Ducati Monster Forum

I took off last Saturday with a loose plan of riding up to Banff on the BMW.  The crushing heat in Oregon and Washington made me change my mind.  Instead I rode up to Seattle to visit some friends and came back along the coast. 

(http://www.systemmobile.com/code/route_1.jpg)

Saturday - SJ to Grants Pass, OR, taking 101 to 199.  If you haven't ridden 199, you're really missing something.  It's a great road with amazing views and, at least when I was on it, wide open.  I put on about 520 miles, which is a pretty long day on a stock seat. 

Stopping for a break in Leggett, CA.  They charge $5 so you can drive through a tree, but they seem to have a monopoly on the only restroom in town. 

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3469/3769994225_648be66b2c.jpg)

Reaching Oregon:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3295/3769993699_bc84e84c40.jpg)


Sunday - Grants Pass to Seattle, ~400 miles.  Was in a bit of a hurry to get up to Seattle so I took I-5 north.  I-5 isn't a bad road when you start, but eventually Oregon turns into Kansas and road becomes insufferable.  Coupled with the heat, I was ready to find a hotel with a pool and call it a day but I pushed on to Seattle, where sushi and loads a booze would be waiting. 

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2475/3770794108_61674179ae.jpg)

I honestly don't remember much after sushi.  Went a few doors down and ended up drinking furiously with some of the bar staff.  Eventually made it back to my hotel.


Monday - Seattle to Newport, OR, ~350 miles.  My plan was to make more distance on Monday but the construction delays on 101 in addition to just getting to 101 from I-5 slowed me down.  I cut over on 12 to reach 101 more quickly but this backfired.  In retrospect, I should've gone farther south on I-5 and taken 30 west along the Columbia River to 101. 

At the Columbia River:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3537/3769993055_e82a647fbd.jpg)

The Oregon coast really is beautiful.  It reminds me of the Maine coast but on a larger scale:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3450/3770793298_00c095c0e6.jpg)

In the end, I made it to Newport, OR and paid far too much for a hotel room:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3466/3770656478_beb65ffaa6.jpg)

At this point the stock seat on the K is a cruel joke.  Looking forward to replacing it with something more comfortable, like a nest of fire ants or some broken glass. 


Tuesday - Newport to San Jose, ~630 miles.  Not much to say about the final push.  After three long days, the stock seat on the K has become the devil's throne and I have stop every 2 hours for a break.  Once I got back into California I got to look forward to 101 as a highway with all of the fun that entails.  I made it home at 22:30.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2544/3769992189_eb5e80279b.jpg)

Overall I'd say it was a good first long ride on the K.  Other than the seat, the bike was outstanding and handled everything very well.  Having cruise control was a huge bonus and heated grips helped along the coast when temps dropped into the upper 50s.  I didn't really have any equipment problems.  I need to get better about being less destination oriented and more about the trip itself.  I had 9 days off and only used 4. 

Next up is the 1500 mile Iron Butt ride, hopefully later this month. 

[laugh] [laugh] [clap]  Perfect! I've had that same feeling myself, although about the stock monster seat.

Great write-up. Yeah, definitely stop and smell the roses more. That said, I tend to be like you. Take Hwy 1 down to LA and then realize when I get there I never stopped for pictures.  [roll]

Looks like a great time  [thumbsup]  [moto]

That's great!  Way to break-in the new bike [thumbsup].

nice ride [thumbsup]

Thanks for the comments. 

Yeah, it was a good ride.  At the very least I saw some new stuff and was reminded how much I really like Seattle. 

wow what a ride. How was riding on I5?  [popcorn]  That whole area from the Oregon border through Eugene is pretty gorgeous. But the trucks/ Winnebagos etc?

I think "insufferable" was the word he used.  ;D

I-5 has to be the most soul-sucking, mind-numbing way to get from A to B ever invented.  Plus if you ride in the truck lane the pavement is like the surface of the moon. Yeesh.

I-5 Northbound is reasonably fun from Grants Pass until you hit Eugene.  Then it gets flat, straight and completely boring.  Also lots of construction going on.  

If you try a trip like this again, hit up the back roads east of I-5 and come stay with Mother and I on Mt. Hood. We'll feed you and give you a place to sleep.

I'll take you up on it, although you have to admit it sounds like a plot to a horror movie.  ;D

Well....there are a lot of good places to bury a body out here...and Mother is a weird dude.... ;D

I hear they need cheap dog food.

Watch out for all the boring and sandy areas! ;) [cheeky]

Wow - we just did Mill Valley to Seattle and back (about 2400 miles over about 9 riding days - up the coast and down through Rainier, Hood then cut over at Grants Pass back to the coast) and I was going to post a report and pics shortly.  I really love your pics.  The focus of our trip seemed to be beer (there had to be a brewery within walking distance from our evening lodging, and Newport OR was actually our favorite brewery) and cheese.  We did a little more stopping and smelling the roses than you did, but we had our 13 year old daughter on my husband's bike on the return trip from Seattle.

I was thinking the same thing about the Oregon coast being a lot like Maine.  Funny.

Great report!!!

Thanks.  You did this trip on your Monster, right? 

How did you have to chop up your daughter to fit her in the luggage?  That seems like a lot of work.

 [laugh]

Call Child Protective Services....

I did it on my 696 (with a Cortech seat bag).  My husband rode his Buell Ulysses (he also has a 1098, but definitely NOT the bike for the trip), which has more luggage capacity and passenger capacity as well.  So she rode with him.