Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalrain
It's too bad about the riding part, but apparently he'll do the Washington State to Alaska part with pics to follow...
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....and I'm sure they'll be great pics as his 'Yaris Alaska' pics were great. Before starting on the bike trip, Echo (Bronsin) wrote that he might take SR 20 in Washington state through the Cascades. I'm thinking of making that route an 'extreme detour' (among others) as a round about way of getting to California later this Summer (or in very early Fall), so I was hoping he would travel that route and I could get some insight. I've been to all of the 'Lower 48', but my Yaris has yet to make it to ND, MT, and ID. I read a post (back in 2010 if I remember correctly) in the comments section on either Yahoo or Edmunds.com about making it to all of the 'Lower 48' before his Yaris hit 75k miles. He wrote that this encompassed 6 trips. I was already over 75k miles at the time, but I thought it might be fun to add all possible definitions of the 4 corners of the 'Lower 48' to what he did and make the timeframe the entire 'lifespan' of my Yaris under my ownership. I had already been to Key West, FL (the Southeastern most point that is the farthest South) and along the East coast of Florida where the Southeastern most point that is the farthest East is located. Later that year (as part of a very slight detour) I made it to Border Field State Park (the Southwestern most point in California that is the farthest South. I've been along the entire coast from San Francisco to San Diego over the years, so wherever the Southwestern most point that is the farthest West is located, I've been there. I'm thinking of driving SR 20 in Washington state---1. Because the scenery looks fantastic in pictures--I've always wanted to experience it in person ( I once made it to Stevens Pass, to Leavanworth, and to Roslyn, but never up to SR 20) and 2. Because I could get to Blaine, WA (the Northwestern most point in the 'Lower 48' that is the farthest North) without having to go through Seattle first. If I do this I'll also make the relatively short detour to Neah Bay, WA (the Northwestern most point in the 'Lower 48' that is the farthest West...where I found a cheap place to stay in Callam Bay...there is a correctional institution in Callam Bay and the place I found often rents to visiting families...would be a somewhat off the beaten path experience) and then detour off I-5 to Crater Lake in Oregon on my way to California. I've been to the Quoddy Head Lighthouse (the Northeastern most point in the US that is the farthest East) and nearby Lubec ME, but I have yet to make it to Madawaska ME (the Northeastern most point in the US that is the farthest North). I figure I have a LONG TIME LEFT to get there as I am only closing in on 220k miles and Yarisworld member Mazilla has Yari closing in on or at 500k miles and Trini has 459K+ miles. I've heard that Madawaska ME is a somewhat popular bike enthusiast locale, so I wonder if Bronsin has made it up there. I remember reading he headed North into upstate New York on his 'Alaska test run' before his abbreviated actual start through PA.......I must say though, where you live is an incredibly beautiful area. In 2006 (pre-Yaris part of 2006) I drove North through Blaine and through White Rock and then found a great deal for nice lodging in Surrey. I used Surrey as a base to explore the area. On one of the days I drove the Sea to Sky Highway up to Whistler, explored Whistler during the day, and drove back to Surrey. I also stopped at Lion's Bay on the way up and on the way back. I think Seattle and San Francisco are the two large US cities that are physically the most beautiful, but I think Vancouver has both of them beat. After leaving Vancouver I spent that whole Summer and a bit into Fall driving across Canada all the way to St. John's NF with a detour to L'Anse aux Meadows (I took the car ferry from North Sydney to Port aux Basques) before driving back into the U.S. It was the roads to some of the campgrounds in NF that were hard enough on the well traveled steering rack in my 2001 Suzuki Swift that (while heading toward Springfield on the Mass Pike) led me to conclude I only had about 500-600 more safe miles left (had almost 152K on the car and had depreciated it to Zero according to the Kelley Blue Book). I plopped myself down in Chicopee, MA and did my exhaustive Yaris search that culminated with finding my then new Yaris in Rhode Island. I had already identified the Yaris as my choice for 'next car' and I wondered when I started if that moment would come during that trip. My grandparents drove all over Canada during their lifetimes as well as driving the Al-Can to Alaska. My grandmother told me the most beautiful place she ever visited was Lake Louise, and I made certain not to miss it. Canada - a wonderful, beautiful country filled with many very nice people and the intent of those in the government is wonderfully altruistic when compared with the US, but the execution/result re many matters is a bit too Orwellian for my particular taste. The U. S. cascaded further down a long Orwellian slope after 9/11, but I hope we can crawl part of the way back in November.....but I have my doubts. I only wish that more of the policy makers in the U.S. would come from the same TRULY altruistic place that many of those in Canada and most in Sweden do, while still adhering to the U.S. Constitution....I know, a pipe dream.
06-24-2012, 05:00 PM
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