Cascade Country Rendezvous - Republic

The Washington State BMW Riders – MOA #104 – held their annual rally in Republic, WA this year.  You will remember this club has the interesting policy of alternating venues between Menlo WA, near the coast, and Republic, near the Canadian border.

Main Street, and Republic Brewing Company

Walt “Waltusi” Farnlacher and I met on the road in Williams CA, and rode up I-5 to US-97, then on to Republic.  I would not recommend this route to anyone riding north.  There is too much traffic and too many trucks on 97.  We had a limited amount of time getting to the rally, so we couldn’t take a more scenic route on the many back roads through Oregon and Washington.  The return trip however, would be different.




CCR Rally HQ & "Beer Gardens"

  We took two days getting to Republic, and spent the first night at a very nice KOA near Madras OR.  Traffic began to subside north of Okanogan WA, and we finally got off US-97 in Tonasket and headed east on WA-20.  At last, a motorcycle road!  Only 40 miles to Republic, but WA-20 took us along winding creeks and over Wauconda summit, and Thursday afternoon we arrived at the Ferry County Fairgrounds. 



Republic Rally campsite ambiance



Like Menlo, this rally was small, and unique.  The people were friendly, and it wasn’t difficult to make new friends – like "Sylvia" from Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, who soloed her R1200C to the rally.  But the best part is meeting up with old friends - like Gordon from St. George, Utah.  Gordon is a retired farmer originally from Fargo, North Dakota, and has the same speech accent as the characters in the movie of the same name.

Gordon harrassing Walt

   

My first introduction to Gordon was rather incongruous.  Gene Austin and I were attending the 2009 Bear Tooth Rendezvous.  A rider on a brand new RT had just slipped in the wet grass and went down right in front of us.  We lifted the RT off the rider, and got it upright.  The rider stuck out his hand, and we helped him up.  That’s how we met Gordon.







Sampling wares in the Republic Brewery

   We met again at the MOA International last year, and after setting up our campsite in Republic this time, I noticed someone lying spread-eagled next to my tent.  After a few seconds I said, “Gordon”!  He jumped up and stuck out his hand.  I said, “I would have recognized you quicker if you were under an RT”.

Thursday we had dinner at a cute little roadhouse within walking distance from the fairgrounds.  Friday it was breakfast at the same roadhouse before the three of us left on a day trip west to an area known as "Many Lakes".  To me, this was the highlight of the rally.  The back-roads are in good shape, and they all seem to follow a river or creek. 



Day trip north of Nighthawk near Canadian border

 Consequently, there isn’t a lot of straight pavement in this area.  We went out through Tonasket and Loomis to the old ghost town of Nighthawk, within a quarter of a mile from the Canadian border.  We came back through Oroville, Chesaw and Curlew.




The NorCal gang arrives from their Canadian tour.  Lies to follow.

 When we got back we found the Nor Cal group that was touring in Canada had arrived.  So, that evening Walt and I joined our “Gang of Four” - "Downtown" Nick Brown, “Paparazzi Bob” Empasis, Peter “Step-and-a-Half” Oxenbol, and Doug “Buzz” Moore - exchanging quips, lies and belly-laughs.  Joining us in the melee were club members Roger Malone from Reno NV, and Suzanne Ector from Gold Beach OR with some tall tales of their own.


"Sylvia" and Walt compare beers and door prizes



We spent Saturday relaxing and taste-testing beers at the Republic micro-brewery in town.  Back at the fairgrounds, a band played country music, and we sampled some more brews Walt had stashed in his cooler.  While harrassing passers-by, we met up with club members Terry and “El” Burnes.  Terry is a cornucopia of information about places of interest, obscure campgrounds, and ALL the local micro-breweries.



Awaiting the ferry at Keller Landing

 The trip home was much better than on the way up.  The “Gang of Four” left early Sunday and headed east to Idaho and Montana.  Walt and I headed south on WA-21 to the Keller Ferry (free), crossed Lake Roosevelt which lies behind the Grand Coulee dam, and had breakfast in Wilbur WA.   I was following Walt on most of this trip because he had the GPS, and more importantly – the radar detector.  We were on WA-21 between Lind and Kahlotus WA – wheat-growing country: hilly, narrow with no shoulders, and no traffic whatsoever.  The sheriff’s squad car approached us just over the top of a hill, and immediately lit us up.


Crossing Lake Roosevelt on the Keller free ferry



Unlike Oregon, most of the back roads in Washington are 60 or 65 mph limits.  We were in a 55 zone however, and the young deputy said he had us at 71.  So after checking our papers, he let us go with a pleasant, “Be careful”.  Nice kid.

It had finally warmed up, and by the time we reached Clarkston WA, it was 100 degrees.  I wasn’t complaining.  Up to this point, it had been cool (70’s) during the days and downright cold (low 40’s) at night.  We were heading for Joseph OR, and then Hell’s Canyon.  WA-129 from Clarkston to the Oregon state line is a phenomenal motorcycle road.  With very little traffic and virtually no trucks, it crests at Rattlesnake Pass (3965 ft), then winds down into the Grande Ronde canyon on a series of staircase switchbacks where one can see three or four steps ahead, then back up the other side in the same fashion.  We crossed into Oregon on now OR-3 as it winds through the Whitman National Forest with a constant view of the snow-capped Wallowa Mountains in the distance.  



Crossing the Imnaha River on Forest Road 39.



It was getting late, so Walt found the Log House campground in Enterprise OR.  This was a pleasant place with a beautiful view of the Wallowa Mountains, and a group of Canadians camped next to us, eh?  The friendly hostess told us about a good Mexican restaurant in town – El Bajio, and we asked her about national forest road 39 that runs south to the Joseph Canyon lookout and to Hell’s Canyon.  She said the road just opened two weeks ago after extensive damage from heavy rains and runoff, and to watch out for the potholes.  

 


Joseph Canyon overlook on Forest Road 39

So, the next day we headed south on forest road 39.  This road is closed in the winter, and tops out at 5,000 feet at Lonesome Saddle Pass. We stopped at the Joseph Canyon overlook, then went on to Oxbow OR and along the reservoir, across the Hell’s Canyon dam to the visitor’s center below the dam and the end of the road.  It was hot in the canyon, but not unbearably. 



Rafters putting in below the Hell's Canyon dam



After getting some info about rafting in the canyon from the cutie rangerette, we turned around, and headed for John Day OR.  We’ve both been on these roads before - on daytrips from the Chief Joseph Rally – through Halfway, Baker City, and Austin to John Day and US-395.  On the way home, Walt’s Garmin again found a nice campground – the Burns RV Park in Burns OR.

                                                                          

Hell's Canyon from below the dam



We made our final day on the road a bit more interesting by leaving US-395 at Hallelujah Junction, and riding over Beckworth Pass to CA-89, then to Donner Pass road (old US-40).  We stopped at the top near Sugarbowl Ski Park to look at the old railroad tunnels, and admire the work of the Central Pacific's Chinese crews who carved out the tunnels with black powder back in the 1860’s.

After partaking in larger rallies like the ‘49er or Chief Jo, it’s easy to forget that a lot of BMW rallies are much smaller – in the 200 to 300 participation range.  I like these small rallies because the venue can be in a small unique area.  Republic is just that sort of unique area.

It won’t be until 2013 that the Cascade Rendezvous will be in Republic again.  I think it would be worth a return trip.

Tom “Tuco” Harris

July 31, 2011

For more information about the Northern California BMW club, visit:  www.bmwnorcal.org



 

Wood Canoe Rebuild

My brother Bob had an old wood/fabric canoe stored in his barn in Wisconsin for years.  Every time I visited - usually once a year for our annual 4th of July party - I would go in the barn and look at that canoe.  What a sorry sight I thought.  These boats were once very popular at private cabins and resorts in the north woods, before the advent of fiberglass and other modern materials.  Their graceful lines formed by cedar ribs and planks have always impressed me in both form and function.  The design was invented by a fellow named Stephenson around the late 1800's.  Now, except for a few that are lucky enough to be restored by a handful of dedicated artisans, they sit derelict, abandoned and unappreciated.




Out of the barn and into the sunlight - ready to travel.

 All year long since the day I left the 4th of July party last year, I thought about that canoe.  Who was the builder?  How old is it?  Could it be rebuilt?  There must have been a hundred small factories in the U.S. and Canada building them up until the late '70s using the Stephenson disign.   The 20 or so larger factories usually had something unique about them to distinguish their brand from others - even after nameplates and labels had worn off or were left off in the repair/rebuild process.  It could be the shape of the decks, the seats, the inner stem strips, the layout of the planking - something that a trained eye could look at and identify the canoe builder in an instant.




US 50 along the Pony Express Trail near Austin, Nevada



I have another wood/fabric canoe that I bought brand new in 1970.  It's an Old Town Otca 16.  Old Town is one of the few canoe builders that has survived from the early days.  They built their first canoe in 1901, and the Otca was  introduced in 1908.  In fact, one can still purchase a wood/fabric Old Town Canoe made to order.  Any of the three models they make will set you back between 7 and 8 thousand dollars! 

I made up my mind to bring the barn canoe back to California and attempt to rebuild it.  I asked my brother Bob if I could take it and he said heck, I could have it because it would probably just sit there in the barn for another 30 years.




NV/CA 88 into California on the Kit Carson Route



At the 4th of July party this year, we dragged the thing out of the barn and dusted off the cobwebs.  I got a good look at it in the sunlight, and tried to find some identification or number stamped on it.  Nothing found, but I could plainly see that it was factory-built.  We took a tape and measured the length - 18 feet, and depth - 13, 1/2 inches.  With a round bottom and slender beam of only 36, 1/2 inches, this was a boat built for speed.

Then I noticed the decks.  Something was vaguely familiar about the decks, but I dismissed the thought after noticing the  weird narrow capped gunwale, and I never gave the decks a second thought.  There were numerous canoe builders in Wisconsin over the years, and I figured this must have been the product of one of them.



Home and intact in Placerville CA

 The hull was fiberglassed, and the interior was painted.  I thought about the work that would be involved in stripping the fiberglass and all that paint!  I tapped around on the wood, but found amazingly little rot.  The tips of the stem upsweeps, and one of the gunwales - that was it.  It wasn't until I got the fiberglass stripped that I noticed the three big holes in the hull.

To be continued...

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August 20, 2011

Work continues on the mystery canoe rebuild.  I identified the decks as an Old Town design dating back to the beginning of the company in 1901, http://dragonflycanoe.com/canoes/.  Once I got the paint stripped from the inside, I noticed to my delight that it had a serial number stamped on both inner stem strips!



Stripping the fiberglass

 
So I contacted the Old Town Canoe company, and found they have all their build records from day one.  Old Town sent me the build record for the serial number of my boat, but it does not match my specs.

  After I stripped the paint from the  decks and gunwales, I found them to be mahogany.  That was a premium grade of trim in the early days, and I don't think Old Town offered it.



Stripping the inside of paint and varnish

 I joined the Wood Canoe Heritage Association, http://www.wcha.org/ and have enlisted their expertise in identifying this canoe.  They told me that Carleton Canoe company was bought out by Old Town in the early 1900s, and had similarly shaped decks, but offered a higher grade of trim.  However, the earliest dated Carleton build record was serial number 4358 built in 1911.  My serial number is 4176, so until someone tells me otherwise, I am going to assume that my canoe is a Carleton built before 1911.

Stripping is almost complete.  I have now begun locating materials for the rebuild, and Old Town recommended Island Falls Canoe company in Atkinson, Maine: http://www.islandfallscanoe.com/old-town-canoe-materials-repairs.asp

A steam box is needed in order to steam the white cedar ribs before bending.  I located a huge Western Red Cedar log not far from my home, and will mill it with our Wood Miser mill for both planking for the boat, and lumber for the steam box.

To be continued...
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September 14, 2011




Setting up the Wood Miser mill

 We set up the Wood Miser mill at a neighbors's empty lot.  I milled a couple of pine logs we had from a tree my neighbor felled.  After changing the blade on the saw, I was ready to mill the cedar.  The log we obtained from the forest was over 30 inches in diameter, and about ten feet long.  So big, we had to rip it into quarter sections just to get it moved.






Mill setup complete- ready to cut

 First, I milled some 1/4 inch planking to see if the saw was up to the task of planking that thin.  No problem.  I then milled five 2x8's for the steam box.  The second quarter section will be mostly 3 1/2" wide by 1/4 inch thick, then planed to 5/32" - standard planking size dating back to Stephenson's design.




Pine test log on Wood Miser mill




First cedar log being milled



Final cut of cedar 2x8's



Clear Cedar 3 1/2 X 1/4 inch planking ready for planing to 5/32 inch

 I got 20 choice nine foot planks of 3 1/2 by 1/4 inch from the second cedar quarter log - all clear heartwood.  This is probably enough to replace all the planking on the entire canoe.  Due to the tedious task of removing the original copper tacks however, I will only replace the planking that is damaged.



Roger helping to plane the 3 1/2 inch planks to 5/32 T


Plus, I have at least enough clear heartwood within the other 1/4 inch planks that have not yet been ripped to 3 1/2 width to do another entire canoe.  In fact, with all the cedar I have available, I would not hesitate to take on another wood canoe project in the future.

Next I milled about two dozen 9 foot by 2 1/8 inch rib stock from the Red Cedar sapwood.   I'm going to plane, taper and radius these for potential rib material.  They will be the test pieces for the steambox.  I can buy finished White Cedar ribs from Island Falls Canoe shop if I need them, along with the brass or copper tacks.

To be continued...

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October 31, 2011

Just got back from MacBeath Hardwoods in San Francisco.  There, I bought a 1x7 inch African Mahogany board that is 17 feet long - enough to replace the four gunwale sections!

Some 5/32 Red Cedar planking - top, and 1 in. African Mahogany

Last Friday I called Island Falls Canoe in Atkinson Maine.  They are the subcontractors who now build all the wood/canvas canoes for Old Town.  I ordered a bunch of hardware - brass tacks, screws and stem bands, and some White Cedar rib stock.  I then asked about Mahogany decks.  The gal told me to send one of the old decks to them, and they will duplicate the shape and size - in Mahogany.  This Lady Carleton will be dressed out in Mahogany decks and gunwales, just as the 1910 original.



Cedar Planking - top, 17 feet of 1 inch African Mahogany, and 1 1/2 White Ash - standing



I now have all the lumber for this project, including two pieces of 1-1/2 inch White Ash (cut on my farm in Indiana) from Dave for the thwarts and yokes to match the seat frames, Western Red Cedar for the planking and White Cedar for the ribs.

The damaged planking will be replaced first.  Then the inner gunwale will be shaped and bent, and clamped in position to support the ribs that will be replaced.  This project will likely take me through this fall and winter.

To be continued...

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November 9, 2011

I received my hardware from Island Falls Canoe in Maine.  What's interesting is the new hardware looks exactly like the original 1910 hardware that I removed, only the materials are different.  The original tacks were 11/16ths Copper, and screws removed from the gunwales were brass.  The new tacks are brass, and the screws are bronze.

Original hardware is on the left; new hardware is on the right

November 18, 2011.

I received the new Mahogany decks today, and they look great with a graceful curve.  I will next rip a pair of 7/8" inner gunwales from the 17 foot Mahogany board, then bend and shape them to fit around the decks.



New Decks from Island Falls Canoe in Maine perfectly matching the old ones.



To be continued...

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Cascade Country Rendezvous

The Washington State BMW Riders – MOA #104 – held their annual rally in Menlo, WA this year on the weekend following the MOA International Rally in Redmond, OR.

Continuing our thirst for adventure, fellow BMW NorCal club member Gene Austin and I attended both.  We left Redmond on Sunday, and spent four days riding through the Cascade Range and visiting relatives in Seattle before heading for Menlo near the southwest coast of Washington.



Mt. St. Helens WA



Our first destination was Mount St. Helens.  We rode in from the east, and were pleased to find we could go all the way to the end of the road high above Spirit Lake.  The lookout points here offer a superb view of the missing north face of the mountain, now spread halfway across the state since the eruption in 1980.  It was surprising to see many logs still floating and drifting around the lake.

We left Mount St. Helens on the narrow single lane forest service road #26 that was “not recommended for cars”.  It was interesting to see the unstable nature of the ground in this entire area.  The blacktop on these roads is rife with large cracks, sinking areas and upheavals.  We camped that night just outside Mount Rainier National Park, our next destination.



Cayuse Pass, Mt. Rainier NP

 This was my first time in Mount Rainier, but won’t be the last.  This place is absolutely gorgeous.  Great pavement, twisty roads, canyons, waterfalls, reflection lakes – and every view dominated by snowbound 14,410 ft. Mount Rainier.

We entered the park at the Stevens Canyon entrance and had breakfast at the refurbished Paradise Inn lodge.  After that, we stopped at just about every waterfall and reflection lake to take pictures.

Leaving the park with Seattle as our next destination, we had no intention of setting tire to any freeway or interstate.  So we headed for the coast.  We wound up in Menlo, and checked out the tiny fairgrounds that would be our camping home in a few days.  It wasn’t much to look at, but the fairgrounds would gain an entirely different character when filled with people, tents and motorcycles. 



OR 224 along the Clackamas River



We camped that night at Lake Sylvia state park near the town of Montesano, WA.  The park had a decent shower, and the town had a decent Italian restaurant.  The next day we cruised around the South Sound through Shelton, Gig Harbor and across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge; then headed up to Lake Sammamish to Gene’s brother-in-law’s house.  After meeting Larry, I headed across the 520 bridge to my daughter’s new residence in Seattle – about a half mile from the Seattle BMW motorcycle store.  Nice location, honey! 

I did my laundry, and my daughter and son-in-law took me to a local Brew Pub – Hale’s Ales of Seattle.  I was thirsty.

Two days visiting and it was time to head back to Menlo.  Gene wanted to stop at a waterfront café he had seen on “Diners, Dives and Drive-ins” on the food channel.  So, we had breakfast at “Voula’s Offshore Café” http://voulasoffshore.com/ , and met the friendly, wisecracking proprietress, Voula.  The food was excellent and the price was low - my kind of place.



Crossing on the Seattle - Bremerton ferry



The next objective was to take the ferry to Bremerton.  Voula’s is located near the University Bridge, and our goal was to get to the ferry docks without using I-5.  So with shaky directions and not much time, we left Voula’s and started hunting for “old US 99”.  The old route took us right along the waterfront and ferry docks.  I saw the ferry pier, but fortunately Gene saw the left hand exit, and we pulled up to the ticket booth with 30 minutes to spare.  $6.75 round trip; motorcycles are first on and first off.  Hey, a rider could do this all day and get a pretty good tour of Puget Sound!

Bremerton was interesting because of the huge navy shipyard and old mothballed aircraft carriers sitting in the bay.  Back in Menlo, we smugly thought we knew right where the entrance to the fairgrounds was.  OOPS, they changed it.  Oh well, we got a nice tour of the town of Menlo.  But now we were thirsty again, and just outside the “new” entrance to the fairgrounds was the Menlo store.  It was time to check out their beverage supply.



Menlo WA rally site



This rally was small, but unique.  The people were very friendly, and it wasn’t difficult to make new acquaintances, especially sitting around the big campfire every night.  Many of the attendees were also at Redmond.  There was Phyllis, who rode an F-650 alone from Atlanta GA, and Jim, who rode an R100GS from Anchorage AK, and “Turk” from Borrego Springs CA, the “Keeper of the Flame”.   One local fellow from Tacoma, a German named Hans, kept everyone around the campfire amused with his “war stories” of being a cook in the Special Forces in Viet Nam!  So, what was your motto Hans, “Death from Within”??

South Sound BMW from Tacoma gave demo rides, and a band played on Saturday night, but the absolute best part of this rally was the food.  Daily breakfast and lunch was served by the local Elks, and was excellent.  Two dinners were included in pre-reg.  Friday it was barbecued beef.  Saturday it was the piece de resistance – charcoal grilled salmon steaks and corn on the cob, washed down with Alaskan Amber Ale.

Then there were the homemade pies – available at every meal.  One slice comprised a fifth of a pie.  People were gorging themselves on pies - at breakfast!!  You just don’t get this kind of great food at national rallies.



Lake Quinault WA near Olympic NP



Day ride possibilities were numerous.  Friday we rode up the coast to Lake Quinault and took a short hike through a rain forest.  Saturday we rode up the Long Beach peninsula to Oysterville.  I never knew there were so many oyster beds on the Washington coast.  Oyster bars are everywhere. 

The return trip home took us over the Astoria Bridge near the mouth of the Columbia River.  This area was the terminus of the Lewis & Clark expedition, and historical points of interest are everywhere.  We stopped at the Lewis & Clark National Historic Park, and walked through the replica of Fort Clatsop. 

Further down the coast was the town of Tillamook, famous for cheese, and the old dirigible hangar that was part of the coastal defenses during WWII.  The hangar is now an aircraft museum.

After camping overnight near Mt. Hebo, we headed inland to the delightful town of McMinnville for breakfast.  A local pedestrian’s advice resulted in our being seated at the café in McMenamins Hotel Oregon, www.mcmenamins.com/441-hotel-oregon-home.  This is another place I’m coming back to.  Very cool.



Under the wing of the "Spruce Goose"



Out near the airport sat the reason we came this way.  Howard Hughes’  “Spruce Goose” is now located here in a huge new hangar/museum.  We spent all day here, and I was in awe.  This museum alone could be the subject of another article.

After a stretch on “Old US 99” in Oregon, we rode southeast through the Cascades to Bend and US 97.  A side trip through Crater Lake N.P. brought us to our final campsite in the shadow of Mount Shasta along CA 89.



Crater Lake NP Oregon



Two weeks and a day on the road; two rallies; 3200+ miles; no hotels; no interstates and no rain.

I’m getting thirsty just thinking about it.

Tom “Tuco” Harris

(July 29, 2010)

For more information about the BMW Club of Northern California, visit: http://www.bmwnorcal.org/

Ghost-Towning Nevada

On our ride to and from the Beartooth Rendezvous in Montana, club member and riding buddy Gene Austin and I took some time to explore a few Nevada ghost towns on our ‘GSes.  In our travels, we found some of these old settlements to be still inhabited and very well preserved.  In some we found the ghosts dispossessed, and the site re-opened by huge mining operations with hundreds of employees on the site.  Other sites turned out to be nothing more than a name on a map with an all-but-forgotten past.

Not long after the discovery of gold in California in 1848, hordes of miners and suppliers spilled over into Nevada.  California has its own ghost-towns from the ‘49er days, and many of them are still inhabited or preserved as historical monuments – Coloma comes to mind on the west slope of the Sierras, and Bodie in the eastern Sierra.

Nevada on the other hand, is more remote, and its ghost towns present some interesting destinations for riders on GS type motorcycles.  Our goal was to retrace the paths of these early miners, and explore the towns they created and mines they worked - sort of like “modern day ‘49ers”.

The road to Berlin Ghost Town, Nevada

We left Placerville and headed east up Mormon Immigrant Trail, over Carson and Monitor passes, and out Nevada 208 to a favorite breakfast stop – Rosie’s Cantina in Wellington NV - then over to US 95, past Walker Lake to Nevada 361.  We were headed for the three neighboring ghost town sites of Berlin, Grantsville and Ione located just east of Gabbs, NV. 

Well preserved Ghost Town of Berlin, Nevada

If you find yourself low on gas near Gabbs, go into town and find the gas station.  It will be closed.  Walk across the street to the grocery store, and the woman at the counter will be happy to open the pump. 

Berlin is a well-preserved site with historical placards and park ranger. In fact, together with the Ichthyosaur fossil discovery, it’s a state park, and  the overnight camping here is great.

I’ve read that the northern part of Nevada was once covered by a huge inland sea during the last glacial period.  Called Lake Lahontan, it covered 8,500 square miles.  The fossils of huge prehistoric waterborne dinosaurs called Ichthyosaurs were discovered by the early miners, and are now located in the park.  These fossils present geological evidence of prehistoric Lake Lahontan. 

We left Berlin on the dirt road heading north to Ione, which claims a population of, “Around 10”.  One wonders what the heck people do out here.  I didn’t even see any power lines coming into town.







Reese River valley south of Austin, Nevada

 It’s a fast dirt road through the upper Reese River valley for the 40 or so miles to Austin.  Austin has its own ghost town past, but today, it has comfortable cheap motels, friendly people and good food at the International Café.

Our return route from the Rendezvous brought us back through northern Nevada and more ghost towns.  We came through Owyhee NV, where we picked up a fantastic dirt road heading south

Transportation in Tuscarora Ghost Town, Nevada

  
towards Chicken Creek Summit and the Ghost town of Tuscarora, Nevada.  This little gem is the site of an old smelter with the remains of a huge brick chimney.  We got a feel for the hardships of the early settlers of this town – mostly immigrants – by walking through the graveyard and reading their epitaphs.

After a short ride west on I-80, we stopped for lunch in Carlin.  Here we came across a group of BMW GS riders from Quebec.  How anyone can ride a GS across the western U.S., and keep their clothes and motorcycles so clean and shiny remains a mystery to us.



Smelter ruins in Tuscarora, Nevada

 We headed south on NV 306 toward the “ghost towns” of Tenabo and Gold Acres.  Both these sites were a disappointment.  The mines have been re-opened by huge conglomerates with hundreds of employees coming and going from the sites.

The pavement ended at Gold Acres however, and we continued south towards Austin on what appeared as a dirt road on the map, but turned out to be a maze of dirt roads in reality.  I guess a GPS could have helped us.  



Well marked pioneer route - Hastings Cutoff, NV

 After wandering around the desert like members of some lost tribe, we finally came across a ranch house whose “driveway” was actually the main dirt road to Austin that we’d been seeking.  The cowboys at the ranch house got us pointed in the right direction.  Now, if we were using GPSes, we may have never met up with these good ole’ boys!

We made our way back to Austin before dark, and got one of those cheap comfortable motel rooms, dinner at the “International”, and beers and conversation with some local characters in the 1850’s era bar.

This was our last night on the road on this trip.  Sure, we had some mechanical problems, and we got lost, and we were tired.  But isn't that what one would expect from “modern-day ‘49ers”?

Tom “Tuco” Harris (August, 2009)

For more information about the BMW Club of Northern California, visit: http://www.bmwnorcal.org/