We believe in starting them young around here...

Kem with Niloticus, who we hope made it home without freezing to death.

Photos of the bike crash (and others)

Niloticus has posted photos from the trip. He had been scheduled for surgery at 7:30 this morning in order to place a pin in his shoulder but apparently the doctor canceled surgery after a closer look at the CT scan. His doctor said that the hospital that saw him initially shouldn't have let him go so soon. Breaks like he has are rare and in some cases the bone fragment will puncture a lung. Not the greatest thing ever. Thankfully both Niloticus's lungs are still un-punctured but I'm not sure what they plan to do about the bones. He's pretty uncomfortable. I'm not sure if he's been back to work, I tend to doubt it.

Driving

Be very glad you weren't in our Scion tonight. It was packed to capacity with one beck (driver), one Superman (cat-harassed passenger), one baby Kate (gentle coo-er extraodinaire especially in response to the rather frequent vocal outbursts from the cat-harassed passenger), one Methyl-cat (not in a carrier because there wasn't room), one T-Bird (space hog), one Jackson (forced to sit by the lying-down space hog), and all the things necessary for the pets to survive one week away from home. I will say the return trip sans animals was far more enjoyable.

My cousin broke his shoulder today in a bike (as in motorcycle) accident and mere moments after the event was back on his feet taking pictures of the bike in a ditch because it was bloggable. What a good little blog correspondent and I don't recall ever training him! As I have been promised exclusive rights to blog this event I will post the pictures as soon as they are made available to me. Also, I am pleased to report that my cousin is doing well (aside from the broken shoulder, I mean.) The bike, I hear, is not in such great condition. I understand he high-sided¹ after his back tire hit a gravel patch as he navigated through a turn. Some very kind soul (with a trailer!?) deposited Niloticus and the motorcycle at a local hospital where the shoulder was x-rayed and the break confirmed. Thank God he was not on Hwy 1 where the 'ditch' could have been a several-hundred-foot drop. Shudder.

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¹High Siding - 1. Wrecking a bike by flipping it over. Usually caused by releasing the rear break during a skid. 2. Pitching a bike over and away from the direction you are turning. The dangerous kind of crash. 3. When a sliding rear tire suddenly regains traction while the motorcycle is leaned over, causing the motorcycle to violently snap from leaning side to he other side (the high side). www.totalmotorcycle.com/dictionary/H.htm

Day 3

3/31/07 Tonopah, NV to Fremont, CA



Miles: 519.26 miles
Time: 8h 4m

Ave Speed: 64.83 mph

Max Speed: 125.1 mph



Today was a long day and it’s good to be home. I woke up and was on the road by 9ish this morning. Before leaving I toured the town, which is all of a mile long, and found that Tonopah is very proud of their role (of which I have never heard) in developing the Stealth Fighter.

Out of Tonopah I headed north on 376. Throughout the 100 miles that I was on this highway I only passed 6 cars coming the other direction. I’ve never been on a more desolate stretch of highway. The highway is flanked by two mountain ranges, here’s one of them. Very desolate and very beautiful.

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376 joins up with highway 50 which took me over the Bob Scott Summit. Nevada is full of higher elevation than you’d think.

Reason 217 why I love my heated grips.

That shot almost got me in trouble. It took vigorous pushing and excessive wheel spinning to get my bike out of the mud underneath the snow. Motorcycles don’t come with mud rated tires. That rut is deeper than it looks.

Someone in Austin doesn’t like the local police. I heeded their warning and took it slow since CA plates on a motorcycle are extra tasty to highway patrolmen.

Highway 50 is full of history, here are the remains of an old pony express station.

I took 50 west through Fallon into Carson City. From there I headed through Moundhouse where I ran across this 8 legged freak.

From 50 I jumped on 88 which took me back over the Sierras. I paused for a brief break alongside this mountain fed stream.

There was still plenty of snow at the summit and I had my grip heaters on full blast.

After a wonderful romp through the pine trees I headed down out of the Sierra Nevada’s through Jackson where I couldn’t resist a shot of this pastureland.

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After a quick ride west on the super slab I was back home again. Overall it was a great trip. While I really enjoyed the desolate beauty of Death Valley and Nevada, I think I have had my fill of lonesome roads and will plan my next trip north through the giant redwoods into the pacific northwest.

Day 2

03/30/07 Lake Isabella, CA to Tonopah, NV

 Miles:   306

Time:    5h 8m

Ave Speed:  60.42mph

Max Speed: 100.1mph

This morning I packed up and was on the road by 9am.  I was in a hurry to get out before anyone came around asking why I was there.  In my hurry to get out I forgot to take any pictures of my campsite.  Last night I woke up at 2:00am and looked at my thermometer; it was 35 degrees INSIDE my tent.  I was wearing my long underwear, sweats, wool socks, an extra shirt, and a beanie.  Still kinda chilly.  After a nutritious breakfast at McDonalds I headed east past the lake.  At McD’s I learned that a fishing derby was beginning today which would run throughout the weekend and that one of the stocked fish is wearing a tag worth $10,000.  As I headed out a stream of trucks pulling fishing boats headed in.  The further east I went the dryer the terrain became. 

 

178 took me over Walker Pass and into the Sunshine Capital of America. 

 

The desert grows strange creatures. 

 

178 took me through several dry lake beds. 

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 (Note from beck: the above is a link to a panoramic picture.)

Death Valley is on the other side of the closest set of hills.  The snow covered peaks in the far distance are in NV. 

 

 

Not many people on the roads out here. 

 

Can you guess where the natural fed spring is? 

 

As I rode through the Hills I ran across 3 ladies with a flat tire.  They had everything they needed to change their tire except the key to the lock that held the spare tire to the back of their SUV.  They said I was the first vehicle to pass by them in about 40 minutes and asked me to phone AAA for them from Stovepipe Wells which was another 40 miles away since they were well out of cell phone range.  I thought I could do better than that and whipped out the flat repair kit that I always carry; I had their tire plugged and re-inflated in about 30 minutes.  They were very grateful. 

 

 

As I came down from the hills Death Valley spread out before me. 

 

A quick trip below sea level. 

 

The pioneers unfortunate enough to venture through this valley called these plants “devils corn” because from a distance they appeared to be shocked corn. 

 

  I wish I had a quad to play on 

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After heading out of Death Valley over the Funeral Mountain Range, I headed north on 95 along the western side of the mysterious Area 51.  I was hoping to see some sort of crazy flying saucer or unexplainable alien creature but neither presented themselves.  I rolled into Tonopah at 6:30 and decided I was done for the day.  Since I stopped to fix the flat in Death Valley and spent a good amount of time taking pictures, I hadn’t gotten in as many miles as I had planned.  However, it was getting dark and I didn’t feel like riding another 100 miles in the dark, cold, high desert.  The DMV office in Tonopah cracked me up.  Soooo tiny, and only open 3 days a week. 

 

 

I checked into the Clown Motel which would make a great set for a horror movie.  Clowns everywhere, I almost passed because it was kinda weird but what the hey, an adventure is an adventure. 

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 As I write this I’m watching the Lakers lose to the Rockets.  I feel wasteful, my room has two beds but I’m only one man; maybe I’ll spend the first half of the night in one and then switch.  I’m either fighting a cold or have allergies to the grass in the high desert; I’m hoping for the latter.

Day 1

3/29/07 Fremont, CA to Lake Isabella, CA

Miles: 400.1

Time: 7h 10m

Ave. Speed: 56.32 mph

Max Speed: 106.8 mph

I got on the road at 9:45 this morning; later than I had originally hoped. I was up until 2:00am last night rerouting my trip. I had originally planned to tour up through northern California on highways 1, 36, 3, 299, and 96, however in talking with Tim Sanders who’s parents live up in Fortuna, I heard that there were sections of the road that still had ice on them. Ice + 2 wheels = not fun. Instead of heading north I quickly plotted a trip south. Here’s my bike so fresh and so clean before I headed out.

 

 

I rode highway 1 south through Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. The strawberry fields along the coast.

I stopped beside the harbor in Monterrey Bay for a quick shot of the boats. It would have been a beautiful day to go sailing.

I hit up a local hamburger joint and grabbed a burger to go. I ate it while sitting on this beach listening to male sea lions complain about the dearth of friendly females. At times I understand their frustrations.

Highway 1 is so photogenic, I don’t think in any of my trips down this road I’ve ever taken a bad picture.

The pavement on 1 was clean and dry and traffic was light which made for some spirited riding. After 100 miles of beautiful fun I cut east on 46 through the small farms and dairies that line the highway.

After a quick fill-up in Templeton I headed east on 58, the temperatures continued to rise as I headed further away from the coast.

This is one of my favorite roads in CA. This section is extra fun. =)

58 takes you across the hills that separate 101 from I5 and deposit you in to the hot, dusty, and very boring central valley. After eating supper in Bakersfield I headed east on highway 178 toward Lake Isabella. It’s an interesting highway that runs alongside the Kern River.

I pulled into Lake Isabella at 7:30 and began looking for a campsite. The one campground that was open was full so I ended up pitching my tent in a campground that is closed for winter. Hopefully nobody will come kick me out; otherwise I don’t know where I’ll stay.

Guest post introduction

The next few posts are from my little brother TAB.

The last time I tried to document a motorcycle trip of his I left him stranded in Iowa. This trip is much shorter so there's a better chance of him making it home this time.

Introducing... TAB!

Here's a preliminary note from him:

You may want to remind your readers how I determine the miles, time, speed, ect. These numbers are calculated by my digital speedometer which is accurate to one thousandth of a mile. The time measures ride time and counts every second my tire is spinning.

Two wheels are enough

TAB went on a motorcycle trip recently and came back with several sweet photos. This is one of my favorites.