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We are leaving with in the half hour. Will be staying the night in Pendleton. Its half way and will allow is to do some sight seeing
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It's not that life is so short, it's just that you're dead for so long.---unknown. -
I will be leaving in the morning and meeting up with JD and Christine in Biggs Junction about 11am. Then we will be off to Ione I’m guessing pulling in around 5ish.
if not earlier based on our ride
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Made it to Lone and settled in at the Riverview Motel. Left Challis, Idaho at 7:30 and to Lone at 5:10pm. 480 miles of a BEAUTIFUL Ride! The bike did good and didn’t miss a lick, purred right along, but still getting use too the wide car tire. It works!Comment
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Welcome to our backyard, Ken! Just saw your note or I would have shot down to say hello. I'm 10 minutes north, and you're probably ready for bed. FYI, the town is called 'Ione', as in I-Own (some locals jokingly call it I-Won). Noticed you had it 'Lone', as in lone wolf...
That is indeed a great run from Challis. I'm curious about your dark side run! I'll try to give you a shout tomorrow after I get caught up around here at the house. Do you have plans for tomorrow, other than sleeping in super late?
To Ahodge75 and Shores , we make both those runs all the time. Good luck navigating through Spokane without a GPS, they still haven't gotten that right. And if you run up through Ephrata past Sun Lakes (sweet) you'll run right through our main town and can run a more direct cross-country route to save 20 minutes or so, depending on which way you actually go. But again, you'd need a GPS to navigate your way through there. Great ride though!
See you guys tomorrow!
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Sorry Shores , I may be too late!
Basically, from Ephrata you'll be going to and through the town of Creston on Highway 2 (next town past Wilbur).
A few miles east of Creston you'll see a sign for Lake Roosevelt and a few other things. You'll be heading toward Fort Spokane, but if you set the GPS to the town of Fruitland, which is well beyond Fort Spokane, you should be OK. You WILL BE GOING past Fort Spokane if you're on the right route.
From Fruitland set the GPS for Cedonia. If for some reason your GPS doesn't list Cedonia, use Addy. But at Cedonia you'll be turning off to Addy, the next GPS setting. That'll take you to our first fuel stop for tomorrow.
From there you plug in Ione and you should be fine, including another 5 mile shortcut about 6 miles up the highway at the town of Arden. Otherwise it'll run you through Colville, a few miles longer.
Here's a map:
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Also Shores , after you pass Sun Lakes and get to the top of the grade, you'll see a vista overlook on the right; there's a parking lot, building, etc. You'll want to pull in there and get some pictures. Amazing overview of Dry Falls and several lakes below. If you're in no hurry, you can head north to Coulee Dam after that (after Ephrata) and then double back to Creston. Adds 23 miles to your route, but an awesome ride. Just plug Coulee Dam into your GPS after Ephrata and then Creston after that.
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LOLOL,,,,no wonder I kept having a hard time googling and gpsing to Lone, WA,,,,,I never claimed to be the brightest bulb in the box. Thanks Midnight! I-Own is a great name. If it was my town, it would have to be called I-Owe,,,,,lolol. See you later today.Comment
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LOL! I think the easiest thing is to just plug in the address of the motel. If you want to hit a specific route, plug in that destination first, then Ione. Have a great ride! -
I am with you, living in the Lone Star state, it does look like Lone or lone not Ione. I cannot see a difference between the little "L" and the capital "I". -
Yeah I was thinking, I probably should have started spelling it with a little i just so it was easier to figure out.
ione. I think Mr. Ione was one of the founders of the town.
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Well JD, Christine and I are in Kennewick stoped for gas and lunch.....Comment
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Just got to the hotel. Nice place for sure!
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Bon bloody voyage! It looks great even though I’m a few thousand miles away.. nice to see some familiar names on the list! What about you FP are you going too?Comment
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FYI the fuel issue with my bike was a plugged main jet! Couldn't believe it. Looked like a ball of corrosion from alcohol in the fuel? Cleaned up and my bike runs great again. I've missed it.
Day 1 of riding was a total blast. Long day with one of the guys getting a flat early on so we got him towed down to a local town for a new tube while the others who held back to help him out ended up catching up to the group as we held up for a very long lunch. Weather is awesome, pushing 90*.
Very much looking forward to our scenic but much more kick-back Saturday Day 2 ride.
Terrific group of men and women who are much like siblings who get together every year for a good time. Privilege to be riding and hanging with them all!
Pre-ride planning meeting:
Getting ready to kick off Day 1
Loaded up on the ferry boat to cross the Columbia River. Pretty cool.
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Pictures so far
Home to Ione
Spotwalla: https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/752f-1c52a1bc-f6e3/view
Friday Ride
Spotwalla: https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/f780-eef5aec-3ee2/view
Saturday Ride
Spotwalla: https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/3768-abed4c-502b/view
Thanks. DaveComment
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Everyone's riding home, but we have a place near Starfest NW 2022 so I can get the jump on everyone to post some final thoughts on the event.
WHAT A GREAT RIDE!! Four days of awesome weather, and after a slight break we even ran an extra 60 mile bonus route after we finished up our 250 mile ride yesterday. We did a little sight-seeing, running a route which definitely competed with some of the best sections of the entire event. I stated early on that it would be impossible to not love this ride, and was glad to see the riders concur along the way. Seeing those smiles, enthusiasm, and words of thanks and appreciation for the routes, affirmed my goal from the beginning; to have an awesome ride exploring this area.
This was like riding with great friends and family, though I'd never met any of them other than via Zoom during our RSC chat sessions over the winter, which certainly helped. And as fun as the riding was, it's hard to know which was better, the ride, or the food, jokes, laughter, and conversation afterward! Just a bunch of great people who have an obvious passion for the sport.
It was also great just checking out everyone else's bikes, modifications, tweaks, and special touches.
These guys were foolish enough to let me lead the rides, so I had nothing but open highway ahead of me for most of the rides. I really don't know how well I'd do mid-pack. I've NEVER rode in a group ride, only with one or two other guys, but primarily solo or 2-up. So I got a lot of pointers about leading a ride along the way, which I was very thankful for, and which added more to my riding and knowledge base. Seems like half the group had led countless rides in the past, and several told me it was so nice to just lay back and blend in without having to worry about every detail of being up front. I didn't have a dog in the hunt, was learning along the way, and my only goal was that of safety while having a smile-bursting ride for all.
It was actually our first real ride of the year, and Anne's first time on the bike since last summer, with me assessing the handling capabilities of the Shinko 777 tires that I had installed over the winter. I give double thumb's up for the Shinko's; quite a difference from the flat-spotted tires that were on the bike when I bought it in 2017. I gave them a hard break-in riding solo, but this was the first ride with Anne on board. What an improvement. Tires that I could actually TRUST through the corners.
The two primary reasons I led were because:
A> I knew the route and was very familiar with all of the details and area, but most importantly,
B> This is very 'wild' country and the wildlife is abundant and can ruin your day (or life) in a heartbeat.
You need radar vision. Lots of roadside cover for deer to pop out of without a moment's notice, as well as turkey, elk, bear, and more, and we deal with it daily up here. Some people tend to underestimate the true threat. On Day 2 we had 2 encounters with deer crossing in front of the group, and one with turkey. Because I spotted them far in advance, many of the riders toward the rear of the pack had no idea we'd slowed for them, only that we'd slowed. Pretty serious stuff in this area. Safety above expedience, yet this was still a 'fast ride'. I was sincerely surprised and impressed at how fast these men and women could ride in a pack! Very talented and experienced riders with whom I have great trust. What fun!
Anne and I had a total blast on these rides! The last leg of the Day 2 route yesterday was one of the most fun for me personally for a number of reasons, and it was actually a slight deviation from our planned route, as suggested by MikeyC . We were going to ride up on the highway on the west side of the Pend O'Reille River, the road most of us had ran to get to Starfest, and instead ran a road on the east side, about a 45 mile run. Plus it was the afternoon so the wildlife threat was much diminished (mornings and evenings are the most dangerous hours), allowing us to open it up a bit.
My prayers that everyone has a safe trip home, with Duke having the longest ride, all the way to New Mexico from Washington state. Duke went darkside with his ride, and was really getting to know and enjoy its unique handling traits (car tire on the rear wheel). The majority of the group was from Washington, Oregon, and Montana.
About half our group was on Roadstars, with the rest being Honda's, Harley's, a BMW, and other model Yamaha's. We had a couple of Goldwings. A pleasure riding with all of them, including JD (he dogged my six on his Harley for the entire two days, truly deserving of a smack-down! JD rode that thing like it was on rails. Very skilled rider!)
I really enjoyed setting this thing up, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks to the guys and gals for letting me lead the rides. Maybe we need to start an annual Ione-Fest during the last weekend of July during the town's annual festival during which they race snowmobiles across the river itself (snowmobiles don't float).
Shores, who founded this event, said it was the most beautiful setting yet, as well as the fastest group ride they've had. My goal wasn't speed, it was just to allow everyone to have the most fun possible in such a ride. Next year will be Starfest's10th anniversary, and the group has already started planning that one!
I want to thank each and every person there, for a multitude of reasons, and will start with Shores for being so welcoming and informative, as well as the tips about leading a group as the rides progressed, but also for unselfishly volunteering to pick up the rear sweep each day, riding at the end of the pack to cover for any incidents which may have come up. Gotta thank MikeyC (and bride) for their generosity in supplying food, drink, and (ahem) adult beverages for our evening BBQ's! Thanks to Anne for cooking breakfast for all, on short notice, with a smile in her heart. Duke was awesome in helping me and others with mechanical issues we may have had in a number of areas (even if one WAS a Harley... Who needs tailpipes, anyway?). Goldwing Steve, Kenny, JD,Ahodge75 , Tykes_Place , and YamaDave all gave great suggestions about leading group rides, with YamaDave leading rides most every week in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his group, Cascade Riders. Kenny was very helpful in picking up some slack and covering for us along the way, taking the rear-gunner position when Shores had to drop back to cover the flat tire breakdown early on Day 1.
I know I'm missing others (they didn't pay the bribe money the others did), but I have to mention our great chats with our resident world explorer on a motorcycle, Ananthc. If you can't find a bike for sale online, it's because he owns them all. Just saying... But what a great time overall! Again, I want to thank everyone who trusted me enough to use their vacation days, and then ride hours or days, just to get up there for the event. Having never attended Starfest in the past, I had no idea what to expect, so did my utmost to fill in the blanks along the way.
Great job everyone! Anne and I absolutely loved the entire event. So nice meeting and getting to know you all. Looking forward to seeing and riding with you all again at some point down the road...
Can we do this again next weekend? I have some new routes in mind--
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Congratulations on a great event! I’ve been to a couple three of them and it’s always a lot of fun! Didn’t make it this year but who knows maybe next year!??!!
I appreciate all the pictures posted!Comment
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Well I have made it back home. Door step to door step was 1412 miles in 4 days, not as much as others put in but still a hell of a ride to really break in the Big Bore and loved every minute of it. MidnightRide Has stated another great Starfest with a bunch of great people. Ron did an absolute great job leading especially with never doing it before. Ron and Anne are Awesome people and it was nice to get to know them. Ona positive note we had a bunch Yamaha guys work on that Harley so there is a good possibility that it might not break now….lol….at least I didn’t have to dodge any tailpipes on the way home……
Again just a wonderful time at Starfest, so all of you who haven’t made it yet but want to or want to comeback after missing some next year is the 10th annual so let’s make it a big one with more people and good times…….
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Glad to hear you guys made it home OK! Thanks for the kind words. Anne wants to know if you got any more texts?
LOL on those tailpipes. I was telling Anne that we were all so lucky that the incident didn't happen a few minutes earlier while he was still up front. Could have been a bit of chaos for the group behind.
Now you've got me thinking about that big bore, especially while riding 2-up. Great hanging with you and your Oregon buds!
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What a great weekend, and EPIC roads. Thanks so much for the amazing accommodations, locations, and ride leads Ron and Anne. Hope to see you guys on another ride very soon. Thanks to Starfest guys/gals also, you always make me feel at home and like family. Looking forward to next year indeed. Safe rides all.Comment
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Ron and Anne did a most excellent job organizing this event. Though we had never met you, we had a great faith in your ability to lay out the perfect plan. Northeastern Washington has got to be the most beautiful place on earth! Just an absolute amazing visual with tons of mountains, rolling hills, wide open meadows, rock cliffs, old farms and ranches and on and on. I had never been up that way and want to do it again. Riding along Columbia River reminded me of the California coast but then there were tons of mountains and trees on the opposite side. The motel was fabulous, Joe and his wife purchased it several years ago and it is one of the nicest you'll find. They even have a pontoon boat to give guests rides, kayaks, cornhole games, barbecue grill and other amenities. I made it home about 4:15 today. Bad head winds from Spokane all the way to Snoqualmie pass. Lots of stop and go bumper to bumper traffic from Cle Elum to Snoqualmie pass. 1202 miles for me. Thanks for coming y'all, it was a great time.Comment
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Thanks Steve, we both really enjoyed every bit of the event. Eastern Washington winds can indeed blow (or should I say SUCK). Having grown up north of Seattle myself, like you I really had no idea of what NE Washington was all about. Not to mention the fishing. I had to keep the kittens inside this morning due to a pair of Bald eagles fishing behind the house...
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Made it home around when I expected. 2647 miles for me.
I echo what everyone’s said. This was another great NW Starfest. Ron and Anne were excellent hosts!
I’ll post video when I have it ready.Comment
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