Spring Break in the Ochoco Forest

[oremike]

Here's the link to my photos of the trip:

http://www.pbase.com/oremackies/marc..._crooked_river

Way Hoopy fun, let's do it or another adventure again!

[smilin jack]

Originally Posted by oremike

Here's the link to my photos of the trip:

http://www.pbase.com/oremackies/marc..._crooked_river

Way Hoopy fun, let's do it or another adventure again!

Mike, those pictures are great. Wish I'd gone, instead of working... Looks like a fun time was had by all.

Dave

[Apple Jam]

Originally Posted by wachs

YIKES man!

Glad you made it home (the ONLY thing we have to prove is that we can make it back to where we started eh ? )

Full coverage is smart on the big twin

I did think about saving some money on insurance when I paid it off two years ago,
But I gots me at least some smarts, and kept full coverage.
But, apparently not quite enough smarts to avoid this.
And yes, I felt PROUD, that KaTy M made it home after, twisted handlebars, fooked forks and all.

Originally Posted by oldmonkeybut

Damn! Welcome to our club Apple Jam. Glad you came out alright. I know all too well the sounds and the feeling. I won't soon forget the sight of my GSA sliding down the road then launching itself into a midair barrel roll off into the brush. Full coverage insurance is certainly worth the money. At least it looks like your stuff stayed strapped to the bike. My debris field looked like a plane crash.

Yes, I recalled your story, all night last night.
I bet my tent and sleeping bag stayed on the back of the bike better than Monkeywife did....
The road was shitty and I was aware of it. No moss or road slime "snuck up" on me.
My crash was a very slight concentration mistake on my end. No shit about it.

Originally Posted by Petrolburner

Damn Jeff that sucks! Tough bike though, and at least it's not peak riding season.

oldmonkeybut noticed how well everything stayed strapped on back after the crash, Petrolburner.
Rokstraps ROCK, I tell ya !!

And that was one of my first selfish thoughts after,
"Glad it's not Summer, being without for a month would sure suck then"

[Apple Jam]

Originally Posted by TourPros

Guess its a good thing The Lazy Lodge has two in case that shadow doesn't want to get dirty.

Originally Posted by Easy-Z

Psst, Apple Jam. Take the R not the L.

But you have to kickstart the R.....(whine, whine),
the L has a magic button

Originally Posted by Ladukebob

Wow Jeff glad to hear your ok. Bikes can be fixed or replaced, they're just metal. The rider is the only thing that counts.

This bike......well, it's just a fun tool to do a fun job,
and there's plenty of 'em out there.
Fixed or replaced will be just fine.

That said,
I've had a playtoy car that has been much more than metal to me for about 21 years now.
That would have been a much different emotion, logical or not.

[Apple Jam]

Originally Posted by Petrolburner

So anyway, hell of a great weekend, not even all that cold. Here's a slew of pictures.





We did get turned around at the snow line trying to cross over Maury Mountain on Sunday. Nice looking panniers Jeff, you should try sliding them on pavement sometime just to see how they hold up

[/QUOTE]

That was a GREAT campspot, eh?
LOVE the "5 MPH" sign.
Did you go that slow through those corners?
I think not...
Two up, with a brave, smiling woman on the back, Petrolburner can ride

Yeah, that was it, that's the ticket,......
I was just "testing the panniers"....
The left one held up just good enough;
it absolutely sacrificed itself to completely save my left leg and foot from major harm.
I will always wear hard panniers. I knew they would pay off someday.

[Apple Jam]

Originally Posted by oremike

Here's the link to my photos of the trip:

http://www.pbase.com/oremackies/marc..._crooked_river

Way Hoopy fun, let's do it or another adventure again!

Loved that long road, on that day.
It was a good riding experience.


A good idea (thanks Oremike) a good camp, and a good enough weekend for March.

Nice Pics Oremike !!

[oremike]

Jeff, you got any photos from our ride? I'd left my camera in my tent. Doubtful Dirt Rd. and the like?

[peterman]

fix it,,
let them total it and get another,,
go for the buy back if it's cheap enuff,
the first time my insurance totaled my GS, I bought it back and fixed it for less than a grand,, the last time I crashed it, it was well and truly broken, and not worth the effort for the buy back,(and parting out, in my bike's case)
look well at the numbers they offer to start, you can always contest their award as invalid by showing supportive 'for sale' examples. Smile, and say thank you, but don't accept their first offer.
Get on the ball with this,,you have places to ride and people to meet,,call the insurance adjuster every day for updates,,not your agent, the adjuster in his lexus on his way to a golf game,,every day, every day,, every day,,"when can I expect a new bike?",, you will of course replenish the tank of gas I had just filled when the "#^*!&*#! pulled in front of me!
never mind me,,I know exactley where you biffed it,, and I have a separate attitude about that. I'll be nice,, and just say,,"dumbass",,good you get to try it again, now find a way to the april fools campout or come and borrow the klx and ride it all the way down there as punishment! By now you should know,,sheriffs can't catch you anyway,, he was headed for coffee and frikken donuts in town,, you coulda been doin a hunnert and somethin,,,but that would be silly with them road conditions,,dumbass! You do try though I know.

As you go thru life you'll learn,
two rules that never bend.
never whittle towards yourself,
or piss into the wind!

yer up and walking,, and looking good!
(well, that's relative, I'm sure yer Mom thot you were cute),,the rest of us,,,,

[Apple Jam]

Originally Posted by peterman

I'll be nice,, and just say,,"dumbass",,good you get to try it again,
now find a way to the april fools campout or come and borrow the klx and ride it all the way down there as punishment!
By now you should know,,sheriffs can't catch you anyway,,

Thanks for the always entertaining and very true words, P-Man.
I am fully aware that I was a "Mr. Dumas" for just-a-long-enough-a-moment,
and deserved what I got for sure, for slacking off while riding.
AND I am fully aware that I got away with it (my health), despite being a dumbass ......
.......This Time

I looked to the cloudy sky right after, not really sure who would be listening,
and promised "somebody/something" that I would learn from this "opportunity".

Called in to the Company, skipped the agent (didn't want him to know right away, really).
Got access to the claim goings-on online, and checked some values already.

Thanks for the advice. Except for the advice about riding the KLX for punishment.
I might just haul down to Brookings on the Shadow,
That oughta be punishment enough......

[Apple Jam]

Friday was a good day for riding the 178 miles from home to the Crooked River.
I've never been here, and I was looking forward to it,
but step one was to select a campsite, and then mark it so others coming in tonight would see it.

This oughta do it....



I went cruising around for a while, out another road to the Prineville Reservoir,
where I found this most excellent rustic log fish cleaning station:





Back at the campground, there's still nobody in sight.
By the river at the Chimney Rock Campground is built what appears to be a handicap accessable fishing platform,
jutting out into the river. Good views of a pretty river, here




When I do meet oremike, we proceed to unload TWO TONS OF STUFF from his half-ton Ranger Pickup ,
Then we set up our tents. None too soon, here comes the snow....





We sat under the Easy-Up that night, after it got blown down and almost into the river.
When the snow quit, the night got still and the stars came out. The Campfire seemed too close to work, for our first night out.
Early to bed, after our first day on the Crooked River. Fooking cold, this night.

[Apple Jam]

We both get up just after first light, but were slow to get around to getting on the bikes today.
Coffee & breakfast; the important things, were mixed with just plain vacation relaxation this morning.

When we head out, just before noon, we find Roberts Road to be a South entrance to the Reservoir.
This is a GREAT moto road . Very little gravel, and freshly graded smooth and hard.
Yee-haw. Speed found it's way under my wheels




Down at the Reservoir....




On the way back, we take "Doubtful Dirt Rd" that was beckoning us on the way down to the Reservoir.
This was a great two track dirt-only ride that was a bit like a Roller Coaster mixed with the Scrambler.

Twisty and tight with plenty ups and downs, it was a good skills tester,
and it appeared to have been built for the sheer pleasure of building a road, not to actually GET anywhere.

Out and back, it didn't really go anywhere, but it was worth the effort.
We didn't get many pics here, it was a busy ride, and good fun




When we got back to camp, Petrolburner and his girlfriend are at the parking area.
Yay, more fools to camp with in March
Hey, wait a minute, how did he get his girlfriend to come out HERE, in March?
I think that one's a keeper, Petrolburner....

When our last camper, Jayhoo Ray shows up, and the tents are set up, the newcomers take off for a 2-3 hour ride.
Oremike and I stay back at camp while I get started on a cup o special stuff,
and we get some snow pellets for a half hour or so.
Just long enough to get a good laught at ourselves for being here, and actually having fun.



We get a proper fire going tonight, and share some cheap whiskey .
We all eat a mish mash of delicious food that started out as fajitas and grew into something much bigger and better.
And of course, marshmallow roasting:



Tonight we got wind, instead of cold. Now I know why plastic tarps make bad rainflys: Noise.
Fortunately, I could hardly hear it over the SNORING,,,,

[Apple Jam]

Oremike and I get up, just after first light again,
and we drink some coffee and wait for the others to arise.
Then we wait some more. stirring noises, yet? Nope. A little longer.
About 10:30am, the others roll out of their tents, then we all eat a good community breakfast and talk about where to ride today.




Little Bear Creek Rd turned out to be an out-and-back,
where the seasonally closed Roberts Rd shot us down at the end of a four mile run.
It's OK, it was fun and fast




We circle further down South to Bear Creek Rd, a bit wider dirt road.
Where is the gravel around here? Dirt only by now, these roads are sweet.

Here's the OTHER end of that closed Roberts Rd,
by a farmhouse out here in nowhereville....with a Tennis Court :



I'm betting these roads get awefully dusty later in the Summer...
Fortunately, this was not a problem in March

I didn't get many more pictures for the next 40 miles or so,
I was busy having good fun, and there actually wasn't much around us to get pictures of....
Farmland, then more farmland, then some more.

We try to go North into the forest but are foiled by plenty of snow, before we even hit the Forest Boundary.
The dirt road got greasy for about 10 miles, to offer up some good skill-building exercises.
When we hit one-wide-lane-pavement out the East end of this section of Ochoco Forest,
we see some strip mines just before we ride up a shallow canyon out to the Pualina Hwy.

This old building at the end of our fun road by the Paulina Hwy,
would have some stories to tell, no doubt.



More campfire tonight, cheeseburgers and Johnsonvilles,
more whiskey, and a little warmer night yet.

[Apple Jam]

Shoot. Time to go home

We're out of there just after 11am, but I'm gonna ride the loooong way home.
In hindsight, it turns out to be a poor decision, but I had good fun for a while.
I wanted to see the Wildcat Campground that was our initial destination, and see what we missed.

Hey, the gate is open this week....




Riding past the campground, I run into snow pretty quickly,
but I've got a loop in my mind, so I press on through it.




When it becomes obvious after crossing 4 patches of this white stuff that the roads will just keep going up in elevation,
which surely means plenty more snow, I give up and turn back.

Stein's Pillar was cool, named after the same Steen as the famous Mountain Range,
it just got misspelled enough that the incorrect name stuck.







We picked a better campsite for us for the weekend, for sure, there was no riding around here.
Just 11 miles out to the campground from Hwy 26, and then back out on the very same Mill Creek Rd I rode in on.


Here is where I decide to go to the Painted Hills NM, instead of the better way towards home.
I've moto'd this Hwy 26 Pass twice so far this year, last month, in FEBRUARY !!
Should be OK now, right??
Well, it was nasty slick on the East side of the Ochoco Pass with this creamy/greasy mix of sand and melt-juice off-line,
with wet pavement left over in two thin tracks only.

I was in a hurry, and I lost track of reality, but I still get to tell the story, anyway.
Thanks for listening ADVers.....I had a good time out there last weekend

[Humunn]

Whoa Jeff just picking up on the thread. Was your crash before or after our meet at the gas station? Glad you are ok. Yikes!

[Dansrc51]

Originally Posted by oremike

Here's the link to my photos of the trip:

http://www.pbase.com/oremackies/marc..._crooked_river

Way Hoopy fun, let's do it or another adventure again!

Looked like a cool trip Mike. The 650 looks like it's turning out to be a great little bike