This morning we woke up at 6:00 and walked about 1/3 of a mile down to a local restaurant called Rooster’s for breakfast because our hotel didn’t serve breakfast until 7:00 and we didn’t want to wait. It was worth the walk. I had a Denver omelet which was huge and came with hashbrowns and a cinnamon roll as big as your head! Dwayne had biscuits and gravy which came with an egg and hashbrowns and a cinnamon roll. Talk about a ton of food! Neither of us could finish it all, but it was all delicious, especially that amazing cinnamon roll!

After we got back from breakfast we loaded up the bikes and started towards Crater Lake. It was 58 degrees when we left the hotel, but it was comfortable with a hoodie on under my jacket and my heated grips on low. The ride to the park was absolutely beautiful after we finally got our of Medford and a couple of other little towns. It started off fun and curvy, and then straightened out for a long way with beautiful thick forest lining both sides of the road. Once we got into the park it became fun and curvy again as we climbed higher and higher towards the lake.

When we arrived at the lake it was 52 degrees, and by the time we made it to the highest part of the West Rim drive it was 47 degrees and there was still snow piled above our heads in places beside the road. As we got our first glimpse of the lake, it just took our breath away, it was so unbelievably beautiful. The water is a blue color that you’ve just never seen, and the way the snowy mountains on the other side and the clouds in the sky reflect on it is just incredible. It is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

Once we finished taking pictures in various places and admiring the beauty of the lake, we continued around the lake to the North entrance and we took 138 back towards the coast. We made a pit stop at Toketee Falls and made the mile-long hike there and back, which was entirely worth it. It was a gorgeous hike, and the trail was well kept, so it was easy to do even in all of our gear and motorcycle boots. It was probably one of the best waterfalls I’ve seen considering how beautiful the surroundings were and how beautiful the waterfall itself was. It was even worth getting swarmed by tons of huge mosquitos while we tried to get geared up and back on the bikes afterwards.

The ride across 138 was another incredible ride. The road was mostly well-paved and there was a gorgeous river that ran alongside it. I told Dwayne that I would ride this road every day if I lived here because it was just so perfect.

Once we made it back to 101 on the coast, we stopped in the town of Reedsport to eat a quick snack and put our rain jackets on because it was starting to rain a bit. Unfortunately when we went to pull out of the parking lot, I accidentally killed my bike as I went to turn out, and since I had already initiated my turn, the weight of the bike and my heavy cases was leaning to the right side, and I couldn’t hold it up from the abrupt stop, so I had to let it go down. I was able to ease it down enough it didn’t do any damage at all, and I quickly picked the bike back up on my own using the technique I’ve seen demonstrated so many times before, but have never had to use until now. Let me tell you, it works! My bike is 476 pounds by itself, but it is probably close to 600 pounds, if not more, with the fully loaded cases attached to it. It was too much weight for me to keep up with one leg and the weight being shifted to one side so hard, but I was easily able to pick it back up by myself by squating down with my butt against the seat and one hand on the low-side grip and the other on the frame, and then using my legs to lift the bike. My pride may have been a bit bruised, but it happens, and I was actually pretty proud of how I stayed calm and handled the situation appropriately and didn’t let it excite or upset me.

The rest of the ride up the coast was in a light, but constant rain. It was still awesome to look out over the ocean and to literally ride up the edge of the country. We got to see a lighthouse but we didn’t get to stop and take any pictures because all of the pull-offs were full, and we were in a bit of a hurry to make it to Newport to our hotel in case it started to rain harder.

After we got settled into the hotel and cleaned up, we decided to walk down to the waterfront to have dinner at a local seafood restaurant that specializes in chowders. We shared a bowl of clam chowder topped with shrimp that was absolutely delicous, and then Dwayne had the fried fish and chips, and I had grilled fish with a baked potato. It was all really good, and we were happy to finally get some good seafood on our trip. While we were eating we noticed a sweet old man across the restaurant eating by himself, so we told our waitress to put his food on our bill and to tell him that it was already taken care of. It felt good to pass on some of our good fortune.

When we left it had started lightly raining again and was 54 degrees, so it was a bit of a cold half of a mile walk back to our hotel room in my shorts and flip-flops. I know, I probably should have prepared for cold weather a little more, but I didn’t even bring a pair of jeans with me!

Tomorrow is mostly a travel day, we will be riding up the coast the whole way to Port Angeles, Washington on the North side of the Olympic National Park. It is supposed to rain most of the day and be in the low 50’s to possibly 60, so it may be a bit of a cold ride. It will still be better than being at home, though!

Mileage for today was 323.