Yosemite to San Francisco

Friday 8/27/2010

    Tom and I parted ways this morning after we made it out of the park. He was a fun guy to ride and hang out with. Thanks for the adventure, education and comradery you old bird! Hope our paths cross again.

    After seeing what I could of Yosemite, I headed dead West today (been heading North/Northwest for the last 3 days). Not much to report other than an exciting feeling for wanting to cross the Golden Gate Bridge w/ The Norm. Decided to grab a hotel room at the Grand Hyatt downtown SF for the night (will go over the bridge tomorrow). I have a couple free stays left thanks to all the traveling I did for HP over the years.

    Finally got to take a shower (been 3 days) and gave myself a haircut. Feel nice and refreshed now, ready to tackle Northern California. Next stop, Napa Valley!

Kings Canyon to Yosemite National Park (still & Tom)

Thursday 8/26/2010

  Didn't take many photos today, more riding than sightseeing. However, that doesn't mean we didn't see anything great. Left the tall trees that morning and headed into some fun back roads w/ miles of turns. Saw some spectacular lakes too (Pine Flat Lake & Bass Lake).  Again, had to drop down to the valley and ride along the lower hills, another scorcher of a day. Passed through a little town called North Fork, it's known for being the exact center of California.

   Ate a late lunch / early dinner at a small Mexican restaurant Tom knew about in Oakhurst (just outside Yosemite), good food. Stayed there for a little while resting and checking emails and making a few phone calls. Up to that point, it had been a long day of just riding.

    Made it into Yosemite late in the day w/ less than a few hours of sunlight left.  AMAZING PLACE! Snagged the last spot in a high elevation campsite. Very dusty place b/c of the lack of rain all over SoCal (getting black boogers here). Didn't have to set up the tents in the dark (like the last 2 days), so that was nice. Forged for firewood b/c we didn't want to pay for any (Tom's teachings).

    We decided on waking up early to get a head start on the day, so lights out early.

Me & The Norm & Tom

Sequoia National Forest to Kings Canyon

Wednesday 8/25/2010

    While I was packing up my tent in the morning after Patrick and Bruce left, I saw a guy on a small motorbike cruzing down a dirt road next to the campsite. He looked pretty adventurous, like a hiker who's just using the motorbike for transportation between trails.

    I actually ran into him on the road out of the forest (beautiful road by the way). His name was Tom, an old bird who's been coming up to these parts for years. He rides a Yamaha 225 w/ a hiking backpack and pretty much only the clothes on his back and a fishing rod. Talk about an adventure man w/ a true passion for wanderlust. He convinced me to stay up in the Sierra Nevada Mountain within just a few minutes of chatting. My original plan was to head back the coast to ride the PCH.

    Had to ride down into the valley west of the mountains through some small towns. Again, hot and sweaty.  

    Came into the Sequoia National Park early afternoon. National Forests are usually free w/o many amenities, while National Parks are not free and have many amenities. Found a beautiful swimming hole just off the road, decided to take a dip. Gear off, trunks on, splash, ahhhh.  Just so happens this same spot I stopped at is one of Tom's favorite fishing holes. He showed up, through in a line while I cooled off in the water. He knows these parts like the back of his hand, so I decided to join him and learn a few things while I'm out this way.

    Spectacular riding through the giant Sequoias in this park.  Altitude between 6000 and 7000 feet. Just awesome, or as Tom likes to say, "Bitchen!"

    Unbelievable views riding down into our campsite in Kings Canyon. Set up tents about 20 feet from a small rushing river. Now at 4000 feet, going to sleep w/ a smile on my face.

Coronado to Sequoia National Forest

    Left Coronado by 9:00am Tuesday 8/24/2010. Mainly highway riding for the first half of the day, I-5 / I-15 / HW 395. Had lunch at some forgotten town on 395, wasn't very good but I was hungry. It was deadly hot in those parts, someone told me it was topping 120 degrees. Glad I have this Camelbak, but still probably sweated a few lbs. Finally made it into the lower hill country where I  spotted a sign that said Trail of 100 Giants, I was close at last. The whole reason I headed up this way was to see the Sequoia trees that are from a time long forgotten.

    Lots of twisties on the way up to the forest, but still uncomfortably hot b/c it started out as a canyon road. The trail of 100 Giants was awesome. HUGE! Unbelievably HUGE trees. I've never seen anything like 'em. Met some random fella who had been hiking for the last 65 days. Was in the Irish military and this was supposedly a hike for charity. Some crazy shit if you ask me, but he was interesting enough.

    Ran out of light really quickly, or at least it felt like it. Found my way to a campsite where a nice old guy named Patrick and his German Sheppard Bruno said I could share his sight and could set my tent up by the light of his fire. We chatted  for a few hours over some beers (also his) about life, business, motorbikes and camping. Good conversations.

    The campsite was in the middle of some redwoods with the sound of a creek nearby. I was sound asleep in minutes.

Sky Diving! (The Norm not included)

    I'd like to start this post w/ a quote from PJ's favorite movie (and possibly one of your's as well). 

"Pure adrenalin, right?! The ultimate rush. Other guys snort for it, jab a vein for it -- all you gotta do is jump." - Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) in Point Break

    That pretty much sums it up. In my entire 30 years of life on this planet I have never felt or experienced anything quite like the rush, thrill, high or whatever you want to call it, like I did while jumping from 13,000 feet out of a perfectly good airplane. Within 60 seconds (the length of the free fall) your mind races through every single emotion available to the human race, and I want to say and then some. My face here is showing the aftermath.

 

    When your feet hit that ground and you have the ability to look back up at where you've just been, your perspective of the world has been forever adjusted. I think I will have to do that again!

   So, PJ was the motivator behind this event and here he is flying in solo on his 25th jump. Nice work brother. Oh, and thanks for one hell of a ride today!

  

San Diego Bay Sailing (The Norm not included)

    A few nights ago I was eating dinner by myself at the Coronado Brewing Company just a few block from PJ's house. I ended up having a great conversation with a local gentlemen named Ross. He owns a yacht service business with accounts at multiple yacht clubs in the San Diego area. He offered to take me out on his own boat while I was in town if I wanted. As a part time recreational sailor myself, I knew not to pass up a day out on the water, especially in weather conditions like San Diego has to offer.

    So when Saturday afternoon rolled around Ross, his girlfriend and I set sail on his 1946 Gaff Catboat named Emily L. Wow! What a cool old boat. She had a very simple rig setup, a large cockpit, ample below deck quarters, a wide foot deck to move around on and a beautifully shaped sail. It was originally used as a fishing boat so you can definitely tell this boat had practicality in mind when it was originally designed.

    I had a great experience spending time out on the bay w/ my new friend. I've never had the opportunity to sail on such a unique boat before, thanks again for a great sail Ross, I'll be in touch.

Day Trippin' in Mexico

    I left PJ's house about 9:00am Friday morning. Decided the night before I was definitely headed South of the boarder for a quick trip into Mexico. Many people tried to shy me away from the idea because of all the recent violence from the drug cartels at the boarder towns, but I received some great advice from a few supporters, "Just keep heading south," they said "you'll be fine."

    I didn't pack my large metal panniers or any camping equipment, but packed all the essential tools and gear in my small Camelbak backpack. My thought process was the less that could get stolen the better. I set my sights on a town called Rosarito for lunch. Not to far from the boarder and overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Thought it seemed quite nice.

    Headed out of Coronado using the south "Strand" back to the mainland.. Only about 4 exits and I hit the boarder. Crossing was a piece of cake. Seems Mexico doesn't care who they let in, but I know on the way back it's going to be another story. Took the scenic road (1D South) which takes you away from all the hustle and bustle of Tijuana right to the coastline for some nice scenic riding. 

    Made it into Rosarito around 11:00am, just in time for an early bird lunch. Lobsters, tortillas and beer. The best way to eat lobster (as of now) is wrap it in a fresh flower tortilla and then hand dip it into the melted butter. Spectacular! Met another motorbiker at this lunch spot (who also was having the lobster), he was on his way back from a town just over an hour south of here called Ensenada. The bartender also told me about a little spot called the "Blow Hole" in La Bufadora which is just a little further south of Ensenada. Some rocks spew water (like a whale) when the waves enter into a crack at the bottom of the cliffs. Well, since I was already enjoying my short visit, and it sounded like wasn't finished exploring yet, further south I was headed!

    The ride down to La Bufadora was amazing. Road was paved, but it has some really nice twisties that followed the coastline so the views were spectacular and the weather was perfect.

    

    Here is the "Blow Hole" at La Bufadora. Had to stand back a bit so the camera wouldn't get wet.

    By the time I was headed North it was getting late and I felt like stopping one last time to soak up as much of Mexico as I could on this day trip. I stopped at a little outdoor cafe between La Bufadora and Ensenada and filled up on a cerveza and some homemade toasted tortillas before making my way back north. 

    Getting back into the States was pretty interesting. When I finally made it back into Tijuana the 405 was slammed. Luckily,"lane splitting" is practiced regularly in these parts as well and so I slowly made my through the cars, trucks, people, jugglers, fruit stand carts, furniture makers, beggars, insurance salesmen, soda bottle venders and trinket peddlers. I literally felt like I was driving through the middle of a circus. It was a pretty fun way to end the ride. Made it to within 200 feet of the boarder and ended up sitting for almost an hour. Normally I would have been cursing under my breath, but todays adventure kept my mind occupied. Today, there was no complaints, I made it back in one piece :)

    

Norm Gets New Shoes!

Well, the goodies I mentioned earlier were new tires. I decided to get The Norm a more aggressive off road tire, that aesthetically fit the bike perfect. Norm definitely looks a little more adventurous now. I also decided to keep his old shoes because they still have a lot of life left in them. So it doesn't look like I will be reducing the weight as originally planned.

Here is a photo of where Norm's been sleeping in Coronado, PJ's garage.

Los Angles to San Diego (Coronado)

Not to much to report, but since its been a while since my last post, thought I should give a few updates.

    I finally got back in the saddle and headed out of LA Sunday. It felt really good to be riding again. I had a couple days off, so it took quite a few miles to get used to all the weight The Norm has to carry again. I think I need to shed some items to try and lighten up the load a little bit. While I'm here in Coronado I'll comb through everything and see what I can live without on this trip.

    So in California there is a law called "Lane Splitting". If you are unfamiliar w/ this law, basically it allows motorcyclists the right to ride in between lanes and therefore in between cars & trucks occupying those lanes. Let me just say, it takes some big cojones to split lanes on the LA freeways, so I have a lot respect for those riders that do it day in and day out. I went to the motorbike shop last Friday afternoon to get The Norm an oil change and I had my first lane splitting lesson for about 20 straight miles down to Long Beach on the 405 Freeway during rush hour. It's quite an eye opening and heart racing experience. I can honestly say it's not my first choice for city riding, however I also know sitting for hours in traffic and smog is not what motorbikes are made for. If you ever find yourself in California, try splitting lanes and let me know how your experience is. I have a feeling it will be quite similar to my own.

    I came to San Diego to see an old friend of mine from high school, PJ Ramsey. He's and old wrestling buddy who's now a Port Side Linesman for the Goodyear Blimp. It's been really great catching up and just hanging out. I had no idea there was a place like Coronado almost right in the heart of San Diego. Its a small beach community w/ an island feel. 

    Spent most of Monday cleaning and wrenching on The Norm. I think I have finally beaten the chain issue I've had so much trouble with. Heading back to a BMW shop later today to pick up some more goodies. 

Day 7: Lake Havasu to Los Angles

Headed South from Lake Havasu around 8:00 am and followed the river.  Great scenery, road undulation and small river towns to peak my visual interest. 

Headed into California on HW 62. Passed through a boarder checkpoint and road through miles upon miles of desert. Pretty much a long, long, hot and boarding ride, except when I got stuck in the sand (see photo). I tried to ride a dirt trail that ran parallel to the highway, because of the boredom, but found out very quickly that it had about 8 inches of sand in some parts. Lesson learned, don't ride in the sand :) 

Passed through a few towns like 29 Palms and Joshua Tree but  didn't stop to look around, only gas. 

HW 62 merged into I-10 closer to LA. Rode through some heavy traffic and was glad to get off the bike. I'm currently couch crashing with a good friend from college, Jesse Daniels. He's also an Industrial Designer. Him and his girlfriend have been very hospitable and have made me feel very welcome. I think I will just enjoy LA for a few days before I head back on the road. 

My next plan is to ride the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) North up to Oregon. I'll keep everyone informed on when I start that journey. In the meantime, no more posts from LA.