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Vacation Ride

ppaintguy

New member
I just recently returned home from a 5600 mile adventure on my GSA with my good friend on his Triumph Speed Triple...it was a cool ride and a personal best for me.

The ride began for me on August 1st and I rode from Detroit area to Omaha, NE by way of Chicago on I-94 and then by I-80 the remainder of the day. The first day had started out good at 5:00Am and then a stop was necessary to be towed and have a new rear tyre installed as my other one blew out at 80MPH on I-80W just east of Iowa City, IA.

I found out just how limiting the BMW dealer network policy of being closed on Mondays is to a rider, and Gina's BMW was no exception. Luckily a Yamaha/Suzuki dealer was open that had a street back tyre fthat was the right size and I was on my way again. This experience was a 5 hour delay, but nobody was hurt, the sun was shining and I had a chance to try out the BMWOA towing service...it was good.

The second day began at 6:00 AM and I drove from Omaha, NE to the border of UT on I-80W / I-84W by-passing Slt Lake City and passing the top of the Great Salt Lake, through Wyoming and then into ID. The third day I drove from Idaho border to the suburbs of portland to my friend's house. The day was a 940 miler and I was so happy that I bought the Day-Long saddle prior to the trip...phewww! In three days 2600 miles and change, not exactly an IBA award but a cool ride through all kinds of terrain. I fought a head-wind from IA to OR that beats a rider to death, although other than that the temps ranged between 55 in the Am to 108 on the plains in the day. I am a big fan of BMW attire now...very comfortable indeed.

I spent a day at my friend's house on the Thursday changing the front tyre to avoid further issues, changing a rear light lens that was smashed with tyre fragments, and servicing the bike with oil and filter.

On the Friday my friend and I began a ride that lasted until the following Friday. Basically we went from Portland suburbs around the Washington coastline on 101, visiting Cape Flattery in the farthest NW point, we rode up Hurricane Ridge outside of Port Angeles...very beautiful. Next over to Port Townsend to ferry over to Whidbey Island to visit Deception Pass and onto the mainland of WA state again, up I-5 to Vancouver, BC. Next we followed the sea to sky highway up to Whistler, and then meandered our way over to Lake Louise, AB over the next couple of days riding about 300 miles each day. The parks are tremendous up in Canada (Eh?) and the Rockies are an amazing sight. The Rockies are taller in CO but also they seem tamer than the Canadian versions.

From Lake Louise we rode to the Columbia Icefields, a trip that is awesome in the early morning before the RVs infest the roadways of Banff National Park. Moose and bear can be seen in the dawn light too. Dress warm as there are glaciers that keep the cool air that way.

From the Icefields we rode to Fernie, BC...about 450 miles and some excellent twisty roads that allow for some real two wheel enjoyment. From Fernie the next day to Libby, MT via Glacier Natl Pk Montana, USA and an absolute must see road, the Going to the Sun Hwy and Logan's Pass...words cannot describe it well enough...just ride there and you will see where the dinosaurs roamed. A tip though make sure you have lots of gas there are few stations around now.

From Libby we rode to Tonasket, WA, a sleepy little town that has a quaint atmosphere and is close to the Coulee Dam and cheaper rates for lodging as there always seems to be rodeos going on around the area. We left early and rode from Tonasket to Portland, OR on the Friday and found some of the best riding on the entire vacation...who knew? We could have spent a week going around WA on the scenic hwys and had a blast too.

Overall it was a fantastic time. Good friend, excellent weather, bikes rode well and it was an orgy of sight seeing and twisty seeking adventures.

I did not want to bore anyone with too much detail but would share some info with anyone interested.

Thanks for reading.
Andy :bikes
 
The sight of some ice fields would be welcome here. There
is no policy on requiring bmw dealers closing on Mondays, AfAIK, and
many other brands do the same thing. There are in fact
a number open monday; and when we had problems on the way
to trenton in '02 for the national (on Monday), John Simmons at Grasssroots
BMW in cape Girardeu was only to happy to fix us up and get us on the road.
They are normally closed Momdays, Did you look in the anonymous
book? IMWTK

I've been in the same boat, getting a tire mounted in indianapolis
by a ujm dealer. They made me feel priviledged for the honor of doing
business with them no doubt

Nice report though.

Eric
Austin
 
Hi Eric and I aaumed there was no formal policy, and the reality is when you have trouble there is no good time for the dealers to be closed...lol. Typically it is a hit and miss for a dealer to carry parts anyway other than the basics and luckily that dealer was in the corn belt and so GS tires were abundant based upon the stack of scrap rubber behind the shop. We all have to have a day or two off...I don't consider otherwise, there is just never a good time to take it right?...lol
 
Andy, that was quite a ride (vacation) I'm glad you got up here and I'm glad you had no problems with a rear tire letting go.

My wife and I just drove up the "Sea to Sky" Hwy (B.C. hwy 99) in May this year to Whistler. NICE.

I love British Columbia, B.C. stands for Beautiful Country.

Give me heads up when you come back for your bike. I work screwy hours and days, but if you are here and I'm off, well?

Thanks for the trip report.

Russ
 
SFDOC thanks and I will be flying into PDX on Sept 14th to p/u the bike. Probably heading back to the midwurst on the Thursday sometime. I am trying to attach a pic of the bike and my buddy's Speed Triple. Take care,
Andy
 
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