A little about me, and why I'm doing this.

I do enjoy sharing the circumstances and events that occur to me on my Road Trips, but mostly...

I want to share what's inside me... my emotions, my intuitions, and my dreams...

With the hope of distracting and encouraging you to think outside the box.

We all need to be distracted and encouraged once in a while, don’t we?

If this distraction also brings enjoyment or entertainment to you… It will make me happy.

I hope you decide you want to get to know me.

I hope you decide you want to get to know me.
I would love to get to know you!
My photo
San Francisco, California, United States
I'm an open minded, honest, fun loving guy, who loves sharing … my insights, my experiences, and my opinions about life... other people … and anything else that jumps into my mind when I’m in (or out of) the saddle. Spirituality-YES. Religion-NO. Sexuality-YES. Politics-NO. Humor-ALWAYS.

THIS IS SHARON

THIS IS SHARON
My Student, My Mentor, My Soulmate.

October 4, 2012

"6 States and 5 Chocolate Cream Pies"



Our September, 2012 Adventure Ride

Through

California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah

Here is our route and some of the places we’ll be during the following eleven days:


Day 1 – Santa Cruz, CA to Virginia City, NV - via Lake Tahoe.
         2 – Virginia City to Wells, NV - via lots of northern Nevada desert.
         3 – Wells to Challis, ID – via Sun Valley.
         4 – Challis to Deer Lodge, MT – via lots of Idaho mountains and (other) valleys.
         5 – Deer Lodge to Billings, MT – via lots of Montana back roads.
         6 - Billings to Yellowstone National Park, WY – via BEARTOOTH PASS!!!
         7 – Yellowstone Nat’l Park to… Yellowstone Nat’l Park – via lots of geysers and waterfalls.
         8 – Yellowstone Nat’l Park to Cottonwood Heights, UT – via I-15.
         9 – Cottonwood Heights to Tonopah, NV – via lots of Utah and southern Nevada desert.
      10 – Tonopah to Greeley Hill, CA (near Groveland) – via Yosemite National Park.
      11 – Greeley Hill to Santa Cruz, CA – via the fertile Central Valley of California.

The day before
5pm – I just finished the last of my chores, and am now trying to patiently wait for Sharon to arrive from San Francisco.  Poor baby… she had to work feverishly, right up until the last minute before leaving… directly from her appointment with her hair stylist.  Helmet hair or no helmet hair, it’s gonna be great to watch her as she dismounts from Honey and shows off her locks and good looks.  God I love that woman.
It’s gonna be a tremendous ride, and we’re gonna see so many different things… I thought it would be appropriate if I took something with us from San Francisco, to share with other people on our adventure.


Thursday 9/6/12
3am - I thought Cecile (the woman who’s house I’m currently living in (as a pseudo caregiver of sorts) was sleepwalking at first, but then I realized she really was fully awake… and attempting to figure out how to put her food processor together.  I kind of laughed to myself… I hadn’t slept very well for the previous few nights and was really hoping to be able to catch up a bit before my normal wake up time of about 5am.  Alas… that was not to be the case.  Fortunately, after about 10 minutes of me helping her, she gave up and went back to bed.
5am – Up and off to the gym.  Just a quick soak in the hot tub this morning though.  Sharon (bless her heart) had agreed to leave at 7am, and I wanted to make sure we got some food in our stomachs before hitting the road.  I’m mean, caressing the road.
7:01 – Sharon pointed to her wrist and told me what time it was.  She is an amazing woman, even though she is not normally a morning person, she is still a joy from the time she wakes up (no matter how early) until the time she goes to sleep.  Ok… she’s a joy when she’s sleeping too.  Women… they’re so cute when they’re sleeping, aren’t they?  J
7:11 – After sharing our morning good luck beverage, we were mounting Honey for the start of our Second Adventure Ride.  It wasn’t until we were about 35 miles down the road that we realized we’d both thought about putting our “Just Married” sign that we made on our last Ride, on the back of Honey, but hadn’t followed through with saying anything about it to the other person.  Sharon suggested we could cross out the “Just” on the sign, and I added the idea that we could write in, “Still.”  We both agreed we would start that as our new tradition, on our next Adventure Ride, and it would have the Roman numeral III on it.  Personally, I’m already looking forward to putting the first X on it.  Not for our marriage silly… for the number of Adventure Rides we’ve been on.

            






I pulled over at the summit of Hwy 17 to take a picture of the sunrise.  Sharon asked what that big bright thing in the sky was and I told her, “This is what the sun looks like before 10am, you should try this more often” (early mornings have always been my favorite time of day).
Sharon has always been a GREAT passenger, and this morning was no exception.  As I had suspected… we ran into some weekday commute traffic as we were going over the hill, and then again going through the greater San Jose area.  Most of my passengers haven’t been real keen on splitting lanes, but Sharon mentioned after our first bout with the traffic, that even though it had been the most intense and longest duration of splitting traffic, that she felt totally comfortable, and told me I had done it with tremendous confidence and that that helped her a lot with her being able to stay relaxed during the this process.  Thanks babe.
There’s a definite technique involved.  Too fast, and it becomes (even more) dangerous, too slow and well… it’s just not safe staying right next to any one particular car for any longer than is absolutely necessary.  The other thing is timing the transition as you pass each car.  If you can avoid threading the needle… when the cars are directly next to each other… that gives you a lot more room to get your motorcycle’s mirrors (and handgrips) past the mirrors (and fenders) of the other vehicles.  When you’ve got the timing dialed in, it really is a beautiful dance.
The other example I can give you about her wonderful ability to stay calm on the back of the bike is when a car next to us started moving into our lane.  She actually noticed it happening before I did, and simply tapped me on the shoulder and pointed.  Having someone sitting right behind me as we’re going 75mph down the freeway with only a few feet between the cars next to us, and not screaming with panic when something important is happening, is a real pleasure.  Thank you wife… for matching up so well with me, in so many ways… I love you more.
Ok, one more example and then I’ll get off this “My wife is the Greatest” topic (for a while).  The difference with this example is that it kinda makes me wonder about her sanity… as if I needed another reason than the fact that she loves me.   During one of our splits, I slightly miss-timed it, and brought the rear end of the big rig on our right, and the mirror of the car on our left, to within about 2” of each of Honey’s mirrors (and handgrips).  I actually let out a little eeek.  Sharon just giggled.
After we got off the freeway for the day, I actually stopped and turned around and went back for this picture.  For those of you who enjoy road trips on back roads, you will understand why.

We had begun Adventure Ride II at the lucky time of 7:11.  We stopped for brunch in Plymouth, on Hwy 49… one of my favorite roads… in the world… just south of Placerville, at 11:11.  Luck is not always a factor, but when things like that happen, I always try to acknowledge The Universe for its kindness and love.  Thank you Universe.
About two hours later we made it to our first (of many) scenic overlooks.  Lake Tahoe.  We stopped twice at Emerald Bay.

                
This is sure one big ass lake.
5pm – After going all way around The Lake, we went back down the east slope of The Sierras, and pulled into my niece’s family’s home in a small town called Gardnerville… right on schedule.  Or at least the time I’d hoped we’d be there when we left that morning.  Timing, like composition, presentation, and (Roman) numerals… is everything.  No it’s not, but I’m running out of things to say, and Sharon is still snoring away in bed next to me.
Note:  As is my new tradition with her on these Adventure Rides… I’m taking advantage of the time I have between when I get up, and the time that she does.  Which this morning, is about 2 ½ hours.
So… it’s almost time for me to do my first bouncing and panting and tail wagging on the bed, so I end the first day’s entry with this, a picture of my extraordinarily beautiful (inside and out) niece Michelle, her perfectly adequate in every way husband Will, and the youngest of their three children Willa (sorry for not getting a picture of you Wallace and Roland).

6:45pm – Virginia City.  Time to tie Honey to the hitching post for the night.  We had a four-star dinner and a very pleasant walk along the boarded sidewalks downtown, and then settled into a very restful sleep around 9pm.  Kinda late for me, but Sharon had talked me into spending some time in town the next morning, so I knew I could sleep in if I wanted to.  Yeah… right… me… sleep in.
A beautiful 386 miles for the Day One.  Highest elevation – 7,382’.

Friday 9/7
5am – Ned up.  7:30am - Coffee, journal entry, and sunrise appreciation period over… time to wake up my wonderful wife.  Today is going to be (another) very good day!



 After a lovely breakfast we did our pre-packing, and then went for a walk through the town cemetery.  It was an honor for both of us, to be able to feel the presence of so many of our pioneers and their incredible spirit and strength of will.  The picture of the headstone I picked out for the story didn’t turn out.  It had the approximate average lifespan of the +/-100 we stopped and paid tribute to.  44 years.  The most aged was 72, and we saw two gravestones marking the placement of residents of Virginia City who died the same day they were born.

We were both melancholy but peacefully happy as we rode Honey the short distance back to downtown, for a shot of whiskey and a few hands of poker.  Sharon asked me, and she easily agreed to cash in her winnings, after she had doubled her initial investment.  She turned a five-dollar bill into a ten.  Way to go Sharon!

             

Our last stop before re-mounting Honey for the day’s ride was the obligatory old-time photo.

It was almost noon by the time we high-tailed it out of Dodge (you know what I mean).  I knew the rest of the day was gonna be tough on me… not only were we going to suffer through what I was expecting to be one of the two most non-scenic days of the Adventure, but we had already burned about four hours of daylight, based on my normal time of departure on these rides.  I’m much better in the mornings… I tend to fade dramatically in the late afternoon/ early evening, so although I kept my spirits up on the outside, I was already feeling the end of the day’s ride’s effort gnawing at my shoulders and back muscles.
As we were packing earlier that morning, I’d mentioned to Sharon that I was trying to stay optimistic about what we’d see on the road that day, but in my heart, I was also sort of preparing myself for a very… dull… and long… day of dry… brown… high mountain desert.
After our first gas stop in Austin my fears were confirmed.  The highlight of the first third of the day’s ride was a cloud that looked like a human hand, and the side of a hill that had a slightly different hue of brown in it.
Here are pictures of the two other highlights for the rest of the day’s ride.  Kellie… the one on the right is for you.  Yep, Nevada has hay bales too!

 
              
We pulled into our (almost) flea-ridden motel in Wells at about 6:30pm, had our ½-star dinner at the casino next door, and were in bed by 8:15.  I’m not sure about Sharon, but I was asleep by about 8:17.  Oh… the chocolate cream pie was pretty darn good though.
407 miles for the day;   793 for the trip;   6,674’ highest elevation of the day.

Saturday 9/8
4am – Ned up.  6am – Ned pacing… trying to get Sharon to stir just a little, so he can gently and playfully bounce, pant, and wag his tail…
6:10 -  Bouncing, panting, wagging… check.    7:30 – Off and Away.
It was a cool morning but we packed knowing we were gonna be near 10,000’ in elevation on this Adventure Ride, so we layered up and were snug as two little bugs.  We didn’t even use the leather jacket liners, nor our long underwear.  It wasn’t that cold.
Our first stop was in Jackpot, at the State line between Nevada and Idaho.  We met these three guys from Alberta, who were on their yearly ride from their home in the north, to Las Vegas, where they stored their bikes for the winter.  They fly home from there, and then fly back in the spring, and ride their bikes back to Canada.  This was the third time they’ve made this migration, and fit the stereotypical image of Harley Riders to a tee.  Let’s say they were aloof.  They were (at least) polite, so I will be too, and won’t use a different word that might sound offensive.  It would be more accurate though.


I’d been wanting to throw some of my money away at a roulette table since we’d gotten into Nevada, but hadn’t found a non-video version of the game.  Unfortunately, Jackpot had a casino that had one.  It wasn’t unfortunate that I was able to throw my money away… I had tremendous success at doing just that.  The unfortunate thing was that it gave Sharon and I a chance to get into what has to date, been the worst fight of our relationship.
I wanted to be silly and goofy while I was throwing my money away, and based on her experience working in the industry years ago, Sharon wanted me to follow the proper protocol of behavior while I was inside the casino.  Our two visions of what we wanted were diametrically opposed, and even though I thought she was cute while she was getting upset at me, the same cannot be said for her.  It wasn’t until we stopped for breakfast, 70 miles up the road, that she would even speak with me.  I promised her… next time I went into a casino, I would act more dignified and calm for her.
After going across a bridge across a beautiful canyon with the Snake River below (not to be confused with The Snake River Canyon… which I have seen and is as breath taking as The Grand Canyon in my opinion), we stopped at Mammoth Ice Cave and Museum.  It is the largest (by volume and open to the public) volcanic cave in the United States, and was pretty cool.  Get it?  It was cool in the ice cave.  Hardee har har.  The entrance fee was a lot of money, but it gave me another opportunity to throw money down a hole.
The museum was, in Sharon’s words, “The most eclectic collection of items she’d ever seen,” and I had to agree with her.  It had everything from Indian arrowheads to snakes and spiders.  From a stuffed giraffe to a gar.  From dinosaur bones to dried flowers.  Yes indeed… it was like being in Oz.  It had lions and tigers and bears, oh my.  And that wasn’t a typo back there… I’d never heard of a gar, but by golly this museum had several of them, caught in a lake in West Texas of all places.


Finally, after hundreds of miles of flat, dry, brown, high Nevada desert… we made it to Sun Valley, ID.  I’d heard about this place my whole life, and had built up a grand picture in my head of the geo-graphic splendor and beauty I would experience.  Instead, both Sharon and I found the place to be placid and sterile.  I had never been to a ski resort where the roads leading to it were so straight and flat.  The mountains were more like rolling hills, and it took us about 30 minutes (which included several incorrect directions from more than two of the locals) before we found a beer pub with outdoor seating.  The beer was pretty good though, I must say.


After our moods had been adjusted properly at the pub, we remounted Honey and headed out of town, hoping to find greener pastures.  We did.  The road map said the elevation of Galena Pass was 8,990’, but the sign said 8,701’.  For historical purposes, I’m gonna split the difference and call it 8,846’.  Leaving Sun Valley was as good for us as leaving the boring brown desert in Wells had been earlier that morning.  Funny how expectations can set us up for disappointments isn’t it?  Luckily, the next half of the day’s ride was outstanding.  The pictures aren’t as good as it really was, but they’re better than me spending a thousand words trying to describe it.



Something else that’s hard to explain with words to anyone who hasn’t experienced this, is how nice it is sometimes to ride on the open roads without wearing a helmet.  Neither of us does this very often, but to me, the feeling can be described as the difference between driving a hard top car versus driving a convertible.
There were no suitable photo ops for the next portion of our ride, which followed the Salmon River through Stanley, and down into Challis, but for any of you road trip aficionados out there… believe me… this is one of the nicest roads you’ll ever ride (or drive, god forbid, if you don’t ride) in your life.  It has wonderful scenery and perfectly orchestrated twists and turns to make your heart sing.
After picking our motel for the night, we settled into bed and were lights out by 9pm.  It was a wonderful Day 3, and put us at 351 miles for the day and 1,146 for the trip.  If you were paying attention, you already know the highest elevation of the day.
I was already looking forward to tomorrow, which was going to begin with a “Plate sized cinnamon roll” for me, and a left over chocolate cream pie for Sharon.  When she ordered the pie after dinner, she told me, “I’m doing a chocolate cream pie comparison test across the United States,” hence the name of this story.

Sunday 9/9  (Otherwise known as, “It’s off to Grandmother’s house we go.”)
5am – Ned up.  Just as I was finishing up the morning’s journal entry, and thinking to myself how I was going to gently wake up Sharon…
7am – She rolled over and said, “I love you.”
9am – Off and away.  It was a very relaxing and peaceful morning ride as we continued following the Salmon River as it flowed north (which is not normal for rivers in the northern hemisphere).  We stopped after about 30 miles to add another layer of clothing in the cool morning air, and it wasn’t until after I had pointed my camera at the river, that we noticed the four deer making their crossing.


There was a fire in the area and it was pretty smoky as we crested the 7,214’ summit and crossed into Montana, the fourth State of our Adventure Ride.  The sun was warming the air as we headed down from the summit, and our next stop before getting to our destination this day was to remove layers of clothing and take a picture of Honey in her surroundings.
As we started off again, Sharon gave me a big hug from her position on Honey behind me, and whispered into my ear, “Thank you so much for making this such a beautiful journey.”  I just shrugged and said, “You shouldn’t thank me… thank God.”

2pm - We arrived at Sharon’s grandmother’s home and settled in for a nice relaxing visit.  It was a very short ride of 224 miles for the day and brought our total to 1,368, and once again… you already know the maximum elevation we reached that day.  Forest fires are terrible and tragic, but they do make for spectacular sunsets.



Monday 9/10
6:45am – NED SLEPT IN and we both got up at the same time! 
8:45am – I had my coffee and the gals had tea, and then we were off and away, in search of our good luck morning beverage.  It didn’t take us long… we found Jerry’s about 15 miles down the road.  He was a colorful dude.  Said he’d ridden over 300,000 miles in his life and had saved all (approx.) 100 tires he’d worn out during the process.
We also met a nice couple of gals outside his place.  Deb and Colleen said they weren’t related, so I called them “The prettiest non-blood sisters I’d seen in a long time.”  They were extremely cute, and so was their companion Eric, but wasn’t nearly as photogenic as Jerry.



             
The next 50 miles or so of the ride, following the Little Blackfoot River into Helena, was very fun, and for several different reasons.  Number one, it gave Sharon and I another opportunity to experience the connection we have:  As we passed an older model Jeep CJ5, I leaned back and told her, “If we lived here, I would buy you that Jeep.”  Without missing a beat, she responded with gusto, “I want that Jeep.”
Seeing new (to me) things is another thing that makes me happy, and this contraption falls into that category.  It’s called a buck rake, and it’s used for making haystacks.


Another example of the (simple is as simple does) fun for me was this haystack, and this young gentleman named Tim Cole.  He was a working that day as a flagman at the road construction going on, and if you can imagine his hard hat as a black cowboy hat… you’d see a better image of what this young buck was like.  He told us that instead of finishing high school, he and one of his buddies took off on their motorcycles and toured the United States for two years.  Said they’d gone all the way down the west coast to the tip of Baja… across the Country through Texas… up the east coast into Maine… and then back to his home in Montana.
When I gave him my business card so he could go to my blog and read about himself, he reached for his wallet.  I thought he was gonna give me one of his, but he said he was waiting for them in the mail.  He used a term I wasn’t familiar with, which is the street term for what type of business he was getting ready to start.  Basically… he wants to do what he did with his Acura. 
He said the only thing stock on the car was the interior and the body.  Everything else was ‘gone through and customized.’  He’d modified the 4-cylinder engine to pump out 475 horsepower, and had put in a GPS and the associated electronics required to give him real time information about not only the road conditions, but also the location of all the law enforcement vehicles in the area.  Yep, Timmy Cole… he was definitely a character to be reckoned with let me tell ya.  First Jerry, then Mr. Cole.  This day was full of fun for Ned.  Oh… and the scenery and road were pretty good too.


Our next stop was for gas at the approximate mid-point of our Adventure Ride.  Wow… we were already 5 days and over 1,500 miles into the ride.  Good thing I was having too much fun to be sad it was already almost half over.  The other thing that helped me was that I was getting ready to get together with my favorite (kissing) cousin Tam and her (not to be kissed) husband Billy.  And the following day was gonna be the highlight of the trip, our ride over Beartooth Pass, which had been rated the #1 road for motorcycles last year.  And when we come down the summit from there… we’d be in Yellowstone National Park.  Yes indeed… I still had a lot to look forward to… no time (or need) to be sad.
So anyway… when we stopped for gas, I used the station’s facilities and found the cleanest, best smelling gas station restroom I’d ever been in.  The guys in the garage both gave me big smiles and thank yous when I told them so.  Most people put pictures of just the scenery and people they see along their Adventure Rides.  That’s what makes my blogging so much more complete.  I like to include the little things that will really make you feel like you’re here with me.  That’s why I call my blog ... adventure stories and more ...
Oh… one more (simple) example of the fun I was having… road signs I’ve never seen before:  “ Watch for Fallen Rock” – I’d seen “Falling Rock” many times in the past, but when I saw “Fallen,” all of a sudden I realized how unlikely it was that you would actually see the rock as it fell.  Duh.
The other sign that made me smile was, “Watch for Stock” - which took me a second to figure out.  I’d seen “Livestock” before… and then… again, it made perfect sense.  Even if the animal wasn’t alive… if it was on the road, it was going to be a problem, right?
4:30pm – We pulled into Tam & Billy’s driveway and were immediately welcomed into their home with open arms.  It was almost… no, it WAS embarrassing, watching Billy clean Honey for me, as the gals and I chatted away.  Dinner was spectacular and the conversation was just as good.

            
             
They have a beautiful home in Billings Heights (the best kept secret in Montana), and they left Billy’s basement/ personal museum for last part of their tour.  Here are only a few of the trophies he had mounted on the walls and placed on the floor.  The bear at the top is the largest bear (based on the size of its skull) ever ‘brought down by an arrow in Montana.’






I excused myself to the bedroom at 8:15pm, with the sound of three happy voices filling the home with love and… fun.  This was definitely a very fun day.  Which also included 309 miles, and brought our total to 1,677.  And no, I didn’t mention it earlier… our high elevation of the day was 6,325’.

Tuesday 9/11
3:45am – After 7 ½ hours of rest, I decided that as long as I wasn’t sleeping, I’d go ahead and get up and do my journaling and coffee drinking.  Sharon was expecting me to wake her at her normal time of 7am, but she was going to get a little surprise.  I’ll sign off now, and let you know later how it went for her.  I mean, how it went for me.
6:15am – Everyone was happy and drinking coffee and tea (whew, Sharon didn’t mind getting up earlier than planned).  Billy had a hunting engagement, so wasn’t gonna join the rest of us on our ride over The Beartooth, but it was impossible not to love this guy anyway.  He is the youngest 70-year old I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.  I hope I can be as young spirited and physically as healthy as he is when I’m his age (which isn’t really that far away in the grand scheme of things).  As an example of both their spirits… they’re both members of a riding group called B.A.S.T.A.R.D.S., which stands for Bikers Against Stupid Twits And Really Dumb Shits.  They’re so cute aren’t they?
7:30am – First it was Billy cleaning Honey, now it was Tam putting air in her tires.  I told them… if they weren’t careful, Sharon and I were going to be moving to Billings.  The only thing they needed to do was to get a bigger bed for their guest room.
      
7:45am – Off and away.  The first stop was in Red Lodge at the base of the pass.  The sign on the bank said it was 52 degrees, but it sure seemed a lot colder than that.  The elevation in town is about 5,500’ and we were going to be going up to almost double that.  One of the patrons in the restaurant we had breakfast in, said it was 34 at the summit.  It was time for the jacket liners and heavy gloves (our long johns were already in place).
I took a total of 10 pictures of our ride over the pass.  None of them did the area any justice whatsoever, but here are a few of them anyway.




          
The smoke from all the fires in the area made the photo ops more frustrating than anything else.  We saw the beauty and the splendor of the place, but here’s an example of what we missed out on.  This is Pilot & Index Peaks… the first one is mine, the second one is a post card I scanned after I got home.

Our time with Tam & Billy was so enjoyable that I literally pouted when it was time to say goodbye.  No offense Tam, but my sorrow was soon replaced by the joy of Yellowstone.
The picture on the top is one I took of the bison walking BETWEEN the cars in front of us.  Sharon took the picture of the other one, along the side of the road not far from there.  In between these two pictures, we broke the Park Rules.  Sharon read in the flyer they passed out at the entrance that we were not supposed to get closer than 25 yards from the bison.  When bison #3 (not pictured) walked past us ON the road… it was only about 2 yards away.  Yes… we almost could have reached out and touched it.




      
3:30pm – Since we were planning to stay two nights in The Park, we decided to get our room early.  Even though this was supposed to be the off-season… there seemed to be a lot of cars and people, and since the first Lodge that was open was located at Yellowstone Falls, which was the primary scene I was looking forward to anyway… we pulled up and went into the registration center.
It was mayhem in there.  When we were finally able to get to the counter, we were told that there were no rooms left in the entire Park.  Sharon, bless her heart, spent the next 30 minutes on my phone (bless you Verizon), and was fortunately able to find us a room.  Unfortunately it was 115 miles away.  Fortunately it was in Jackson Hole.  Unfortunately it was more than twice the cost of what we’d budgeted.  Fortunately it was a spectacular facility and the dinner was five-star, which gave us our third opportunity to throw money in a hole.
The change in plans will add several hundred miles of additional riding to our Adventure, but that’s what this is… an Adventure RIDE!
9:30pm – Lounging in our king sized bed, relishing in the thought of sleeping in the next day and then spending the night at The Inn By The Lake.  Before we had left Yellowstone, we double-checked and were very lucky to have found that someone else had just cancelled their room reservation for the following night!
Highest elevation of the day (and I’m sure of the trip) 10,947’.                                                     Miles for the day - 310;  for the trip – 1,987;  Day Six joyfully complete and in the book.

Wednesday 9/12
6:15am – Boy, it sure felt good to sleep in!                                                                                           8:15am – Sharon got herself out of bed and into the shower all on her own  L.                                  But the bouncing and the panting and the tail wagging were extra special  J!!
We decided to lolly gag this morning, and enjoyed a very pleasant stroll through The Village and had a very nice breakfast.  It was after 11am by the time we got on Honey.  A start that late on an Adventure Ride… unheard of.      
Instead of getting back onto the main highway and high-tailing it back to The Park, we decided to take a little side road for awhile, which gave us some really spectacular views of The Grand Tetons.  It was still a little smoky, but these will give you a fairly good idea what these mountains look like.  What was really interesting to me was how different they looked from only slightly different vantage points as we made the short 9-mile drive along the base.


As we were entering The Park, Sharon gave us our obligatory “I Love You Heart Sign” for good luck.



              
One of the interesting facts we learned, when we got to Old Faithful was that Yellowstone is home to 150 of the world’s 650 geysers.  Here’s a picture for those of you reading this in the hard copy version, and a video for those of you reading this on-line on my blog.


Between our late start and the not so off-season traffic… we had to bypass about ¼ of The Park.  We rode past a few of the gurgling geysers and Sharon and I were both very happy with what we saw from Honey.  Next time we’ll make reservations in advance, so we can spend more time IN The Park, and less time driving to and from it.
One of the stops that we were not going to miss was Yellowstone Falls.

We made it to The Inn at Yellowstone Lake just in time to clean up a bit and then enjoy another five-star dinner at a five-star dining room.  Sharon insisted that we buy an expensive bottle of champagne, and take it up to our room for dessert.  I like her idea of room service desserts.
Day 7 (our intended layover day) ended blissfully after 282 miles, which brought our total to 2,169.  Our high elevation was at the middle of the three Continental divide signs… can you remember what the sign said without looking back at it?

Thursday 9/13
5am – Ned up.  The coffee machine in our room didn’t want to work properly, so the day started off with cold coffee.  Much better than none at all though.                                                                    6am – Sharon up, giggling and happy as usual, but for some reason, I felt a bit off.                        7am – Breakfast at a table in the dining room overlooking Yellowstone Lake.  It was really beautiful, but for some reason… I couldn’t shake my feeling of something not being just right inside me.  And it wasn’t the cold coffee, I was sure of that.
8:00am – As we were heading out the door with our luggage, we stopped and met Ed White, a security guard for The Hotel.  He said he lived in North Carolina, and was looking forward to getting home so he could ride in warmer weather for the winter.  The picture next to him shows you the frost we found on Honey that proved his point.

    

Our first stop was just about two miles down the road for gas, and my mood instantly changed.  Before we got to the gas station, we slowed almost to a stop to look at the second male elk we’d seen in The Park, along the side of the road.  He had just crossed, and I scanned the side that he’d come from to see if I could see another of his family or friends that might be with him.  Sure enough, his wife was there.  She started slowly running in the same direction we were going, so I matched her pace.  She sped up… I sped up.  She increased her gallop again, and I asked Honey to speed up hers too.
Now, Mrs. Elk was at a slow, comfortable, but full gallop.  I looked down at Honey’s speedo, and saw that we were going almost 30mph.  If that was a slow and comfortable gallop, I’m guessing the woman we were paralleling could’ve run at least 40-45mph if she’d wanted to.
We had to turn off the road for our gas, and as we said goodbye to her, I smiled to myself and thanked The Park and The Universe for helping me get out of the funk I’d been in.  Those brief moments when we were riding alongside that elk will stay with me forever.  It was the Adventure Moment of The Trip for me, and we’d had some good ones (already), and I knew there were many more to come.  Ned being happy happy happy… check.
Honey was happy too.  When I filled her tank and crunched the numbers I calculated that even with all the quick accelerations to pass the slower cars in front of us over the last 172 miles… she’d gotten 45 miles per gallon.  She has always loved the thin mountain air.  She and I are very much alike in that aspect.  Cue The Doobie Brothers, “Running on Empty.”
Our route out of The Park was going to backtrack the road we’d just been on the afternoon before, so I allowed my mind to wander just a bit.  I started thinking about the layers of clothes I was wearing (it was probably about 35 degrees, and with the wind chill it was probably closer to 15, but neither of us felt cold at all).
From the bottom up:  cotton socks, wool socks, boots, underwear, long johns, jeans, chaps, rain pants, short sleeve t-shirt, long sleeve t-shirt, lightweight jacket, hoodie, leather jacket, with liner, baklava (that’s what I called the combo hood/ neck warmer thingy), the hood of my hoodie, helmet, and sunglasses (I count the sunglasses, because my helmet doesn’t have a visor).  That’s a total of 18 items, and I still had a sweater in the tail bag that I could’ve put on if I’d needed it.

                                       
We stopped twice on our way to the Artist’s Paintpots, where we took a 45-minute stroll, our first (and only) hike on this visit to The Park.  Next time, like I said before… we’ll make our hotel/ lodge reservations in advance… as we had learned… there is no off-season in Yellowstone.   Here are a series of pictures for your enjoyment… of The Paintpots, and of some of the other things we saw that morning.  Yellowstone is not over rated.
   

 

We’d entered The Park via the north-east entrance, exited (and re-entered) through the south, and were now exiting via the west.  Ed (White, the security guard) had told us the east entrance and the ride over Chief Joseph Pass toward Cody was one not to be missed, so now we have another reason to come back… as if we needed one.
It was only about 50 miles after we left West Yellowstone that the highway turned into a four-lane road, with a speed limit of 70mph.  After two days of 45mph… it seemed like we were flying.  But it was gonna be a relatively long ride that day, so I was with ok it.  The only stops we made over the last +/- 300 miles of the day were for gas, and a quick stop at Burger King, our first (and most likely last) junk food of the trip.  It’s funny how good their junk tastes, if you don’t eat it very often.
Sharon’s ½-sister Frances, had gotten in touch with two of their father’s brothers, so when we arrived at her house, we were warmly greeted by family Sharon hadn’t seen in many years.  Gale and Rex were wonderful, and shared several cute and poignant stories about their brother Victor (who they called Jay), and I noticed several times that Sharon’s eyes were watering as she smiled, while listening to them.  This was now my highlight of the trip… watching my wife re-connect with family she’d not seen in 40 years.
Left to right: Sharon, Gale, Carol (Rex’s wife), Rex, Christy (Frances’ cousin), and Frances.


It was going to be an even longer ride the next day, and the scenery was going to be far from what we’d been seeing since we’d last left Nevada, so I excused myself at 8:30pm, and left the King Clan to continue their loving encounter on their own.  Sharon joined me about an hour later, softly purring her gratitude for the chance to be with her father’s brothers, as she cuddled up to me.
Highest elevation (after leaving Yellowstone) - 5,245’.                                                                               Miles of the day - 406.                                                                                                                                        Total for The Trip - 2,575.

Friday 9/14
4:55am – My inner alarm told me the one on my phone was going to go off any minute, but I was too tired to get out of bed and turn it off before it woke Sharon.  Fortunately, she is good at going back to sleep in the mornings, something that has always been difficult for me.  Once I wake up, I’m usually too excited to start enjoying the day to go back to sleep again.  Plus… it takes about an hour or so for the coffee to do its work, and I don’t like stopping on the road to release my bowels.  How’s THAT for an “… and more” for you on my blog?  Lol.
Sharon stirred at 6, we were eating breakfast at 7, and Frances was taking some pictures of us loading Honey, and then riding off at 7:45.  It was the earliest departure time since Day One, and it was because we were gonna be doing the longest leg of the trip, over 450 miles.
Our stop near Salt Lake City had required us to be on I-15 for over 200 miles yesterday, and another 100 or so this morning, but when we took our exit to end that drudgery, we stopped (in Nephi) for breakfast, which included another chocolate cream pie.  Wyoming was now the only State on our Trip where we hadn’t sampled that dessert (as long as we don’t forget California).  Sharon thought it was the best, but I thought it was a close second to the one in Wells, NV.
It was during this next stretch of open/ flat desert that I noticed something I’m sure I’d seen before, but couldn’t remember being aware of.  You know how sometimes it looks like there’s water on the road in front of you, off in the distance?  Well… for the first time (that I can remember)… I saw the headlights of the oncoming vehicles reflecting off this mirage.  I pointed it out to Sharon, and she said she could see it too.  Whew… I thought maybe I was having a mirage of a mirage.
Then it was time for Honey to take a short rest in the shade as Sharon fetched us our afternoon beverage.  It was hot, and the next leg of our ride was going to be relatively scenery free.  About 15 miles out of that town (Ely, pronounced ee-lee) we saw a sign we did not want to see.  “Next Services 167 Miles.”  I was counting on finding gas at the only other town on the map between us and our last stop of the day (Tonopah), but that was not going to be the case.  I wondered to myself why they hadn’t put the sign right at the city limits, so we could’ve brought just a little extra fuel with us.
I told Sharon to hunch her head and body down low behind me as much as possible, and I did the same thing behind Honey’s windshield.  It was going to be close.  Although Honey loves the thin mountain air… in normal driving conditions, she gets about 35mpg, and being that her tank holds 4.7 gallons… the sign and the associated math said we were going to be 2.5 miles short of the “Next Services.”
At our first stop to stretch, a tanker truck came out of the desert to get on the highway.  Sharon walked over and asked the driver if we were gonna find any gas between us and Tonopah.  The driver told her we could ask the folks at the refinery down the road, and they’d most likely help us out.
As we approached the refinery, Sharon did something that surprised the heck outta me, but also made me happy in my own weird way.  I asked her if she was willing to risk continuing down the road in our moderately uncomfortable hunched position, as part of making this an adventure ride.  She didn’t hesitate a second, as she said, “I’m with you sweetheart, I’ll go along with your decision.”
About 50 miles up the road, and coincidentally exactly where there was a place to pull over and rest… we stopped to mark a noteworthy event.  It was the 3,000-mile mark of The Ride.  I’d done 3k several times and one of my rides was over 4k, but this was about Sharon.  My Motorcycle Momma was now going to get pinned (when we got to our motel room that is).           
I’m pretty good at math, and during the leg, I’d crunched the numbers over and over in my head to be sure… as long as my (trip) odometer got to 136 miles before I had to reach down and move Honey’s gas valve to reserve… we would most likely make it.  At the 132 mile mark… I made the switch.  We hunkered down even more, and hoped for the best, but I’d noticed the head wind strengthening over the last few minutes, and I wasn’t feeling overly optimistic.
My first idea was to pull over and wait for a big rig truck, or an RV to come by and pull in and draft behind it.  We waited for about 15 minutes, without any luck and finally decided to try to get in behind the next vehicle of any sort that came by. 
While we had been waiting on the side of the road, we’d asked The Universe to have the wind die down, and to provide us with a truck or an RV, and sure enough… it worked.  After the RV passed us, we added an addendum to our request:  “Dear Universe, the RV needs to be going in our direction.”
When the next vehicle came (going in our direction) we pulled out as it approached… gently accelerated to about 55mph to allow it to catch up and pass us… and then watched as it screamed past us going well over 80mph.  Even if I could get in behind it, it wouldn’t have been safe, and the gas I’d use trying to get to, and maintain that speed would’ve made the attempt pointless, with the extra gas it would take to do it.
About 10 minutes after failing at our attempt to draft off a vehicle… our RV appeared… sitting still… in a rest stop… with a very nice gentleman… and a 5-gallon gas can with about ½ gallon of gas in it.  He’d just refilled the small SUV his wife was driving, and had left just enough for us in the can.
We spent about 10 minutes chatting with Jessie and Ann Morland, and then got back on the road, with a celebratory fast acceleration to 80mph with both of us sitting up straight and proud.  About 5 minutes later, something strange happened.  A strong gust of wind came out of nowhere and hit us upside our heads.  Honey lurched to the right, and my helmet was knocked askew.  I knew instantly what it was.  It was The Universe, reminding us to give thanks for Its help.  Our prayers had truly been answered.  I inwardly thanked The Universe, and Jessie and Ann, and got a very pleasant warm feeling all through my body (and again now, as I write this).


We had a decent meal and both fell into bed, happy but exhausted after the 478-mile day, and all its excitement.  I told Sharon she’d have to wait until morning for her excitement and the pinning I’d promised her, and she agreed without any outward or apparent disappointment.
Highest elevation – 7,722’.   Total Mileage for The Trip – 3,053.

Saturday 9/15
4:45am – I’d been hoping to sleep in a bit… today was going to be less than ½ as many miles as the day before.  We were going to have to go over a pass of almost 10,000’, and I wanted the air to warm up a little before we got there.  But the thought of going through the upcoming scenic terrain, and the thought of Sharon’s pinning ceremony, were both too much for this little kid to sleep through.  We were going to go over Tioga Pass and through the High Country of Yosemite!
7am – Sharon awake.  8:45am – Off and away!
It was a quiet and somber ride for us that morning.  Although Honey’s back is very comfortable, we were both feeling the effects of the extended time we’d been in her saddle, and all the miles we’d covered, but mostly… we were both aware that two days from now… we’d be waking up in our own bed, at home in Santa Cruz, and then getting up and going to work.  We agreed… we were both grateful and sad to be almost done with The Adventure.  But it wasn’t over yet!
I’ve basically spent my entire life on Highway 120, but it had always been between Lee Vining/ Mono Lake, and Escalon/ Stockton.  I’d never been on the short section at the eastern end.  The ride from Benton Hot Springs to Lee Vining was now the best road of The Trip!  Besides the nicely banked turns and beautiful mountainous scenery of the Eastern Sierras… it had a whole lot of dips and bumps in it.
There’s a road between La Grange and Coulterville, Highway 132 in the (western) foothills of The Sierras that my youngest daughter Eron coined, “The Roller Coaster Road.”  Well, Eron… this one is even better!  Too bad it doesn’t have a destination of anything to speak of at the other end of it, but if you’re in the area… I highly recommend it.  It is a joyous 25 miles or so.
We stopped for gas and an early lunch at Lee Vining, and then added some layers and started up Tioga Pass to the eastern entrance of Yosemite National Park.  We stopped at the kiosk for a photo op, and I told Sharon it always felt like I was coming home when I got to this part of one of my Adventure Rides.  It made the end of The Adventure seem all that much closer.  Yep, Yosemite is like my second home.  It is always hard to drag me away.  Get it?  Wild Horses (just outside Tonopah).   The song by the Rolling Stones… come on, that’s a good one!


The ride through The High Country continued to be peaceful and quiet for us.  What a glorious way to end an Adventure Ride… this area is like another world… or maybe even like heaven… I hope.


         
We got to the Tindal cabin around 4pm and took a short nap before watching #21 Stanford beat #2 USC (yeay)… eat some dinner… and then hit the hay at about 8:30pm.  Sharon read for a short time like she normally does, with me curled up against her.  I guess I’m already in heaven aren’t I?  J
Day 10:  Highest Elev. – 9.945’;   The day’s ride – 244 miles;  The total to date – 3,297.

Sunday 9/16  (also known as, “The last day of the trip”)
5:45am – Ned up.  7am – Sharon smiles. 
We took a stroll down to Stout Lake, located on the property behind a gate at the end of the dirt and gravel road outside of Greeley Hill, about 45 minutes from The Park entrance.  My family used to be one of the five families who owned the property, but even though we no longer have legal rights, the other families still like to have us visit and enjoy the place, especially the Tindal/ Witts who own the cabin we stay at when we visit.

          
As we were walking back from the lake, Sharon asked me an interesting question.  She asked, “When you’re here… floating on the lake… and you’re allowing yourself to go off into your deep subconscious… how old are you?”  I had to think for a while… I’d been coming here for 42 years… from the time I was 13 years old.  How old was I, when I was daydreaming here?  My answer… “When I’m here but not here… I’m ageless and timeless.”
The picture to the right of the cabin is of an oak tree, which reminds me of me.  It’s hard to tell the scale from the picture, but the (almost dead) trunk is about five feet in diameter.  It had been a large, healthy tree and then almost died, but somehow survived and is now young and thriving again.  Before I met Sharon, I’d gone through some very tough times, and wasn’t sure I would ever thrive again.  Thankfully I recovered, and am now healthier than ever before.  Thank you Gaeir for helping me re-connect with The Universe (the term I choose as an alternative to “God”).  And thank you Sharon, for coming into my life at the correct time of my life.
8:30am – Off and away.
As we were riding down the hill into Coulterville at the base of The Western Foothills of The Sierras… we had another meaningful event.  Ever since I was a kid, I’d always thought that the property at Stout Lake was an area where I could be happy living full time, when I reached a certain age.  I asked Sharon if she could ever consider living there, and she said yes without hesitation.
Now… for the first time in many years… ever since I had to sell my family home in La Selva Beach after my second divorce… I have a defined goal/ dream for my life.  We will buy a home in Santa Cruz… live there until retirement age… then sell it, and buy property in the Greeley Hill (Groveland) area.  We will then turn that home into a B & B and B.  A Bed and Breakfast for Bikers (motorcyclists).  Oh… and the home we sell in Santa Cruz will have a ‘granny unit’ on the property, that we will still have rights to stay in, as part of the agreement when we sell it.  Dream defined, let the manifestation begin.
Our next stop was at Lake McClure.  I’d rode (or driven) past it too many times to count, but this time we stopped at Horseshoe Bend Recreational Area.  When I took Honey down to the water line so she could put her hooves in the water, we were about 50’ below the high water line (on a good year).



We had a nice breakfast in Merced, and then drove another 30 miles or so to our last gas stop of The Adventure.  The previous stop for gas had been in Lee Vining, on the east side of the Sierras, and after a short 12-mile ride up to the summit on Tioga Pass, the bulk of the ride that followed was almost all down hill.  When I filled Honey’s tank, I did the math… it was the best mileage of The Trip, 46 mpg.  If only we’d been able to get that mileage when we needed it coming into Tonopah.
No… wait… if we had… we wouldn’t have had a chance to coast into the rest stop out in the middle of the Nevada desert and meet Jessie and Ann.  Yep… I don’t call my rides Adventure Rides for nothin’ ya know.
As we came over Hecker Pass, past Mt. Madonna and down to sea level… the coastal air was finally cool enough to put on something over our t-shirts.  Before we put our hoodies back on, I took a picture.  Yep… it’s no mystery… Honey and Sharon and I are made for each other.

         
It’s hard to see in the picture, but we’re making our trademark heart hand sign.
After stopping at Gayle’s Bakery in Capitola for the fifth chocolate cream pie in six different States (we missed Wyoming), we decided that even though Wells, Nevada was otherwise a town to be forgotten… its chocolate cream pie was the best.  Well… I decided that anyway… Sharon voted for the one in Nephi, UT.  We’ll be arguing about that one for years I’m sure… pending further research.
We were parked and unloading Honey at 3pm after 11 glorious days on The Road.  Adventure Ride complete, totally successful.  “Victorious,” according to Sharon.  I agreed with her about that… but not the pie.
205 miles for the day.
3,502 miles for The Adventure.



THE END

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