Thursday, July 7
Up but not quite as early as we have been when traveling. Went down to breakfast then over to the meeting place to wait for the bus that would take us on our drive-by tour of San Francisco.
Once boarded we were heading to the Dudley Perkins Harley shop to pick up our tour guide as she lives close by there.
We had what they call a "drive by" tour, driving all over the place but only getting off a few times for photos. I do believe we were in places most people never get to unless they live here. Our guide was born in San Francisco, and lived most of her life here.
There were colorful murals painted on the walls of buildings and she (can't remember her name) said that gangs usually left those buildings alone and recognized other graffiti artist's work. Maybe a kind of consideration? I don't know, but thought it interesting. Some of the murals were so beautiful and while it was difficult to get photos of them in a bus, I took a few that give a flavor of what you might see. There were all kinds, including religious for various parts of the city and their cultures, animals, and flowers. They are all beautiful and interesting to see.
We got to walk down what's known as the Crooked Street. It's a little street with switchbacks because when there were horse and carriages it was easier for them to go up and down if they did it at an angle. I'd guess kind of like skiiing and traversing the hill rather than just heading straight down. The street is planted with bushes and flowers that are all maintained by those who live in the neighborhood and is quite a sight.
The Golden Gate and Bay bridges were part of the tour, and we had lunch down on Pier 39. Birdie and I just grabbed lunch on the go so we could do a little power shopping and see the seals at the end of the pier. Even stopped by Bubba Gump's, from the movie "Forest Gump" with Tom Hanks. It's one of my favorites and would have liked to eat there, but time did not allow.
We hit Treasure Island, drove by the Presidio and saw so much I can't even remember it all. But I do have photo back up of a lot of it.
Many of the homes are built to a code of 1 inch apart, to allow water to drain through. You can see that some truly are like that, but many more do not have any space at all. Lots of them are colorful and there are Victorian-style ones with bay windows to allow more sunlight in and to give the feeling of spaciousness to the home. Space is at a premium and San Francisco is not a truly big town. It's a small piece of many others, and actually only has about 800-850,000 people. It just seems so large because they all connect.
The bus let us off at Dudley Perkins Harley shop. It's a new one or at least newer than when Jaz and I were down here and rented the bikes for a week. Then we had to ride them up from underground from the shop which is where the service area was. It was located downtown on a bunch of one-way streets that made it difficult to get to it. And we didn't have a GPS back then to help us out. GPSs are very helpful in big cities and worth their weight in gold.
Some of the ladies on the bus were grumping because they don't own Harleys and thought it a waste of time to stop for a half hour or so at the shop, but they had goody bags for us and coffee and cookies. Plus, of course, the opportunity to get a shirt and some poker chips!!! lol I love it, of course, since I never met a shop I didn't want to buy a shirt at on my travels. That's all I intend to wear for the rest of my life ... and I've got a lot of them to wear ...
Got back to the mansion and had a little time to get ready to go to the banquet. It's always nice, and you get to say good by to your new friends and old before they hit the road the next day. It's also the time for the awards to the ride in committee, longest distance riders, oldest, and so on. We were so sure Birdie would get the award for the longest distance ridden to get to the rally. Alas, it was not to be. A lady rode from Novia Scotia, Canada and beat her out by 400 miles or so. Guess she'll have to go again, maybe to next year's South Carolina event.
Said our goodbyes to everyone and headed for the barn as Birdie was leaving early to get to Boise to join Daisy Corn for the Idaho State HOG rally. Me? I would be left behind to see about my bike.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Wednesday, July 6
It's great to be somewhere for a few days. No nesting going on, no packing, no loading of the bikes.
We got up and over to registration by 7 and then went to eat breakfast. We both tried the eggs Benedict. Not bad. But not the best I've ever had. But sometimes ya just gotta try it.
Got geared up to go on the long ride, 137 miles – from the mountains to the ocean. It was a great ride, lots of twisties and back roads, some that were basically one-lane trails. We even passed Alice's Restaurant, which is an old Arlo Guthrie song. Stef (Jaz) and I did a bunch of these roads back when she and I rented Harley's and rode around for a week. Jaz and I went in Alice's, but don't remember if we ate, drank or just looked around.
A lone hawk or something was hovering overhead as we did the slow, twisted ride, possibly waiting for something to happen and we'd become his road kill? Foiled again.
Had lunch in Davenport, and then rode a few more back roads back to the rally site at the Hayes Mansion. The mansion is gorgeous, manicured lawns, blooming flowers, bathrobes and slippers in the rooms, fancy soap. Very lovely place.
Tonight there was a barbecue at a park, and four cops and their bikes stopped by. Two Harley's, and two of something else that I can't remember. But still very cool. We got to visit with them, and of course, I had to have a photo.
Back at the hotel Birdie went to the pool. I'm tired and wanted to drink water and play on the computer. Maybe tonight I'll get a good night's sleep since we don't have to be anywhere until 8:30 a.m. We're going on a San Francisco tour, on a bus. So our first day off the bikes. A good thing since you need a break now and again.
My bike just didn't sound right today, though. Need to make some decisions.
So, I believe I'm all in for the night.
It's great to be somewhere for a few days. No nesting going on, no packing, no loading of the bikes.
We got up and over to registration by 7 and then went to eat breakfast. We both tried the eggs Benedict. Not bad. But not the best I've ever had. But sometimes ya just gotta try it.
Got geared up to go on the long ride, 137 miles – from the mountains to the ocean. It was a great ride, lots of twisties and back roads, some that were basically one-lane trails. We even passed Alice's Restaurant, which is an old Arlo Guthrie song. Stef (Jaz) and I did a bunch of these roads back when she and I rented Harley's and rode around for a week. Jaz and I went in Alice's, but don't remember if we ate, drank or just looked around.
A lone hawk or something was hovering overhead as we did the slow, twisted ride, possibly waiting for something to happen and we'd become his road kill? Foiled again.
Had lunch in Davenport, and then rode a few more back roads back to the rally site at the Hayes Mansion. The mansion is gorgeous, manicured lawns, blooming flowers, bathrobes and slippers in the rooms, fancy soap. Very lovely place.
Tonight there was a barbecue at a park, and four cops and their bikes stopped by. Two Harley's, and two of something else that I can't remember. But still very cool. We got to visit with them, and of course, I had to have a photo.
Back at the hotel Birdie went to the pool. I'm tired and wanted to drink water and play on the computer. Maybe tonight I'll get a good night's sleep since we don't have to be anywhere until 8:30 a.m. We're going on a San Francisco tour, on a bus. So our first day off the bikes. A good thing since you need a break now and again.
My bike just didn't sound right today, though. Need to make some decisions.
So, I believe I'm all in for the night.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 5
I know that my photos don't match but I wanted to get some in so it wasn't quite so gray.
Starbucks coffee on my coffee card from the Pieps. Thank you, Pieps. Tasted great. Then we walked back to the motel for a continental breakfast, and got to the shop before 8 a.m. First in line for service. Sitting waiting for our services and tires. Glad they could help us. We're only a couple hundred miles from San Jose. We can do that before breakfast most days, as long as I have my coffee anyway.
Found a hat with a cop shop badge on it. Gotta have it to ride the cop bike ...
I also thought of a new idea for the HOG Christmas party for a fund-raiser. More on that later. I sure wouldn't want to give it away, and I need to run it by the officer group first. It's what I do while sitting on that bike for mile-after-mile-after-mile.
We've talked to some great folks here at the shop, people getting service, people that work here. It's always interesting to meet new people with different perspectives on riding, new riders, riders that are first-time Harley owners.
There's an old green bike on display at the Bakersfield shop, and the owner, Vince, is 93 years old. His birthday was July 4. They had a huge celebration for him. Would have been nice to meet him, but at least we've seen his bike. It's a 1941 high-compression flathead, spray painted from a can, a rich Kelly green is my take on the color. He rode it to California in the early 40s from Indiana. Roads weren't so good back then. No interstates, and probably a lot of dirt. The shop has framed the original $400 sales receipt for the bike ... back then that was a year's wages.
Another cool thing that happened at Vince's party was that Whitey Thomas ????????) from the Glen Miller Band, most of you may not remember that, was there. He is also a pretty fair age, but he played the horn ... wish I could have been there. The Glen Miller Band was music maybe a little before my time even, but an era of music that I still love. Chattanooga Choo Choo ... pardon me, boys, is this the Chattanooga Choo Choo, track 29, and so on. Great stuff. Must have been one hopping kind of party.
While we were waiting Birdie and I decided to go to lunch since there were a few ples within walking distance. We passed up a McDonald's since we could see a Denny's in the near distance. I don't usually like them, but it was still better than McDonald's. So Denny's was the place of the default choice. I had a cranberry, apple, chicken, glazed pecan salad that was actually pretty good. While we were waiting we looking at the multiple menus and there was one item called a nutrition menu. I started looking through it to see what the calorie counts were for some of the things we were eating. I decided that if you have to ask how many calories are in something, you shouldn't be eating it. Eat on. Everything in excess continues to be my motto.
As we were eating my phone rang. It was Harvey checking to see where we were because Spot had not tracked us anywhere. We told him we were doing maintenance, tires and other sundries ... brake pads, neck bearings or something, heated grip issues. Today was the best day to do to them since the rally was just registration, opening ceremonies and a meet and greet that we may get there in time for. I called and told them we'd be a late registration, and we just decided we'd chill today. We're about 200 miles from the rally site, maybe a little less after talking with some folks who have come through the shop today.
It appears we will run the 99 to 46 to the 101 and then cross over into San Jose. It should be a little cooler. It's over a hundred out there now and it's only about 2 p.m. Hot!!!
We finally got out of the shop a little before 5. They appeared to be very thorough and the front end is not clunking anymore.
As we were riding, it reminded me of the Facebook Farmville game. On the left side of the road there were trees in bloom, colors of dark rose, pink and white. They were all lined up, just like I used to line them up when playing the game. They were beautiful.
We came upon a mile or so of the little oil rigs, the ones that look like birds pecking the ground for worms. To the right they were as far as the eye could see. To the left, they weren't as deep, but they were dense. It was like a little community of birds pecking ... up ... down ... up ... down. They look like happy things.
Rode hard, gas and go, gas and go. We finally arrived in San Jose, after the sun had gone down, four or five lanes of traffic, and people all over. I just follow the tail lights. I was starting to wonder where we were when we were riding through a residential area. But I thought, Edith had not yet steered us wrong. (Edith is the name I've given Birdie's GPS.) And that was so, as we came upon this long driveway with a beautiful white stucco (I think) facade. Then I realized, this was the real mccoy ... a California mansion. It's Hayes Mansion. We parked on what may have been a sidewak, went inside and got registered.
Our room is located very near the festivities area. As we rode around looking for it, I asked a lady what the number was up above her head. Turns out it was Mickey from Texas. She was very sick last year, and looks super this year. I also saw a few other Texas folks that I tried real hard to offend a few years ago. Didn't work. They just seem to like me for it. I'll try harder next time. So good to see all of them. Found Ruth and Sylvia from Kansas, too. Got all my peeps in a row.
So, tired, but don't know if I can sleep. The room ... all I can say is WOW!!!!!
Wednesday, July 6
It's great to be somewhere for a few days. No nesting going on, no packing, no loading of the bikes.
We got up and over to registration by 7 and then went to eat breakfast. We both tried the eggs Benedict. Not bad. But not the best I've ever had. But sometimes ya just gotta try it.
Got geared up to go on the long ride, 137 miles – from the mountains to the ocean. It was a great ride, lots of twisties and back roads, some that were basically one-lane trails. We even passed Alice's Restaurant, which is an old Arlo Guthrie song. Stef (Jaz) and I did a bunch of these roads back when she and I rented Harley's and rode around for a week. Jaz and I went in Alice's, but don't remember if we ate, drank or just looked around.
A lone hawk or something was hovering overhead as we did the slow, twisted ride, possibly waiting for something to happen and we'd become his road kill? Foiled again.
Had lunch in Davenport, and then rode a few more back roads back to the rally site at the Hayes Mansion. The mansion is gorgeous, manicured lawns, blooming flowers, bathrobes and slippers in the rooms, fancy soap. Very lovely place.
Tonight there was a barbecue at a park, and four cops and their bikes stopped by. Two Harley's, and two of something else that I can't remember. But still very cool. We got to visit with them, and of course, I had to have a photo.
Back at the hotel Birdie went to the pool. I'm tired and wanted to drink water and play on the computer. Maybe tonight I'll get a good night's sleep since we don't have to be anywhere until 8:30 a.m. We're going on a San Francisco tour, on a bus. So our first day off the bikes. A good thing since you need a break now and again.
So, I believe I'm all in for the night.
I know that my photos don't match but I wanted to get some in so it wasn't quite so gray.
 |
| Hoover Dam July 4. It was great. Cool and not too many people. Rather than ride across the new bridge, we elected to walk over and back. We got to take a lot of photos that way and actually see something. |
Starbucks coffee on my coffee card from the Pieps. Thank you, Pieps. Tasted great. Then we walked back to the motel for a continental breakfast, and got to the shop before 8 a.m. First in line for service. Sitting waiting for our services and tires. Glad they could help us. We're only a couple hundred miles from San Jose. We can do that before breakfast most days, as long as I have my coffee anyway.
Found a hat with a cop shop badge on it. Gotta have it to ride the cop bike ...
I also thought of a new idea for the HOG Christmas party for a fund-raiser. More on that later. I sure wouldn't want to give it away, and I need to run it by the officer group first. It's what I do while sitting on that bike for mile-after-mile-after-mile.
We've talked to some great folks here at the shop, people getting service, people that work here. It's always interesting to meet new people with different perspectives on riding, new riders, riders that are first-time Harley owners.
There's an old green bike on display at the Bakersfield shop, and the owner, Vince, is 93 years old. His birthday was July 4. They had a huge celebration for him. Would have been nice to meet him, but at least we've seen his bike. It's a 1941 high-compression flathead, spray painted from a can, a rich Kelly green is my take on the color. He rode it to California in the early 40s from Indiana. Roads weren't so good back then. No interstates, and probably a lot of dirt. The shop has framed the original $400 sales receipt for the bike ... back then that was a year's wages.
Another cool thing that happened at Vince's party was that Whitey Thomas ????????) from the Glen Miller Band, most of you may not remember that, was there. He is also a pretty fair age, but he played the horn ... wish I could have been there. The Glen Miller Band was music maybe a little before my time even, but an era of music that I still love. Chattanooga Choo Choo ... pardon me, boys, is this the Chattanooga Choo Choo, track 29, and so on. Great stuff. Must have been one hopping kind of party.
 |
| I cannot help myself. I have to take photos of wind farms. This one had a variety of turbines, and they were so close together you'd have thought they could touch each other. There were hundreds of them it looked like. |
While we were waiting Birdie and I decided to go to lunch since there were a few ples within walking distance. We passed up a McDonald's since we could see a Denny's in the near distance. I don't usually like them, but it was still better than McDonald's. So Denny's was the place of the default choice. I had a cranberry, apple, chicken, glazed pecan salad that was actually pretty good. While we were waiting we looking at the multiple menus and there was one item called a nutrition menu. I started looking through it to see what the calorie counts were for some of the things we were eating. I decided that if you have to ask how many calories are in something, you shouldn't be eating it. Eat on. Everything in excess continues to be my motto.
As we were eating my phone rang. It was Harvey checking to see where we were because Spot had not tracked us anywhere. We told him we were doing maintenance, tires and other sundries ... brake pads, neck bearings or something, heated grip issues. Today was the best day to do to them since the rally was just registration, opening ceremonies and a meet and greet that we may get there in time for. I called and told them we'd be a late registration, and we just decided we'd chill today. We're about 200 miles from the rally site, maybe a little less after talking with some folks who have come through the shop today.
It appears we will run the 99 to 46 to the 101 and then cross over into San Jose. It should be a little cooler. It's over a hundred out there now and it's only about 2 p.m. Hot!!!
We finally got out of the shop a little before 5. They appeared to be very thorough and the front end is not clunking anymore.
As we were riding, it reminded me of the Facebook Farmville game. On the left side of the road there were trees in bloom, colors of dark rose, pink and white. They were all lined up, just like I used to line them up when playing the game. They were beautiful.
We came upon a mile or so of the little oil rigs, the ones that look like birds pecking the ground for worms. To the right they were as far as the eye could see. To the left, they weren't as deep, but they were dense. It was like a little community of birds pecking ... up ... down ... up ... down. They look like happy things.
Rode hard, gas and go, gas and go. We finally arrived in San Jose, after the sun had gone down, four or five lanes of traffic, and people all over. I just follow the tail lights. I was starting to wonder where we were when we were riding through a residential area. But I thought, Edith had not yet steered us wrong. (Edith is the name I've given Birdie's GPS.) And that was so, as we came upon this long driveway with a beautiful white stucco (I think) facade. Then I realized, this was the real mccoy ... a California mansion. It's Hayes Mansion. We parked on what may have been a sidewak, went inside and got registered.
Our room is located very near the festivities area. As we rode around looking for it, I asked a lady what the number was up above her head. Turns out it was Mickey from Texas. She was very sick last year, and looks super this year. I also saw a few other Texas folks that I tried real hard to offend a few years ago. Didn't work. They just seem to like me for it. I'll try harder next time. So good to see all of them. Found Ruth and Sylvia from Kansas, too. Got all my peeps in a row.
So, tired, but don't know if I can sleep. The room ... all I can say is WOW!!!!!
Wednesday, July 6
It's great to be somewhere for a few days. No nesting going on, no packing, no loading of the bikes.
We got up and over to registration by 7 and then went to eat breakfast. We both tried the eggs Benedict. Not bad. But not the best I've ever had. But sometimes ya just gotta try it.
Got geared up to go on the long ride, 137 miles – from the mountains to the ocean. It was a great ride, lots of twisties and back roads, some that were basically one-lane trails. We even passed Alice's Restaurant, which is an old Arlo Guthrie song. Stef (Jaz) and I did a bunch of these roads back when she and I rented Harley's and rode around for a week. Jaz and I went in Alice's, but don't remember if we ate, drank or just looked around.
 |
| The ocean in this part of the country is beautiful. Would have liked to spend more time wandering around and putting my toes in it, and walking in the sand. But we needed to get on the road again and get to our lunch place. |
A lone hawk or something was hovering overhead as we did the slow, twisted ride, possibly waiting for something to happen and we'd become his road kill? Foiled again.
Had lunch in Davenport, and then rode a few more back roads back to the rally site at the Hayes Mansion. The mansion is gorgeous, manicured lawns, blooming flowers, bathrobes and slippers in the rooms, fancy soap. Very lovely place.
 |
| Beautiful rooms and the accommodations make you feel really pampered. |
Tonight there was a barbecue at a park, and four cops and their bikes stopped by. Two Harley's, and two of something else that I can't remember. But still very cool. We got to visit with them, and of course, I had to have a photo.
 |
| Was nice of the cops to talk with us and let us take photos. |
Back at the hotel Birdie went to the pool. I'm tired and wanted to drink water and play on the computer. Maybe tonight I'll get a good night's sleep since we don't have to be anywhere until 8:30 a.m. We're going on a San Francisco tour, on a bus. So our first day off the bikes. A good thing since you need a break now and again.
So, I believe I'm all in for the night.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Monday, July 4
Washed clothes last night. Birdie washed her Ipad. Didn't do it much good, and it still doesn't work this morning.
The bikes were covered with dust and little spots where the rain had hit them. So much for them being washed the day before.
We'd gotten up early so we could visit Hoover Dam before it got too hot. We ended up going through Boulder City, and people were all sitting out in their chairs, waiting for their parade to start. We felt like we should be waving. They were sure eyeing us as we rode by. A little mini-parade of two.
We parked the bikes at the dam to the tune of $7 each, no breaks for motorcycles or old people. That reminds me, when going in to Bryce the other day I told the park ranger I was a senior. I got in for $10 plus it's a lifetime pass for all the national parks. I just have to show my card with my driver's license. Who knew? And here I'd been going to these parks and could have been in for free using my pass. Don't forget ... 62 and you're in for $10.
We had been going to ride across the dam, but instead choose to walk it. That was actually a lot more fun than the ride because you can stop wherever you want and take photos. It was great. Not too many people and not too hot. We had some cloud cover again, so that has really helped heat-wise.
We hopped on I-15 and hit Baker, California, which is located at the start of where we entered the Mojave Desert. It had been cooler earlier up at the higher elevation, but now the heat just hit you in the face like opening an oven door. We had on our neck snakes which help some and I have a hydration vest which is a necessity since I've had multiple issues with heat in the past few years, with each succeeding bout worse than the last. The vest may not keep you totally cool, but it sure helps keep the core at a more manageable temperature when riding in this stuff. Barstow was 95 degrees; Bakersfield 103. Sure seemed hotter as we were crossing the desert.
From there it was on to Bakersfield as we both would like to get service. They open at 8 a.m. so we want to be there then.
We were riding along and you could see a whole line of rain showers along with some lightning. It looked like we'd sneak through an opening, but that was not to happen. We hit a few drops and as we did we rode under an overpass. When we came out the other side, the skies opened and just let us have it. The wind was blowing and it was ugly. There was no other overpass in sight, so we had to push on. We put on our hazard lights and slowed way down. Traffic was very courteous and eventually we passed through the weather. We then skirted it for the rest of the day.
It appears we were pretty close to where my former co-workers and friends Jim and Cheryl live in Tehachapi, but a highway away. For us, that's as good as a hundred miles sometimes as we had to keep moving.
We did see a huge wind generation farm. There were all sizes of turbines, and from the distance it appeared they were only a few feet apart. They were were dense in population. Love those things.
Found the shop, got a place to stay and a place to eat. It doesn't get much better. The Internet is slow, so can't get my photos uploaded. Just words and gray space.
Good night, all.
Washed clothes last night. Birdie washed her Ipad. Didn't do it much good, and it still doesn't work this morning.
The bikes were covered with dust and little spots where the rain had hit them. So much for them being washed the day before.
We'd gotten up early so we could visit Hoover Dam before it got too hot. We ended up going through Boulder City, and people were all sitting out in their chairs, waiting for their parade to start. We felt like we should be waving. They were sure eyeing us as we rode by. A little mini-parade of two.
We parked the bikes at the dam to the tune of $7 each, no breaks for motorcycles or old people. That reminds me, when going in to Bryce the other day I told the park ranger I was a senior. I got in for $10 plus it's a lifetime pass for all the national parks. I just have to show my card with my driver's license. Who knew? And here I'd been going to these parks and could have been in for free using my pass. Don't forget ... 62 and you're in for $10.
We had been going to ride across the dam, but instead choose to walk it. That was actually a lot more fun than the ride because you can stop wherever you want and take photos. It was great. Not too many people and not too hot. We had some cloud cover again, so that has really helped heat-wise.
We hopped on I-15 and hit Baker, California, which is located at the start of where we entered the Mojave Desert. It had been cooler earlier up at the higher elevation, but now the heat just hit you in the face like opening an oven door. We had on our neck snakes which help some and I have a hydration vest which is a necessity since I've had multiple issues with heat in the past few years, with each succeeding bout worse than the last. The vest may not keep you totally cool, but it sure helps keep the core at a more manageable temperature when riding in this stuff. Barstow was 95 degrees; Bakersfield 103. Sure seemed hotter as we were crossing the desert.
From there it was on to Bakersfield as we both would like to get service. They open at 8 a.m. so we want to be there then.
We were riding along and you could see a whole line of rain showers along with some lightning. It looked like we'd sneak through an opening, but that was not to happen. We hit a few drops and as we did we rode under an overpass. When we came out the other side, the skies opened and just let us have it. The wind was blowing and it was ugly. There was no other overpass in sight, so we had to push on. We put on our hazard lights and slowed way down. Traffic was very courteous and eventually we passed through the weather. We then skirted it for the rest of the day.
It appears we were pretty close to where my former co-workers and friends Jim and Cheryl live in Tehachapi, but a highway away. For us, that's as good as a hundred miles sometimes as we had to keep moving.
We did see a huge wind generation farm. There were all sizes of turbines, and from the distance it appeared they were only a few feet apart. They were were dense in population. Love those things.
Found the shop, got a place to stay and a place to eat. It doesn't get much better. The Internet is slow, so can't get my photos uploaded. Just words and gray space.
Good night, all.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Sunday, July 3
I keep forgetting to mention that Birdie and I were hoping to go to PAWS near Sacramento to see Maggie, the elephant. In looking at the website there were no visiting hours, so I called. It's not open to the public, so unless you go on the elephant tours they do once or twice a year, or see her through their webcam, you won't be seeing Maggie. In my mind that SUCKS big time.
We got on the road fairly early, and it was cold. I always forget that when it feels just right standing still, that it will NOT feel right at 70 or 75 mph. It was not feeling right. But I'm rather stubborn, so would not say I'd like to stop. I figure that if I am so cold, it will take a long time to warm up later once we hit the really warm temperatures.
Bryce Canyon was everything it has ever been ... beautiful, with rock formations that defy the imagination. It's hard to believe rocks can look like a fairy land, or a castle, or a tunnel. They do that and so much more. We stopped at nearly all the viewpoints, and I walked up to one of the upper viewpoints to take more photos. Film is very cheap with a digital camera.
We left Bryce and headed south, toward Las Vegas. At one point the temperature was so hot we decided to stop at a Dairy Queen, in memory of the one in Soldotna that burned. We were in there for probably more than an hour getting our body temperatures back down.
As we got closer to Mesquite, Nevada, it seemed as though there was a smog over the entire land. Luckily for us it also shielded us somewhat from the sun. While it was still hotter than the bowels of hell, at least we weren't getting the direct rays.
Vegas was also covered with what appeared to be smog. Then from the distance we saw lightning, and that is never a good sign. The closer we got the darker the cover was, so we started looking for a hotel ... thank you, Tom Bodet, for keeping the light on for us. We got a Motel 6 room, had just gotten in and the skies unloaded.
There was thunder, huge lightning strikes and rain coming down in sheets. We quickly offloaded the bike as the wind was blowing everything sideways across the parking lot and everywhere else. Outside the room door, water was rushing across the parking lot. Looking at it rise so quickly, I thought it would come in the room door. It was only a few inches away. Then it slowed, and we took off across the street to the Boulder Station Casino for food and game.
Mexican food is always in style and this was pretty good. What was great was a salsa bar, so we tried a few different ones, including an avocado salsa which was okay, and a pineapple salsa that was quite good.
Then it was game time. I immediately went and lost money on slot machines. Birdie had gone to the roulette wheel. I found her and decided to also try my hand at it. Came out $12 ahead. Woo hoo ... big winner.
Back to the room as we want to get on the road early and head over toward Bakersfield to see if we can get some service on Tuesday morning before heading to the Women on Wheels rally in San Jose.
All for now, my friends.
I keep forgetting to mention that Birdie and I were hoping to go to PAWS near Sacramento to see Maggie, the elephant. In looking at the website there were no visiting hours, so I called. It's not open to the public, so unless you go on the elephant tours they do once or twice a year, or see her through their webcam, you won't be seeing Maggie. In my mind that SUCKS big time.
We got on the road fairly early, and it was cold. I always forget that when it feels just right standing still, that it will NOT feel right at 70 or 75 mph. It was not feeling right. But I'm rather stubborn, so would not say I'd like to stop. I figure that if I am so cold, it will take a long time to warm up later once we hit the really warm temperatures.
Bryce Canyon was everything it has ever been ... beautiful, with rock formations that defy the imagination. It's hard to believe rocks can look like a fairy land, or a castle, or a tunnel. They do that and so much more. We stopped at nearly all the viewpoints, and I walked up to one of the upper viewpoints to take more photos. Film is very cheap with a digital camera.
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| Birdie and me at Bryce Canyon July 3, 2011 |
We left Bryce and headed south, toward Las Vegas. At one point the temperature was so hot we decided to stop at a Dairy Queen, in memory of the one in Soldotna that burned. We were in there for probably more than an hour getting our body temperatures back down.
As we got closer to Mesquite, Nevada, it seemed as though there was a smog over the entire land. Luckily for us it also shielded us somewhat from the sun. While it was still hotter than the bowels of hell, at least we weren't getting the direct rays.
Vegas was also covered with what appeared to be smog. Then from the distance we saw lightning, and that is never a good sign. The closer we got the darker the cover was, so we started looking for a hotel ... thank you, Tom Bodet, for keeping the light on for us. We got a Motel 6 room, had just gotten in and the skies unloaded.
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| This is the rain pounding down, and creating rivers. According to the news, this was the first monsoon of the season, July 3, 2011. Sure glad we were there to participate in it ... NOT!!! Glad we got inside before the main event. |
There was thunder, huge lightning strikes and rain coming down in sheets. We quickly offloaded the bike as the wind was blowing everything sideways across the parking lot and everywhere else. Outside the room door, water was rushing across the parking lot. Looking at it rise so quickly, I thought it would come in the room door. It was only a few inches away. Then it slowed, and we took off across the street to the Boulder Station Casino for food and game.
Mexican food is always in style and this was pretty good. What was great was a salsa bar, so we tried a few different ones, including an avocado salsa which was okay, and a pineapple salsa that was quite good.
Then it was game time. I immediately went and lost money on slot machines. Birdie had gone to the roulette wheel. I found her and decided to also try my hand at it. Came out $12 ahead. Woo hoo ... big winner.
Back to the room as we want to get on the road early and head over toward Bakersfield to see if we can get some service on Tuesday morning before heading to the Women on Wheels rally in San Jose.
All for now, my friends.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Saturday, July 2
The first order of business today was to get the bikes loaded and ready to be on the road by 7:30 as we were trying to get to the Harley shop in Rock Springs by the time it opened at 9 a.m. I was hoping they'd be able to fix the gas leak.
Once that was done we ate the homecooked breakfast of egg cups in Canadian bacon, fresh-squeezed orange juice, fruit, yogurt, breads. YUM!!! We also met up with our new friends from Wisconsin that we'd dined with the evening before.
After breakfast I went behind the place and took photos of the creek or river, which no matter what it was, was very high. They had some sand bags at the curve of the creek to help keep the water from over flowing. It was still not at the crest of the bank, but close, and more water was expected.
We left Pinedale and booked to Rock Springs to the Flaming Gorge shop where they told me they didn't have the gasket. They didn't really want to pull it apart only to find when they had to use the old gasket to put it back together that it wouldn't seal and the leak would be way worse than before. I agreed. So we waited ... and waited ... and waited to try to get a part number so we could call around to find it somewhere so I could get it fixed. FINALLY!!!! The good part ... they were very nice, and they had three dogs, Josh, Turk and Collie. Josh and Turk are pound puppies. Collie is a bulldog, and she knows she's very cute.
I called Sandy City, Utah, and they had the part. Okay, heading to Sandy City at about 10:30 a.m.
We saw probably a couple hundred deer, singly and in herds. A few were near the road, but most were out in pastures with periwinkle-colored flowers all along the road. The setting was absolutely gorgeous. The land is amazingly green, from all the rain and snow melt. There were still a ton of snow up in Yellowstone when we came through that yesterday, and so I don't know if that entirely melts or not.
As we were riding there was a little prairie dog in the middle of the road eating something. When Birdie rode by him, he got up on his haunches and looked around as though to say, "Whoa, I didn't see that coming." He just had the most surprised look on his face. I laughed out loud.
As we came out of the elevation, it started to heat up and I was still wearing polar fleece. Oh, HOT, HOT, HOT!! But got to the shop and got out of all of that while they worked on the bike.
Five and six lanes of traffic is nothing more than combat riding. At least it was Saturday, but there was still a lot of traffic. Birdie got us through ... in Salt Lake City and out the other end, to the shop in Sandy.
It appears that the gas leak is fixed. AND they even washed both of our bikes. They were excellent folks and it's a very nice store. Not as large as the one in Rock Springs, but nice.
We decided to head on toward Bryce Canyon and go there in the morning when it's hopefully cooler. We're spending the night in Richfield, Utah. Ate at a little cafe, and the food was good. Love little off-the-wall cafes, and motels. But alas, we're not in one of those little motels tonight. This one is a bit larger, a Budget or something.
All for tonight.
The first order of business today was to get the bikes loaded and ready to be on the road by 7:30 as we were trying to get to the Harley shop in Rock Springs by the time it opened at 9 a.m. I was hoping they'd be able to fix the gas leak.
Once that was done we ate the homecooked breakfast of egg cups in Canadian bacon, fresh-squeezed orange juice, fruit, yogurt, breads. YUM!!! We also met up with our new friends from Wisconsin that we'd dined with the evening before.
After breakfast I went behind the place and took photos of the creek or river, which no matter what it was, was very high. They had some sand bags at the curve of the creek to help keep the water from over flowing. It was still not at the crest of the bank, but close, and more water was expected.
We left Pinedale and booked to Rock Springs to the Flaming Gorge shop where they told me they didn't have the gasket. They didn't really want to pull it apart only to find when they had to use the old gasket to put it back together that it wouldn't seal and the leak would be way worse than before. I agreed. So we waited ... and waited ... and waited to try to get a part number so we could call around to find it somewhere so I could get it fixed. FINALLY!!!! The good part ... they were very nice, and they had three dogs, Josh, Turk and Collie. Josh and Turk are pound puppies. Collie is a bulldog, and she knows she's very cute.
I called Sandy City, Utah, and they had the part. Okay, heading to Sandy City at about 10:30 a.m.
We saw probably a couple hundred deer, singly and in herds. A few were near the road, but most were out in pastures with periwinkle-colored flowers all along the road. The setting was absolutely gorgeous. The land is amazingly green, from all the rain and snow melt. There were still a ton of snow up in Yellowstone when we came through that yesterday, and so I don't know if that entirely melts or not.
As we were riding there was a little prairie dog in the middle of the road eating something. When Birdie rode by him, he got up on his haunches and looked around as though to say, "Whoa, I didn't see that coming." He just had the most surprised look on his face. I laughed out loud.
As we came out of the elevation, it started to heat up and I was still wearing polar fleece. Oh, HOT, HOT, HOT!! But got to the shop and got out of all of that while they worked on the bike.
Five and six lanes of traffic is nothing more than combat riding. At least it was Saturday, but there was still a lot of traffic. Birdie got us through ... in Salt Lake City and out the other end, to the shop in Sandy.
It appears that the gas leak is fixed. AND they even washed both of our bikes. They were excellent folks and it's a very nice store. Not as large as the one in Rock Springs, but nice.
We decided to head on toward Bryce Canyon and go there in the morning when it's hopefully cooler. We're spending the night in Richfield, Utah. Ate at a little cafe, and the food was good. Love little off-the-wall cafes, and motels. But alas, we're not in one of those little motels tonight. This one is a bit larger, a Budget or something.
All for tonight.
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| While I've not downloaded any of the trip photos yet I thought you'd like to see Hobbs with his new Police Glide. |
Friday, July 1, 2011
Friday, July 1
Today we left Belgrade and wandered down to West Yellowstone Park. On the way we crossed the Gallatin River and it, too, was exceptionally high. Along the road and across the river there was a log house which wasn't more than two feet above the rushing water. There was a veranda on the water side with chairs. I figure they must sit and watch the water roll by. You have to feel bad for folks who may or have lost their homes. This one was soon to be eaten up by the river if there is any more rain. It had rained the night before because there was some left on the road.
We crossed the Continental Divide twice today, once at 8,392 foot elevation. It was cold riding most of the day until later in the afternoon. I had not dressed for it as the morning sun is quite deceptive. Tomorrow I will be more prepared.
In the park we saw buffalo, an elk, deer and outside lots more deer, buffalo and antelope. When we first entered the park there was a long line of cars and it was going soooo slow. Figured it must be buffalo on the road. NOT!!! There were two eagles sitting in a tree. Good grief. Those people will stop for anything. Lol.
Was a nice ride, and we stopped to see Old Faithful, who isn't exactly faithful anymore. It's on a 90-minute schedule plus or so, but it was so enjoyable to see again. We stopped to see boiling pots and steam vents and had a great time. We did it pretty quick, though.
There were a number of folks fly fishing, practically everywhere there was water. All I could think of was that fly fishermen are nothing more than bear bait.
My bike problem for the day was a gas leak. I could smell gas last night but couldn't figure out why. Today, after we'd ridden for a while, we were just leaving a gas station when I looked down and saw it drip. I found where it had come from,out of the gas tank where the connections come in, so we called the shop in Jackson Hole, but it's only an apparel shop. We tried a garage in West Yellowstone, but there wasn't anything they could do either, so it's on to Rock Springs where there is a service department. We called and told them what was going on, and when we'd be there.
We left Jackson after buying the required shirts, and went about 76 miles south on 191 to Pinedale which is where we are spending the night. We found this quaint little motel and we told the temperature will get down to about 36 degrees tonight. Tomorrow we'd better gear up in warmer clothing. I'll get out my electrics now.
We met some folks in the next room who are from Wisconsin. And they live where Birdie used to live years ago. They invited us to join them for dinner so we had a very nice visit. Carol and B.J. Had been out backpacking and were going to camp when someone told them there had just been a grizzley there. So they decided not to camp, but the guy had asked if they had a gun ... no, bear spray ... no, nothing. Birdie and I walked a couple blocks and went in a hiking type of store ... bought them a bear bell and put it on their door for them.
Up early tomorrow to get to the Rock Springs shop. But first, a homemade breakfast at the motel. Who knew it was also a bed and breakfast type of thing. I smelled something when we registered. Turns out it was apple crisp. It smelled delicious.
By the way, yesterday we found this restaurant in Anaconda called Peppermint Patty's. We stopped to take photos because she also had a flying pig in the window. We went in hoping to buy dessert to take back to Jan's but they only had ice cream and shakes, and those definately wouldn't travel too well. I asked if I could buy a menu, and the kind lady gave one to me. She rides, so she was thinking mighty kindly of us. That was so nice. You just meet the nicest folks sometimes.
Til tomorrow, my friends.
Today we left Belgrade and wandered down to West Yellowstone Park. On the way we crossed the Gallatin River and it, too, was exceptionally high. Along the road and across the river there was a log house which wasn't more than two feet above the rushing water. There was a veranda on the water side with chairs. I figure they must sit and watch the water roll by. You have to feel bad for folks who may or have lost their homes. This one was soon to be eaten up by the river if there is any more rain. It had rained the night before because there was some left on the road.
We crossed the Continental Divide twice today, once at 8,392 foot elevation. It was cold riding most of the day until later in the afternoon. I had not dressed for it as the morning sun is quite deceptive. Tomorrow I will be more prepared.
In the park we saw buffalo, an elk, deer and outside lots more deer, buffalo and antelope. When we first entered the park there was a long line of cars and it was going soooo slow. Figured it must be buffalo on the road. NOT!!! There were two eagles sitting in a tree. Good grief. Those people will stop for anything. Lol.
Was a nice ride, and we stopped to see Old Faithful, who isn't exactly faithful anymore. It's on a 90-minute schedule plus or so, but it was so enjoyable to see again. We stopped to see boiling pots and steam vents and had a great time. We did it pretty quick, though.
There were a number of folks fly fishing, practically everywhere there was water. All I could think of was that fly fishermen are nothing more than bear bait.
My bike problem for the day was a gas leak. I could smell gas last night but couldn't figure out why. Today, after we'd ridden for a while, we were just leaving a gas station when I looked down and saw it drip. I found where it had come from,out of the gas tank where the connections come in, so we called the shop in Jackson Hole, but it's only an apparel shop. We tried a garage in West Yellowstone, but there wasn't anything they could do either, so it's on to Rock Springs where there is a service department. We called and told them what was going on, and when we'd be there.
We left Jackson after buying the required shirts, and went about 76 miles south on 191 to Pinedale which is where we are spending the night. We found this quaint little motel and we told the temperature will get down to about 36 degrees tonight. Tomorrow we'd better gear up in warmer clothing. I'll get out my electrics now.
We met some folks in the next room who are from Wisconsin. And they live where Birdie used to live years ago. They invited us to join them for dinner so we had a very nice visit. Carol and B.J. Had been out backpacking and were going to camp when someone told them there had just been a grizzley there. So they decided not to camp, but the guy had asked if they had a gun ... no, bear spray ... no, nothing. Birdie and I walked a couple blocks and went in a hiking type of store ... bought them a bear bell and put it on their door for them.
Up early tomorrow to get to the Rock Springs shop. But first, a homemade breakfast at the motel. Who knew it was also a bed and breakfast type of thing. I smelled something when we registered. Turns out it was apple crisp. It smelled delicious.
By the way, yesterday we found this restaurant in Anaconda called Peppermint Patty's. We stopped to take photos because she also had a flying pig in the window. We went in hoping to buy dessert to take back to Jan's but they only had ice cream and shakes, and those definately wouldn't travel too well. I asked if I could buy a menu, and the kind lady gave one to me. She rides, so she was thinking mighty kindly of us. That was so nice. You just meet the nicest folks sometimes.
Til tomorrow, my friends.
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