End of year update

Since moving to LA, life is passing in a blur. There have been so many things to do and of course, lots of work.  There were a few goals in mind for the 2008 year but they seemed to have been moved to my non-priority list... and you know what that means, it doesn't get done.

Looking back it is difficult to imagine living here since August 2007 (initially moving here for school). I keep telling people I've lived here since May 2008, since that is when I returned from Hawaii - working the seasonal trail on a cruiseline for a few months. In a way it seems living in LA has been longer than 7 months - there are familiar people in my life and constant which is great.

Moving every 5 months or so these past 3 years had been a lifestyle adventure. One that makes it seem like I've lived here forever! I keep getting the urge to move again, like some internal alarm that has been set on snooze indefinately. That alarm has been the most difficult to overcome and I'm still working on it. Perhaps it's a commitment phobia - but after moving around for so much, it was a bit strange and very weird to sign a 2 year contract for my apartment internet and cable! It really felt like I was signing my life away. 

In the meantime, I've been enjoying the Southern California weather - it does get cold here and perhaps I've adapted because 40F, is very cold again! At least though, I can ride my bike on a regular basis and have been enjoying the outdoors.

I hope you all have a good Holiday season and a wonderful 2009!  

 

Sedona & Grand Canyon

Went on a short vacation to Sedona and the Grand Canyon - both in Arizona. It was a nice vacation away from civilization and a bit relaxing since I didn't have to go to work for 4 days! It was a 9 hour drive to get there but with good company and lots of breaks, we got there in no time. I didn't realize it got dark so soon. I just haven't been paying attention these past few months. Just know that I look up at work and it's light out then the next thing I know, it's dark. It seems like I'm always at work. 

We arrived at the hotel just in time... 30 minutes before it got dark. So we could at least check-in and orientate ourselves around town quickly. I'd never been to Sedona before so it was a new adventure. I'd only heard of this place and that it's a real popular destination in the summer months. Our plans also included the Grand Canyon - South Rim. I had gone to the North Rim years ago and actually camped out at the bottom so this was a different area that I would be looking at.

There are quite a bit of rocks in Sedona... yup. Lots of rocks. Red rocks. I guess that's the intriguing part of why so many folks visit. Plus, there are lots of parks and hiking trails throughout. And I learned from a friend that there's some sort of energy field called a vortex in the Sedona area that lots of people can feel an energy difference.

We ended up going to Red Rock State Park for a short hike and picnic. It started raining on us which cut our outdoor day short. I was prepared for cold weather - we all brought extra thick clothes and jackets to bundle up in but I guess it's been a while since I've been cold... it was maybe in the low 20's in the evenings and 50's in the day time. COLD! We had a combination of both kinds of weather - very nice and foggy rainy. It was really interesting to see the weather change at that altitude because we went on one of the recommended scenic roads - 89A towards Flagstaff and again on our way home. The first time was nice weather and the second time, we were lucky we didn't have to put snow chains on the vehicle!

  We stopped by this hotel in California. It's off of Route 66 called the Wigwam Motel. I did a little research first to find this place. After seeing the cartoon movie "Cars" I realized places like this really do exist although rare. 

 

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Coconino National Forest - on the way to Grand Canyon

 

 

 

   

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Grand Canyon   

 

 

 

 

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Some of the scenic red rock formations in Sedona. 

 

Red Rock State Park - Cathedral Rock. 

 

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Some man-made rock formations.

 

 

Rainy foggy day in Sedona - made for snow in the mountains!

 

   

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On the way home - Coconino National Forest. 

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October

What a month! October went by so quickly that it's amazing to think it's November already - and almost 1/2 finished! I am lagging behind in my blog... just been busy. With what, I really can't pin-point but time continually runs away!

For the month of October, my mother came to visit. The day after she stepped off the plane, I wisked her off to Las Vegas... Wow! The last time we both were there was 11 years ago - she took me there for my 21st birthday. A lot has changed - there are more casinos and a lot more lights!

(In the MGM lobby)

Before we left, a friend of mine gave me a sight-seeing book and told me all the "cool" places to go. There were so many I couldn't remember and of course, we didn't go to. Most of this trip was sight-seeing, relaxing and of course shopping. A lot of shopping. Maybe we'll hit those places up next time.

It's been 10+ years since mom has been to Los Angeles, and she didn't want to see very much. Her only request was Chinatown and Olvera street. For the whole visit, we did a lot of shopping and going out to various restaurants. Since my moving here, I've been estatic over all the Asian eateries and tried to take her to all my favs but it was too much for her. It was abit of a culture shock for her to see so many Asian people, Asian restaurants, Asian grocery stores... that she asked for plain American food.

Disappointed, I complied and took her to one of her favorite American restaurants... and I ended up going to the hospital the next day for food poisoning although mom was just fine. Never had that before and I hope never again! I really didn't want to go to the emergency room and thought I was okay... but whew... 12 hours later and still sick, my hands clenched up and I couldn't open them. I got alittle nervous and my neighbor took me to the hospital. Just lack of potassium and a little dehydrated but it took them 6 hours of observation, took blood twice, a urine sample and 2 sets of x-rays to figure that out. Strange thing though... at least I thought it was strange - they didn't give me any medication only the saline.

Once I was discharged they gave me 3 tablets and sent me on my way. I thought maybe they would give me the medication first and see what my reaction would be, then discharge me. But nope... they made sure I signed the discharge paper first then gave me the tablets and said drink it with water when you have a chance... but there was no water around - only a vending machine. Cranky, tired, frustrated and starving, all I wanted to do was go home. (And remember, I really dislike doctors... at least 99% of them). So at 4 AM, tired of starving I attempted to eat something and it didn't work... (fluids were not staying down either). Took another day off from work then was fine the following day. What torture!

Also took mom to a comedy... she'd never been before and years ago (while still in the military) I had tickets to Margaret Cho when she was touring in Austin, Texas. I had to give up my tickets because two days prior to her concert date, I was deployed to Kuwait. Ever since then I had decided to wanted to see her live.







Margaret Cho on stage - Long Beach

So mom went home. Life is normal - busy with work.

There are some really bad fires now in Southern California. Couple friends have had to evacuate their homes in Orange and Riverside Counties. The Santa Ana winds have been really strong and out where I live ash has been falling like snowflakes - the fires are about a 30 miles from my place. It's been really difficult to breathe and you can see people in their cars as with police officers with masks around their face. The Santa Ana winds occur annually from October thru February and make fire fighting very difficult.

Tennessee finale

Overall, Tennessee is a very beautiful state - so many green trees, small rural population (at least it seemed like it), courteous and very friendly local folks... a really nice place to visit. Made me remember why I like to ride so much. Reminds me of riding in Texas in a way because all you have is you and the road - just ride and enjoy the scenery, with an occasional animal (deer, elk, etc) sighting. The lack of traffic (vehicles) made it a very nice relaxing (and much called for) biker vacation.

I even recommend the HOG (Harley Owner's Group) ride and fly program. That was the first time I've flown to a location solely to rent a bike and ride. Everything went so smooth. This dental biker event is supposedly going to be an annual event and the 2009 itinerary is already being organized. Perhaps I'll go again next year and take other scenic roads. Hey, maybe I can even convince friends to ride out that way instead of flying into Knoxville!

There's this competition called "iron butt." Yes, it's pretty much the literal translation. I've been wanting to do this for some time but haven't found anyone to go with. It is to ride 11,000 miles in 11 days. It's offered every other year in the United States and the off years, it's held in Australia. You really do need a backside made of iron in order not to be sore! There are also mini-iron butts... like the 1,000 mile in 24 hours (actually called saddlesore) and the bun burner going 1,500 miles in 36 hours. I think I can do these solo since 1,000 miles by bike is not a feat. In fact, had I known about these mini rides, I would have and entered the contest when I moved to Texas last year or even moving my bike from Washington to California earlier this year.

A friend of mine just purchased a new bike - a Harley Nightster... perhaps she just needs alittle more persuasion! I guess though, she should really get her bike license first, eh?

Sue on her new Harley-Davidson Nightster.

ocoee ride

So this was day #2 and the second scheduled ride. We were to ride along the Ocoee river towards Georgia. This was made famous from the 1996 summer Olympics - they did their 1 mile whitewater slalom here. Again, it was going to be a rainy day but at least this time the ride was organized a bit better... we were all given directions just in case we got separated. Yahoo! But I stayed close to the front since I didn't want to be cut off by a traffic signal.

Needed to have somesort of landmark photo - Maryville water tower with my bike.

Just before we left the HD store - people were starting to get lined up.

Georgia and Tennessee border. We parked our bikes in Tennessee and had lunch, then shopped in Georgia. Copperhill is right on the border of Tennessee but half the town is in Georgia with a line separating the town. Meanwhile, there's a huge border dispute regarding Copperhill - should it remain in TN or if GA can expand the border and include the town. Most everyone (TN and GA folks) want it to remain in TN since it would severely injure the economy in the nearby GA town of McCaysville.






Perfect spot to park our bikes... Coperhill, TN. The local folks didn't know what to think when all of us rode through town.












Mike and Jill














A custom paint job on a Harley Softail.













Electroglide Harley tank and engine





















I was informed this is an old church. No one knows the actual date but it's condemned... there were two entrances - one for males and one for females.
















Group photo of lab techs, dentists and their family/ friends.











Ocoee river where they did the Olympics... the water was shut off. There are 3 dams along this river. One of the locals said just a few weeks ago, the river was flowing and a plethora of kayakers were out playing in the water.











Winner (1st place) of the coolest Harley bike











2nd place. Interesting story... the owner rode all the way out to TN from California on his bike. On the first day's ride, he ran over some wood and got a flat tire. When we returned from the Dragon and Cherahala Skyway ride, we found out he traded in his bike for this one.










Nascar smokeout

Riding the Dragon!

A friend of mine was sent to Tennessee to take pictures for her company. She works for a dental company and the person setting up this show wanted to incorporate Harley-Davidson motorcycles in with the itinerary to spice up the lectures. Anyway, I was invited to go along and of course, I accepted. I'd never been to Tennessee and I've always wanted to to go Dollywood!

We flew into Knoxville and as always, each airport has its own identity. This one immediately had a "down home" feeling or perhaps even a bit back-woodsy. So we stopped to check out the gate where there were rocking chairs offered to passengers.

(rocking chair at the airport)

Next up, was the Harley-Davidson dealership where this dental convention was suppose to take place and our home for the next 4 days. The place was huge! Not only was there a HD store but also a pavilion for people to hangout, have a live band, bbq, etc.

(Maryville Harley-Davidson, Tennessee)

(the wall of the Pavillion at the HD store)

(Inside the pavilion)

(Nascar 38 and an old Harley peddle bike)

(inside the Harley store - bikes galore!)

(Course, you can't have a Harley party without the kegs!)

The first day was full of setting-up but the following two days had scheduled rides - the first called Tail of the Dragon and Cherohala Skyway. It borders Tennessee and North Carolina and is a hotspot destination for bikers and car enthusiasts. The Tail of the Dragon is a 11 mile stretch of road containing 318 curves in the Smokey Mountains. Unfortunately for us, for these two days it was suppose to rain. But we rode anyway... there's something about 100 bikers all riding in the rain together. When I looked in my rearview mirror it was really cool to see all these headlights strung out for a few miles. I was amazed at the courtesy of all the car drivers. It was a huge change from California driving where people try to run you off the road. These Tennessee folks gave us space, didn't tail-gate, would actually stop on the highway entrance to let us passby before they entered. It was such different riding and most enjoyable for there were hardly any cars on the road!

(I did the HOG (Harley Owner's Group) fly & ride program where you fly in and rent a bike. I got the Heritage Softail... just alittle bigger that mine with an engine of 1584cc and 200 pounds heavier. Amazingly though, it was easier to back up on this bike. But I prefer mine in comfort!)

Over time, the speed limit for the Tail of the Dragon has been reduced in order to decrease the amount of deaths. For 2008, there have been 3 deaths becuase of the curves and trees. People either ride off the road or go so fast they ride into a tree... The highway patrol have a huge presence to monitor the speed limit. In a way, the rain was a blessing because this group of people are from all over the US and each has their own riding style. For the most part, everyone rode well but there were a few that were not as experienced. I think the rain kept everyone in check due to the slippery roads and there were no speed demons.

We took a short break in Deal's Gap, North Carolina. It's the officially ending of the Tail of the Dragon and the beginning of Cherohala Skyway. There is a tribute tree full of scrap motorcycle parts from fallen riders. As we left here, we lost half of our group. Apparently, they didn't take the turn when the road split and they ended up having to go through the dragon once again in order to return to the HD store in Maryville. The group kept getting smaller - people would pull over either for the view or nausea. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take very many pictures - I didn't want to get separated from the group and get lost. I am glad we pulled over a few times for a break... the curvy roads, the slow speed, peaceful traffic - it was all lulling me to sleep! The cool part was there were photographers along the road that took our pics as we rode by. We could view them and pay for them online if we chose to. There were 3 companies total but I forget 2 of them... bad memory!

For the rest of us, Cherohala Skyway was very scenic. Both were but the latter being 60 miles of beautiful scenery full of trees, valleys and the Tellico river. We rode through the Cherokee National Forest (Tenessee)as well as the Natahala National Forest (North Carolina) hence the combined name Chero (from Cherokee) and hala (from Natahala). Going up the mountainside, with an elevation of 5,000 feet was really awesome. The trees were just about changing color so looking around there were the green, yellow and orange in some bits of the forest. Plus, the cool weather and a bit of fog. It looked like we were riding into the clouds!

(Tellico river)

(Carrie and I above Tellico River)

(Smoky Mountains)

(Tree of Shame - tribute to fallen riders at Deal's Gap, North Carolina)

(Deal's Gap, NC)














(View from Cherohala Skyway - Smoky Mtns)

(Taking a break)







In all that ride was about 6 hours... leaving at 11 and returning at 5. There were other events at the Harley store but I was determined to check out Dollywood in Pigeon Forge. Considering it was only 38 miles away, I couldn't not go. I was planning on going by myself since many of the other riders were worn out but my friend joined me - I think she didn't want me going by myself which was alot safer. For most of the people that rode, the ride today was the longest. Seems like people only go 50-60 miles or one guy said he rode 100 miles around his house then returned on home. Again, for me that's just a warm up and I was ready to go for more. I guess I am a bit of an extremist... for that 6 hour ride just wasn't enough. But then again, it's beautiful country and it all reminded me why I like riding so much.

Unfortunately, Dollywood is not like California theme parks where there are stores outside of the park. It was just one huge parking lot and you had to take a tram inside. But as we arrived, they were closing so I totally missed out. It also began raining again. I also wanted to check out the other HD stores since there are three that are Smoky Mountain HD. We also wanted to rush back becuase it was getting dark and me of course, having an avid imagination wanted to return as soon as possible. (Even though I don't care for scary movies, I have seen Wrong Turn and Texas Chainsaw for there's alot of forest and it can hide many things.) Anyway, we did go to the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg HD stores. By the time we got on our bikes for our return trip, the rain was quite steady. We had 2 routes to choose from - return the way we came which is longer or take the short cut. The short cut was recommended to me before since it's extremely scenic but this was night time and rain. We decided we'd take the shorter route - highway 73. We were also low on fuel. But if we didn't get lost, we could make it back with a few extra miles to spare in the tank. But one of the guys in the HD store said, make sure you keep fuel in the tank... there's a fuel shortage in North Carolina. But as we passed the gas station, we forgot to stop. The rain was still coming down and we just wanted to hurry back. Little did we know but the road was almost like the Dragon! Tons of curves, we were blinded by oncoming traffic and I was blinded by my friend's headlights who was riding behind me. I didn't dare look around - there were either cliffs or river water if we rode off the road. I spent most of the time concentrating on the road. I noticed there were leaves on the ground and was cautious since you can slip on the wet leaves... then I noticed several were moving - in addition to the leaves there were also frogs jumping across the road. For most of the ride we went 30mph but there were some spots that we just had to go 10mph since we couldn't see that far ahead - it was sooo dark! At one straight away I did look around - I had leathers on so I stayed dry but my friend was wearing jeans. I was looking for a place to stop to see if she wanted to put on her rainsuit. I saw something, I didn't know what it was but some sort of animal was watching us on the side of the road. I didn't want to stop - that creature kind freaked me out so we just kept driving. Later on of course, I looked it up on the internet and found out it was a cougar. I also saw a deer coming back on that road. There wasn't too much traffic either on that road. It wasn't marked very well and since I was leading I began doubting my directional sense. Luckily, every once in a while there was a car but it was always on-coming as with the bikers we passed.

The weather was getting a bit cooler too. When I first got my bike it ran hot - the engine was burning my leg but that night as we rode back to Maryville, I was glad the engine was hot - it kept me warm! I stayed dry except for my boots and the bottom portion of my pants... I'm glad I brought my leather pants with me versus chaps! Watching the news that night, we found out the rain was actually part of Tropical Storm Kyle (that later turned into Hurricane Kyle).






(Went to Dollywood and all I got was this pic)













My hands turned black from my water soaked gloves.













Carrie didn't get as soaked as I thought.













Course, we were almost to the HD store when I slipped. By the time we returned to town it was almost 930PM... Luckily, the event at the Harley store goes until 10 but we weren't sure if anyone would be there except for the live band. Anyway, I knew the entrance was coming up soon but it was so dark you couldn't tell where the highway divided so you could cross into the Harley entrance. We were going slow but still not slow enough. As soon as I saw the divide, I braked (yes, it was still raining). I'm really not sure what happened but I either braked too hard or hit an oil patch but I jacknifed. For sure I thought Carrie was going to drive right into me. But luckily enough, she was further from me than I thought. Then my next thought was I'm going to drop the bike... or ride into the ditch. But the ditch is at least a 3 foot drop so that means, the bike would fall on top of me. 700 pounds of metal just might hurt a bit. But as I eased off the brake I got the bike to straighten out and again luckily enough, I didn't do either one. Whew!







(mini bike - you can actually ride it!)













(Martin, from CA - one of the guest dentist speakers)














(Noel, from FL - one of the sales reps)













(Mark, from TN - the organizer and sells dental products)

(Mark, Carrie, Mark)













(Mark, from CA - one of the lab techs)















(Felicia, from TX - sales rep)
















(Mike and his wife Jill, from CA)

















(Mickey, from NY - our sweep vehicle).











(Lab techs from NC)













We met this guy on the road... yes, that's his dog in his jacket. He's a legend in TN... he takes his dog everywhere. When it was younger it used to sit on the tank.