AM in California

So Lints brought me here!!
WOW!!!! <3 <3



Getting dark so heading back for the night.

 

And there are orchards and mountains and valleys everywhere!! I'm in heaven!!!!

 

So glad you are having a blast AM. Wish it was better weather, as well as more time, for a trip up to the REAL :crazy: fruits and nuts in NorCal SF area. We protest, riot, and burn down our own neighborhoods, for just the price of Skittles going up!

Careful about leaving on Sunday, that Saturday storm coming in is not looking so friendly (snow and ice) to Cajon pass on I15. I'm sure you are well covered, and probably heading on 10 to AZ, just an FYI if the shizzle hits the fizzle.

 

I gotsta finally give muh Duckie a real life huggers!
<3 <3

I was good though and did not feed or molest the duck...

Thank you for coming over to visit!! <3 <3

 

Yeeee...much fun!! Now if I could only touch those clouds...

Sounds like I'm missing out on NorCal SF...not for long though! Five more months and I hope to be in the REALzies!!!!

I'll try to avoid the shizzles as much as possible. Thanks for the heads up!!

 

Awww, would have been super to see you, but will soon! Sux about work tho...glad you get to be home for the EVE!!

Yes, he has been a super fun host and I can't wait to ride more tomorrow!!

 

Oh heck yes!!!! That was the most amazing I've ever tasted!!! Even when I got jalapeño juice in muh eyes!!

 

Day 3

After a night of camping in Phoenix, I woke up to a surprise view...mountains to me!! One thing about arriving at night is the surprise that awaits your eyes in the morning. Phoenix mornings are so beautiful!



Marrib and I had breakfast then we were off for the day. I ran into a problem tho...I couldn't find what I did with my moto key. I was so happy to arrive to his place and all that Bailey's had me loopy. Good thing for spares. Always bring a spare!

Before I left Phoenix, Marrib showed me around the HUGEST moto dealer I've ever seen!! Euro, Jap, American machines. Upstairs full of more machines. Motos I've never seen in person before. I'd love to live near a place someday that hosts moto expos!





After the tour and goodbyes, I left Marrib and Phoenix for Death Valley. I saw a sign for QT and had to stop to get a little taste of my home addiction I have for QT. But I love this one much more. Qt with palm trees, FTW!



Still even offering $1.99 make you holla deals too!!



While I was there, this machine pulled up! Guy said he bought it for $600 from a junk yard and got it running again.



Lots of miles so far. Great temp...for a while...



The ride was incredible!!

I went through huge cacti, Joshua Tree, winding canyons, straight roads for miles, and finally got to Hoover Dam while avoiding all the speed traps Marrib warned me about.



So happy and avoiding speed traps so far!





I did have some fun chasing the wind with a Cadillac sport car and a Corvette. We went on for about 100 miles together going pretty super fast. I loved riding with them...they obviously appreciate speed and quick thinking when riding...aside from speed...never dangerous, always safe, signaling, no cutting off cars to close. Super fun!!

Temps went down from 50s in Phoenix to 40s and high 30s closer to Hoover Dam. So I was pretty cozy the whole time with gear.

I got to a look out of Mead Lake area to take in the view and photos before Hoover Dam.



Glad I did...once I got to the Dam, it was insane!! Traffic backed up for miles waiting to get to the Dam walkway and the Nevada sign. I've been on the tour before, so I just passed it up this time. I was already gonna make Death Valley at dark and didn't wanna take a few hours for the Dam.

So I just snapped some photos.
Moto turned 27 in Nevada!! <3 <3







Next up, Vegas!! The same craziness!! No big deal...it was merely a drive through. So I just took a few photos and headed west.





I kinda was in NY.



The plan was to meet Long and his friends in Death Valley. I hadn't heard from him about the coordinates, so I just figured after a gas stop I would head there and see what happens. I had a couple potential places to camp in case I couldn't find Long. Just as I was at the gas pump, Long called to tell me he was heading home sick.

He had tried to call me but I didn't have Sena on (saving charge for when I got to DV and needed to use it) and my voice mail was full so he couldn't leave a message.

No worries...I'm flexible!! DV will see me this summer!! <3 <3

So I head down the I-15 from Vegas to LA to stay at Long's place!! Woot!!!!

Las Vegas sunset...





That ride was pretty cold as soon as the sun went down. But nothing like in Payson, AZ (25°F) so I was okeee.

I stopped in Primm because I felt myself fading a bit. I was hungry and needed salt for my low BP. I loaded up on food covered in salt, pottied, got warmer gear on and crossed into California!! <3 <3



This was my last new state to ride in on this tour. I've now ridden 43 states and have been to 45.

The rest of the ride was cold, but good all the way to LA. The first time I got gas in CA though, I was dumbfounded. Those black things on the nozzles you have to pull back tricked me up. Then to have to hold them back while filling kinda sucked. But I got the hang of it. Also, maybe it was just the night, but peeps on the interstate just left lane cruise like no tomorrow. No one is around and they don't move to the right. The only people that did were out-of-staters. So I got to have some fun whipping around the folks with some extra revs for good measure. Most of them were good sports. I only had two minivans that were irritated and chased me down. One had to have been going over 120 mph or so to try and catch me...can they even go that fast?!!

Getting through the mountains into LA was amazing and scary. I think I hit the area around 9 pm if I remember right. So....

Amazing because the sea of city lights that just went on forever!!

Scary because I had to stay in left lane (gusts slamming me from the right...so if I was gonna go down, I wanted to go down into the left shoulder instead of into other vehicles) and with hazards on while I fought the wind exiting the mountains into LA area on I-15.

There were a few close calls and one where I thought I was going to crash...strong sharp gust that just seemed to knock the wind out of moto and me. I won the rodeo though.

Definitely not for the faint of heart or those nervous about riding in wind. My experiences on the road I believed saved my arse...no Death grip...no sudden braking...no slowing to stop in dangerous traffic.

Cages were obviously aware of my plight and seeing me. One stayed behind me the whole time, giving me ample space. Others went around me cautiously. I like to think the one behind me was my guardian angel.

After zipping through light traffic on the way to Long's, I was finally able to give him the long awaited huggers in person!! <3 <3

He fed me some tea...my voice was pretty much completely gone...and some oranges. I wasn't hungry at all so that filled me up. Poor Long was so sick too. At least we were sickied together! Alao turns out that his friend waa supposed to send me the coordinates in DV so i could find them. The text never came through at all. Was such a great thing Long haplened ro catch me off the moto in Vegas to tell me not to go to DV. I would have wandered around there all next morming trying to find them...as I know I would not have had cell service there. We visited a bit more then passed staight out.

Once again, arriving at dark, I was excited to see what views awaited me in the morning...