| California Trip Page 4 |
| 5-07-01 Lucia to Modesto, Cal. The rest of the Big Sur, from Lucia to Monterrey, was as beautiful as the previous day. So many beautiful vistas and such a beautiful ride. I�ve never done better and probably never will, unless I ride it again one day. Things got a bit more hectic as we rode through San Francisco to the Golden Gate bridge. City traffic again. But San Francisco had some really neat architecture, at least, which made the stop and go more tolerable. It was neat to ride across the GG bridge. We took pics from 2 vantage points, one at bridge level, and 1 high above it. Met a dude at the high point who had the neatest little dog. He worked Sears Point races that weekend...for Triumph. Took a pic of him and his dog. He said he wanted to document all the places his dog had been. Fought hellacious traffic through the Oakland Bay area, and, after several missed exits, finally �got out of Dodge� by crossing the Oakland Bay bridge....on the lower level...weird, as there was no view at all. Only tall walls on the side, and the �roof� above of the upper level. Give me the Chack�bay� area any day!! Made it to Modesto, Cal. And got a real good night�s sleep. |
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| 5-08-01 Modesto to Bridgeport. Took the long�and VERY winding�road to Yosemite. It was awesome. The waterfalls were going full blast and were beautiful, to say the least. Such a beautiful valley! Tioga pass was closed. This pass would�ve let us continue through Yosemite and cross the High Sierras on the same road we were on. But we had to back track a bit and cross further north, on hwy. 108, through Sonora Pass. This ride was also gorgeous, mystical. So quiet, the still splendor of the giant trees. There was some snow around them, but I�m sure there was a lot more snow several months ago. These redwoods were way too high to let 30 or 40 feet of snow bother THEM.. This was the second of my biker heaven rides! The majestic beauty of the giant redwoods growing out of the snow, with the still-rising peaks on both sides, also forested, serving as background. The few small villages which looked so inviting at the beginning, and riding through great roads, just recently cleared of so much snow that there were 8 foot walls of snow within feet of our handlebars. Stopped a bunch of times for pics. Once we stopped and heard a stream�a loud one!�a few hundred yards off the road. We walked back into the redwoods and saw a few cabins back there. There was a metal shed and mothballs hanging. Those are to ward off the bears, Steve said. We looked at one another----BEARS!! Snuck a hasty retreat back to the bikes. Talk about some sissy cajuns! We barely made it through the pass(11K elevation) before dark. The road got REALLY twisted and steep. Saw a few�Slow to 5mph signs. They meant it, too. It was like riding a steep roller coaster ride. Had about an hour�s drive after dark to Bridgeport. But the road was pretty straight at this time, so not too bad. Thought we�d found a motel right after the pass, but it was a Federal Reservation�Do not enter without permission. Looked like a large apartment complex...but we didn�t have permission, so we rode on in the dark to Bridgeport. Had chicken-fried steak at the restaurant next to the motel and slept like a log again. |
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| 5-09-01 Bridgeport, Cal. To Delta, Utah. The first hundred miles or so was beautiful. Leaving the snow- capped Sierras, which provided back ground for lots of pics. Then we hit some mountain and desert riding. Met a neat guy at a small store with one gas pump. He was in the middle of nowhere. Had a few buffalo in a pen. His gas pump was most welcome as it was 90 miles from the last town and about another 75 to the next town(Ely). As our gas mileage wasn�t too great, it was a welcome sight. He said he had to open a gas pump there, �cause it was so far from anyplace else, if people ran out of gas, they�d stay. And his closest neighbor(20 miles away) was too close. He also grew pumpkins for a contest every year. He lost that year, so his �Loser� hat was on display in the store. The weather coming into Delta was very threatening. Dodged a few rain clouds, and 2 large sandstorms that were caused by the clouds shearing off and kicking up LOTS of sand and dust. �Weather man� Steve said we didn�t need our rain suits. And he was right�he was ALWAYS right about that! We rode into Delta dry and unscathed. This was the first time I�d ever been in Utah. |
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| California Trip Page 3 |
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| California Trip Page 5 |
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| Hossier Pass, Colorado Hwy 9 |