Hoosiers are everywhere! After a really hot ride, Ken (from Fort Wayne) and I decided to overnight at the Ponderosa Best Western (Yes, in a ponderosa pine grove; huge trees). We quickly ran into Jeff and had dinner. Jeff is a Navy Seal Team Leader from Virginia Beach, grew up on a farm near Lafayette IN, and went to school at ISU in Terra Haute.

“One of my objectives this trip is to do McKenzie Pass over the Cascade Range; you guys riding with me?” I asked. In this region, McKenzie Pass was the first and only road over the Cascade Range until 1962. It was a wagon road before that and an Indian trail before that. How any of these people carved a trail through the lava beds baffles me.

Volcanos, snow-capped mountains, lava beds, big Douglas-fir forest, and a challenging downhill ride to the bottom of the mountain. Wow! From there, Ken, Jeff and I went on in to Salem (BMW rally destination). I got a service appointment for BOXXER while at the rally (perfect timing) and we rolled on in  to join 5 thousand BMW riders and probably 3.5 thousand motorcycles. This will be fun.