Alturas, CA - A good night's rest

Rolled out of Half Moon Bay under cloudy skies, patchy fog, and mist but hit sunshine east of Oakland.

By noon I was wishing for the fog!

420 Miles today with the temperature near 100 a good part of the way.

I modified my route to have lunch with a friend in Chico, then headed for the high country as fast as I could get there.

I picked up  US 395 in Susanville and rolled into Alturas a little after 1900 and checked into a motel with horse corrals out back.

All in all, a good day's ride, but I'm whipped, so I'm off to bed.

Tomorrow, it's on to Boise.

When the clock stops a-tickin'...

I'M A-ROLLIN'!!!

OMG!

How am I gonna get all this stuff on the bike???

Can't tarry.

Work to do!!!

Update:

90% packed, got the major stuff wrapped up and ready to load in the morning.

I'll probably have to do some rearranging to keep the things I'm likely to need in a hurry where they are accessable, keep the electronics dry, and  make sure the load is balanced.

After dinner, I'll make sure all the bluetooth devices are talking to each other and I should be good to go.

Counting it down...

Well, I'm 75% packed and have reservations for my first three stops.

At this writing, the countdown clock is ticking at R -33 hrs and counting.

I'm sure there's something I haven't thought of but I'll trust that it will come to me tomorrow.

Lots to do before I roll.

Off to bed now @ 2242 PDT

More to follow...

The Route...

Here is a map showing an approximation of my route.

I call it an approximation because I've never been so anal as to stick rigidly to a plan when it made more sense to change it. I reserve the right to modify my route based on time, temperature, inclement weather, wildlife, and whatever appears to be wherever the front wheel points.

What the hell, any way you slice it, its my trip

The first two days are +/- 375 miles each. I'll vary the route based on temperature. If it's too hot in the valley, I'll head for the higher country, a little slower going but 5-10 degrees cooler.

Alturas, CA is my likely first overnight at any cheapo motel I can find, then on to Boise, ID where I have a reservation at the Courtyard downtown. I'll be having dinner with a friend, then back to the hotel to hit the jacuzzi before turning in.

From there on, the route becomes a little more flexible and the mileage a bit less demanding. At 150-250 miles per day I can take my time, do some sidetrips, take lots of pictures, and sample road food at any place that looks interesting as I work my way through the Tetons and Yellowstone.

I plan to arrive in Sturgis on August 6th, set up camp,  check the place out and learn the lay of the land before the big crunch of bikes roll in on the weekend.

More to follow...

The new technology of the Open Road

In the old days, we used to tie our sleeping bags to the bars and head out to wherever the front wheel pointed. Today, I'm into certain creature comforts and modern comveniences that will make the trip with me.

First off, since I'm blogging, I need a way to post, so I'm packing a 10.1 inch HP 1100 mini notebook with a Sprint Air card, and a solar charger that works on my I-Pod and cell phone. Between the card and WiFi at every McDonalds and Starbucks I should be able to post daily updates.

Next is a Garmin Zumo 550 GPS navigator, programmed to my intended route. It's made specifically for motorcycles, waterproof and vibration resistant. Yes, I know how to read a paper map but they're really hard to handle when you're rolling down the road at 65 MPH and they tend to get soggy in the rain.

The Zumo connects via Bluetooth to my cell phone and Blue Ant F4 waterproof headset which attaches to my helmet and allows me hands free (Because I only have two!) communication. It also shows all the Harley Dealerships along my route in case I need a part or repair and a number of major hotels that can be dialed via a touch of the screen if I need to make or change a reservation on the fly.

I'll also be carrying a new camera, A Leica V-lux 20. I bought it for it's versatility and compact size. It has a zoom lens that is equivalent to a 25-300 on a 35mm. It's small enough to fit in my shirt pocket and easily fits in my windshield bag ready for quick deployment. I'm not intending to shoot for publication on this trip, so I can leave my heavy gear at home. The little Leica is more than adequate to produce images that will provide a visual record of my trip and maybe a memorable print or two.


I'm packing two extra batteries that should give me the capablity to shoot 750-900 frames without stopping to charge. That should be plenty to cover the activities at the rally and the scenic rides through the Black Hills.

More to follow...

How this all came to be...

I've ridden off and on for most of my adult life, always on a metric cruiser. In 2004, after a twenty-year sabbatical, I bought my first Harley, a new Sportster 1200 Custom, named "Goldie" for her smoky gold color. I decked her out with additional chrome and did a stage one hop up. She was bold and brassy, just loud enough and she ran like a scalded greyhound.

There was only one small problem with her. While I sometimes like to run solo, at other times it's nice to have Jan come along and share the journey. While Goldie had power to spare, her ride, though somewhat shy of brutal, left something to be desired. In short, she was not comfortable for riding two-up, especially for the passenger and as an old biker saying goes, "If mama ain't happy, nobody's happy."

After talking about it for two years, I made the decision to trade up to a touring model, This past Memorial Day, Goldie went off to be someone else's first Harley and we adopted Mariah, a fully equipped Street Glide, complete with a 6-speed tranny, a touring saddle, hard saddlebags, a 40 watt stereo, cruise control.

In June, I broke her in on a solo trip to the Redwood Run, an old school biker rally in northern Cal, about 230 miles from home.  She's big, powerful, and comfortable, and though she doesn't handle like a Sportster, she rides like a Caddy. It was on that run that I realized that the Sturgis Rally was eminently doable.

A few weeks ago, Jan and I took her down Highway 1 through Big Sur and spent a great weekend in Morro Bay. I can tell you that she is infinitely more comfortable on the larger bike, and although Goldie was fast and fun, Mariah is far more practical for keeping peace in the family, if you can use the word "practical" in reference to motorcycles.

Although it's been a while ( a LONG while) since I've run 400 mile days on a bike, Mariah is built for gobbling highway and, with any luck at all, should get to Sturgis and back in reasonable comfort.

Four days and a wakeup.

The excitement builds...

Five days and a wake-up...

It's been less than a month since I made the decision to make the solo journey to the Mother of all Motorcycle Rallies, the 70th annual Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, SD.

They are expecting around a half-million bikes to roll through their normally quiet Midwestern town over the course of rally week. My new StreetGlide, a.k.a. Mariah, will be among them.

I'll be camping at the Legendary (some would say "notorious") Buffalo Chip campground, adjacent to the equally notorious Buffalo Chip Saloon.

They have an incredible array of talent scheduled to perform; ZZ Top, Bob Dylan, Kid Rock, and Creedence to name a few.

It seems the preparation and route planning have been non-stop and it feels just a little strange today because, except for a few small details, I'm finished, as in ready to roll!