Home from the Hill Country

I didn't get a good night sleep last night. I guess because my body knew I would be home tonight or maybe it was the Jalapeño Pepper Steak for dinner. Whatever it was, I couldn't sleep and by 5am this morning I gave up and just started surfing the Internet. Before I knew it the clock showed 7:15 so I went across the street to the restaurant for  breakfast. Since it was the weekend they had the buffet but service seemed to really suck today. The lady didn't seem too interested in helping people or taking their money. I hope this isn't a new trend.

With breakfast done, I geared up and packed the bike. It was 8:30 by the time I started the bike and pulled out of the parking lot. Since I had filled up last night I headed out of town on FM337 without further delay. As it was still early I kept the pace slow just in case any deer wanted to jump out in front of me. Lucky for me, the first deer I saw today was on the other side of Eagle Lake many hours later. I followed 337 all the way to Medina where I turned left onto Hwy 16. I really like the twisties on 16 so I figured it would be worth going up to Kerrville and catching I-10 east until I got past San Antonio.

Everything was going great on 16. I passed a sign that showed sharp curves with a 15mph limit and another sign that said "HILL". I thought "duh!" It seemed pretty obvious by the rather steep grade in front of me but sometimes people have to put up signs. I was halfway between Medina and Kerrville when I saw a lady on the side of the road with her flashers on trying to wave me down. I thought, "this can't be good".  She told me there had been a horrible motorcycle wreck just up the hill involving an SUV. I didn't think this could be good. I asked if anyone had called 911 and she wasn't sure. So I rode up to where all the bikes were parked and 2 riders ran up to me asking if I was EMS. I said no and asked if they had called 911. I figured if they couldn't get cell coverage I could ride on up the road to the top of the hill where I could get coverage, this all felt a little too familiar. It wasn't until later that I realized I could have pressed the 911 button on my SPOT tracker but then it would have scared Reagan when spot dispatch called. By the time I got up to the SUV, I heard someone say they just got through to 911 and they were trying to dispatch. I figured it would take a while. Since the road was well blocked from the south, I headed up the hill to make sure people were signalling oncoming traffic to stop. The last thing we needed was an even bigger disaster with more vehicles coming down the hill. As I passed the injured rider I glanced down briefly. No blood, OK. I didn't see a helmet on the guy's head but a lady was laying with him keeping his head immobilized. Jacket, check. Gloves, check. Pants and boots, OH OH. I don't think his leg is supposed to have that many bends in it. About that time I heard him say his leg was killing him. I'll bet it was. Since there were plenty of people around him, I went on up the hill to make sure traffic was stopping and as I got there people figured out what they needed to do and they were running up the hill farther to slow and stop traffic. I helped a few other guys move the wrecked bike out of the way and then I stood around to make sure the EMS arrived.

When the emergency folks showed up and more and more emergency vehicles started arriving several of us talked about alternate routes to get to our destinations as it was clear that 16 was going to be blocked for a while and we were just in the way. So I figured I'd just turn around, go back to Medina and then over to Bandera and catch 46 back to Boerne. The road wasn't as fun but I was sort of riding a more sedate pace for awhile. I didn't see the wreck happen but it appeared the rider was coming down the hill and crossed the yellow line around a corner and ran smack dab into the front end of a small SUV.  There were no skids marks behind the SUV from it stopping. As I was riding down the road processing everything that had just transpired it dawned on me that no one had talked to the driver of the SUV. I remember she looked absolutely scared to death. I sure hope she didn't think any of those motorcyclists were going to harm her. I also realized I didn't grab my solar blanket from my first aid kit. All notes for next time. I really need to take one of those motorcycle accident scene management classes that qualifies as our First Aid requirement for the MSF.

OK, so I get to Boerne and hop on I-10. Yuck! Traffic, stupid people and boring straight roads. No fun. I catch 1604 around San Antonio and then get back on I-10 east of town. At exit 617 I head south to catch 90A and get away from some of the crazies. I stop in Gonzales for gas since there was an Exxon and I didn't think I'd make it to Eagle Lake where I knew there was an Exxon. My speed pass didn't work so I still had to dig out my wallet, grrrr. I went inside to use the restroom and get a bottle of water. Today I was using my camelback bladder as things were getting warm and I found myself really thirsty yesterday at the end of the day without it. A quick call to Reagan to let her know where I was and then it was back on the road.

Leaving Gonzales I wanted to take FM532 and check out FM340 as I had planned to do on Friday. About 5 miles down the road however, I had to turn around as the road was closed due to flooding. Ok it was now abundantly clear to me that I was not going to ride 532 or check out 340 from Hallettsville. So I slugged on down 90A through Eagle Lake catching spur 10 over to Hwy 59. A stop by the motorcycle range to see how this week's class was going then I headed home. I pulled into the driveway around 3:50 with 352 miles ridden today. I was home.



Overall the trip was good. Once I got out there I couldn't have asked for nicer weather. The whole trip added another 869 miles to the odometer and put me closer to wearing out the rear knobbie. I put on the TKC 80s to try them out before Alaska. I think they will work great on gravel roads but they aren't much fun on good asphalt or concrete. I'll be happy to have my Tourances back. I wish my friend Chuck could have made the trip but stuff happens. Since I didn't have him to b.s. with I tried to talk to more people. Generally folks are friendly out there but sometimes I think they were put off by my bright riding gear or maybe they just thought I was weird. Next trip out, if it's just me I'm going to go a little further west like to Junction and see what roads I can find out there.

Since __I__ didn't go to the hospital or to jail, it was a very good trip this weekend.

Riding around the Hill Country

This morning I awoke without the aid of an alarm clock. I simply finished sleeping. A quick look outside told me things were still a little damp outside but the radar told me the storms were on their way toward Houston and wouldn't be a problem any longer. So I went downstairs to breakfast hoping there would be something left after the Corvette club finished. I guess they were lite eaters or went elsewhere for Breakfast.

With breakfast done I took my time and adjusted my route. The longer I waited the better I knew the roads would get. Finally I packed everything up and headed out the door. The sun was starting to shine and the clouds were clearing. I fueled up at the near by Exxon and then headed west on 46 toward Hwy 16. A right turn onto 16 followed by another right turn onto 173 pointed me toward Kerrville. I continued North until I found FM 2771 where I turned left. This road would allow me to cut over to 16 without going all the way into Kerrville.

Once I started heading south on 16 toward Medina I knew it wouldn't be long before the apple pie. By the time I got to Hwy 16 the road was dry and it was hard to tell there had even been any rain earlier in the morning. The temperature was great and the day was shaping up to be fantastic.

Riding into Medina I found lots of people. On motorcycles and in cars, it was some sort of fair day or something in the little town. There were vendors up and down the street selling all sorts of things. My priority was the Apple pie though so I parked and walked into the Apple Store. I got a piece of pie, covered it in apple ice cream, planned to wash it down with a bottle of water. Yum! Once that was done, and I finished people watching it was time to get back on the road. I had more curves to straighten.

I headed back out of town and caught 337 toward Vanderpool. I ended up  getting behind a couple on a pair of Harleys. The lady was in front and while she wasn't going very fast, she was very smooth through the corners unlike her husband who couldn't keep steady line through a curve to save his life. Finally I decided to pass them up so I could pick up the pace a litte bit.

I turned right onto 187 and headed north. I had forgotten about the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum and when I passed it I figured I'd stop in on the way back. Finally I turned right onto Hwy 39 toward Hunt. Then left on FM1340 and passed by Stonehenge II. 1340 led me to Hwy 41 where I turned left and went over to US 83 where I headed south. Then it was left on 39 again so I could get back to 187 and the museum.

They've got lots of great looking old bikes at the museum. Old Indians, Nortons, BMWs and Harleys. It was also a chance to visit with other motorcycle enthusiasts and just kick back on the porch for a while.

After the break I headed south on 187 back to Vanderpool where I turned right on FM 337 toward Leakey. Once in Leakey I thought about stopping for fuel but decided I'd be ok to make it into Camp Wood. So I headed onto FM 336. By now the temperature was getting a little warmer than I planned.

I turned left onto Hwy 41 and then left again on FM 335. I was having a great time riding these roads. I found myself behind another Harley rider going slow so I waited patiently and passed him when I finally got to the striped lines again.

Just after 4pm I rolled into Camp Wood and topped off the gas tank. I had gone 278 miles and still had 1.5 gallons left. So I could have rode up to Leakey for gas but I was getting a little tired so I filled up and headed down the street to the Woodbine Inn. It's been a great day of riding. The mileage total was 282 miles of twists and turns. Tomorrow I have to point the bike toward home, but I bet I can find a few more twisties along the way.
 

Getting to the Hill Country

I woke up this morning before the alarm clock went off. Finally I was heading out of town on a motorcycle trip again. I went walking and then sat down at the computer for a little bit before I completed my workout. Bad idea, the computer sucked me in I never finished my workout.

The weather forecast for today showed a nasty front coming in and it looked like it was going to park itself on I-35 between Austin and Fort Worth. I started to wonder if my riding buddy for this trip was actually going to make it down. I mean, he's not as addicted to the whole motorcycle thing as I am, he's perfectly content to go a week or more without riding. That's probably best for him though because he has some other priorities in his life that I don't. Around 7:30 I got the first call from him, he was watching the weather and was concerned but assured he was still coming down. The second call was at 9:15, saying he was going to wait for the hail and tornado warnings to pass before he left. Whimp. The last call was at 12:32, ok as excuses go this is a pretty good one. He couldn't leave because the storm had blown down a tree in his backyard and it ripped the power line from his house. It's definitely original. So I told him I was heading to the Holiday Inn in Boerne and I hoped he could make it. See this is what I mean about the addiction level, I would have left earlier in the day, probably while the tornado warning was going on so I wouldn't have know about the tree limb falling down or the power lines being ripped out. I guess I'd better have some more branches cut to insure that does happen to me on a future ride.

So figuring my riding buddy has stood me up, and I'm stuck with a $95 HotWire room in Boerne I pull out of the driveway grumbling under my breath about the general b.s. of the world. I stop by the post office, bank and AAA office (wanted to get a Texas map, yes my GPS works). Then I stopped at my favorite Exxon only to find that they no longer carried Premium or even Plus grades of gasoline. Now I was really fit to be tied. I got back on the freeway and headed south toward Rosenberg. A few miles down the road it struck me, I was heading out of town on a motorcycle on a Friday and I didn't have people nagging me about VoIP problems or anything else. Sure it sucked that I was going to be alone on the trip but that would be OK. Sure my room costs would double but I'd get the weekend to myself and who knows maybe there would be wild naked girls partying in my room both nights. Earth to Brian, come back Brian, we aren't in some alternate reality, there will be no parties going on in the room, you're headed to Camp Wood..... Back to planet earth, a weekend alone would be great. I can reflect on things and read more about Futures Trading so I can find the catch in some software that another friend is so excited about.

Hello!!! Can we get back to the ride report???? I guess when I'm by myself I don't get to decompress with others at the end of the day and I babble in my blog. So I stopped for fuel at the Chevron south of Rosenberg and then cut over on spur 10 to 90A. I took 90A west to Hallettsville. To this point I really hadn't gotten into any rain, there was the occassional sprinkle but not really enough to wash off the dirt. Once through Hallettsville I turned north on FM340. Now the rain was starting again and it was clear mother nature had big plans, it was dark, very dark. It's not often that I appreciate my HID headlight at 2:45 in the afternoon. Then it came, the rain, lots of rain. Ever wondered what it would be like to stand under a 1,000 gallon water tank and have it's bottom suddenly disappear? Well I think I have a pretty good idea now. The rain was falling so hard that I couldn't see more than 50 feet in front of me. And then it started hailing on me. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

Funny enough, I thought of my buddy Chuck who didn't want to come down because of the tornado watch. Now I was thinking there might be some merrit to getting the heck off the road. So I turned onto the first dirt road that I found and turned around. Sorry, no graceful u-turn. It was a 3 point turn with my feet on the ground. I pulled up under a tree figuring it would help to shelter me a little from the hail. Then I remembered the lightning. I'm not a rocket scientist but I realized that was bad.

I decided to head back to 90A since it was just a few miles back the way I came. At least if I was riding through HELL, I wanted to be on a wide and familiar road. By the time I got back to 90A the storm had seriously subsided but I stayed on 90A toward Seguin anyway. Exploring a new road would have to wait for another trip. Did I mention my jaket leaked? Oh yeah, it leaked big time. I probably would have stayed more dry if I had taken the jacket off and huddled underneath it beneith the tree during the lightening storm.

So I'm riding down 90A, nice and wet but I'm on a motorcycle trip. I had to remind myself that riding a motorcycle in the rain is still more fun than sitting at home solving computer problems. I make it through Seguin and head up to New Braunfels where I was supposed to meet Chuck. The rain had stopped by Seguin. I hadn't received any calls this afternoon but I was hoping to see a text message saying he was on his way. When I stopped at I-35 and 46 there was no text message. So I continued west on 46. HWY 46 from New Braunfels to Boerne wasn't one of my greatest routing decisions but at least there was some pretty scenery along the way.

I get into Boerne and make a wrong turn before realizing my error and finally make it to my hotel for the night. When I pull in there is a sweet looking old Pontiac Firebird and then I see all the Corvettes in the back. I check in and ask what all is going on this weekend. There are 3 different events including a car show for the Vettes.

Once checked in, it was time to get out of the wet clothes and find some food. Luckily I had scoped things out on my way in and there was a oddly named placed called Cheesy Jane's that I wanted to try out. It was OK but I get a little nervous when people want to wait on me in an establishment serving hamburgers. At least the waitress was nice and my grilled chicken salad was ok.

Today's ride was only 242 miles in length and I really didn't get started until 1:30. The destination had been planned previously and the room paid for due to the two of us meeting up for the weekend. The Holiday Inn is definitely a fancier hotel then I would normally stay in but the bed is comfortable and I was happy to get out of my wet clothes.

Tomorrow the plan is ride the 3 Twisted Sisters (335, 336, 337) and since I'm by myself I'm going to check out 39 and 1340 as well. Plus there's a ranch road that is supposed to go from 335 to 336 so i'm going to try and find that too. That's why I picked up the Texas map. All of this is dependent on the weather though. Forecast says thunderstorms in the morning and clearing later. So what I don't ride tomorrow I'll certainly ride on Sunday. But I will make it to Camp Wood tomorrow, that's where my next room is and it's a little cheaper too.

Heading to the Hill Country tomorrow

Finally, I'm getting away for the weekend on a motorcycle trip. I'm meeting my buddy from Dallas for a weekend riding around Central Texas.

Wouldn't you know, there's a front coming through and rain is predicted for all day tomorrow. But Saturday the forecast is looking better and there's no rain in the forecast for Sunday so the ride home will be nice.

So the bike has been serviced, and I'm already packed. But I'm sitting here this evening waiting for the latest Garmin map update to complete. 83% complete, oh boy. I know, it's a bad idea to change things before a trip but this is a simple weekend get away and I'm headed to a familiar area so if things go sideways I should be OK.

Check back tomorrow and I'll tell you how I get to Boerne.

BBFO '09 Day 5 - Going home

No matter how you look at it, the last day of a motorcycle trip is always bitter sweet. Sure you are going home to see your sweetie pie. But you are also going back to the chaos known as your life too.

This morning the alarm clock went off at 6:10am and the next thing I knew I was up, dressed and carrying things out to the bike. I was actually ready before Doug for once. I was shocked and so was he. Everyone seemed to be ready before 7am so we all walked over to Casa Falcon for breakfast. No grits on the menu but a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with hot tea sounded good. Once done with breakfast we paid our tabs and walked back to finish packing the bikes.

By 8am we were all packed and the bikes were running. It was a chilly 26 degrees. We headed north out of town on FM337. The sky was clear and the sun was bright. It made watching for deer a real challenge, so we kept the speeds conservative and went on down the road only seeing one axis deer far up the road. When we got to Leakey we continued on FM 337 to Vanderpool. There we headed south on 187 until we reached 470. Eventually 470 took us into Tarpley where we stopped at the general store for a break. This was the point where Dick would be leaving us as he was going north of San Antonio to get back to New Waverly and we were going south to 90.

After the break and our farewells, we headed south out of town on 462 to Hondo. There we picked up 90 heading east. Just east of town it was clear, the get away was over. We started contending with stupid drivers, polution and warmer temperatures. Now it was just a matter of getting home. 90 runs into I-10 and we stayed on it until Seguin where we stopped for gas.

Once the tanks were full it was time to get back on the road, we were heading for Taco Tony's in Eagle Lake for a late lunch. We decided running the I-10 super slab would get us there quicker so we took it. Getting on the on-ramp I had a little excitement as the bike hit a slick spot and got a little sideways. Luckily I recovered quickly and kept on going without incident. When we passed through Columbus we headed south on 102 to Eagle Lake. With the little slip and slide incident still fresh in my mind I took it easy as I figured my rear tire was pretty much shot at this point.

Lunch at Taco Tony's was pretty good. I had a chicken salad, surprise, surprise. While parking the bike I noticed the center of my rear tire was showing the final stages of it's life so after lunch I told the guys I'd be taking it slow and easy for that last 48 miles to my house, staying a few miles per hour below the speed limit. So once we got through town Doug and Fred passed me and I watched them for quite a few miles as the road is so straight. I decided to go straight through Richmond/Rosenberg although it would take longer because I could go slower and preserve the tire I had left. About 2:30pm I pulled into the driveway. I was home. The tires had made it. Looking in my mileage book it turns out I only got 10K miles out of the rear and 16K out of the front. Not bad considering most of those miles were long distance touring with side cases and luggage.

Total miles for today was 315. Total mileage for the five days was 1,930. Not too bad for a long weekend get away.

Since my rear tire was completely shot and I'll likely need the bike tomorrow for an appointment, I decided to change the tires and mount the TKC 80's because I plan to use them in Alaska too. Hopefully I can get 6K out of the rear, otherwise I'll be purchasing a rear tire on the way home this summer. I haven't bought the portable bead breaker for the trip yet but I had everything else so I decided to change the tires using just the tools that I'll have in Alaska. It turned out to be pretty easy, and I had both tires mounted and balanced in 2 hours. The only real challenge was getting the bead to set on the front tire, I ran out of patience and used my shop compressor but I'm pretty sure I could have used my little portable compressor if I had just tried a little more.

Taking the extra time coming home, really allowed us to travel roads that we would have otherwised skipped because of time constraints. I got to travel on roads that I hadn't seen before and I got to ride 337 which is one of my favorites. Between the new shocks and the riding skills I learned last spring at the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic, this was definitely a fast paced trip when I got into the twisties with good visibility. The GS pulls so well through the corners and now with the shocks I know I can snap it into a corner and the boke will just go where I want it to go. I can't believe I waited so long to get the shocks.

The only things I'll change for the next trip are:
1. make sure I have a good set of tires when going west. They were fine in the twisties but didn't really hold up on the long slab ride home.
2. watch myself a little closer in gravel parking lots.

I don't have any overnight trips planned between now and June when I leave for Alaska but I'm sure there will be one or two more. And at some point I'll start blogging about my preparations for Alaska. It should be interesting.

BBFO '09 Day 4 - Heading home sort of ...

Today we pointed the bikes east to begin the ride home. For breakfast we dined at the Chuck Wagon again since the drug store is closed on Mondays. Everyone avoided the Toast and Sausage (soup) gravy. The waitress this morning was sassy and friendly. I think she might have been the owner or manager.

We finished breakfast around 8:15 and headed south through town on 118 toward Alpine. The temperature was around 25 degrees as we started the day. Once we got to Alpine we turned east onto 90. The downside to going home from the west is that you have to drive into the sun in the mornings.

We stopped Sanderson to fill up and say good bye to Bill and Randy. They were taking a more direct route home as they needed to be home today. After the break we continued on 90 to Dryden where we turned north onto 349. Apparently there must be more deer per square inch in this area than any other part of Texas, because there were so many deer stands so close together it almost looks like suburban neighbourhood of deer stands. FM 349 is a very scenic route with some moderate curves. A definite must if you are in the area.

We rolled into Sheffield and tried to stop at a gas station but it was closed, so we headed east on 290 over to Fort Lancaster. After a break we continued on 290 to I-10 and then stayed on I-10 to Ozona. There we topped off the tanks and then grabbed a bite to eat next door at the Subway.

After lunch we headed down 163 to 189. A left turn onto 189 and we were on a real Texas ranch road. The cattle guards were definitely rougher than the those you find around the Hill Country. The scenery was great and after awhile the road turned to a wider, better maintained farm to market road. We took the road over to 277, where we headed south for a short distance.

As we neared our turn off for 55, there was a picnic area at the intersection so we took another break. After a bit, we headed east on 55 toward Rocksprings. We stopped for gas in Rocksprings since they have several stations. The gas stop was the shortest of the trip, a real gas and go. Just another 29 miles to Camp Wood.

By 4pm we were at the Woodbine Inn in Camp Wood checking into our room for the evening. Total mileage for the day was 375 miles. Very little of it was on I-10. I saw several places along the way that would be great areas to own some land. The views you could see from a front porch could be incredible.

I'm really glad that we are taking 2 days to get home. This allows us to really see some neat roads on the way.

BBFO '09 Day 3 - Riding down to the park

Today started a little earlier. We were at the Chuck Wagon for breakfast by 7:30. A few of the guys ordered the toast and sausage gravy. I don't think they will be doing that again, it was more like sausage soup than gravy. My breakfast burrito was pretty good. I think I might try the oatmeal tomorrow although it's Quaker instant out of a box.

Yesterday everyone had filled up before parking the bikes so we didn't have to do that before we started. We headed down 118 to Terlingua where we stopped to top off the tanks before heading into the park.

By 10:30 we were heading into the park. For those that don't know, the speed limit in the park is 45 miles per hour. So don't get in a big hurry. It took us an hour to get to the other side of the park where we took a break and I visited the visitor center to get my park passport stamped. Everyone started talking about lunch so it was decided we'd head back and go up into the basin and eat at the park lodge. Big Bend offers so many different environments inside the park. As we rode up to the basin we saw more and more vegetation. It was in stark contrast to the other parts of the park where it is so arid.

Lunch was OK, several of us took advantage of the soup and salad bar. The chicken vegetable soup was really good but the veiw from our table was even better. If you are in the area it's definitely a good idea to have lunch at the lodge if for no other reason than the view from your table.

So we saddled up and started our return trip. The plan was to go back the way we came up 118. The alternative was to go up to Marathon and then cut over to Alpine. In my opinion existing the park on the east seems to take an extremely long time and is very boring compared to exiting on the west. So we left on the west.

We passed through Terlingua and decided no one needed gas so we kept going. Doug decided to pick up the pace and I felt it was my duty to keep up. It wasn't long before the group disappeared in my rear view mirrors. Doug and I rolled into Alpine, topped off the tanks and kept going to Ft. Davis.

When we got into town I pulled off and visited the Ft. Davis museum to get my passport stamped again. If you are into the old wild west you need to visit the place. Allow yourself plenty of time though, there's a lot to see. With the passport stamped, I looked around the indoor museum and then jumped back on the bike and headed to the motel. I waited around for the rest of the group to arrive and then Bill and I took a quick little 50 mile round trip up 17 toward Balmoreah and back.

The weather was great today. This morning started around 50 and got into the 60's by the time we were on our way back. Riding in the area this time of the year is a little hit or miss but it turned out great this weekend. Total mileage for the day was around 350 miles.

Tomorrow we'll start heading home and stay in Camp Wood. 

BBFO '09 Day 2 - The River Road

Last night Fred announced that we'd be getting a late start this morning and breakfast would be at 8am. This morning Fred knocked on the door just after 7 to tell us he just woke up and still needed to get a shower. He didn't think he'd be ready by 8. "Retirement Fred" seems to be a different fella.

At 7:45 we were all standing around ready to go so we rolled out of the parking lot and stopped at the drug store cafe downtown. We pretty much had the place to ourselves at first. Three different ladies took our drink orders but we finally got our drinks and then our orders were placed. By 9:30 we were done with breakfast and heading out of town.

The plan was to go down 118 through Alpine to Terlingua and then ride the River Road (FM170) over to Presidio. When we got down to Terlingua we gased up the bikes and waited for Fred. Along the way he had decided to pull off and just take a break. He rolled into town and after a litte discussion, we geared up to go see the Terlingua ghost town. It turned out to be nothing more than a convenience store that catered to tourists. So we decided to head over and see the mayor of Lajitas. When we got there it looked like there hadn't been a goat in the area for quite some time and with no goat there was no reason to stop. We continued on up the road to the look out point for another stop.

After another little break, we resumed the ride. The weather was good, the road was good, and traffic was minimal. Geesh the day sucked! Just a few miles before we rolled into Presidio, we took a detour down a gravel road to avoid the missing part of the road that had been washed out from the flood last year.

ring ring... ring ring... while writing this blog tonight I got my first Skype call. How cool, I get to see my sweetie pie. That will be great when I'm on the Alaska trip. I wasn't sure how I was going to go for 4 weeks without seeing her. Isn't technology grand?

So back to today's ride. After the dirt road we rode into Presidio and stopped at El Patio for lunch. The place was moderately busy with locals and the food was decent for the price. After lunch it was decided that Fred, Dick and Doug would head on back to the motel, and Bill, Randy and myself would take the Ft. Davis loop before calling it quits for the day. In Marfa, Randy and Bill pulled off to get gas while I kept going with the group. When I reached 166 and 17, I turned west onto 166 and stopped at the little rest area a few miles down the way. I waited about 10 minutes before Bill and Randy rolled up. We visited for a while before deciding to get going before it got too late.

Since it was 4:15 as we pulled out on the road I decided we'd take it easy to watch for deer. Just a few miles down the road we saw our first deer in a field with some cattle. And then we saw a doe and her fawn a little way down the road. I decided the speed limit or just a little over would be more than sufficient for this little 50 mile loop. On one stretch of road we found several deer along the side of the road next to a row of cedars. These snuck up on me and I didn't see them until I was along side of them. Fortunately they stayed next to the cedars and I kept on going. Although just a little slower.

The pace remainded mild until after we passed the 166 and 118 junction. That's when the road got twisty and tight. I dropped it to 4th and carved the corners. When I got to a straight away I'd ease up and wait for everyone to catch up. Then when the next set of corners came I'd crank it up again. We didn't see any deer until we came to a water crossing where a confused doe was getting out of the way and then reversed her direction and ran back across the road. There were a few more twisties to straighten before rolling into Ft. Davis. What a great end to a great, I mean shitty, day. When I have a choice, I will definitely chose to ride into Ft. Davis via the loop. It's just great.

I went on into town to gas up, and get a lottery ticket. Who knows, maybe tonight I'll have the right numbers and can try to wear out the GS on the roads around here.

Today's mileage was just over 300 miles. Temps started at 20 degrees and climbed into the 60's. The sky is clear and the temperature is already falling so I expect we'll reach the low 20's or even the teens in the morning. Hopefully we won't go to breakfast before 8. We are planning to go into the park tomorrow to explore the east side and while I'm there I'll get my park passport stamped.

And NO, the GS did not take any naps today. But it did get a work out with the new shocks.

BBFO '09 Day 1 - The ride out

Today's ride was horrible. I mean who could possibly enjoy a ride when there's no rain, lots of sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. Even the temperature was bearable, starting around 30 degrees when we pulled out of Brookshire and climbing into the high 50's by mid-day.

I left the house at 4:40am so I'd have time to gas up and visit before we rolled out. When I got to Brookshire I stopped at the Exxon on the opposite side of the freeway. While their pumps may have been 24 hour service, they certainly weren't running very fast. It took over 10 minutes to fill 7.5 gallons of fuel. The pressure was so low at the pump that it didn't even click off when the tank was full. Thus I spilled about 1/3 of gallon all over the bike and ground. I decided this wasn't going to ruin my day so I carefully pulled away from the station and went to the Flyin' J to meet the guys. Shortly after pulling up, we all mounted up and headed west.

The plan was to stop in Seguin for breakfast at the Kettle. We arrived around 7:15 and fueled up before sitting down to eat. The waitress was good and took care of everyone. After a casual meal and a little visiting we suited up and headed back out on to I-10 west.

The next stop was west of Hondo at a rest area. We seemed to be making good time so it was decided that we would grab some snacks in Bracketville while fueling up and then eat at the Pecos River lookout. Lunch was great, good temps, good scenery, and good people... it was such a horrible ride....

With lunch done we continued on to Sanderson where we stopped for fuel one more time. Upon leaving the station, Fred had a little problem with his wallet falling off the bike, so he had to make a quick u-turn to pick it up. But once that was taken care off we continued on toward Alpine and then headed north on 118 into Ft. Davis. We arrived at the motel around 4:30 and checked in without any problems.

About 6:30 Dick pulls in, he had gotten a late start from New Waverly and he made good time. After a little visiting we get on the bikes to go down the road for dinner. As I'm pulling away and trying to turn the bike in the gravel parking lot.... you guessed it, I fell down. No damage to the bike or me. Fortunately Randy and Bill were still there so they come over to help me lift the bike and make sure I'm OK. I thumb the starter and try to go straight out of the parking lot without further incident.

We have dinner at a new BBQ/Grill which turned out to be pretty good. Looking at the menu it's more of a grill than a BBQ joint. Since I'm on my diet this weekend I opted for the Crispy Chicken salad. No one ordered the BBQ but beans and coleslaw were ordered and the general consenses was that the slaw was good and the beans were too sweet.

So besides the gas spill and the gravel nap, the trip is really going well. Considering the time of the year, the weather is outstanding and looks like it will be staying this way for the duration of the trip. Tomorrow we are heading down to the river road. There's talk about a few miles being gravel. I just have to remember to keep the bike up-right if I have to make any curves. I know that.

Total miles traveled today was a little over 550.

Getting ready for the BBFO '09

Tomorrow I'm heading west with my normal riding buddies for the annual Big Bend Freeze Out. This year the weather looks very comfortable with highs in the low 60's and lows around freezing. That's just perfect, I have the electrics to handle the frosty mornings.

Yesterday my Hyperpro shocks came in. Talk about timing. The folks at EPM really stepped up when I told them I was leaving for a trip tomorrow and they turned them around in their shop in just 1 day from when they received them from the manufacturer. They did a bang up job on the initial set up too. I still plan to tinker with the clickers and I want to double check the rider sag but out of the box they are many times better than my worn out stock shocks with 50K miles on them.

I decided to skip the pictorial of the shock install because a quick google search shows several others and they did a fine job. The others showed installing Ohlins but the install is the same with the Hyperpros. The total installation took me about 5 hours but at least 3 hours of that was consumed with fabricating a new horn bracket for my air horn. If I had cheaped out and went with the less expensive model 360 front shock there wouldn't have been an issue. But I went with the top of the line model 367 which has an external reservoir. I found out, reservoir is code for "Pain in the butt" because that's what it was to get it to fit along side my air horn.

When all was said and done I pushed the bike off the center stand and immediately noticed the difference. The bike didn't bounce so much when it came off the stand. It didn't bounce at all really. It still compressed quite a bit from resting on the side stand to me touching the ground. But even with the 1/2" shorter shocks I still wasn't any closer to touching the ground. In fact I may be a little farther away from the ground but not much. So after running inside to put on my gear it was time for the test ride.

I pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street. I did a quickstop and I'm fairly certain I managed a small stoppee. The GS isn't supposed to do stoppees. There's a definite change in the front spring rate and compression. The next thing I noticed was how much stiffer the ride was. I mean it felt like my old GSX-R.

As I worked my way along my route I found corners to be better with plenty of feedback that wasn't there before. The longer I rode the more I noticed my speeds increasing through corners. I was actually able to enter corners at higher speeds because the bike simple felt like it was on rails going through the corner. Accelerating now actually seems to raise the bike instead of the sqauting sensation with the old shocks.

The test ride had the bike completely stripped of any cases and I had zero preload dialed in. Tomorrow I'll have all the cases on it with a light load so I'll see how it does with a little more weight. I suspect the rear spring may be a little too stiff without the cases on. It's my fault though, when I ordered the shocks I probably spec'd my weight a good ten pounds heavier than I am right now. And I'm on a diet with another 10 pounds to go. I may talk to EPM about changing out the rear spring but first I want to see how it does with a load, and with my passenger. Since I usually don't ride without the Micatech cases anymore, I'm not too worried about the setup without the cases. If I ever do take it to the track I'll just have to deal with it.

Yesterday while I had the seat off, I plugged in the GS-911 to read the computer codes. It told me there was a fault in the heated grips. Duh! I knew that since my right hand gets cold. When I get back from the trip, I'll take the bike over to Wild West and see if they can fix it under warranty. Otherwise I'll have to splurge for a new right grip which is about $100, I can get both sides for $180 though. I may just do that so I know I have 2 good working grips going to Alaska this summer. But let's hope I can get it fixed under warranty.

Well, I guess I'd better go pack. And I'm going to put my wallet in my jacket pocket, NOW, so I don't have a repeat of last year when I had to turn around a go back home to get it. 5:30am is the call for side stands up, and I plan to work out before I leave so the alarm will be ringing early.

Winter Trip to the Hill Country

Last month it was decided that several riders in our Sunday morning riding group would go out to the Hill Country for a long weekend of riding before the Christmas holiday festivities got cranked up all the way. December 12 - 15 was decided as the weekend and Camp Wood was the hub location for the weekend.

So this morning we met up at the Chevron on 59 just north of spur 10. By 6am we were ready to go. So after a little entertainment from Dan trying to plug in his electric gear, five of us rolled out and headed up spur 10. Then it was west on 90A to Eagle Lake. There we picked up FM 102 and went up to Columbus. A short ride down I-10 and we continued north on 71 to La Grange. There we stopped at the Shell station to warm up, get a little breakfast and meet up with two other riders who were coming from the north side of town. Just a little after 8am, Dick shows up and gets breakfast. Our group is now complete, 7 riders in total.

With everyone fed, it was time to gear up and head on up the road. Our route resumed on Hwy 71 going north. When we reach Smithville, we took loop 230 over to 95 and turned south to 535. In Rockne we turned south on 20 and followed it down to FM 1854. A right turn on 1854 and it eventually led us to Hwy 21 where we headed south west. We caught FM 150 over to Kyle where we stopped for fuel and a break. Then we resumed our travels on 150 heading west. When 150 turned north we stayed on 3237 down to Wimberly where we turned onto FM 2325. The next turn was a left on Fischer Store Road, then hwy 32, then 473 over to 281. A short ride south on 281 and then we resume our travel on 473. When we got to FM474 we turned right and followed it into Boerne. We leave town via 46 over to 16 into Bandera where we stopped for lunch. Lunch was good but nothing amazing, just a good burger and great company.

After lunch, Fred decided we should deviate from the route a little and pick up 470 and then 187 up to Vanderpool where we resumed our route on 337 toward Leakey. We stopped for gas at a Texaco station and then resumed our travel, planning to stop at the Frio Canyon Motorcycle stop. When we pulled up I wondered if they were even open but the doors were up and there were 3 cars in the parking lot. I guess we got there just before they started closing up the store and the grill. Which was good since I needed to get aT-shirt. After sitting around and telling stories we decided to continue into Camp Wood and cover the last 20 miles or so. I don't know if it was the time of day or having just sat around at the last stop but I was really tired by the time I pulled into the Woodbine Inn at Camp Wood. The day's ride had come to an end.

We covered 351 miles and I stopped 3 times for gas including the initial fill up at my favorite Exxon station near the house. I don't have cellular service here but I do have wi-fi so I get my Internet fix. Tomorrow should find plenty of twisties, it should be another great day on the bike.
 

Day 14 - Coming Home

Friday morning we awoke early and  were on the bikes by 5:45. A quick stop at the Loves truck stop for gas and then it was east on I-10 toward home. The GPS showed 594 to the house and said I'd be home by 2:30. Of course figuring in stops for breakfast and fuel it would probably be closer to 4. The temperature was above freezing but it still felt good to have the electric jacket liner on along with the heated grips.

We stopped in Fort Stockton for breakfast. Since the sheriff was eating there we figured it was a good place to stop for a decent breakfast. I stopped to get a photo of the town's road runner which was freshly repainted and then it was back on the road. Traffic was moving along nicely until we got to San Antonio and all my peace and tranquillity from the trip quickly began disappearing. We were back in traffic with stupid people. We stopped for fuel on the east side of San Antonio along 1604. Doug and I talked about the trip and wrapped things up. Then we got back on the road headed for home. Doug pulled off on 36 and I took 99. Just before 4pm I pulled into the driveway and Reagan was there to meet me, I was home.

Summary

In 14 days, my bike and I travelled 5,172 miles excluding the truck ride to Fresno for the Final Drive repair. Fuel cost was $464 with an cost of $3.571 per gallon, consuming 129.95 gallons for an average of 39.41 miles per gallon.

Obviously the final drive failed, which happened at 45,000 miles.

A few days into the trip the Zumo started acting up, and the touch screen  began to malfunction. The problem was more pronounced when temperatures fell below 50 degrees. I'll call Garmin tomorrow to see if they can help. The slow map drawing after boot up was resolved by deleting the mp3s from the SD Card.

My right electric sock didn't work which turned out to be a problem with the wire down the right leg. I'll have to call Gerbing to check into warranty procedures.

In all this was a great trip with lots of great places to see. Oil prices are going down and hopefully fuel costs will remain low for next summer's trip to Alaska.

Day 13 - Bitter Sweet

Today has been bitter sweet because we have pointed our route toward home and there's a clear end tothe  trip. It'll be nice to get home, see Reagan and sleep in my own bed again. But this also means the peace and tranquillity of riding in new places every day and encountering new people along the way is coming to an end. Of course, there's always the next trip to plan for.

This morning we wanted to get an early start to ensure that we could make it to Van Horn, Tx before dark. So we got up and loaded the bikes by 6am. When we pulled up to the local cafe (same as last night) the lights were on and people were already inside. This looked a lot better than yesterday's breakfast. We ordered the special (1 biscuit w/ gravy, hash browns and 1 egg). Coffee was servered quickly as was breakfast. The waitress was friendly and good at her job. We finished breakfast and were on the bikes by 6:45.

Heading east on 180 meant we were riding right into the sun. At the early hour of the day it meant the sun was low and would pop out around corners at the very worst times like in the middle of a corner. The first section of 180 was the best, it was twisty and mostly down hill. Temperature this morning was warmer than previous mornings but there was still a heavy frost on the bike as we started but at least Doug's thermometer didn't bottom out.

180 continued, meeting up with 12 and heading south all the way to Silver City, NM. The farther south we got the warmer it got and the straighter the road became. But the speed limit was generous and law enforcement was scarce so it was a good ride down.

We stopped in Silver City in search of a fat quarter of clothe for Laurie, Doug's wife. She plans to make a quilt out of his findings. It should be interesting. The quilt store was a nice old fashioned store from the past. They sold fabric, greeting cards and office supplies. It was a classic small town type store that you just don't find any more. With fabric acquired, we resumed our travels south on 180.

From Silver City we headed down to Deming where 180 ran into NM 11. We followed 11 down to Columbus, NM. It was neat to see all the crops being grown like Maze, Peppers and more. Then just a few miles down the road it was high desert. When we reached Columbus we turned East onto NM 9 to follow the US/Mexico border. We expected this to be a very lonely and peaceful stretch of road. It turned out to be quite busy. At one point a very large oversize 18 wheeler loaded with one of those mega sized dump truck buckets, was heading west on our quiet road. It was so large I had to pull over to the very edge of the road to let him pass.

The road eventually led us into El Paso where we took the 375 loop north of town. There seems to be a lot of construction going on at Fort Bliss right now. Finally 375 met up with 180 and we continued east to the Guadalupe Mountain National Park. A quick stop at the visitor center and then we turned around and caught 54 south to Van Horn. This stretch of the road was riduculously mis-marked speed limit wise. It was marked as 55mph but there wasn't any legit reason why it shouldn't have been marked as 65 or 75 like 180 was. But of course there were plenty of DPS cars along the way to make sure drivers obeyed the speed limit.

About 5:15 we rolled into town and after looking at various motels, we decided to stay at the Motel 6 and eat dinner across the street at the Pizza Hut. Well if you ever stay in Van Horn, skip the Pizza Hut. They don't have a salad bar, can't serve beer and have pitiful service. With dinner complete, it was time to write this blog.

Today's ride went well, we covered 462 miles, my odometer rolled over 47,000 miles and we got back to Texas. Tomorrow night I'll be home, the bike will be back in the garage and the trip will be over. I don't expect tomorrow's ride across I-10 to be very special so unless something exciting happens, the next blog post will be a recap in a few days. There's several things that I need to fix or include before the next trip.

Day 12 - Get out of the road!

More about the title later, first I have to start with breakfast.

We walked across the street just after 7am to the Red Rock Restaurant. This was the same place we ate last night. Well I should have known something was up when the owner asked what we were doing up so early. Well their waitress hadn't come in yet and the owner's wife claimed not to be a waitress. That was a pretty good claim, but she did manage to bang her way through and got out everyone's order. This was the first breakfast where they flat out messed up my eggs. I asked for over-hard. They came out over-medium. I sent them back and they still weren't right when they came back.

With breakfast done we hit the road around 8am local time. We headed south on 95 down to 191. This part of the ride was beautiful and had some wonderful curves. Along this stretch of road I came up with the title for today. Doug was in the lead and I was following when a deer decided to run across the road between us. That doe seemed larger than life as she ran across the road in front of me. I had just enough time to reach for the front brake lever and start to squeeze. Luckily she kept running and cleared my path before I reached her. So get out of the road deer!

When we got to 191 we continued south looking for 262 east. After a fuel stop to check the map we headed down 191 and found 262. This was a reservation road and believe me, speeding wasn't a problem as the road is in poor shape. We rolled into Montezuma Creek and promptly lost 262 as the sign said it ended. We continued forward on the road until it turned to gravel, then turned around to go back into the little time. We decided to take 162 east which my map shows as 262.  This continued over to Colorado where the road became Colorado 41. Co-41 took us to 160 where we turned right and headed west to get over to Four Corners. Luckily Doug saw Four Corners before I did or we might have just ridden by it completely.

We stopped at Four Corners and Doug snapped a photo of me in all 4 states. We saw a sign for Fried Bread so we thought we might have found scones again. Close but not quite, it was more like funnel cake with honey on it. With the snack complete we geared up and headed out.

We resumed our trip west on 160 over to Mexican Water. We turned south onto 191. When 191 met up with 264 we headed east for a short distance and then continued south on 191. 191 met up with I-40 and we headed east for a few miles until 191 branched off and continued south. All of this was on reservation land until we got south of I-40. Once we got to Springerville we stopped for gas. There was even a quilt shop across the street but they were closed already so we couldn't get Laurie's fat-quarter that Doug has been looking for.

With full tanks, we continued the last 26 miles down to Alpine. When we'd go into a shady stretch you could feel the drop in temperature, when we'd reach a section with sunshine the temperature would rise again. We rolled into Alpine just before 4pm local time. We were greeted by a friendly innkeeper at the Sportman's Lodge. Turns out he's a BMW rider himself with an R1100RT and K75S. He gave us room 1 as it was on pavement and made parking easy.

Dinner was great at the Bear Wallow Cafe. It was just a short walk down the block and around the corner. It'll definitely be my choice for a meal when I stay here again. Breakfast in the morning will be there as well.

Today we travelled 481 miles. Travel time was just under 10 hours in total. We got to see varied landscapes from flat desert plains to small valleys. It was another great day, even with that pesky doe running across the road and the various farm animals the seemed to be on the roads as we road into little towns on the reservations. Tomorrow we should reach Van Horn, which will make getting home on Friday a reality.

Day 11 - Another chilli morning

This morning we got up by 6am so we'd be packed up and ready to go after the restaurant opened at 7. It was 31 degrees when I checked weather.com. We packed the bikes and searched for my keys, which turned up inside my pants thanks to a hole in the pocket. We got over to breakfast by 7:15 and got some coffee. Both our orders came with scones, yum!!

With breakfast complete we headed north on US 89. Within in a few minutes it was clear the temperature was dropping. Doug reported again that his temp gauge dropped  below 14 degrees and went blank. Brrrr cold! There was snow on the ground but the roads were dry. So we pressed on. At one point while Doug was leading we passed a large mule deer buck that what just standing next to the road until Doug passed, then it jumped back into the field. He had a beautiful rack but that was a little too close for comfort.

At Hillsdale, we turned right onto UT-12 and headed toward Bryce Canyon. Once through the entrance gate we decided to stop by the visitor center to warm and pick out some things to take home. They were showing a movie about the park so we watched that and looked through the museum before heading out to the park. I managed to shoot lots of photos as we rode through the park and stopped at the various view points. This is a park where you need to actually get off the bike and walk up to some views. It's worth while.

After finishing the park we continued on UT-12 east up to Torrey. The views along the way was just amazing. At one point we were riding along a ridge with just the width of the road and no barriers. This is a great road to see and ride. Once we reached Torrey we turned right onto UT-24.

We rode through Capital Reef National Park and I decided to stop by the visitor center to get a stamp in my passport. It turns out the park is rather large and deserves a visit for itself. That will have to wait for another time though. After leaving the visitor center we continued west on UT-24. Just a few miles down the road the scenery began to change drastically. Where we were previously seeing red cliffs now we began to see less red and more greys. It was becoming more and more like a desert. It just seemed dirty.

Finally we rode into Hanksville. I noticed the communications tower on a bluff near town and as expected we both had cell service. We checked in at the Hanksville motel and I started working to get my laptop connected to the internet. After a few attempts it finally worked so I was able to enter my blog this evening.

Today's ride covered 262 miles. Doug rolled over 75,000 miles on his odometer today. And my odometer passed 46,000 miles as well. It was another great day. Tomorrow we are heading to Alpine, Az via four corners. There's a BBQ place to check out along the way.

Day 10 - Oil change in the parking lot

This morning the temperature was 45 degrees as we started our day. First we had breakfast at the hotel's restaurant since it was included with the room rate. Then I took care of the Final Drive service in the parking lot with supplies that I had bought last night from the AutoZone next door. I also learned AutoZone carries Mobil 1 20W-50 for motorcycles, and it's cheaper than Cycle Gear with my instructor discount, and I get Autozone points to boot. Doug headed off to Wal-Mart for something while I was changing the oil.

After the work was done we packed up and left town heading Las Vegas, all of this by 8:15am. Not too bad considering AutoZone didn't open until 8am for me to drop off my used oil. So we headed east on 160. As we got closer to Vegas we started running into more and more traffic, traffic lights and construction. Las Vegas is just exploding with new home construction, if there's a credit crunch it's hard to see around Vegas right now. Then we picked up I-15 heading up to Utah. The cross wind was a real bear as we headed north. With a short 30 mile ride across Arizona we were into Utah. We stopped for gas at a Flying J that felt 2 sizes too small for the number of people and cars trying to get gas. Once fueled up we continued up I-15 to Washington, UT where we took UT-9 toward the Zion National Park.

When we got to Springdale we saw several signs telling us that parking in the park was full and to park in Springdale. Not clear on what was going on we continued on into the park and went to the visitor center. There we cruised the parking lot for nearly 10 minutes until we found a spot. Then it was time to secure our stuff and head over to the park shuttle bus to check things out. The bus is the only way to see the park now since they had such a horrible traffic problem in the 1990's.

The bus is great. It takes you through the park with a little mini guided tour and lets you off at several points along the way. There's a bus coming along every 7 or 8 minutes so it's easy to get off, check out a stop, and catch the next bus to continue along the way. We rode up to the mouth of the canyon to see where it all starts. The last mile you have to walk along a concreate and stone path. At the mouth you see where the river enters  and everything north of that is just a little river from side to side of the canyon. Afterwards we caught the shuttle back to the visitor center for a little shopping and then got back on the bikes. There was still the eastern side of the park to drive through and then find a place to stay for the night.

So we headed out UT-9 east. At Mt. Carmel Junction we saw a "Fred Motel" which had a restaurant next door and another across the street. Since it had a sign for Internet we pulled in. The inn keeper was a little testy, and the signs around the office seemed to indicate less than friendly management. But the rate was fair and the room looked alright. Oh, and they had washer and dryers to do laundry. We headed next door to check out the restaurant which the inn keeper claimed to have a 100 item salad bar. The food was incredible and the scones... well you just to try them and be sure to use plenty of the honey butter that's served along with them. Think native american fried bread.

Today was a light riding day, we only covered 249 miles but it was through some beautiful parts of the US. Tomorrow we are heading through Bryce Canyon to stay in Hanksville. Then Wednesday should take us down to Alpine so I can hopefully hear the Elks buggling in the morning before we leave. From there we'll head south and I want to check out a little road in New Mexico that runs along the US border over to El Paso. We may be on the return leg of our trip but there's still some adventure to be had.

Day 9 - Too dam cold to ride

Last night was spent in Walker, California at a wonderful old fashioned roadside inn. This morning when we awoke it was 22 degrees on Doug's bike. A few last minute photos and we were ready to leave.

The plan was to get gas down the road, unfortunately when I checked the Garmin it said gas was 86 miles down the way in Bishop, Ca. So just 16 miles south of Walker we turned around and headed back hoping to find gas in Walker. We did at $4.50 per gallon. With full tanks of gas we started again. Oh, the first time through the mountain pass south of Walker Doug reported that his ambient temperature gauge quit reading below 14 degrees, so apparently mother Honda doesn't think motorcycles should be ridden below 14 degrees. It was cold! Thank goodness for electric gear and heated grips.

We stopped in Bridgeport, Ca for breakfast. There's a great little cafe in town that serves a fantastic breakfast. All their orders came with biscuits and gravy as a side instead of toast. Yum! The waitress was great and kept our coffee cups full. Considering how cold it was outside we downed a good bit of coffee while we were there.

It was 10am when we finished breakfast and got back on the road. Our destination was Death Valley so we continued down 395 toward, Lone Pine. For much of the way down we had snow on the ground all around us but the roads were clear and mostly dry. Once past Mono Lake, the snow was a distant memory.

In Lone Pine we stopped for fuel before heading toward Death Valley. Just a few miles before the stop I noticed a head light error and took time to diagnose the problem. I suspected the ballast for my low beam HID bulb had failed so I switched the low and high beam ballasts. in the process I pulled the connectors off the ballasts and had to recrimp them. With wiring swapped we headed out 190 into Death Valley. Switching the ballasts helped me to determine that it was actually the low beam bulb that had failed.

Once in Death Valley we stopped at the ranger station to get our permit with our annual pass. Then continured on to the museum to learn about the park. I did not know that there had been minimg for Borax in the past. After visiting the meusem we headed over to the gift shop and checked out the mining museum. Doug started looking at the map to figure out where we'd stay for the night while I worked on straightening out my headlight situation. I needed to put the good bulb in the low beam side and move the bad buld into the high beam reflector. With that done, we headed down to Bad Water to see the lowest point in the western hemisphere. It's very salty around there.

We decided to head back up to 190 and head east over to Pahrump, NV. As we were leaving Death Valley the sun was setting and the temperature was falling. We had about 40 miles to go in the dark to get to a hotel. Luckily the light fixes I made worked and I even had the high beam occasionally. With the addition of my driving lights I had plenty of light to look out for criters.

Just after 7pm local time we rolled into Pahrump, and filled up the tanks. Then found the Best Western and checked in. The rate here is pretty reasonable, especially a hot breakfast buffet is included with our stay.

Today we covered 400 miles, dealt with a head light problem, and got to see Death Valley. It was great day and maybe the last time I'll be riding in temps below 20 degrees on this trip. Of course we are talking about going up into Utah on the way back so chilli temps are still possible.

Tomorrow before we head out I'm going to perform my 600 mile service on the final drive. Lucky for me there was an Autozone next door to the motel. I couldn't have planned that better. Hopefully this will be the last bike maintenance thing I have to worry about for the remainder of the trip.

Day 8 - Yosemite and crossing the mountains

This morning we wanted to get an early start so the alarm was set to 5am. The plan was to get into the park before all the tourists got there. So by 6am we were outside starting our bikes. We topped off the gas tanks and started looking for a place to eat. The problem in Oakhurst is that they don't open for breakfast early. We found one cafe that was willing to let us in out of the cold and serve us coffee until they opened at 6:30. This sort of slowed us down but there weren't any other choices to meet our schedule.

It was 39 degrees when breakfast was over and we had at least an hour of riding to get down to the valley floor of the Yosemite National Park. When we reached the entrance gate there was a sign that said to pay on the way out. Since we had annual passes we weren't worried. While winding our way down to the valley floor, Doug came on the radio and informed me it was a chilli 21 degrees. Brrrr... Of course there was snow on the side of the road so I new it was cold. Thank goodness for my electric jacket and liner.

Once we got to the visitor center we started looking for the 2 hour shuttle tour so we could learn the most about the park in the limited amount of time we had. It was well worth the $25 each. Because the temperature was so low they brought out a large bus complete with heater and bathroom. Once everyone was onboard, our guide/driver introduced herself as Karen. She had been doing guided tours in the park for 17 years. She really knew her stuff. After showing us a lot about the park she got us back to the starting point right on time. We grabbed some food from the Village store and then prepared to leave.

Our first plan was to go over the Tioga pass, but it had been closed for a few days. So we took 120 out of the park and headed up to Sonora. But when we got up that way we discovered the Sonora pass was also closed. So we back tracked and took 49 north up to 88. Things got interresting when we got up to Mokelumne Hill. It had started snowing on us. Luckily the road wasn't yet covered in snow, it was just on the sides of the road and in the fields. But it was snowing pretty good and I didn't want to stay there too long in case Cal-Tran decided to close the road behind us.

Finally we made it to CA-89 and crossed over Monitor Pass. The snow had passed and the road was in good shape since it had been open since earlier in the day. After passing through the snow earlier it almost seemed anti-climatic making it over the pass. But we were still happy to see 395 and point the bikes south. Then it was time to find a place to sleep for the night.  When we got into Walker we found a nice old style roadside inn and a bbq joint across the street. We pulled in and got a room, then hurried across the road to eat dinner.  The inn keeper was from Dallas and the bbq joint owners were from the Humble area. It was a little Texas reunion.

After dinner we returned to our room and planned for tomorrow. Since we have to go by Mammoth Lake which is at 8,000 feet we are going to start a little later to make sure we don't get hung up with any road closures on the way to Death Valley. Today we managed 297 miles plus we spent the morning at the park. It was a great day.

Day 7 - Seeing the giant and getting on the road

We stayed in the Three Rivers area last night not far from the south entrance of the park. We figured we'd enjoy the free continental breakfast and then head into the park to finish seeing the things we wanted to see. Well, the milk was sour, the OJ tasted funny and my boiled egg wasn't completely boiled. So things were getting off to a rocky start.

After checking out of the room we headed into the park and started taking pictures and seeing sites. We saw a big 8 point buck while telling stories of our own past hunts. The timing couldn't have been better. We stopped by the museum and learned a lot about the forest. Then we headed up to Moro Rock. The climb up to the top was tough but worth while. As I went up the steps I kept taking pictures. The views were getting better and and better. When I finally reached the summit it was incredible. I could see much of the Generals Highway, it looked so small. The pollution made it difficult to see in the distance, but you could still see a lot. I highly recommend visiting the rock, the view is great!

After this we had seen everything we wanted to see and began heading out of the park via the north entrance. It took another hour to actually get out of the park due to the speeds and the curves. Then it was only 49 miles to Fresno.

We got to BMW of Fresno by 2pm, settled up with Steve and got the bikes out and loaded things from the car. Then we took the car back to Hertz. With the car dropped off, Doug gave me a ride back to the shop to pick up my bike. We pulled out the map and figured out how we were going to leave the area and get up to Yosemite Park. The route was pretty simple, we'd head back over to 41 and go north.

By 3pm we were on 41 heading north and there was already traffic. It seems the rubbernecking was due in part to a CHP officer giving a ticket to 2 cars. I guess that's something for the locals to look at. Once we passed it though traffic started flowing better and the farther we got from Fresno the better the traffic got. We were heading to Oakhurst for the evening because it looked like the town had a number of motel choices.

Upon arrival to Oakhurst, Ca. we found the Oakhurst Lodge and got a room. After talking to the people running it, Doug discovered it had just changed ownership 5 months ago and was now being run by a family. The daughter had checked us in and the son was resolving an internet connectivity issue. While Doug was learning about the motel's operations I headed up to the park to get a map so we could more efficiently plan tomorrow's trip since we weren't staying in the area tomorrow night. It was 16 miles each way from Oakhurst. Going up was fun as traffic was light and curteous and moved out of the way if they were going slow. On the way back however, no one wanted to pull over and it was very congested. Nothing like the smell of over heating brake pads.

Today we only traveled about 60 miles on the bikes. But the important thing is that we are back on the bikes. Steve and his staff did a great job of getting me back on the road quickly. BMW of Fresno is definitely on my recommended dealer list for people needing help. No one there offered to chaufer me anywhere, give me a loaner bike or even feed me. But they did focus on doing everything they could to get me on the road quickly and that's greatly appreciated. Besides, I was travelling with Doug so they probably figured we had a way of getting around and we did. 2up riding sure beats walking any day! If I had been alone they might have helped get me around a little more.

The bike now has a newer version of the Final Drive with a drain plug which does require me to drop the FD to drain. This will be helpful when I have to change the FD oil on the way home. Steve also found 2 other issues that needed attention. First there was the brake rotor. It's worn below the minimum 4.5mm thickness by 0.1mm. He suggested the problem may be due to using the wrong kind of brake pads with the stock rotor. I'll have to check out which pads I ordered when I replaced them last. If I ordered semi-metallic pad then I was the idiot who screwed up the rear rotor. The other thing the tech found was that in my attempt to perform a canestorectomy I had left the left throttle body vacuum unplugged so there was a vacuum leak. They just capped the vacuum line. I must say the bike idles much better now. I'll be interested to see if it improves gas mileage on the way home.

Tomorrow we are heading up into Yosemite Park and then over to Long Pine for the evening. Then we should be able to ride through Death Valley on Sunday and see Zion Park on Monday. That's the current plan anyway.

Day 6 - Pt 2, Seeing the Sequoia Park

So with the rental car loaded and things squared away with the bike we headed over to the park via 180. This would bring us in on the north side of the park. Entry was not a problem since we had year long passes. We decided we'd start at one end of the neighbouring Kings Canyon Park and work our way across through the Sequoia Park. You need to look on a map to understand this but basically you have 2 national parks plus a national monument all linked to each other and surrounded by the Sequoia National Forest to boot.

The first stop was the General Grant Grove to see some big Sequoias. Those trees are so large. The grove has many large trees named after states. Some of the names have been lost over time due to poor record keeping in the 1800's. The General Grant was the largest tree in the grove and it was amazing to see some of the limbs. If one of them were to fall on you well.... they'd eventually dig your body out.

Next stop was the Panoramic Point. This site requires a 300 yard uphill walk to reach the look out point. It was well worth the hike up. I was able to see well across the Sierra Nevadas. It was so beautiful and peaceful up there. There was a fire lookout tower just 2.5 miles up the way but I didn't feel like hiking all the way there since we had so much more to see.

Once back down the hill it was time for the next 2 sites, Redwood Mountain Outlook and Kings Canyon Overlook. Both of these were merely pull outs along the road. At the Kings Canyon Overlook it occured to both of us, if they would just trim some trees we could see things better. Just think about that for a second, it's really funny.

We continued on to see the General Sherman, this is the biggest Sequoia tree bar none. To see the tree you have to hike downhill about 1/2 a mile. And then hike back uphill when done. We got down about 3/4 of the way where we felt like we had a great view, snapped some photos and then started the walk back up. By now the sun was starting to set and we were running out of day light.

Our travels continued south on the General Highway through the Giant Forrest and we found a great look out for a sunset photo. I'm hoping it looks as good on the computer as it did in my camera's view finder. As we continued down we got into the super twisty section where vehicles over 22 feet long were recommended to avoid. And for good reason. The sun sat and we were still on the mountain pass. I took it slow and steady and we finally reached the bottom of the park on the south side. Along the way we noted several places we want to check out tomorrow.

I have a new appreciation for seeing these parks in a car versus the bike. It may seem like heresy but it really makes sense, you don't have to worry about taking your gear on and off and there's the extra protection of cage against wild animals and crazy tourists. It definitely helped today as we traveled the last 10 miles of the mountain pass in the dark. Just try it some time, just make sure you get a good deal on the rental car.

Tomorrow we've got a few more parts of the park to see and then it's back to the BMW shop for the bike. We will probably go see part of the Yosemite park on our way  out of California. Then it's on to Zion and Bryce parks. Hopefully the second half of the trip will be as fun without the BMW shop excitement.