Salem Oregon

Once the rally was over I wanted to hang out for a couple of days before I headed out to Republic to the rally. Dick and Gerry Carson came to my rescue and treated me royally while I was there. A bed to sleep in. Laundry done. Guided motorcycle tours. Visits with friends. Can't ask for much more. They took me up to Ollie and May Jane's house. What a beautiful place they have and Ollie's garden is beautiful and he has a special room over a garage or shed with lots of antique memorabilia. He calls it his dog house. Sunday we had dinner and they invited over a fellow rider Don and then we all went and had coffee at Arby's that evening.

This is Ollie's around town vehicle

The following day we got up had breakfast and headed about 35 miles west of Salem to a casino so Dick and Gerry could get their free cheese. Then we stopped in McMinnville at Wendy's and had a lovely lunch before proceeding to the museum. I did not pay to go in but took all these following pictures and saw almost everything while I was there. And of course The Spruce Goose.

 

Dick and Gerry at the casino

The grounds at the casino are absolutely stunning

 

This is a statue dedicated to the son of the man who started this museum just outside the main entrance.

I liked this shuttle used to take people around the different outside exhibits.

This is the waterslide connected to the museum. Very unique. I just want to know who landed that plane up there.

The Spruce Goose. The heart of the museum.

Nice Ural bike and sidecar in the museum.

Biplane in the museum

Outside

 

Just a beautiful display and a beautiful day

Then as I was leaving I noticed this archway to a park in the vicinity.

Yes Boy Scouts of America. We had a nice ride back and had a lovely dinner at home again and then went to coffee again. The next morning I packed up and headed out. Thank you to my friends for such a nice respite. Next episode will be heading to Republic Washington.

City Hall in Salem. Pretty impressive.

Fountain across the street.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BMW National Rally Salem Oregon 2013

The next morning I got up early and packed up to get to Salem at a decent hour. Arrived at the fairgrounds around 2 and was greeted by one of my favorite BMW people. Scotty. I got checked and proceeded to look around for a suitable spot to put up my tent. I swear every inch of space seemed to be occupied. This is where I finally got settled and not too mindful of where the bathrooms were.

5,178 registered for the rally and space was at a premium. I found myself camped next to Bob Leninger and his brother Charlie and Paul Chute. They were at the Lunatic Fringe and because I new them I felt at ease. I did not put the tent up right away but laid it out with my gear on top to protect the spot. It was just too hot to do anything. I then checked in with one of the vendors and set up an appointment for the next day to get a new front tire. It was not long after that I bumped into John and Shirli from St Albert. We had dinner with one of the vendors on site 10.00 for ribs and got a good portion and it was very good. Just kind of wandered around and got the layout of the place. Bumping into good friends old and new.

 

The next morning my bike getting it's new front tire

The National is always a busy place but still one manages to meet all the ones you know that are there sooner or later.

BMW bikes are everywhere with a few other brands scattered intermittently among them. There are lots of different seminars to attend and lots of booths set up to buy things and lots of friends to visit with. It is somewhat overwhelming.

I purchased this new Olympia jacket. I said it makes me look 10 years younger and 20 lbs lighter so I just had to have it.

Not a great picture because of the lighting but I went to this young ladies seminar and she was great.

Her name is Benka Pulko and she is from Slovenia and has ridden on all seven continents. Her trip was phenominal and took 5 1/2 years and I found myself crying when she finished. I bought her book but it was big and heavy so sent it home with John and Shirli so have not had time to peruse it yet.

The honey buckets so called. Always a part of every rally and I circled this particular bunch several times when I volunteered on the shuttle for several hours. Truck pulling a trailer with hay bales.

One of the many unique bikes. This one and the following were in the show and shine and I must say mine won a medal. Pretty awesome huh? I was the only one in my class entered in the show.

Best Rat bike. Phil Funnell

 

 

This was at the airhead section and seems to have some homemade add ons.

Yours truly with her bike and medal

Voni Glaves and I at Ardys Kellerman's memorial.

A pretty classy bike in the vintage display in the registration building.The next evening I had the salmon steak for dinner and it was very good also. I must say the food vendors were good and very reasonably priced. In my wanderings I did find a few more of the people I was looking for. Trust Turk to find the best place in the garden by the fountain.

This is Bruce and Jack

Tim and Dennis

Turk and Steve.

Looking back through the food vendors toward the Pavilion where the closing ceremonies were held. I did not win any big prizes or and motorcycles despite all my tickets. Anyway as is usual all good things have to come to an end. So John Shirli and I headed downtown to Next to Home for dinner and again it was very good and then John dropped me off back at the rally site as they were heading out early in the morning and were staying at The Shilo Inn.

The next morning I met De and Byron and headed across the street for a 2.25 dollar breakfast. Ham and eggs and toast. A lot of the rally goers were there and it was delightful to see a few more familiar faces. Then back and packed up. I called Dick and Jerry Carson who live in Salem to leave a message so they would call me when they arrived home from Medicine Hat and they were already home so I went to their house and stayed and had a delightful visit which I will expound on in my next episode.

 

 

 

 

 

Sprague Washington

So not wanting to miss any of the excitement of the BMW National in Salem Oregon I chose to leave the UMCI International in Medicine Hat and head out. I got away just after 8 and took Highway 3 across. My first stop was Fleet Brake in Lethbridge for a free coffee and conversation. Then west again to Yak where I crossed the border. Unfortunately I ended up going through Spokane on Highway 2. I do not know how to go around Spokane although when I got to Newport I think I could have hit I90 between Cour d'Alene and Spokane and then stayed on the Interstate but I am not sure. So as a result once I reached I 90 I headed west out of Spokane. I stopped in Sprague Washington. A little place where I had fueled up once before. So I stayed at the Sprague Motel as it was reasonable and clean and then went for dinner at a local diner. Took a few pictures and then slept so I could reach Salem at a reasonable time the next day.

This is the wall in the restaurant and mentions the Truck Rescue that is undertaken in Sprague.

The buildings are very old and quaint

 

And this lovely old church

Next on to Salem

 

 

 

 

UMCI International Rally Medicine Hat Alberta 2013

I left the Beaupre Community Hall west of Cochrane late on Sunday morning and took Stoney Trail around Calgary and arrived in Medicine Hat around 3 and there were already quite a few there. I found a nice spot and proceeded to pitch my tent.

More and more arrived and I finally slipped downtown to have dinner at the ABC restaurant. It really was not all that good but it did fill a void. What a gorgeous campground and to skip ahead a bit. I left on Wednesday morning early to head for Salem and I was told later that night that they had a tremendous rainstorm and thunder and lightning and that lightning even hit a tree in the campground and the next day they had to call animal control to remove a rattlesnake from just about where my tent was pitched. Thank God. Because I was going to miss a bit of the rally I chose to go on the rides Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday morning a group of ladies were supplying breakfast for 7.00 but what problems they had when all the breakers in the cook shack were blown but with much running around they finally got the pancakes and sausages cooked. Then about 13 bikes took off for Elkwater.

Lined up at the gate ready to go.

We had lunch at the little spot in Elkwater and then we went a couple of places I had never been.

An overlook of Reesor's Lake and then to Horseshoe Canyon. Here one is at the same altitude as Banff.

This is the visitors centre and this mural is made with bricks by a local artist.

 

Boardwalk and Lake at Elkwater

Reesor's Lake down in the valley

An Island in the Ice

 

Rode back to the campground and there was a legion shuttle bus which took us over to the hall where the beer garden and supper were provided for us for 7.00. This night we had burgers and salads. It was very good. The next day I signed up for the ride to Dinosaur Provincial Park and paid 15.00 for the bus tour of the park. So glad I did as I saw part of the park one is not allowed into on a self guided tour. Our bus driver/interpreter was very good and it was well worth the trip.

31 bikes went on this trip. This is in the parking lot at Dinosaur Provincial Park. North of Brooks.

Tony Neilsen, Barry Pratt, Ted Malcolm

Hoodoos

Strange Rocks

Our interpreter

Weird formations

A full dinosaur skeleton was excavated from this very spot.

This is the skeleton. It remains as it was excavated on sight in a beautiful building to keep it safe from the elements. There were over 500 complete dinosaur skeletons excavated in Dinosaur Provincial Park and it has been declared a Unesco World Heritage sight.

This is a Joyasaurus and our interpreter is explaining how one would preserve and remove this skeleton.

It would be cast in plaster and then lifted by this block and tackle and placed on a truck and taken to a place where it could be carefully worked on.

One last view of this beautiful place before the bus tour was over. Why is it called the badlands? No water, No food, A very inhospitable place where the early pioneers chose not to live.

 

We then descended on the Patricia Hotel for lunch where we had to cook our own steak or burger on the grill. That way no complaints as to the doneness.

Patricia is a big place. We took up most of main street.

 Back at the campround..poor Kevin who wanted to come on the ride found to his chagrin that he had a flat front tire. He had just had both tires replaced in Cranbrook and they had not installed a new valve stem and this was the result but as with all things involving motorcycles and men. He had lots of advice.

That night we again descended on the hall and were served smoked Mennonite sausage and potato chips. We put our tickets in for door prizes. I read a little poem about a GPS and Dan presented me with a moose riding a motorcycle ornament and the motorcycle even had Medicine Hat stamped on it.

Good memories.

The next morning I left fairly early. The breakfast went better this morning and then I headed out. I reached Sprague Washington that evening but I will save that for my next episode.