Hamon and redbike's 3-Month Meandering Trajectory

"... and due to these reasons, your application [for your dream career] is terminated. You may begin your application process again 1 year from today."

To my 23-year-old mind, it initially seemed like an eternity, but it turns out that was the exact answer I needed. It was time for a bike trip. The next day I arranged for a leave of absence from my current job and a few months later, that's where I am: three days into three months of freedom.

Tomorrow morning, the tires hit the pavement and, if all goes as hoped, won't stop for 35,000km. The plan's rough. Really rough. I'll be heading south into Mexico via Baja, keep on heading south into Central America for a month or so, turn around, and come back home to BC via the East Coast, including New York, Newfoundland, and if it's not snowbound, the Trans-Labradoodle Highway.



Hi, I'm Travis.



I'm a self-proclaimed old man in a young man's body who occasionally has brief stints of youthful thrills. I've been riding as long as I can remember (translation: 4 years) and am treating this trip as a venture into the unknown. I hardly know the language, am going to need some time adjusting to the culture, and am very much excited about the opportunity to see entirely different environments from the back of the ol' power horse.

Speaking of power horses, this is redbike.



It's a heck of a bike that has taken me to far-off lands such as Ontario and Inuvik, NWT. It's got a few miles on it (over 60K) and might be a bit rough around the edges, but it has a heart of gold. The general stuff has been gone over (bearings, chain/sprockets, valve adjust, etc.) and, well, it's as ready as it's ever gonna be to undertake this voyage.



Tomorrow I take off with my Dad for a few days down to Southern Cali for some rest and relaxation before we part ways and I start the solo portion of the trip.

I can't promise continuous updates, but I'll do what I can (or feel like).



I just wanna get riding.

Looking foward to your RR and stories of CA!

Later
John

Sweeeeeeet! Super jealous! Looking forward to seeing you again and meeting your dad. Shops open and beds are made. See ya tomorrow.

This was the scene last night at 9pm:





This is my "where do I put all this stuff?" face.



A big thanks to my folks for giving me a bit of a home base for the last couple days. They've been so gracious and have kept me on track with the little things they do (like bringing a plate of lunch while I'm huddled over the laptop researching vaccinations or SPOT locators or some such thing).

This is the scene today. It's go time!



And yes, my Dad has a SWEET K75S that he's been gracious enough to take tires on for change-over in California.

Phase 1 starts now. We have 550km, a border crossing, and a ferry before we're done for the night.

Let's get riding!

And let this RR begin!!!

Later
john

Picked a heck of a first day. Raining like crazy here in Ocean Shores. Drying rack is ready and the boot dryers are out. See ya soon.

Looks like a lot of miles in store for your red bike... I know your bike already has a bit of mileage on it to begin with, have you done any motor work to prep for this trip or is it still OEM original?

Kick ass! ride safe and let me know when you hit NY!

well they made it! Looks like it was a little wet. Pics are a little blurry while they were turning into the shop.





.

Going to feed them and let them kick their feet up for the night.

I like the way you plan, very inspiring.......NO WAY you can't have an epic adventure now!

I have been following this on DSBC, your going to be busy.

First off, a big shout-out to 2LBOX!! This guy I met a couple years ago on a random weekend trip and I was simply blown away by his attitude. I had mentioned the potential of a big trip like this and he insisted that he be my first stop on the way down. Well, I wasn't about to say no to that!

Spending a night here and being treated like royalty! I don't know how we deserve such treatment, but it sure is appreciated.

Onto business..

In a word, nope! I'm taking a bit of a risk by doing this, with the motor at 104K Km, but the valves are adjusted, the cam chain looks good, and there aren't any other noises than normal KLR noises. Everything surrounding the engine has been dealt with, but other than a valve adjust and a doohickey fix, the engine is untouched. We'll see how that goes. Am I worried? Only a little. Moreso when I get the :huh look from folks when I tell them the mileage..

Journal entry incoming....

Subscribed! Jealous I didn't do this at 23. I thought I needed to work... Man, was I wrong. Have a great trip, and if you end up in southern New England stop by. You'll have as many croissants as you can eat and a warm bed to sleep in. Homebrew in the basement

Early start at 7am. The first concern was the border. Had no idea how much hassle it was going to be for me to get through, knowing that I wouldn't be coming back into Canada for nearly three months. Well, after some solid questioning, they let me through without too much fuss. With the border out of the way, we had a ferry to catch and not much time to get to it.

Enough time for Chuckanut Drive though!



With our squidly tomfoolery out of the way, we headed down to Whidbey Island and hauled butt (behind barely moving cars) to the border, and none too soon. Just as the last vehicles were piling off, we screeched up to the ticket booth. Right up to the front of the line and first on/first off. Man, I love motorcycling and ferries.



The sun poked through briefly between Port Townsend and Port Angeles, but then the weather remembered it was February in the Pacific Northwet. We didn't see that glowing orb again today.

Lunch at one of the niftiest general stores I've ever seen.


This truly is the hub of Joyce, WA.

A cheesy bagel and back on the bike, onward and upward to Neah Bay for some excellent twisties. I had forgotten how technical the riding was on the 116 between Joyce and Clallum Bay... I only made one mistake that left me in the oncoming lane, but it was enough to give my head a shake.

Dad's rocking the rollercoaster that is the road to Neah Bay.



Didn't quite make it to Neah Bay (ah well, there's not that much going on there anyway) due to bridge construction and our timeframe, but we fled the scene quickly and started heading down South, on the west coast.

The 101 meanders between forest and oceanside, but our bladders conveniently scheduled a pit stop on one of the oceanside portions.

Travis rule #1: always pee with a view.



And back at it.



Evening quickly approached and dusk brought misty riding. The faceshield stayed open for the last 30 miles, which was probably good 'cause it allowed me to see the deer I nearly plowed through. Both wheels locked up, into the oncoming lane, and a little more mass in the trousers, but no fur on the fairing!

Safe and sound for the night! I can't believe I'll be doing this for the next three months.

Well the "kids" seem to have gotten along fine all night in the shop.



After making sure they had a good breakfast and checking the weather multiple times, our canadian friends had to hit the road. Was extremely painful to have to watch them embark on an adventure while I had to stay home.







Safe travels!

subscribed! Keep 'em coming and have a ball.

Just a quick update, more in-depth in a couple days.

Pretty easy to guess where!



Made it to Los Gatos today, a little over 2000km in 3 days, 800 of which were today. A bit o' rain, a bit o' sun, and a whole lotta riding. One thing I have to say about America.. They sure know how to make roads.

So much so that they'll put signs up for "rough pavement" or "bumps ahead." In Canada, this would signify a car-swallowing pothole, but in the States, it basically means that the road will be subject to a brief moment of Canadian road quality.

Anyway, holed up for the night in amazing digs provided by my aunt. I'll share more when I don't feel I'm being antisocial.

Travis

Good luck on the trip. Looking great so far.

Alright, holed up in Indio for a few days to soak in the sights and sun. Let's get some updates happening.

Let me state once again how much of a pleasure it was to stay at 2LBOX's place on Wednesday night. They have three kids, it was a school night, and their boys didn't make it home until 11 due to school engagements. Still, they were willing to have us over for the night. I'm blown away.


Can a KLR become a BMW by osmosis? It had already started before I left on the journey by receiving two BMW parts in the form of valve shims. That's right, the K75 and the KLR use the same 29mm valve shims, and it was actually 3x cheaper for me to go with BMW shims. That doesn't happen often.


Curious cat is curious.

We hung out inside for a couple hours while hoping that the weather would turn around.





Being the PNW, it never did.



Grudgingly we donned our helmets and we were on our way. Thanks again, Jeremy, Verlee, Ed, and also the family not pictured!



We headed south, through Aberdeen and onwards towards Astoria. As we gained some ground and the weather cleared up, I was startled to see a glowing orange orb following me. It stayed a constant distance away but seemed to be following my every move.


Oh wait, that's just Dad wearing a pretty vintage BMW (I know, he's embraced the entire culture. Actually, he's one of the least brand-oriented riders I know, but sometimes I wonder...) rain suit.



I accumulated another gadget for this trip: a GoPro! I`ve been using it a bit but will wait until I`m home before compiling a vid. I`d like to edit something together.



Next stop: Astoria!



The ride stayed rainy and uneventful although I had an electrical issue plaguing me that had finally gotten to the point of needing a fix. One of my outlets was loose, forcing me to lose power to my GPS and speedometer. In the parking lot of the Pig N`Pancake in Cannon Beach, we dug in.



Farewell, Cannon Beach! I`m sure we`ll see each other again.



The Oregon Coast began.



Stopped in Newport for some groceries and received a generous good-luck charm from an overhead source.


A good omen for the road ahead perhaps

Newport.





It was time to hammer on some miles, which was fine by us. The roads stretched ahead in twisty wonder, leaving us grinning like idiots.


Like an idiot, as promised.







Into Bandon for the night, we found a motel room that suited our needs: the smoke detector was removable.







Now that`s the way to end a day. Bandon, OR, only about 550km today, but all along the Oregon coast.