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Chief Joseph Scenic Byway This isn't a great time of year for riding in my neck of the woods so I thought I'd share this short video for the rest of you unable to enjoy getting out for a ride. Hope you like it. Btw, the funky framing is my fault for setting the horizon with the bike on its side stand - d'oh! A month after buying my new-old-stock '09 VFR800 I was winging my way south en route to Laguna Seca. But as usual on my trips I took the shortcut, this time via Yellowstone NP. Day 4 we left Cooke City for a ride over Beartooth Pass, then backtracked so we could ride over Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (Hwy 296) on our way to Cody, Wyo., for breakfast. About 22 km/15 mi east of Cooke City on US212 is the junction with Chief Joseph highway which runs another 74 km/45 mi before terminating at Hwy 120. Cody, Wyo. is a short 25 km/15 mi south. Chief Joseph does't get as much attention as Beartooth Pass, perhaps because it has a more open feel, but the scenery is stunning especially on bright morning like we had. Having ridden it both directions I think the view is better eastbound, but both are equally fun to ride.

In mid-July my pal Tony and I left Victoria and headed to California for the MotoGP. I'd installed a set of peg lowering brackets from BLS and swapped O² sensor connectors. Neither mod lasted the trip. The Coho ferry schedule requires a 4:00 am start on the 1st day - the toughest part of the trip for a night owl like me. That's one problem with living on an island. In the dark I discovered that both low beams were dead. The only VFR trouble all trip. We took a side trip over Beartooth Pass again this year, one of my favourite roads. I prefer a south-to-north pass but time pressures allowed only one run. The wx was fantastic and there weren't too many cruisers clogging up road. We transited Yellowstone NP only because it was the shortest route. One should really budget for a longer visit. In Nevada, between Wendover and Ely, we were caught in a massive thundershower. For ~5 miles the rain was heavy to monsoon-like but unlike Tony, I have an Aerostich so no worries. The Toiyabe Cafe in Austin, Nv is a good place for breakfast. Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, is my favourite way to cross the Sierra Nevadas. Hwy 49 from Jamestown to Bear Valley then J16 to Snelling are a sweet pair. Better yet is Hwy 25 between Hollister and King City - tight bends and great pavement. At Jamestown I swapped the O² sensor back to stock and 86'd the foot peg brackets. I'll post an ad for them. We lucked into mid-70°'s crossing California's central valley but the mercury rose and it was upper-90°'s at Paso Robles. Forty minutes later at Cambria it had dropped 40° thanks to the marine layer. A good Italian can be had at Lombardi's. The next day's ride up Hwy 1 was under heavy skies, and foggy in spots, but with little traffic. For breakfast at Big Sur I recommend Ripplewood Resort. Plenty more mist/fog each morning at Laguna Seca. Saturday only warmed to the mid-60°'s while on raceday it was a more pleasant 75° (according to my VFR). Not the most exciting race but I love standing trackside at T5 and watch them charge into charge into the corner only a few feet away. In Monterey, First Awakenings is our usual breakfast stop. For pizza it is Gianni's. Going home we rode the coast in mist/fog all the way to Crescent City. Cutting inland to Leggett I had a bit of fun hounding three guys on DL1000s. It's the first time in ages that I had a chance to ride with fast guys. My pal Tony is a bit conservative, speed-wise. After that it was a slog on I-5 through Ore & Wash to home. On the last night Tony noticed a dinged rear wheel on his ZRX1200 - bummer. At least it held air and there was no sign of a crack so we made it home ok.