NW Trip 2013 - Part 4 - The Bonneville Salt Flats

    So, we're in Northern Cali. We check out the map and decide we want to make it into Utah, which would make it a 700+ mile day. The Bonneville Salt Flats are just over the border, so I figure we'll get close then get a pic of the salt flats in the morning on the way out. We pull into camp just west of Bonneville, just before dark, the place is packed, and I notice the folks next to us have salt all over their ride. HOLY SHIT! We just happen to be passing through during SPEED WEEK! FUCK!
    After interrogating our neighbors, we follow their advice and head down by the casinos for some dinner and to check out the parking lots, which turn into make-shift car shows. It was basically a bunch of rich guys with bad ass toys and the younger women that follow them. I'm cool with that. We had an early date with the flats the next morning, so we tried to get to sleep at a decent time.
    Got up before the sun and ate at the legendary Salt Flat Café, where we got some more good advice from eccentric old dudes. Rode our motorcycles 7 miles out onto the salt to get to the pits, hung out there for a while, talked to some guys workin on their speed machines, watched some passes, saw a couple of nasty wrecks, saw some 400mph passes, hung out at the starting line for a bit, then took off. The whole experience was so surreal. It's incredibly addicting to see a person in a machine on wheels go by you at 400+ mph. This was the coolest thing I did on this trip, by far, and we were only there for part of one day. I will go back someday soon and I'd bet a substantial amount of money that I'll run something on the flats within the next 10 years.
    Overall, it was a pretty epic trip. I could tell you stories for days and promised not to tell some others. 5400 miles in 12 days. Doin things like this on a regular basis is my spice for life.

NW Trip 2013 - part 3 - The 101 and Big Ass Redwood Trees

    Left Seattle and headed south. The plan was to get into Northern Cali the quickest route possible, but everyone was like, "you gotta go down the 101 in Oregon, it's so beautiful!" So, got into Portland and made a b-line for the coast. The weather was 70* and sunshine all for the last 4 days, but as soon as we hit the coast, it was nuthin but rain, fog, and 40+ degrees for the next couple days. What the fuck. Most of the time you couldn't see the water, or more than 50 feet in front of you.
    Finally got down to the Redwood National Forest. Still rainy and cold. Talk about awe inspiring and making you feel small... wow! There was a whole forest of these things and you get to ride right through the middle of them. The toughest thing was trying not to look up and around and keep your eyes on the road. So, all the locals said the weather on the coast was shitty most of the time and was perfect about 10 miles inland in "the valley". They weren't foolin. Started headin back east and got close to Redding, CA.

 

                                         Mt. Shasta

Highway 101 - Oregon Pacific Coast