Saturday, August 11, 2007

Montana, here I come!

Bakersfield to Mt. Shasta - 519 miles



Motorcycle trips are great! Mostly. But often to get to the good stuff you have to drone through miles of boring stuff. Such was today. 519 miles of riding, with nearly 500 of them on I-5. The only highlight of this first day of riding was a stop for lunch in Sacramento. An online search had uncovered an L&L Hawaiian Barbecue just off the freeway, so I rolled in for a mini loco moco and a Strawberry Guava. Nothing like a Styrofoam box full of protein and starch to make your day. I think the cholesterol is left out here in Caleefornia. They also had malasadas, but only in lots of 10, so I passed that up.



Gas mileage barreling up the freeway was horrendous, even for holding 70 mph. Turning east after Sacramento I discovered why. There was a severe crosswind of at least 25 or 30 mph. What had been a strong headwind was now forcing me to lean into the wind several degrees. If a car or truck passed me on the left I had trouble maintaining control in the turbulence, so I got into the left lane and made the speeders pass me on the right. This was very difficult riding and I very happy to turn back into the headwind.

There was little to see today until about mile 495, when Mt. Shasta came into view. Shasta soft drinks were very popular in Hawaii years ago, so the profile of this mountain was very familiar.






My motel room also provided a view of the mountain, if somewhat obscured by trees.



This may be the last time I attempt more than 500 miles in one day.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Long drive for one day there, bro! How was your butt after all that? I'd go for a guava drink along with ya.

Anonymous said...

Dear Grandpaa!
Amazing, beautiful, challanging, exciting, thrilling, couragious are just few words to describe your riding experience across America! Have so much to learn from you & so much more to explore as a rider! Need a cruiser soon so as to begin the adventure soon!
Thanks for sharing WINGING IT.... Great Work! Fabulous narration