The wife and I took our new Z on a 300 mile trip today. We started in Walla Walla and headed east to Clarkston Wa. We then turned south towards the grand ronde river valley to enterprise Or. on to elgin and tollgate Or. then return to walla walla. The grand ronde valley is actually a hell of a deep gorge. From the top of the mountains to the river is a 5,000 FT. drop. It's a bigger elevation change than the grand canyon. You can see from the photos here and on photobucket that the route is a blast to drive. Just don't go over the edge. I rode this route on my BMW bike last summer. And believe me, I had a couple of oh crap I'm going to die moments. Luckily the bikes anti locks saved me. When we dropped into the grand ronde valley we went from 4000 FT down to 1000 FT in about 10-15 miles, then back up to 4700 FT after another 10-15 miles. The photo's with the snow was near tollgate Or. at close to 5100 Ft and about 2-3 Ft. of snow either side of the road. It was a great day. The Z flat hauls butt in the twisties. And gets good fuel economy to boot. And there's nothing better than the sound of a tuned inline six engine. I actually prefer it over the sound of a V8. Blasphemy for a yank.
Cheers
Jerry & Nona
Walla Walla
Cheers
Jerry & Nona
Walla Walla
I still love mine (people always want more...)