Hotel des Arts

Staying in the Hotel des Arts. Each room has been decorated by a different artist making the whole hotel a canvas..... Nice, nice, nice!

San Francisco

How sad am I? Sighted the Golden Gate bridge miles back on Route 1 and am now grinning like a cheshire cat as I ride over it completing part one of my journey.

Afterwards I rode down to the beach so that I could stand in the Pacific. Next week I will start Route 50 - the loneliest road, traveling coast to coast to stand in the Altantic. Ocean city is over 3700 miles away but I'm looking forward to completing the journey I had originally planned for 2 years ago....

Guns

Great comedian on TV... "We dont need no gun control! We need bullet control! When bullets cost 5 thousand dollars each there wont be no innocent bystanders!" "You in big trouble boy.... When I got a second job and saved up some money, you a dead man!"

hahaha, but there's the answer!

6 and a half hours later...

Well I'm 900 dollars lighter but what a difference. Roci is purring like a happy moggi now. What had happened is that the rubber gaskets between the cyclinder head and the carb had perished sitting in the garage for 10 years. Clearly leaking air causing the choke issue but killed off by Death Valley. Overheating cracked the things further and caused the missfire for the last couple of days.

At the dealer for 6 and a half hours but held 3 telephone conferences to pay for the work done... By the time I left I had met just about everyone who worked there and those that hadn't spoken to me came out to see the looney crossing the country on a Sportster.
Quite a waving off party when I left. Shaking of hands and best wishes for the remainder of the trip. Was disappointed when they didn't start to sing "So long, farewell, auweidersen, good night, etc ....".

The moment was ruined by turning left down a cul de sac instead of the highway which was the next left... Does one hide down the road until they go away?

Well, I'm now in Half Moon Bay and only 40 mins away from San Fransisco and the end of the first part of the journey. Nice!

I have to finish the consultancy work I have been doing on and off by 16.40 tomorrow. So a report to write and 2 conference calls and I'm done (for a week anyway) ;-)

At the Harley Dealer

"Oh dear. Did you notice the gaskets have gone on your rocker covers?" "Nope". And those tyres are border line....". "We'll take a look at the misfire problem when we take the tank off to sort out the heads". Hmm.

Then I was asked to sign an estimate for $900 dollars! Aaaaargh.... Still, its only money. Jonty (WHMB) suggested I should have bought a new bike in the first place (all would have been covered by warranty). Would still have had to pay for the tyres and servicing I've had on the journey. Don't think it would have saved me much.

Ten pin...

Yesterday I had a haircut. Great, now have a head like a bowling ball when I'm wearing the helmet and when I'm not.... :-)

Monterey

"No, you don't want to start Route 50 with the it running like that" Alan shakes his head and frowns at the thought. I'd dropped into the Harley shop in Cannery Row earlier to find it was only a clothing store.

The manager suggested I call back at 11.30 when one of her staff come in. Alan (for that was his name) is a mechanic and bike builder who would know the problem...

"It sounds like a fuel problem to me." I had explained that the plugs had been changed and that Roci had run for 4500 miles without a problem. "He did say that I shouldn't be experiencing the choke problem either.

So he has a day off tomorrow and will meet me at the dealership as he has some parts he needs to pock up.

The buildings in Cannery Row have been converted from canning sardines to tourist facilities, a hotel and an aquarium. Its all very nicely done so I wasn't disappointed at all. Picked up a copy of Steinbeck's Cannery Row to add to my collection and tomorrow I'll be in Salinas which will add to my Steinbeck experience. So that's three places now. Route 66 was the setting for Grapes of Wrath, Salinas valley for East of Eden and Cannery Row for erm.....

I'm 52 and I'd never before visited an aquarium. How bad is that? And worse, my 3 sons are in their 20's and I've never taken them! 'Slippin though my fingers' and all that. Don't worry boys! Its not too late! Daddy will take you!

First view of the Pacific

I'm running out of superlatives I'm afraid...


Part one of today involved a 70 mile run across something that looked like miles of the Shropshire hills. Beautiful rolling landscape with cattle, the odd farm (or is it ranch) and little else. A bikers paradise. I know this because I saw 10 bikers and 2 cars (in 70 miles!).








The road at first climbed through about 10 miles of tight bends (I was going to say ciquanes but I clearly don't know how to spell it) then 40 miles across a big flat bit (because I can't spell platue...), followed by 20 miles of sweeping bends down towards the coast (at least I can add up). The flat bit was more like a roller coaster actually. No bends, but up and down like a massive series of hump back bridges. Fun fun fun.



I was looking forward to getting back down to sea level for part two to get warm. Its been over 100 degrees last week. Boy, was I ever wrong...

After lunch I put on the winter gloves, a fleece beneath the jacket and my over trousers. It was blowing a gail off the sea and cold cold cold!

Don't get me wrong, what followed was fabulous. Highway 1 is famous for its scenery and I'm really glad I took Bethany's advice and took this 100 mile section.


The ocean looked fantastic; the white horses showed it was at least a Force 6 out there. The hills to the right were stunning. I had lunch at Dorns as recommended by David. Clam chowder was the best. So my plan to follow the advice of locals is still holding :o)

I stopped to look at the seals basking on the beach. This is the time of year they come ashore to molt. What a sight...

I need to find a Harley dealer again soon. Roci's missfire hiccup has become a bit of a cough, and I don't want him to expire in the middle of a desert! The new plugs didn't solve the problem and I suspect its still the timing as I told the last dealer. The poor woman who runs the motel I'm staying in, thought one of her room had exploded when Roci backfired on switch off. "I wondered what had happened" she said,running out into the carpark :o)

So there's my day tomorrow. Harley dealer, Cannery Row to pay homage to Steinbeck (one I haven't read yet - pick it up tomorrow perhaps) and a haircut. Starting to look like Worzel Gummage.

A grand day during which I saw the ocean as I passed the 5000 mile mark...

Sequoia National Forest

Up into the Sequoia National Forest and the wind was blowing again. Out came the winter gloves again as I climbed to 5000 feet. Cold cold cold!
Beautiful up in the mountains and even more beautiful riding down the gorge leading to Bakersfield.

Thanks for the route advice Eric. A great ride.

I'm looking forward to the coast ride now. Done mountains for a few days I think. I will take in Yosemite before I head down to San Francisco on Wednesday though.

Roci picked up a misfire today. I notice he had been backfiring and running on when switched off, so I think the timing needs looking at. I also noticed a missing engine mounting bolt and he again needed an oil change so I found the Harley dealer and got him sorted. I had to tighten another engine mount on the way to Vegas so I asked for a complete check up. Suspension raised too and checked over for the rest of the journey.

That's twice I've been able to get work done at zero notice. In the UK, you'd have to book weeks in advance....

Ridgecrest

Crossed the road from the motel as I thought Japanese would make a change. If I didn't want to wait for a table, Teppenyaki was on offer so I joined 3 lovely people already sat.

Dave was an English guy from Huddersfield who had moved to California to marry Bethany. The other chap was Eric. They live near Lake Isabella and had come to Ridgecrest for dinner and a movie. I explained that no-one in the UK would travel 50 miles for dinner. That's the difference; the spaces between things in the USA.

Thanks to them for guidance for my next part of trip. Sequoia National Forest tomorrow, then I'm heading for route 1 on the coast. I have to find Morro Bay and I'm going to eat at Dorns!

Death Valley

Death Valley
Stopped for a coffee at a tiny gas station come general store. Having just left Vegas I wasn't surprised to see 'Slots' and 'Adult entertainment' written on the external wall.






It wasn't until I got talking to Captain Birdseye (wearing a battered stepson though) that I discovered that the adult entertainment was a brothel. A brothel! Cherry Patch Ranch II (I wonder what happened to the the first one?).


If I weren't a nice reserved Englishman I would have paid to have a picture taken with one of the 'girls'."Course, this side of the raod is in a different town" he said. "That's because the town council decided they didn't want a brothel in their town. So this side of the highway is called xxx".











"They don't mind having more that one wife around here, but won't own up to buying one... he he he".






The captain told me about his life history growing up in the Bayous in Alabama, his visits to England and the fact that his family was originally from Bristol and London (together :o). "I told Harry here, the cider over there is great. Knock your dick into the dirt it will!"


If want you to hear something interesting talk to the loud eccentric person :o)I had been speaking to the lady behind the till when he came over to help. He said there was only one place en route for gas in Death Valley (not true actually as usual!) and then he got to chatting.


Apparently I need to get a 2 gallon tank for the early stages of Route 50. His mate (the one who had moved his armchair into the coffee area, sunk into it and far as you could tell hadn't moved out of it in years), thinks there could be one section without fuel for 200 miles... Hmmm.

























What a day! Spent most of it sailing, or least it felt that way. Crosswinds of 35 MPH had Roci leaning at 30 degrees just to go in a straight line. Much more disconcerting was leaning the bike the wrong way round a bend! Wierd....









Started at 3000 ft and rode down for mile after mile until I was at minus165 feet at the base of Death Valley. Stopped at Furnace Creek. God, it was hot. The reader with the smart mouth (you know who you are) will say "the clue is in the name Mike". Never the less... Stovepipe Wells was the next place (again, the clue etc...).Death Valley. Mile after mile of barren salt flats... Its beautiful in its own way but I just wanted out by the end.

Then started up the first of 2 big climbs. 20 miles straight up 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 5956 feet. Then straight back down again 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Then back up all over again. On and on riding through 100 degree heat and then 50 degrees with Roci being blown from one side of the road to the other. Really hard work but one of the BEST days....



Then just as you think the day has nothing more for you, you get shot blasted by 15 miles of sandstorm... There was a guy in the gas station in Furnace Creek on a KTM covered in sand. I thought he had been off roading with Ewan and Charlie. Turns out he had just come from where I was heading.



Then bam! there in front of you is the Sierra Nevada covered in snow. Wow, wow, wow....

Vegas!

My next bike...

Las Vegas

They say that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas....

In this case I'll make an exception. I've been bothered with a loose crown for a week or so and last night it flared up to the point I couldnt sleep. So today I had an the damned tooth removed. After the work and drugs I'm now $420 worse off!

Not what I was expecting to do in Vegas :0)

The practice deals exclusively with hotel customers so asked about my vacation. The guy who came to talk about payment was really surprised I was travelling alone then asked if I was armed... Seemed shocked that I wasnt. Good grief!

Mohave desert

I'm in the middle of Mohave desert with nothing except (erm) desert and distant mountains. The big sky is blue with just a few scudding clouds, and I'm on a motorcycle! Its doesn't get much better, eh?

Yes it does... I am in Las Vegas riding down the Strip on a Harley Davidson :o))))

Oatman

On the stregth of the recommendation of my biker friends I had breakfast with a couple of days ago, I continued on Route 66 up into the Black Mountains.

I stopped at Oatman, a town stuck in a time warp (on purpose I'm sure). Full of bikers because there is a festival going on.

As promised, the town was also full of Buros' poking their faces into everywhere. I have resisted, T-shirts, stickers and all other souvineirs up until now but had to get a T shirt here... The town is full of hard looking bikers. Angel gear the lot, some of them. Probably all stock brokers...

Route 66

Anyone coming this way by bike or car don't stop at the Grand Canyon like I did.

This was my original plan and I should have stuck to it.... I'm sat in Williams which is about 60 miles south. There is a great looking hotel that used to be a bordello and its right on one of the remnants of Route 66.

There is a train that leaves every morning for the canyon. You get a couple of hours there I think before it brings you back. It costs $70 and if you add that to the hotel it will still be cheaper than staying at the canyon.

And you don't have the 120 round trip drive! So why didn't I do it? Firstly there is a scenic drive I couldn't resist from where I was starting and secondly I wanted to see the canyon at sunset. But seriously, Williams and the train is the way to do it!

News

An interesting observation in USA Today confirming what my friend in French Camp was saying. The Attorney General said 'blacks and whites stick too much to their own, especially in their social lives. "The year 2009 does not, in some ways, differ significantly from the country that existed 50 years ago," he said. "This is truly sad".

The Grand Canyon

Need I say a word about this place?

Rode back up to rim to watch the sunset...