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? 

Long, Long and Lonely Road

Wednesday June 15
Up in the morning and on the road without the trailer. No, we did not forget it. We wanted to see the Ruth open pit mine just outside of Ely. We were told to take a nasty dirt road (by a GS rider) so we left the trailer behind. It turns out that there is a paved road all the way to the mine and then a little bit of dirt to an overlook. We are adding a picture of the mine in this post so that Jeff Foster can reminisce about the good old days of employment. The Ruth project, named for a nearby city, is one of 4 operations in Nevada by the Robinson Corporation. Many of the travel trailers in the KOA campground are the homes of the Ruth mine employees.

Leaving town, with the trailer now, we see this reminder of where we are going. It is not a surprise as we have done this road a few times in both directions.

There was a solo Harley rider from Virginia at the sign who is fulfilling a dream of riding all of Highway 50 from Virginia to Sacramento. Eureka is only about 75 miles away and we have gas for an easy 100 miles so I am feeling secure. After there are no signs saying "Next Gas 150 Miles". About 50 miles out, just for laughs, I ask the GPS where is the next gas and it shows Austin which is much farther than we have gas for. I chuckle inside as I know that there WERE 2 gas stations in Eureka the last time I was there. But what if they are out of business?? How will I explain this to Linda? I can already see her "Not Again!" look. But once again the GPS has lied and I pull into the Chevron station just as if there were no concerns. I am sure Linda never even saw the BIG yellow light and the flashing gas pump sign on the bike's display. We proceed on towards Austin, there are also 2 stations in Austin, where we have stopped and eaten before. To me Austin marks the start of the Loneliest Highway as we are still seeing green vegetation and are going over small mountain ranges. Austin is at the bottom of the last range and then we will start across the flatlands to Fallon and Reno. As we are coming down one of the ranges I notice an oncoming truck driver giving me the slow down sign with somewhat urgent gestures so I get on the brakes as we go around a right hand curve. I am glad for the warning as there is a wide load truck going about 10 mph without any warning vehicles behind him or in front of him. Yet again we encounter one of the many safety-conscious truck drivers of America. I am talking about the one who gave the warning, not the idiot with the wide load. Stopping in Austin we have a snack and are ready to go on west.

Of course the west wind we have been riding against has now increased in strength. And up comes our Virginia rider who also has decided to also have lunch here. He is surprised by how difficult riding against the wind was. I haven't the heart to tell him that it is going to be worse as the day goes on. Highway 50 across Nevada tracks part of the old Pony Express route. There is a sign about this on the side of the road. There is also an old way station but it is a couple of miles off of the road and I am not sure if there are any directions for finding it. The Pony Express was a money loser and was only used for a couple of years. The invention of the telegraph put an end to it in a very short time.

Not only are there gas stations in Fallon which we take advantage of but there is also a BBQ restaurant listed on the GPS. Sure enough, there is the BBQ sign but the place is out of business. We take a picture of the sign anyway. BBQ restaurants seem to have a short life span in the west. We are on the way to Old Station, California where my sister and brother-in-law have property that we will camp on for the night. Old Station is in the mountains east of Redding. My brother-in-law is an avid fly fisherman and Old Station is trout country. It is still quite a way to go and in the mountains we are riding directly into the sun much of the time. This is one handed riding as I need my left hand to cover my eyes from the sun so that I can see. Then suddenly the sun is down and it is rapidly getting dark and cooler. I am still warm in a vented jacket but Linda is having chills so we stop and get some warmer clothes out for her. I am wondering if the wind currents from our windshield protect me but curve around and blast the passenger. We will need to do some investigation. Finally we arrive at Old Station and find the property. Trout country naturally has mosquitoes so we set up the tent without removing our helmets. We learned this in Alaska. We are in the tent at 9:30 ready for dinner. We had bought a Subway sandwich in Susanville. We live on Subway sandwiches when travelling. We have our lawn chairs in the tent and drink some red wine with our sandwich. Then it's lights out and some serious Z stacking. After all it is still another 60 miles to Russell and we want to see the bubbling hot springs of Mt. Lassen tomorrow.

Contrast in Travel trailers

I mentioned a unique travel trailer in yesterday's blog. I took pictures this morning and realized that I have seen it or one like it before. It has a name on the rear bumper "L'Escargot" and it has a snail on the tongue.

Linda thought that the Goldwing could probably have pulled it. They also have an old wooden wheel, horse drawn  trailer here that has been made into a type of camper. They are trying to find out any information about it. We do not think the Goldwing could have pulled it which shows that ~90 horsepower still does not pull as well as 2 real horses.

Scenery, Good, bad and ugly

Darn it was cold last night. It was only down to the 40s but our sleeping bags have lost their loft and no longer keep us as warm as they used to. And of course the wind blew all night. I even got up in the night to see of the motorcycle was stable in the wind. When the dawn came we were not anxious to leave our sleeping bags. But the bathrooms were calling us with ever increasing urgency so we got up and going. (pun) After packing I made our morning coffee. While the water was heating I watched a male and female robin. The male would find a bug and the female would hop over to him and watch. I assumed that she was giving him advice. Then he caught a worm and held it in his beak while she bit off pieces and swallowed them. What teamwork! The scenery east of Torrey is very nice but we were going west. On the way out of town I stopped at a campground that I usually stay at and asked what their rates were for tent sites. It was $18. I paid $24 at the other site so I will keep using the cheaper site when I return. The lady there also told me about a loop around Fish Lake.  A little farther west we saw an old mill building that is still in fairly good shape.

We took the turnoff to Fish Lake and it was well worth the extra few miles. We went over 2 passes of 9000 feet and there was still snow beside the road.

We finally returned to the highway we started from and continued on our way while searching for somewhere to eat breakfast. We never found any place to eat until we reached Interstate 15 and found a Subway restaurant. They do have breakfast sandwiches but not after 11 AM and it was now 11:30.  So we had a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich which was not a bad breakfast. That is 3 meals in 3 days, all of them at a Subway. After crossing I15 we went by a large dry lake. We stopped for a picture by a dirt road. Then we noticed a sign on the dirt road. We were there about 4 years ago. 20 miles up the road is a site where you can dig for fossils which is what we had done on that previous trip.

The scenery west of I15 was not too bad even into Nevada but then we dropped out of the mountains and onto the desert floor. From there it was kind of sparse (ugly). We reached Ely at 2:30 and checked on motel prices and also a tent site at the KOA. We also called the next town 80 miles up the road and they were completely booked up. So we decided to take the KOA which was $40 cheaper than the cheapest motel. Not a bad choice at all, they had a big screen tv under an awning and showed a movie at night that we had never seen. Linda and I were the only ones watching so it was kind of a private premiere. While we were watching the movie a unique travel trailer came into the camp. We hope to get a picture of it tomorrow and if so I will add it to this post. Before we leave tomorrow we want to go by the big copper mine here. It is one of the largest in the world. They also have a large gold mine here but we are not allowed to go into it. 485 miles yesterday and 335 today.

Red Rocks of Utah

Monday June 13

The plan for today was to get to Torrey, Utah and stay in the Capitol Reef National Park campground. The trip went nice and smooth with two small exceptions and we took time for breaks and to smell the roses. We went through Shiprock, New Mexico and tried to get a photo of the rock that gives the city it's name but can never get the right angle to show how it resembles an old sailing ship.

The rock formations in Utah are beautiful and our trip took us through many nice areas. We stopped at scenic overlooks, historical markers and Natural Bridges National Park.

 I asked Linda if she wanted to go ride the Moki Dugway and she said no as we would have to go back about 25 miles. Later in the day at a visitor center someone showed her a picture of the road on the cliff side and she was glad she said no. The picture makes it look more difficult than it is.The temperature did reach the 90s but with no humidity it did not feel bad. We did get a picture of the King's Throne rock formation however we did not get a picture of the Cheesebox formation.

We were pretty well wind free except for the last hour. About 30 miles east of Torrey is the ghost town of Giles on the left side of the road in the trees. This is a 65 mph zone. I came around the curve and a new red Mustang convertible is stopped in the middle of the road looking at Giles. This required very hard braking and even then I had decided to take to the right shoulder if needed. But I managed to get the bike slowed down and even had enough time to figure how to activate BMW's asinine horn button. That was exception 1 to our nice day. Exception 2 was that the campground was full and we had to go into town and pay for a tent site but we did get a shower and internet access. Another plus to the day was the lack of big trucks and deer. We did not see one deer. We did come across a group of hot rods outside of Shiprock that really looked good going down the road. Tomorrow we will start across Nevada on Highway 50. I will add some pictures later, my true love is asleep and only she knows where the camera is. It feels like it could get cold tonight and possibly even rain. Oops, sorry Clint, I left the Spot on again. We jump right into setting up the tent and forget everything else. I will brave the dark and shut it down.

The Day Before Four Days to Daylong

It's Sunday night and we are leaving in the morning for northern California to visit Russell Daylong seats. I bought one in January and although I have done a couple of 1000 mile days with it I believe it can be improved. I have an appointment on Friday to have the contour modified so we will take the long way there and do some sightseeing and camping. After our business is complete we will head south to my Dad's house for the Father's Day weekend. On Monday we will start for home. Then on Thursday I must, I absolutely must, leave for Gerlach, Nevada for some ravioli. I am not sure where I will go once my craving for ravioli is satisfied.

After our Mississippi Blues trip I put a new tire and brake pads on the back of the bike and adjusted the valves. Then both the bike and the trailer received a good washing. Clothes were washed and repacked and we are ready to go. We want to stay in the mountains as much as possible but we do have to cross Nevada and will probably do so on Highway 50 which is called The World's Loneliest Highway. Hopefully it will not be as hot as crossing Mississippi was!