hallzee
Jul 6th, 2007, 7:49 pm
I did a SS1000 ride on the 4th of July. Wife thought I was crazy for picking a holiday, but it worked out well. My strategy was that most holiday travelers would have already done their traveling by the 4th, so the roads would be lightly traveled.
My brother was supposed to go also, but he canceled (more on those wussy Honda riders at another time). :D
Traffic was light, and ALL construction zones were shut down! The Travel Gods were smiling. If I'd waited until the weekend, I knew I was in for construction delays, and the serious heat wave we're now experiencing.
I left Cameron Park, CA at 6:00 am. I intended on leaving at 4:30 am, but was delayed the night before, in getting to bed very LATE. Went to Reno, NV on the third to see a Minor League baseball game.
Note: DO NOT go to a baseball game the night before a long ride, even if your second son is the starting pitcher! As luck would have it, the %&*$!! game went extra innings. Dumbass mistake #2: My butt was hurting at the end of the game, as we had forgotten to take our bleacher pads with us, and I sat on metal for 4 hours! I got 4 hours of sleep that night; almost postponed my trip.
I decided to go anyway - if I got too tired, I'd just check into the "Ironbutt Motel" (stretch out on the ground at a rest stop). The very moment I started my ride, my butt reminded me about aforementioned "Dumbass Mistake #2"!
Rode from Cameron Park to just north of Eugene, OR (1,016 Mapquest Miles, round trip). FWIW it was 1,054 "BMW Miles". I was on the road for 18 hours - almost 15 of those actually driving
I did stop for an extended rest stop lunch, and decided to take a short nap for 20 minutes. An hour later, I was awakened by ants crawling all over my arm.
Lowest tempurature was 59 degrees at departure. Highest temp. was 103 degrees in Redding, CA on the way back. Cooling vest did its job!
I was able to sing almost every song I know...
I carried a tank bag full of Jolly Rancher Cinnamon Fire candy, to keep me awake. I also like to snack on Fig Newtons, for 2 reasons - they aren't all that bad for you, and they FORCE you to drink water! I drank over a gallon of water - no, it didn't make me stop for "discharge" more than usual; it was hot, and I was sweating.
At about the 800 mile mark, I was ready to be done riding for the day; meaning it wasn't fun anymore, just kind of boring. Riding a bike at night is boring to me, but at this portion of the I-5 slab, there isn't much to see anyway. Completed the ride at 11:45 pm; later than I had hoped, but I wasn't trying to ride like the Rally!
Below is a picture of the approach to Mt. Shasta from the north.
My brother was supposed to go also, but he canceled (more on those wussy Honda riders at another time). :D
Traffic was light, and ALL construction zones were shut down! The Travel Gods were smiling. If I'd waited until the weekend, I knew I was in for construction delays, and the serious heat wave we're now experiencing.
I left Cameron Park, CA at 6:00 am. I intended on leaving at 4:30 am, but was delayed the night before, in getting to bed very LATE. Went to Reno, NV on the third to see a Minor League baseball game.
Note: DO NOT go to a baseball game the night before a long ride, even if your second son is the starting pitcher! As luck would have it, the %&*$!! game went extra innings. Dumbass mistake #2: My butt was hurting at the end of the game, as we had forgotten to take our bleacher pads with us, and I sat on metal for 4 hours! I got 4 hours of sleep that night; almost postponed my trip.
I decided to go anyway - if I got too tired, I'd just check into the "Ironbutt Motel" (stretch out on the ground at a rest stop). The very moment I started my ride, my butt reminded me about aforementioned "Dumbass Mistake #2"!
Rode from Cameron Park to just north of Eugene, OR (1,016 Mapquest Miles, round trip). FWIW it was 1,054 "BMW Miles". I was on the road for 18 hours - almost 15 of those actually driving
I did stop for an extended rest stop lunch, and decided to take a short nap for 20 minutes. An hour later, I was awakened by ants crawling all over my arm.
Lowest tempurature was 59 degrees at departure. Highest temp. was 103 degrees in Redding, CA on the way back. Cooling vest did its job!
I was able to sing almost every song I know...
I carried a tank bag full of Jolly Rancher Cinnamon Fire candy, to keep me awake. I also like to snack on Fig Newtons, for 2 reasons - they aren't all that bad for you, and they FORCE you to drink water! I drank over a gallon of water - no, it didn't make me stop for "discharge" more than usual; it was hot, and I was sweating.
At about the 800 mile mark, I was ready to be done riding for the day; meaning it wasn't fun anymore, just kind of boring. Riding a bike at night is boring to me, but at this portion of the I-5 slab, there isn't much to see anyway. Completed the ride at 11:45 pm; later than I had hoped, but I wasn't trying to ride like the Rally!
Below is a picture of the approach to Mt. Shasta from the north.