Well, the day has finally arrived. I am loaded up and ready to hit the road on the trip of a lifetime! At least for me it is. Left home around 9:30 a.m. and headed down the highway loaded for bear. I brought along what I felt were the basics. Sleeping bag, tent, air mattress, riding suit, maps and helmets. By the way the bike looked, you would have thought I brought everything along but the kitchen sink! It was mostly bulk, no weight to it at all really. It just looked overloaded. Stopped off at the local Harley dealership had a cup of coffee, talk to the guys and then it was back on the road.

The ride out to Grand Junction was pretty much uneventful. Ran into a little rain just before Vail Pass. Ten miles down the road it stopped and it was sunny the rest of the afternoon. My stopping point for the day was a campground in Grand Junction. I stayed here a few years ago with the camper and liked the area. So I'm back for a return visit. Seems a little nicer now. Must have new owners. I was there early enough to set up camp and even make dinner. I brought along my small cooking set and the MRI Firefly gas stove with an extra fuel tank. I figured it would be cheaper to cook the meals rather than stop at restaurants along the way. Boy was I wrong on that call. I spent $23.00 for this meal and then prepared it. Ok, so much for cooking nice meals on this trip. Looks like I'll be heating up water for those Cup-of-Soup meals and pre-packaged meals instead and stopping at a restaurant every now and then

Back on the road forty five minutes later. Picked up US Highway 50 and continued West to Nevada. Along the way I stopped to take some pictures of the local scenery when a fellow rider from the other direction stopped and asked if everything was ok. I told him it was and that I was just stopping to take pictures. We talked for the next forty five minutes. I believe his name was Jeff and he too had ridden his bike to Alaska last year. He rode from Sacramento, California to Fairbanks, Alaska. From Fairbanks he only rode as far North as the Arctic Circle before returning to Fairbanks. He didn't think he could make to Prudhoe Bay. The only complaint he had was when he arrived at the Canadian border from the States. He spent three hours there as they went through his bags. I didn't like the sound of that. Hope I have better luck when I get to the border.

We talked some more about riding and taking long trips on the bike and problems that arise while out on the road. That's when he told me he was hoping that there was a bike shop in Delta, Utah where he could have a new rear tire installed. It seems that in Sacramento, they don't have too many straight highways there, and now that he was heading across Nevada for the first time, well that straight and long, very long US Highway 50 looked real appeasing for a wide open throttle and a young rider. Now those sport bikes are real fast but the tire compound is real soft for hugging the curves on smooth asphalt. However, when you run one hundred thirty five miles an hour for thirty to forty five minutes at a clip on this semi rough highway, well the rear tire doesn't last very long.
I wished him well on his trip and we both left in opposite directions. Him to the East towards his final destination of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and me for Ely, Nevada.

I arrived at Ely, Nevada and called it a day at the local KOA campground. A quick shower, order a Pizza from town. They even delivered to the campground and I'm off to sleep. Quick note to me. Don't order Pizza just before going to bed. Rough night.

Now this was a site to see! I felt as though I had ridden back into time. I took photos of the vehicles I encountered at the station and along US highway 50. Later on I did a little research and found that any vehicle entered in the GreatRace must be at least 45 years old or older. It was a site to behold riding down the highway in the middle of the Nevada desert and seeing vehicles forty five to seventy five years old moving along at fifty five miles an hour. According to next years race schedule, Denver, Colorado will be a day off stopping point for them.

I expected the weather to be hot this time of year, was I in for a surprise. The temperature did not climb above 78 deg. Cool running for the bike. Of course the next time I run this route I'll pay for that comment. Made it to Reno, Nevada and had plan to spend the night at a KOA campground. Little did I know that the campground was for RV's only. Well I didn't feel like riding another fifty or so miles down the road so I opted out for a Super 8 Motel instead. My plan was to stay in a Motel at least one day a week. Ok, so I'm starting a little early. Unpacked, visited the local Wal-Mart, picked up some dinner to go, nice hot shower and I was out like a light at 11:00 p.m.

Left Reno the next morning around 9:30 a.m. and headed down towards South Lake Tahoe. What a pleasant ride! Stopped a few times along the West side of the lake to take pictures. Trivia question. Did you know that Lake Tahoe is 1,600 feet deep, and could cover the entire state of California with 14 inches of water? I know, you were just wishing that somebody out there would pass that information on to those of us who did not have a clue. See, it's good to take a little time and read the plaques.

Arrived in South Lake Tahoe at 12:30 p.m. Since I hadn't eaten breakfast this morning I stopped for lunch. Afterwards I rode around South lake Tahoe to take in the sites and then headed West to San Francisco. It was a nice sunny day for a ride. (No, I did not have any flowers in my hair)! Along the way I encountered the participants from the GreatRace. Now they were mingled with the local traffic on the Interstate. It was still a sight to see.

Fifteen miles outside of San Francisco, I stopped for gas and reviewed the local map. It was here that I decided to take the Northern route around the San Francisco Bay and find a campground for the night. If I had ridden straight into San Francisco and then headed North for a place to stay, I would have had to pay three tolls. One for each bridge. That was a good call on my part. I saved fifteen bucks.

The first campground I found was full, so off I went looking for another campground. Stopped in Petaluma and found a KOA. Wound up staying there for two days. These people really loved their campground. Thirty six dollars a night for a tent site and the place was packed! Holiday weekend. I guess I was lucky to find a spot.

Next morning I head out to San Francisco. Sun was shining and my camera was ready. Happen to meet a real nice couple, Tia and Vince and their two girls Kashaya, and Lucy, the night before. They were camped across from me. Both of them were school teachers. They were getting ready to head out to the bay for some crabbing. They told me not to eat a big lunch and invited me to join them for a crab dinner that night. Sounds good to me. I'll be there.

Did I mention the sun was shining? As I begin to arrive within a few miles of the Golden Gate Bridge, the fog began to roll in, literarily. As I'm heading down the highway you can see the fog rolling down the side of the hills and across the highway. I arrive at the Northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge to take a picture or two and find that the first hundred or so feet of the bridge is visible. That's it! The entrance to the bay is completely covered in fog. Ok, now what? Should I wait or ride into San Francisco where it may be fogged in also. I decided to wait. Walked around the area read up on the history of the harbor. Seems that this harbor entrance to the bay was important during the early years of America. The Military felt that if an enemy had made it into the bay with their ships, they might be able to take control of the city. So the Military set up manned posts on both sides of the harbor, complete with cannons to defend the bay and the city. My question was, as I stood out on a former lookout post overlooking the entrance to the harbor covered with fog, what were they going to shoot at? You couldn't see more than a hundred feet out. I believe back then, sails on tall ships were used to provide mobility to these vessels. Maybe battles were fought only on sunny days at sea. Who knows?

Forty five minutes later, and a few pictures taken, I left the fogged in bridge and headed for San Francisco.

I arrived at the pier and could not locate a parking spot. Not even for a motorcycle. Rode around the area and found a parking garage under a hotel. I arrived back at the pier to purchase a ticket for a trip to the infamous Alcatraz. The Rock! Not today! The boat ride to the Rock was sold out until the following Wednesday. That was a bummer. What else to do but to go on a self guide tour of downtown San Francisco and locate some interesting sites. I came across Hyde street. A very steep road with, what else, Street Cars. I had to check this out. I rode to the top of Hyde street, parked and took some pictures looking down this street and out towards the Bay. I started to think back when I was a kid and skate boards had just come into play for the first time, what a great hill this would have been for attaining speed. Of course you would have to pay attention and watch out for those rails in the street. Drop a wheel in between and it's all over. And what would I do when I reached the bottom of the intersection. Hmm.

As I arrived at the top of Hyde street, I noticed Police officers directing traffic from turning off of Hyde and onto Lombard. I didn't pay much attention to them since I was going straight and also paying attention to those rails embedded in the street. At the speed I was traveling, 20 mph, I could get the front wheel caught between and have a little problem.

After the picture taking session, curiosity got the best of me and I went to see why people were being turned away. This was Lombard Street. The street that is too steep for a straight road so instead, it serpentines back and forth from Hyde to Leavenworth Street below. In order for me to ride down this street I needed to come in from another direction. I made it to Lombard Street, complete with camera in hand and started down the winding Red Brick Road, doing a balancing act and taking pictures from a motorcycle. Now am I a tourist or what?

Stopped back at the waterfront before leaving San Francisco and tried one more time to get a full picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was still foggy at three thirty in the afternoon but you could see the bridge. About that time another biker and his wife pulled up next to me. He took some pictures of me with the bike and the bridge in the background. I did the same for him and his wife. After that I headed back to the campground and felt very fortunate to make it back. What is it with these California drivers weaving in and out of traffic at 65 to 70 miles per hour? And then when there's an accident , it's the old story, I didn't see you. Of course not. It was all about you and the need to get nowhere fast!

Before heading into camp I decided to see if I could locate an Internet café. I did! However, as luck would have it, it was only open for another forty five minutes, and closed on Sundays. I read my e-mails, responded to some of the senders. I hate forwarders! It was now time to call it a day and enjoy a crab diner. By the time I returned to the campground, Tia and Vince were already boiling up the crabs. I was amazed at how many crabs they had caught in such a short time. A whole lot of crabs. Red crabs I believe. We sat down and proceeded to eat crab claws. Quite a few claws as a matter of fact. I think I'm hooked now. (no pun intended).