By the numbers:
- 1 – Nightmare of crashing
- 1 - iPod Idiot
- 10 - beers to a sampler
- 16 - hours in the saddle
Things went so well the night before. I was feeling pretty confident that I’d have it all taken care of. And I did…for the most part. Happy hour with Jeanine was a must – who else would encourage extra margaritas the night before a big trip? I was good and made it home by 7:30pm to get the rest done – one load of laundry, clothes laid out, various toiletries in a bag, passport, etc. I was “done” by 11pm and figured I’d get a pretty good night sleep. Almost.
I woke up at 3am with a jump and my heart beating fast. Turns out my bike wasn’t running right and caused me to crash. My worst fears came true in my dream, er, nightmare. I half wanted to go back to sleep to see who the gorgeous brunette was – hubba hubba. I decided more sleep would be the best idea and try to put her, and my bike concerns, out of my mind.
I get up before my alarm and put everything in place in about 15 minutes. Sweet. I’m ahead of schedule. Or so I thought.
I get everything down on the bike and remember I wanted a few audio books on my iPod. Back up to my room to quickly download a few and slap them on my iPod. I want to add them to my playlist and check and un-check a few boxes and begin the download. I grab some breakfast, double and triple check everything and go to grab my iPod and get outta town. I unplug it and look it over only to find that all I have on my iPod is my books – and none of my music! Doh! An hour and a half later, I’m frustrated but on the road.
It’s chilly out but I figure it would warm up a bit by the time I hit Healdsburg and I was right. It’s the picturesque scene you see in the movies. It really is a pretty area…and happens to by just a few miles from one of my favorite roads. I decided that if I was headed north, I might as well ride my favorite roads. Sure, I could ride them anytime but why not ride them every chance I get?? I head from 101 to Highway 1 on the coast and it’s great. No traffic, no cops, sunny weather and not hot. Perfect. A great way to start a vacation.
I make it to the coast and the weather has turned cold and overcast but that’s nothing unusual. I look at my watch and realize it’s already noon. Shit. I’m late. Real late. I take off up Highway 1 to Fort Bragg to have lunch at one of my favorite breweries – North Coast Brewery. As I ride up, I see a full lobby and wonder if I’ll even get a seat. No worries. I slip into the last table in the bar area and order the beer sampler. Yum – 10 delicious beers to make me forget about being late. A south-western burger gives me a taste of New Mexico I’ll be repeating in a couple weeks.
I head north. No, I haul ass north. I need to make up some time. And Highway 1 agrees and let’s me make turn after turn with ease. Until I get about 60 miles north and I’m thwarted with a rain storm. I expect fog and mist on 1, but this is rain. Real rain. Shit, again. I’m slowed down to 15 mph since visibility is a few feet ahead of me and the road is snot-slick. Well, this isn’t looking good for making it to Oregon before nightfall.
Fortuna can’t come soon enough and I make a quick right to my favorite road in America – so far! Highway 36 is the most ideal road for a motorcyclist – great pavement, banked turns, elevation changes, varying scenery, and turns of every kind. It’s 140 miles of pure awesome. Awesome with a cherry on top of a sundae made by Mother Theresa blessed by the Pope. Yeah, that good. I have lots of luggage so I can haul all kinds of ass – and I do. I don’t think I’ve been moving this fast on this road before. I ‘d like to think I learned a few tricks watching the pro racers but I can’t. It’s the bike. I’m glad I took the time to set it up right. Despite all my problems, it’s perfect.
I but north on Hwy 3 to Hwy 299 to Redding. I roll into Redding as the sun sets and stop for some gas and my first fast food of the trip. It’s 8pm and I now have 200 miles to go. Uggh. I take off into the night towards Oregon and hope I make good time on the desolate roads. It’s dark and it gets to be dangerous as the deer come out and the temp drops to the high-40’s. I’m not prepared for this and hunker down for 2 hours of cold riding. I’m just trying to make it there and get some sleep. I’m beat.
I roll in at 11:30pm, 635 miles and 16 hours after starting. I take a quick shower and hit the sack. I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow.
Tomorrow will be a long day too…
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