Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/1404782
35 Spiel – August 2021 M ike Ashford had just received his December 2020 issue of Spiel and read with growing interest, fellow Pacific Northwest Region member, Jim Walker's article about his week- long camping trip seeking out twisty roads in Northern California. Jim's recounting of a previous sport bike trip included notable Northern California gems as the Klamath River Road, Happy Camp, CA, and others. Having embarked on three separate motorcycle trips through that area, Mike felt he had to get a hold of Jim and talk about their various experiences as he knew they were kindred spirits! From Jim's home in Issaquah and Mike's home in Olympia, they decided to meet and introduce themselves in a Fife pub, the type of pub where one could feel of the crunching of peanut shells under foot on the way to the table. They had an amiable, long lunch together where they compared experiences, glanced at a few NE Oregon motorcycle maps, and each agreed that the other was not incompatible or a potential ax murderer. Fast forward a bit, and the idea was hatched for a week-long Porsche camping trip to Eastern Oregon with the goal of putting as many sparsely populated, twisty roads under their belts as possible. Their "weapons of choice" were Jim's black 2019 991 Carrera and Mike's Guards Red 2010 997.2 Carrera. The pair met up in Morton, WA early on Monday, May 17. Mike took the back way up from Olympia on Hwy 508 through Onalaska and Alpha, arriving an hour early in Morton while Jim found a scenic and winding route down Hwy 18 through Graham and Eatonville. After testing their Porsche-club- approved walkie-talkies to confirm they were on the same channel, they were off and headed over White Pass, down through Yakama, and south onto Hwy 97, ending the day at Deschutes River State Park which sits at the confluence of the Deschutes and Columbia Rivers. After setting up tents and camp chairs for the night, they headed out to The Dalles for dinner, some 15 miles west of the campsite. After returning from dinner and turning in early, they were lulled to sleep by nearby trains that thundered twice hourly through the night, a soothing sound of power and momentum that you could feel. A total of 300 miles were completed on day one. The next morning (day two) Mike and Jim poured over several available Story by Mike Ashford and Photographs by Mike Ashford and Jim Walker Winding Roads, Campfires, and Porsches