First Trip with Honda ST1300 - May 1, 2011

In October 2010 I purchased a 2007 Honda ST1300 to replace my 2004 Honda Sabre 1100. While I really enjoyed the Sabre I found it was better suited for weekend trips and I wanted to cover more miles during my outings. The Sabre only had a range of 150 miles per tank whereas the ST1300 has a range of 350 miles per tank and is built to eat up many miles per day.

My first long trip on the ST1300 was with Terrie and his wife Donalda on a loop from Stayton, Oregon south to Elkton on Hwy 38 with a quick stop at Loon Lake then over to the coast at Reedsport. Next we went north on Hwy 101 to Waldport then east on Hwy 34 to Corvallis and back to Stayton.

The entire trip was 325 miles and the ST1300 was a blast to ride. The engine is smooth as silk and has a nice wide power band. With an electric windshield, that can be adjusted on the fly, this bike a pleasure to ride. Looking forward to many more trips this summer.

City Park & Boat ramp in Elkton

Entrance to the Loon Lake Campground on the north side of the lake

Route we rode:


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Redwoods: August 20–23, 2010

The trip started out in Albany, Oregon where I met up with Terri and Donalda who were riding their new Honda Goldwing and pulling a trailer. I was on my Honda Sabre. We followed back roads just east of I-5 until we met up with Hwy 138 and headed west to Florence, Oregon and the Oregon Coast.

We followed Hwy 101 down the Oregon Coast arriving in Eureka, California in the late afternoon.

We setup camp at the Eureka KOA before heading into Arcata, CA for dinner at the Porter Street Barbeque.

The next morning we rode east of Eureka on Hwy 36. Along the way we stopped to view an old bride and then Terri decided we’d make our bikes dual-sports as we rode on the worst maintained paved (with lots of gravel spots) road I’ve ever seen.

We ended up in Garberville, CA where we took a little ice cream break before riding north to Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

The next morning we rode north on Hwy 101 to Crescent City, CA then northeast on Hwy 199 to Cave Junction, Oregon. A nearby forest fire had blanketed the town of Cave Junction in smoke.

We rode to Medford, Oregon where my daughter & family live. We had a BBQ with fresh corn on the cob and steaks.

The next morning I lead Terri and Donalda on a route I’d discovered earlier in the year that would take us thru Shady Cove, Diamond Lake, Idleyld Park (where we had lunch along side the North Umpqua River), up Rock Creek Road and down into Cottage Grove, Oregon. Along the way we had some great views of the forest across the valleys.

The trip was just over 1,000 miles long and we did the trip over 4 days (3 nights).

Here is a link to the route we rode:

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Oregon Coast: Siletz & Toledo - June 18, 2010

(l-r: Glenn, Jennifer, Tollie, Olivia, Ricardo, Greg, Russ, Kevin and Patrick at Hwy 22 Junction)

After record setting rainfall for the month of June in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, we finally got a break in the weather and were able to get out for a group ride.The Salem group (five bikes) met at the corner of 25th Street and Mission Street in SE Salem. We traveled east on Hwy 22 and met up with Patrick, Ricardo and Ricardio's daughter Olivia at the Kings Valley Hwy & Hwy 22 junction near Dallas, Oregon.

We followed Hwy 22 to the Oregon Coast and then traveled around the south side of Devils Lake stopping at Devils Lake State Park.

Devils Lake State Park: Rest Break: (l-r) Tollie, Olivia, Ricardo & Russ

Devils Lake State Park: Rest Break: (l-r) Greg & Patrick

Devils Lake State Park: Rest Break: Kevin

Patrick just returned from a trip to the east coast where he visited the Harley-Davidson factory. Here he is explaining to Glenn how these bikes come down the assembly line.

We then rode on Hwy 101 before turning east onto Hwy 229 and we rode along side the Siletz River and into the town of Siletz, Oregon. This is a beautiful stretch of road and shouldn't be missed!

Next we connected with Hwy 20 and headed west towards Newport, Oregon where we turned south to Yaquina Bay Road. We rode up river towards Toledo with the Yaquina Bay off our right side.

Stopping along side Yaquina Bay Road

Continuing on Yaquina Bay Road we rode into Toledo and up Elk City Road to Elk City where we stopped at the city park before riding back into Toledo for lunch.

Lunch break was at Stu Miller's Pig Feathers BBQ. We sat outside but the tables were in the shade. Jennifer mentioned it would be nice to sit in the sun so we proceeded to pick up our tables and moved them into the parking lot. The waitress didn't mind and we had a great meal.

Lunch Break in Toledo, Oregon

Jennifer, Good call to move the tables into the sunshine!

Great place for lunch: Stu Miller's Pig Feathers BBQ in Toledo, Oregon: http://www.pigfeathers.com/

After lunch we traveled east on Hwy 20 back to the Willamette Valley. We took a small detour on Hwy 180 (Nashville Road) before joining back up with Hwy 20. We then turned north of Hwy 223 (Kings Valley Hwy) and our next stop was Ritner Creek Bridge.

After our break at Ritner Creek Bridge, the group from Dallas, Oregon (Patrick and Ricardo) followed Hwy 223 back to Dallas while the Salem group headed east on Airlie Road to Hwy 99W.

Being I needed to get to Stayton, Oregon I continued east on Airlie Road to Buena Vista, Oregon crossing the Willamette River byway of the Buena Vista Ferry then through Jefferson, Oregon to Stayton. The others followed Hwy 99W north to Monmouth and Independence, Oregon and then along River Road back into Salem.

This trip covered about 220 miles.

Here is a link to the route we rode:


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Oregon Coast by way of Elk City - May 15, 2010

The weather looked good on this Saturday so I rode solo over to the Oregon coast. I followed back roads most of the way. Along the way I stopped in Elk City, Oregon which has a very nice city park where you can camp right by the Yaquina River.

On my way through Toledo, Oregon I saw this train car with the OSU mascot (Benny Beaver). This is how I remember Benny looking when I went to OSU, way back in the late 70's early 80's.


I followed Yaquina Bay road into Newport, Oregon then wound over to Siletz, Oregon where I stopped for lunch and watched the Waldport, Oregon Jr. baseball team playing against the Siletz Jr. team.

I encountered some gravel roads on the return trip but saw some amazing scenery along the way. I should have taken the time to take more photos but I was having too much fun.

The trip took 6 hours driving time and covered about 230 miles.

This is the route I followed:

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