robdale.ca

The problem with writing these blog posts after riding for hours is that I often forget to write about some of the things that come across my mind during the day.

That was true about today’s post. When I first left the hotel, before I hit the incredible Death Valley, I was thinking about the upcoming bike rally in Vegas. I thought about all the bikes I’d see, all the leather vests, black t-shirts, big egos, and bad ass attitudes. And I smiled. For a group of people who claim to be independent and view themselves as outside the “norm”, we really do like to conform to a certain image.

Not that I can point fingers, mind you. With my black t-shirt, jeans, tattoos, long hair, etc., I seem pretty good at fitting in to a certain image.

However, as I was thinking about this, I found myself thinking about Indian Larry. Now, some of you may not be aware of who Indian Larry is (you can check out his website here), or I should say was, since he passed away a few years ago.

Indian Larry was an incredibly creative bike builder. I didn’t know him personally and never had a real conversation with him. All I knew of him was what I read in magazine interviews. But, I liked his bikes.

I decided that Indian Larry was “my kind of biker” when I read an article about him shortly after his death. The reporter was interviewing some of his closest friends and his wife. They were sharing how Indian Larry loved to work on bikes with classical music playing as loud as possible.

Now, I’m not much into classical music (would rather have a fork stuck in my ears that suffer through too much of the stuff), but to read about a hardcore biker, respected by most in the field, who enjoys classical music … well, not what you would expect. And that’s when I truly became a fan of Indian Larry.

I like people – bikers or non-bikers – who don’t care what the “norm” is within their culture. Most bikers would make fun of their friends if they caught them listening to classical music. “What real biker would listen to that crap?” Well, Indian Larry for one.

I met another biker tonight who doesn’t fit the norm. I became a fan of Mike when I was introduced to his blog. In my opinion, he has the most interesting and well written motorcycle related blog on the planet.

The fact that Mike can actually write sentences makes him a little unique within the biker world (I kid, I kid).

Sitting with Mike (I should ask him if he prefers Mike or Michael) was as interesting as reading one of his blogs. Five minutes after we sat down, he pointed out to me exactly how many people were sitting in the bar, the number of men to women, and that two of the women had identical purses. He would turn to someone near us, and with a simple comment, have them completely engaged in a conversation with him. In fact, I discovered the secret to the incredible stories he tells in his blog: he reads people very accurately.

Mike is an incredibly intelligent individual. He has a recorded I.Q. of 180. He consults in very “heady” scientific stuff. At one point, while explaining to the waitress how well the ventilation system works at the MGM (I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you … or something like that), he slipped into using words with more than three syllables. The waitress stared blankly at him. I think he was just playing with her.

The point? Mike doesn’t fit into the typical biker stereotype. It is just as easy for him to sit with a simple biker like me, as it is for him to engage in a conversation with a University Dean.

I like that he doesn’t hide the fact that God blessed him with smarts. Instead, he simply lives out the purpose that he has to the best of his ability. And for that reason, I really dig Mike.

Most of the people I meet this week will just seem boring to me. They will be your typical baker, banker, accountant, etc., trying to play a role that really isn’t them. The ones I will find fascinating are the ones that are difficult to define right off the bat. Five minutes into a conversation with them, I’ll know there is something worth discovering about them.

Indian Larry, bike builder and classical music lover.

Mike, biker, writer, and smarter than your average bear.

My kind of bikers.

Vegas, Baby!

Okay, had to say that … you know, cause that’s what people say.

I really haven’t had a chance to look around yet. I checked into my hotel and am relaxing for a bit. Not in a rush to tour the hotel or the city.

To be honest, I’m still taking in today’s ride.

Do you ever have those rides that don’t go as expected? You head out on the road, perhaps a typical ride, and before you know it, you are caught up in the ride. You’re mesmerized by how incredible it is.

Today was that kind of ride. When I left my hotel this morning, my plan was to get to Vegas as quick as I could. I’m meeting someone for supper, and I wanted to get here, unpack, settle a little, and then hook up with Mike.

I left last night’s hotel around 7:30 this morning. The sun was coming up and the view was quite beautiful. It was chilly, but not a big deal. The ride was nice, but I actually found myself thinking, “Well, once you’ve seen the mountains and cliffs that I’ve seen on this journey, this is no big deal.” I even laughed when I thought it, because before this trip had begun, today’s morning view would have been incredible. Again, you Westerners have no idea how spoiled you are.

It wasn’t until I turned onto the 190 (I think) and headed into Death Valley. Five minutes up the highway, and I realized just how alone I was. In fact, I pulled over and took a couple of pictures. One showing the view behind me, and the other showing the view in front of me:

It truly was incredible. In fact, I rode for about twenty minutes before I saw another vehicle. Soon after I took those pictures, I saw a sign warning me to slow down and to be prepared for a lot of curves over the next ten or twenty miles. Some of the curves had you slowing down to 15 mph (25 kmh). The first few curves, I found myself swerving into the other lane, or hitting the brakes hard.

But then I felt it. Some of you know what I’m going to talk about. The adrenaline rush. The excitement of hitting these curves at the highest level you can. I started rushing into the corners, taking up both lanes. Leaning hard. Now, that’s not a big deal if you’re riding an R1, but try doing it on a WideGlide that it loaded down with the gear I have on my bike! It was intense. It was exciting. A few times, I held my breath as I leaned over in the corner. About half way into the curves, I realized that many of them were covered in sand, and that slowed me down a bit.

I was going so fast that I caught up to three other bikers, riding deckers (baggers). I considered staying behind them and enjoying the company of a few other riders, but they were too nervous in the corners. I got bored too quickly, and so I passed them the first chance I got.

At the top of one hill, I pulled over and took this picture. I couldn’t believe how high up I was, and how close to the edge the road was. You can see the highway that I had just come up, and you might be able to pick out one or two of the dips in the road, but it’s not easy to see without something in the picture to give you the right perspective. All I can tell you is that black spot near the top left corner of the picture is a huge bolder. It was simply breath-taking.

After I was done with this riding, I entered into Nevada’s small portion of Death Valley. It is much more flat, and very windy. In fact, for about half an hour, I was riding while in a hard lean just to keep the bike straight. Twice I thought I felt my front tire lift a little from the wind, although I’m sure it was just my imagination. It was pretty intense though.

So, after a day of that kind of riding, Vegas is just a bunch of buildings and lights. Sure, it will be fun once my Twitter pals show up and we enjoy some biker festivities together, but no amount of “Sin City” can compare to the splendour of the open road and my ride.

Having said that, I probably wont blog too much over the next four or five days, since I’ll be simply staying put in Vegas. I’ll try to do an update once the show has started either Thursday or Friday.

It felt good to get back on the bike again today. The past three or four days, I’ve kept the mileage down to a few hundred miles a day. I got back into the groove a little today with just under 300 miles (475 kms). I left Navato, CA and headed to Stockton to visit with a twitter friend who is doing some very creative things to connect with people in Sacramento. Dave and I have chatted many times online, and it was great to meet him face to face.

From there, I headed south east to Yosemite National Park. I’m amazed that I was going to bypass the park before being convinced that I needed to take the time to ride through it. Like the Grand Canyon, I was in awe as I came around each corner. It was absolutely beautiful to see. I really am jealous of you western bikers. You have so much you can enjoy on your bikes. The scenery is beyond words.

I’ve been thinking about something for a few days now. It hit me around day five of the ride, and from time to time, my thoughts go back to it. I think it’s time to share it with the rest of you.

I have a Harley picture frame at home. Along with a place for you to put a picture, it has the saying, “It’s the journey, not the destination.” It’s a saying I’ve seen on a few bike related things.

I know what they’re trying to get at with the saying. Too many people never take the time to enjoy the journey they are on. Rather than stop and check out the scenery, they push ahead, running this race called life, without ever taking the time to enjoy the moments in life. I get it, and certainly don’t disagree with the thought.

However, I’m not sure life is supposed to be an “either/or” attitude when it comes to the journey vs. the destination. I’ve met people who focus exclusively on the journey without ever thinking about the destination, and it’s not much better than those who never enjoy the journey. These people rush from one thing to the next, living life aimlessly. Never having a focus – a purpose.

I think life should be about both the journey and the destination. Set goals, determine where you want to be in life, but then also take time to enjoy the journey of getting to that place.

Do you set goals for your life? Where you want to be in a year, five years, even ten years? Having a goal can help us from simply living aimlessly. Going from day to day without any hope of change.

But don’t get so preoccupied with the goal that you don’t have time for the journey.

Now, how does all this relate to my road trip? I’m glad you asked. Today is a perfect example. My goal right now is to reach Las Vegas by Tuesday evening. I’m meeting a guy for supper and so that is my destination. Originally, I was going to travel the quickest path to Vegas. I was going to push through today and tomorrow, and not focus on the journey at all. Had I done that, I would have missed a glorious part of the journey – Yosemite Park.

However, if I hadn’t determined my destination – Vegas – I may have enjoyed part of the journey today, but as I sit here at the end of the evening, I wouldn’t know where I was in the grander scheme of the trip. Did I go East? West?

So, don’t make life about the journey vs. the destination. Make it about both. Take one part of your life and set a goal – a destination. Plot out the path you will take to achieve that goal. Now, enjoy the journey as you work to achieve your goal.

I didn’t get on my bike at all today. It was another nice break. Instead, I had a great day taking in San Francisco. A friend from Twitter, Cindi, took me around and showed me the sites. It was certainly an amazing way to see the city, and see the city we did. We even ended up going into some areas that she had not been.

I’ve had a chance now to meet a few friends from Twitter, and I think it’s very cool that I have been able to develop friendships with people over social media. I will be meeting more people during my time at the Vegas bike show next weekend.

Cindi has come up with a very creative business idea. She started Style Saver Scarf, a hand made satin scarf that people can wear under their helmet as a ‘doo-rag.” The cool thing with these scarves is that they actually prevent “helmet hair” because of the satin material. I’m bringing a couple of samples back to Canada with me, but I encourage you to check out her site.

I also finally put my feet in the Ocean. We drove over to one of the beaches and I took a little walk into the water. Yes, it was cold. There were a couple of brave surfers enjoying the waves, but they were covered up with body suits. I was told that the water in this area can be cold enough to do serious damage within five minutes. So, it was a quick walk in the water! The sand was actually small rocks. It was very interesting. I tried taking a picture of it, but the shot didn’t turn out that great.

We also headed over to the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked to the half way point of the bridge. Us and most of San Francisco! I couldn’t believe how many people walk or cycle the bridge. There were clearly a lot of tourists, like me, taking all kinds of pictures. This shot isn’t the greatest, but it gives a little idea of the length of the bridge. It didn’t seem as high up as I thought it would, but it was high. As you get closer to the middle of the bridge, there are signs encouraging people not to give up hope on life. Beside the signs, there are phones that people can use to be talked out of jumping. It’s that serious a thing on the bridge.

I discovered last night that Christina Shook was going to be doing a book signing for her very cool pictorial book, Chicks on Bikes. Christina is another of my twitter friends, and when I told her I was in San Francisco, she encouraged me to swing by the book signing. I did, and grabbed a copy of her great book. If you’re into photography, you’ll want to check out the book and order one for yourself.

My night ended by hanging out at a birthday party with a very cool family. The Matriarch was from Saskatchewan, so it was fun “talking Canadian” for a few hours.

Just a wonderful, relaxing day.

Next, I’ll be meeting up with another twitter friend for a coffee before beginning my trip to Vegas. I’ve been persuaded to take a trip through Yosemite National Park, and will likely end up camping in the park. I look forward to checking it out for part of the day.

I will continue to update as I can.

Today was a great day. I didn’t do a lot of miles (only 126 miles / 202 kms), but I spent most of the day riding and hanging out with bikers. It was exactly what I needed.

I headed out from San Jose and stopped at a Harley Dealership nearby. I wasn’t there very long, because, well, they really are all the same. I talked with a couple of the mechanics and asked what custom shops might be in the area. They mentioned that Ron Simms and Arlen Ness had shops within an hour of San Jose.

I decided instead to head into San Francisco. I had googled bike shops in the morning, and found one, California Choppers that looked interesting. So, I headed into San Francisco.

As I was cruising down the highway, a guy on an Ultra Glide passed me. Over the next few miles, we would pass each other, depending on the lane either of us was in. Finally we pulled up beside each other and he leaned over and asked me if it was legal to lane split. I told him it was, and he explained that he had just picked up his bike after it was flown here from Korea where he had been living. He had only been two weeks in San Francisco, and this was just his second day on the bike. Yesterday, he had ridden South, today he was headed to downtown S.F. We chatted for a good twenty minutes as we moved in and out of traffic. Finally, we agreed to ride together downtown and grab a drink. The only problem was we got separated in some traffic, and ended up taking different exits. Oh well, he seemed interesting.

I kept going to California Choppers, and when I pulled up outside, I knew I was at a very cool shop. I looked at some bikes they had built, and then wandered their shop for a bit. The owner was there, and soon we were chatting away. We talked for over an hour, as he told me about the history of his shop. Originally called Frisco Choppers, it was the home of the original Frisco bikes. Beautiful machines for sure! A couple of customers came in and out while I was there, and they would join in on the conversation each time. I was continually introduced, “This is my good Canadian friend. He travelled all this way just to meet me!” I didn’t bother correcting him on me being good, or on traveling just to meet him. He was a very cool dude.

He suggested I check out Ron Simms place and even Arlen Ness‘ shop. However, he warned me not to mention the shops to each other, because I guess Simms and Ness do not get along at all.

I rode out to Hayward and pulled up at Simm’s shop. Again, a beautiful place (in my opinion). Just an old, warn down building in an industrial area. I loved it. He had a bunch of old classic bikes on display as well as some of his own creations. He was gone to Reno for a bike show, but the guy hanging out there was a blast. Again, we chatted for a good hour. An old biker came in a short time after I arrived and started going on about a part on his bike that had fallen off four or five times. I guess the two of them had been trying to get it fixed for a while. This guy looked exactly like you would picture an old Narley Harley rider. He was probably in his 60′s, and he had been riding his entire life. He was a hoot, and I had a blast chatting with him about the ‘old days’.

I finally took off and decided to get over to my hotel and check in. I really didn’t care to see Arlen Ness’ stuff. To be honest, I’m not a big fan. Besides, he’s opening a new shop next weekend in Vegas, so I can always check out his bikes then if I’m in the mood.

This was one of those days when I just felt like I connected with some guys. These were club guys, or at least were comfortable around that scene. Not that it matters at all to me, but I just like talking with some of those kinds of bikers from time to time.

This trip, so far, has allowed me to experience a variety of bikers. From racers to scooter trash and everything else. It’s part of the trip that I will treasure the most.

Okay, time to go eat!

Well, I’m sitting in a hotel in San Jose as I write this update. I hadn’t planned on being in San Jose. In fact, I had originally planned on staying somewhere near Hearst Castle on the Pacific Coast Highway. The problem was that everyone else in California made the same plans. And so, all the campsites were booked solid. There were a few available hotel rooms, but they were going for a premium price. So, I simply kept riding. And riding. And riding.

I might as well just go ahead and admit to something that may cause some of you to gasp in disbelief before losing all respect for me: I didn’t really enjoy the ride today all that much. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the Pacific Coast Highway is beautiful. Especially the curves between Big Sur and Caramel. It would have been even more amazing on a sport bike or a bike not loaded down with the amount of stuff I have. At times, I found it a lot of work keeping the bike behaving in the tight curves.

Yes, it’s beautiful. But wow, I didn’t expect it to get as cold as it did. In fact, I would guess that today was the coldest day of my trip so far. Even colder than the day i left Ottawa (or at least almost as cold). Fog came in within an hour of hitting the coast, and I had very few breaks from the mist the entire day. By the end, it just wasn’t fun anymore. Traffic was also pretty nasty, I guess because it was Friday, and the weekend was looking like great weather.

What made up for the less-than-enjoyable day of riding was the way my day began. As I pointed out yesterday, Paul was simply the most gracious individual I’ve met. I truly feel blessed to have had the chance to meet him face to face.

Oh, the other thing I almost did today, and it would have been a real highlight for me, was attend the San Jose Sharks pre-season game tonight. Their arena is only four blocks from where I am staying, and so I walked down to see if I could get a ticket for the game. I imagined sitting in the stands, booing every time Dany Heatley touched the puck. (For my non-hockey readers, Heatley is enemy #1 to Ottawa fans after he demanded a trade from Ottawa this summer). I went up to the ticket booth, expecting the ticket to cost $20. I was shocked when she told me that the cheapest ticket was $50. For a pre-season game! I couldn’t believe it. And, I couldn’t justify it. Even if I wanted to boo the guy. So, I came back to the hotel.

I’m not sure what I will do tomorrow. Oakland is near by, so I might check that city out. Or, I may ride into San Fran and see what I can find on my own, before I get the proper tour the next day.

I expected days like today, although I didn’t expect to have one of these days while riding the Pacific Coast. Perhaps I’m just not an “ocean guy”. Or maybe it was just the cold.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

As I write these words, I am sitting in the office of a friend I have only known through Twitter. He has run out to pick up some things for supper, and has trusted me with his home. It’s amazing when you think about it.

But this isn’t necessarily a “social media” thing, although it is where I was first introduced to Paul. This is a biker thing. You see, true bikers – the kind that Paul clearly is, understand the value and importance of the motorcycle community. Another biker is, in a sense, family, even if you’ve known then only a short time. It’s not about the kind of bike you ride, nor the leather’s you where – you can find “posers” on every type of motorcycle. It’s an attitude that you have.

As I sit here, I am reminded of another encounter I had in the past week with a motorcyclist. Notice I didn’t say biker, because this is where I see the difference. This enthusiast, owned a hotel that only rented rooms by the week. They had a “vacancy” sign lit up. It was the day I rode through the mountains. A very long day of riding. I was tired, and looking for any place where I could get a room. When I pulled into the driveway of this hotel, I saw two motorcycles parked under the canopy. My first thought was, “Great! Bikers. They will be so helpful!” Through the big window at the front of the hotel, I saw him (and her) sitting in comfy chairs watching television. For a moment, I simply sat on my bike, exhausted, but confident that I would soon be resting well. I started to pull off the full face helmet that I had put on a few hours earlier. As I pulled it off, I thought I noticed the man shaking his head. After adjusting my glasses, I looked again. Sure enough, he was shaking his head. “No.” He didn’t get up, didn’t unlock the door, didn’t great me. Nothing. Just a simply shake of the head from his comfy chair that made it clear to me that he was not going to be providing me with a place to sleep, even if he had vacancies that night. He may have owned two motorcycles, but he was no biker.

Paul, he’s a biker. If you don’t follow him on twitter, you should. You can find him here. Another biker, the owner of HellCat Customs, felt so bad about not being able to provide me a place to stay, he offered to pay for a hotel room for me. How amazing is that? Well, if you’re a biker, it’s just makes sense.

I realize that I’m not talking much about my actual day of riding. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t do too much riding today. I wanted to check out two places – two very different places. Both were very close to my hotel. The first was Crystal Cathedral. I’ve seen the show on television a few times, and figured it would be a very impressive building. It was cool to see. The other was Jesse James’ West Coast Choppers in Long Beach. For a guy as popular as he is, the shop was incredibly low key. I walked in and checked out about a dozen bikes on display without a single other person around. The only person I saw the entire time I was in the shop was a girl working the accessories counter.

I did meet another friend from Twitter at lunch time and that was great also.

But today, I just can’t help but think about what it means to be a biker. I asked that question a few weeks back in a blog post, and today I’m seeing it lived out. I have a sticker on my helmet that says, “Harley Riders are a dime a dozen. Bikers are a rare breed.” How true. How true.

Are you a biker?

Tomorrow, I start riding the Pacific Coast. Will update when I find a campsite.

I realized this morning that there was so much that I didn’t say in yesterday’s update. So, I’ve decided to add a second part to the day’s blog.

Most people think I’m an extrovert. After all, my job is very public. I speak in front of crowds all the time, and seem very comfortable even in front of thousands. I’m viewed as a leader, and am often expected to be the one who takes control when a situation is uncertain.

However, I do all of that as part of my job. I’m actually fairly shy. I typically don’t initiate conversations (unless I force myself to do so), to the point that I can sometimes come across as a jerk to someone who is expecting this outgoing, talkative person.

Taking this trip was huge for me. While I was excited about doing it, there was certainly a part of me that was very nervous. Could I handle things completely on my own. What if I come into a situation that is not ideal? What if I get lost (some of you laugh at that comment, after all, how would that be any different than normal)?

Yesterday afternoon was a perfect example. I was in my room. I had gone for supper at the Denny’s attached to the hotel. It was now 6 pm. Do I go to San Diego? The sun would set before I reached the city. Was it safe? Would I end up in an area that wasn’t the best for a small city, Canadian boy like me? A twitter friend had given me the number of his son, who lives in San Diego. I tried calling it. It went to voice mail. Now what?

I sat for a minute and thought about it. This entire trip was about doing something that I normally wouldn’t do on my own. I would go with someone else. If I decided to sit in my hotel room all evening rather than take a ride down to San Diego, I would give in to that nervousness. I couldn’t let that happen. And so, I got up, grabbed my helmet, my GPS, and headed out the door. And yes, San Diego is a beautiful city in the dark.

However, one of the coolest experiences for me wasn’t San Diego. It was something I got to do on my way to the city. Again, I left around 6 pm. The main highway was still back logged from rush hour traffic. The only lane moving fast was the car pool lane. Suddenly I saw a bike fly by in that lane. Then another. I smiled, realizing that bikes can go in the car pool lanes (Heather had told me they could in L.A., but wasn’t sure about the rest of the area). I moved along behind another Harley. Soon, we got to an area where even the car pool lane was stopped. But the Harley rider didn’t stop, he just zipped between two cars, splitting the lane. Again, I knew it was legal in LA, but if he was going to do it, so was I.

Lane splitting for the very first time was exhilarating. Now, I realize that some of you probably wouldn’t split lanes any more than you would ride without a helmet. But most of us, when stuck in rush hour traffic in our respective communities, have thought about how nice it would be to just cut between the cars. Well, it was. As silly as this might sound, it was a big a rush as the first time I rode without a helmet.

Are there things in your life that you are holding back from doing because you’re nervous? You must decide. Do you give in to that fear, or do you decide to not allow it to dictate your direction. I’m glad I didn’t give in. I never would have enjoyed my adventure last night, nor taken that picture of my bike with the sun setting as a backdrop.

Enjoy the ride.

I didn’t seem to get much riding in today. Of course, I guess it’s a matter of perspective. For instance, once I settled into my hotel in Anaheim, I realized that I had only done 150 miles. Then, tonight, I rode into San Diego and added another 200 miles to the trip. Still, 350 miles doesn’t seem to be much compared to most of my days.

Since I went to San Diego, the furthest point West in this trip for me, I decided to figure out my total mileage as of today. 6,163.3 kms (3,829.7 miles). Wow. That’s a lot of riding considering this is day nine  (and I didn’t ride at all yesterday).

I expect I’ll be doing less miles over the next few days. Rather than riding non-stop, I plan on pulling over often to enjoy the sights. After all, it’s not often I get to ride the Pacific coast!

Speaking of the coast, I pulled over when I noticed the sun setting on my way to San Diego. How incredible is this view? As I stood there, watching the sun set, smelling the ocean air, I felt tremendous peace. It was an incredible feeling.

However, I suddenly realized that the picture was missing something. As nice as the view was, it could be better. I just needed to include something in the shot. So, I took this picture:

Now, that is a perfect shot, if I do say so myself. I mean, what a beautiful bike

It was one of the few times I could take a picture of the machine that has taken me so many miles without it loaded down with all my stuff. I think that shot might become my desktop wallpaper.

I’ve seen quite a bit in nine days. Like Canada, the U.S. has it all, from the flatlands to the mountains, the desert to the coast, the variety is amazing. And yet, while the land changes from state to state, the people who live in the country are basically the same no matter where you go. Sure, there are subtle differences depending on the culture of the area, but for the most part, I have found people to be friendly, helpful and easy going.

Of course, that could all change when I get to Los Angeles!

Until then!

Well, I’m back on the grid. I was finally able to get my Starbucks card to work in the U.S., which means I can at least get 2 hours of free wifi a day.

I’m sticking a couple of days together in this update.

After I sent my last post, I headed up to the Grand Canyon. I arrived just after the sun had set, but while it was still light enough to see. I’m not going to say much about the experience, because there are not words adequate enough to describe the scene. Even the pictures I took are pathetic compared to seeing the Canyon in person. I was in awe of the beauty and majesty. Anyway, it was incredible, and worth the trip.

The next morning, I headed out of Williams, AZ to cross the desert. In typical Canadian fashion, I never considered just how hot it could get. When I left Williams, it was around 50 F (10 C). By 1 PM, as I was in the middle of the Mojave Desert, it was around 105 F (41 C) or more. As I cruised along at 70 mph, I was sweating! I couldn’t believe how hot it was.

Fortunately, I brought a couple of bottles of water, which I drank as I rode along. I did make one mistake, however. As I passed a gas station, I thought, “I should be fine for gas, I only have another 60 miles, and I’m sure there will be other gas stations along the way.” When I switched over to reserve, about 30 kms before I expected to go on reserve, I got worried. I slowed down a little in hopes of getting a few more miles out of my tank. To be honest, I was quite certain I wouldn’t make it to the next town. I did, barely.

Lesson: if you have to say, “I’m pretty sure I can make it …” then get gas.

Crossing the desert mid-afternoon wiped me right out. I was baked and done for the day. So, I found a cheap campsite and pulled in.

Yesterday, I took the day off riding. I spent it relaxing at the campsite, reading a little, enjoying their pool, and even cleaning up the bike a little. It was a good, refreshing day.

As I write this, I am in Riverside, CA. I plan on camping about 25 miles south of here. Once I unload, I’ll head into San Diego for the afternoon/evening. I hope to have wifi, and may do another update tonight.

Once again, thank you for all the comments. I read every one of them, and they are great! So, keep them coming.