The Journey Begins

Some time back wifey approached me about going to Utah to visit her family. Due to work related issues I was not able to go with her but she went anyway so I was left with an incredibly tough decision-What will I do with 4 days off? As you can see the answer was go on a motorcycle trip. I debated the various locations I could go but in the end opted for the unorginal yet action packed highway 101 trip. For those that aren't familiar(which for those that read this blog-yes all two of you-you likely are familiar but just in case someone else should trip on my blog...)that route closely follows the coastline in Washington all the way down to California. As I was preparing for my trip I found myself debating whether or not I should go at all as I had(and still have) a great deal of homework to finish for my graduate school class. In the end I took one day off my trip to work on homework.

The trip started at 12:30 pm on Tuesday the 3rd of July. I ride a Honda Sabre and this is my story(yes that's cheesy but so am I). I bought a new pair of saddle bags for this trip hopeing that I would be able to fit enough for three days into the bags which might not be difficult for some but my wife has dubbed me "the great overpacker". I decided I would try to save money and sleep in campgrounds along the way so I had to find room for a tarp and some blankets. In the end I fit everything I needed. Or did I?

I went to Lincoln City and from there headed south on 101. Traveling down 101 up until Newport was something I have done quite often and was nothing new. When I got to the coast I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the weather was. The sun was shining with very few clouds in the sky but just to make sure it wasn't too perfect, the wind was blowing. I stopped in Lincoln City and Depot to rest for a few minutes and then continued South to Waldport where I made my first stop for gas. I then continued South stopping periodically at information points, lookouts, and state parks when I felt the need for a break(which is much more often than in a car as riding a motorcycle can be quite tiring).

At one of the stops I obtained a copy of a map with the location of all the Oregon State Park campgrounds and decided that I was going to go to Shore Acres which is located SouthWest of Coos Bay near Charleston. I arrived at the campground hopeing that they would have vacancies which they did. I pulled my motorcycle in to park and no sooner had I gotten off my bike then Doug came over and said, "is that the 1300 or the 1800" referring to the size of my motorcycle. I explained to him that it was the 11oo Sabre and he rambled on for a few minutes about motorcycles. He ended up being an incredibly friendly man who was staying at the park with his wfie Jan. They are retired and live in Redmond during the summer and Arizona in the winter.

I talked to him for a bit and then went to grab a bite to eat in Charleston. I went to the local market and asked about restaurants in town and she mentioned a few names including Captian Johns(I think). It turns out that I had stayed there my junior and senior year during the state wrestling tournament. It made me laugh becuase that was 12 or 13 years ago.