ABCs of Touring

June 28, 2009

This weekend, for the first time, I did the ABCs of Touring in a day.  What it is is you go to a city or county, for each letter inthe alphabet, get your photo taken in front of a sign with your bike, holding an issue of HOG Enthusiast magazine.  We started at 5:45 am and got to Quincy at 5:35 pm.  What a DAY...and then we came back...

It was about 115^° as we rolled through the central valley yesterday, lining up and taking those pictures. If it hadn't been for my Camelback, I think I would have had heat exhaustion!

Once we got up onto highway 70, it got noticibly cooler. The views along the Feather River Canyon were nothing short of awesome.

There is nothing like that first shower after camping...or after such a ride. We had 'Cocktail Hour', went to dinner, and the fatigue hit me like a brick wall at about 8.

This morning we rose bright and early and Eddie and I decided not to join the group for breakfast, but to head home before it really got hot. We took 89 out of Quincy and it was sooo00 beautiful and a little bit chilly. We went on down 80 which I will never do again on the bike--the road is hideous and the people on it al wayt to go 90). When we got to Auburn, it was very hot, so I made my gas stop and pulled out the Cool Vest. That kept me cool until we got to about Vacaville. It was getting hotter and hotter and the heat coming up off the pavement was brutal.

We stopped in Pleasanton at Mexico Lindo for lunch and lots of water, then made the final leg home to Fremont where it was a cool 100°.

I'm glad we did the ride; it was 325 miles yesterday and 291 today. I'm tired, to say the least!

LESSONS LEARNED:  Don't take highway 80 out of the Sierra if you are riding a motorcycle.  It is very narrow and the road is in deplorable shape - particularly the right lane.  This is due to big rigs with tire chains being required to use that lane.  So what's the problem - go in the left lane, you ask.  People drive like maniacs and want to do 90.  Not safe on this kind of road! 

Not to 'should all over myself' but we should have continued on 89 and taken it around Tahoe (breathtakingly gorgeous) and onto 88 and on down to 5.  Live and learn...

Anyway, it was a great weekend of riding!!!