Caliente, NV to Golden, CO - Day 13 - CO to CA Motorcycle Adventure

703 miles and 15 hours later I made it home for a total trip of 3301 miles.

I knew the day was going to be long but I had no idea how long it would be.  I camped out in Caliente and was up at 6 but didn't leave until almost two hours later because it takes so long to pack up camp and put on the motorcycle gear.

Then I stopped at Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada which has some really cool rock formations.  From there I cut east to Cedar City, Utah.  Once on Interstate 15 I started making up some time but as the miles added up I needed more frequent stops because I was getting sore.

Then on Interstate 70 west of Green River over the San Rafeal Swell I was rewarded with some of the most spectacular riding my entire trip.  It is a definitely a place I want to go camp, hike and explore.

I hit Grand Junction about 6:30 just as it was getting dark.  From Grand Junction it is 240 miles home and I contemplated spending one more night on the road but I wanted home and off the bike.  So I pushed on and was doing well but started getting cold and stopped in Eagle to put on some more layers.  And when I went over Vail Pass at 10 PM with the temperature being 26 degrees I was very happy for every layer I had.

After Vail Pass the ride was still cold but I knew the roads and relaxed.  So I cruised home to Golden where it was windy but 40 degrees at 11:30 pm.

Will I do another motorcycle trip?  I don't know.  At times it was tough but at other times I really loved it because you feel so much more connected with your surroundings then in a car.

 

 

Lake Tahoe, CA to Caliente, NV - Day 12 - CO to CA Motorcycle Adventure

OUT OF GAS TWICE!!!  Almost.

I left Tahoe under pure blue skies and took the Kingsbury Grade road down to Minden.  It was a beautiful road with lots of memories because 15 years ago I worked in Minden and lived on Kingsbury grade just below Tahoe.

I was planning to take Highway 50 across Nevada which is dubbed "the loneliest road in America" because there are only a few towns along the way.  But I had taken 50 before so the night before I decided to take 395 and 6 across southern Nevada.  I looked at the map and saw there were also only a couple of old mining towns along the way so in Minden I bought an extra 2 gallon gas can and strapped it on my bike.

From Minden I cut southeast across Nevada through the towns of Hawthorne, Tonopah and Caliente.  The roads were good but I think they were even more isolated then 50.  My motorcycle tank is only 5 gallons and has around a 200 mile range.  I coasted into Tonopah on fumes and after leaving Tonopah there was a sign that said next service 163 miles but I never found the gas until over 200 miles later in Caliente.  While I never had to use my extra two gallons it was nice having it. 

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Santa Rosa, CA to Lake Tahoe, CA - Day 11 - CO to CA Motorcycle Adventure

I left John and Joanne after a relaxing morning and cut over the mountains to the Napa Valley.  The road was steep and winding.  Just what I like and would also be fun in a car or on a bike.

From there I headed to Vallejo where I met Judy, Dean and their friend Jo at home for lunch.  They moved there from Oklahoma 30 years ago and have a beautiful home near downtown and just across the bay.

I pushed east from Vallejo through the heart of California and into the Sierras where I caught Lake Tahoe in the evening sun.  I was planning to head on east but after some time at the beach I decided to enjoy a night in Tahoe.

I went to the casino that night and checked the tables but all the stakes were to high for me.  So I sat down and played $20 bucks of video poker.  It wasn't long before I was busted but it was a nice break.

 

 

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Big Sur, CA to Santa Rosa, CA - Day 10 - CO to CA Motorcycle Adventure

I carried my camping stuff for 9 days and finally got to use it last night.  It was awesome to camp out on the California coast and worth the extra weight.

My ride up the coast to was foggy but there was no rain so that was good with me.

South of Santa Cruz I found myself a new motorcycle with tractor tires.  I like dirt bikes but it was a little to big for me.

I managed LA traffic at rush hour and now I can say I managed San Francisco traffic at rush hour.  Neither was very much fun but they were hard to avoid.  I crossed the Golden Gate about an hour before dark and it was covered in fog but I think it added to the mystique.

From San Fran I cruised north to Kenwood between Santa Rosa and Sonoma which is the heart of wine country and home to more Oklahoma family.  There I had a delicious paella dinner with cousins John and Joanne and spent the night at their beautiful new house.

 

 

 

Solvang, CA to Big Sur, CA - Elephant Seals - Day 9 - CO to CA Motorcycle Adventure

I've heard many nice things about San Luis Obispo so I stopped there for lunch.  It was great and would be fun to spend more time there.

 

As I continued up the coast I kept seeing signs for elephant seals near San Simeon so I eventually took bait and pulled over.  Immediately after turning off the motorcycle and taking my helmet off I heard this strange grunting / snoring sound which turned out to be the elephant seals. 

 

Hundreds of them were sprawled out on the beach where they spend the winter.  The males both young and old were busy butting chests with the ultimate winner getting the right to breed.

 

This was another unplanned stop but a true highlight to see the wild seals.

 

 

Solvang, CA to Big Sur, CA - Motorcycle Muesum - Day 9 - CO to CA Motorcycle Adventure

I spent the night and morning in Solvang which was originally a Danish settlement and is now a Danish tourist town where the buildings and shops are all like you might find in Denmark.  It was cute but gift shops aren't my thing.

However, there was also a motorcycle museum in town that had lots of antique motorcycles.  It was neat to see how the first motorcycles were nothing more then bicycles with an engine crudely bolted to them and then progressed to what we have today.

One bike that really caught my eye was the 1949 Vincent which was raced on the salt flats at Bonneville.  At the time it held the speed record of 182 mph which is fast.  But look closely at the picture and you will see the rider is riding in a superman position with his legs stretched out behind.  I think Dan and Cil have a new riding technique to try with their next Bonneville adventure.

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SPOT markB-gps-spot - Golden Gate, San Francisco, CA

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SPOT markB-gps-spot - Santa Cruz, CA

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Huntington Beach, CA to Solvang, CA - Day 8 - CO to CA Motorcycle Adventure

Nathan had to work Monday so I headed north up the famous Pacific Coast Highway.  Getting through LA in midweek traffic took forever but the coast between Santa Monica, Malibu and Santa Barbara was beautiful.

In Santa Barbara I had a great dinner by the ocean with my cousin Valerie.  Last time I saw her was 10 years ago in Kansas so we had lots to catch up on and shared some fun stories about Oklahoma.

Huntington Beach, CA - Day 6 & 7 - CO to CA Motorcycle Adventure

After 5 days on the motorcycle it was nice to have a couple days off the motorcycle with Nathan and the Enlows.  We hung out, checked out the different beaches and even went surfing.  But my surfing was short lived because I got stung by a stingray in the foot.

 

 

 

Phoenix, AZ to Huntington Beach, CA - Day 5 - CO to CA Motorcycle Adventure

Had a great dinner and morning with Margenau family and met the new daughter.

I looked at the map but there weren't many route options between Phoenix between and Huntington Beach so I took the interstate all the way.  It was a rough ride with non-stop wind across the AZ and CA desert and Friday night traffic coming into LA but I made it in time for dinner with the Lanes and Enlows.