Death Valley in The Spring

[ErnieA]

We've always wanted to see DV in the Spring. We are on our way. Yesterday we managed to skirt the drizzle on the north coast and the south coast was as usual, beautiful. Gotta love the Oregon Coast. Heading down 101 for some variety in riding, since we both dislike I-5, we will ride today until dark and see where it takes us. NOAA says the weather will change on us, so we better get on the road.

We stopped and had lunch with a new member of our list yesterday. Mobikerider, or Mo for short, is a very good friend and former co-worker who retired 3 years ago. He formerly rode Hondas and now is the proud owner of an '05 KLT. I've attached a picture so if you see him in or around the Eugene area (he and Sally live in Cottage Grove) you might say hi. He is looking forward to joining us on an RTE in the near future too. Mo has two big rides planned this year: WESTOK in Taos with his Brother and Son who both ride ST1300's and joining us at CCR in August. Please welcome Mo to the group. :D

[sanjaun2]

Ernie,
Enjoy DV, I am envious! Mo has a nice bike there. You know Any friend of yours is a friend of Ours.We should plan a get aquainted ride....

[AlaskaFish]

Well say hello to Mo! And you and Pauline have a ball in DV Ernie! Sounds like you may have picked a decent time to go, temp wise at least.

John

[clayton]

Welcome Mo,

Great to have ya in the group and look forward to riding with you. In case your not aware you just visted with two of our most enjoyable people here in the norhwest.

[reelman]

Ernie,

Have a great time in Death Valley. Your trip sounds wonderful. Be sure to bring back lots of pictures. Maybe a slide show is in the future???

Hello Mo,

We look forward to seeing you sometime soon!

Dan

[ErnieA]

Day 2:

It was supposed to be raining! But not a drop of rain fell all day. :D 498 miles ridden today down 101 and other obscure roads to get us to Monterey. We got in as the sun was setting. Too late to take a picture of tonights sunset but I got one last night that was good enough for the annual End-Of-Summer slide show sponsored by the NWet Riders Best!

The Redwoods were wonderful and majestic as always. HoHum :rolleyes: The twisties were fun too. We hooked up with an RT from BC for awhile until we stopped for lunch and off he went. We had some interesting cruises with some BMW, Audi's and Acura's too. Most just wanted to watch our V1 do all the work. Yes, the CHP's and local LEO's were out doing the Public Safety duty and we minded our own business and broke no laws (that we got caught for).;) I do wonder why they bother posting speed limits though. They are broken by most drivers by 10 mph or better! Crazy down here.

We were swooped by a Duc lane splitting as we approached the Golden Gate. A conversation regarding safety was going on in my helmet (not from the angel/devil in my head that usually confuse my decisions, but rather from Pauline talking on the VOX) and it was saying, "Don't Try It!". As we rolled up to the Toll booth the Duc rider was pulling his once pristine machine out from under a Honda Accord. I love riding with my conscience. I'm sure he was just inexperienced and lane splitting done by a pro is as safe as any riding. :rolleyes: I wish I could've stopped and helped, but the traffic would've just ran us over like we weren't there. They were on cell phones and reading papers and all sorts of distractions were going on. It was good to just get through it and head south.

Tomorrow we continue heading south on CA1. Perhaps we will preview Cambria for all of you lucky enough to get the time off to join David and friends. We'll miss it once again. :( However I love the coastal roads, and we will have our fun a few weeks earlier than the rest of you.

The Interstate be damned! :bmw:

[meese]

Sounds like a good trip so far. Do let us know if you get this far south. :)

[amarider]

Hey Ernie,
Sounds like your have a great trip, if you head back through Sac look us up. As for lane sharing it's an art, if you stroke the canvas to fast you will end up with a messed up paint job. :D Besides Ducs around here quack up all the time.... :histerica

[ErnieA]

Sounds like a good trip so far. Do let us know if you get this far south. :)

We are on our way... Sort of. Is it 10:00 yet? That seems like the earliest we are getting on the road on this trip. Afterall it is VACATION!

Did you say Hwy 33 is worth riding? Perhaps you are up and can give some last minute advice and direction.

Got a bucket-O-suds? Prolly not, but thought I'd ask since my poor ride is looking messy and she might just spit out her rear drive cuz I'm mistreating her. ;)

[ErnieA]

Hey Ernie,
Sounds like your have a great trip, if you head back through Sac look us up. As for lane sharing it's an art, if you stroke the canvas to fast you will end up with a messed up paint job. :D Besides Ducs around here quack up all the time.... :histerica

Actually I feel a little guilty for not helping and a LOT guilty for not getting a picture of the guy. I know, I'm a sick puppy. :o

We are heading south to look up Meese and his (much) better half Dayle. We are thinking of trying that hwy 33. Ken scrubs in his tires there and we thought we could do the same. :)

We'll see DV tomorrow and stay there and start heading back on Thursday. Sorry to miss my second HDDC. I was hoping to make it so I can gain membership to the exclusive (and elusive) club of old gentlemen and fast ladies. :D But we could stop in the area on Thursday (or Friday if DV is just too nice to leave) and look some friends up. We'll give you a call tomorrow.

I better hook up all my gear and get on the road. The little lady is about to throw this 'puter off the balcony!

[amarider]

I better hook up all my gear and get on the road. The little lady is about to throw this 'puter off the balcony!

Make sure she gets a picture of that! :rotf:

[meese]

33 is always a great ride. You can take Hwy 58 across from the coast, but be sure to fill up when leaving the 101 at Atascadero as it's a long way across to Taft. Then just head south and enjoy.

The other choice is to stay on the 101 down to Santa Maria and take 166 across, but that's the route the trucks usually take.

See you both soon.

[ErnieA]

Day 3 was a lot of fun. Lolo Pass has nothing on CA1 from Monterey to Cambria. The WX was perfect between 55 and 70 depending on how close to the surf you were. The traffic in the middle of the week is also a plus. Tooling down the coast between 55 and 65 was easy to do and stopping for a couple photo opportunities went well too.

We decided to stop at Hearst Castle. Being cautious of tourist traps this was a departure for us and our riding plans. It was well worth the trip and the $20 each for the bus ride and guided tour (#1 of 3). Having grown up in CA it still amazes me how much I haven't seen of this fine state.

We rode a short 280 miles and ended our day at Meese's Casa in Oxnard. After catching up on past rides and fun times we had Thai for dinner and stayed up for more conversation and iTune sharing fun.

This morning started with a trip to Ventura BMW to take Ken's GT in for scheduled service. We will be on our way for a tour of DV today. Planning on staying in the park or Lone Pine. We might just stay an extra day. It is way cool to not be on a schedule.

A special thanks to Ken and Dayle for the accommodations. :cool:

[ErnieA]

What a great ride today! 325 miles and the temp was just around 72 all day, that is until we dropped into DV. The temp here at Furnace Creek was 85. Tonight the WX is clear and 65. It couldn't be better.

Tomorrow we head to Sacramento via Beatty NV and 168 to 266 then on to June Lk. We'll catch 395 to 50 then across to Sac. Is there any HDDC around? We will stop at Roseville and see Ted if he is around. Gotta get an earlier start than today to put down the miles though.

BTW: There was no love for the bike at the Meese Garage. No bucket-O-suds and the bike is starting to look like an IBA machine. Not bad company though. Later guys. Have a good day and stay dry up in the great NWet. ;)

[meese]

No love for the bike? With your own private locked garage parking and everything? And didn't they tell you? There's a ban on soapy water in Ventura county. Honest. ;)

I'm glad we could repay some of the great hospitality you've shown me over the years. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

[amarider]

Hey Ernie, Keep a close eye on the weather. Their calling for snow over the passes starting tomorrow.
I live close to A&S and I'm sure we can find a place to eat tomorrow night.

See ya when you get here.

[amarider]

Ernie,

If you check this before you leave this morning, It's snowing throughout a large area of the Sierra's this morning with some chain controls.
Be Safe

[ErnieA]

No love for the bike? With your own private locked garage parking and everything? And didn't they tell you? There's a ban on soapy water in Ventura county. Honest. ;)

I'm glad we could repay some of the great hospitality you've shown me over the years. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Thanks again Mr. Meese. the pleasure was ours for sure. The bike accomodations were just fine BTW. I see that Ventura county is a great place to ride fast and furious, on the freeway that is.:D There is more radar hits per mile than anywhere in the world there! See you on the road.

[ErnieA]

Ernie,

If you check this before you leave this morning, It's snowing throughout a large area of the Sierra's this morning with some chain controls.
Be Safe

We have spent way more time in the park than we had planned in the begining! What a sight it is! The flowers and the desert colors are wonderful.

We are just now leaving Furnace Ck., so seeing you tonight will be a late affair at best, so I'll call you around 6pm to see where we'll spend the night. Friday might be a better bet. How is 50 from Tahoe area? I better check the CALTRANS site, huh?

[amarider]

Sounds good Ernie - Beer drinking is much better on a Friday evening.
The out look for the Sierra's is iffy at best with Snow forcast through Saturday night. Even 395 can get bad between Bishop and Carson City.
BTW - Lee Vining is a small scenic town to spend the night in.........

Ride Safe

[Tallyho]

Sounds good Ernie - Beer drinking is much better on a Friday evening.
The out look for the Sierra's is iffy at best with Snow forcast through Saturday night. Even 395 can get bad between Bishop and Carson City.
BTW - Lee Vining is a small scenic town to spend the night in.........

Ride SafeThere is a high wind advisory in effect on 395 from Hwy 120 to Hwy 108(Bridgeport) today which can be especially nasty.

This is a quaint and clean place we've been to in Lee Vining for a different(not modern) experience. Renovated motel like stepping back into the 1930s. http://www.elmonomotel.com/ The coffee is great too.

There is a 60-70% chance of snow on Echo Summit(US50 Meyers to Riverton) between now and Saturday afternoon but currently no traffic restrictions. Going to be cold either way.

[avonfloater]

Great ride Ernie and Pauline - I love the DV country. Did you happen to visit Scotty's Castle or Manzanar? Safe trip home.

Welcome to Mo - your bike looks like solid gold!

Denny

[sanjaun2]

Ernie and Pauline,
Sounds like you guys are having a great time. I took foward to your ride report and if necessary will wait til NW's years end get together to see all the pics. Ride safe and enjoy the rest of the way.

[amarider]

Ernie and Pauline just left Roseville to head out for his Dads place in Redding. They made it over the snowy sierras early in the afternnon and spent a few hours visiting and having dinner. We managed to make it down to Raffys for a set of XL jpegs and installed them before they headed North.

Thanks for visiting guys!:D

[sanjaun2]

Hey Ernie you out there? I have been looking at the weather down there. You will need to do some fancy navigating to avoid the white stuff. Be safe and let us know how your doing and where you are. I can't ride this week so I'm happy to follow your ride here. call me if you need up to date weather info from the internet.

[ErnieA]

Ernie and Pauline just left Roseville to head out for his Dads place in Redding. They made it over the snowy sierras early in the afternnon and spent a few hours visiting and having dinner. We managed to make it down to Raffys for a set of XL jpegs and installed them before they headed North.

Thanks for visiting guys!:D

Thanks John for the hospitality. We had a great time with you and your son Gage. :cool:

We certainly had an interesting couple of days:

Thursday kept us in DV for an extra 5 hours going up to Dante's Viewpoint and then down to Badwater before we returned to lunch in Furnace Ck. for lunch. We met a group from Canada on a tour that included 2 GW's an LT and the guide on a GS. We conversed a little and found out that they are a BMWMOA tour and parted with good wishes for all. We continued out the north end of the park and onto 95 north to Tonopah for fuel. Headwinds (and dust storms) were high and fuel mileage down and it was really touch-n-go for the last 10 miles. We ended up buying fuel in Goldfield and rode on to Benton, CA. Just as some of you said the snow in some areas has not left, and some new snow was falling (or about to) in the area. Highway 120 was closed but the locals assured us that the Benton Crossing road would be just fine. It was a well paved road that was bordered by 2 to 3 feet of snow on either side, but it was dry all the way to 395. We rode north to Lee Vining and fueled up. A quick call to John Flowers to confirm that we would be spending the night up on 395 was in order and we continued on to Topaz Lake resort. We would've spent the night in Lee Vining however there was a forecast of snow on the next two passes last night. It was good that we pressed on.

This morning we slept in and turned on the Reno AM show and found that I-80 was snowed on and still snowing. We routed ourselves to A&S BMW for the day and took a chance on a cut-off to 50 (88 and 89). Thinking we might have made a mistake we happened along a CHP in a 4X4 and asked. He said the road was wet on the East side and patches of ice on the NWest side. He was confident we would make it, but after we took off he followed at a safe distance all the way to 50.

There were a few white-knuckle areas but the LT was as stable as ever. I just stayed off the brake and had a hand on the clutch ready to keep the rear wheel turning. The CHP left us at the 50 junction with a wave. It was really good having him around (just in case). The 8k+ elevation brought us snow flurries as well as a 26 degree riding environment. Quite a change from the 86 degree DV weather we left just the day before! Gerbing electric gear is a Godsend in this situation as well as the LT heated seats and grips. We weren't toasty warm but we weren't miserable either.

We made it to A&S around Noon and visited with Ted and waited for John to get off work. A&S is a classy store and their selection of gear is way cool. We bought some new summer gloves and headed out for an evening with John. Thanks to Raffy for coming up with the XL Jpegs. I had loaned my XL's to a riding buddy and thought the Std. Jpegs would work. Wrong! My knees were barking all throughout the ride. Instead of toughing it out I'm bought this XL set and put them on. Thanks John for the help!. Jpegs DONE! Our ride tonight up to Redding was very comfortable.

The new 4 inch "roadlights" HID's I installed from Trailtech found here (http://trailtech.net/)work well. I was able to adjust them to use full time with the lowbeam HID. That is as long as I turn them off within 1/2 mile of anyone else. They saved our bacon with deer on this trip. I'm still thinking of replacing them with Phillips HID's, but for now I'll use them as they are.

Sorry for taking up so much bandwidth tonight, but what a great trip this has been. All we have to do now is get over the Siskiyou's and we will be home free. We're thinkin' a noon crossing should be snow free for tomorrow.

Thanks for all the great advice offered from this list, phone calls and emails.:D

[mobikerider]

Well Ernie it looks like you are going to force me to post after all. You know I was going to spend my retirement as a lurker on this website and now you've ruined it. :D Seriously, I do enjoy your posts when you are on the road. I get to live vicariously through you, the trip I was supposed to be with you on.

My thanks to sanjuan2, AlaskaFish, clayton, reelman and avonfloater for your welcome to the site. I do look forward to meeting all of you in the near future at an RTE.

My 05LT is my first experience with BMW motorcycles. I have ridden Hondas all of my life and have enjoyed them. My switch to the LT was because of all my riding with Ernie. We have ridden thousands a miles together including an Iron Butt, trips to Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns and these are just a few. On our trips I would be on my Valkyrie Interstate and would always be looking for gas stations way too soon even though I had a big tank.

I am looking forward to this year. I have put very few miles on the LT as yet (but I love it!!) because I had both knees replaced on Jan 15th and am just now starting to ride again. I rode to Ernie's on Thu before his trip for a "tech session" and decided that I was not quite up for a full week in the saddle at this time.

I hope this did not bore you too much and I look forward to meeting the Northwest group.
Mo

[ErnieA]

I do look forward to meeting all of you in the near future at an RTE.
Mo

Good to see you make a post Mo. Gotcha now! Let's plan a RTE for a Saturday if we can. That way Pauline and I can make it. ;)

Thanks for checking Tripcheck for us yesterday. The reason the cameras were not working was because of a white-out! :eek: We made it over with more white knuckles. Visibility was < 40feet at the top and traffic was a bit squirrely.

We met some other riders after a stop in Merlin. Bill Watt and Susan Murphy were traveling north back home to Vancouver BC from Daytona. Bill rode in this past Iron Butt Rally and placed 41st. After fueling and a cup-o-joe we headed north on I-5. Talking on the CB all the way about the "Butt" and other interesting LD riding topics the miles just flew by. Before we knew it we were turning onto 205 and heading home. Bill and Susan stayed nearby and we met up for dinner near their Hotel. It was a fun time and continued my interest in future LD riding and possible rally riding.

The whole ride was well worth the time and expense. The highest price for fuel was $5.20 for medium grade in Panament Springs. Glad we didn't need it at that time. :) Total miles equaled 2637. Avg MPG equaled 41.6. Avg cost per gallon was $3.86. :( Still not a bad price for the memories. Nice trip. Thanks for watching and giving input along the way. :bmw:

[mobikerider]

At least for the next 8 weeks Saturdays work the best for me as well. I am anxious to talk with you on the phone and get the "slightly expanded" RD version. :rotf:
Mo

[meese]

Glad you both made it back safely. Sounds like it was a great trip, and I'm glad we could be part of it. :)

[Mitch_Rider]

Sounds like a great trip Ernie. Glad you are back safe and sound with a full memory "bank". I have done the white out thing over the Siskiyou's before... not much fun.
Will look forward to an RTE and hearing more about it.