Rode about 1200 miles to a friend's BBQ camping party in the Puget
Sound area.
Day 1:
Hot. I-5 north from LA.
Left a business convention early to leave Wednesday afternoon. Missed
my company's party. Packed up and out on the road by noon.
Screwed up mp3 player. Had to stop 20 miles in to fix it. 5 minute
delay. Mesh jacket and water irrigation system weather. 100+ degrees on
the road. Put on First Gear riding pants to keep sun off legs, with
side zips open. Wetted down pant legs inside.
Tried to hold breath passing Harris Ranch like I usually do. No go this
time. Truck decides to pass another truck doing 40 mph, at 41 mph. Had
to breath. Ugh. Think real bad thoughts about truck drivers. Even lane
splitting, took me 10 minutes to pass the traffic but wouldn't go
between the trucks.
Stopped in Patterson for lunch at Jack In The Box, my preferred fast
food stop. Called Fins in Lodi. He decides to ride up with me. Stop in
wrong Lodi exit. Fins is not at the Chevron there. Call him. Credence
Clearwater's "Stuck in Lodi" goes through my head. Check the Google
Maps on GPS phone to see where I am. Wrong place. Damn. Call him again
to tell him I'm going to be a few minutes to get to the right place.
Left messages both times.
Get to the right station. Top off. Get some water at the gas station
and one of those "5-hour energy shot" drinks. They work well.
We get on the road and figger to stop in Red Bluff or so. Ride into the
dark.
Pass a bunch of fire trucks on the opposite side of the freeway
surrounding a pickup truck facing the wrong way. Half mile later, pass
a couple of CHP cars behind car carrier with a truck hanging off the
side. My version of the narrative is the truck on the opposite side of
the road fell off the car carrier.
Gets dark. We hit an unpleasant hailstorm of bugs. Fins says there are
rice fields there, which generate lots of bugs.
Stop in Corning for gas. Push to Redding instead. Motels largely booked
with fire fighters there. Find a motel, drop off our stuff, head to bar
next to motel we first tried.
Coupla big beers and head back to motel to crash.
Day 2:
Left motel to ride up a more pleasant part of I-5. Notice Shasta Lake
is real low. Makes those rice fields seem like a truly wasteful use of
water under the circumstances. The lake headwaters are completely dry.
First time I've ever seen that, so the drought is real bad this year.
Stop in Yreka for gas. Fins has worked it out so we only have to stop
for gas once in Oregon.
Ride through Oregon on I-5 sucks major ass. Rich uncle musta left
Oregon a lot of money it has to spend to do road repairs every 10
miles, with accompanying lane closures. No lanesplitting in Oregon, so
sitting in traffic every time is miserable. It's still hotter than fuck
and muggy. Mesh jacket irrigation system doesn't work for shit when
it's muggy.
Fill up at Sutherlin, pick up some booze for the BBQ, grab some grub at
Mickey D's and get back on the road.
I amuse myself by noticing locations from S.M Stirling's "Dies the
Fire" book series. Also notice Oregon has a lot of flowing water
compared to CA.
Hit Portland about 3pm. Traffic is worse than LA. No lane splitting.
Drivers are assholes and a couple try to take me out. It's 110 degrees
(road temp) muggy, and we're tippy toe-ing through bumper to bumper
traffic. My ill advised use of the irrigation system makes me soggy and
hot, my own personal swamp.
Fins says I-205 is no longer a viable alternative like it used to be.
Get over drawbridge, get into Washington, find that there was no reason
for traffic to be backed up except for retarded drivers who can't
handle driving over a bridge. Typical.
Stop to get gas, go into air conditioned Panda Express to cool off and
have some soft drinks. Both of us are dehydrated. Spend around 1/2 hour
there. Get back on the road.
Stop at Wal Mart to get camping crap we'll ditch later. Me: pillow
case, shorts and wash cloths (18 for $3!). I expected it to be cooler
up this far, which turns out to be as false as possible. Him: Pillow
and I think ice.
Head out, arrive at BBQ location, set up camping gear, procede to
rehydrate through large scale beer consumption. 3 days of fun, meeting
old friends, making new ones, lots of interesting stories. Good times.
I choke on storytelling. Unpleasant thoughts about Oregon fade.
--
StephG AH108 BS30 YPF8
BBQ trip report #1 
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