As you know, I’ve been working on my motorcycle (thanks, Ed!). All the fixing, adjusting, lubricating, and tweaking has been in preparation for a long solo ride through Arizona, Nevada, and California.
Launch date is just a few days away, and my concerns have shifted from maintenance to packing. What to bring, and how much? Well, that’s easy . . . whatever I can stuff into the available space! I really shouldn’t stress about it. I’ll be staying with the kids in Las Vegas and with friends in California; AFAIK they all have washing machines.
The original plan was to cross into California from Beatty, Nevada, about 100 miles north of Las Vegas. I had hoped to spend the first night with friends in Mammoth Mountain, then ride up 395 on the east side of the Sierras to South Lake Tahoe and down 50 to Sacramento. This plan was undone by circumstance and fear . . . the circumstance being my friends are on vacation in Europe; the fear being early snow in the mountains, a distinct possibility. So I’m entering California the same way I’d originally planned to leave it, by the southern route: I-15 between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. This means two nights with my Long Beach friends Terry and Judy, but that’s more than okay, because I haven’t seen them for a long time (whether it’s okay with them remains to be seen).
Here’s the itinerary:
- Monday, 4 Oct: Tucson to Las Vegas
- Tuesday, 5 Oct: Las Vegas to Long Beach
- Wednesday, 6 Oct: Long Beach to Sacramento
- Thursday, 7 Oct: riding in Sierra Nevada foothills north of Sacramento
- Friday, 8 Oct: Sacramento to Novato
- Saturday, 9 Oct: riding in Bay area, Novato to San Jose
- Sunday, 10 Oct: San Jose to Long Beach via Coast Highway
- Monday, 11 Oct: Long Beach to Las Vegas
- Tuesday, 12 Oct: Las Vegas to Tucson
The only legs I’m not looking forward to are the ones between Las Vegas and Long Beach, and from Long Beach to Sacramento . . . two all-day super-slab slogs, with the added thrill of rush hour traffic at the destinations. Riding through Phoenix . . . also a big meh. But the rest of the trip should be a blast, especially the two days I’ve scheduled for recreational riding in northern California, and the return to Long Beach down the California coast.
I’m bringing not one but two helmets. One is full-face, good for cold and rain but not particularly comfortable; the other is a half-shell, good for hot weather and quite comfortable. I’m also packing cold and hot weather riding gear, and a rain suit. I plan to take frequent breaks and use the cruise control to stay at the posted speed limit. Yes, I’ll be careful and prudent. But even so, I’ll appreciate your good wishes. And if you’re driving anywhere in Arizona, Nevada, or California during the next two weeks, turn off your cell phone and pay attention to your driving!
Speaking of helmets, two of the three states I’ll be riding in have helmet laws. Arizona doesn’t, and I’ll admit I sometimes ride without one here. But I wouldn’t protest if Arizona adopted a helmet law. In fact, I think I’d welcome it, because it would help keep me on the straight and narrow. And how interesting that just this morning, the American Motorcyclist Association posted this status update to Facebook:
Here’s my response:
You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold dead fingers, but if you insist, okay, I’ll wear a damn helmet!