... this is a story that happened 5 years ago:
CA~NV~UT~WY~MO~ID~WA~OR~CA… 3,388 miles in 13 days
… from the 'lost archives'
PREFACE
My middle daughter Ashley was going to graduate from high school, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. But as important as it was to me to be there, it was equally as important for me to turn the opportunity into an adventure.
Since road trips on Honey (my motorcycle) are one of my favorite things in the world, I decided that rather than riding directly from my home in Aptos, California, to Seattle, Washington, through the State of Oregon, I would take the 'scenic route'… through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
Unfortunately, I lost my journal-log from the trip, so this story is based only on my memories from a trip that happened almost five years ago. Mostly, it's a pictorial essay about the trip.
Day 1 - 6/10/05: Aptos, California to Austin, Nevada
The first three hours of the ride was the same route I'd taken many times in the past.
Due east, over Pacheco Pass (Hwy 156)… thru Los Banos… then Hwy 33 to Merced, then the fun part of the ride, into the foothills on Hwy 132 thru Snelling and one of my favorite pit stops at the saloon La Grange, a little blink and miss it cattle town at the edge of the Sierra Nevada mountain range foothills.
One of the reasons it's my favorite, is because of the waitress that worked there for a long time… Laura serves a killer margarita, and then for special customers, put the second one in a plastic cup to go. She trusted me. I'm usually pretty good at making people feel like they can trust me. You can trust me on that.
Normally when I'm driving this route, it's when I'm on my way to "Tokosaben," the property my family owned, and I've always driven that section of road with great care, no matter how many killer margaritas I've had.
When I was 13, my family and 4 others bought 40 acres just outside of Greely Hill, and the name I came up with was voted as the unanimous winner. Here's how I came up with the name:
I took the "T" from the Tindall family; the "O" from the Opdyke (my) family; the "KO" from the Kobiashi's; the "SA" from the Sato's; and the "BEN" from the Benthin's. The really cool thing about the name was that before we voted on the name, we all voted on our choices for which of the five 2-acre parcels each family would get to build their cabin on. Based on the statistical math (5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5), the odds of each family getting their first choice were 3,125 to 1. And that's what happened.
Then, as if to prove what a 'special' place it was that we were creating… the parcels that each of the families chose as their first choice, was in the same order as the way I had put the letters from their names together. The odds of that happening are 9,765,635 to 1 (3,125 x 3,125).
Basically, Tokosaben had a one in ten million chance of happening the way it did. All of the families have always felt that this was how lucky we were to be together in the place we were. Two of the families have since sold their parcels, but the feeling of 'community and love' is still being carried on to this day, and I hope it continues that way forever.
I've spent parts of 39 summers up there (and counting), enjoying that part of the Sierra's, and it never gets old.
Stout Lake
And then Rainbow Pool, one of my favorite places in the world, located on Highway 120, about half way between Groveland and the Crane Flat entrance to Yosemite National Park.
So... back to the Adventure Ride. It was at the La Grange Saloon that my route changed on this trip. Instead of continuing east on Hwy 132, I veered slightly to the north, and went thru the town of Sonora, over the pass with the same name on Hwy 108, and down the other side to Mono Lake.
Even in June the air was cold, and the snow was deep on the sides of the road, but the pavement was warm and dry, and I remember thinking to myself that I really needed to do a lot more of these road trips. Five years later, I've written stories about this one, and seven others.
Please visit my blog listed at the beginning of this story, to read about them, and see all the other pretty pictures.
As I remounted Honey, I said good-bye to the cool mountain air, and prepared myself for the hot desert variety I was gonna be in for the next couple of days.
After reaching the bottom of the east side of the Sierras, I traveled north on Hwy 395 for just a few miles, before turning east on Hwy 50, "The Loneliest Highway in America." My day ended in Austin (Nevada) after a first day of (+/-) 570 miles.
Day 2 - 6/11/05: Austin, Nevada to Heber City, Utah
Besides remembering how nice the road was, unfortunately, I'm at a loss to remember anything else noteworthy. Oh… there was one thing… I remember a stretch of about 100 miles coming into Salt Lake City, where I was riding thru a cool early summer rainstorm. Day 2: 317 miles.
Day 3 - 6/12/05: Heber City, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming
It was surprisingly cold, but fortunately I'd packed my warm weather gear, and it wasn't too uncomfortable for me. And no, I did not stop at any of the drive thru's.
Day 4 - 6/13/05: Jackson Hole, Wyoming to Livingston, Montana
The Grand Tetons
That morning it was cold… really cold… and I stopped at a random person's home and was given hot tea and as much time as I had wanted. I just love (most of) the people I meet on my adventures. Most of them are really nice. It warms me to my cockles to think about all the wonderful people on this planet. That day however, I needed a little bit more to warm my cockles.
But not willing to wait another 54 minutes… I continued on, and stopped in Livingston, Montana. It was a spectacular 213 mile day.
Day 5 - 6/14/05 - Livingston, Montana to Spokane, Washington
I remember enjoying the ride and the terrain, but cannot remember anything specific about this 426 mile day.
Day 6 - 6/15/05 - Spokane, WA to Seattle, WA
Same as above about this 293 mile day.
Day 7 - 6/16/05 - Seattle and surrounding areas
I spent most of the day with Kellie, my oldest daughter. It was a gorgeous day in the Emerald City…
THE DENNY CREEK DOCTRINE
You need to know where to go To meet the people you want to know
Life in the city is full of illusions
People in the city are full of... Shit in the water?! Don’t you care?
What are you thinking of?
You’re a fool to live in the city
You need to know where to go
To find the people you want to know
Life in the country is simple
People in the country understand
Shit in the water, and you get
Sick of the people in the city
I want to sit on the rocks
And watch the crystalline water
Tumble across my feet... no shit In the Denny Creek water
Day 8 - 6/17/05 - Party on the patio…
Day 9 - 6/18/05 - Father's Day…
Day 10 - 6/19/05 - Ashley's Graduation from High School
When this picture was taken, it was only the 2nd time I'd worn this shirt. The first time was for Kellie's graduation from high school, two years previously. Since then, the shirt has (only) been worn for… in order… Kellie's graduation from college, Eron's (my youngest Daughter) graduation from high school (when she was only 16!), Kellie's graduation from college, and Ashley's graduation from college. One more (at least) graduation to go, before I can 'retire' the shirt, and put it in my cedar chest along with my high school and college graduation gowns and a few other priceless heirlooms.
Some pictures of the happy occasion:
The proud parents
The loving sisters
Art & Pat, the grandparents
… Look out World!
Day 11 - 6/20/05 - Seattle, Washington to Newport Beach, Oregon
Now I was headed south, back to Santa Cruz, but I had a passenger with me. My oldest daughter (Kellie) was sitting behind me! She'd already done a fair amount of riding with me, but this was our first 'inter-state' ride.
Instead of heading due south, we went west. Luckily, Kellie is like her Dad… she doesn't like straight lines either. At one of our stops on the north coast of Oregon, we found a photo op… several years earlier, I'd picked my 'road name,' and now… I have a picture of me standing next to my namesake…
"I am Thor, master of the universe."
Of course there's always time to stop and kiss the girls
When we got to Newport Beach (Oregon), we were greeted and welcomed by two very loving relatives. They are technically 'ex' relatives… the brother and sister in law of my second ex wife, but to me they will always be my brother and sister… the same as Tracy and David, my first ex wife's sister and brother in law.
Day 11: 334 miles.
Day 12 - 6/21/05 - Newport Beach, Oregon to Arcata, CA
It's interesting to me, how different people are when they get on the back of a motorcycle. Kellie had a really hard time. She was so relaxed and comfortable, that she kept falling asleep.
Kellie and Dad:
Leaving Newport Beach
Kellie and I really enjoyed the Oregon coast, even though I had to wake her up when we stopped! =)
Day 12: 308 miles.
Day 13 - 6/22/05 - Arcata, CA to Aptos, CA; the last leg!
We rode thru a redwood tree in "The Avenue of the Giants"…
I dropped Kellie off in Los Gatos, just short of Aptos, so she could hook up with her mom, and the rest of her Seattle family, to attend a family reunion that weekend. It was a tremendous adventure. A 306 mile day, and 3,338 for the trip. And for those math wizards out there, this total includes 300 miles while I was in Seattle.
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