Monday, June 4, 2012

Everyday for 7 Weeks–Day 35–Corvallis to Brookings

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

We got a late start from Corvallis. We were having too much fun chatting with Trobaritz and Troubadour. They gave us the suggestion to take OR34 instead of 20 which the GPS wanted us to take. They said it was a favorite with local motorcyclists. I had gotten a small taste of it the night before on my ride with Troubadour. It was felt much more comfortable to ride it on my own bike. Traffic was light, so we enjoyed the tight corners and deeply cambered roads.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

Several miles down the road there was some construction which turned the road into a one-laner. There was a 2008 blue SV650S sitting and waiting. We had a brief chat. When the flagger flipped the sign from stop to slow, he waved us in front saying he was really slow. Hah. He was sand-bagging for sure. He was quite competent in the 15-25 mile corners, but the faster more flowing 30-45s slowed him down. I prefer the more flowing corners to the tight technical ones when loaded down with luggage and a passenger.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

We stopped for gas for the third and last time in Oregon, and I got a bit of a surprise. Oregon is like New Jersey in that you can’t pump your own gas. There is an exception for motorcycles, but the employee is supposed to take your card, put it into the pump, press the buttons, and then hand you the nozzle. The first two times I filled up, I didn’t see any employees and no one approached me. I had no idea. Which caused a bit of friction with the third stop.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

I pulled up to an empty pump, and we started our routine. She gets off and holds the tank bag. I put the card into the machine and get gas. I was a bit slower as I was covered in rain gear, and had to remove some of it to get my card out. An older guy came over and said he was here to help. I told him I didn’t need any help can kept going. He wasn’t wearing a uniform or logo of the station; he had on a gray shirt. I tried to put my card in the machine, but he squirmed into the little gap between my bike and pump and blocked me.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

“Let me do that for you” he said.

“I can do it myself” I said.

He took my card out of my hand and started pushing buttons.

“How much do you want to spend” he said.

“Full”

He pushed the enter key.

“Premium” he asked?

“Yes”

He handed me the pump and then began to lecture me on how it was supposed to be done in Oregon.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

I find the forced “full service” model that Oregon and New Jersey have to be quite annoying. I am quite capable of doing it myself and have done so since I was able to drive. Maybe if I grew up in one of those states, it wouldn’t be so annoying as I would be used to it. It slows the whole thing down. If I wanted to chat, I’d pay inside and not at the pump. Being forced to have someone help slows the whole thing down. I guess every state has to have something goofy about it. I was a bit surprised by the whole thing.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

We stopped for lunch in Waldport before continuing down the coast. Once we were on the road, we wished we had waited ten minutes as the scenery got much better.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

The Oregon coast was just as gorgeous as it was described to us. The mostly misty/foggy day didn’t detract from it either. I found the fog flowing around the hills and large rocks added some drama to the scene. It kept the view from completely revealing itself and made you want just a little more. Lingerie for the ocean I guess. We will have to visit again to get another view as we didn’t get enough of it today. We would ride for a bit and the ocean would appear then the fog would take it away or a bend in the road would do the same. The pounding of the surf on the large rocks or the screech of a seagull let you know the ocean was near.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings 

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

We saw some sea lions too.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

A short ride on a forest service road revealed this:

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

We found a lighthouse on one of the roads

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

I want this sign in my yard!

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

Between Gold Beach and Brookings we saw some great scenery. It looks like it was photoshopped to me, but these are un-edited straight out of the camera. I barely have time to upload and write a post much less edit any photos on this trip. My slow netbook doesn’t help either. :)

We got a glimpse for just a few seconds before the fog engulfed the hill we were on.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

This little stretch was the highlight of the day.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

When we stopped in Brookings, the fog rolled in thick like the foam on a nice chai latte. It hid the sunset from us which was just as well. We were too tired to enjoy it, and instead curled up on the couch to watch a movie. We stayed at Ocean Suites. They had a large collection of DVDs to borrow, and that sounded really nice. Each of the “rooms” was a fully furnished one bedroom. It was very comfy and felt a little like home. We both commented that we’d like to come back and stay a week.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings 

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 35 - Corvallis to Brookings

 

 

Day 35 Full Flickr Album

 

Today’s Route:


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16 comments:

  1. I'm really enjoying your photos and the Oregon coast looks wonderful. I just finished working on my schedule for July and I don't have anywhere near enough time. Just 12 days from Fairbanks to the bay area in CA. It just means more time on the interstate through OR and CA.

    Were you planning on routing around Los Angeles?

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    1. glad you enjoyed the photos. we enjoyed the scenery as well. My wife commented that we could spend a week just on the Oregon coast.

      12 days huh? aggressive schedule :( lots of slab time.

      I'm not fond of the LA traffic, but we had an old friend we wanted to visit, so into the rats nest we went.

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  2. +1 to Richard's comment about enjoying the photos. I'm, also, enjoying you text. I very much enjoyed the whole paragraph about the ocean, the fog, and their provocative interaction. Very nice.
    ~k

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    1. glad you are enjoying as well. I liked that chunk of text as well. I was tempted to take the metaphor a bit further, but then I remembered I'm not Reipe. ;)

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  3. Beautiful pictures Chris some of the best yet. I am glad you found some sunshine further south.

    And yeah, waiting for gas attendants can be a royal pain in butt and a waste of time, but it is the price we pay for living in Oregon. It was hard for us to get used to when we moved here 11 years ago and now it is just the norm.

    I really like the bird picture. Awesome the way he is so sharply in focus but then the Yaquina Bay bridge is softened in the mist.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! glad you liked the photos. The bird was fun to photograph.

      the gas thing will take some getting used to for sure.

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  4. Amazing pictures. I miss the north end of the left coast.

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  5. Great photos Chris, glad you are enjoying Orygun despite the gas attendants.
    I love the crow photo, one of my new favorites!

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    1. yes, we like orygun, but need some more time to adjust to the gas situation. I think more visits might help address the problem. ;)

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  6. Dear Chris:

    These are the kind of pictures that reach out and touch my soul. Fog = lingerie for the ocean... What a brilliant line! I wish I had thought of that.

    Fondest regards,
    Jack/reep
    Twisted Roads

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    Replies
    1. thanks Jack. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
      I manage a good line every now and then ;)

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  7. Hi Chris, after being busy recently and on a (much shorter than yours) road trip, I am playing catch up reading blogs and especially on your posts, so I have a lot to read. I went back to the beginning of your trip and starting reading from the beginning again to try to remember what you had seen and where you had been. I could feel the warmth returning to you as you rode from Alaska, back through Canada and into Seattle. As well as the lingerie comment, I also liked the one a few posts back when you said “Apparently today is Friday” which captures the very spirit of a long road trip – you just don’t need to know what day of the week it is.

    I love the beautiful pictures in this post, but I wanted to comment about the gas filling procedure in different places. After a couple of experiences of attendants slamming the fuel nozzle onto my tank like they do a car, and suffering the consequence of chipped paint, I no longer let any attendant fuel any of my bikes. In many countries in Europe, that is how it is meant to work but I just refuse their “help” by saying a firm no. It works everywhere (who is going to argue with a badass biker dude, LOL?) but it seems that Oregon has at least one individual who wants to play by the rules. We call them “Jobsworths” like, its more than my jobs worth to let you do that.

    I am enjoying reading about your trip!

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    Replies
    1. I'm with you. I don't let anyone put fuel in my bikes either. They don't have enough experience to fill it full without dumping gas all over me. Not a fun time.

      Jobsworths. I like it.

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