Portland, finally
The weather finally cooperated enough for me to get to Portland. Warchild on the FJR Forum put together a discounted group buy of some awesome suspension components through GP Suspensions, a well-known suspension supplier in Portland. I put a down payment on my parts last December, and have been waiting for the weather and my work schedule to clear up enough to make the trip. Saturday was that day.
I left about 11:45am, heading for Willows - about 80 miles north of Sacramento. Justin rode with me until Gorman, where we shook hands and parted ways. I haven't been on a long ride for a few months, so it was kind of a long slog up I-5, but I made it in good enough time. The Motel 6 in Willows was nice enough.
Sunday morning I had a huge breakfast at the Black Bear Diner across the street from the motel, and headed north with no surprises. The motel was pretty nice, as Motel 6's go.
Monday morning I headed out to the GP Suspensions shop in Oregon City, about 8 miles east of the motel. I did not put on my rain gear, and wound up getting a little wet along the way.
Dave checked me in, and the guys got started on the front fork. I went across the street for breakfast, and read my book for an hour or so. When I got back, they were finishing up the front, and decided to wait for a late lunch and install the rear shock.
All in all, a classy operation. I highly recommend them.
Monday night I drove over to my sister's old apartment, and snapped some pictures for her. On the way back to the motel, I stopped and ate too much at Big Reds. The strawberry lemonade was fresh.
Tuesday morning dawned cold and wet. I put on my full set of gear - Widders, rain jacket and pants, the whole deal. I made good time to Medford, where I stopped for gas. It was so cold, I even dug out the cords to the Widder gloves for the trip over Siskiyou Pass.
The Pass was colder and wetter, but thankfully had no ice or snow. I did wind up using the truck lane with my flashers going, just in case.
Tuesday night was in Williams - I'd stayed there on the way back from Banff last August. On Wednesday morning, I took an Imitrex for a bad migraine, and felt a lot better after it took hold. I made excellent time back home, and was most thankful for my V1.