Goat Cheese: Let the Adventure Begin

Kris has had it with the corporate world and is dreaming of an exit. We love our goats and we love wine and cheese, so we have started experimenting with our own farmstead cheese-making. We crossed a bridge over the past couple of days. Before we arrived here, we were only consumers of goat cheese. Today, we are consumers AND cheese makers. We made our first soft, creamy chevre out of a couple of quarts of goat's milk we picked up from Fred Meyer. And it's delicious!

To Hecht and Back, Again

Heading back to Wyo next week. We rode over there for Fourth of July. Kris fell off a horse and dinged her lower back and had to fly home. I rode back alone and now we've decided the best course of action for us is to ride back over on mine, pick up her's and ride back together. So, I get to do the trip twice this summer.

Sunrise in Baker City.

















Here's a shot of Kris taking a shot of bear and cub ambling past a geyser near the Geyser Loop in Yellowstone.
Kris's aunt and uncle's place is called Hecht Creek Ranch, hence the title. The first trip was To Hecht with My Wife and Back Alone.

We had fun in Centennial, arriving just in time for the annual mayhemic Fourth of July Battle. The sheriff leaves town and the the people all go crazy. Fireworks are illegal in Albany County, but they cut loose on this night, shooting off the larger ones in a raggedly organized show, while the locals shoot off everything they have in every possible direction.

I saw a roman candle ball bounce off two gas pumps in the town's only service station. God forbid you drive your car through town on Highway 130 at this time of day. Bottle rockets and anything else that flies and explodes was put to no good use for about two hours.

I hoofed it back pretty quick on my own, covering nearly 1600 miles in three days. I did just shy of 500 the first day; 509 on day two; and 576 to finish up. Each day had some beautiful riding, as I cut down into Colorado and across to Utah the first day. Then did Hwy 50, The Loneliest Road in America, on day two; followed by a ride up into South Central Oregon, past Denio, Nevada.

Wyo! And Back

Sun Shining! I am the Road King!

Cu cu cu chu!

Goat Party

We had about forty people over yesterday to meet the goats and hang out. Our friend Julie, from Paradise Point Pygmies, the breeder of little Fionnula, brought along a couple of Nigerian Dwarf goats, too. Fionnula wore her pink party bow and fun was had by all!

Memorial Day 2010 - Ride on the Dry Side

Planning to have a little goat party tomorrow; people are bringing their kids to meet the goats and bbq--not the goats.

We are also planning a big trip for Memorial Day weekend on the bikes. I've got two options, both designed to get us over to the dry side of the state for some long miles on back highways. Option A, is preferred and takes us down across Santiam Pass. If the pass is snowy, or more of this late, unseasonably cold weather hits us next week, we'll adjust and head out through the Gorge, and work more toward the East.

Map of option A, that takes us down and into Nevada, passing about two hundred yards from the California border, and back up through Central Oregon.

And option B, spending most of our time working east and then back west, across a lot of the same territory from the second half of Option A.

Bay Area Rental Loop

Took off from Eaglerider in San Francisco around ten on Sunday morning. Crossed the Golden Gate and stopped in Sausalito and GG Harley. Crossed the Richmond Bridge and went down to Alameda, where I looped around through Jack London Square and then back on to the 280 S.

Crossed over to Mountain View and up to Redwood City. Took Hwy 84 through Woodside and across to San Gregorio, where I worked my way back up the coast to SF.

Got a nice faceburn with sunglass outline. Great day.

It was my first time on a softail for more than a half hour. They don't fit me. After about 200 miles my lower back was pretty sore.