2 Days of Desert

Sunday June 26
At 5 AM I woke up and looked out the window. Bob and Pete's bikes were gone but Linda's was still there. After my shower Linda's bike was also gone. We were on the road at 7:20. We had been warned to watch for range cattle on the road out of Gerlach. We did not see any but did have to brake hard when a deer ran across the road in front of us. I have ridden most of this route before and know that there is nothing scenic except for maybe 100 miles of Utah. The temperature was over 100 degrees all the way home. It was neccesary to stop a few times for a rest break and to drink something cool. One of our stops was at the Little Ale-Inn in Rachel, Nevada on the Extraterrestial highway.

We arrived in Cedar City, Utah Sunday Evening. Our friend Bruce lives there and we stayed at his and his ex-wife Billie's house. Bruce has built a few tear drop travel trailers and we sleep in his latest creation. It was very comfortable and we slept very well.

Monday June 27
Bruce and Billie are going to ride with us through Cedar Canyon which Linda and I have never seen. We all have a quick breakfast at the local McDonalds and head for the hills. This is truly the most beautiful road we have been on during the trip. We all stop for a look at the Zion National Park overlook and then proceed on towards Kanab.

Bruce and Billie turn off at the east entrance to Zion and we continue on to Kanab and then Page, Arizona where we will gas up and have a snack. The weather is once again over 100 degrees and will remain that way for most of the day. 500 miles is a long day for someone to sit on the back of a motorcycle and it is even worse in the heat. A second day of this type of riding really is difficult but Linda does not complain. The temperature finally drops to 99 about 5 PM at Bloomfield, New Mexico. We are climbing to the city of Cuba which is over 7000 feet of elevation. From there we will drop down to 5000 feet and it will be hot again. We are riding alongside the Jemez mountains and there is a big forest fire in the mountains. Just before San Ysidro we encounter the worst wind gusts I have ever been in. It only lasts for about 1/2 mile but it was very difficult to ride through. The wind was hard enough that I would not have been able to stop the bike and hold it up. Finally we arrive home at 7:30. Linda immediately goes to the back yard and checks on her plants. Then we unload the bike and trailer. We are happy that our trailer tire made the trip and that we did not have to replace it in the desert heat. This trip is complete and now we will start preparing for a wedding that will be held at our house on July 17th.

Playing on the playa

Saturday June 25
After a 9 AM breakfast the playa players Linda Babcock, Bob Hall, Pete Hackett, my wife Linda and I left to go ride on the playa and do some exploring. Our first stop was the IBA (Iron Butt Association) memorial which has stones marked with the names of departed Iron Butt riders. One of these stones is for Linda's husband Norm. Linda wrote a message on the back side which was quite moving to watch. Bob and Linda knew many of the people who were remembered there and I knew a lot of the names.

Then we looked at some of the stone plaques that people have put up alongside the dirt road with humorous, witty or philosophical sayings on them. There is probably close to a mile of these stones.

Out on the dry lake we took it easy as we were not sure if the dry lake was really all that dry. It is no fun to hit a big mudhole at speed as the bike stops and the rider keeps going. Don't ask me how I know that! This is a big dry lake and it is easy to get lost on as everything looks the same. My GPS shows a trail of where I have been so I could use that to get back to the exit onto the road. We rode about 15 miles north on the lake before we turned back to return to Gerlach.

On the way back I noticed that Bob and Linda were no longer visible in my mirrors so Pete and I returned to see where they were. Earlier we had seen 2 horses and a colt in a field. When Linda got to that spot the horses walked onto the road so she stopped for pictures. The horses finally crowded around Pete's motorcycle. They ignored us and even my offer of a granola bar. They were very protective of the colt.

Finally we were back in Gerlach and had a light lunch in Bruno's casino/bar/restaurant. We sat there all afternoon telling stories and had a wonderful time. We went back to our`rooms after a light dinner. Bob and Pete will leave at 4 AM to ride the 1050 miles straight to Albuquerque. Linda and I will leave whenever we wake up and take a slightly longer route to Albuquerque and take 2 days to get home. Linda Babcock is going to Denver and will take a completely different direction. She is a very accomplished long distance rider and will probably complete her trip in one day.

Bodie, a tire and Gerlach

Friday June 24
A little ways north of Lee Vining is a turnoff that goes to the ghost town of Bodie. Bodie is an old gold mining town and many of the buildings are still standing. Many of then still have furniture inside which you can view through the windows. It is a state park. The road there is not very good and to make it worse they are doing construction on it and it is one lane in a couple of places. In those spots you must wait for a pilot car to escort you. Then the last 3 miles is a very rough, washboard dirt road. But we finally get there after a tooth and bone shaking ride.

Bodie was considered one of the most lawless towns in the west. But as rough as it was you can see that many houses there were elegant and richly furnished. There are also a couple of stores with merchandise still inside. It is an interesting place to visit and is worth the bad road to get there.
Back on the highway we have another 200 miles to go to get to Gerlach. Some of it is nice scenery and other parts are not as nice. In Yerington, Nevada I see a sign for a motorcycle shop so we search for it and our good luck continues. They have another dirt bike tire that will fit our trailer. We purchase it and will carry it with us but will not install it unless we absolutely have to.
Finally we get to Gerlach and get a key for the motel room at Bruno's Motel that we have reserved. Bruno's Motel is next door to Bruno's Gas Station.

The others are not here yet so we unpack and drink a nice cool beer from our ice chest. Then we leave the room and head for Bruno's Country Club and Casino for dinner. As we look across the dry lake we see three bikes on the highway and it is our friends arriving just in time for a ravioli dinner. By the time we finish dinner it is almost dark. Everyone heads off to their rooms except Pete who has decided to camp on the playa (dry lake) so that he can unwind from a bad week as well as see some stars. Later Linda and I go for a walk and to do a little star gazing before we go to bed.

Yosemite

Thursday June 23
It's time to start on our way to Gerlach, Nevada for some ravioli. We will meet other friends from Albuquerque there. We have decided to cross the Sierra mountains by going through Yosemite National Park and then we will probably spend the night at a campground in Lee Vining. It would be nice to stay in Yosemite but the campgrounds are usually full in the summer. I had over estimated the life left in our trailer tires and decided that one tire would not make it home and wasn't feeling too good about the other. Yesterday I had searched for tires but all I could find was one dirt bike tire so I bought it and installed it on the trailer. On the way to Yosemite we try a few more shops but cannot find another tire. I had also washed the bike and trailer which turned out to be a waste of time. We encountered a log stretch of road reconstruction and had to drive on gravel and the dust from the vehicles in front of us covered the bike in dust. The road to Yosemite goes up a steep grade that is 8 miles long. Naturally in the summertime there will always be a gigantic motor home pulling an SUV holding up a lot of cars behind it and today was no exception. I had already accepted the fact that we would be in heavy vacation traffic so I enjoyed life at 20 mph up the hill. The oil temperature actually got a little hotter than normal going up the hill but was nothing to worry about. Our previous bike would have overheated in these conditions. Inside the park it is very crowded and if there is something you want to see that requires parking you are out of luck. The parking lots are full with lines of cars waiting for a parking spot. We do pull over for a break beside the river and Linda tries getting her feet wet but the water is painfully cold. I decide to keep my boots on and my feet warm and dry.

 That is the only time we get off the bike as there is just no place to stop. We do get to see Bridal Veil Falls as we drive through as well as El Capitan.

Both of these are in Yosemite Valley which is a dead end road and we double back and get on the road that goes to the east entrance. There is still a lot of snow alongside this section of road. The snow is melting and the water runs across the road which makes for some pretty good splashes. There is also a lake that is still partially frozen over.

On we go to Lee Vining and get a campsite. It's already time to eat so after setting up the tent it's return to town and get some food at Bodie Mikes which turns out to be a BBQ restaurant so we get a picture just in case I need another BBQ picture from California. Then it's back to the campground, a shower and crawl into the sleeping bags for a night's sleep that is not near as cold as we would expect at this altitude.

Anchors Aweigh

Monday June 20
I thought I was finished with posts to this blog but it turns out that our niece Laura wanted to see the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier that is now a museum/convention center in Alameda, California. She thought I would be a good person to accompany her as I was stationed on that carrier from 1962-64. Laura drove us to Alameda saving Linda and I from fighting the California traffic. I have been to the ship twice since it was moved to Alameda but this would be my first trip since it was open as a museum.

They now have docents that take you on tours of various parts of the ship. Our first tour was of the superstructure including the bridge, navigation and the admiral's area. The docent was a retired pilot who had many interesting stories to tell. So did I but I kept my mouth shut.

I even got to sit in the Captain's chair. That pleasure was not available to me in the 60s!

Then Linda, Laura and I went to the deck below the hangar bay. Here we found sick bay, the ship's chapel, Chief Petty Officers mess and berthing, some junior grade officer berthing as well as enlisted men's berthing. We actually located the compartment where I had bunked but it was now converted to a display area.

Then it was back to the hangar bay, the fantail and forward and up to the focs'le area where we could see the anchor chain and pulleys for raising and lowering the anchors.

We had missed the engine room tour but a young, pretty college student majoring in museum management was working as a docent and took the 3 of us on our own private tour of the engine room. I had been there many times while I was stationed on the ship. Most of it was familiar but I had forgotten a lot especially since I had never seen it so clean and shiny.

She also took us to the entrance to Number 2 Fireroom (boiler room) where I was stationed. It was all restored but EPA had not yet certified it to be opened to the public. All of the steam pipe insulation in those days was asbestos which as we all know now is a hazardous material. I will come back when it is finally opened so that I can relive some more memories. Actually I was taken there on a private tour about 1993 when the ship was first moved to this location. There was no electricity and two of us went down there with flashlights. Not safe as there is NO ambient light 4 or 5 levels below the hangar bay. Maybe when I get home I will add a picture of me at this same hatchway from 1964.

After that tour we departed back to Livermore for a lunch and then back to my dad's house. It was a very enjoyable day and we took lots of pictures to remember it better.

Seating, Damming, Ferrying and Bridging

Friday June 17
The big day is here and we arrive at Russell at 9 AM sharp. Chris is ready for us, asks some questions, shares his thoughts, takes our seats and gives us loaner seats. He tells us to be back at 11 and we take off to get some pictures of Shasta Lake and Dam. The lake is just a few miles west of Russell's shop.

We also go over the dam and drop into the canyon below the dam. There is a state campground there as well as a state off road vehicle area.

Somewhere in my past I was a frustrated fisherman and this area looks like a place I would like to try. But I have no gear, no licence and no time.

After looking the area over we return to Russell to get our seats back. Linda tended to slide forward on her seat and she is quite happy with how the seat feels now. My seat pocket needed to be enlarged slightly and moved forward. I can feel the difference right away. We decide that our test ride will be the route to my father's house and that if there are any issues we will just turn around and come back for another adjustment.

The only efficient way to Brentwood where my father lives is south on Interstate 5. But California has a 55 mph limit on vehicles pulling trailers. We were told by a Highway Patrol officer in this area 2 years ago that it is not enforced on motorcycles unless the trailer is weaving. It is not really safe riding 55 on a 65-70 mph highway with tailgating cars and big trucks so we start off at 60 and eventually settle on 65 and hope that we will not be ticketed. We never see even one Highway Patrolman until Sacramento 150+ miles later. In Sacramento we take some backroads south into the delta country where we ride on levees along side the waterways. The levee roads are narrow and twisty with no shoulders and gravelly corners. This is not a place to have a flat tire. But it is a lot cooler and the farmlands are more scenic than the cities along the interstate. Finally we arrive at the Ryer Island ferry which takes us across the river onto the northern mainland.

Ryer Island Ferry

We have to cross 3 more bridges before we get to Brentwood and can take our boots and helmets off and relax. One bridge to Brannan Island, another is a drawbridge across a waterway to Sherman Island and finally another across the San Joaquin River onto the southern mainland. The elevation in the flatlands before the last bridge is actually below sea level. We will stay with my father for a few days and visit. I also have new brake pads for the front wheel being shipped there so I will install them before we leave for Gerlach, Nevada where we will be meeting other riders from Albuquerque for Ravioli at Bruno's. And that will be the subject for the next blog which will start in a few days.

Campgrounds? or Motel

Thursday June 16
So much for the bubbling hot springs of Mt. Lassen, it seems that the road is not yet open after the winter snows.  So we call Russell and tell them we are here early. No deal, we must wait until Friday. So we start looking for a campground in Redding. The Redding definition of campground seems to be RVs only. I need to get a new dictionary and see if the definition of camping has changed in the last few years. We go on to Lake Shasta to see if there are tent sites in the campground there. We go right by Russell's shop on the way to the lake. They do have tent site camping over the dam and down into the canyon but there is nothing to eat so we will have to go back into town. So we do and get a motel right next to the Harley dealer. We did not get any pictures of the lake but it was a nice short ride to the lake from Russell's and we may do it again tomorrow and get some pictures then. It is about 250 miles to my Dad's house and it is all interstate. But we have a trailer and the speed limit for trailers in California is only 55 mph. Naturally this does not seem to apply to big trucks who feel they have been granted a licence to kill because they are hauling America's goods. Is my love for trucks starting to become evident?