Trip to the Coast

I don't know if I've written this statement before but I wish I had discovered the bliss of motorcycle traveling years ago.  Last week I had the privilege of working on the coast for a couple of days.

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I'm still delivering our new catalog.  Here's my first stop on the way to the coast in Grand Ronde with the bike loaded with 10 catalogs plus my gear.

About 15 miles north of Newport on the coast is a famous resort called Salishan Lodge.  This landmark golf resort is usually bustling with people and cars. This time of year they're generally busy with corporate meetings and banquets but as you can see the parking lot is pretty sparse.

Lincoln City and Newport are two large cities on the southern end of Oregon's north coast. I usually make a couple of sales calls in Lincoln City before heading south to Newport, about 20 miles away.

Lunch in Newport was my usual fare of "eating fresh" at Subway.  There were two older guys who had big Harley touring bikes eating lunch here as well.  A third guy who was in line with me also is a Harley owner.  We had a nice brief conversation about motorcycles before he joined the other two guys.  When they left I noticed the leather vests on the first two guys.  It said, "Vietnam Veterans - Newport, OR" I think that's pretty cool to be in that group.

After working most of the afternoon in Newport I usually head back north through Lincoln City for the 60 mile ride to Rockaway Beach where I'll spend the night. This market in Neskowin is about 15 miles north of Lincoln City.  It's in a great spot to grab a soda and maybe a candy bar.  The candy bar is to keep my focus sharp and I only indulge once and awhile. At least that's my theory. If you look closely, this market comes complete with a dog on the porch.

This is "The Ghost Hole".  It's a popular Tillamook Bay fishing spot. The first photo of the post was also taken here.  This is also a popular view-point for the Bay.  The two posts that you see in the water are for mooring a small dock that has portable bathrooms during the fishing season.  Fishermen have been known to drink a beverage that increases bladder activity.

This is Lake Lytle in Rockaway as I left town Friday morning. This is only about 90 miles from downtown Portland yet so different.  Being almost due west of Portland, Rockaway was a popular vacation and weekend get-away spot in the early 1900's. It was Elmer Lytle who promoted the first steam engine train that ran from the western edge of Portland's farmland to Rockaway in 1906.

After making more sales calls in Tillamook I had lunch before the ride through the coastal range back to Portland.  Heading out of town through the dairy farms I stopped to check out some of Tillamook's most prominent citizens.

Evidently it's been quite some time since number 108 has seen a guy wearing a white helmet with a day-glo green jacket.  She came over to get a closer look.

Or maybe she's thinking, "is that a Beemer?"