1999 — Three Stalwarts Reach Land's End

No Johnathon this year, just John and Bill and Ken again. Steve Franklin was planning to come but then his band got a couple gigs and his priorities shone through. Us, we're off to sunny California.

Going so far, we knew we needed extra time, so we left on Thursday. We planned to leave at 2 pm from Bill's and darned if we didn't hit the road right at 2 pm. Headed west on I-70 and coming up the hill from Georgetown to Silver Plume we ran into a major downpour. Time to pull off and suit up, and then press on while dodging soaring plumes of water thrown up by vehicles going the other way. The rain passed, the rainsuits came off, and it got warm and dry the rest of the day. That first day we rode all the way to Green River, Utah, before we stopped and camped for the night. Coming in late at night, we were the ones deciding whether we should pay for extra vehicles (no), unlike the next time we hit this campground, earlier in the day, and the attendant told us each vehicle had to pay. We went to a motel that time.

From Green River we had a hot ride across Utah on I-70 and then on US 50, into Nevada to Ely. We checked into a motel with a pool and got cool and wet, then figured it was time to do some gambling. Just a little, though, as Reno was on the agenda the next day. But in the process we found the Hotel Nevada, and decided that would be a good place to stay another time.

Crossing Nevada on US 50, the Loneliest Road in America, was really pretty nice. The weather cooperated and it was cloudy and cool. Gas was ungodly expensive, though. Why, we had to pay more than $2 per gallon! Unheard of!

So we rolled through the outskirts of Reno, past the Chicken Ranch, which we had been warned about, and headed on down to Tahoe and the state line. We stayed in South Tahoe because that's where the inexpensive hotels were, and walked across the line into Nevada to gamble.

John and Bill in California The next day we continued our loop around Lake Tahoe and crossed Donner Pass on I-80. A short while later we got off the superslab onto California 20 through Yuba City and on to Calistoga. This was the day when we first experienced some of the tight, twisty, up-and-down roads that California is famous for. Calistoga was a good stop: good food, a decent motel, and alcoholic beverages, of course.

From Calistoga we cruised through the Napa Valley, and up and over into the Alexander Valley. Of course we had to stop and do some wine tasting along the way. Ken bought a case of wine and had it shipped home, paying probably no more than twice what it would have cost to buy the same wines from Applejack. You know how you just have to do these things, because you're there and it's the thing to do. You're on vacation, right?!

Bill on the Skaggs Springs Road On through Healdsburg we rode and then picked up the road past Lake Sonoma Recreation Area, where this first picture of John and Bill was shot.

From here we followed a road Ken had discovered when he spent a month working in Sacramento a few years ago. Called the Stewart's Point Skaggs Springs Road, this windy little one-lane bit of blacktop meanders through dense forests down to where it meets Highway 1 at Stewart's Point. Coming out into the open at Highway 1, there we were, at the coast. There's the Pacific, straight ahead, and only a few hundred yards away. This second shot is of Bill crossing a narrow bridge along this road.

We turned north on the coast highway and cruised on up to Mendocino, stopping along the way to get the rest of these shots. At Mendicino we stayed at a pretty high-priced but kind of swanky place. Not really a lot of choice; nothing is cheap in Mendocino.

The next day we continued on up the coast but it brought home the understanding of Mark Twain's remark that "The coldest winter I ever spent was a week in San Francisco," or something to that effect. It was not sunny. It was overcast and there was a breeze off the ocean and it was cold! No problem for Ken, he just slipped on his electric vest. John and Bill, however, were not so comfortable. We followed the route north and when it turned inland we said good-bye to the ocean with few regrets.

Ken at the Pacific Now we headed inland, back to where it was warm. And warmer. We passed through the redwood forests and on up to where California 36 goes east through hills and woods. Hooking a left onto California 3, we went on up through the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area and on into Redding. Looking around Redding, we picked what looked like a nice motel and checked in. It was only a little later that we noticed there were an awful lot of little kids, people cooking on barbecues in the parking lot, and not very many of them looking like they were born in the USA. Oh. This is not really a traveler's motel, is it? People live here. That's OK. Not a problem, just not what we anticipated.

Bill at the Pacific Leaving Redding the next day we passed through Lassen Volcano National Park and turned south on a series of roads that eventually brought us to Reno. Spent the night in Reno and then rejoined US 50 to cross the Loneliest Road in America going the other way. Back for a second night in Ely we stayed at the Nevada Hotel this time.

It turned out that the Nevada Hotel is definitely the place to stay in Ely. It's a nicely restored historic old building, right in the downtown area, and you can take your beers and cigars and sit out on the bench in front and watch the cruisers run up and down the boulevard. Which we did. And they make a point to let you park your bikes right out front where you and their security people can keep a close eye on them. Nice place.

On the road again the next day, for another hard day of riding. We crossed Utah and ended up back in Green River. This time we stayed in a motel, and went down to the hot local eatery for steaks.

John at the Pacific A short ride the next day brought us back into Colorado and to Grand Junction. Ken was in no hurry to get home and wanted to stop and visit Christopher. John and Bill were still struggling with the deep, dark secret Christopher had recently revealed and were not inclined to stop, so they headed on to Denver and home, the trip over for them.

Ken found Christopher and woke him up (he was working nights) and they hung out till he had to go to work. Then Ken went out and got a steak and a half-bottle of wine and enjoyed the amenities and some time alone. The next day, he, too, headed home and the great California trip of 1999 was at an end.

Footnote: John and Bill not having windshields, they were disinclined to even ride the speed limit, while Ken's butt was starting to hurt pretty bad from all these long days in the saddle. Ken made up his mind even before he got home that he was going to get a new, cushier saddle, or a new, modern touring bike. A few weeks later he showed up at coffee telling everyone they needed to come see his new saddle when it was time to leave. On leaving he led them to a brand new 1999 Kawasaki Concours. "This new saddle cost me a heck of a lot of money, but they threw in the whole rest of the bike at no extra charge."

Footnote 2: John has a really cock photo of his bike on the beach with the ocean behind it. If he gets me a copy of it I'll post it here.

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