K11 Owners Group

[Milton]

Well folks here is my post for Hungry Dungee-II and my return home through British Columbia. Had a great time doing both although the trip was too fast and too short.

Tiger all loaded up and ready to go. "Come on big boy lets go for a ride. I'll show you a real good time." Yee Haw.


And as promised 2 pictures of the K11og sticker on the Tiger.






Left Superior, CO, directly from work, at 3:30 on Wednesday in a pouring rainstorm. First stop was at Tie Siding, Wy for fireworks for the Flying Duck at his request. Had to put on my jacket-liner for warmth. Thank goodness for my heated grips. I’ll bet it was in the mid to high 40’s.




Wyoming sunrise. Had made it to western Wyoming about 11:30 p.m. to camp. This is sunrise the next morning.


The first night camp.


The promise of “green energy”, not one of these mills was spinning.


Devils Slide, Utah. Some old guy on an unnamed V-Twin was stopped here also and took my picture for me. He was pulling a huge trailer to somewhere near Ogden for a “Patriot Meeting”. We talked for about half hour. Should have taken his picture.




The next several picture describe perfectly why I hate crossing the Snake River Plain (sic).




Crossing the Snake River into Oregon. Welcome home (born and raised here).




Oregon has always had your best interest heart.


As well has your head.


Down into Huntington, Or.


Looking down on Pendleton, Or.


Crossing the Columbia River.






Pretty sunset on the ride into the Yakima Valley. Spent the second night in a Best Western motel. Got checked in about 10:00 p.m. Rode 725 miles today. Tired with a sore arse. The Tiger’s seat is not for long distance touring even though it is an aftermarket Corbin. The stock seat is even worse. Just have to grin and bare(sic) it.


Heading up to Mount Ranier.






Mount Rainer, most impressive.












Sunrise Lodge on the flanks of Mount Rainer.














Hood Cannel, Wa.




This place was recommended by the Flying Duck as having some of the best clam chowder on earth; he was right.


I’m at the Flying Duck’s cabin. Sunset from his deck. Couldn’t have been any better.


Scott (MysticRed), Micki and JO




Phil Marvin cooking spaghetti. Umum good.








The eagle has landed. Duck says this guy flies around quite frequently. This was the only time I got to see him/her.


Scott at a pull off on the road up to Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park.






JO working up a lather. Scott, Micki, JO and the Duck man.






A bunch of red bikes and one odd-ball black moto-heap.


Forest fire burning in the Olympic wilderness. Started July 14.








Needs no explanation.




Looking out to sea, but it is hidden by low clouds.


Me (Milton) but then you all knew that.


I thought this was a funny shot. This mother was trying to get photos of her 2 children who would not cooperate with her at all. Reminded me of my wife trying to photo ours kids and their complaining and squirming.






Scott shucking oysters.


Scott discovered a little crab inside one oyster.




Meal fit for a King. Thank goodness I’m just a commoner.


We also had salmon.


And lots and lots of fresh Dungeness crab. I was a King for them.








The Duck man cooking the crabs. 17 minutes and they are ready to crack and consume.










My second cousin Todd and his wife Valerie and their 2 Australian Shepards. I had been to their place once before 15 years prior when they were just living in a small camp trailer and dreaming of building this home. Well they’ve got it done now and a very pretty home it is. Valerie gardens and had fresh sweet bean salad and home made white sweet wine from the grapes she grows, ummm good. They live on the same island as the Duck.

His father and my father were first cousins. His father, Elvin, served with the U.S. Army and was on Corregidor when it fell to the Japanese on May 06, 1942. He spent the remainder of the war as a Japanese prisoner of war in a prison camp in Manchuria. He had enlisted, with several other boys from the old home town of Myrtle Point, Or., in the Army Air-Corps with the hope of learning to fly instead they were sent to the Philippines and Elvin was the only one to survive. Elvin passed away around 1988 .. hail to you Elvin and thank you for your service to your country and all the other young men who served in WWII.




Gun emplacement at Fort Flagler State Park at the north end of Marrowstone Island.












Sunday evening and the only people left are the Duck man, Phil Marvin and yours truly. Duck was grilling steamer clams and boy were they good. Seemed like a never ending supply in his bucket and I got stuffed. Love clams.
























That’s my cot. I slept outside all 3 nights and it was wonderful. No bugs, perfect temperatures and no rain or heavy fog. Great.


Monday morning I had to leave early to catch Victoria, B.C. ferry at Port Angeles by 8:30. Had to be at the dock by 7:20.


A bunch of unnamed V-Twin riders showed up. These people with the trailer were from Michigan and were riding to Sturgis, can you believe it. I have to admit that at least 90% of the bikes I saw on this trip were the unnamed V-Twins and I saw a lot. I did have a Triumph Tiger Girly pass me in Idaho though. The other guys were just riding up to B.C. from California. They asked if my seat was confortable.




This guy was a ferry passenger and decided to play us a tune. He was actually pretty good although one of his selections was “Nearer my God to Thee”, I’ll let the reader figure out the meaning of that portentous song selection.








Victoria, B.C.














How’d they get that over here?








Government House, I believe.




Olympic Peninsula from the Vancouver Island side.




Rode up to Port Renfrew on the Pacafic side of Vancouver Island; it is as far as you can get. Stopped at a great little restaurant to eat and these guys were there having lunch. They invited me to join them and then they helped me get back across the Island to Comox. Nice fellows. I’m such a crappy photo documenter I should have had pictures of the restaurant, which was in a very beautiful setting. Great fish and chips too. It was darned hot when we stopped here.


The most popular word in Canada. Just before here I had to pass through a unnamed V-Twin chopper wreak. Cops, firemen, wreaker and ambulance. The ambulance was still there and the chopper was already on the wreaker, I was thinking there was probably no reason to get the hospital in a hurry. I hope that I am wrong.


Leaving Vancouver Island from Little River. Going over to Powell River.












Park at an archeological site for First Nations. A fellow followed me in here on a KLR-650 and we talked for quite a little while, didn’t get his picture. He looked like he should have been on an unnamed V-Twin but he had a disdain for them. Nice fellow, he was retired and just riding all over the west. He had a trip planned for Panama later on this year.












I was born and raised in Myrtle Point, Or so this grabbed by attention. I knew it was here but I was expecting a town instead of an area.


Ferry at Saltery Bay. Ferry’s weren’t cheap but not too expensive. About $30 for each ride.














Met Tony while waiting for the Saltery Bay ferry. That is his Finnish wife and son. Tony escaped from the Yugoslavian Army in 1951 when all of his mates were at a movie. He broke into the munitions locker and took a machine gun, pistols and ammunition and then lived on his wits for 3 months as he worked his way out of Yugoslavia. Very interesting fellow and stories.








Horseshoe Bay, the last ferry ride – this one is free. I have already landed and am riding up the Whistler road. It was recommended by the fellow riders on V Island that I come this way instead of the route I wanted to take down to Hope and over to Princeton. They said it was a much prettier ride and a better road, hmmm.








Tearing down the last nights camp.


This was a great view but it didn’t turn out. Up in the vast white area are mountains covered in permanent ice fields. That road down was way steeper than it looks here. Was a bugger getting up it the night before.


The goal for going this way was to get to Kamloops and on up to Jasper Provincial Park. There were forest fires burning between Pemberton and Lillooet and they had every road between Pemberton and Lillooet closed. This is the closure. So I had to turn around and ride back to Vancouver and Princeton. Lost a whole day for this.












Remains of fish and chips. Umm good. Didn’t think of the picture until after consumption.










Riding through Vancouver traffic was a major pain. Finally got to Hope and the road was much more pleasant. I worked in Princeton, B.C. one summer exploring for platinum and I remembered that the drive from Vancouver to Hope was long and boring. It didn’t fail to disappoint 27 years later.

This is the Hope slide and amazing amount a material came down this mountain.








Moon rise over my nights camp. I took a picture of my camp the next morning but it was not on the chip, I must have deleted it somehow.


Breakfast the next morning.






Coalmont was close to where I was working.






Same old one lane bridge leading out of Princeton to Coalmont and Tulameen


Motel where I stayed is still there.


Speed boat parasailing Okanagan Lake.




Inland ferry from Needles to Fauquier.










Beautiful bike road from New Denver to Kaslo. About 6:00 p.m.




Neat old building in Kaslo. Wish I had more time here, Kaslo looked like a very interesting place to explore, but I was trying to get home by Sunday. Spent the night in Nelson, B.C. at a motel.


It’ll digest.


World’s biggest truck (haul-pac) at Sparwood, B.C. Largest of its kind ever built and only one of a kind. Large coal mines in the area.










These were nice folks out on a weeks ride on their new unnamed V-Twin. They were from Calgary and had bought the bike in Great Falls, Mt the year before. It only had 900 km on the clock, so I suppose they were going to get a few thousand more. We talked bikes for quite a while.


Crowsnest Lake in the Canadian Rockies. I’m in Alberta now.




Stayed in a motel in Lethbridge, Alberta last night. This is heading for the U.S./Canadian border. Flat and featurless.


Lunch in Great Falls, Mt.


At the Udder factory. Some people that were eating close to me in the restaurant were having a screaming match outside, went on as long as it took me to take the picture gear up and leave. Wanted to take a picture but decided I didn’t want to get involved.




Montana, Big Sky Country. Leaving the Big Belt Mountains.




Red Lodge, Mt at 6:41 p.m.


Red Lodge, Mt at 53 degrees.


Heading up the Bear Tooth Pass. Mom always said I didn’t have the sense enough to come in out of the rain.


Fortunately it wasn’t raining.












But it was snowing here. Not sticking to anything but my face shield. The Bear Tooth Pass was absolutely gorgeous and my pictures don’t even begin to convey how beautiful it is.


















Spent the night in Cody, Wy.


Tiger still raring to go.


But I’m bushed. Home at last. Made it Sunday night about 8:30 p.m. Crap I don’t want to work tomorrow.


Total mileage = 4351.
_________________
Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick!

1992 K100RS 48K. Dead for now.
1998 Triumph Tiger 43K->56K. Doin it in the dirt.
1978 Honda CB400T 32.5K. For my boys.

[Mystic Red]

Uncle Milton, THAT was an awesome pictorial! Glad I got to meet you and maybe we'll do it again someday.
_________________
Scott Hespelt, '94 K11LT
K11 OG #466

[Off the grid]

Wow Milt...where to start.

Beautiful pics.

Great Tiger.

Good company.

Fantastic pictures.

Tasty food!

What an adventure!

How did the Tiger do?
_________________
Bane of your existence since July 2006
2007 Triumph Tiger ABS. "Sabertooth"
2009 Husqvarna TE610. "The dirty Italian mistress"

[Flying Duck]

Awesome photo-journal. It looks like you had a really sucky time.

And thanks for swapping and letting me "ride the Tiger" for a few miles.

+1,000
_________________
93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE

[Milton]

Hey Scott, Yeah, it was nice meeting you too. I'd like to do a trip to Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho and Western Montana sometime. Maybe we could hook up for that. Did you get your fill of seafood? Those steamer clams the Duck man grilled up on Sunday were to die for, um um tasty.

OTG, Thanks for the comments. Yes the Tiger behaved itself very nicely. I did have a common assortment of parts along with me, that are known to fail on these things, but it gave me no trouble what-so-ever. Almost ready to turn 50K(48.5K). Triumphs in my youth were always moderately reliable. The latest incarnation of the triple is a superb engine. I did lose my high beams, but have not checked on why as yet; I suspect a fuse or the relay worked itself apart somewhere, but maybe the bulbs burned out at the same time.

Duck Man, Yes, it was a hugely sucky time. Crappy fresh seafood; (everyday) dungeness crab, oysters, steamer clams and salmon .. hated it. Company was crap. Booze, no good. Riding was the worst and the scenery was unbearable. I'm already thinking/planning/plotting of how I can get back next year. Thanks again for hosting us it was the best of times. And thank you for letting me ride your RS. As I rebuild my 92 I've just got to figure out how to get my engine running that smoothly.

Milton S.
_________________
Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick!

1992 K100RS 48K. Dead for now.
1998 Triumph Tiger 43K->56K. Doin it in the dirt.
1978 Honda CB400T 32.5K. For my boys.

[owrstrich]

wow...

what an adventure... you got to see lotts o everything with some r & r along the way... impressive ride report...

thanks for showing o t g what its like to leave the greater metropolitan area...

j o
_________________
yeeeeeehaaaaaaa...

[drmalacarne]

Realy impressive trip!
The Tiger is a fabulous bike, and it's engine speaks strong....
Once I had a Triumph Thunderbird 900 1996 with the same engine.
THanks for sharing the pictures.
Guilherme.
_________________
1994 K1100LT SE n° 0267
1998 HD Heritage Springer 95th anniversary
Yes, a Hog and a Beemer can live together!

[endoman100]

Great Pic's Very nice and thank you for the ride report.
_________________
In the words of the stones
Time Is On My Side
Yes It Is
1993 K1100RS