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Dustin's Official 2016 Trip Report Thread

Dustin

Dustin

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Woohoo, time for another trip report thread! This is where all my trip reports & photos will live for this year.

Track me live on Spotwalla!












Let's start with a little SoCal getaway which I just returned home from. Sandra and I went to Palm Springs for the weekend to visit some of her family.

Lots of lovely preserved cars in the dry, dry desert


We left Vancouver's pine & maple trees for some palm & citrus


Sandra happy to have some sun


Cool biplane


This is something I haven't seen for quite a few years and it's in 'snowbird pink'


Not a lot of honking going on


Sandra with her Mom & step Dad


Up above the Cochella Valley -- look at that twisty ribbon of joy! Next time, I'll come by bike


Out for a nature walk












Down at Crystal Cove you can see all sorts of high end cars & lots of classics, too




Hanging out at the seaside


Digging for treats
 
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I have been very lazy with updating this thread! Sorry! Let me throw up some pictures and give you a little taste of my recent travels.

Some of you may remember that Sandra and I were all mapped out and booked up for a great bike trip at the end of May. Well, you may also remember that my trusty VFR's ass exploded and I was bikeless for a couple weeks while that was being sorted out. We decided that there was no way we would miss out on visiting our favourite places and seeing friends so we rented a car; this is the trip that followed.

Day 1 was a long drive in our rented Fiat 500 all the way to Depoe Bay, OR, somewhere about half way down the coast. We arrived in perfect time to check in to our hotel and watch the sun vanish below the horizon.







The next morning we got up, checked out and started our search for whales! Depoe Bay is a very popular spot for whale watching along the coast as whales often linger along this part of the coast for various reasons.



A lovely house at the seaside. I love these



The Oregon coast never stops reminding me that it's indeed my favourite place on earth





After we left Depoe Bay, we headed east, over the Cascades and to Bend, Oregon, one of my favourite towns in the PNW. We saw lots of birds of prey along the way.



I got a fantastic shot of Mt. Washington, one of the many incredible peaks in the volcano-ridden Oregon Cascades



Lots of pine beetle and forest fire devastation

 
Bend is built along the Deschutes River and you are always rewarded to a fantastic sunset as you walk along the water



In the morning we went for a little walk and found a man made surfing spot built on the river






Of course, I couldn't resist taking a bird photo


We left Bend and headed south towards Yreka, CA with a short pit stop at Lava Butte park to clamber along lava rock!




Diamond Peak


I spotted a cool old Toyota in Yreka. I do love these old Japanese cars, they have a really great & timeless design.


We left Yreka and headed along CA-96 (a must-ride on the bike) back to the coast. We checked in and went for a meander around Eureka, CA and then to Samoa Dunes


Vulture!


This poor crab was probably vulture food


A very windy day at sea. Large waves


Dogs being dogs




Hanging out at the dunes
 
The next day was all about the redwoods with only a couple hundred km to our next hotel stop in Fort Bragg. We spent a good amount of time on the Avenue of the Giants and even got a hike in, something that would have been much more difficult had we done this trip by bike. There's always a positive side, right?







We left the redwoods and headed for Grass Valley where we'd spend 2 days with Doug and his lovely wife Gayle. Quick pit stop at Clear Lake


Doug took us for a walking tour around his neck of the woods.



Of course, their new puppy Ruby came along



Doug was more than happy to give Sandra a taste of what life on the back of a Hondapotamus is like. She approved :)

 
We left Doug & Gayle and continued on to the Bay Area, where we'd stay one night at my friend Dan's place. I've known Dan for a long time now and I try to make it down to CA to see him at least once a year if possible. We explored downtown Redwood City, had a fantastic dinner and then headed north up the coast towards our next stop.

We didn't leave without some free Sharkwerks swag, of course. Sharkwerks is the shop Dan works at and is a 3-man operation that specialises in tuning high end Porsches like 911 GT2s and GT3s. They have made quite a name for themselves and have been featured in countless auto magazines and even had two of their halo cars on Jay Leno's Garage. It's always a pleasure to visit the shop. :)

We made sure to stop and represent Sharkwerks at the Golden Gate Bridge vista point




We opted to take the Panorama Highway down to the coast which is something I will definitely do by bike soon


I insisted on going into the sea down at Stinson Beach but I could only get knee deep before I froze to death and ran out


The section of coast from San Francisco to Fort Bragg is something I've not done before and I absolutely loved it. Highway 1 up the coast was tremendous and very memorable. I can imagine it being a nightmare during peak season when it's jammed with tourists and RVs and all sorts of nonsense. We had it almost completely to ourselves this day.

















Weather was inclement as we headed north towards Crescent City. The coast is never not gorgeous, though.



We arrived in Crescent City in time for dinner and another fantastic sunset

 
The next day was more inclement weather, giving us all sorts of different views along the way to Newport, our last hotel stop before we headed home.









Birdie snack



That's about it for photos. :)
 
Nice pics and write up.
My memory of Fort Bragg is that it is a bit ugly. Go a little further south and stay at Mendocino.
I remember staying at a nice motel just South of Mendocino in the early 00's. It was the first and only time I've ever seen hummingbirds. The motel owners had feeders out and it was fascinating to get up close and personal with the tiny birds.

I also have fond memories of some fun roads going through the forests and over the mountains from Highway 1 to the 101 between Ft Bragg and San Fran. If I was ever going to live in the USA, North-West California would be the place.
 
Sandra and I had a brilliant idea to make use of some free hotel stays I had saved up with Wyndham Rewards and I booked us 4 nights in the Okanagan. We're staying one night in Kelowna, BC and the other 3 in Penticton. This will be a nice, relaxed trip on the bike together and an opportunity for both of us to relax. I will probably take one of the days to do a nice, long day riding some of the best roads in the province. If I am too lazy for a long ass day like that, a few short jaunts will be ok, too. :)

I took the 25th off so we can go away for 5 days. Should be nice!
 
Boy, this thread has been pretty quiet, eh? Let's update it!

In no particular order...

Fall has arrived in Vancouver




I think this is my favourite time of year in BC. It's phenomenal.


Just before summer ended, Sandra and I decided to get away on the bike for a little overnighter. We took the scenic route up past Whistler, Pemberton and through the mountains into a small town called Vernon where we grabbed a hotel and sprinted home the next day.

Me and the bike at Seton Lake


Me and the bike at Green Lake, just outside Whistler


More of that


The sky
 
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Sandra's aunt, uncle and little cousin came from Germany to visit BC. They wanted to see Vancouver, Whistler and Vancouver Island specifically and so we made arrangements and rented a big ass car and off we went. These photos are in reverse order ;)

Last sunset in Tofino, a little surf/coast town right at the sea


Cousin Fynn enjoying the sunset


I like the beach!


Hanging out in Tofino




A cock


Chesterman Beach






Fynn and I playing frisbee


Our picnic spot on the way to Tofino


Visiting the old growth on Vancouver Island




Swim break on our way to Tofino. Tremendously clear and cold lakes here


Visiting Vancouver's False Creek. We came looking for the local beaver family but we found a heron instead


Hiking up on Whistler and being visited by a chippie!


Alpine butterfly


View from the top of High Note Trail in Whistler
 
Chekamus Lake, Whistler


More butterflies!


A sunbathing marmot


Alpine flowers


What's this thing?


Hiking in Whistler


Up on Whistler peak


The visitors enjoying the view


Panorama from the top


Some rocks :)


Whistler peak


Riding the gondola up


Hikers at the top of The Chief, a popular hiking spot and rock climbing area


Howe Sound
 
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