bigleftitrips2025.blogspot.com

Today is their first day of school but I've already forgotten what today actually is.

It's Thursday the 28th of August and I'm starting to work my way back home after a couple of more stops. Time to say my goodbyes to Melissa and Steffen and the kids.

Bev wasn't aware that Steffen and I had already gone out for breakfast and she was cooking up a pile of bacon.

I stopped by my granddaughters to drop off the helmet she used to wear when she first started riding with me. I took this picture of her brand new bicycle.

I wanted a picture of it turning 160,000 miles but there were no safe places to pull over until now, which was about fifty feet farther than I wanted to be. Oh well, probably still better to be alive.

This tire store belongs to my friend Doug's brother.

It is a beautiful morning for a ride, nice and cool.

4.1 miles waters edge to waters edge across this bridge.

The raised portions are over the dredged channels of the river.

Any ship in this low area of the bridge will run aground long before he can hit the bridge.

The big ones are cargo ships, the little ones are sport fishing boats here for the salmon run.

not a very good picture, but I left it in to show how most of the boats are elbo room only.

While I didn't get a picture, I did see a few fish being netted and brought into the boat.

A pile of oyster shell waiting further processing.

We rode to Westport, WA and had lunch at the Fish Shack

Battered Ling Cod and fries

We both had the same

A nice lady offered to take both of our pictures.

After eating we walked around the docks watching the sport fishing coming in and also heading out.

We bought a couple of dognuts to eat that were as large as the sport fishing boats we were viewing. Good thing I forgot to snap a photo

Cosmopolis

Not sure if thsese White Pelicans are here for the salmon run, or just an annual migration thing.

These elk are just around the corner from Doug and Kathy's new home.

With the price of beef, they may soon adorn the BBQ smoker.

I expected to take a lot of pictures today and I did. However, my little camera is headed south before I am and it has decide to quit focusing automatically. However, a few of them were in focus. This is looking out Doug's back door .

Same door, different direction

and one final direction

A great breakfast at Annies, I mean Arnies today!

Kudos to Doug, he cleaned his plate!

Kathy took this pic. I can't remember if we were just heading to breakfast, or out for the days ride.

The riding here is very scenic and refreshing

When Doug lived here, he planted and then hand watered this entire row of trees. He says the color display in the fall is absolutely spectacular.

It's only August, but it almost seems like the colors are starting to develop already

A couple hundred miles of beautiful roads again today

We stopped at this fish hatchery this morning, but it decided to rain on our parade literally.

Today is Labor Day 2025 and I decided to start finding my way back to AZ.

This is my third time riding this road. I rode it with some family and friends about four or five years ago before it burned in a giant forest fire.

A couple of years ago, Doug and I rode it when the road was actually closed to vehicle traffic. I not sure how we missed that sign, or misinterpreted it.

I'm pretty sure none of you think we did either but it's the truth.

I've always wanted a picture from this spot, today I got several

Since the fire, the underbrush is starting to grow back and they are removing some of the burned timber.

I'll bet this fall is fun in a kayak

I saw a sign warning motorcyclist of a rough road ahead. I had to go about 5 miles, but I found it and a bunch more.

This is what it looked like before the fire

This guy was fishing Breitenbush stream just up from Detroit Reservoir and had caught a nice string of trout.

This little park sits where the stream enters the reservoir.

It's free to, it is Labor Day, and I'm the only one utilizing it.

Are people really glued to their phones that much?

The water flowing here is crystal clear.

It's been a long time since I've seen a two stroke smoke like this! He must be burning some old two stroke oil from 1960

Detroit Reservoir, not quite full but not bad for August

One of the few dams you can still drive over

Looking down on the outlet side of the dam

This guy road his motorcycle across it

I went back and got mine and road it across too.

After the dam, I found a backroad that led me to the town I was born in.

I never eat Chinese, but I did today

I also never order tea, especially hot, but I did today. That was a great bowl of soup. I think it is called egg flower soulp.

Not super fancy, but very nice.

I let her choose what I ordered

Whatever it was, it was delicious

I'm told I was born in the Lebanon Public Library.

I think it was the hospital at the time. That was 76 years ago so from the looks of it I think it may have been remodeled. I haven't been

This is the new hospital

I stopped here thinking they might have an Abba Zabba, They didn't so I got good and plenty instead.

I liked that they moved the road to build a new bridge and kept the old covered bridge as a memory

I followed this guy for about 20 miles on into Springfield. He just ran the speed limit.

This morning after leaving Cottage Grove, I found some very nice twisty roads going east from the 7 feathers casino in Canyonville and ending up in Tiller. This was my first view of Shasta and that was from the south end of the Siskiyous

I got this shot when I stopped for gas in McCloud on Hwy 89

My goal today was to fiew Burney Falls. I have driven by it at least 20 times over the years but have always been too cheap to pay for a 5 minute view. It was worth it today because I got to see a Cyber Truck up close. Well, still not worth it.