Friday, May 30

• Ontario, OR to Seattle, WA
• 483 miles

We awake to some serious rain on Day 8 in Ontario on the Oregon / Idaho border. We consult the Weather Channel and see that the storm is running south to north, along the Interstate and it will take some time to get far enough west to escape it. Trev, Vince and Scott aren’t willing to spend most of the day waiting it out so we put on rain gear and head northwest. Joe waits around in Ontario longer and heads due west to extend his ride on Hwy 26, a sweet piece of road. He fares no better and possibly worse, with fog in the mountains. 

Retracing our route home on I-84 was no fun with visibility being extremely limited due to the heavy rainfall. It’s like riding one’s bike through a car wash but at speed and with some traffic. No fun. As we ride this section of highway along what was the Oregon Trail on our bikes, the thought of traveling it in a wagon comes to mind. For those pioneers, it was a fifty mile, four day ordeal. And we motorcyclists complain about riding in cages? Can you imagine? Anyway, we finally clear the rain at Prosser, WA.

Uncle Bob was told these pants were “waterproof” at the motorcycle store. Can you believe they would lie to him like that? Or maybe the pants worked just fine and Uncle Bob needs an E-Z Leaker?? As UB rides to work every day, year round in Seattle, it also goes to show that it generally only drizzles in Seattle. Real rain at speed on a naked bike does wonders for showing the deficiencies in one’s riding gear. (Click on photo to view UB’s wet britches)

All in all, a superb trip! The magic of the Grand Staircase is etched upon our souls and is beckoning us to return as soon as possible. — Scott Bruce Duncan */:-)

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