California Bound

Another pretty good day of riding...mostly. I was up at 0400 and packed in 15 minutes 😱. I'm loving my new tent. You just take it out of the bag and let go. It pops up on its own, just like those silver sunshades for your car windshield. Twisting it back down is a little more complicated, but the drawn instructions are on the bag 👍.

I spent more time at the gas station cleaning up (brushing teeth, etc.) and layering up for my ride through the passes on I-70. It was a good thing that I found the extension cord to make my heated jacket reach the table by the battery tender. At about 40°F and with wind chill, even with the gloves on max, my hands were frozen.

I'm glad I did it at 0500 though, because there was a lot of construction and traffic was already getting heavy. It's such a beautiful drive even when you're lickity splitting it. I made good time and popped out near Glenwood Springs. That's where Doc Holliday is buried. Not much later I peeled out of my heated gear, but kept on the leathers (IYKYK: ATGATT). I should've changed boots though.

I went into Las Vegas to get my friend a graduation gift from the Punk Rock Museum. I have to take a tour next time wow! Anyway, by the time I got to Vegas, my feet in my cold weather, waterproof boots were on fire, but every time I stopped I forgot to change. Even in Beatty just before going through Death Valley 🤦.

The ride had been great until I was on 95 (US? NV?) heading north from Vegas to Beatty. After I passed Creech Air Force Base, the road is just two lanes and 70 mph. I guess my lights don't work because cars passing on the other side we're coming extremely close to me. In fact, one car didn't even get out of my lane. I had to take the shoulder to avoid a head-on. That was my first 🖕 of the day, which was about 12 hours after I started. That's a very long time for me to not have a reason 🤣. Anyway, I survived but did several more 🖕 on that stretch of road.

It only took me 1.5 hours to get through Death Valley National Park, and only about 20 minutes of that was at or below sea level, which means it was like riding in a hair dryer. I don't even want to know how hot it was, but my leathers were too hot for me to touch 😱. Luckily, I was up and out pretty fast.

Going up about 5000 feet was great, but when I hit the twisties I also hit terrible wind gusts, so it was slow going for a while. After stopping for my 15 Rides photo at the Manzanar War Camp, I really hit the wind. It was so hard that it felt like a hand pushing me all over the road. For 40 miles, Mt right elbow was locked and pushing into the bar while my left grip was in erted so I could pull. I had to set the cruise on 55 in a 65 with my hazards going because I was all over the road. Crazy.

I never fully got away from the wind. In fact, it's still gusty right now here in Bakersfield. I'm camped right in front of the HD on the main drag, Merle Haggard Road 🤣, but it's the darkest spot. I'm hoping no security guard or cop will mess with me. 🤞

I'll be up again at 0400 and head straight to Oakland HD where I'm hoping they can do a quick oil and filter change for me 🤞.

Mostly good riding today. Could've been worse. Oh, and 91 octane is about $5.60/gallon 😞.

✌️

[I'll add some pics from my camera once I pull them off. Really pretty scenery today.]

I almost forgot! I was getting gas after Zion HD and a French couple at the next pump had problems with their credit card. They didn't speak much English, and I've forgotten more French than I know now, but I told them to go inside, which he did. When I left, I asked him, "C'est bon?" (is it good?). He smiled, "Oui! Merci!," to which I replied bon jour and bon voyage 🤣, which may or may not be appropriate, but was the only French that came to mind 🤣.Read more