Day 30- Marco

Fun day relaxing at the  Mountain House.  Fer and the kids went to the lodge to work-out and play games, while I went to the hardware store to buy a hose and cleaning supplies and cleaned the bikes.  Amazing how hard it is to removed toasted bugs from Harley exhaust pipes.  We went to the Seven Trails Grill, listened to music and had a wonderful dinner.  Drank a little too much, but we were walking so no problem.  Don't think you can get a WUI (walking under the influence) but I was a prime candidate.  Kids did marshmallows and chocolate over the fire pit while I slept on the deck, or so I am told.  One more day of blogging so hope to get everyone's final thoughts. 

Trusted steeds- ridden hard and put away wet (and clean!)

Note that the photos below are some re-runs from Ripley's that we never incorporated.  For your enjoyment...

Tina from our Ripley's visit

Tony from our Ripley's visit- now the tweets will have some company!

Day 29- Marco

Another long day of riding, well over 300 miles.  Today was the first time Tina asked 'are we there yet...'  Arrived at our Mountain Home for a bottle of champagne and a gorgeous sunset, dinner on the patio and a discussion of the trip.  Seems everyone wants to blog something over the next few days about the best parts, what they learned and saw, what they liked and didn't like.  Fer had a great idea that we should produce the blog into a book and then send copies to all the wonderful friends we visited and spent time with.  We are already talking about the next trip.  Suggestions include flying to Germany, buying BMWs and touring Europe for a month.  I sure hope the money tree blooms next spring!  Look for our final blogs over the next few days.  Don't have plans for the rest of the weekend, but work starts again on Tuesday.

Fer, Tina, Tony and Nolan back in Colorado- Me too, behind the camera!

A toast to a safe and wonderful trip- memories of a life time

Beautiful sunset from the deck of the Mountain Home- Happy Trails

Day 28- Marco

Long ride today through mostly rural western Wyoming.  It sure is nice to have the wind at your back.  We checked into our last hotel tonight.  Lot's of thoughts about the trip; places passed and not seen, time together and a new appreciation of what our country is about.  Some of that appreciation is good but there are parts that are somewhat depressing.  There is a lot of poverty, and lost and unfulfilled dreams in the partially deserted towns we passed.  But also a lot of hope and joy in the people we have met along the way.  It seems that being in close personal touch with the parts of the country we have visited makes all the non-sense in Washington seem just that.  This is a great country with great people and somehow we have selected an elected leadership that can't seem to agree to move forward in the best interests of the country.  It is baffling.  When did we become a country of idealogues that cannot stand that someone has a different opinion?  Where facts are superfluous to a point of view?  Things to ponder on our last long ride tomorrow.

Checking in to our last hotel for a while after a long  riding day

Day 27 - Tony

I don't know what to write.

We rode off and went to Craters of the Moon. It looked really cool and had a lot of shinny rocks. We stopped at the visitor center. We rode on the highway for a really long time. All you saw was grass and trees. Then we went to the Portnuef Brewing Company for dinner. It had GREAT food! I had steamed shrimp with rice and then I had a root beer for dessert. It was great!

Then we checked into the hotel. mom and Dad thought it was terrible. I thought so too because it didn't have an elevator so we couldn't bring the luggage cart up the stairs and we had to carry all the luggage on the bike up in our room. Our room smelled bad. Then I got ready for bed and went to bed.

I miss having playdates and I hope that I get to see my guinea pig soon.

Day 27- Marco

Late start to the day, but that is becoming normal.  I think the kids are wearing out.  We rode pretty hard today and a long way to Craters of the Moon.  Now I understand why not many people have been there; it is way, way out of the way and small relative to most of the other national parks.  It is way cool, however, with some of the most bizarre scenery ever.  Picture below.

Craters of the Moon from atop Cinder Butte- Ancient lava flows

I also learned that a cross wind at 80 MPH can be a little exciting on a fully loaded Harley.  Did a final re-adjustment on the route as the Dinosaur National Monument dinosaur wall and excavation is closed.  Tomorrow on to Green River and then to the Mountain House in Granby on Friday before a trip back to Lafayette on Monday and reality.  Seems too short and yet, pretty long.  So many places we have seen and yet so much we missed, visiting with family and friends, but the stays seems too short.  Although, the Italians say that guest are like fish--after three days they start to stink!  So we never stayed more than 2 days, just in case.

Fer, Tony and Nolan on the Cinder Butte overlooking Crates of the Moon

Contemplating the meaning of life and other mysteries



The tree of knowledge with teacher and students



Day 27 - Jennifer

I saw a few signs today on the way to Craters of the Moon that made me laugh at the images that popped into my head.

Game Crossing - a monopoly set with little legs scurrying across the road
Watch for Stock - stock certificates falling out of the sky like a hail storm

It was a long ride - just about 300 miles. A beautiful sunny day about 80 degrees. We barely saw any other vehicles and only two going in our direction until we hit I15. We made pretty good time, which was a good thing because we had a late start. (A long fun day yesterday for me and the kids, and a long non-vacation day for Marco.)

Throughout our trip we've noticed a lot of birds of prey, mostly hawks, but also a bald eagle and a few falcons. And it seems as though butterflies have been following us everywhere we go. But the thing that I really enjoy seeing is Marco and Tina riding in front of me. The little pink helmet next to the black one and the waving arms are now a very special part of my day.

A view from the back- Tina dancing with the wind

Day 26- Tony

Nothing!  Just kidding.  We went to the water park and my favorite ride was the avalanche.  You get in  a 2 person tube and hang onto the sides and drop into a domed shaped bowl.  Then you go up the other side and keep going back and forth.  The first time down, it feels like you are falling of a cliff. After all the fun at the park, we went home and watched 'Mars Needs Moms'.  It is about a mom that gets captured by Martians because she is strict.  I think that's what happened to my mom.

Nolan, sorry, we left you in the hotel room so you won't get wet.



Tina and Tony training for the Mr. amd Ms. Olympia- like mom!



Lunch at the water park

The Avalanche- what fun!!

Day 26 Tina

We got up today (late) and had breakfast.  We went to the Water Park.  They had a lot of slides and a wave pool.  I liked the ride Avalanche, the most.  There was a big line, then you get in the tube and drop down into a slide that went up the other side too.  It was really fun.  I went on it a lot of times.

Day 25 - Tina

I'm catching up on a couple of days...

We started off our day by having breakfast at the Sunriver resort. Then we put our jackets on and went off. Dad said there were two routes. One was scenery and longer and the other was no scenery and shorter. I said scenery ment more trees so I picked the shorter route. Next stop we stopped at a gas station. It was hot so we took off our jackets. Then we stopped at a gas station and it was still hot. We got a drink and a bite to eat. Then we rode for a bit longer and stopped at another gas station to get a drink. It was boiling hot! It must've been 122!

When we got to the hotel I was relieved, but unfortunately the pool was cloudy and didn't look good so we didn't swim in it. Then we went to Golds gym to go swimming. The pool was better there. We went swimming for awhile and then we had dinner from Bonefish and went to bed.

Today we got up and listened to stories on the iPod for awhile and then had lunch at PF Changs. Then we went to the Discovery Museum. They had a lot of weird things there. After that we went and walked to the library, which had a bookstore in it. Me and Tony each bought a book. Then we drove home in the car that dad had rented for us and we went to the movies. We had dinner there. We watched the movie Buck which was about a person that trained horses in a more friendly way. We went to our hotel, went swimming, and went to bed.

Day 25 - Tony

I went out on a jog with Mom. It was very, very hot. Then we went to the Discovery museum. It was great! Then we went to the movies and watched Buck which was about a ranch guy/cowboy. Then I went to the hotel and went swimming. It was great! Then we went to our room and went to bed.

Day 25-Marco

Fun day in Boise.  Spend the afternoon at the Discovery Museum and then dinner and a flic at Flicks.  We saw Buck, the Horse Whisperer.  Tina said she never saw him whisper to a horse in the whole movie.  So much for truth in advertising!  The kids went for an evening swim and in general had a wonderful down day.  The rest of the ride (starts on Wednesday) is full of long days and long distances, but some great visits.  I could go on forever, but think I would be alone.

At the Discovery Museum

Tony on the bed of nails- Ripley's ??

Fer checking out the Archimedes screw pump for her next job

Tina blowing the world's largest bubble

Day 24- Marco

See Jennifer's blog below.  Hot is relative.  If my relative is hot (Jennifer), I am hot.  Of course, the sun's surface was a little hotter than the desert on today's ride, but only by a few degrees Kelvin.  My on-board thermometer said 115F but it is notoriously wrong.  (Perhaps it was actually accurate today.)  Think turkey on Thanksgiving in a convection oven and you've got the picture.

But really folks...the ride was beautiful (don't you love the way I find nearly every ride beautiful).  The rocks and lava formations and the colors in the dry heat were truly amazing.  The kids did fantastic; real hard core riders now.  The drive was a little boring at times.  Straight roads hoping to over take a truck so the passing would add some excitement.  The bikes are running well, but I will blog some engineering deficiencies at some point.  The price you pay to ride a Harley!!

Day 24 - Jennifer

Wow was it hot today! This was the hottest ride that I've ever done. Hotter than Vegas or Laughlin. It felt like it must've been 120! When we arrived in Boise at 6:30 it was 103, so I'm sure it was way hotter than that mid day. Tina and Tony held up really well, but were definitely ready to go swimming when we got to the hotel.

It was also our longest ride - from Sunriver just south of Bend, OR to Boise - over 300 miles. We asked the kids this morning it they wanted to go the northern scenic route or the southern not so scenic, one hour shorter route. Tina said scenic just means more trees and I'm sick of trees. Tony was all about the hour shorter - forget scenery. Shorter it was and also straight, boring, and boiling hot. Our toughest ride so far.

One thing that I don't care for so much about my bike is that it is hotter than my old FXR. On the Fat Boy you sit directly over the engine instead of a little behind it. Plus, I think one of the ways they've made it lower (I have a Fat Boy Low, specifically designed for short people like me), is to eliminate or reduce the padding in the seat so not only does your butt get sore faster, but you are even closer to the engine. Most of the time being close to the engine isn't a problem, but when it's hot out, it's really unpleasant to say the least.

Another big difference between this bike and my old bike is that I have to ride this one much more aggressively. I used to be able to easily pass with out having to downshift, or to only have to downshift one gear. When passing on this bike I always have to downshift, and frequently downshift two gears. Guess I need to have a little engine work done to get it dialed in right...

Lunch at Fort Stinking Desert

Day 23-Tina

We started off sleeping and then ended up sleeping...dad, don't write that!!  On our river trip, we stopped at a place with a lot of rocks and a rope swing.  Dad said I couldn't go off the rope swing (dads are pretty safety conscious-Marco), so instead I jumped off a big rock into the water- Splash!  The water was so cold that I froze my patuttie. Then I jumped again.  It was really fun but the water was still cold.  Then we finished the kayak trip on the river.  Tony, Mom and I made a train of our kayaks.  When we got back to the hotel, we had dinner and went swimming.  We saw the deer again, a mom and 2 fawns.  Then we went to bed, as I said above.  Good night!!

Tina ready for the Dechutes- sorry, no rapids

Day 23- Tony

I woke up this morning in a bad mood.  Then we had breakfast and went kayaking.  It was really fun because I got to pull Tina and mom.  Then we stopped in the river so that Tina could jump off a very high rock.  Then we got to the take-out spot and took a bus back to the hotel.  We ate dinner in the lodge and then went to the pool.  I stayed in the hot tub and then went to the room and went to bed early.

Last night we had dinner with Nina and her family.  We went to their pool.  The food was great. We had a wonderful time.

Day 23 - Marco

Rocky start to the day, everyone slept in, floated the Deschutes in the afternoon.  Harmony is hard to find today.  Big ride tomorrow.  Going all the way to Boise, longest ride of the trip.  Hope moods improve. Check out the videos. 

Day 22-Marco

I guess today is the first day of the trek homeward.  We changed plans a little to accommodated a number of issues.  One of them is a realization (after three weeks of travel) that one long ride if followed by a day of rest is much better than two short rides back to back.  So today we left mom's in Medford and headed to Bend for two days at Sun River Resort. (Spent some party week-ends here with friends 20+ years ago.  I hope the sheriff has forgotten).  We took the back roads, stopped for lunch at Crater Lake and arrived at the resort around 5:30.  Todd and Laura had us over for a wonderful dinner.  I'll let Tony complete his review, but he said that Todd and Laura's was a 5 star!  Tina, Tony and Nina (Todd and Laura's 11 year old baseball star) went swimming.  Fer is planning our day of activities for tomorrow and it sounds like activities will include bicycle riding (seems odd-we have ridden about 3000 miles on the motorcycles), kayaking and more eating. 

Tina and Tiny say good-bye to Granny

The Aietas visit Crater Lake

Tina and Nolan on the West Rim Ride

Day 21- Marco

Had a great day visiting with mom and Marisa.  We toured Jacksonville and had a great lunch at the Jacksonville Inn- thanks Coulton!  Mom made gnocchis for dinner (even gluten free for Tony and Fer) and we had a pleasant evening together.  The kids went swimming and back to the hotel for a late lights out.  Seems the days are a lot fuller than we planned, and the kids are finding less time to blog than we hoped.  Tony has some more restaurant reviews he would like to post.

Lunch at the Jacksonville Inn on the patio with Granny and Marisa

Gnocchis for dinner- the dog likes them too!! (with Lauren)

Cards and games on the floor after dinner

I must say that spending all day everyday with Tina and Tony is an incredible learning experience, not just about who they are but how they see the world.  They are so special and we are so lucky to have this time.

Day 20- Marco

OK, friends.  This is a participatory blog.  How about some comments.  I am especially interested in who is following from India, Iraq, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy and the UK.  Please let us know what you think, who you are and what you would like to hear about.  We are in the final 10 days; Fer is threatening a blitz back home.

Day 20- Jennifer

At breakfast this morning, we started talking about all of the things that we’d learned on our trip. One thing that we all had in common was that it was hard to sleep in beds other than our own.  Hotel beds were uncomfortable and were unfamiliar; the rooms were hot; people were noisy. Here are the lists that we all came up with…

Tina

·         Hotel beds are not as comfortable as my bed

·         I don’t sleep as well in other beds

·         Other bedrooms are really hot

·         I slept the best a Ken and Mimi’s

·         I need to stretch during the day

·         We’ve been in a lot of old fashioned places

Tony

·         Some restaurants suck

·         I like to try new foods on this trip

·         It’s hard to stay on my diet

·         All Dad’s  retired friends have very cool houses

·         Sleeping with Dad is hard because he snores

Jennifer

·         It’s hard to stay on a routine

·         It’s easy to go off my diet

·         I don’t sleep well changing beds every day

·         I’ve seen enough hotels and restaurants for the rest of my life

·         Riding every day is tough

·         Pictures in brochures and on the internet for hotels and restaurants are marketing tools and not necessarily what they are really like (duh!)

·         People are interesting every where you go and everyone has a story

·         It’s more fun to ride empty back roads than busy freeways – it’s also more fun to ride busy back roads than empty freeways

·         Montana has been the most beautiful so far

·         Idaho had the most property for sale and vacant towns

Marco

·         Sleeping with Tina and Tony is more difficult than sleeping with Jennifer

·         There are really bad drivers everywhere

·         A job is just a job

Day 20-Tina

We started off this morning by going to breakfast at the Original Pancake House, which was not really the original pancake house. At breakfast, mom and all the rest of us came up with a list of things that we all learned on our trip so far.  Then we started off again, rode for a while, and then stopped to see a hotel that Granny used to own (the Prospect Hotel).

Tony in front of the Historic Prospect Hotel

Tony and Fer resting on the porch of the Prospect Hotel

Tina likes the porch swing and wants to take it home

Mom cooking for the clan- loved that banana cream pie!

Day 19-Marco

Truly, a down day.  Everyone slept late, including me, which is very unusual.  I guess the rain travel is more tiring than we thought.  Went to REI to find the kids new rain suits even though the weather has turned and there is no rain in the forecast.  We scored some great stuff for them, so I guess that means we will have to do this again.  Lunch was at Anthony's fish house, which tickled Tony to no end.  The kids played at the Old Mill Park, while Fer and I had coffee.  A pleasant afternoon.  Evening was spent swimming and then early to bed.  Off to Medford to visit mom and family tomorrow.

Tony and Nolan playing on the banks of the Dechutes River

Anthony at Anthony's- expect a review of this 4 star

Tina at play in the Old Mill Park

Day 18-Marco

A day of vast contrasts.  The morning was beautiful, sunny with some clouds.  As promised, I took Tina and Tony to the beach early to play before we headed off to Bend.  Packed and went to breakfast at Cafe Stephanie (again) and headed east. 

The skies turned ominous soon after we left Newport and the rain fell off and on all day.  The ride through the Willamette National Forest was magical.  The road was full of twist and turns and no traffic.  We must have ridden 20 miles without seeing a single other vehicle.  Dancing with the turns, smells of nature and pine, one with the road.  Both Fer and I had the same experience and we talked about it at the next stop. 

Some practical hassles- the kids rain suits are shredded, so that means we can't have any more rain.  Rainex works, but only when we apply it.  Fer and my rain suits work, but only when we wear them.  Dinner was pizza and a movie in the room, down day tomorrow, maybe fishing and bowling- yipee!

Tina and Tony on the beach- temp in the low 50sF

Tina with star fish from low-tide corral reef- clearly an illegal catch, which she returned

Day 17 - Marco

Change of plans today.  We have enjoyed the Oregon rain about as much as we can.  Heading inland, to Bend for a couple of days and then to Medford.  We will stop by the Prospect Hotel, which my mom and sister owned at one time.  It looks like it may have regained some former glory from the halcyon days of the early motor coach.  Check it out on the web (Prospecthotel.com) and we will give a personal report when we get there.

Day 17 - Tina

We started off the day by going to Stephanie's Cafe for breakfast and I had a cinnamon roll that was bigger than my head! Then we went to the aquarium and saw some sea otters and seals and sharks. After the aquarium we went to the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. It was pretty cool because there was a lot of strange things there like a two headed snake, and a unicorn man who had a horn growing out of his head. At the end there was a big gift shop and in it was a stuffed animal cow with two heads.

After the museum it started to get a little cloudy so we went back to the hotel and everyone took a nice long nap. After the nap we went back to Panache and had dinner. The food was good, again. We saw a beautiful sunset out the window of the restaurant. Then we went home and went to bed.

Some sea life at the aquarium

Fer at Ripley's- "Just like when we were kids!!"

Beautiful sunset after dinner- a picture does not do it justice

Day 16 - Tony

Today started out with us in our rain gear and then we rode until we got to the hotel. Then I took a nap while Tina went to the beach. Then we went to dinner. It was amazing because they sat us down very quickly then our food came very fast and it tasted great. Then we kind of got to see the sunset, sort of, because we had a great view but it was cloudy. I went to the bathroom and it was very good quality.

Now for the details...the bathroom was cool because it had a a crane and models of old fashioned cars. The food was very fancy and filling. I had the bacon chowder and the clam steamers. For dessert I had a lemon napoleon something or other. I think the food quality is definitely better than most restaurants and the food comes a lot faster than most restaurants. The business is much better because the food is so good and it gets to your table very quicly.

The server was very nice and she showed us some boat tours and other things that could help us on our trip.

I think you should go to this restaurant. www.panachenewport.com
It is one of my all time favorites.

Day 16 - Jennifer

We arrived in Newport, OR a couple of hours ago after a wet ride down from Portland. We are staying right on the beach and have a beautiful view of the ocean from our hotel room.

Tina was anxious to go swimming as soon as we arrived so I went down to the beach with her and froze to death while she played in the water. I'm not sure how come she didn't turn into an icicle. I'm now thawing out in front of the fire while Marco does the second beach shift.

Icicle Tina at the beach....brrrr!

I think we are going to take in some sights around town tomorrow, weather permitting. I've got my eye on the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum. Not sure how much enthusiasm there is around that specific activity - I might be going by myself ;o)

I looked at the odometer right before we stopped today, and we have come about 2100 miles. About half way in terms of miles and time. Anderson Island was as far north and west as we planned to go, but was not quite the halfway point. This also means only one more time to do laundry before we get home. Yeah!

Packing for the trip was a bit of a challenge. Four people, variable weather, and not much room on the bikes. We can go about a week before we run out of clean clothes and either have to wash stuff or only stand down wind of people.

We've got pretty good system down. Marco found inserts that go inside of the saddle bags. The inserts are easy to take out and bring into the hotel room. Kind of like small, soft sided suitcaess. We packed everything sorted by person and clothes type in ziploc bags that go into either the bags on the back or the saddle bag inerts. Makes it really easy to find whatever you're looking for.

One other thing on the stuff that we brought...electronics. An entire bag full of chargers for 2 computers, 2 iPads, 2 iPods, 2 cell phones, 2 cameras, 2 MP3 players,  1 Verizon 5-spot internet access WI-FI Port and a partridge and a pear tree!

Day 16- Marco

Day of dread.  The weather report looked bad and I was anticipating the worst.  Instead, I learned something about riding.  It can be fun, even in the rain.  We opted for the back roads instead of the quick freeway route.  After driving around Seattle a couple of days ago and around Portland yesterday, avoiding the freeways was a top priority for both Fer and me.  We all had our rain suits on and needed them for part of the ride.  But when it wasn't raining, the sky was incredible, with multi-shaped clouds, breaks of blue sky and occasional sun.  And the smells of the Oregon forests near the coast were just fantastic.  All in all, perhaps one of the best riding days I have had.  Hotel is great with some of the most fantastic ocean views.  The Oregon coast is just as you would imagine it; misty, fog in spots, some cloud cover and wide expanses of open beach.

View from our room's balcony

Day 15- Marco

A day of contrasts.  We left Ken and Mimi's with overcast conditions and a melancholy spirit.  We had such a wonderful visit, but too short.  The buffet syndrome.  We stopped for coffees after the ferry ride and when we left, the skies were clearing.  Rode fast and hard to Portland, stopped at Salty's (one of my long standing favorites) for lunch in full sun.  Arrived at our hotel, and put the kids down for a 2 hour nap.  They needed it.



Bye to Ken and Mimi and Rusty.  Rusty was very sad to see the twins leave.



Bald Eagle and Nolan, shot from the ferry



The evening was spent at Greg and Diane's beautiful home and a party with friends and colleagues that I have known for more than 20 years.  (Ken, Mark sort of remembered the cork trick, and with Jennifer's coaching, was able to perform it to the merriment of all in attendance!)  It was so great to catch up, and I feel very fortunate to know these wonderful families and count them as friends.  Much thanks to our gracious host and hostess.  Greg, I know we only got through the Oregon Pinots, but I won't forget the promise to return when you hit Italy!



You can teach old dogs new tricks!

Group shot around the fire pit

Day 14- Marco..... Happy Birthday, Mom!

Hard to start...what a wonderful day.  Mimi fed us breakfast until everyone was in a food coma.  Ken and I went out at very low tide to set the crab pots and had quite an adventure.  Watch on the Discovery Channel- The Worlds Toughest Jobs!  We got one of the lines caught in the propeller and through skill, quick thinking and a lot of luck, we were able to recover the crab pot after it was severed from its float.  This afternoon we went back out at high tide to recover our crabs- not a great catch, but enough to pair with some steaks for dinner.  Weather was not great, but the company was fantastic.  Ken and Mimi's daughter, Doris came over and we had a nice visit, talked about old times and friends and in general relaxed and reminisced.  Tomorrow, off to Portland.



Tony, Ken and Mimi and the first catch of the day



Tina and star fish

  

Ken and his crab boat





Ken and his real boat



Day 14- Tony

Today I got up and played solitary and a puzzle game on mom's Ipad.  Then I went on a walk with  Tina, Doris (Mimi's daughter) and Meagn, her dog.  We walked on the seashore.  We saw a deer and a blue heron.  Then we went to look in the crab pots to see if we had any crabs.  We caught 2 dungeness and 4 reds.  We went back to the house and I took a nap before dinner, because I was tired and felt like I didn't have enough to eat today.

Doris and Tina on our seashore hike