Gone Around the Bend

Weather, road closures and detours were the norm for the first trip of the year for Rick the Recruiter.  Thanks to a Facebook message from Trobairitz letting me know that Hwy 20 was closed at Cascadia due to a land slide I ventured south to Eugene and up Hwy 126.  I was amazed at the level of the river on the way over the Cascades.  Many of the boat landings and rest areas were either under water or close to being under water.  The trip over the mountains were uneventful and I made relatively good time.  It's always nice to escape to the east side of the Cascades where the sun shines 300 days out of the year.

Tedward the Trooper taking a break outside of Sisters

I met up for dinner with friends at the Deschutes Brewery.  Had a very good Ruben Sandwich and tasty half pint of Oregonian Beer.  10.5% alcohol and fruity (hint of Strawberry and 10 different Oregon Hops).

Monday was spent recruiting at Central Oregon Community College, a trip to Prineville to talk high school administrators and community members about Ecampus opportunities and requirements of being an online learner.   The weather started turning bad so I headed out.  The webcams looked really bad on the Santiam Pass so I headed south to Willamette Pass where the roads were clear.  I left Prineville at 6pm and arrived home at 11pm.  A long drive around.

Butterbeer in Hogsmead and a Ride on an ST1300 in Florida

Discovered a lost Blog Post from back in November.

So my final trip of the fall for conferences was to Orlando Florida for the SLOAN - C Annual conference and to Tampa for a workshop on appreciative advising.  Both conferences were great and I came back with several new ideas for work.  While in Florida I took a few opportunities to explore. This year I opted not to visit Disney World.  Last year, I went scuba diving at Epcot's Dive Quest.  This is a great experience where you get to go behind the scenes at EPCOT and scuba dive in the aquarium.

This year a couple colleagues and I went to Universal Orlando to experience the world of Harry Potter, Hogsmead and Hogwarts.

While in Hogsmeade we tried Butterbeer.  If you have not read the books this is a drink that many in the wizarding world drink.  This concoction tastes like butterscotch cream soda with a light marshmellow cream head.

We also went on the three rides in Hogwartz.  The Dragons Challenge is a very fast feet dangling roller coaster race.  The Flight of the Hippogriff is a kids roller coster.  The big ride is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey  provides a tour of Hogwarts Castle and a ride on a combo motion simulator movie with live action plots mixed in between.  The ride was well worth the trip.  Also included in Hogsmeade is the Three Broomsticks, Zonko's Joke Shop, Honneydukes Candy Shop, as well as both Dervish and Banges clothing store and Olivanders Wand shop.


In between conferences in Florida I rented an ST1300 for a day and went for a ride.  Not planning too far in advance I rented from Eagle Rider and was fortunate to not rent a Harley.  I had 26 hours on a 24 hour contract. (The advantage of renting on the weekend changing from day light savings time to standard time)  I got an extra hour which of course I used.  My first plan was to ride to both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts but didn't quite make it.  I did however make it out to the Kennedy Space Center.

I made it to the Atlantic Ocean and rode up the coast to Daytona Beach.  Of course being from Oregon and it being November, I thought for sure it would be warm.  Temps were in the upper 60's when I left but by the time I got to Daytona Beach the temps dropped down into the 40's.  My jeans, polar fleece vest and leather jacket were no match for the cold.  I stopped in a tee shirt shop, picked up a hoody and two more tee shirts and with several layers rode back to Orlando.  I also stopped at a mega store for hand warmers for my pockets.  Of course, it's Florida, they don't need any stinking hand warmers.  But since the Florida population is made up of senior citizens, they had plenty of Thermacare Heat Wraps.  Oh, the wonders of the heat wrap. If you have not used one while riding.  I highly recommend it. The last 8 hours of riding the temps started out in the upper 30's and warmed up into the 60's by the time I turned in the motorcycle.  26 hours... 650 miles.  Not too bad!

Gearing Up for Travel Season (The Winter Edition)

Every year my job takes me on a tour of the states community colleges to encourage students to consider going to Oregon's Land Grant institution.  Now I could sit here and tell you about the wonders of the Morrill Act and how this guy named John Morrill came up with this idea about giving each state land to create universities for the people.  But you knew that, right.  One of the goals of a land grant institutions is to serve the people of the state. So in that light, I take to the road every winter to "serve the people of the state".  This year I will visit twelve community colleges in four weeks.  From Bend to Roseburg, Coos Bay to Ontario, I will put about 2000 miles on Tedward the Trooper this year.  Along the way I will get to reconnect with old friends and make new ones.  I will be exploring the finer hotels of the state and indulging in the adventures the state has to offer.

Week 1 will be to Bend and Central Oregon Community College, OSU's Cascade Campus and to Prineville and OSU's new Open Campus.


Week one planned route

Traveling Fool

I cannot believe how quickly this fall has gone.  I have been on the travel circuit since September.  I been to Atlanta twice, Portland, Seattle, Portland again, Coos Bay and now I'm off to Orlando and Tampa Florida.  Some flying, some driving a couple train rides and  motorcycle riding.  It's been a whirlwind trip. Here are a few shots from Seattle

Puget Sound-- Ferry to Bainbridge Island

 Safeco Field-- Mariners Baseball Game

 The other side of Pike Street Market

My room with a view! 

 The small red sign at the bottom is Pike Street Market

This will be my third trip in three years to Orlando and my first trip to Tampa.  Fortunately, I will have a weekend in between two conferences that will afford me the opportunity to explore Florida.  Do I go back to Disney World, go to Universal, rent a motorcycle or go scuba diving???

I'm hoping for some weather delays for the Space Shuttle launch.  It is scheduled to be launched Monday afternoon but a should they have a delay there is a good chance we will be able to see it from our hotel in Orlando.

If you have any thought of adventures in Florida... please let me know.

On the Road again

This year seems to be the year to travel for work.  Some years I'm lucky if I get out of the office but this year I will be lucky to see my desk.  I usually do a trip to several community colleges around the state to recruit students for OSU Extended Campus and OSU degree partnership programs.  These trips occur in January and February.  This year over the course of 5 weeks I visited 13 CC's.  This fall seems to be the time to get out of state.  So far this fall I have been to Atlanta twice during the month of September.

The first trip was for the National College Testing Association annual conference.  You might be thinking "Wow... people actually get together to talk about testing?" YUP... that is right.  It was a great conference where I had the opportunity to learn more about how to run a testing center.  I am in the process of setting up one for OSU.  The second trip was an opportunity to attend a workshop on Retaining Online Students.  Three days of intensive learning with colleagues from OSU.  During both trips I had some opportunities to explore downtown Atlanta.

Centennial Olympic Park

Back in about 1995, I received a certificate saying that I had a brick with my name on it placed at Centennial Olympic Park.  A couple of years ago a friend went looking for it but could not see it because a stage was on that section.  I had the opportunity to find it on the first trip to Atlanta 

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Atlanta has a number of great sights around the downtown area including the World of Coca Cola (where you  can sample coke products from around the world) as well as see how it is made and bottled.  Of course like any other great amusement park it would not be complete without dumping you into the Coca Cola gift store!  

The Georga Aquarium and CNN Global headquarters are all located around Centennial Olympic Park.  The Georga Aquarium is the worlds largest and including several types of sharks.  

Also found a restaurant that we went back to several times during both visits to Atlanta.  If you make to the south, this place should be on your list of spots to hit.  Max Lager's Brewery and Pub is fantastic.  http://maxlagers.com/  Be sure to try at least one of the beers and the Cheesy Grits!!! 

Atlanta is a great place to visit... I highly recommend later fall.  Much cooler and very fun.

936 - Crater Lake... The Long Way Around

Day 1:  The Coast

936 was the number of miles for the last of the three weekend tour.  This time it was a group of 7 riders.  We met at the Philomath Hwy Safeway parking lot.  This is the start location of many group rides that I go on.  This shopping center has great options for escaping Corvallis.  After meeting everyone on the trip, Ryan and his dad Tom, Kevin and his dad John, Harry and BBall we were ready to go.

Ready to go!

We headed south on 53rd and over to Bellfountain for a quick paced warm up ride to Triangle Lake and out to the Oregon Coast.  We stopped along the way to stretch, chat for a few minutes and decide upon lunch.  We opted to Old Town Florence and a Mexican cafe - Diner on the bayfront.  After a nice lunch we headed south on 101.  The sun was shining and it was warm.  This is significant because as we headed south the winds picked up and it slowly got colder.  By the time we got to Coos Bay, it was time for a break and coffee to warm up.  We geared up with our cold weather gear and headed out again.  After heading out of Coos Bay, Ryan was in the lead with BBall in second, Harry in third and I was in forth. A brown object flew out of BBalls pocket and landed across the road.  Harry and I were quick to pull over and turn around as Kevin, John and Tom heading on by.  Harry pulled off and I turned around and headed down the road to slow down traffic as Harry picked up the contents of BBalls wallet.  The group stopped in Bandon to wait for us and it wasn't until I pulled up next to BBall that he realized that his wallet was missing.  With all person belongings in hand we headed on down the coast.

Kevin on the Klamath

Again the further south we headed, the colder it got.  Before we got to Gold Beach the fog started to roll in. We stopped in Gold Beach for a bathroom break and to fill up the tanks.   While taking the restroom break, two bikes pulled up with BC plates.  They were headed north on 101 and had come from Las Angeles.  They were on a two week vacation and needed to be back in Vancouver by Sunday.  They told us of construction coming up as well as the fog that we would be seeing all the way through the Redwoods.  I'm so glad that I packed the new Columbia Sportswear jacket with the neoprene collar and cuffs.  This was great for cutting the wind.  I wore it under my perforated leather jacket.  We headed south again with Ryan in the lead and I was in second.  We got separated from the group by some opportunity passing, we did pass a couple of LEOs with no problems.  Now it was reported that the others had the LEOs lights turned on for them.  What's up with that???

We made it over the California boarder and stopped at the Ship Ashore motel.  A fine low budget establishment across from the Indian Casino with a nice restaurant, bar and karaoke on Friday nights.
BBall and I headed over to the bar for beverages while the rest did a little pre-functioning in the room.  We were already relaxing in the bar at the table of honor right next to the stage.  Dinner was excellent and the entertainment was small town spectacular or at least a spectacle.  The music wasn't bad, you just needed to close your eyes and not look at the stage.   Ryan finally got up and sang a little Billy Joel song and knocked the socks of the crowd.  They will be talking about Ryan for years to come.  We then had a group sing along with the song Proud to Be An American and the waving of American Flags. This small community worked hard to remember their veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  After a long day it was time for sleep!

Breakfast at the Klamath River Cafe

Day 2 - Redwoods to Medford
Which way do we go??? After leaving the Ship Wreck Motel... we headed south down 101 through Crescent City and into the Redwoods... It was sunny, it was foggy, it was so thick I could not see the bike in front of me.  YIKES.  We met up with Tom and John's brother for breakfast.  I guess I should say that Ken met up and blew past us on his Husky 610.  We had a great breakfast and headed south again deep into the Redwoods.  Those are amazing big trees!

John on the Klamath Hwy

We headed south again on 101 to Arcata and the plan was to head East on Hwy 299.  Somehow the directions got confused and a one hour later and a couple turn around's and we were now in two groups headed east for some warmth... Warmth we found. The temp went from the low 50s up to 95 in about 35 miles.  We met a nice guy on a FJR1300 who gave us the suggestion of taking Hwy 96 from Willow Creek to Yreka.  That is one of the most amazing roads I have ever ridden.  One hundred fifty miles of great pavement, tight twisties following the Klamath river.  The further east we went the warmer it got.  At one point we stopped at a campground and drenched ourselves in the faucet.  By the time we made it to Yreka we were spent and our energy levels were low... not to mention the level of our fuel tanks.  We decided to head up I-5 to Medford and a hotel with a pool to relax.

Day 3 - Medford to Corvallis (Via Crater Lake)

Rest Stop in Prospect

Started with a continental breakfast complements of the Ramada Hotel in Medford.  We headed out looking to avoid Hwy 62 to crater lake so we stuck to county and forest service roads that ran back and forth across the Rogue river valley.  We found a great road through Gold Hill, Shady Cove, Pilot Butte, and Prospect before heading into Crater Lake National Park.  By the time we reached the park it was time for lunch.  We relaxed at the restaurant near the south entrance and then headed into the park.  Having been warned about the park rangers from other riders we took it nice and slow.  At least Ryan and I did.  We didn't have any problems with the rangers but the other group had the park rangers red and blue lights on to remind them to keep the speed down.  We enjoyed a nice ride around the park rim and then headed down the mountain towards Roseburg.

Crater Lake

Cooling off in the North Umpqua.
It was hot... really hot... and we had it.  We stopped along the river and jumped in.  Some people took their gear off.  I chose not to.  While the Vanson Jacket came off, I kept the hydro vest, leather pants and boots stayed on.  The river was cold but felt great.  The wet leather kept me cool the rest of the trip home.

Close call with two deer and an old junker car.
We took a side road from Glide to I-5.  A very fun road but we had two close calls, Kevin had two of my favorite road animals try to take him off of his motorcycle and I had a scare with a overshot corner and a junker car coming down a steep hill with no guard rails. This was when I realized it was time for a break and I was ready for some straight roads to get home.  We headed up I-5, got separated in Eugene and headed home.

Seven departed, seven returned, no scratches, no road trophies, and miles of fun.  A great end to 2145.

445 -Bare Naked Ladies, 90 Years Old and a Dentist

445 Yup... that is the number of miles for weekend number two of the trip around the state. I returned to Bend with several friends heading to the Blogger meet up... that was their excuse! I was in search of Bare Naked Ladies. They were found at the Les Schwab Amphitheater(LSA) in Bend on a warm July evening in Bend.

First let me say that there is not a bad seat in the LSA. The LSA is set in the center of Bend next to the Deschutes River across from the Mill District shopping area. I went with one of my best friends Andra from College who also shares a love for this crazy band from the great country to the north. We opted for the reserved seats and were not disappointed. We were center stage seventh row... with no one sitting in front of us. The concert was amazing to say the least. The crowd was a little mellow until the sang "If I Had a Million Dollars". Then everyone was up dancing to the music.

After the concert I spent the evening at Andra's sisters house and headed off to Portland early Sunday Morning. I had a party to get to!!!

My aunt Julie turned 90 and it was a full family reunion for the event. I was great to spent three hours riding from Bend to Portland with all the riders leaving the BMW rally, then to see all my cousins that I haven't seen in years. A big part of the reunion was seeing the reaction to the changes that I have experienced in the last year. I have lost 120 pounds and several of my cousins did not even recognize me. A great time was had by all!

Monday was my bi-annual trip to the dentist. My friends in Corvallis give me a bad time because I go to the Dentist in Portland. I feel that when you find someone who is good and treats you with respect that you should continue to give them business. My dentist took care of me during undergrad and graduate school and made sure I had clean teeth even without insurance. I feel the least I can do is continue to see him as long as he takes care of me. Another check-up! No cavities!!!

I then headed back to Corvallis/Philomath via Hwy 219 west of Portland, down Hwy 99W and the Kings Valley Hwy. All and all, another great weekend.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/128823

Next up... the Numb Butt Tour 2010