

…and it only took four and a half years.
Today was the day, I finally whined and complained and coerced my wife into the ride that I have been wanting to take her on since we started dating.
After waiting all week for today, I woke up this morning to the ever-present Portland bullshit of the “there is no precipitation in the forecast for the next ten days” drizzle. Fortunately it was short lived and once I got home from some morning responsibilities we hit the road - a quick chunk of slab and then on to the fun!
Scappoose/Vernonia Highway out to Vernonia to the taco truck for lunch (iykyk). Then back up 47 to 202 and out through Birkenfeld, Jewell, and Olney to Astoria. The goal of this trip (besides getting out on the bike with my lady) was hitting Frite and Scoop for the first time in too long. Took the easy way home straight back in 30. It was a long day for the wife (and for me too… ngl. Riding with a pillion is wonderful when you also adore them as a human, but it is definitely an added physical tax.)
Scappoose/Vernonia Hwy is in solid shape… probably 70-80%, there are some sections where the lines are getting pretty faint. 202 is gorgeous as always, except for the last little stretch into and out of Olney - surface is stressed and uneven, but not unridable.
30 is… 30. It was fine except for some lolly-gagging boat hauler who couldn’t manage to do better than ten-under the speed limit, and the cop that was right behind us for about 10 miles outside of Rainier.
Best day this month.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills
I have a clear mental image of a hardware or lumber store that has a ridiculous number of ladders lined up out front? Anyone know a place that fits that rough description?
ETA: thank you Reddit. You rarely fail to come through! Goddamned heroes, the lot of yeh!
[GIVE] IKEA Queen Bed Frame
Complete, but not assembled. Come get it. (DM for address - first come first served)
[GIVE] Ashley Furniture Queen Mattress
This mattress has had a protector and pillow topper on it for its whole existence. Come take it. (DM me for the address if you want to come get it right now. First to respond - will notify backups in order of receipt).
[For Sale] Rev'It Worker 2 Overshirt (Dark Camel)
Rev'It Worker 2 Overshirt This link is to the black version, this dark tan is apparently all sold out.
This is a super dope jacket, you can check out the link for all the details but the hightlights are: AA rated, Rev'It SeeSmart armor in the shoulders and elbows with a spot in the back for back protector if you want to add one.
I really dig this jacket, and I don't want to get rid of it, but I know myself and I will never wear it even though I just bought it. The torso is the slightest bit short in the front, but it has a drop tail and so I'm pretty alright with it. The problem for me is that I have long-ass monkey arms, and when I am in the riding position the sleeves are too short and it would drive me absolutely bananas (see what I did there?!) I would like to sell it to someone that will put it to use for what I paid for it. I got it on clearance before this color sold out and it was the same $150 that it's still going for (at the time of this posting). As you can see it still has the tags, and even the protective paper on the zipper pulls. I haven't worn this except to try it on when I got it, and then to take the picture for this post. Brand. Spanking. New.
For reference, I am 6'0" 220# and this is an XL.
Hit me in my DMs if you would like to grab it. I will stick a comment up when it is gone.
[GIVE] Rolling cart/kitchen island
39w x 18d x 37h we are available for pick up until 1pm. DM me for location/time. As soon as it is confirmed with someone I will leave a comment, and as soon as it is gone I will mark it Unavailable.
[GIVE] Moving and looking to re-home a lot of things.
We are moving and looking to re-home a lot of home items. We will be letting this simmer for a bit and then reach out to folks who have expressed interest in an item (or if they have been chosen by random selection if there are items that have a lot of interest.) This is our first time participating here, and we would love to keep these things out of the landfill, but it's also new to us, so we appreciate your patience. We are looking to find new homes for these things fairly quickly, but will be letting them have time to be seen by folks and then arranging pick-up starting on Sunday (or possibly Saturday evening depending on the level of activity.)
Please comment the specific item that you are looking to take. There are brief descriptions on the photos - using them will help us keep track!
For the bed - priority will be given to folks interested in taking the frame and mattress, but if you are interested in one or the other by itself, don't hesitate to say so.
Thanks!
ETA: We are not able to help with moving anything, so if you are selected, please schedule pick up keeping in mind that you will need to be able to take it away yourself. Thanks again!
2ETA: the mattress was only ever used with a protector and topper (cause we realized that probably matters to folks - we get it!) both litter box cabinets will fit a litter robot.
We will let this sit for the rest of the day today, then this evening I’ll sort through the responses, and reach out to folks. I’ll make myself available through the day tomorrow for folks to come grab things. Items with multiple responses will be picked at random. I’ll reach out through DM to organize. I’ll update photo descriptions as things are actually taken. If folks don’t respond/show up I’ll pick someone else at random.
3ETA: Alright y'all. Lesson learned. I'm never moving again! (haha). Buts seriously... I am definitely going to be more proactive about not amassing things that I don't use.
I have sent messages to all the random drawing first choices, and I have second picks on deck to reach out to if the #1 decides to pass, or doesn't respond at all. As things are picked up, I will edit the picture captions to show that they are gone.
Thank you all for your interest! When we get closer to the cut-off for being out, I will post again about specifically where to find our "free pile".
Surplus Riding Gear
Update: Happy Fourth of July, Y’all
I have have had a few folks hit me up in my DMs like I asked but we have had a hell of a time connecting, so here’s the deal:
Tomorrow morning from (roughly) 9am-11am, I will be at SeeSee Moto Coffee (google it). I am going to DM those folks back one last time and let them know the same. When I am getting ready to take off (starting about 10:30-10:45), anything that is unclaimed will be up for grabs - first come first served. Anything left at the end of that I will reach out to local orgs to donate.
May the odds be ever in your favor!
Is there anyone out there who facilitates a gear closet/library for the local community? Or just wants/needs some extra gear? I am moving and I have a few pieces I don't want to keep toting around.
I had planned to take photos and make a post about it, but I know my brain, and I will keep forgetting. Not remotely a complete list, but the two big items are: Revit Sand 3 two-piece suit (top and bottom) bought new in 2017, so it's got some miles and years on it, but is complete and still very much serviceable (size Large both pieces) and an Icon Jacket... I can't remember what it is called, but it is a medium-light weight black textile piece (of their current gear it is most like the Midhawk - but I know that's not it, cause it's an older style).
DM me if you are interested in taking something. I will give away things first come first served, and I have some leads on closets/libraries for anything leftover after the weekend.
Edit: Here are the photos - see comment for what is still available and what has been "claimed"
Final edit: I still have the chaps DM me if interested to see
If they are out on the curb in a free box yet.
Thanks to everyone that swung through and took stuff off my hands! I’m glad we could engage in a little mutually beneficial exchange! (You got gear and I got less to pack!)
Aw, y'all... I haven't one one of these in a hot minute, and I'm not sure that I have the same brain for retaining highlights like I did back in the day. Here goes something!
Met up as planned at Barton at 9am-ish, and I was late to the party as predicted. I was joined for the day by u/SoloMotorcycleRider, u/SpiralGray, and a 4th on a hot new Kawi-Davidson Eliminator. We hung out in the parking lot for the preset hour-ish and then after everyone was road ready (about… 10-15 minutes late. Not my fault this time!) we got after it.
First “stop” was at Ripplebrook Camp Store to make sure we all had a chance to regroup. The internet lies… it is open and operating. Get your shit together USDA. It ended up being a tidy enough collection of bikes that we were able to keep track of everyone and stuck together until folks voluntarily peeled off along the way. After that we dropped down NF-46 as planned into Detroit. u/SpiralGray pulled out after the turnoff and took point on most of this leg. Just after the 224 turn-off, for the first 5-ish miles, the road surface-surface was decent but was also a consistent scattering of uneven surface levels/scars and swaths of smooth re-patch and a nearly non-existent center line. If 1 is fire trail and 10 is PIR, it was a 4/5? After that it was quite pleasant and improved to more of a 6/7 (sorry… but it was) it might have even been an 8 but we apparently were chasing right behind a storm, cause the surface was vehicles-in-front-of-you-kicking-up-wet wet for the stretch up til about Breitenbush. Just before Breitenbush was the only truly sketchy second IMO the majority of both lanes aside from auto tracks was a mess of muddy gravel for about 100 feet then back to smooth sailing. I 100% forgot about the section of NF-46 that switches back and then snakes down into the valley. *swoon*
Quick pit stop to regroup at River Run before the turn on to OR-22 and The Gingerbread House. The milkshake definitely holds its own. I don’t want to throw shade but I wanted a chocolate strawberry malt and THEY WERE OUT OF CHOCOLATE SAUCE, C’mon y’all! That’s day one shit. Regardless, the not-chocolate strawberry malt was pretty damned tasty and the tots were just about perfectly fried. 10/10 would eat there again.
Called at audible after the shake stop, and took backroads through the sticks up to OR-214 instead of taking OR-22 and cutting up through Sublimity. We started on Fern Ridge Road (right across OR-22 from The Gingerbread House), turned on Bass Hill Road (I missed this turn and we had to double back maybe 1/4 mile… not gonna lie. This is what happens when you let the ADHD kid call the shots on the fly on roads they are thoroughly unfamiliar with), the continued on to Coon Hollow Road, took a right onto 170th Ave which becomes Triumph Road (fitting…), another right to stay on Triumph follow by another onto Carter Road before one last right onto OR-214/Silver Falls Hwy and back to the “planned” route. These were hands-down my favorite roads of the day. Belly full of carbs, smooth clean surfaces, rises and falls, twists and turns, gorgeous views and scenery. I love that I live here. No doubt.
OR-214 is wide open, clean, and as to be expected for a route of this nature. We did hit a slow down not too deep in that was clearly because of a gathering establishing a motorcycle memorial honoring a recent fallen rider. They wanted revs from us as we passed, and they got them. I don’t know who you were, but you were loved. The usual other speed drops and slow downs for a gorgeous weekend morning in a hiking heavy area of a hiking heavy State.
On in to Silverton and on through to Mt. Angel, a bit of garbage traffic through Woodburn to get across to the other side of I-5 and then opened it back up to St. Paul and the turn to Wilsonville Road.
Wilsonville Road remains one of my favorite “slow” roads in the close-in area around the Metro area and today was no exception. Nothing exciting or intriguing to report on this section. If you know the road, you know it. If you don’t. Go ride it.
Wilsonville round winds about and becomes Stafford. Which I learned is still/again closed at Johnson… so I wound my way through the suburban hellscape of West Linn, back over to Stafford above the closure and back into the city.
I purposely didn’t spend much time on traffic and oblivious Oregon drivers… cause what are you gonna do? You’re gonna do what you gotta do… and we did.
I absolutely will be heading back down to Stayton area to explore more of those rural/farm backroads. Damn they were pretty.
Thank u/SoloMotorcycleRider for the meager selection of photos. He bullied me into it... and by bullied I mean "Hey, you could take a picture here. You know. For your write up later."
[dictated but not read]
In honor of The One Moto Show this weekend (and some light shaming over in r/pnwriders) I will be celebrating motorcycles the way we are meant to. Not standing around drinking overpriced booze and oogling bikes with too many people and borderline deafening music, but going for a ride - following, roughly, the route linked - hitting some old standards.
Meet up will be starting at 9am (ish... I'm not a very timely person ask u/janus1969) at the Barton Store (24802 OR-224, Boring Oregon) for caffeine, hydration, road snacks, and gas top-off. KSU at 10am headed SE on 224 through Estacada, Ripplebrook, Breitenbush to Detroit. This will be the largest leg without services - nothing after Estacada. Then back in 22 and up through Sublimity, Silverton, Mt Angel, St Paul, Wilsonville back to OC.
There are no "planned" stops aside from probably The Gingerbread House in Stayton/Mehama (I hear they have excellent milkshakes. I was there a couple weeks ago, but unfortunately didn't take the opportunity then). I will be making brief pauses when I feel, for hydration and bio.
The only hiccup may be NF-46, the NFS/USDA website says that it is open, one lane through the slide area, but the Ripplebrook Ranger Station/Camp Store is closed so there was no one to confirm this for me.
This is an open invitation to all comers, from Hi-viz ATGATT Safety Uncles to Squids. Though if you ride in a way that puts me or others at risk you will be asked, with some variable degree of politeness, to peel off and take your own ride.
This is not a hosted, organized ride. There will be no lead or chase and no roadside assistance, so plan accordingly. I will do my very best to make sure that any bikes we leave with are all caught up at major junctions and stops before carrying on (but I make no promises). Please come join me if you feel like riding your own ride with a loose collection of folks. If I am going to slow, pass me (when it is safe and appropriate). If I am going too fast, don't stress there will be places to catch up. I will be going no matter who shows (the aging hipster on the Tiger900), and rumor has it that u/janus1969 will be joining me (the middle-aged sleeper speed fiend on the FJR)
Feel free to steal this (very typical, predictable) Oregon circuit if the group thing isn't your speed.
Keep the shiny side up.
[dictated but not read]