Days 20 & 21 - not quite the last post (about 1,100 km)

Crescent City to Portland, by the coastal route we had planned to take, meant riding for more than eight and a half hours, not including stops for fuel or food. Taking the US 199 and the I-5, however, would take less than six hours. It was going to be our 20th day on the bikes. We were tired. We took the interstate.

I have no regrets about that decision, boring as the I-5 often is. There was nothing new to see on the 101. I've ridden and driven the route before, and it's fantastic, but after California, it would be just more of the same in Oregon. 

The US 199, however, turned out to be a great ride, with lots of twists and turns, tall trees rising on either side of the road, a steep drop to a river on our right. With the exception of the moments stuck behind timid Harley riders, it was a fantastic start to the day.

The I-5, as I said, is often dull, but it does have the advantage of being fast. We reached Eugene in time for lunch, and Portland in time for dinner. It was hot and muggy, and we were dripping with sweat by the time we checked in and unloaded the bikes.

After quick showers, we headed to Henry's Tavern for dinner. The food was excellent, and the beer even better. Henry's is like Mecca for beer drinkers, with roughly 100 taps devoted to microbrews and ciders from the West Coast. We ended up staying till just after last call, then walked back to the hotel.

The last day of the ride, we exhausted and missing our partners. We chose the I-5 again, reaching the border by half past two. We gassed up the bikes one last time in Blaine, then shook hands and went our separate ways. Colin wanted to re-enter at the Truck Crossing. It was closer for me to use Peace Arch.

I was a little sad the trip had to end, but everything does. And I was, at the same time, happy to be coming home. After a relatively short, but seemingly interminable wait in the queue, I was waved through with only a few questions.

Between the border and downtown Vancouver, I encountered more driving idiocy than I had in the previous three weeks. There are some things about home I really didn't miss.

Looking back, here are some stats about our ride:

11,000 kilometres ridden

21 days on the bikes

12 states traveled through

10 National Parks visited

4 pairs of sunglasses lost or destroyed

1 iPod lost and replaced

Here is a short video Colin produced of our California ride. As always, we hope you enjoy.