Having just returned from a 2,300+ mile trip to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia three days earlier, I was a little road weary; however I was really looking forward to this trip. The previous trip was in a van and this one would be on my Voyager XII. Ray Walls and I originally planned to meet at Herndon and CA-99 in Fresno around 0600 hrs, Friday September 10th, as we do on most of our trips together. Early Friday, I received a call from Ray asking me to meet at his home because he was waiting for Jeff Hutchison from the ARV to arrive and we would all leave from there around 0630 hrs instead.

I arrived at Ray's as scheduled and discovered that my heel/toe shifter was loose. Ray dug out some tools and retightened it for me. (The 1st of 3 times this had to be done) Jeff had already arrived at Ray's so as soon as the shifter was tight, we headed for Weaverville, CA, via CA-99, around 0700hrs. We figured the trip would be about 380 miles and take 7 to 8 hours to get there. The planned route was to take CA-99 to Stockton, CA and then West on CA-4 (4miles) to I-5. Once on I-5 we would be on it until we reached Redding, CA. At Redding we would pick up CA-299 West to Weaverville, CA.

Our first stop was on I-5 at Flag City (Lodi, CA) for fuel and breakfast. We ate breakfast at Rocky's Restaurant, our first of many "family restaurants". The food was okay and the prices were reasonable. After fueling our "ponies" we pulled back onto I-5 for a long, hot, monotonous ride to Redding. Ray and I had signed up for NCVC's Grand Tour 2004, so we made photo stops at Arbuckle, Orland and Red Bluff Fire Departments to get our A, O and R. One additional fuel stop was required at Red Bluff. North of Redding, we turned onto CA-299 and enjoyed a beautiful ride through small towns, enjoying the great scenery over 3,200+ft Buckhorn Summit. The highway is considered an AAA Designated Scenic Highway and has many twists to reward motorcycle riders. We arrived in Weaverville around 1500 hrs and met Don "Bru" Brubaker who had already checked into the Inn and had the beer on ice. What a guy! As soon as we got checked in, Ray and Bru went to work tightening my shifter again. (That's #2) The accommodations at the 49ER Gold Country Inn were somewhat sparse but clean and comfortable. Considering the cost was under $50 and I got a good nights sleep, it was a reasonable bargain. Dinner was a block away at The Nugget Restaurant. Yep, family style, decent prices and good food. What more can you ask for?

Saturday morning, the 11th, we were all up and anxious to get on the road. By 0800 hrs we had fueled the bikes and were headed toward Yreka, CA on CA-3. Highway 3 is just a gray line on the AAA California Map; however it is a pretty good highway and travels well. Some of the pavement repair jobs left a lot to be desired because the pavement was still uneven and had a fair amount of unrepaired chuck holes, but it was still an easy ride. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and we stopped to take some pictures at the North Shore Vista overlooking Trinity Lake. We arrived in Yreka a little after 1100 hrs and proceeded to look for the fire station to get our "Y". Once that task was done, we doubled back to the Black Bear Diner for some (you guessed it) Good old Fashioned Family Food! Actually, Ray and I had eaten at a Black Bear Diner in Susanville, CA last year and their food is great and the prices very reasonable. I would recommend them to anyone. After lunch, it was on to Ashland, OR via I-5 to pickup OR-66 East to Klamath Falls, OR. Once on OR-66, it was another enjoyable ride. I was glad to get off I-5 where we were rounding corners at 65 mph with semi's front, back, left and right. That does not give me a warm fuzzy! Seven hours and 222 miles later we arrived in Klamath Falls and managed to find our motel. Once we found it, the next question was, do we really want to stay here? It was the Maverick Motel and is in the middle of old downtown Klamath Falls and not exactly a good looking part of town to park bikes outside. We decided to check the rooms prior to checking in and found they were very nice and clean and for $48 including taxes, the price was right. After dinner at Mike & Kathy's Restaurant (yep-you know) we sat outside our rooms on the steps from the parking lot and spun stories. Later in the evening, a nurse from Medford stopped to talk to us on her way to her room. She was a hospice nurse and was paid to come to Klamath Falls to take care of patients because there is no hospice facility in Klamath Falls. She claimed she always stays at the Maverick because it's the best bargain in town and they take good care of her. By the time she finished telling stories of her job it was almost 2300 hrs and we were all impressed with her work. We could tell from her conversation that she was very dedicated to her position and serious about the roll she played in her patients' lives. We broke up the conversation and all headed to our rooms for a little rest before the 0600 hrs wakeup calls.

Sunday, September 12th, we visited a real jewel of a National Park. Crater Lake National Park is an absolute must see. I have traveled through Oregon for over 40 years and had not stopped at Crater Lake until the summer of 2003. This was to be my third trip within the past 15 months. We left Klamath Falls early on US-97 and made our first stop at Fort Klamath, OR, less than an hour later, to put on our cold weather gear. US-97 parallels Upper Klamath Lake which tends to drop the temperature even more than normal and that morning the temperature was between 45°F & 55°F. We turned west onto OR-26 off of US-97 about 22miles north of Klamath Falls. It's only a little over 30 miles from US-97 to the park entrance but we made a stop, along the way, at Godfrey Glen vista and took pictures of the canyon below us. It was a magnificent site and worth the stop. It was only 15 minutes later and we had made the short climb to the top of the crater and got our first view of the lake. Crater Lake is five miles wide and ringed by cliffs almost 2,000 feet high. The lake is in the remnants of a volcano called Mount Mazama, which erupted and collapsed into itself 7,700 years ago. Later eruptions formed Wizard Island and other volcanic features, now hidden under the Lake. Crater Lake filled with rain and melted snow. At 1,943 feet deep, it is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. The weather was sunny, but the air was cold and crisp and it felt as though we should have on ski equipment instead of riding apparel. We visited Rim Village, which includes a restaurant, (which sits at an elevation of 7,122 ft), a gift shop, and an observation/visitor center. Unfortunately for the other 3, the power was out in the visitor center so they were unable to see the videos and animation of the creation of Crater Lake and the scientific studies over the years. I have seen them twice and they are very informative and interesting. After visiting the park for almost two hours, we started around the west rim to leave. There is a road that completely circles the lake called Rim Drive, however we only drove around the west side and exited to OR-138 east. Just as we left the village and started to leave, we ran into our fellow NCVC members Monte and Maggi Faust from Santa Paula, CA, who were on vacation. We visited with them for about 15 min. and proceeded on our way north. Once you hit OR-138 north of the park, it is a straight, and I mean straight, shot for 15 miles to US-97. The junction of 138 & 97 is called Diamond Lake Junction and there is not much there except a café named after the junction. Time for a cup of coffee, shed a few layers and have lunch. We then headed north for 17 miles to OR-58 which would take us to Springfield, OR for our next nightly stop. The only other stop after leaving US-97 was in Oakridge, OR for quick stop to take a picture of the local fire station for an 'O'. We had reservations for the Travelodge in Springfield but as we neared Springfield from the southeast we took a small road into town and proceeded to misplace ourselves. (You never get lost, just temporarily misplaced) After getting 2 different sets of directions, we found out we needed to go to I-5, go north one exit and it would be right there. (Easier said than done) We finally found the motel, and checked in but before we could rest before dinner we had to cover our bikes because it started raining. This was the first real rain of our trip but not the last. Later we walked about a block to dinner and back with a drizzle, but not so bad that one would get soaked.

Monday, September 13th we walked to the I-Hop about two blocks from the motel for breakfast. It was still off and on drizzle and looked like it might get worse. We donned our rain gear and left Springfield on OR-126 east. The original plan was to stay on 126 until Redmond, OR and then pickup US-97 north to Shaniko, OR but Murphy's Law says, "the best laid plans can go astray". We stopped for lunch in Sisters, OR after battling the cold and rain over Santiam Pass on OR-126. It appears that Sisters is a real tourist attraction in Oregon and has all the typical tourist trappings such as Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill & Saloon. The prices were not great the food was so, so and the décor okay. Somehow, when we left Sisters on OR-20 and OR-126, we missed the turn for OR-126 and stayed on OR-20 until we got to Bend, OR and intercepted US-97. It was a easy ride, however we were now 16miles south of Redmond, OR instead of in Redmond, where we were originally supposed to junction with US-97. At Redmond it was time for another fire station photo and then on the road again. Thirty miles further north it was time for a rest stop and the infamous ice cream stop. (Uncle Ray is going to love the new ARV 2005 DQ Tour) We had stopped at the MacD's on the south end of Madras, OR, but Bru knew there was an Ag store further up the road and said he would meet us there after he bought a new pair of bibs. Ray, Jeff and I arrived at the Ag store before Bru had finished shopping, which turned out to be more than we expected. My shifter was loose again and so Ray bought a socket to cinch it down. By the time we left the store, 45 min later, we had bought tools, clothes, gloves and God knows what all. (That will teach us to stop at a hardware store) Once you leave Madras there is not much except high desert and a straight 2 lane highway with a few curves now and then to keep you awake. We arrived in Shaniko, OR a little after 1600 hrs and checked into the hotel. only had a little time to get checked in and go to dinner. When we checked in we were given 2 keys and instructed that one was our room key and the other was the front door key. The people who run the hotel live out of town and leave in the evenings. We were advised to make sure we lock the front door each time when going in or out of the hotel. Once settled in our rooms, we had to hurry to get dinner. The Shaniko Café had closed at 1400 hrs and the café in Antelope, OR, 8 miles away via OR-218 south, did not stay open very late. As you leave Shaniko, 218 is a 2 lane blacktop with a few curves and ups and downs for about the first 2 miles, but then it really changes. When we topped the hill and looked down the road, Bru sounded like a kid in a candy store. The road can be seen for over 4 miles winding down into a valley where we were headed for dinner and had one switchback after another. It was a biker's dream except this biker. I don't mind twisty roads but I tend to be more timid on them and especially when they have been recently paved as this one had. The other three took off, after taking photos, and you could hear them squeal over the CB as they descended towards Antelope. I radioed them to hold me a seat and I would be there shortly. As it was, I was only about 1½ min behind so I didn't have to hang my head in shame. The only thing in Antelope, that we could see, was the restaurant and a RV Park. The dinner was okay and the prices inexpensive, however the coffee was so weak Bru had to put a spoon of instant coffee in it to make it drinkable. After dinner, the boys couldn't wait to attack the road again and excited because we would have to travel it again the next morning leaving Shaniko. Shaniko turned out to be the highlight of the trip for me. I find it very interesting learning about areas of our country and this area has a real history to it. Shaniko is located on US-97, 70 miles north of Bend, 57 miles south of Biggs Junction and 135 miles from Portland. During its boom town days of 1900-1911, this railhead town earned the "Wool Capital of the World" title. The official census in 1910 showed 600 residents. There were three hotels, five saloons and a number of other businesses. A large part of the town burned down in a series of large fires, but some of the old 1900's buildings are still standing. The city of Shaniko was incorporated in 1901 and some form of city government has been continuously in place since then. There was never a graveyard in Shaniko because bedrock is six inches down. There was never a church, but there were up to five saloons and numerous brothels. The population in 1910 was 600, 7 people in 1978 and 25 people in 1999. It is considered Oregon's Best Known Ghost Town and very interesting to see. The Shaniko Historic Hotel where we stayed was built around 1900 from hand made brick. It was restored in 1988 to a full service hotel with 16 modern rooms and a "Jacuzzi" in the Bridal Suite. Some of the other buildings in town have been restored and plans are underway to restore even more. I would suggest that if you are interested, you do a web search for Shaniko, OR. There are numerous sites with pictures and writings about the area. After returning from dinner, we bedded down our ponies on the hotel porch and settled in for the night. They even supplied us with a big bucket to ice the beer and we had the entire lobby to ourselves. One note: The reception for AT&T Cell phones was very strong.

Tuesday, September 14th, I woke up just as the sun was rising. My room faced the east so I had a spectacular view of the sunrise. I quickly discovered I had brought up the wrong bag and had to go down stairs to the porch to retrieve the correct one. I went down in my bare feet and topless and when I stepped through the front door I had no problem waking up in the 40°F temperature. By 0800 hrs we were all downstairs and treated to our Continental Breakfast of coffee, juice and a large cinnamon roll. Within the hour we had packed up and left Shaniko for Burns, OR via OR-218, OR-19, OR-207, OR-26 and US-395. The junction of 218 and 19 is in Fossil, OR where we stopped for a 'real' breakfast at the Big Timber Family Restaurant, a photo of the fire dept. and fueled our bikes. Highway 218 and 19 are part of the Oregon Scenic Byways routes and very beautiful to see. They are also great for bikers because of the various twists, ups and downs along the way. We finally left Fossil about noon and continued southeast towards 395. We made a rest stop in Dayville, OR and after a short discussion decided to backtrack a few miles to see the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds at the intersection of Routes 26 & 19. This is a very large area and very picturesque and houses the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center and visitor center. The Visitor Center is the principal information center for the monument and includes museum exhibits of fossils recovered from the John Day Basin. The three units, the Clarno Unit, Painted Hills Unit and the Sheep Rock Unit are all part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon and part of the National Park Service-another must see if you get into the area. We spent approximately 40 min at the center before continuing on OR-26 toward John Day, OR and junction of US-395. At the jct. of 26 and 395 there is a Dairy Queen and since it was now 1530 hrs we stopped for a snack and ice cream. While we were there, Bru couldn't resist the temptation to call a couple of our fellow club members and harass them about not being with us and why did they have to 'work'. (That's considered one of those 4 letter words!) Burns, OR is 70 miles south of John Day on US-395 and the trip contains a fair amount of turns and a climb over a 5,152 ft summit. We arrived at the Days Inn in Burns a little after 1800hrs and about 10min later it started to rain. We decided to try the steak house next door to the motel called the Pine Room for dinner and it turned out to be okay and reasonably priced. We had covered only 222 miles but we had been on the road for 9 hrs so it was time to call it a day and get some rest.

Wednesday, September 15th, we fueled up on the south end of Burns and left town a little after 0800 hrs after having another Continental Breakfast. I have to say that the selection of food was better and more plentiful but it still didn't compete with a hot meal. South of Burns, US-395 is straight, long and boring with very little traffic. This stretch of road is where you wish you had an auto pilot so you could take in the beautiful scenic desert and alkali lakes or open up your crotch rocket until the trooper nabs you. We weren't 30min out of Burns before I felt I needed a bush/tree stop, however, on this highway there are neither bushes nor trees. One hour into the trip we finally found a rest stop at the Alkali Lake Station and in my defense, I was not the only one to make use of the facilities. Our next stop was at a vista point overlooking Abert Lake in Oregon. It is a large high desert saline lake and home to brine shrimp and wildlife and classified as a Salty Oasis. We stopped in Lakeview, OR for brunch at Jerry's Restaurant and used the time to relax and shed a few layers of clothes. As we started to leave Lakeview, Ray said he could hear a thumbing on his bike and needed to check it out before we went any further. It turned out to be a warped rotor on the rear brake and the pucks were rubbing and causing a drag on his wheel. He bled the system a little to push the calipers in and tried to find a motorcycle shop but none was available with parts needed. Since it was not rubbing, Ray decided that if he stayed off the rear brake he could hold out until we got to Redding, CA. It turned out later that because of the extent of the repair needed he would wire the rear brake peddle up to kept from causing a lockup until he got home. We crossed the border into California just before 1300 hrs and stopped at the south end of Goose Lake to observe dust devils or geysers. I contend that they were just dust devils, but Ray says when looking through his binoculars they were shooting up like geysers. Rather than standing there arguing, we felt they were very interesting and we took a few pictures before continuing south to Alturas, CA. At Alturas, Bru continued south on 395 while Jeff, Ray and I took CA-299 west toward Redding, CA. From Alturas to Redding, we made a few stops for fire department photos, construction on the side of the mountain east of Burney, CA and ice cream in Burney. After 9 hrs and 350 miles, we were happy to arrive at the Howard Johnson on Bechelli Lane in Redding. Besides the time and mileage, it was hot again and we were thankful for the chance to rest and cool off from the trip. Jeff had wanted to get Italian Food so we asked and found out that there was an Italian restaurant about a mile from the motel. We pulled into Nello's Restorante Italiano parking lot about 1815 hrs but did not get served until after 1900 hrs. There must have been at least 6 waiters, dressed in tuxes and 3 or 4 bus boys in a restaurant that only had about 40 people in it. Most entrées started at $20+ and the serving size was not that large. This place is supposed to be known nationwide, and be the ultimate in Italian cuisine, but Ray and I felt that Olive Garden had them beat. Jeff said his meal was okay but that he was not impressed with the service and the prices. (Live and Learn I guess) We called it a night early because Thursday was going to be a long trip home.

Thursday, September 16th, did not find me up early. I wanted to take my time today and was not in a big hurry. Ray was going a few miles north to Shasta City to get his saddle rebuilt and Jeff was on his way west to check out the California coastline and see more of California. I told Ray I would wait for him and we could ride back to Fresno together, but when I checked with him around 1000 hrs, he said the seat wouldn't be done until 1600 hrs. I told him I would head on home and stop along the way to get more fire dept. pictures. I left Redding on I-5 a little after 1000 hrs and by 1500 hrs I was only 75 miles south in Chico, CA. I hit every little off-road town between the 2 cities and covered quite a few miles. Actually, I was really enjoying discovering places I had never heard of such as Vina, Gerber, Nord and Los Molinos, CA. I arrived in Sacramento, CA on CA-99 at peak commuter time of 1700 hrs so I stopped to eat, fueled my bike and wait until the traffic thinned before heading toward Fresno. Just as I passed through Modesto, CA my speedometer quit and I figured that the gear had gone out again. I was about 5 miles from home in Clovis, traveling Herndon Ave. when a PU pulled alongside and yelled that I was dragging a wire from my front wheel. The stupid thing had become disconnected at the speedometer and I was dragging the cable on the road. I pulled over, pulled the cable up by the tank and tied it off so I could get home. I pulled into my garage a few minutes before 2300 hrs and head straight for bed without unloading anything. The total trip took 7 days, covered about 1,850 miles, crossed over 23 summits or passes, (highest 5,920 ft, lowest 2,184 ft) required 13 fuel stops and unknown amount of rest stops. I enjoyed the trip and except for a little rain and the few hours of really wet and cold, the weather was ideal motorcycling weather. What more can you say?

Written & Submitted by Wayne Bright of the Nor Cal Voyagers.