June 9, 2012 at 1:37 am (Livin' on a DR650)
My parts arrived over the previous few days, yay! I took back roads down to Coug’s place and had Oz meet me there with the parts I’d ordered, riding his Ninja down from Portland. After some deliberation, we set down to business. I was in a hurry to get everything all taken care of, as I wanted to leave for the Hells Canyon rally in a few days.
Remember how I said my tires were bald, and referred to the side patches as “chicken nuggets”? Here’s what I was riding on:
June 8, 2012 at 1:10 am (Livin' on a DR650)
The next day, I went into Forest Grove. I met up with Oz, who was riding my Rebel 250. We had lunch at a cafe in town and I took him out to show him where I’d been camping. We wandered around some of the larger trails in the area, exploring, which was quite fun! The 4×4 people had left earlier that day.
June 3, 2012 at 12:43 am (Livin' on a DR650)
Expelled from my place of residence, I sought advice for camping spots from the ADV locals. I was pointed at a couple of spots west of town, and there I went. The day that I left was a nightmare! I went down to visit Coug, and on the way north from Salem, my chain suddenly derailed itself on the highway. I pulled over to the side of the road, cursing into the rain. Thankfully the chain itself hadn’t snapped, merely hopped off the sprockets, taking a chunk out of my plastic front sprocket cover and scratching the case in the process. After a couple of frantic calls to Coug, I had a good idea of what to do, and managed to re-seat the chain on the sprockets without loosening the rear tire. Helpful locals eventually stopped to try to help me out, but nobody had tools, and the one who did showed up just as I was finishing up.
June 1, 2012 at 12:37 pm (Livin' on a DR650)
Shortly after I got back to Portland, I was invited on a trip out to the coast with Oz, a housemate, and one of Oz’s friends. We had a great time! It was quite novel to be in a car for the first time in months, nice to just relax with the wind in my hair, watch the scenery roll by, and not be paranoid that everyone is trying to kill me.
The beach was terribly crowded, and I’d just seen the ocean for the previous few weeks, so I admit that I was a bit jaded to the pretty scenery and didn’t bother taking pictures. We watched people flying kites, playing frisbee, and building various things out of sand. Oz and I wandered our own way and sat on a rock outcropping for a while. I found this awesome rock, and saved a ladybug from drowning:
May 9, 2012 at 6:12 pm (Livin' on a DR650)
The day was a bit chilly and overcast at first. I took the time to heat up a can of soup for breakfast, and was joined by a new friend:
I packed up and headed out around noonish. Someday I will get better at early starts! I made my way back along Jerry Flats, which was a bit busier this time of day. I saw a couple of deer, which inspired me to take my time and pay more attention, which I didn’t mind at all, there were some gorgeous views that I wasn’t able to admire as well the previous evening.
