West Coast Ride, Day 4

This morning we rode over to Reno. It was super cold and rainy, so we decided to make a sprint for Las Vegas and then home. The first half of the day was cold and wet, then when it warmed up as we got farther south, the price was what felt like 70 mph winds. We made really good time, though. We actually zipped right around the edge of Vegas, hwy 95 to Interstate 15 North, and held out for a late lunch in Mesquite.
You can’t beat the quality of food and the prices at the big casinos. We both got prime rib dinners, and the total bill was only 20.00.
So, what can I say about Nevada. Rain mixed with sage brush smells really good. The drive is boring, as all there is to look at are random dust devils off in the distance. You can drive fast, but you still have to look out for Smokey. They were out in force.
Also, I think Nevada attracts desiccated, chain-smoking, little raisin-people, and it is where RVs go to die. And speaking of RVs, I used to get irritated by the monster Motor Homes with the little SUV in tow because the are sometimes hard to get around. Then I started to think about the fuel they burn and the perceived “carbon footprint” they must leave and realized the environmentalists and global warmers must really hate them. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, indeed! Go, Grandma! Burn it up!

West Coast Ride, Day 3

The route. So this morning we rode east on 299 from Arcata, CA and then north on 96 through the Hoopa Valley Reservation and along the Klamath River. Tight twisties and fast sweepers the whole way. If I would have videoed it, the title would be: This is what Awesome Looks Like.

We jogged up Interstate 5 a few miles into Oregon, then took 66 over to Klamath Falls. Then we zig zagged over to 139 back in California and rode it all the way into Susanville. 139 winds in and out of Modoc National Forest and is loaded with fast sweepers.

We blew by some Harley riders standing on the roadside. It looked like one was pointing at some chrome and saying, “ooh, shiny.” Another guy was asking, “do you think these leather chaps make my ass look fat?” And the third guy was shaking his fist and swearing revenge on whoever took a dump on his seat.

I took a picture of a bird, and I think I got some trees in the background of the one I got of my dad. That should satisfy all concerned; even any bird watchers or tree huggers who happen to read this. Tomorrow it is off to Reno, Nevada to see what we can find over there.

West Coast Ride, Day2

We rode hard all day, and as you can see, we aren’t camping again. Today was fun, though. We left San Simeon early to beat the traffic. That is, after I ate a 20.00 omelette. Yes, you read that correctly. Eggs, vegetables, ham, and cheese. When we were sitting down, a couple walked in and walked right back out.
I guess socialist states can survive by jacking the price of everything up, gas is almost a dollar more a gallon, as long as people are still willing to travel here and pay them.
Hwy 1 was awesome all the way to Santa Cruz; lots of twisties and no traffic. The Pacific Ocean breeze was refreshing for about 5 minutes, but then it started to feel a lot like cold wind. My Aerostich pants and First Gear jacket and liner made me impervious though.
We cut through San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge, wooo hooo! Then it was up the 101 again; long sweepers with some strategically placed bears of the red and blue variety. I’m too sly for all that nonsense, though.
We did pass a lot of telephone poles on steroids. I’m not sure what all the hype is on that… And then I did see a few chopped up on logging trucks and headed for the saw mill. Hooray for capitalism and God bless america!

West Coast Ride

Dave and I originally planned to go to South Dakota for a week of mostly dirt riding. See dakotaadventureloop.com. However, it is supposed to be rainy and otherwise crappy there all week, so we decided to ride up the West Coast instead.
We left St. George, Utah early this morning, blasted through Las Vegas, then up to Bakersfield. After Bakersfield is when the fun really started. We took hwy 58 from Barstow to the 101, and it was awesome! There were tons of twisties and rolling hills. There was no traffic, so we were able to ride at speed. We then wandered up 101 a bit and took hwy 46 over the Pacific Coast Highway and Cambria, California; right through the heart of wine country.
I saw boatloads of wine tasting signs, so any wino bikers would love thus route.

We wimped out and got a room in San Simeon. No camping tonight.

Tomorrow we will head North up the coast to Oregon in search of twisties or cool dirt roads.

Florida Keys Ride, Fifth Day

Tire Delivery Boy

This morning I called the bike shop in Jacksonville about a tire for Bob.  They did, indeed, have the size and brand he had before.  So, Dave and Bob proceeded to tear the old one off, and I went to pick up the new one.  When I got back, they had the old one off and everything prepped for the new one to go on.  With the right tools, proper technique, and a bit of soapy water, one can change a motorcycle tire in twenty or thirty minutes.  We got it mounted and back on the bike directly.  And, as predicted, we were back on the road by Eleven a.m.

Old Tire Off and in the Dumpster

We went north on I-75 to Tifton, hung a left, and rode through the rest of Georgia all the way to Selma, Alabama.  West Georgia and East Alabama are beautiful.  In particular, the road from Eufaula to Montgomery was great.  Little hills, bends, perfect weather, and even the smells were refreshing.  Now I understand why they say  “Sweet Home Alabama.”

Since we left my house in Louisiana, five days ago, we have ridden over 2300 miles.  Dave and Bob have gone nearly 4000 since leaving Utah.  And Dave rode his new F650GS from Seattle to Utah before all this.

Waiting Patiently

Speaking of miles, I almost put my Corbin seat onto my GS (I had it off because Stac likes the stock one better, and it would have taken me about twenty minutes to change the brackets).  However, I decided not to because I rode on the stock seat from Louisiana to Utah before in twenty five hours with not too much discomfort.  Bad decision.  Laziness.  Fatal error in judgement.  Yeah, all those things.  I actually have blisters where my butt cheeks meet my legs.  I stopped into Walmart and bought some off those blister bandages, which I will be applying to effected areas before we ride out in the morning.  I am lying on my stomach as I type this post.

After we checked into the motel this evening, we went to a little home cooking joint to eat.  The food and the prices were quite good.  They had a sign on the wall (see picture) I thought was fitting to my condition.  It says Butter My Butt And Call Me A Biscuit!

Florida Keys Ride, Fourth Day

Bob's Back Tire

Today we rode from Cudjoe Key to just east of Jacksonville, Florida.  We were trying to make it a little ways up I-75 and into Georgia.  However, I had to make a call, and when we stopped, Bob and Dave noticed that Bob’s back tire was worn to the bone.  Ouch!  We usually don’t like them to get anywhere near that used.

 

Bob Pointing at His Lame Tire

Due to this unfortunate oversight, we stopped  here for the night.  Tomorrow morning, at nine a.m., we will call a motorcycle shop in Jacksonville about a tire.  When we confirm they have a suitable replacement, one of us will go get the tire while the other removes and tears the lame one down.  If everything goes smooth, we will be back on the road by eleven.

 

Tomorrow, we will ride up I-75 to Tifton, then cut west on Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway.  We will likely make it to somewhere in Mississippi.

 

Florida Keys Ride, Third Day

Sid's Back Yard, North

Yesterday, we made it all the way down to Key West.  The ride down was okay.  The weather is great, the trees are everywhere, the air smells like pine or ocean breeze, depending on which area one is, and ocean is a pretty turquoise.  The only downside is the fact that Florida has no reason to build curvy roads as everything is pretty much flat.  I guess mountains or other obstacles are needed to justify bends in the road.

We went through the Everglades to get to the Keys.  The Panther and Crocodile Crossing signs only reinforced our decision to motel it this trip rather than camp.

In Key West, all the parking on the streets is taken, so if you want to see the sights, you need to park in a paid lot, then rent a bicycle or moped.  As such, we just rode through kind of slow.  The historic part was interesting.  It reminded me a lot of the old, colorful houses of New Orleans.  We went right past Ernest Hemingway’s house.  How cool is that?

On the way back up from Key West, we stopped at Cudjoe Key to eat.  I had Yellowtail Snapper, and it was delicious.  I also ordered a piece of Key Lime Pie for obvious reasons, also delicious.  When I ordered the pie, though, I neglected look at the price.  When I got the check, I about had some heart palpitations.  Eight dollars for a single piece of really tasty pie!

Sid's Back Yard, South

I was very relieved Stacie got a hold of her Uncle Sid and they let us crash in their beautiful home.  If she hadn’t, we were looking at a long ride on already tired butts out of the Keys and north a ways to find a decent motel.