So I'll backtrack alittle to Portland. Heading out to Portland was really windy. When I got into the city limits it started raining. Luckily, I just got a new breathable rainsuit. The reviews on it were really good and a few of my biker friends highly recommended it. It's not suppose to leave you feeling all clammy like the plastic ones. Anyway, it was a chance to try out my new suit and I was excited about that. I missed out on Multnomah Falls - it's a huge waterfall on the way to Portland off of I-84. I had planned on being there earlier for some pictures but had a late start so by the time I passed the waterfall it was too dark to see.
I got to my friend's house in Portland and was freezing. With teeth chattering, I had to strip off my raingear, my leather gear and change into dry clothes. Yup, guess that rainsuit didn't work too well. My leg must have gotten really close to the pipes since there was a nice big burn mark on the leg portion. That was a bummer! Luckily though I brought along my plastic rainsuit just in case - it has a thermal layer like oven mitts around the leg so the pipes won't burn or melt it if it gets too close. Good pre-planning since it rained all the way to Tillamook - a town along the Oregon coast. Hey, if you ever heard of Tillamook cheese or Tillamook ice cream this is the town it's made in.
The coast was really nice. After Tillamook, the rain stopped and it was great weather. I followed Highway 101 all the way down to Coos Bay where I spent the night. The next morning I made my way to Roseville, California (just outside of Sacramento)... that was a really windy 11 hour ride! I'm sure those people behind me thought I had a bobble-head! You really need strong neck muscles to keep that bubble (full-face) helmet up! Good thing I'm going to Texas, where you don't need to wear one.
For alittle while I thought my cousin moved into the country. I guess it was the highway I came in on but it was all farmland. All the other highways take you into the city so it doesn't look as desolate. It was a nice visit with my cousin, his wife and my grandmother. While there grandma taught me how to crochet. That was interesting but talk about hand cramps! I don't see how she can do that for hours and hours! There was a wind storm and rainstorm while I was visiting but the day I had planned on leaving was fantastic weather.
The road map I'd been using said it would be around 4 hours to get to Gilroy. It only took 2. I was even going the speed limit - maybe even slower since it was windy! I'd been here a few years ago with friends. In July, the town has a festival celebrating garlic. Last time I was here, I tried the garlic ice which sounds awful but tasted pretty good. Anyway, I met up with friends and left the next morning for Los Angeles.
My plan was to head out for the Pacific Coast Highway otherwise known as Highway 1. It runs all along the coast. The wind was real strong and it looked overcast although it didn't rain at all. There was some fog/ mist and the air was cold but other than that the weather was just fine. I rode through some nice little towns. There was a road I really wanted to ride down called 17 mile drive near Pebble Beach. I had been through there in a car when I was younger but wanted to stop for some photos since you can park your vehicle and walk a few feet to the beach. Unfortunately, it's a toll and gated road and the guards don't allow motorcycles in. Something to do with loud pipes disturbing the golfers or something. That was a bummer.
So my trip continued down Highway 1. Went through Big Sur and Pfieffer State Park - very nice places with lots of trees and the ocean all close by. Highway 1 has been the only place so far that had tail-gaters. The roads were very curvy, there was some construction and fallen rocks... and no cell phone coverage in case something happened. But all along the way were call boxes so there was some security in knowing you could call someone in an emergency.
I stopped by the Redwood National Park. Some of it was closed off to rock and mud slides but for the most part it was so cool to ride down these narrow roads with huge redwoods all about. I even saw that famous redwood where you can drive through it. Course, I had to get a picture of my bike in the tree. It was kinda strange... after I took my picture all these other tourists wanted a picture too - of my bike and the tree! Then people started driving their car through the tree and stopped for photos. It became a zoo so I left and continued my journey to Los Angeles.
I didn't realize rush hour started at 3:30! All these cars were on the road and it was getting pretty crowded. I took my friends advice and took Highway 1 all the way to 93E... I wanted to go on 1 all the way down but the traffic was pretty bad and my hand was getting sore from holding onto the clutch and only going 5 mph. I passed by a couple car accidents, drove through Malibu and saw some nice beaches along the way. For some reason, I thought I passed my friend's house. I recognized the name of a city - Compton and took the exit. The cell phone worked so I confirmed new directions but for future reference don't go to Compton. It's a bit of a rough neighborhood. Yeah.
I made it to my friend's house by 7:45 PM. It was still rush hour too! Wow. I had planned on staying there for a few days but after letting my friend test ride my bike, she insisted I get my brakes checked. They are a little loose but I've been used to that since I got my bike. Anyway, she was nervous for me and I had 3 of them gang up on me so instead of leaving that morning, I took my bike in for a check-up.
The Harley service department was really great. There's a big biker event coming up so the guy said there was a 3 day wait on any service but he squeezed me in since I told him I was only driving on through. By 5PM, my bike was new. My brakes were fine - loose brakes are common in my bike and the rest of the Dyna family. There was no tread on the back tire - it was long overdue for a new one so I had that changed out and had a full service done on my bike. Yup, guess she needed some attention.
The next day it rained and rained and rained and rained and rained. It started at 5 AM and didn't stop until almost 8PM. The forecast said it would drop about 1/2" of rain with snow in the mountains. So I stayed a few more days. My friend Carrie and I ended up going on a few rides through the canyons near her house. She has a new Sportster that's really shiny... we put on about 150 miles or so. It was fun zipping around without all the luggage on the back of my bike.
I left this morning with a sprinkle of rain. I was hoping to outrun it. Luckily, I did going up to Barstow... I saw the mountains with snow, the low dark clouds and thought I'd have to be driving in the rain afterall. But nope, the air was really cold which my friend gave me a sweatshirt before I left for that particular reason. (All I packed with me are short sleeve shirts. I was thinking Texas would be hot and forgot about the states in-between that have mountains and really cold air). It sprinkled a couple more times but not bad enough where I would have to stop to put on rain gear.
So now I'm in Flagstaff, Arizona. Just got in after a 8 hour ride. It took 1 1/2 hours longer than planned but it was really windy the whole way. I got a few pictures of the Route 66 signs. I didn't realize that road started in California and goes all the way up to the Chicago area. That might have to be another road trip later on. I did ride on it alittle bit. Some of the road is in really bad condition with lots of cracks and potholes. I was bouncing all over the place and my backside went numb so I returned to the interstate.
I leave in the morning for Mescalero, New Mexico.
Something is wrong with my camera so I'll have to follow up with pics at a later time.
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