everything but hail..part two..or…

…the rest of Heathers first big moto tour! So, after a great evening of eating and drinking at Lake Tahoe it was time to head back home. Sunday morning in Tahoe was beautiful..twenty eight degrees beautiful!!!! Getting tired of being cold and Heather is pretty burned out on looking like the Michelin Woman! Ah well..hey wait..theres a Sports Bar up the street..let’s go watch MotoGP have breakfast and let the day warm up!! What an idea. So after a good race (on 3 big screen TV’s!) a great breakfast and a Bloody Mary..anti-freeze ya know!..the day has warmed up just great, as in now it’s twenty nine degrees!! Load the TDM, pile on the electric clothing and the Michelin Woman and I are on the road.
Out towards Truckee Californina and Hiway 89 through Sierraville. High mountain meadows a couple of Sportbike riders at rapid pace..heading for breakfast no doubt..and then onto Hiway 49..one of my all time favorites. South towards Nevada City with a quick stop in Downieville. Riding along the Yuba River is one of the most beautiful rides in all of California, you really must do it sometime. The problem is it’s so beautiful that every now and then it’s “whoa! Where’d that corner come from?” All in all truly wonderful Sierra riding.
Gas stop. Nevada City. A classic old California gold mining town. It’s also eighty seven degrees now..off with warm stuff into the ventilated gear..oh and a beer too! Continuing along Hwy 49 through Grass Valley, Auburn and Placerville then turn east on Ebbits Pass. No Cars, big wide open sweepers and hey..it’s damn cold again!! As we crest the Pacific Summit..another 9000′ plus pass it’s back on with the warmies. In the span of six hours we’ve gone from 29′ to 87′ back down to 30′. All in a days ride in the Sierra’s. Down Monitor Pass to Hwy 395 and look for a campground. Chris Flat along the Walker River. No one there..perfect set up for an axe murderer movie!? Also..really damn cold and windy. Now, where’s that anti freeze??
Monday morning..beyond cold. Water bottles frozen solid and Heathers contact lenses keep sticking to her finger..she can’t get them in her eyes. Oh well, I look better when she can’t see anyway. Even Jeffs BMW GS didn’t want to wake up and go. More great scenery and then the spectacular June Lake Loop. Fall colors like you can’t believe..right out of a Kodak film commercial. Stopping for pictures every fifty yards sure slows down a trip..but well worth it!!
The day is warming up but we can see some not so pretty scenery looming on the horizon..sure enough..a little more than hour later..on with the rain gear!!?? Doesn’t really rain too bad until Red Rock Canyon then the Biblical Forty days and Forty Nights hits us and Hurricane Zelda…all over the road we’re in the left lane..no we’re not..we’re in the right lane..now the left. Sheesh. A quick gas stop in Mojave and we’re on the last leg home. A little detour by Willow Springs Raceway..Heather wanted to see where I used to race..and it’s back onto Hwy 138. I forgot one thing about big rain storms in the desert..FLASH FLOODS!!! We rode through a dozen axel deep washouts over the next 30 miles. A half an hour later that road was closed. Onto I5..people looking at us like we’re nuts!! We are!! Especially because we were going faster than all of them. Once you get used to riding in the rain,it’s pretty fun.
So we made it home and Heathers big tour came to a soggy end. The best part…she was still smiling and wondering when our next one was going to be. Thats my girl.
See you on the road,
Paul