🚀 go-pugleaf

The trip report is at:
http://www.users.cts.com/king/d/drlubell/lride97/lride97.html
if you prefer .html

Day 7 10/3: the good times rolled, Reno to SF

The next morning, I woke with a soar back.  The 3000 miles of riding,
and 5 nights of camping didn�t do it, it was a luxury bed that did it.

We had to wait for the local Honda dealer to open and get the tire on.
By the time that was all done, it was 11:30.  Another late start.  The
rest of the group was not going to wait up for us, because they were
already in South Lake Tahoe, and we were still saddling up the bikes.

The route we took out of Reno to SF should be written down.  Take
notes young rider.  I do not think you could take a better route, but
only follow it in summer, and only if you are not in a rush.

From Reno, we headed to the mountains SE of the city.  US-395 which
stops being super-highway right outside of Reno.  Turning SW on
NV-431, the roads get twisty and steep as you thread through the
seasonally closed ski areas.  At the end of the twisties, you merge
with the perimeter of Lake Tahoe.  We took NV-28 which becomes CA-28
and goes along the west side of the Lake.  I think that next time, the
east side would be better.  The CA side is crowded and slow.  Very
frustrating way to go if you took a trip to avoid crowds and traffic.
The speed limit is somewhere about 25 MPH, like a 20 mile school zone.
Following the perimeter evetually takes you to CA-89.  Follow it South
to you reach CA-4.  The same CA-4 that feeds into SF is a grueling
snake of a road on the west side of CA.  A local pointed this road out
to us (we were thinking of taking CA-88) and it is defintely the way
to go.  Beware that long stretches are one large lane for both
directions, and has very tight slow technical turns.

We followed CA-4 all the way to Berkeley and found dinner waiting for
us.  The rest of the group had been there for a few hours already.
The rest of night was spent recapping all of the memorable moments of
the trip, and talking about our next Love Ride.  The Texas contingent
also took this time to point out how long a drive they had left (33
hours) before they got home.  The rest of us pointed out how we had a
terrible ride down the PCH to So Cal.

Day 8 10/4: PCH is AOK

Jon had to be home early, so he left for San Diego right after
sunrise.  Brian and I being significantly lazier, left at some time
closer to 10.  The plan, and it was a good one, was to take super slab
to Monterey, and then take PCH down to San Luis Obispo, where you
merge with US-101 and get lead right into Santa Barbara and LA.

This was my first time on the PCH, and hope that it was not my last.
Despite all the hooplah about the PCH, I was pretty burned by the
image I had of it North of SF.  It is not like that.  You go dozens of
miles without seeing a turn off to an intersecting road, or a
business.  You are truly on the coastline, too.  Always you can see
the waves crashing at the base of cliffs.

There is also every retired couple and family vacation group driving
motorhomes.  There is also a CHP Suburban to keep us honest, too.
When you get a break, take it.  You can be trapped behind a motorhome
for miles before reaching a straight, much less a legal passing zone.
At least the scnery is good enough that going slow is not too bad.

It was along here, at Ragged Point, that Brian and I set the record
for most expensive gas at $2.25 a gallon, breaking Ben�s $2.00 record
from earlier.  We each bought a gallon to hold us over to San Luis
Obispo with some safety margin.

Night fell as we reached Ventura County.  Brian went the last few
miles to Pasadena, and I bunked at a friend�s house (Biker Scum Dave)
near Simi Valley.

Day 9 10/5: My only friend, The End

I rode home from LA to San Diego.

Observations:
Northern California is a great place for touring.  What they lack in
surfing and warm weather, they make up in mountains and scenery.

Fall is a great time to tour.  We only had one day of rain, and felt
lucky at that.  The weather was cool and sunny during the day, and
only slightly chilly at night.

Nobody can make a tire last like Nathan.  Cord all around and two
nails in a tire that should have been replaced BEFORE the trip
started.

Josephine County parks needs a better hiring policy.

The VFR is a great bike for long distance travel.  Everybody should
have one.

Don�t forget or skimp on safety gear.  No matter how good you are, you
can crash.  Sometimes it is on your own terms, and sometimes it is
not.  With good leathers, helmet, gloves, and boots, you can almost
guarantee yourself walking away from a lowside or minor crash that
would otherwise end your trip.  Also, you don�t have to pack as much
clothes, you wear the same thing everyday.  Personal hygiene is for
those other guys!

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Ride safe.

-dan
Dan Lubell	drlubell@cts.net
AMA and Texas Mini GP
'96 VFR;'82 C-10 "Slut Truck";'68 Mustang-needs no name 
Biker Scum Site:
http://www.users.cts.com/king/d/drlubell/bscum.html