Yosemite NP, CA: On
returning to Roseville, I bought some camping gear and headed to Yosemite National
Park the following day. The highway 120 bending up the mountain was a lot of
fun. I was soon welcomed by the Yosemite bugs which left stains and guts all over my
headlights and jacket. Camping after a 300mile day was not so comfortable but
the stopping for a couple of days in the valley was peaceful.
Yosemite NP, CA: the
high mountain pass road was closed due to snow but managed to climb high up the
valley.
The travels have been a lot of fun so far, every day just
follows on from the last, at times hectic and mentally tiring, other times
relaxing and peaceful. I’m enjoying socializing with the American, they love to
strike up conversation and are interested in where I’m heading to and offer
proud and frank recommendations of what their area has to offer. I’m meeting a
variety of people in cafes, diners, gas stations, national park trails,
campsites, motel car parks and bars. Their enthusiasm, warmth and
well wishes make me feel good about being here. I don’t have a GPS or detailed
maps so other than sketching a rough route each morning on some paper I get
advice from drivers while waiting at a red light or from gas station attendants,
waitresses, or even shop owners printing out maps for me. I ride most days
except when stopping in a bigger town or city, usually from late morning after
I carry out some daily maintenance (tire pressure, oil levels, clean and lube chain and
check tension) until dusk with stops for coffee, gas, taco’s, lunch or to take
in the views and silence amongst the rivers, lakes, mountains or the vastness
of the canyons and desert. Motorcycling really leaves me exposed to the
elements, I can be sweating through my leather jacket and thermals one moment
and not long later I’m battling a fierce crosswind which blows me across my highway
lane or feeling the rain drops or hail piercing my face and cursing at the sky.
An open face helmet was probably not the brightest of ideas nor lack of a windshield,
but I look cooler this way. I’ve learned to listen to the forecasts and read
the clouds a little better and also to keep my mouth shut to avoid the bugs and
flies entering. My head is filled with numbers – how many miles I have left in
the tank, the distance to the evening stop, the highway number, which highway
to take next. My gear has taken a bit of time to adjust and organize but I have
the series of bags, panniers, straps and hooks well setup now. Am traveling
smooth and easy until that first puncture occurs.
Big Sur: great
riding along the Pacific Coast Highway.
After a couple of nights at Yosemite, I headed back west to
reach the much recommended Pacific Coast Highway, Highway 1. I tackled the Big
Sur stretch, reminding me much of the Great Ocean Road in windy conditions.
With stops in Monterrey and Santa Barbara the coastal highway brings me in to L.A.
where I stop off at Neptune’s Net in Malibu, Santa Monica and Venice Beach for
an afternoon and pass through Beverly Hills and along Sunset Boulevard. Two
days was enough before heading for the desert.
Death Valley National
Park: I spent two days riding through Death Valley and a night camping. The
landscape here is pretty amazing, a real joy as the sun was setting with
changing shades of brown, red and yellow through the valleys. It has some of
the highest recorded temperatures on earth, hence the name, summer reaches into
the 50’s.
Death Valley salt
flats: 280 feet below sea level, uncomfortably hot.
I drop in to Las Vegas from there, to see what all the fuss
is about. A few days of burgers, gambling, lazing by the pool, riding the strip
and drinking was a fun break. Being with a bunch of mates would have made it
all the more eventful. I got chatting with many holidaymakers in search of sin
and sun from all over the place between roulette spins and casino bars and
caught a Beatles themed cirque de soliel. I sat at Mike’s bar one night, an
avid rider who sketches out a great route for my next portion through Utah and
Colorado which I take on board. I arrived with $300 in my pocket and manage to
leave with similar, a big win I guess after returning to a couple of lucky
casinos.
