Motorcycle Rides

Tahoe to Sagehen

I had a three day meeting in the sierras north of Truckee last week and decided I could take the KLR as long as I traveled light. A fresh oil change & filter, servicing the battery with water and an overnight trickle charge, airing the tires and I was ready to go. With a cabin to stay in, I only needed my sleeping bag, several days of clothes and a few goodies to explore the outdoors with. The ride I took up highway 50 was relaxed on a Tuesday with light traffic. Lake Tahoe was still busy though in the middle of post fire summer tourist season. I rolled slowly along highway 89 and the west side of the lake enjoying the view. I took a nice long lunch break at a Forest Service campground along the Truckee river and cooled in the shade. I wasn't in a hurry and only needed to be there by 4 for the talks I wanted to hear on the first day. After several passes, i realized that I couldn't remember where to turnoff for the field station and had to ask for help. Then to my surprise, while dealing with the combination lock on the gate, my loaded bike decided to roll over and play dead. The result left me minus my left side mirror.
After a full day of meetings in camp, I rolled back out packed for dinner at my friends outside of Truckee. A great evening of catching up over a couple of bottles of wine and fine food outside readied me for the last day at Sagehen. We broke a little early which was good for my long, one mirror ride home. Gassing up in Truckee, i charged down interstate 80 trying to stay to the left as much as possible. The ride got hotter with every 1000 foot drop in elevation and I sucked down most of my quart of water at a rest stop before the final push home. Some lane splitting in Roseville and just tolerating what turned out to be 102 degree heat finished off this three day 312 mile ride with the KLR doing fine, with/without a mirror. All in all, it was a great late summer ride that left me thinking I should have found a way to do more longer rides up there. Highway 89 would have taken me over Mt. Lassen without much more effort. No complaints, just a good, fun excuse for a ride.
I've got my stock mirror on for now as I get ready to order another one.

A well traveled GS passed through town this week, destination unknown.


Briefly Seen in front of the local REI

Besides the stickers from Oaxaca Mexico, this well ridden GS had an Oregon plate and Alaska license trim as well as a thick layer of road bugs and other road grime. I'm glad someone is getting some serious riding in and regret that I didn't catch up with the rider to find out which direction they were headed?

On the road again.

Just like Willy Nelson, I finally found some time and an excuse to get back on my bike and ride. Even if it was just a run to the dentist and back, I found out how to make an afternoon out of it and 100 miles later the smile I had was from more than the cleaning I just received. Among other things, the strong winds buffeted me and made for more excuses to take to the back roads. I'm more than able to find things to see when given the chance too. The Consumnes Nature Preserve was bright green and still quite wet. The Sandhill cranes had already gone back north but there were still plenty of waterfowl and song birds to catch a patient eye. A simple reminder to take a little time, get outside, travel when you can and take it all in where ever you are.

Riding into work on this knobby steed instead of my thin tired bicycle was a little different too. Seeing it parked across the street waiting for my escape was a treat too and made me think on much more open ended trips that could and should be made under skies like we had yesterday. Soon, grasshopper, soon...

DTS /out

Accidents Happen!

Drive as defensively as you can and know that might not be enough. Not much more to say but watch and remember.

A public service reminder

Labels: accident video

What Next?

Well, I've finished disk two of the Long Way Round and while it was a highly supported trip, it still stuck with me as a fun & at times wild ride. I've got a little more of Horizons Unlimited's The Achievable Dream to finish and I'm deep into Ted Simon's The Return of Jupiter's Travels CD. What I need to do, if figure out where I should go for help getting a set of new tires, chain and sprocket on my KLR and give the bike a good check over so that I can get back on the road for some longer trips. Is this the year I finally get back to baja? Hard to say now. There are trips up north I'd like to do too, maybe all the way to BC for the summer Horizon's gathering. So far, I'm just staying close to home exploring some back levees and practicing some slow, off road riding. Better than nothing and there are lots of things going on that are competing for my time.

More soon.

Little New Year Ride
I took a short but fun ride to kick off the new year right. The sun was out and the sky was deep blue with views far in all directions. I retraced some new tracks along the causeway which is mostly still dry and parked for a long walk in the woods at one point. Later, I practiced fast stops and slow turns near home. Anything to stay outside just a little longer on such a nice day.

A mysterious man wakes up on the side of the road, injured and confused, the morning after a motorcycle crash - but where will he end up when he can't find his way home?

Morning Fall / Moving Pictures Short Film Contest Submission