Day One - Ride to Las Vegas- Olympia, WA to Roseburg Oregon

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Peter Galea arrived at my home in Olympia, Washington from Vancouver, British Columbia on Thursday, June 3rd, 2010, having gone almost 200 miles for this segment of his ride.

On Friday morning June 4th, we departed Olympia on the beginning of our 'Ride to Infocomm' Circa 2010.  This is our 3rd ride to Las Vegas for Infocomm.  We also made the trip to Los Angeles for Infocomm several years ago.

We decided to take each day as it came with no destination in mind.  Our first goal; to arrive back home safe was always on our minds and took precedence in every decision we made.

As we left Olympia, the skies to the south looked like rain.  We've ridden in every type of weather, so we were prepared.  However, as is often the case when riding motorcycles; you get caught by sudden weather changes.  About 50 miles into our ride; just south of Chehalis, Washington we ran directly into about a 15 minute rain shower.  Had we stopped immediately and gotten off the road, it would have been over in minutes.  Instead we kept riding for some time in the rain.  With many big trucks on this route, we soon became very wet, but not from the rain.  It was mostly from the big splash of water caused by the trucks as they moved at 60 mph down the highway.

Peter was in blue jeans and he got soaked quickly.  I had my leather chaps on and Joe Rocket jacket, so I fared much better.

We got off the highway in Longview, WA and went into a McDonald's to dry off.  Peter was dry in about 15 minutes. We had some coffee and headed back to I-5 to continue the trip.  We could see rainclouds all along the way as we decided to stop in Roseburg, Oregon.  Miles Olympia to Roseburg = 292 miles.

We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.  It's awesome.  The entire back of the hotel fronts the Umpqua River and they have oriented the hotel to face that way vs. the street.  It's beautiful and very quiet.  We stayed at this same hotel 5 years ago on our first ride to Infocomm.  Incredibly, they gave us the exact same room.  The photo below is of the back side of the hotel which faces the river.

Ride to Las Vegas begins tomorrow (Friday), June 4. 2010.

The picture is Peter Galea, his wife Francis, and I just prior to departing for Las Vegas Infocomm in 2008.

Francis is not riding with us this time.  Peter will arrive from Vancouver, BC late this afternoon to my house in Olympia, Washington.  We'll leave at the crack of dawn on Friday.

Initially we'll ride down Interstate 5 from Olympia to somewhere in Northern California.  There is a town called Weed, California, about 10 miles north of the road we'll use to cut over to Reno, Nevada.  This road goes thru the Mt. Shasta Nat'l Forest, and is one of the most beautiful parts of the ride.  Second day, we'll make it as close to Vegas as we can.  We've learned from our previous two experiences riding to Las Vegas, that you need to do everything possible to arrive prior to the heat of the mid day.  It was 126 degrees on my motorcycle's thermometer as we pulled into Vegas last time.....don't ever want to experience that again.

I have a vented Kevlar jacket for the final stretch into Vegas.  I'll probably wear a vented t-shirt under that.  My helmet is white (helps keep it cool also).   I always ride with the proper protective clothing, so the final miles in Nevada are just plain HOT...no matter what you do to make it better.

I have been using one of those back-packs with the built in drinking hose, so you can always have water at your immediate disposal.  I'm going to wear it under my leathers in hopes it will also help me stay cool in the final part of the ride.

This will be the fourth time we've ridden to Infocomm. Third time to Las Vegas, and one time to Orange County.  We also rode to Calgary one year.

If you live along the route and wish to join us, please let me know asap.

Ride safe brothers and sisters!

Getting ready for our Third "Ride to Infocomm" in Las Vegas!

Next weekend Peter Galea and I will begin our annual 'Ride to Infocomm'.  This year it's in Las Vegas again.  We've done this ride twice before.

I'll be trying to post updates on the ride, as I did before. (see the link above).

Why don't you join us - anywhere along the way?

See you along the way.

New Member Mauricio from Mexico - Motorcycles for Mexico from Carabela.com.mx

Robert:

Thanks for the invitation.

I own a company that distributes Motorcycles in Mexico. We import from China and sell all over the country.

Check our Web site www.carabela.com.mx

Very glad to join the motorcycle group!!!

Best regards,

Mauricio

New Member Farooq from London sends his Kawasaki photos..Welcome to the WMA!

Farooq;

Welcome to the Worldwide Motorcycle Association!

Hi Robert

Picture of the bike (attached) as requested, picture of me is available on linkedin profile, I’ll send you one of me and the bike together when I get a chance!!

Kind Regards

Farooq Mohammed

Super Customized Honda Ruckus Scooters in Portland, Oregon

While walking in Downtown Portland, Oregon last weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to see these two Honda Ruckus' pull up and park next to where I was already headed.  I had a chance to chat with the two riders for a moment.  These were both the 49cc version of the Ruckus.  That's not much umph!  I know, we had a couple of 49cc Honda scooters back in the 80's.  However, for cruising around an urban landscape; this seems like the perfect solution.  And....I thought they were super cool.  It made me think back toward the old 'Mods' and 'Rocker's days of Britain in the early 60's, when some rode scooters - Mods - and others rode choppers - Rockers.  Anyway; here they are:

WMA Member - Keith Sawka's Triumph....

Member Keith Sawka spends plenty of time keeping his Triumph looking sharp!  Here's the latest look of Keith's ride!

Please consider sending a photo of your bike or any other bike related photo.  We love photos of your group out for a ride and even better; we like ride stories to accompany the pics.

Ride Safe!

Welcome new members! We're growing steadily now - over 500 members!

What is your favorite ride?  For me, its all about being away from the crowds.  I will take any backroad vs. the main highway every time; unless speed to my destination is the primary need.

Above is a photo of my wife next to our current bike on the road to Mount Rainier in Washington State.  If you'd like a bigger view, just click on the photo.  This road is an awesome ride, as it is fairly uncluttered except at the height of the tourism season in August.

You can approach Mt. Rainier and the park that services the mountain from many directions.

From Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Oregon, Olympia (where we live), or from the east (Yakima) it is a series of secondary roads off of I-5 and then the last portion inside the park.  You need to be ready for temperature changes.  The summit of Mt. Rainier is 14,400 ft, so it can be much colder as you ride up to Paradise (the lodge and parking at the peak of motor vehicle accessibility).

There may easily be deer and/or elk along the way, so its a good idea to keep your eyes focused on the road and the points of entry for animals from either side.  You will likely see eagles, hawks, and many great birds along the way also.

Several rivers have their beginnings from Mt. Rainier.  You will see this as you sometimes crisscross over these 'new' rivers while driving up the mountain.  Waterfalls will surround you several times on both sides of the road as you get closer to the top.

It is one of the most beautiful rides that a person could take anywhere in the world.  I encourage you all to come and make this ride as soon as you can.

There are also many great eating spots along this route.  We are very fond of the hot dog stand in Elbe, Washington at the crossroads of two highways.

You can learn about the area surround Mt. Rainier by going to this website:

http://mytinyurl.net/d0487d

I'd love to hear one of your favorite ride stories that we can share with members from around the world!  Please send any story or photos to:  rjgrawet@msn.com

We did it! 500 Members in the Worldwide Motorcycle Association!

Welcome to Eric Searing, WMA member #500!  We are an organization of 500 members that are truly from around the entire world. There are members from all the continents of the world except the Arctic and the Antarctic.  We're on to great things!

Unveiling Our New Logo!