Travel Hodgepodge

What I write here is filtered by my observations and memory, which is why it will be a hodgepodge. Unlike my trip in the car, I can't take notes, not that note taking even in a car is the safest driving.

What with one thing and another, well two things after everything else was finally ready, I didn't get out until after noon. First the cats didn't come right away to get their treat of wet food and be locked in the house. Then I remembered that I should put on sunscreen. It took me some time to remember where I put one of the spare tubes of 70 SPF I left in the house. (I didn't want to unpack my loaded motorcycle to get out one of the two tubes I had in my toiletry bag.) I was glad that I persevered because this let me remember my Sonic Care. I don't think I would be nearly as good with an old fashioned toothbrush even if I could get the motion back.

I thought I was out early enough to miss the Friday "get out of Dodge" traffic but if I was, I certainly didn't want to be later. What with the normally clogged corridors and the artificial ones caused by miles of construction... Let's just say that I got phenomenal mileage, the best I've ever gotten out of the motorcycle, 48.9 miles per gallon. I also did the most miles of lane splitting I've ever done. Unfortunately the combination was really draining and I had to stop just a little past Reno having gone 275 miles in five hours.

The next day's ride was substantially better, except for two incidents. The first happened when I was following my pace truck going about 80 mph. All of the sudden at just 105 miles since my last fill up, my engine started sputtering. I quickly turned it to the reserve tank setting, really just an intake set a little lower in the tank with about 3/4 gallons before bone dry, in the hopes that that was it. It was. I was fortunate that soon after that was an exit with gas. (I have passed a lot of exits that have that sign "No Service." It's a scary thing with a tank that holds less than four gallons.) The second happened in the high wind and rain in Utah, just before Salt Lake City. This time I didn't have a pace vehicle. In fact, I thought I was going at a reduced speed to get better mileage and to be safe in the rain visibility and wet pavement. This time at 98 miles since the last fill up I had to turn to the reserve tank, 29.6 mpg. I immediately reduced my speed even further making the two miles I had to go to the next gas available exit seem even that much longer.

There were some good things on this portion of the trip. I saw my first motorcycle with cruise control. Now after today's ride of over 600 miles, I definitely have to get me one. What happened was that I was being passed and the rider waved at me with his right hand. My right arm started hurting from then on.

Nevada was really into road reconstruction. Unfortunately their roads before reconstruction are generally better than California's roads after construction.

I also learned that the Nevada High Desert is cold. In spite of my warm fuzzy self-congratulatory thoughts about remembering to bring my jacket liner, I wasn't really getting any warmer until I stopped and put it in.

It was still raining this morning so I delayed leaving the hotel until after it had stopped. In fact, I wrote the following twoem about the experience: "Waited until the rain stopped. Delayed my for an hour. / Within ten miles though, I had a 16-mile shower. / It's beautiful now." The clouds were so beautiful that I actually wrote another twoem but after the fact I wished I hadn't. But all down Highway 6 to I-70 and up at least to the Johnson Tunnel was simply too beautiful for words. The rocks in the canyon walls, the cliffs from the surrounding mesas, the Colorado River, ... I was just elated to be on my motorcycle riding through all of it. I'm sure pictures wouldn't have done the actual scenery justice but that is one draw back to riding a motorcycle. But after the rain, it got warm. Then it got hot. Finally I stopped to take my jacket liner out. My motorcycle jacket has pockets for everything, and they are duplicated in the liner, even one for an iPod. This morning, even though I can't listen to an iPod while I'm riding, the wrong kind of ear phones, I put my iPod in the liner pocket. I then proceeded to take it out of the liner in order to put it in the jacket pocket, except I never did. So, somewhere around the Cisco "no service" exit there is an eight gigabyte nano.

I have to stop to do almost everything. I'm glad no one reading this could see me try to close up my vents. When it got cold later, simply zipping up my vents wasn't warm enough so I finally stopped. It took several minutes to get the velcro all on the right closed strip and make sure I wasn't leaving something else on the motorcycle to fall off.

There were a few slow downs, mostly due to construction constricting the lanes down to one. Unlike similar lane limits in Nevada, the speed was reduced to zero and very low when it wasn't. Unfortunately, one was due to a severe accident. I don't know how many cars were actually involved as there were several cars stopped to help but at least one was on its side right up against the center concrete divider.

I'm sure I could think of even more things but it's late and I want to get ready for the next day's riding. The real preparation is sleep. However, I want to end with a chuckle, at least I chuckled. On the back of one of the trucks I passed I saw: "I started with nothing and still have most of it left."

Keeping the shiny side up.

Instead of...

Instead of completing my resume, but there is still some day left to work on it, ... Instead of gassing up my motorcycle and my liter of emergency fuel, ... Instead of stowing the filled boxes currently in the living room in the now room available storage shed, ... Instead of making chicken jerky, making lists, washing clothes, and any of the other million and one things I have to do in the next three days:

- I finally dead headed some plants to supposedly help their blossoms continue to come. This is something that I didn't do at all last year. Nor did I water them well or fertilize them at all. Quite frankly, I thought they were annuals. But with a little fertilizer and water this spring, they somewhat came back. They were planted to make the yard look nice for my youngest daughter's wedding and for my Master Gardener wife. She kept them blooming throughout the fall by directing her helper to dead head them, cut off the dead and dying blossoms. If I've done it soon enough and done it in the right place, they should bloom more. Of course, I won't be here to see them.

- I watered the front yard and pulled a few weeds. My son and daughter-in-law filled up the green bin with their weeding earlier. If it hadn't settled, I would not have had room for even the few weeds I pulled. I also trimmed the one kind of ground cover that was overrunning the other kind of ground cover, the one the deer will eat. (Which reminds me that I should start spraying the stink as I saw fresh deer droppings. There is better food available so they haven't been desperate enough to eat my meager plants but they obviously were checking them out.

- I did make a good start on my resume. It's all formated and only has the last 14 1/2 years and a summary to go to be completed.

- I also found the next batch of checks, no small feat that, and signed a couple for my son to use for expected bills that will be coming due while I'm gone to Alaska.

Somehow it seemed like more and more significant in my mind. The most significant thing accomplished was arranging for some cat (and plant) care and I just did that. I'm to drop off the key and money tomorrow.

Rather than use the rest of the day to complete anything or make it more significant, I think I will go to bed early. I slept in until 8:00 AM this morning and doing so tomorrow will make me miss the start of my Grant/Proposal Writing class. While I like getting up without an alarm clock, even when early, I will put a battery in mine and set it to make sure I get up in time tomorrow.

It was only to the store

I only rode my motorcycle to the grocery store and back but it was enough to get me in the "can't wait" mood. I can't wait for Friday! Friday is when I head out across country to West Virginia. Unfortunately, I have more than enough to keep me busy until then.

First, I have yet to set up my listserv account so I can get my Spot location messages to all that indicated they wanted them. I'm not sure my motorcycle ride will be all that interesting, location-wise that is, but the location reports to, from, and in Alaska should be.

Second, I have to complete my resume. Not only do I want to take a few copies with me on the off chance that I become completely enamored with some community I'm passing through, I need to get it posted to CALJOBS in order to be eligible for unemployment insurance. With the financial state that California is in, I'm not sure how eligibility will translate into money. It would be great to have my mortgage covered while I am still out of work.

Third, I am taking a grant writing class in two days. I met with the head of the National Lymphedema Network Friday to get information on grant proposals that need written. I will be taking my notes, paper, pens, and computer to begin the proposal writing on my trip, and for writing other stuff.

Fourth, I need to find someone to water plants and check on cats. It turns out the other two recent residents of this house will also be heading off on their own shorter trip, eight days, on the same day I am. That is just too long to let the cats and plants go without looking after. Hopefully someone who has looked in on the cats for free in the past for really short trips will be willing to do it for some compensation for the much longer time.

Fifth, I need to pack, no small effort. I've decided that I won't bother cooking, which will simplify my packing considerably. Since I'm going to be making time on the expressways, I will be close to restaurants and grocery stores. I'll take Cliff bars and water and maybe a sliced loaf of my homemade bread.

Sixth, I want to have some fun. After all, so far we've been working to fit what they brought and what I already had into the house, and we still have a little of that left to do, almost non-stop. In fact, I think I will stop this and watch one of the two movies I got from the local rental.

I'm sure there is more but you may not be interested in the detail I've already included. If I don't blog again until I'm on the road, I'm sure you will understand.

It's not over yet...

This fantastic interlude in the desserts of California, well the towns on the outskirts, will end today. I was to take a couple of hikers back to the trail at 5:00 AM this morning but with the nice, relatively cool weather, they decided to start at 8:00 AM instead. I was glad because this meant that I didn't have to set my alarm clock. While I still woke up at 5:30 AM, it was a complete rest cycle. I'm going to leave the Gatorade I bought at the trail head, this morning in the cooler and when I take Andrea and Neil back to the trail head, I'll pick up the cooler and leave the Gatorade.

Once they cleaned up, they looked real good, healthy. After 20% of the trail, they've only lost five to ten pounds. While they eat really well on their town breaks and zero days, at this stop I've been able to keep pace. Unfortunately I'm not going back on the trail. While I do like the thought of doing something this dramatic, I don't like the level of cleanliness possible. Of the four people I hauled from the Tehachapi Willow Springs road crossing into town, they all had the same unwashed body odor. It was undoubtedly made worse by the dessert heat because it was still less pungent than some San Francisco street people who may not have washed in a year or more. I really feel sorry for the street people, particularly since many of them also have mental conditions that keep them from taking advantage of services that would allow them to wash.

To a person, the people I've given lifts to and the ones I've met at the hotel many of them seem to be staying at, they are enjoying the hike, even the parts they don't. Nothing like common misery to form bonds that last a life time. Last night I met a person who is on his second through hike. Some few people have done it five times. Then there are the yo-yo's who do it both directions in the same year. They have to travel light and fast.

Here are some more pictures of them starting out their last desert section: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011679&id=1288023430&l=cf846bc5b8.

Similar to their start of their PCT hike, here is a video of them walking. At least a portion of this is a better front on shot...



I have a lot more to post and, unfortunately, a lot more to do. The doing keeps me from posting, which reminds me of a recent "Luann" strip, which was just recycled this morning.

The last time I was in Bakersfield

The last time I was in Bakersfield was a little later in June four years ago. Marilyn and I had just watched Sean graduate and were on our way to Sequoia/Kings Canyon. She was having symptoms of her cancer but it wasn't yet diagnosed so she wanted to have some wheatgrass juice. (Ever since her first cancer she made a particular effort to eat healthy and found that wheatgrass juice gave her energy and micronutrients.) I used my Blackberry to find a Jamba Juice and Google Maps to actually get us there.

This trip was just a buzz by but it did remind me of the last time.

I finally met up with my daughter and her husband. I was at the wrong PCT road crossing. So, my walking in about three miles to see them on the trail not only went for naught, but it made me an hour late picking them up at the right road crossing. I was even later because I couldn't see the trail markers from the road in the dark. It all worked out in the end. We got some food from Albertson's, ate it at the hotel after they cleaned up, and they went right to bed, which I'm going to do shortly.

Here are some still pictures I took on my six-mile round trip hike: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011329&id=1288023430&l=116778be77

I was really impressed with the number of wind turbines as well as the number actually turning.