Riding off today for Klamath Falls the closest town to todays highlight of our visit to Crater Lake in Oregon.
The temperature is up there with the hottest I've ever experienced before 39 degrees at 11.30am
We travel for a few hours then take a for a milkshake stop!
at a local Diary Queen which is the first high street branch diner I have used all trip!
Suitably refreshed with Raspberry Milkshake we head on in the heat for Crater Lake
The temperature just keeps rising!
A few weeks ago while filing up with gas just south of Fairbanks I got chatting to a retired couple who were RV'ing around America and Canada, They asked our plans for the trip and when I mentioned Crater lake they said upto now it was the highlight of their trip advising us to make the effort to see it as it was beautiful!
The wait was worth it! apparently the crater is the result of a mountain imploding on itself many moons ago and created this unbelievable crater!
It is renowned for being the deepest natural fed lake in America only fed by Rain and snow! There for giving it a beautiful Blue hue!
It really is fantastic and I'm glad we made the effort.
Bluer than a blue thing!
I park my bike to take a picture and some idiot parks his truck next to it! Jeez...
There thats better!
We finish circumnavigating the crater and head slightly south to Fort Klanmath where the motel is for the night!
Today was nearly the end of the trip and apart from crater lake the journey although enjoyable was just about counting the miles!
We arrive at our stopover which is called The Aspen Inn motel and chuckle at the size of the apartments but they were clean and very nice a simple BBQ was in order for the night as the location of the place was in the middle of nowhere again!.
A huge bike parked outside!!!
While we ate our dinner we are informed that the following nights accommodation has been mixed up! or a better way of putting it? Not booked.. so no rooms available for us for our final stop over in Lassen California.
We were given 2 options ride 400+ miles and stopover somewhere around the Lassen area, then travel 200+ next day to Santa Rosa BMW to drop the bikes off on Saturday!
Option 2 have a blast back down the Interstate 5 and head for Santa Rosa tomorrow! Friday,
We were told that the ride through Lassen would be twisties all the way! Fantastic riding!
The Interstate although shorter in distance would be really crap and boring!
Its your choice lads!
The group split for the first time as the Sat Nav indicated 367 miles to Santa Rosa
The idea of having an extra day to sort the bike before shipping it home appealed to me so
I took option 2
So the following Morning we got the group photo.
The trip back to the Hillside Inn which was incidentally our very first motel of the trip
wasn't as bad as we thought a combination 41.5 degree heat! fast sweeping roads! 169 miles of Interstate 5 south and possibly the finest twisting 35 miles of road we have ridden! and that includes the 101 redwood forest roads!
So we arrive at HillSide congratulate each other at the accomplishment of the trip and jump in the pool!
I took a shot of the mileage when first set off
I have travelled 8276 miles in four weeks
So to sum a few things up!
The trip has been epic.. I have seen some beautiful places in all three countries America Canada and Alaska..I know Alaska is an American state but it don't feel it!!. so for me its on its own..( Iv'e got lots of stickers to prove it as well!)
I now understand why the majority of Americans do not have passports, They have everything they need here.. A friendly inquisitive bunch of people who zero in on the GB license plates and are totally in awe with the fact that ten fat middle age twits are riding their imported bikes over here!
They've always wished us well and a safe onwards journey and would always invite us to enjoy their humble America!
Scenery so good that you want to share it with your loved ones xxx
Now after thinking about it now while I wait in Santa Rosa It has been mentally and physically challenging! my emotions have been tested at times
Also the daily "board meeting" as I now called them.. meetings I've have had with my self while riding the road! these have been good in the main and I have come to trust my judgement and ability totally..
No near misses! No stupid chances taken No bike breakdowns as such! and No riding outside my ability..
A couple of flat tyres and a loose battery terminal is the total sum of mechanical issues.
The Highlight for me was reaching Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay in Alaska by way of riding the Dalton highway! 495 miles total and taking everything it could throw at me. I know and acknowledge that I had been right to take the training at BMW off road school.
I can honestly say its the most brilliant sense of achievement on a bike I could wish for!
Now
Times that by ten and thats the story for all of us
80,000 miles in total traveled and no bike problems at all
The lads.. I couldn't have picked to come away with such a good bunch! but all off them MUGS!
I've made some great mates had some great laughs and collected great stories!
A few tiffs were had between them but all in all a great bunch..
So all good things good things come to an end..as they say
Mark thank you for being a great mate and roomy as they say over here.
And thank you Sue and my two Girls for letting me do something that I could have only ever have dreamed of doing without your support and love.
And thank you for reading my blog"I appreciate it"
I'm coming Home baby!
xxxx
