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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1100687205 Message started by Greg_650 on 11/17/04 at 02:26:45 |
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Title: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/17/04 at 02:26:45 This isn't really bike related, but since there are many members here from the Pacific Northwest.... Because my wife and I have always wanted to visit Oregon, Washington, or Idaho AND because we'd like to find better employment opportunities...we would like to move. Would any of you "left coasters" help me out with any suggestions, links, or other info that might be helpful? Feel free to contact me directly, if you want. Thanks to anyone, in advance :D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by PRH111 on 11/17/04 at 11:05:56 Tell me what you want to know. I moved up here November of 2002 to the Puget Sound (Tacoma/Seattle) area of Washington. Along the coast expect lots of rain...but it is light enough that you can actually ride in it everyday as long as you don't mind getting a little wet. In the mountains (Idaho and eastern Washington) you get more defined seasons (hotter summers, colder winters). What type of work are you looking for? www.seattle.gov www.wa.gov (above links have job listings and other basic information on the area). Traffic is terrible in the area where I live and Seattle is rated as the MOST expensive city to live, in the US (based on a combo of property cost, job opportunities, job advancement, cost of living). I think Seattle is 2nd or 3rd place for worst traffic in the US (mass transit is piss poor around here...but I use it when I can). |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by gitarzan on 11/17/04 at 18:55:14 If you find an opening for a Network Manager in a VA in Oregon, hands off. It's mine. >:( |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/18/04 at 02:28:44 PRH111 wrote:
I've heard some of these things about Seattle from others, too. What is Tacoma like? Seems smaller with less industry. And Olympia seems much smaller still even being the capital city. Since you just moved there 2 years ago, what do you like about the area? Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. Presently I have one interview in Portland with Aerotek. I work in machinery automation and robotics. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by PRH111 on 11/18/04 at 09:23:30 Tacoma seems to be considered by many locals as the "dirty" version of Seattle. While Seattle is more of a city that is built upwards, Tacoma seems to be built spread out a bit more. Down from Dupont and Southwest towards Olympia are nice areas where the housing is much, much cheaper. Dupont is near Ft. Lewis and roughly at the midpoint of Tacoma and Olympia. You may also want to check out the Bremerton area (naval base up there with plenty of ship dock related work and naval contracts which may involve your line of work). Bremerton is on the western side of the Puget Sound and there is a highway connecting Bremerton to Tacoma (hwy 16...heavy traffic though). Why I like the area: I put up with the rain because I enjoy the cool weather. It rarely gets up to 90 in the summer and doesn't get too cold in the winter either. There are plenty of nearby mountains if you want to go skiing/snowboarding in the winter and hiking in the summer. I love the trails around here for mountain biking (you can almost ride your bicycle from Tacoma to Seattle on dedicated bike trails). Once you get away from the city there are plenty of fun twisty and hilly roads for the motorcycle as well. I was attending U of WA since it is top 10 for comp sci and top 20 for electrical engineering (my major). Being 1/2 Japanese, I also like how the large asian community in the area makes obtaining Japanese comestibles very simple. Finally, there is no state income tax and the incredibly high sales tax (8.8%) doesn't apply to groceries. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by sluggo on 11/18/04 at 15:42:00 now let me tell you about the "other" washington. washington is split in two by the cascade mountain range. this is both a political and geographicly (sp) split i concur with what ph says about his side of the state. on my side of the state it's a desert enviornment. with irrigated farmland, lots of sage and sand. and mostly republican. the west side is mostly democrats. having said that still most of the states decisions are made by the voters of only 1 of the 39 counties. that being king county. we too have access to mountain activities, but we have more in the way of sand dunes, lakes. while we have no state income tax, we are third on the list of most taxed states in the country. a high sales tax. the b&O taxes are extremely high, workers comp taxs. all these add up to make owning a business a difficuilt task. like the savage's we ride we tolorate the problems because the benifits outweigh them. if you draw and X acoss the state you will find my residence. from my back yard i can see over 150 miles to a full view of mt rainer. on the west side we have almost 300 miles of the most beautiful coastline the planet has to offer.100 miles inland (no it's not on the coast) is the seattle portland corridor. i have lived in seattle, tacoma, spokane, i perfer eastern washington. hope this helps.. this is what i think the state motto should be. NICE HAVING YOU VISIT, NOW GO HOME. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/19/04 at 13:40:49 gitarzan wrote:
There is alot of computer/network type positions to be had on the left coast...not to mention Intel in Portland. When you get there I'll recognize you by your flaming farts, too ;D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/19/04 at 13:48:34 PRH111 wrote:
I'd heard that, but I wanted another opinion. Higher crime rate there too. Thanks. Down from Dupont and Southwest towards Olympia are nice areas where the housing is much, much cheaper. Dupont is near Ft. Lewis and roughly at the midpoint of Tacoma and Olympia. You may also want to check out the Bremerton area (naval base up there with plenty of ship dock related work and naval contracts which may involve your line of work). Bremerton is on the western side of the Puget Sound and there is a highway connecting Bremerton to Tacoma (hwy 16...heavy traffic though). Quote:
The temps are not much unlike my area of Asheville with the exception of the rain...but we get a good amount of that too, in these mountains. Quote:
Ours is 6.6% but we do have income tax and sales tax on groceries. So that's $6.60 in tax for each $100 worth of groceries. That might not be too bad, really. Thanks. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/19/04 at 13:57:18 sluggo wrote:
So you are north of Max at Moses Lake....gotta love Streets and Trips :) Quote:
That's not nice. Come spend your money, but when you're done, go away. Got it. Besides, I've been a "darn Yankee" since I was 14 anyway. I think that if I could find a really good job in Spokane, I'd rather be headed there, myself. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by sluggo on 11/19/04 at 14:11:39 greg, actually max and i both are in moses lake, and have gotten together for a short day ride. see the post saw the bike now the rider for more info. i guess i should have put a smiley beside the motto. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/20/04 at 03:56:00 sluggo wrote:
I understood your "tongue in cheek" there. No problem. I had read the message and seen the pictures of you and Max...I just have an old "memory bank" and sometimes I prefer not to trust it lest I make an incorrect assumption (without going to the other post first) :) However, it IS pictures like that that have influenced our decision to move to the Pacific NW...so in effect, it IS partially your fault that we'll come to visit and stay ;D Besides, I've photographed alot of the Blue Ridge Parkway and now it's time to turn my focus on new scenery. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Birdmove on 11/24/04 at 23:17:13 I was born and raised in the Seattle area. I'm 51 years old, so I've been here a while. When I was a kid, Tacoma was a very smelly place. You practically had to hold yoyr nose when you drove by on the highway. Then about 15 years ago, it was a hangout for lots of gang members, especially in the "hilltop" area. But I have to tell you, they have really cleaned up the city. I really like Tacoma these days. The shut down the pulp mills and cleaned up those sites. They have seemed to got a handle on the gangs to where you don't even hear about them anymore. They have restored lots of old, historical buildings, and made it a much friendlier city, and the work in that direction is still going on. I can take my wife and daughter to my favorite club to hear live music on a Friday night without worry. And though the crowd is more of a blue collar working class than you might see at a club in Seattle, I have never had a problem with these people when I go out to hear some good blues music. I would not hesitate to buy a house in many areas of Tacoma, and I think the housing is much cheaper than in Seattle. My daughter goes to college at one of two really good univercitys, UPS (Univercity of Puget Sound), and PLU (Pacific Lutheran Univercity), and likes it very well. Her cousin came here from Kansas to go to school there also, and students come from all over the US. I live in a smaller town, Bonney Lake, about 35 miles from Seattle, where I work. I could not afford to live in Seattle, as house are flat out of sight. Portland is another possible city in the Pac. N. W. you might consider. Wages are less there, but, I imagin, living costs are less too? I mainly wanted to give my view of Tacoma here. We get lots of rain, but not much snow here on the west side of the mountains. The weather is mild. I have seen loads of people come here from the mid west etc, and they never go home. Then they bring their relatives out here and they never go home. That must say something about this area. Jon Neet |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by PRH111 on 11/25/04 at 13:42:43 Birdmove wrote:
I must say that I do prefer bars/clubs in Tacoma as the cost is much less. I prefer places like Hell's Kitchen though... Housing in Tacoma is far cheaper than in Seattle. In fact if your total family income (you and the wife) will be less than $80K a year I suggest staying away from Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Renton, and Newcastle as the same house with 10 times the land can be had for 1/2 the price if you go down to Bonney lake, Graham, Puyallup, etc. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Birdmove on 11/26/04 at 21:13:25 << I must say that I do prefer bars/clubs in Tacoma as the cost is much less. I prefer places like Hell's Kitchen though... >> My favorite club in Tacoma is Jazzbones. Its near Hells Kitchen, and may be owned by the same people?? Jon Neet |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/27/04 at 02:37:29 PRH111 wrote:
What a minute....wasn't the name "Hell's Kitchen" used in the Spiderman movie? That was depicted as a crime filled, nasty area too. I'm enjoying all this feedback on the area, and I'm sorry I've been too busy to visit this site lately. So far I have 5 job interviews in Portland and Julie has one. So Portland is the city of our relocation. Looks like there will definitely be 2 more Savages in the Pacific Northwest after January. So all you guys keep an eye out for us. We're going west ::) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Susan on 11/27/04 at 06:22:08 Great news on the interviews! Best of luck with the job search and move. We'll be thinking of you. :) :) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by klx650sm2002 on 11/27/04 at 07:39:39 Yes good luck Greg. Clive W :D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by PRH111 on 11/27/04 at 18:29:52 Now we can have an even larger group to go up to Mt. Rainier next summer! |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Birdmove on 11/27/04 at 22:06:44 You could do a lot worse than Portland, Or.I've heard its a pretty nice city to live in.I've also heard from non-residents that its pretty easy to get lost in? If you move there you must make a run down Highway 101 on the coast. Oregon has a gorgeous coastline, and thats one of my all time favorite rides. Theres loads of beautiful little towns all along there. Jon Neet Bonney Lake, Wa. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/29/04 at 03:10:41 klx650sm2002 wrote:
Hey Clive! Thanks. The unfortunate side to all this is that I may not have any time to do all of the engine mods that I had hoped to do this winter. It looks like I may not be able to just take it all apart....moving boxes of parts is harder than the whole thing in one piece ::) It looks like it will be next winter now. (I still have a starter seal leak to fix anyway). |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/29/04 at 03:13:10 PRH111 wrote:
I'm gonna hold you to that idea...You, Max, Sluggo, and the 2 of us. Is 5 members enough to start a new Savage chapter? :o |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/29/04 at 03:15:31 Birdmove wrote:
Bonney Lake? Gonna have to check Streets and Trips on that one. Thanks for the info. My Savage and my camera are ready for some new scenery, and we look forward to that coastline. Sounds like you'd make 6 Savages from that area too 8) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 11/29/04 at 03:46:57 Bonney Lake....Jon's not far from Tacoma. East of Puyallup... (boy, I'm gonna have to learn how to pronounce a lot of new names)...American Indian origin? Anyone know anything about the little towns around Portland? Such as: Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tualatin, Troutdale, or Clackamus? Those are more the areas that we would prefer to live anyway...outside of the greater metro area. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 12/17/04 at 04:18:26 Just an update, since I haven't been online much lately.... Got a new hitch for the pickup yesterday, so if any of you Savages see to 2 Savages on a trailer during our 2800 mile drive between here and Portland....that will be us. Likely places to see us? I-40, I-24, I-64, I-70, I-25, I-80 (stuck in the snow), and I-84 ;D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Max_Morley on 12/17/04 at 11:50:34 Greg, have a safe journey, may even find more fun than snow on the I-84 part, it sometimes ices up in the Columbia River gorge and the freeway is a skating ring with strong winds. give your self lots of cush time for your own tress relief. Looking forward to a ride over Mt. St Helens and Rainer this spring. Max |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 12/19/04 at 05:03:41 The moving truck arrives tomorrow..... A bunch of details to finish up and off we go..... I'll look forward to a ride in the spring to Mt. St. Helens. Is it still rumbling like it was a few weeks ago? Hasn't been much in the news lately. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Susan on 12/19/04 at 17:39:05 I hope your journey is smooth! Let us know when you arrive. We'll be thinking of you. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 12/21/04 at 04:12:02 Darn, I'm getting behind. I meant to quote Max on this one....anyway. Can't wait to see it. My camera is ready.... Its all plotted out with motel reservations along the way. We aren't planning to move any faster than 400 miles per day....which means 7 days of driving. All calculated with Streets and Trips with an average speed of only 50. Yep, I added a "cush" factor. We should be in Portland for New Years Eve. The bikes will be in a 5 x 9 U-haul ramp trailer which won't be easy to fit, but is doable. It was the best trailer that I could find that was assigned as "one-way" rental. It is a good solid trailer. To fit the bikes, I had to remove footpegs, turnsignals, and reposition the handlebars so they could be close enough together....along with draining gas from the tanks and the carbs and disconnecting the batteries. They look really sad right at the moment and will take a days work on each to get running again....but what the heck, I now have something on my winter project list 8) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by howlit on 12/21/04 at 04:17:47 Good luck and have FUN!!! ;D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 12/21/04 at 04:23:04 Susan wrote:
Thanks...I may not be online much, but I'll get it all caught up in January. I'll be sending my Holiday wishes from somewhere in Kansas :D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 12/21/04 at 04:23:34 howlit wrote:
Thanks. ;D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red Wine on 12/21/04 at 05:23:02 Good luck, have fun, drive safe, enjoy the tour, stop often for a stretch, only drink beer at night ;)... once at home, get relaxed, enjoy the new setting, check the bikes, put them back together and go for a "recon" tour, then, start unpacking ;D Finally, when you are all done and setup, post pictures of the ride, the bikes in their cages :o, etc., and you will have a thankful bunch around here... Best wishes and Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!!!!! Red Wine |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by klx650sm2002 on 12/21/04 at 07:40:56 Greg, I'll be thinking of ya. Clive W :D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 12/22/04 at 03:14:08 Thanks for the best wishes from all of you. I'll try to upload pictures to my website as we go across the country. My PC will be in my car. If I don't get back here before we leave, I'd just like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, too. We started loading this ABF moving trailer yesterday. We're getting pretty old for this, but I feel pretty good that the 2 of us nearly loaded all our stuff yesterday...just the 2 of us! I go get the bike trailer today.... http://www.digimaging.net/images/563_Trailer02web.jpg |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red Wine on 12/22/04 at 04:25:53 Greg, is that your current place? the one you're moving out of? Man, that's a gorgeous vista!!! the walkways, the trees... is the road paved across from the trailer? where is it? how many acres is your land? just curious about it, I can´t buy you out of there now, but maybe sometime in the future, if I'm lucky enough... and move over to the States, I would consider something like that... Best wishes, Red Wine |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Mr 650 on 12/22/04 at 08:08:14 We moved to Utah (35 years ago) over the holidays. I remember the this is not the optimum time of year to cross the mountains w/ a trailer. Be careful man! Take your camera & send us some pics of the trip if you can. Merry Chistmas & Happy New Year |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by sluggo on 12/22/04 at 15:06:38 Red Wine wrote:
OH YEAH, START A BIDDING WAR WILL YA, :o drive safe happy holidays |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red Wine on 12/23/04 at 04:33:11 Sluggo, what's wrong with bidding wars? Isn't that what an "auction" actually is? As I said, I'd love to have a place like that for my 7-year old future bike champ could play, hunt bugs, and trench in over summer... man, I got memories from my own summer vacations when I was a child :'( (yeah, I WAS young some time!!! ;D Best to all!! Ride Safe RW |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 12/23/04 at 04:33:37 Red Wine....it may look very "country" in this picture, but the area is surrounded by "urban sprawl" as they say. There are deer and foxes wandering around from time to time, but 1/4 mile away is busy highway....out west I'm eager to see real country :) Mr650...Yep, it's an adventure about to happen. I have snow chains for both vehicles and we plan to go the trip slowly. Especially considering all the snow in the mid-west right now. I just figure that if a tractor trailer can make it to Portland, then so can I :) Sluggo....here's the trailer with 2 Savages that are coming your way. The handlebars look weird because I had to reposition them so they'wouldn't bump eachother in this 5 x 9 trailer. Good sturdy trailer. They are strapped down on "4 corners" and locked with a cable too. Thanks to all....we leave today. And we'll check back on our way there 8) http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/biketrailer01web.jpg |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red Wine on 12/23/04 at 04:41:13 Did you say "deer and foxes" Greg? :o Man, my best chance to see one of those is the Animal Planet or Discovery Kids!!! ;D I do not mind "urban sprawl" if I still have a lot of "clearance" with my neighbors :D 1/4 of a mile away? that's around 300 meters!! far enough for me, and keep the noises away, but close enough to thump in from time to time... anyway, I'm not trying to convince you to stay, I just like that kind of surroundings, and if I could have an American salary but Chilean bills, I'd be happy ;D Best luck, happy holidays and easy riding!!! RW |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Mr 650 on 12/23/04 at 17:35:37 Greg, This likely is too late but I would consider going down to Atlanta, taking I-20 across to Dallas and then on up to avoid a wicked load of ice dumped from AR to Michigan. Good Luck! |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 12/25/04 at 07:09:50 Good point. We are in Paducah, KY and we may adjust our route to a more southern one as you say. It wasn't the snow so much as the other idiots on the road yesterday. It took us 11 hours to go 435 miles...whew, and the bikes got thrown around in the trailer too, but no damage at all. This was Dec 23rd.... http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/arden01web.jpg Here was Christmas Eve.... http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/peducah01web.jpg Merry Christmas Savages 8) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Mr 650 on 12/26/04 at 09:35:36 So far so good, :) Paducah, man there is not much along the Bluegrass Parkway. 11 hours was good, the refreeze after dark made it treacherous after dark. I don't envy you; it took me three hrs to go to Wal-Mart fot last-minute shopping w/ cars & semis in the ditch along the way. It must be some adventure. I heard KY got it worse and I-40 was closed west of here across AR. The sun is out today and it is supposed to get above freezing here. I hope that will clear most of this up. I am glad to see by the "cool" :P photos that you have avoided the cell-phone-talking idiots. Missouri got some of this but you should be able to motor on whenever you get clear of that. We have had black ice since Wed. night. All the hotels were/are full of folks that were abandoned by air and bus that never got home for Christmas. This is unusual weather and my initial concern for ya'll was when you headed up thru the mountains Take care. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 12/26/04 at 19:12:01 Mr 650 wrote:
You are right.... We changed our route....if it was just one vehicle the other route would be okay, but a truck with trailer following a car became too risky since more snow is on the way..... You can check pictures of our trip here....we're in Arkansas. GMDinUSA (http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/) Plus, this is the new map. http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/ardentoportlandpart3web.jpg :D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Paladin on 12/26/04 at 22:33:46 From the map it looks as it you are planning on going through Los Angeles, maybe on I10. You might consider a shortcut across the high desert on State Route 58 from Barstow to Bowerbank (just past ButtonWillow) where you can pick up Interstate 5 North. While I haven't done that leg, Yahoo Maps pegs it at about three hours. It'll be two- or maybe four- lane highway rather than multi-lane limited access. IMHO, Los Angeles is to be avoided if at all reasonably possible. You can ask Sluggo about the courtesy of Los Angeles Freeway Drivers. p.s. you are backtracking the route Wendy drove with Helena last June (http://www.dslretorts.com/Paladin/archives/000589.html). If you have a few hours to spare you might consider a little sightseeing in Arizona -- you'll be driving past the Petrified Forest and the Arizona Meteor Crater. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Mr 650 on 12/27/04 at 21:48:08 Ditto I haven't been to LA in about 7 years but it is to be avoided unless you were planning to drive through late at night. We commuted from Palm Springs to Pomona and the traffic was relentless. Perhaps some left coasters can offer traffic avoidance routes. You can easily be hung up for hours there. There are severe storm reports in L.A. now. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by gitarzan on 12/28/04 at 06:37:20 Once you're in Northern CA, I'd drive along the coast. It's too beautiful to miss any chance of seeing it.. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by sluggo on 12/28/04 at 14:36:49 Paladin wrote:
jumbo shrimp military intelligence la freeway courtesy all terms used out of place. if you have to go through la here's some tips. 1.drive percisely 5 miles under the posted limit in fast lane,provided traffic is moving. if at stand still continually tap vehicle in front of you. and lay on horn frequently. 2.get really really plastered and weave all over the place. 3.dont use signals just wildly have passenger wave hand out window on side you want to move to 4.constantly hollar out window to passing vehicles your from out of town and need the directions to disney land. 5.leave ample time to reload between flipping people off. seriously, yeah right. time the drive though for about 8-9 pm and all should go well. this way you clear the basin traffic and can head up the 5 a few miles for a stop for the nite. i would think saugus would be a nice spot. spend the nite then the next day at magic mountain. the hit the road again. if it's going to be a daytime drive through 11am to 1 pm is best. stop for gas at outskirts so you wont have to stop in traffic. pick a lane and stay in it, dont be tempted to move back and forth. if you must merge do so with authority, the la drivers are affraid to scratch thier cars so they will let you in. watch far enough ahead for big rigs, if you see one changing lanes to the left do so also it means theres trouble in the laneahead. there are generally sign for exits up to 3 miles before exit to allow plenty of time. now if you are transversing the area in the early morning hours. ALL BETS ARE OFF. just tune in the mark and brian show on klos. 95.5 fm I was a cast member before i moved to washington. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Ed L. on 12/28/04 at 15:18:29 wow, that,s some move all the way across the US. I thought that my move to Forida come summer was a biggie. Now if I can only talk my ol ball-n-chain to let me ride my Savage down. Humm it's only a thousand miles, if I start talking about now maybe she will fold by summer. Hope your trip goes well, if you get sleepy pull over and take a nap, I've busted up a couple of cars by falling asleep at the wheel. It's no fun waking up in a ditch. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Paladin on 12/28/04 at 20:42:20 sluggo wrote:
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red Wine on 12/30/04 at 05:08:35 I just don't want this thread to get too way down the list, since I want to know how Greg650 gets to Portland from PA. Keep us posted, will ya Greg???!!! Drive Safe. RW |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Paladin on 12/30/04 at 06:27:06 (Greg650 left his old home in Arden, North Carolina.) I'm also interested in the trip. From the map posted on the 26th Greg650 should have made it across Texas yesterday and spent the night somewhere around Albuquerque. He should be headed toward Flagstaff today and getting into some *cold* weather. We haven't heard from Greg since the 26th and there is no excuse for that. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Kropatchek on 12/31/04 at 03:38:52 Also from The Netherlands I'm following Greg's trip. Check-out his website , he's in Flagstaff already on day 6 http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/ Greetz and a Happy New Year to ALL :) Kropatchek ;D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Savage_Rob on 12/31/04 at 14:53:00 Thanks for posting the link Kropatchek! |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/01/05 at 06:41:04 HI, Guys and Gals....Happy New Year from the "Left Coast". For some reason, as the "Ball Dropped" on the east coast, last night, my web site went to crap. A bunch of pictures disappeared (even though they were still there). Maybe it is the effect of the west coast on my east coast computer. Maybe it is just coincidence. Hey, I just realized that my computer clock hasn't been reset. Maybe that's it ::) Anyway, I wanted everyone to know that I miss my usual chatting, and should be back to normal ??? soon. We should get into Oregon today. In our bike related news...the winds in Arizona shredded Julie's bike cover....first a bungee broke and then the wind went to work on the Dowco cover. Of course, she's wondering why that happened to just her bike. I don't know, except that her bike is on the "left" side of the trailer :P Anyway, I wanted everyone to see what I caught with the truck yesterday....this was weird, and I had no idea how it looked until I stopped 30 miles later. I bet a lot of people were pointing as we traveled along. This is what it looked like from my seat.... http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/tumbleweed02web.jpg http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/tumbleweed03web.jpg |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/01/05 at 06:43:14 At 2880 miles, I find that CA is really interesting. Anyone use Windows XP? Now, I know where Microsoft got that wallpaper.... http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/california04web.jpg |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/01/05 at 06:52:03 Paladin wrote:
I stand reprimanded. There is no excuse. To be honest, I have missed you guys...all of you. Just been so busy....just think, too, that I don't have a laptop. I have been lugging my desktop in and out of each motel room and stretching out a phone cable to find a dial-up connection to Earthlink. Luckily I could find a local connection almost everywhere....except in Mojave, CA on Jan 30th. Oh yeah, about Flagstaff...did you say cold? :o http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/arizona05web.jpg |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/01/05 at 06:56:24 Red Wine wrote:
Yes, sir. I will. We'll cross into Oregon today. Don't know how far we'll get because there's some good weather up there, but we'll see. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/01/05 at 07:07:25 sluggo wrote:
Thanks for the hints ;D Actually staying in one lane has been pretty easy to do. The truck is hauling and pulling over 3000 lbs total, and though it is being very reliable, it is still at about it's limits. I dodged LA and went through Bakersfield and the valley. It hasn't taken too long to get adjusted to some of the drivers in the area....I'll "reload" before we leave this morning 8) I'll be real close to your country today. Oregon today! |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/01/05 at 07:09:05 BTW - with the problem with my Earthlink site, I lost my logo too. I selected a temporary one until we get to Portland. Happy New Year! |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/01/05 at 07:29:54 Okay....I just made a motel reservation. They predict bad weather in northern CA, so to be safe, I selected Grant's Pass for tonight. They have high speed internet access...so Paladin, I'll try to be better tonight 8) See "y'all" later (can I say that out here?) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Paladin on 01/01/05 at 09:58:49 Greg_650 wrote:
I don't know. That sounds like a good excuse to not even get on-line. At least tell me you have a flat panel display and have not been carrying a tube in and out of motel rooms. I don't know about the others, but the thought of picking up everything and moving cross country kind of scares me. My house was in escrow when it was shaken by the Sylmar 'quake. At least you have your bikes with you. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/01/05 at 19:45:19 Paladin wrote:
Nope....I'm lugging a 17" CRT. No flat panel :o The good news is that it's about over. We came over Mt. Shasta and down from the Siskiyou Pass (I think) in a full snow storm at 5000 feet with mandatory tire chain rules, and got into Grant's Pass Oregon at 6:30 tonight. Took 10 hours to go 300 miles. After 3200 miles, we are in Oregon for New Years Day! I just might order a pizza and get drunk. More later, guys. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by gitarzan on 01/01/05 at 19:59:58 Greg_650 wrote:
MY GOD, MAN!!! THAT"S THE BEST YOU CAN DO? :o Have a happy New Year, Greg. I wish I was living in the PacNW. I'm in love with SW Oregon. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/01/05 at 21:56:42 gitarzan wrote:
Well, the pizza is done and I'm working on the other part ;D Anyway, here is the latest that I've been able to upload (I've taken an average of 100 photos per day since this started)....my site is still a mess, but tonight I'm back to dialup at the blazing speed of 26.4 Kbps :-/ As we entered Oregon and the mandatory chain rules were in place (watch the Weater Channel)....here we are with all the truckers after installing our chains and ready to leave California and go into Oregon. http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/oregon06web.jpg Then after this we reached the check point at the grade going into Oregon on I-5 I found our final state sign at about 5000 feet. http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/oregon04web.jpg Tomorrow, I'll post more pics. Oregon (and northern CA) are really awesome. I can't wait to ride this side of the country. BTW - I gotta say thanks to you and everyone else in SuzukiSavage for being such good friends. Thank you all. Now, I'm gonna go get another beer, and think about all this some more ;) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Max_Morley on 01/01/05 at 23:25:58 Greg, glad you made it over the last big hill. A couple more easy ones and you're in Portland. My wife went to school in Ashland and I went across the mts in Klamath Falls. Cahined up more than once to get her back to the SOC Dorms and then I headed back across the mts still klanking away. Been up that nig one I-5 a couple times on Coors Beer runs. Oregon didn't sell Coors kegs at the time so I'd run to the border for some of the keggers. What a life, if the Dowco cover is warranted like the Motorhome ones, they should replace it. My brother had one destruct on a class C sorted here and time will tell if the one on the class A version he chauffers now will hold up. Snowing here also, kinda like winter. Good luck job hunting in the forthcoming weeks. Max in Moses Lake. :D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/02/05 at 06:31:01 Max_Morley wrote:
Ah, so you're familiar with this area then...during your learning years :o It was interesting. We went through this in the Mt. Shasta area....without chains. http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/california08web.jpg To get to this before Yreka, CA. What a view! http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/california06web.jpg And then you've seen this too.... http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/oregon02erb.jpg And this.... http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/oregon05web.jpg And you really know this one.... http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/oregon01web.jpg Which all this was just fun and games, until I saw the sign that said "6% grade, Next 7 Miles". That's when I knew that I wasn't in "Kansas anymore". That worked out to be about a 1/2 mile elevation change. And I gotta tell ya, that trailer was pushing my truck hard. I had no idea how high the uphill climb was going to be, or how much snow was at the summit. I could not take pictures or go faster than 15 mph on the downhill grade. It was intense...along with all the traffic....vehicles were getting stuck everywhere, but I'm proud to say that the couple from North Carolina made it. Today is the final leg of 3400 miles. Later, Savages! |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by klx650sm2002 on 01/02/05 at 06:54:08 Way cool Greg Clive W :D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Ed L. on 01/02/05 at 08:11:54 It's been an EPIC story so far, hope it's all downhill for your last day ;D. Sorry man, I had to say that after the post about the 6% downhill grade. ;) Ed L. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/02/05 at 20:09:12 Ed L. wrote:
No problem, Ed. How about this? It started out slippery, today. But beautiful. http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/oregon07web.jpg And then the altitude got lower.... http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/oregon08web.jpg And then we arrived in Portland....but this little landmark was in my horizon for 50 miles before I got here....(I took this from an overlook on I-205) http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/mthood02web.jpg Yep. The epic is close to being over. Just small details like getting permenant housing and jobs. But the 3420 mile drive is over, and the Savages are in the Pacific Northwest. It feels strange and nice at the same time. Tomorrow the bikes will come off the trailer 8) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by sluggo on 01/02/05 at 23:35:41 greg, let me officially welcome you to the pacific northwest, and the "left" coast. there will be some things for you to get used to. like killer sunsets over the ocean. the many different types of "rain". some of the bluest skies you have ever seen, and some of the greyist. The Cascade Mountain range. You have seen Mt Hood. wait till you get to see St Helens and Rainer. The olympic rain forrest. oh sooooo much stuff. i've been floating the idea of a savage meet on june12th at the top of chinook pass 2pm. just everbody ride on in say hi. it would be a day trip for alot of N.W. riders. enjoy. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by klx650sm2002 on 01/03/05 at 02:15:32 Hey Greg You have made it, how long 'till You go for a ride? What is the weather like in Your new location?not as way cool as You have experienced on Your journey. Clive W :D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red Wine on 01/03/05 at 04:46:16 Greg, I'm very glad you and your wife have safely droven across the US!!! Your journey is very interesting for a foreigner as me, and I'm sure we will all enjoy your pictures and stories (what about writing a book or something? I could buy it, translate it for a small fee or a share in the profits ;D and show it to the local riding community). I can only wish you good luck, both in the job hunting and in your new lives in the West, I was in Montana about 10 years ago, and I know the scenarios are just awesome. You'll be a happy man to ride on those roads, the only problem I recall when I was touring the West is that you can't drive for long without stopping for a look at the vista ;)... and I like to RIDE!!!! ;D Good luck again, and keep us posted, will ya? Red Wine |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/03/05 at 06:17:16 sluggo wrote:
You are right about the blue skies. I guess without the effects of pollution (since it comes from the Pacific) the skies are really clear. Even when there were clouds, the parts of blue that appeared were bright. After we got out of the Siskiyou area we found a misty type rain and a really cold rain....almost a freezing rain. But almost all views have been breath taking. I'll keep June 12th in mind. We should have some sort of organization in our lives by then :P |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/03/05 at 06:23:51 klx650sm2002 wrote:
Yep, we're here and trying to unwind. I will get our bikes off the trailer today and put them into storage for a while. With all the mechanical "adjustments" that I had to make to them in order to fit them on a 5 feet wide trailer, it will take a day to get them going again. But first, we have to find a permenant place to live.... It was pretty cold last night, but mostly just the wind. Not at all like in CA and AR. The skies were clear too. The air "smells" moist and clean. Today a new adventure begins :o |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/03/05 at 06:39:43 Red Wine wrote:
Since I took an average of 100 photos each day, I might be able to write a pictorial journal of the travel across the country. Might serve as a guide for others interested in escaping the crowded east coast. Might be good for newcomers to the country as well :o) Montana, well, my spouse lived in that state for a few years once. The mid and northern states were part of our original road map, just for that reason. Of course, weather realities and logistics changed that plan pretty quickly. I want to see Montana in a warmer month, now. Stopping to look at vistas? Well, that was part of the "problem" during our trip too. I probably extended each daily drive by 1 hour just because I had to stop so often to look. Something would catch my eye, and most times it would be visible for a very long time. That would have me searching for a safe place to stop our little caravan several times every day.... Thanks for the best wishes. It has been real fun to share this trip with SuzukiSavage. I guess that in a day or so, I'll have to let this thread sort of fade into cyber space, but it's been great. Now, I gotta figure out what went wrong with my logo ;D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Max_Morley on 01/03/05 at 09:27:06 Good Morning Greg and Julie, I'll bet you are glad to get out the drivers seat today. Welcome to the PNW. I'm sure you will both like it and enjoy it even more as spring and summer comes on. I think Sluggo's idea of setting aside June 12 th for a ride and meeting is great. Lets plan on it. It should be between 1st and 2nd hay cutting. Max |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red Wine on 01/04/05 at 04:27:45 Greg_650 wrote:
Hi Greg, I was in Montana in 1994, in late winter and spring, from March to June, visiting a friend of mine and working as a logger for him in order to "compensate" accomodation, food, fuel (that was a BIG bill!!!) ;D etc. It was the greatest vacations I have ever had... I'm sure you will enjoy the PNW and Libby, MT is no too far away, you can take I-84 along the Columbia River to Hermiston, then head N on 182 for short and on Route 395 NE to I-90 onto Spokane, WA. Then head N on route 2 to Sandpoint, Idaho, and then onto route 295 to Booner Fy, where you'll hit route 2 again. go SE, ride past Troy and a few miles ahead you'll find Libby. The map I'm lloking at is not very accurate, so you might make changes to the route, but the trip looks like a 7 to 10 day riding journey, round trip. 8) Great vacation plan!! ;) Man, I got enthusiastic again!!!! ;D Ride Safe, RW |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Susan on 01/04/05 at 13:52:17 Hi Greg! I've just been catching up on your trip. Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear you made it safe and sound. How did the interviews go? Anything look promising? Oregon is great. You drove right by where I used to have family (my grandmother was in Medford and I had a great-aunt in Ashland and a great-uncle near Grant's Pass). It is beautiful country. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/04/05 at 19:00:58 Hi "Y'all"...it was funny but someone at a bank today told Julie, "I love the way you talk". ;D Anyway, the Savages are in a temporary storage unit and safe. Not without some incidental damage too. I was surprised to find that the constant movement of the bike cover on my bike actually rubbed a good portion of my special pin striping off the front fender. Kind of like a polishing compound taking that paint off the stock paint...Oh well, I'll have to fix it. I know the paint was good quality and well done, but I guess that enough rubbing can do that. I was also surprised at the amount of dirt under the covers. They are a mess. We got a real good clean-up coming soon. Also, there are some real die hard riders here in Portland. The winters are pretty windy and the weather is cold and humid (you can feel it). At about 30 degrees with a good steady wind, you see guys riding all over the place. I saw a guy on a Savage today, too, on our way to the grocery store. As he passed me, I had rolled down my window to listen....he has a stock muffler and his drive belt is too tight and squeaking loudly....I wanted to meet him but couldn't. Oh well there will be another time ::) Another interesting thing....as I walked the dog yesterday morning. In all our rushing around on Sunday, I hadn't noticed Mt St. Helens to the north....and it's not like anyone ever told me to look that way. But there in the red morning sunrise, I saw the volcano that has always been just "a photo" to me. Wow. And what I also saw was some steam venting off....in my excitement I had to go back to my room for my camera. This is what I saw, and shot through the chain link fence around the motel. darn, I'm gonna like it here.... :D http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/mtsthelens01web.jpg |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/04/05 at 19:12:16 Susan wrote:
Interviews? You mean that I have to work? Well, none yet. We got here on Sunday afternoon, and since then it has been a blur of looking for housing (can't have a bank account without an address) and arranging storage and the delivery of our household stuff (which I have to pay for the shipping, but need a bank to do that) On the upside, Julie does have an interview on Thursday and Monday (as a paralegal). Shoot, if she's working, why do I need to? Just kidding :D Anyway, tomorrow, while we continue to live in an efficiency apartment for a week, we'll unload that trailer to a storage room, and continue looking for a home. I think that we'll have a 4 wheelin' trip up to Mt. Hood or Mt St. Helens on Saturday for a stress reliever. What do you think? Next week, I'll start thinking about work.... BTW - I like the moutain areas down in Ashland/Medford/Grants Pass. Very nice. Cascade Mountains, I guess. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red_Wine on 01/05/05 at 04:47:13 Hi Greg, you said you would have to let this thread fade into cyberspace??? forget it for a while, it will take about a week or so for us to get all the comments and questions out and get used to the idea you are in Portland, :o with all the nice things to do and visit over there. 8) Furthermore, your writing is so fun, I just keep reading, and adding comments ::) Keep us posted, will ya? Ride Safe, (soon I hope) RW |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Savage_Rob on 01/05/05 at 05:37:01 I'm envious. I made it up to Vancouver and Nanaimo in B.C. a few times in the mid 80's in the Navy (even went to Expo '86 then) and loved it. I made it back to Seattle/Bothell/Redmond a few times in the mid 90's with McCaw Cellular (before it was AT&T Wireless) and enjoyed it just as much. I doubt I could ever talk my wife into moving away from family to go there (even once we have an empty nest in a few more years), but I'm enjoying the PNW vicariously through you folks and plan to visit when I have a chance. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/05/05 at 06:49:42 Red_Wine wrote:
To get my "stuff" together and go for a ride will be nice. Of course, I'll have to find the box that contains my helmet and riding gear. Yep....gotta go meet the trucking company soon, and start working to unload that thing. That'll be an all day job. Oh yeah, gotta pay them too ::) Well, gotta go walk the dog. Did I mention that he puked in the car yesterday? That sorta casued a chain reaction with Julie too. Never a dull moment. More later.... |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by thehoghunter on 01/05/05 at 12:29:29 You mean the dog went 3000+ miles and then got car sick going around town??? Please don't provide pictures! :o |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red_Wine on 01/05/05 at 13:17:59 Greg_650 wrote:
WOW!!! 3000+ miles of freeway driving through mountain passes, snow-capped hills, frozen roads, wetlands, and he gets sick in town!!!! :o Man, your dog is having a harder time getting used to Portland than you and Jullie ;D Ride Safe. RW (getting dizzy, too... but with some liquid stuff, though) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/05/05 at 20:02:01 Yeap...both you guys are right. The dog waits to puke after all that. In his defense, he had spent the whole day in the car as we looked at houses to rent. Pretty neglected, and that was probably our payback....I think that dogs actually like to puke anyway :o Well, if you remember in the beginning....we loaded an ABF trailer. Today we unloaded it. I have to admit, if anyone ever considers such a move and you are like us and may consider renting a U-Haul truck....think again. Think about the ABF U-Pack program (web site searchable, too). It worked very well for us. We packed it, they delivered, we unpacked, and when you do the math we saved a bunch on the gasoline costs vs. a truck and gas too (about $300). What's even better....as hard as we drove to get here, they put us to shame. The truck was here before us even with all the snow and the holidays. The whole experience was really pretty nice. They were convenient, friendly, and we didn't even have to pay until the truck was here. Okay, enough of my endorsement....here is everything that we own, plus our precious bikes in a storage unit. We stuffed it all in there like some puzzle from hell, from ceiling to floor. Now all we got to do is find a home (and we think that we've found one)....then we move it all to a final place. Notice that the bikes have the turnsignals repositioned and wrapped to fit on the trailer. The handlbars are in the wrong place too so they could be close. The windshields are gone and they are dirtier than all the bikes in this forum put together. We have to get them to a home soon...and we looked at one with a nice garage tonight :) http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/storage01web.jpg |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red Wine on 01/06/05 at 10:49:22 Greg_650 wrote:
Greg, I'm just impressed at all of the energy you have shown in all this endeavors :o 8) half of what you have gone through would put me to sleep for a week!!! ;D I hope you get your new home soon and plant a tree in spring, so you can call it home :) As usual, just keep us posted, will ya? Ride Safe RW |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/10/05 at 16:05:30 I'm sorry that it's been a few days since I last posted....I have just been too busy with other online things like doing a job search (it is all done even with the Oregon Employment Department online these days) Just running around doing different things....I do have a new PO Box address, but it's funny the things that must follow a particular order. To get a checking account, you must have a permenant address.... To get an apartment (we down-sized from the house right now), you must have a job.... To change cell phone numbers you must have a permenant address..... So, everyday is just another day of chipping away at the details. I had 2 interviews today, submitted one more resume, and Julie had an interview. We did take Sunday off for a visit to the Pacific Ocean. The last distance for me to go in order to say that I'd completely crossed the country. Wow, is about all that I can say. The country is so nice and clean, and even other drivers are more courteous than back east. Very seldom is someone riding your bumper, and people actually seem to obey the speed limits....it is shocking. There is always one driver, but it is not the norm that we're used to. People seem really friendly too and love to tell you their "life's story", given half a chance. Anyway, I am still thinking of you guys...here's a picture from a state park near the mouth of the Columbia River with an old wrecked ship in the Pacific. Really neat, and it was only 45 degrees too. More soon 8) http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/shipwreckgreg01web.jpg |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by sluggo on 01/10/05 at 16:19:51 Greg_650 wrote:
greg, glad you like the nw it's a neverending circle to get things done. now the drivers, my experience has shown that every locale has their own set of bad habits. here in moses lake it's a. running yellow lights b. failure to yeild to the right in residential sections and the worst of all c. waiting untill the last possible moment to signal a right hand turn into a parking lot or driveway. after you get to know the "rules" it's easier. now the I 5 through downtown portland can get pretty ugly. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by gitarzan on 01/10/05 at 18:17:15 My uncle's up that way, actually down at Roseburg. He said the sense of time is different up there. I'll be there at... ...9:00, means in the morning, ...in the morning means that day. ...Tomorrow means this week... etc. It drove him nuts. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/15/05 at 07:50:33 sluggo wrote:
I would say that signaling does seem to be one thing they don't do very much. Of course, if you're driving through the maze of downtown with it's mix of mass transit and one way streets, you will normally have your signal flasher clicking away 1/2 the time anyway....I never realized how "loud" mine can be. Julie has a fantastic new job now (I'm still looking) working in downtown, and since we still haven't gotten organized, I was there to pick her up after her first day, last night. Whoa, don't get caught in the outbound rush hour flow in the wrong lane. It took me 1/2 hour to get back into the city to pick her up on 5th avenue. I went from being early to being late and it only took one wrong turn. :D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/15/05 at 08:04:02 gitarzan wrote:
I almost feel like I can understand :D I think that my internal clock is still synched to EST. I want to go to bed at 8 and get up at 3. Still some adjusting to do, I guess. Thank goodness for the weekend, and here Julie has Martin Luther King Day off as a holiday (work one day, and get a holiday. Can't beat that) which is different. That was only a bank holiday in NC. Funny too. Today is supposed to be a winter storm warning. The temp has been around 30, and I'll be darned if the folks aren't running around buying all the bread and milk just like in NC. I know the weather is more severe as you go east from here, but I'll be darned if Portland doesn't seem like Asheville at times. I just chuckle when I hear one of the news people report that it's going to be "cold". Owwww :o |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Max_Morley on 01/16/05 at 13:59:32 Greg, see you are experiencing Portland's version of winter, freezing rain and interstate skating rinks. Paper said the bridges over the rivers were blocked with stuck vehicles for hours and tire chains were required in town even. Hope yours are still easy to find, not buried in the storage unit. Good luck job hunting this week, Max |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/20/05 at 16:15:36 Max_Morley wrote:
Yep, we had a bit of a mess last Saturday. Never quite seen an ice storm as intense as that one was. The parking lot here had at least 1/2 thick glaze of ice. and there were 35 MPH winds coming down the gorge too. When it was time to walk the dog, the wind jerked the door open, the dog jumped out and fell, and with me hanging onto both I went down also. Hello. Something else. I had a heck of a time getting into my car and the trunk to install the chains. Literally had to break into it. The rear window defroster was totally useless and blew a fuse trying too :P The next day, in true tourist fashion, we ventured out with chains and went east along the gorge. Really interesting ice everywhere...and cars too. Funny too, the temps were up to 63 on Tuesday, and all the ice was gone. Well, this thread is about dead...I got hired today. I start to work on Monday. So that makes us both employed in Oregon, and soon all the details of residency will fall into place...yep, have to get new custom tags for the bikes, too. In closing....I'll be looking forward to seeing you and Sluggo in June at Mt. St. Helens. Should be fun.... http://home.earthlink.net/~gmdinusa/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/mthood10web.jpg Oh yeah, I know this is Mt. Hood, but I took it yesterday. Where'd all the ice go? |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by gitarzan on 01/20/05 at 20:50:22 Greg_650 wrote:
Hey, are you and your dog standing on the water? :o |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/21/05 at 11:46:35 ;D Nope at the risk of getting much wetter, I'm just standing on the edge of the surf. I wanted to touch the Pacific. If I could walk on water the trip here certainly would have been simpler :P |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Susan on 01/22/05 at 10:19:45 Greg_650 wrote:
Congrats on the job! I'm amazed at how quickly you both found positions. You must be good! ;D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red_Wine on 01/26/05 at 19:37:00 Well Greg, are you riding yet? Com'on, don't leave us wondering if your thumpers are already thumping on the West Coast!!!! ;D If you are not riding, I wonder how you can survive to driving a cage in new and unknown traffic rules ;) take care 8) RW |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/28/05 at 07:51:42 Ah, nope. Our poor Savages are still in storage and not in the best condition either, since we had to disassemble some parts to fit them on the trailer for the ride here. Those parts are in boxes. As well, they need some serious cleaning. Luckily they are dry and safe. It's been a lot of cage driving here for 1 month. Since we have jobs, we are now moving out of this "temporary apartment" (if you are familiar with the Extended StayAmerica chain of motels). We have found another apartment with a garage and in the next month the bikes will end up there. In fact we can now start moving everything one pickup load at a time to a new place. Then? Shoot.... Cleaning and repairs... New drivers licenses... New vehicle insurance... New vehicle registrations... New vehicle inspections... Then riding, again, begins in the Pacific Northwest.... 8) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 01/28/05 at 07:56:42 Oh yeah....I know that I haven't been too regular online lately, and it will probably get worse before it gets better. I have dialup here in the motel, but in the apartment it will be a cable connection (Oh, yeah!). However, that may take a week or so to get connected. Since we use wireless phones, we won't have a land line either. So, after we leave here there may be a lag in my communications here. An unavoidable hassle, but "I'll Be Back" :P |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red_Wine on 01/28/05 at 11:06:06 Greg, you're excused ;) , don't worry... I just wanted to touch base with your saga... ;D Take care, RW |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by gitarzan on 01/28/05 at 16:45:29 Greg_650 wrote:
I always thought the witness protection program would treat you better than that!! |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Susan on 01/28/05 at 19:39:31 gitarzan wrote:
ROFLMAO!! ;D ;D |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red_Wine on 01/31/05 at 06:43:19 "I always thought the witness protection program would treat you better than that!! " So that's why you left the East Coast so quickly!! ;D I always knew that friendly face had a turbulent past... maybe you helped convict some lawless, reckless HD rider and the HOG community is after you ;D... Take care and ride safe (and low) ;) RW |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Diane on 02/06/05 at 05:21:53 Since I was out of pocket during most of December and January I have had to spend a couple of days reading through this thread and catching up on your saga. I applaud you and your wife for having the guts to just pack up and go. But then I read that you were lugging that computer in and out of motel rooms and figured out that you must be at least half nuts. Great pictures, I especially love the tumble weed on the truck. It brought an old song to mind that is quite appropriate.... "Rollin' along with the tumblein' tumble weed" I hope everything works out for the two of you and don't forget to post more pics when you get those Savages up and running. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 02/06/05 at 09:41:12 I'm back now with a new internet connection, so soon I should be back to my old self....and I better be, 'cause our bikes look like crap. Time to change my profile 8) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 02/06/05 at 09:45:18 gitarzan wrote:
darn, you figured it out....funny, really funny. Love it. Well, off to the storage building for yet another pickup load of stuff. This is the last step. BTW - I'm cookin' some good old hot chili for the Super Bowl....Go Patriots! 8) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Red_Wine on 02/08/05 at 12:21:09 So Greg, you got it right!!! Patriots won!!! 8) Are you getting your rides ready to celebrate??? ;) I guess you will hang a flag somewhere and parade around town, eh? ;D Tell us what you did (sorry Pennsylvanians, but there is always a next time ) Take care, RW |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 02/09/05 at 05:25:34 It shouldn't be too long, but we're still living out of boxes.... Soon I hope. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 02/15/05 at 05:19:22 Red_Wine wrote:
The bikes aren't running yet, but on the way. They have some stuck cables after they towed along salted roads on a trailer. We took them to a car wash and then completely saturated them with WD-40 on Sunday night. They still have empty gas tanks and the batteries are disconnected (and needing a charge). Got to change the oil too. It's a start. http://home.comcast.net/~gmdinusa/BikeWash01web.jpg |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 02/19/05 at 05:56:15 Update. Oregon has a motorcycle training program called "Team Oregon". They do not use the MSF program here, and that had me stressing about getting my motorcycle endorsement... Oregon accepted my motorcycle endorsement from NC, and I only needed to take the written test yesterday. I passed. I am now legal to drive a bike in Oregon. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 02/19/05 at 06:01:21 Oh yeah, another interesting bit of information...since I have noticed a lot fewer scooters and mopeds on the streets here. The reason is that to drive a scooter or moped in OR, you must be a licensed driver. This is unlike in NC, where if you lose your license for DUI, you can buy a scooter and still drive. Here you have to be legal to drive a scooter. No drunkmobiles in Oregon. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 03/01/05 at 19:04:35 Yep, when 2 people move out of a western NC city and go west they got to expect a change. If anyone is interested, this is OUR apartment complex in the news today....in a suburb of Portland. Nice big complex with spacious modern apartments where people drink coffee on their patios while others are walking the dog or jogging. http://www.katu.com/stories/75349.html Nope, this ain't Kansas anymore :P |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by PRH111 on 03/01/05 at 23:04:04 Greg_650 wrote:
Bah, just another typical day in the Northwest. Don't you know they've had quite a few killers claim this area as their home. Now when is everyone in the area going to get together for a ride? |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 03/02/05 at 05:32:24 PRH111 wrote:
I guess so. Besides the woman probably just decided to take a late night swim in the pond because the indoor pools were closed at the time. Sluggo, Max, Julie and I are planning a ride on June 12th to Mt. St. Helens. How about it? http://home.comcast.net/~gmdinusa/GMDMtStHelens01web.jpg |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by PRH111 on 03/02/05 at 08:42:20 Allright, I've marked my calendar. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Dingo_Jones on 03/03/05 at 08:54:41 Mind if I join you folks? Jesse Vashon Island, Wa |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by sluggo on 03/03/05 at 10:16:44 Dingo_Jones wrote:
the more the merrier. i was going to throw it out to the other forums also. maybe have a couple of meet points. say like yakima for the eastern wash. people. i was thinking lets go to the vistor center nears packwood. it has a coffee shop. i'll start a new thread for this one with more details. i think a shot of a bunch of savages and their cycles would be pretty kewl.. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 03/04/05 at 05:23:27 Hey, this sounds like a plan. Now we are up to 6. |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by gitarzan on 03/04/05 at 09:42:47 Longest thread ever. :) |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 03/05/05 at 07:21:12 gitarzan wrote:
It was a long trip :P Why don't you meet us at Mt. St. Helens in June? Just kidding.... |
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Title: Re: Pacific Northwest and moving our Savages.... Post by Greg_650 on 03/05/05 at 07:31:29 Dingo_Jones wrote:
Jesse, You live here? You'll need to take a ferry? http://home.comcast.net/~gmdinusa/Vashonweb.jpg |
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