Today I took the XS850 out on a ride through the country. The mountain in the background is Marys Peak.
Just think… this could be you!
New Years Day Ride
This afternoon I went on a new years day ride on my beloved PC800, otherwise known as The Tardis. My first destination was Marys Peak. I had expected to encounter snow but did not expect to suddenly run into a solid ice roadway. Just up around the next bend, I encountered a completely covered road. Luck was on my side and I was already crawling along in first gear. I managed to get my bike turned around without incident and slowly creep off of the ice and back onto somewhat bare pavement.
Just after I snapped this picture, a couple riding a large mid 1980s Kawasaki cruiser shot up the road. I waved them down just before they would have shot around the corner and onto the ice. They took a few pictures of the ice and their bike before zipping down the hill.
On second thought, I guess the road that I had just come up wasn’t all that much better than the sheet of ice I encountered just up the hill. At least with the bare ruts, it wasn’t too bad going back down. The scene reminded me of the ice planet Hoth at the time. Although when I look at the photos now, I realize that the snow today is barely a wisp compared to what Drew and I encountered when we rode our dual sports up Marys Peak last month.
My next stop was Seal Rock. I passed through the towns of Alsea and Waldport before turning north on US 101 to find the pullout for this photo.
It was a magnificent day for a Pacific Coast to be on the Pacific Coast.
To all my snow-bound PC800 friends: I am sorry that you couldn’t be out with me on the ride today. It was a truly magical day to ride my Pacific Coast.
Dual Sporting in the Snow on Marys Peak
Today Drew and I went on a little adventure up on Marys Peak.
We took our dual sports out in search of snow.
We found quite a bit of it. It got thicker the higher we went.
Just after the pull-out where everyone goes shooting on Marys Peak, I lost a bolt that holds the right shock in place on my Gangly Giraffe. Without the bolt, the shock popped off the bike. I hiked up and down the road a few times but couldn’t find where the thing had gone.
In order to stay upright in the snow, we used our feet like outrigger skis. It actually worked surprisingly well. Drew only spilled once when going over a small tree and did zero damage to himself and his bike. I didn’t spill at all but did nearly lose it many times.
So I improvised with some zip ties that Drew had in his rear box.
Yes, the shock is held in place with zip ties. Yes, it held all the way back to Corvallis. Some people in huge, jacked-up pickups stopped and lent me a flat blade screwdriver so I could remove the side cover and make this improvised repair. Thanks pickup truck guys!
Rather than take our chances going up to the top of Marys Peak, we turned off on Forest Road 30 that runs down the south and west flanks of Marys Peak to Harlan. Shortly after this picture, a jacked up pickup passed us. The kids driving it said “y’all are CRAZY!” We said “YES WE ARE!”
The face of epic adventure.
Camera man.
Lots of snow everywhere. We ended up getting back into town MUCH later than expected. The lost bolt and low-level snow slowed us down significantly. After I repair the Gangly Giraffe, I think that I might try to take it all the way to the top of Marys Peak in the snow. It’s definitely doable. It is just a matter of taking it slow and using my feet like skis. I have to say that this was one of the more epic things I’ve done on a motorcycle.