Hi Folks,
Yet again, the sidecar triumphs, no pun intended! I left home on September 11th, and after 200 miles, met up with Sonny (from Tennessee) and his sidecar bike in Ritzville, Washington. We rode to a little town south of Missoula, Montana to visit my family, and then (what else?) back to Ritzville. The next day we headed west, rolling along I-90 and then up Hwy 9 to where I live in Skagit County. So far, so good. The ol' 1977 XS650 and the sidecar worked flawlessly, and when parked next to Sonny's 650BMW single with Ural chair, got all of the attention: people apparently love old bikes! (My ego ballooned beyond all expectations...)
Sonny was at several thousand miles, I'd covered around 1200. Not enough, so on the 19th of September we headed south, in the company of Terry from British Columbia, on his Commando Norton. Meeting up with Marti on her Harley, and Tom on his nice Triumph Thruxton, we camped near Castle Rock, Washington. The next day Bret showed up on a beautiful cafe 1979 Bonneville, and away we went, making the loop around Mount St. Helen's, our famous mountain that blew her top way back when. Despite the fog and the heavy mist, we had a ball, and the two sidecar bikes kept up with the two-wheelers, albeit by nearly lifting the third wheel a few times.
With the luggage we were able to carry in the chairs, we had a comfortable camping site, and by the time we got back to my house, we had added another 600 or so miles on the odometers.
The end? Oh no. This weekend I will be riding the Oyster Run, and Sonny? Wow! Sonny is by now in California, visiting his sons and heading east, to continue home to Tennessee. He is on his second rear tire (changed in my shed--what a pain!) and second chain (ditto on the pain!). When he gets home he can post pictures of his fairly monumental trip, and my little sojourn for a few hundred miles.
Funny thing is how differently sidecars can be set up and still be "right". Sonny rode my outfit in Ritzville and was like a complete novice, and honestly, I was afraid to ride his outfit at all! And in all of our travels, we saw only two other sidecars, with accompanying frantic waving and huge smiles, so all in all it was a *great* couple of weeks.
So. With apologies for the long post, I wanted to share the highlights. In a few weeks, Sonny will no doubt embarrass me by posting pictures....
I sure love that outfit! 59,000 miles and counting.....
Pictures, Barb. Before he does, we'll believe you if you're first.
Lonnie
That sounds like a great trip.
Way to go, Barb!
Those of us who are not getting in any fun trips sure appreciate your sharing yours.
Glad you are home, and ready for more, 🙂
You really should write a little article with pictures, and send it to the Editor of The Sidecarist.
I bet lots of people would like to read it.
Looking forward to hearing more.
Gail
