Sunny

The juggernaut continues on the trip and there is a time in every trip when you feel the constant moving, traveling starts getting to you. And you no longer are in the same state of wonder looking at the stuff and monotony kicks in. That is the exact same place where I was when we left the beautiful Winchester Bay and headed towards Packwrood in gloomy overcast skies.

Winchester Bay


Winchester Bay


The idea was to continue on the coast for another 100 odd miles but the weather that followed us across our trip continued to do so and so it was decided to take the inland route through some of the snow capped peaks in Washington state.



And as we came inland we saw Mt. Hood in the distance and the clear blue sky life did start changing but the constant travel and the monotony was still chasing me. It was something that needed a change but the only thing you can do is keep going on. So we took the right towards the Cascade Locks (the awesome forest that leads to packwood).

The US is full of some amazing national reserves full of wildlife and some amazing things to do. I mean you can camp, go fishing, take your off road bikes or even just head out on the some of the clearly marked trails. I mean it is so well organized and right there for you to experience that you can actually live on the outdoors here.



Soon it started drizzling through the national reserve and we were just about 45 minutes from Packwood and still had to find a place to stay. And just about 10 miles from Packwood an interesting incident happened. I overtook a man in a jeep on a two lane road. It was a legal overtaking through the dotted line and I was on my way towards Packwood in the AMG. When suddenly I saw this guy overtake me abruptly and in the process also show me the finger. I mean this was our first experience of rage on the roads and I guess he had just had a bad day. But we did realise on thing that people really are the same everywhere.

Reaching Packwood we found this amazing old rustic motel called the Packwood INN. I was run by an old lady and was probably the most cosy place we had stayed in so far.

The Historic Pakwood Inn


The Historic Pakwood Inn




Ducati Diavel in morning dew at Packwood



Ducati Diavel in morning dew at Packwood


Ducati Diavel in morning dew at Packwood


The CLS' fin in morning dew


We had some good dinner and I had my first beer on the trip. A Coors light was a welcome relief from the fatigue that was setting in from the travel. Though the monotony still existed. I had no option but to wait it out in the meantime Coors was doing its job pretty well.

Seattle


The next morning was exciting cos I wanted to see Seattle and the space needle. And the distance we had to travel was just about 150 miles and we landed there through the Cascades by around 12noon. The idea was to meet Tom & Terry our friends in Seattle who had been a part of the recent 8th anniversary of xBhp in New Delhi. Both of them are avid riders and had toured India on two pulsars for about a month. They were kind enough to invite us to stay with them in their house on an island off Seattle. So we reached the point just opposite the Seattle skyline to click some pictures and also decided to wait for Tom and Terry.

They arrived and Sunny requested them to take us to the biggest accessory store in Seattle. And they surely did, take us to this place about 20 miles from Seattle and we were shocked to see such a huge showroom of bikes. And as a bonus there was another huge Harley dealership with some amazing looking stuff as well and believe me you start feeling like you are in a candyshop.











After the adrenaline rush of the bike store we went to the Seattle Ducati store to check out some bikes and accessories. It was a relatively smaller setup but apparently it was one of the top grossing Ducati store in America.

Now it was time to take a ferry to Tom & Terry’s house and we parked the bikes on the ferry and it took us 45 minutes to get to there house. And when we did it was what I was waiting for. HOME. Yes the entire experience at their place was like you’ve come home. They took extra special care of ours and fed us some home cooked food. I mean monotony it was time to say good bye.

Their home was just 200 ft from a small bay into the sea and they took Sunny out for a canoe session while I stayed on the bay clicking pictures. As the sun set and we had probably the best sleep we had in a really long time. The next morning was surely looking as fresh as starting the trip all over again.

Thats Tom, aka Motobueno on xBhp forums


Fine canoeing in front of Tom's place



A special thanks to Tom and Terry for giving us a home away from home.

So we are half way through our trip and the next few days start with a renewed vigor. So until the next day…watch out.

Winchester Bay to Packwood


Packwood to Seattle

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Sunny

Hot as Hell (and Fast too!)



Givin’ the Diavel a nice wash in Nevada near the Bonnevile Salt Lake Flats!



And the trip ends here today.


Driver VS Rider Episode 1 Roadtrip in the US has culminated without incident! Did 6600 kms, sharing between the Diavel and the CLS 63, both wonderful machines! It has been a great great trip, one which I will always remember in the times to come. Not only xBhp has worked with world’s leading brands but also upheld the touring spirit, inspiring ourselves (and we hope a lot of you folks out there!). From high cliffs, ice cold weather, to lush green rainforests, giant trees, mountain deserts, to the lowest point in western hemisphere, to riding in 47 degrees of heat, this trip had all!



This is what 6500 kms on the Diavel will do to its tyre..

Lucky us, the tyre didnt blow and lasted out till the end!

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