The next morning dawns grey and wet. But, look! The Weather Channel says the rain has passed and is moving off east. We hang out ’til 11 pm when patches of blue sky and sun appear. It’s off to San Miguel for gas and up 101 for home. 2100 trouble and rain-free miles. Yay. I’m looking forward to our next Baja trip already … Cary’s ready for Europe. We’ll see. Joy.

Fraizer Park

Lost finding Elkhorn Road

Elkhorn Rd, Corrizo Plain

Fast Corrizo Plain fun

More Elkhorn

Elkhorn intersection

Parkfield Cafe

Bear Room

Parkfield, Pop. 18

It was up through Gorman and Fraizer Park to the Carrizo Plain the next morning. Clear but so cold we were afraid there would be ice in the shadows on the way down from Frazer Park. Cold. Ouch.

We were looking down into wat looked like tule fog when we crested the mountains and looked down into the San Joquin Valley. Hmm. Should we risk the dirt in the Carrizo Plain? Might be cold and muddy. Well? Yes, we shall. I got lost but we were redirected by a man out with his young son and wife on XT250s …

The weather cleared up on the Elkhorn Road, which was spectacular. Can’t wait to go back there and explore more. We ran up Bitterwater Road to Parkfield at 4:30 where Cary ran into the Cafe to ask about a room. $90. Sounds like us. And what delux place. Big bed, nice funiture, flat screen TV, Dish Network, a stuffed bear! Wow. We had steak for dinner (no as good as Kyle’s steak) and dessert. It rained in the night. Where are my rain-mits? Curses!

Rancho Ojia to look for charger

After stopping at Rancho Ojai to look for my cell phone charger (no luck) we crossed the boarder using the wonderful “recreation vehicle” lane to pass about 1/2 mile of cars (top of the hill) waiting to cross at 11 am. We presented our passports and were waived through. Then we remembered we meant to put the plate on Cary’s bike … Oops. Lets go! No problemo. We strapped it to the bag while Cary changed our remaining pesos to dollars.

Then it was off to Julian for a good lunch at our favorite coffee shop there. No CHP this time, and no tickets for riding like we were still in Baja. Yay.

Up to I-15 where we split lanes for a few minutes til we got to where we thought we’d pick up old Rt 66 instead of taking the interstate over Cajon pass. Which we did after being lost. Got to the Best Western that we don’t like, where the nasty proprietess took one look at us and pronounced herself full. Dang. Dark and cold.

On up the road we go, to stop at the first place we see. Which was in Palmdale, at the Motel 6, where they gave us the same room we had heading south after we had to ask for a ground floor. 126 … Hey! Did you guys find my charger? They had a drawer full but could not seem to find mine. Drat. After Domino’s delivered a pizza we went to sleep. The next morning I asked the (different) clerk about my charger again and we found it in the drawer … yay!

Airing down the 606s

The “San Filipe Road”

Cary on the Road to La Trinidad

View from the top

Santa Veronica

Parking far away from heated rooms

Saturday night brought a infestation of surfer dudes talking about the big swell that was to decend on Sunday. Oh oh. Where are my rain-mits? Drats.

We spent time with the surfers and one BMW guy at the big metal fire pit in the plaza in front of our room, generally telling Baja yarns.

We did meet a cool moto guy who co-founded “Ranchers and Racers” a volunteer group that helps promote good feelings with the ranchers by generally helping mend fences and roads in Baja Norte.

The next morning we were off to find the “San Filipe Road” near San Vicente. We missed it, got gas, got directions, got bitten by a dog (me, boot, no problemo) found the twisting dirt road up over the spine of the mountains that the observatory and Mike’s Sky Ranch sit on, into the Valle la Trinada on Rt 3.

We blasted down the Compadre Trail in two hours this time, and rolled into the unexpectedly elegant compound at Santa Veronica that I’d read about and thought we’d try. The best, best, showers in Baja. $45/night. A long walk from parking to the wood-stove heated rooms. Pool and hot tub if you are there in April. We sat at the bar in the fancy restaurant, decorated matado-style with bull’s heads on the walls. Very nice.

Coco and the gang

The women

Above El Rosario

By the road

Punta Baja

Road from Punta Baja

We spent Christmas morning with Coco at his compound at “Coco’s Corner” after blasting down the sandy rocky road south of the bay. It was a gorgeous day, clear, bright and warm.

We chatted with Coco, had Cokes and beers so we could leave him some money, and Tegan provided him with some wonderful Christmas chocolate. Coco was in good spirits and looked well, getting around with alacrity, considering. We finished the road to Laguna Chalapa, with Chuck right on our tail, drifting the Ford in the turns. We aired up at the little cantina/llaterina and were off on Rt 1 north.

We had lunch at Santa Inez, saying “hi” to Matilda, who had purple hair for Christmas. Matilda made us each a combination plate lunch, with machaca tacos. Yum.

We got to Mama Espinoza’s by 4 pm and had the place to ourselves, since it was Friday night. We got rooms 1 & 2 so Chuck could park the truck in front of the room and we could enjoy the nice little courtyard in front of those rooms, which are heated by wood stoves.

Tegan got out the cards and we played Crazy 8s until it was time to enjoy Queselongosta and Burritos Longosta, which dripped butter when bitten. Yum. A wonderful way to spend Christmas.

We bid Chuck, Tegan, Rosa and Belle a fond farewell after thanking them for their hospitality and generally providing us with civilzation at the palapas They were off to San Quitin for breakfast at a panderia before crossing the border to spend quality time with Chuck’s in-laws in Orange County.

Cary and I spent another beautiful day at Mama Espinosa’s, enjoying more of the fantastic food and our comfortable room after three nights in the tent in Gonzaga Bay. I rode the bike to Punta Baja, about ten miles away, while Cary relaxed and made some Christmas calls and e-mails.

Mr. Scorpio

Sunset

Sunrise

Chuck and Tegan

Tegan and Belle

Avon boating

Home Sweet Palapa

Merry Christmas!

X-mas Campfire

The next day I got up early and found Chuck and Tegan on the beach. We had breakfast after the first batch of eggs were ruined by blowing sand. An omen of things to come of the next 24 hours.

Tegan took the blowing sand in stride, while Chuck and I put up tarps around the palapa and moved the truck and bikes to help block the wind. We set up chairs, strung Christmas lights, gathered wood for a campfire and generally were scoured by huge clouds of sand blowing off the dry lake by the west wind that Chuck estimated was gusting to 35 mph.

We started to make alternate plans. Retreat to San Filipe? I, however, predicted confidently, that the wind would die down at sunset.

Which it did, so I could set up our tent.

It promply started to howl again most of the night, and when it stopped blowing the roaring of our tarps stopped, and woke me up.

One thing we’ve learned about the weather in Baja, however, is that it is never the same. Don’t like it? Wait a minuite, it’ll change. Which it did, continually getting nicer until on Christmas eve we could launch Chuck’s Avon inflatable boat and tour the bay. Yay. Tegan made us her famous Chille Rellenos, and great coffee, and generally kept us happy and well fed through Christmas.

The bay was incredibly beautiful, with stars, sunrises and sunsets, birds and fish … and a scorpion that made an appearance as we were getting ready to start heading north …

See License Plate!

Happy plate

El Compadre

Compadre Trail

Water crossing

Getting Dark

The next morning we headed off after forgetting my cell phone charger at Rancho Ojai … or was it in Palmdale? Oh well … we made a right of Libre 2 at the sign for Ojo Negros, aired our Dunlop 606s down to 20 lbs, and headed south on the Compadre Trail or Milk Run, a nice, remote grated dirt road that bypassed Ensenada bringing us out on Hwy 3 at around 1 pm.

It had taken us about four hours to do the 90 or so miles of fast dirt due to Cary’s KLR’s instant munching of her stock-location license plate. Right at the first Military Check point. Took us about an hour to find the silly plate up by her swingarm, and to go through the military checkpoint twice (they had seen me at the same time Cary noticed the plate issue). Had to show them the contents of the same well-strapped Givi Bag twice.

I told Cary not to worry about the plate becuase she had the registration and a copy of the title. “But they are not in my name, the bike is still in the name of the guy Kalle got the bike from since we didn’t go to DMV yet!” Oops. Fortunately the plate turned up mashed up under the fender as soon as we stopped looking for it in the road after an hour. Yay.

We got to San Filipe at 2:30 pm and were on the road south at 3 pm after a lunch at the big Pemex north of town. Leaving us two hours to get to Alfonsina’s to meet Chuck and Tegan. I had my doubts but Cary was determined, so off we went.

I figgured we could stop and camp if it got dark, since I was schleping 40 pounds of food, water and camping gear. Ha. Fish tacos were calling one of us. But, Baja in dark = bad, BAD.

We were shocked how far the paved road had pushed south since March when we’d last been this way. Which was good in a way because we were running late, but bad in that the beautiful unpaved road was irretrivably lost to progress.

It got dark, but Cary was in front, and I could not catch her so we could stop. We got to Alfonsina’s after running 40 mph in the dark for an hour. But all was forgiven when I got my plate of fish tacos. Yay.

Breakfast on Rt 25

Campo Ojai

Snow in LA

OK, so. Well fed, thanks Kyle, and rested, we headed off to breakfast (Heuvos Rancheros) at the little store at the turn-off for Mercy Hot Springs and Hwy 25. From there we took 198 to Coalinga to Hwy 33 to Taft, up the Grapevine and east to Palmdale, where we rode into the dark for an hour or so to the Motel 6, where I managed to leave my cell phone charger when we left the next day.

The Weather Channel still predicted a rain-free week. Cary told me not to worry about my lack of rain-mits (although she’d been wearing her’s all day for warmth) because I “probably won’t need them.” Ha.

In order to meet Chuck and Tegan needed to head south, quick. So the next morning, after a big breakfast and forgetting my cell phone charger it was into the mountains and cold towards I-15 and Cajon Pass. Brrr. We roared down I-15 at a gearing and tire-saving 65 mph, trying not to get run over. At Hwy 76 we headed east past Mt. Palomar in order to bypass San Diego and come at Tecate from the east after crossing I-8.

We crossed the boarder at around 4 p.m. after getting money changed. No tourist visa for us this time since we didn’t plan on getting further south than Baja Sur. That saved time and $30 or so … I’d read about Rancho Ojai just east of Tecate as being a place to stay. They had cabins with heat. “Robert” at the officina eyeballed us doubtfully, and quoted $67 for a night in a cabin without a bath or linnen. Or $22 to camp. I left it up to Cary and she said we’d camp, whereupon Robert gave us a cabin for $22 because “it’s cold tonight.” Thanks Robert! We cooked Tasty Bite and coffee on my new $100 Jet-Boil. Bliss.

And we’re off!

Cary’s new 2000 KLR

Hot tub and whiskey!

Kyle’s great steak dinner!

We love Kyle!

Getting ready to go from Kyle’s in Santa Cruz

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I managed to find my passport and the year-long Mexico auto liability policy from our last trip that was still good, but managed to forget my wonderful gortex rain-mittens which were inexplicably not in either of my tank bags … my passport was, inexplicably, in one of the tank bags, which means that my thourogh search of the apartment was useless, and that I’ve been riding around with my passport in an easily lost, stolen and non-waterproof location for months and months. Idiot!

Cary decided to try out her new-to-her Kawasaki KLR 650 that she recently purchased from Kalle by riding down Route 1 to Santa Cruz so that we could visit our friend Kyle and visit his huge hot tub! Yay. We left our packing to the very last thing, which may explain why I forgot my rain mits, even though I was worried about the weather, specifically getting rained on. And being cold and wet. Ugh.

The passport thing was a bit of an afterthought, because I was pessimistic about the possibility of riding down to Baja California to maybe spending Christmas with Tegan and Chuck, who were planning on being in San Louis Gonzaga Bay, and were going to bring their dogs, Rosa and Belle, in their truck with its new-to-them camper …

So we did a bit under 100 miles to Santa Cruz and got to Kyle’s around 8pm. Cary’s recently Werkstatt-fettled KLR ran flawlessly … Thanks, Jen!

Kyle and his roomate Clint promptly served us the best dinner we were to have on what turned out to be an over 2100 mile trip. Kyle put a rub on a roast that he carved up into steaks, and they were the best steaks I’ve ever had grilled. Cary had a soak in Kyle’s huge hot tub both before and after dinner and promptly fell soundly asleep at 9 pm … I watched the Weather Channel, rejoiced in a clear five-day forcast and promptly joined Cary in snoozing away the wonderful dinner …

Zion National Park

Zion National Park, Utah

Resevoir at top of Kolob Road north out from RT 9 in Zion

On Kolob Road north out from RT 9 in Zion

Natasha and Terry – met at gas station in Parowan, UT

Cedar Breaks Nat’l Monument, UT

Bryce Canyon Nat’l Park, Utah

Bryce Canyon Nat’l Park, Paria View

Bryce Canyon, Hoodoos in Ampitheater

Bryce Canyon, hoodoos in Ampitheater

Bryce Canyon, hoodoos in Ampitheater

more Bryce Canyon

More Bryce Canyon -hoodoos at sunset

More Bryce Canyon at sunset

View from Rt 12 – out of Bryce Canyon

View from Rt 12 – out of Bryce Canyon

View from Rt 12 – out of Bryce Canyon

Nevada – west on Rt 50

Shoe tree, on Rt 50 near Middlegate, NV

Rt 4, California

Woke up early in Kanab @ 4:30am with the aim of getting to Zion Nat’l Park @ 5:45am to catch the first shuttle into the canyon and possibly a nice sunrise. Out the door at 5:00, I got up to the entrance gate around 6:00/:15. It was a dark ride up to the Canyon- actually experienced the first sort of “hiccup” with the bike; when i turned my lights from bright to normal, there was a delay.. hmm funny, except it was a bit longer than I’d like and for a moment I was without lights in the pitch dark- they came on eventually and saved me from having to sit on the side of the road until the sun came up.. I’m going to need to check that out thou however.

I arrived to Zion a little late to catch the shuttle- but I did get to go through the 2 tunnels by myself and have the park practically to myself as the sun rose in and over the canyon- it was pretty cool. I managed to catch the next shuttle, that was practically empty on the way up and all empty but me and the driver Denny on the way back. The pictures once again don’t do justice, but I tried anyways. People come from all over the world to climb the cliffs in Zion. The shuttle has a informative recording about the park on the way up and then Denny, the shuttle driver, was super friendly and just as informative. Well worth the time- since this part of the park is only accessible by bicycle and shuttle.

Back from the shuttle trip at around 8:00 or so- I still had plenty of time to take in the day. I browsed the visitors center briefly and jumped on the bike to ride west out of the park on Rt 9 to the little town of Virgin where I took Kolob Road which goes up to the Kolob Resevoir, travels in and out of Zion Nat’l Park and eventually turns into a graded dirt road- which is where I turned around. Coming back down the view is spectacular, taking in views of cliffs and mesas.

It was about 11:30 am and still lots of time in the day. I headed north on I15 and decided to take 143 east across to Bryce Canyon from Parowan (rather than 14 out of Cedar City). At the gas station in Parowan I asked a few people about Brian Head Pass to make sure it was open (11,307 ft) and everyone was pretty helpful and said it should be open. In particularly helpful were Terry and Natasha who were fellow bike riders and helped me pick the best route going to and leaving Bryce- as well as where to stay and eat near Bryce. Thanks Terry and Natasha! Your tips were right on! The ride into Bryce on 143 was awesome – with snow at the top of Bryan Head and views of the beautiful cedars over Cedar Breaks Nat’l Monument, then down into Red Canyon on Rt. 12 out of Panguitch. I stopped at Foster’s restaurant as Natasha and Terry suggested and had a great chicken fried steak dinner/lunch. I decided to get a room at Foster’s which was reasonable. Since it was only 3:00 and I was right outside of Ruby Inn at the entrance of Bryce Canyon Nat’l Park- I decided ‘what the heck’- I’ll check out the park and hang out until around sunset. I checked out the movie at the visitor’s center – which was great. Then I went and checked out plateau rim of Bryce- along an 18 mile road with about 15+ scenic view stops along the way. I stopped at most all of them and then hung out at the Bryce Canyon Point the longest to take in the changing colors of the Hoodoos in the Ampitheater as the sun set. Pretty cool. I met some nice folks along the way- in particular John, a super nice guy on his Honda Magna from Massachusetts out to Colorodo to take care of some business and then take in some sights and riding before heading back. Hope you had a great ride home John- great meeting you.

Up sorta early on Wednesday, I headed out east on Rt 12 over to Escalante to Boulder, Grover, over to Rt 24 west/north towards Torrey, Loa, North on Rt 72 towards Fremont Junction on I70. Man oh man what an incredible road- wide open sweepers through the Dixie Nat’l Forest, riding along the road the width of the ridge, elevation gains out of wide open sand cliffs- incredible! Even I70 -the interstate- was beautiful with big sweepers and gloreous views. Once in Salina Utah, having done about 200 miles of incredible riding, there was still plenty of daylight to get down the road. About 500 miles later on US 50 west, I was in Fallon, NV- the longest day I’ve done -726 miles. I arrived well before dusk and put in about 12 hours. Nevada on Rt 50 is incredibly beautiful- which a lot of people don’t know. US 50 rides over like 8 mountain passes and canyons- with elevations as high as 7500 ft. It was a great ride- sometimes chilly- but always beautiful. The wind gusts were however very scary at times.

Staying the night in Fallon at a reasonably priced hotel and a pretty good mexican meal, I was up and on the road early with the aim of getting back to SF that day. After the previous day’s ride- it didn’t seem like such a feat- and it wasn’t. Out on 50 towards Carson City, and Meyers to Rt 89 to Rt 88 over Carson Pass, down to Jackson, CA, down Rt 49 south towards Angels Camp and then west over on Rt 4 towards Copperopolis and Stockton, towards Walnut Creek on Marsh Creek Road to Ignacio Valley Road to 24 over to 580/80 into the city. What a great ride- it was super chilly over the pass with snow still on the banks of the roads (elev- 8573 ft), down 49 to 4 – where the road gets twisty and then you come out onto 4 with wide open yellow fields of wheat and green top trees poking out- I have to say I shed a little tear- I was home and it tugged at my heart.

7000 miles in 3 weeks (and a day) on a super great bike – 1999 VFR 800 Interceptor- man what a trip. A trip that will stay in my heart forever- America’s landscape and American people are beautiful! Thanks to my family for supporting me and for being proud. Thank you Mom and Lori for helping me run around and getting things together. Thanks Dad for giving me road smarts and for helping me out with gear. Thanks Michaela for going with me to get the bike and providing moral support. Thank you John for being the best boyfriend ever and for being proud of me. Thanks Bob and Mike for getting me and the bike ready for the road! Thanks to Val and Bill for taking Mike and I for the night. Thanks Prophet for showing me the best of Texas- you’re the best! Thanks to all the awesome and generous people I met along the way- you guys rock!