Riding in the VR National Relay for Dean

Volusia Riders National Relay for Dean

October 2007

The VR National Relay for Dean was a "semi-organized" ride (right mightydog? lol) for one of the members of the VolusiaRiders.com website. Dean, a friend to many on the website had been diagnosed with cancer and was in the midst of a tough battle. The National Relay was the end result of a couple of wild ideas "thought out loud" by some good friends wanting to help somehow and the willing participation of many fellow riders who volunteered to help. The end purpose, of course, was to raise money through the donations of participants to help Dean and his family. The event started with a group ride in the Arkansas & Texas region on Labor Day weekend. At the end of that ride two backpacks were sent out to travel the U.S. (rather than just one, due to weather and time concerns). Included were t-shirts for each rider to sign and a lunch pail to collect cards and souvenirs for Dean. One pack went west and the other east.

As the relay progressed the pack ended up in Western Washington the last weekend of September. I was to receive the backpack from jeffmcpa (Jeff) and we settled on exchanging the pack on Saturday October 6th in Ritzville. Weather had been cold and rainy the previous week (as others could certainly attest) but we got lucky and the weather cleared for our ride. We met up at the Perkins in Ritzville and had a good lunch and some conversation before exchanging the pack. There were t-shirts to sign, but Jeff had signed them during a meet-up in the Seattle area, so I opted to wait and sign them in Montana. We snapped a few pictures and then headed home.

[Click photos to enlarge]

Jeffmcpa in scenic Ritzville. The area is primarily flat, dry farmland along the interstate. Although, the town does have a pretty good blues festival each summer.

Jmax99, standing next to my recently "de-cobraed" bike, with the pack.

I was excited to be a part of the relay and finally get the backpack. I had to get to work but I had enough time to get off the Interstate and travel home an alternate route. Decided to stop a few times to take some pictures. Interesting thing about riding here is you see something different each direction you head out. West of Spokane is dry and desert-like, south is the farmland and rolling hills of the Palouse, north is green with lots of lakes and east you hit forest and mountains.

Another nice thing about riding around here...you don't always have to share much.
A view of the Palouse on the way home, after the wheat harvest, with Mt. Spokane in the distance.

Mt. Spokane Ride

It was my leg of the relay, and I had Dean's backpack -- just waiting for Saturday to ride and handoff to the Montana riders. But in the meantime, figured we'd go for a ride! Two days earlier I could see the snow atop Mt. Spokane, but this day was sunny and 75 ( a one day warm-up) so I headed for the mountain. This is one of my favorite local rides. You roll through small farms and country properties on your way. Then the road turns into a twisty pleasure for about 15 miles, through the heavily wooded lower portion of the State Park and the mountain. Then about halfway up you turn on to a narrow paved road that carves its way up to the top. The mountain has a ski resort and the road ends at the top chair lift. A short trail will take you to the mountain peak, and the site of the Vista House -- a stone structure built in 1934. The views are always spectacular. You can see the Cascades to the west, the mountains of Canada, Idaho and Montana as well many lakes -- including part of Lake Pend Oreille about 75 miles away.

Today the weather was warm but forecast to change quickly with a cold system moving in. The dominant vegetation around here is pine trees, but the brush and other trees were in their autumn colors. As I was riding the wind was picking up and I could see clouds/fog/haze progressing eastward and obscuring the horizon. Still a fantastic ride and I took Dean's pack and my bike to the top of the mountain.

A couple hikers took my picture with the backpack at the peak. They were happy to tell me that it had been very clear, with great views of all the mountains, a few hours earlier.

Marker indicating the peak, 5881 feet -- right below my knee in the picture.

The trail said no "off-road vehicles." Well my C50 is a street bike, so I'm pretty sure it didn't apply.

The Handoff

The plan was to ride to Montana on Saturday Oct. 13th to handoff to Rank & Librarian from Plains, MT and, weather and schedule permitting, ride to Helena with them to meet VooDoo. We checked weather forecasts daily -- there had already been snow in the mountain passes we would be traveling, and in general it had been cold and rainy for a couple weeks. As it turned out, we caught a break in the weather and had two absolutely beautiful fall days of riding.

Saturday morning arrived and I was excited to get going. The plan was to meet Rick & Linda (aka Rank & Librarian) in St. Regis, MT, about 130 miles east and then ride together to Helena. I loaded up the bike and put on my gear. The morning was clear but chilly so I dressed warmly, putting ski pants on under my chaps and a fleece under my leather jacket. I started out about 7:30. The sun had risen over the mountains to reveal clear blue skies and to light up the fall foliage in spectacular fashion. I plugged in my mp3 player and started out. The first tune to play (set to random) was the Doobie Brothers "Rollin' On." The combination of sunshine, the motorcycle and the Doobie Brothers will always bring a smile to my face. But this time the song somehow seemed appropriate and I couldn't imagine a better way to start the day. A few days earlier we had all heard some good news -- the chemo had worked and Dean's cancer was gone. The bills and the recovery time still loomed, but the enemy was dead, and I'm sure that was uplifting news for all involved in this ride (not to mention the elation in Dean's household).

I started the ride under clear blue skies and temps in the upper 30's. But about 30 miles out of town as I hit Post Falls I ran into heavy fog. The air felt cooler and damp. I watched as the condensation clung to my bike, and as it got heavy on my windshield the water created a "sunburst" pattern as it began to stream off. The fog began to break up a short time later as I passed through Coeur d'Alene. As I rode past the lake the scene was almost eerie as the fog lifted off the water. It was a sight I had seen often on creeks and rivers in the area, but had not seen on such a large body of water before. Near the east end of the lake, the fog was almost entirely gone, but there was an exit so I pulled off for a quick picture.

As I hopped back onto the interstate, I immediately began my ascent into the mountains. Again I encountered fog off and on through Fourth of July and Lookout passes. The fog was not as heavy however, so visibility was not an issue. Because of the temperature, however, I kept mostly to the right lane to avoid any possible icy spots, as the road was wet from the fog. Traffic was very light and the scenery was spectacular. The stretch from Coeur d'Alene to Missoula on the interstate is always beautiful, but even more so with the fall colors at their peak. I made good time and met up with Rick and Linda in St. Regis. By the time I met up with them it was beginning to warm and we enjoyed a fantastic day of riding.

With Rick and Linda in St. Regis.

Shot of Missoula as we passed by on the interstate.



A shot of Rick & Linda riding. Almost didn't get them in the shot! Struggling to operate my full size camera, with my left hand, wrong side of my body and unable to see the screen all while traveling at about 80 mph (indicated, of course). Thought I took at least 4 shots, but it was only 2, and got lucky that one came out OK.
Rick & Linda ahead in heavy traffic. No, really, this is heavy traffic. Oh well, at least we had good weather and the fall colors. Don't mind me Rick, I'll catch up soon as I finish eating and get everything put away and my gloves back on.

Struggling enough with the camera, couldn't read the owner's manual too while I was riding. Lots of buttons and controls on this camera -- don't know which one did this. Just cruisin, listening to the tunes and enjoying the ride.
Met up with VooDoo at the Garrison Junction, Highway 12 cutoff to Helena. Someone actually pulled off and offered to take the group shot for us.
VooDoo leading the way to Helena.

Hey, there I am again. Only cloud cover I encountered in 2 days. Only lasted a short time.
Descending McDonald Pass on Highway 12. Another interesting "oops." The road was not made from red clay, the asphalt was actually black.

In Helena we stopped by Steve's house and picked up his wife and headed out for a bite to eat. After some good grub and chit chat it was time to get down to the formalities. We headed over to the state capital building for the official handoff and t-shirt signing. Afterwards Rick & Linda hit the road to ride home, and I stayed in Helena to spend the night and visit a friend.

The biker gang...lining up for the photo session. Exchanged the pack and signed the t-shirts in front of the Montana state capital building.






A better shot of the capital building, once the biker gang cleared out.

Sunday, time to head home. Had a leisurely morning and then headed south on I-15 to Butte.

Crossing the Continental Divide, 6368 feet -- Butte, an historic mining town and former home to Evel Knievel, is just over the hill.
Our Lady of the Mountain, one of the interesting landmarks in Butte, sits high atop the mountain overlooking Butte and the Berkeley Pit.


The most dominant feature in Butte is the Berkeley Pit, a large open-pit mine.

I Lived here for a short time once, so I ended up off the highway for a couple hours. Part curiosity, but also lunchtime and a need to find a quart of oil. (Yep, bought one and left it at home).

Once I was back on the road I decided to take the Pintler Scenic Loop, Highway 1, through Anaconda and other parts unknown.

Stopped to snap a shot of the bike at Georgetown Lake along Highway 1. Also, the area where I spotted the elusive wild Montana Snorky (lol).

In Montana, if you're not in the mountains, you're in wide-open space with a view of the mountains.

A few scenes along the way, snapped as I was riding.

Sometimes the road looked like this...

… and sometimes like this!

Lots of trains. Caught a startled glance from a passing car after this shot. Had 2 hands on the camera at highway speed to make sure I got this shot.


A few highway shots from the sprint home.

As I neared Idaho, the sun bid me farewell.

The scenery through here is awesome, but I was making good time, and at times the colors were just a blur as I focused down the road and through the curves.

As I descended Lookout Pass, the sun called it a night. I took one last shot and put the camera away. A few miles down the road I pulled off to put my snow pants and fleece on under the leathers for the last 50 miles or so. I rolled home in the dark, stopping near home for a cup of coffee -- a few moments to relax and warm-up and to savior the end to a great week of riding.

Some fabulous fall riding, a few new friends, 3 states, over 1000 miles, 4 different mountain passes, a trip to a mountain top, and across the Continental Divide. All for a good cause. Thanks Dean.

John...jmax99







I have not actually met Dean, but did get the opportunity to meet and ride with probably 40+ other members from the website this summer. I have also spent a great deal of time on the website and witnessed the camaraderie and all the assistance offered to others on the site. As a new rider, I gained a lot of valuable information and enjoyment from the site. When the call went out to help Dean, a popular member on the site, I was more than happy to help.

Dean, best wishes for a strong and speedy recovery. Hope you're out riding again soon. Well...I guess you are already! Dean and Ginny at the Talimena ride in Oct. 2007.