Motorcycle Trips 2005-2006

Day 8 - Bridgeport, CA to Sunnyvale, CA

Dinner last night was at the Restaurant 1881 in Bridgeport. It was very classy and totally unexpected. They didn't mind at all that we showed up in blue jeans. They are geared towards the vacation and fishing visitors in town. Breakfast the next morning was at the Hays Street Cafe and we got there at just the right time (7:30ish) . By 8:00 the parking lot was full, tables were full, and people were lining up outside. These two places are worth trying if you are staying here.

We took it a little slow this morning since it wasn't going to be a long day and were riding by about 9am. It only took about 2 hours to cross over Sonora pass and make it to Twain Harte. We stopped by to visit with family for a couple of hours and share some of the experiences of our trip. About one o'clock Walt start his trip back to Sunnyvale. I spent the night in Twain Harate and came home Monday morning.

The trip was safe, sound, and quite enjoyable. We both have some bike maintenance and cleaning to do.

Still snow up here but is is melting pretty fast.

Walt at the pass

Over the top

Day 7 - Las Vegas, NV to Bridgeport, CA

Neither Walt nor I slept very well last night. We got up about 5:30 this morning had a little breakfast and headed out to Area 51 and the Extraterrestrial Highway. We expected the ride through this part of Nevada would be long and hard. It wasn't. The weather was absolutely perfect. Warm when we were stopped but pleasantly cool while we were riding. There is a special kind of beauty that can exist out in this dry place. I was really surprised when out in the middle of nowhere there was a lake and ranch land with green pastures.

When we got out onto the Extraterrestrial Highway we only encountered a handful of cars. When we stopped for a break or to take a picture it was VERY quiet. Near the end of the ET segment we ran though many swarms of bugs. We got pelted by them. You can see what they did to the bikes and you can guess what our windshields looked like. When they hit our legs and arms it felt like being hit by small rocks. When they hit our helmets it makes a loud crack.

One thing similar between Nevada and Alaska.... just because you can find a place on the map with a name it doesn't mean you'll find anything there. It is important to get gas when you find it. The next gas could be one hundred miles away. Some of the little places named on the map only indicate a ranch is (or was) there.

We got into Tonopah a little after noon. This was supposed to be our stop for the night. Since it was early and we're on the final leg to getting home we decided to push on to Bridgeport which is on the eastern side of the Sierras. Our route took us past Mono Lake which is a very pretty turquoise color from a distance.

Tomorrow we cross over Sonora Pass and down through Twain Harte and will be wrapping up our trip.

The bugs hit our legs and arms as much as they hit our bikes.

More cleanup work for Walt

We ran into a few bug swarms

Walt is safely back in California

Almost home

Came around a corner and this suddenly appeared

Not much is out here

Walt was there

John was there

Sign on the ET Highway

Day 6 - Springdale, UT to Las Vegas, NV

Today we took the shuttle bus into the Zion canyon. This is the main part of the park from a visitors point of view. Previously I tried to give you an idea of the difference between Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon. The big difference I now realize is that in Zion you are down in the canyon look up at everything. In the other canyons you are up high looking down into the canyon. If I make it back to Zion the first hike I'd like to do is to walk further up the river into the narrows of the canyon. This seems very popular based on where we saw the most people getting off the bus. There are hikes that take you up the canyon walls to the top of the rock formations too.

After leaving Springdale we rode to Las Vegas. Just a stopping point. Nothing interesting here but it is a day to do some laundry. The ride today was not as hot as previous days. Maybe we're getting used to the heat. It was only 100 degrees on the Nevada segment of our ride.

Tomorrow we head towards Area 51. If we don't show up at home in the next few days we've either been abducted by the aliens or the Feds have us locked up somewhere.