Day 23, June 9th

 https://www.relive.cc/view/v7O9JDdn2Q6

Woke early, very early 430 or so.  Wet last night and wet as we break camp this morning, tents put away wet. Did I mention is was wet. Getting up and out of the tents brings on the mosquitos.  Mosquitos are all wearing slikers and don't mind the gentle rain as much as I do.  I suspect it is breakfast time for them, and they are famished after a humid wet night.  Alas just a gentle mist of rain.  

Leaving camp behind us, we head south and circle west to Portland.  Stopping along the way for some coffee and breakfast burritos.  Just before breakfast I tell Howard I want to stop at the dams in Dalles, there are three of them.  Stopping I get off the bike and am approached by a worked and she sees me taking photos, she waves me over for some better photos.  Good fun, she texts me some great pics of the damage and mt hood, her coworker also dressed in hard hat, safety vest gloves and also covered in dirt stops and the three of us do a selfish.  I mention his Aloha shirt and he says it is his Friday shirt, we all laugh

 

On from the dams to breakfast we continue on. Nice area, everyone seems super warm and happy, construction workers, local travelers, etc.

I hear from Janet as we are driving and we talk a out the water falls, starts with an M...  just then Multnomah Creek Bridge sign goes by, perfect timing. Howard and I pull over to check it out and stretch. Alas you need a permit to check it out as there are to many people these days I guess.

Ride continues on and we get to Portland.  Downtown Portland, who builds a highway thru a city.  Stunningly stupid and it is traffic friday plus construction and at 11am, everyone decides to drive to get lunch, or just drive as it seems to be the currebt craze, as everyone is doing the drive thru Portland. I suspect people from NY drove over to Portland at 11 just to drive in the nightmare traffic.  In a cat, not bad, set the ac, roll up the windows, crank up the tunes and suck on a big gulp.  But on a bike, feet up, roll a few feet, feet down.  Some roads are angled so you have to choose carefull or drop the bike trying to crawl thru traffic. Sorry no photos of this nightmare.

We continue and once outside the city and we are back to breathing normally we pull into an area for food.  What looks like a food place is a bar, still to early for me. We continue on to a chevron for gas and clean our glasses and visors.  Continuing on it gets better, still cold and wet. But not as cold or wet.

We change from canon Beach to Tillamook to avoid more wet weather. This brings us down hwy 6, beautiful area and the rain diminishes as we go.  I end up with some crazy orange lights, not good.  I'm getting abs (brakes) and ascended, something with brakes I think.  My cruise control also doesn't work, the scubydoo mystery deepens.p

Pulling over at the first stop, I'm able to turn off the engine, but not the ignition. That is not good.  I try a few times, but no joy. Well at least the bike starts.  We get down into Tillamook and pull off again.  Now I'm able to shut the ignition off.  Maybe wet gloves, but restarting the bike and all is fine.  To much electronics.  

Continuing on, we head north along the coast and stop at the fern restaurant for a late lunch.  Ruben is really good, highly recomended by yours truly.

We find a campground at Barview Jetty County Campground.  A nice place, not cheap about 50 with a lump of firewood. But out of the winds, showers and a place to camp. Nice place not far from the beach, three quarters gets you an extremely hot shower.  Howard tosses a log into the fireplace and has a fire going instantly. Not sure how he does it.

I turn in early to try and write some as well as to call Janet and Eugene, but fail both and wake up later with my phone in my hands.