in motion again!

And then we began to chase Mount Shasta. 

It got closer

And closer

And closer, until we turned off of I5 (thank goodness) in a town called weed. 

It was time for pizza!

The signs were convincing and the pizza did not disappoint. 

Even Spanky liked it!

Back on the road, we were headed to Crater Lake, with a short rest slated for Kalmath Falls.

But then, there was a Grass Lake. 

Don't believe me?

Cleaning visors, snapping pictures, and moving on, we headed North.

We got to Kalamath Falls, and discovered it was named for a 10 foot waterfall that had been damned. I learned that they get 300 days of sun a year. I love northwest high deserts. They get snow too!

We saw a goose parade where some seagulls were trying to join in.

We took a picture of the lower lake, and headed on.

The real gem was upper Kalamath Lake. We drove next to it for miles! We didn't stop for pictures, though. It was time to go to Crater Lake!

We saw Annie Falls when we were nearly there, and pictures couldn't capture this mysterious canyon that stretched for miles.

And on we went!

The bikes arrived.

Oh, and so did we. :-)

We checked into our cabin for the night. Cute, cozy, perfect.

Then we headed out to explore on two wheels!

Half the road was closed. We went as far as we could one direction, then snapped pictures all the way back.

 

Snow, as far as the eye could see in one direction.

And pristine, crystal clear beauty in the other.

I loved the perfect reflections the lake provided. And the allure of wizard island.

Motorcycle boots for snow play... Fun!

Off to the historic lodge for dinner!

We tried Elk, and it was amazing!

Spanky made friends with the employees.

And I took more pictures.

It was 8:00, but felt much later. Time for some relaxing and dozing off. 

I'm not ready for the adventure to end, but my hope is that a long string of continued motorcycle adventures will keep us honeymooning for a lifetime. And hey, we still have to get home, right? The ride doesn't end here...