Wow what a day! Sitting here in Ontario, Oregon in a Holiday Inn I'm having a bitch of a time remembering all that happened today. High speeds, spectacular views, cool people...let me start from the beginning.

I started packing this morning at 8:00 and finally left the house around 9:30. I still had some last-minute items to pick up, so I stopped of in Issaquah, WA to do some shopping and have a cup of coffee. I was officially on the road around 10:45 I think. The drive over Snoqualmie Pass is familiar to me, but it was beautiful nonetheless. I love how connected with the environment motorcycling makes me feel. Riding along my body is aware of the slightest temperature change - then I look down at the console and the thermometer drops or raises a degree. I stopped off at the summit to rest and take a few pictures.































On to Ellensburg, and the SR-97/I-82 interchange. It was hot by then, in the high-80's and I really wanted to take my jacket off, but I kept thinking about Mark and how the gear really saved his life the other day, so I suffered instead.

The drive on SR-97 was great - I was ripping through that canyon at speeds I shouldn't repeat. I got a few "thumbs-up" signs along the way too. Cooking by I noticed an overheated Toyota 4-Runner on the side of the road. Why? Because he was pulling a pristine BMW GS1150 in a trailer. What the hell? Just take that Beemer off the trailer and ride it? Leave the SUV!

I ate an uneventful lunch in Yakima and stopped at the gas station to pick up sunscreen (yes, Mother) and a tire pressure gauge. Mark has me paranoid about tire pressure, something I've never really paid much attention to. Sure enough, the front was a little low, so we fixed that and pushed on. Just so you know, my breaking point is 95 degrees - it hit that by the time I was in Yakima, so the jacket was stowed. So much for having principles.

The Oregon border came sooner than expected; I was making good time. Washington and Oregon are separated in a lot of parts by the Columbia. I crossed over to Hermiston, OR and saw the mighty river...every time I do this that song comes into my head "Roll on, Columbia...", you get the point. Still burning from the heat I pulled off at the first exit and found my way to the water. I put all my stuff down under a tree, stripped down to my shorts and waded in. Ahhhhh....balance. I rested there for an hour or so, spoke with Mark (he's feeling much better), and chillaxed. It sucked to get up from that spot because it was so peaceful.















Moving on I started climbing another pass (can't remember the name now). Remember that 4-Runner? It was overheated again and on the side of the road. There was a look-out point coming up so I pulled off there, and a minute later so did the 4-Runner with the sweet GS1150.

"Rough day for you," I said. "I saw you back in Yakima, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but it's OK," he said. "Just need a new rad." Apparently that's Canadian for "Radiator". Don't worry, it took me a second too.

We chatted for a while. His name was Raymond and he was on his way to Baja, Mexico to live. He'd lived in B.C. his whole life but never felt home there. So two weeks ago he decided he was moving. He closed his business, gave up his apartment, packed up his stuff, put the GS1150 on the back, and took off. Just like that. "Mexico is the only place I've ever felt at home," he said. Cool with me.
































I needed gas so I pulled off in La Grande, OR. The attendant pointed me toward a restaurant called Ten Depot, saying it was the most expensive place in town. "We all like to go there, but since we're teenagers we usually can't afford it," she said. The most expensive thing I could find on the menu was $15.95. Good food, and a 20's-style jazz act to boot. The band was even in costume. It was a cool experience.

Boise was my destination - I'm meeting some old friends in the morning, and I figured I could knock out the remaining 200 miles. I could have ridden by moonlight tonight - it was gorgeous, hanging low in the sky, full, and orange-yellow. Passing a sign that read "You are entering Mountain Standard Time" I looked down at the console and noticed it was 11:30. Then came the yawns, the inevitable eye-blurring, etc...I knew it was time to stop. I pushed the last 30 miles to Ontario, Oregon and found a Holiday Inn. The night deskman Bob (employee of the year in 2004 his name tag told me) was super cool. "Park your bike right in front of the door - I'll keep an eye on it tonight," he told me.

I'm beat. 451.8 miles today, which is a personal best. I experienced a full range of emotions today and I'm stoked that I get to do this for another 10 days.

G' night.

P.S. a few other pictures are in the Gallery now if you want to check them out.