49'er Rally

On the way the 49’er Rally, a weird thing happened. The hinge on my gas cap snapped. The problem is that the cap wouldn't latch and thus wouldn't seal. Fortunately, I have a tank bag which held the gas cap down, but that meant that I had to leave my tank bag on the bike overnight. Friday morning we stopped at the BMW shop in Santa Cruz (we were there a half hour before they opened) only to find they didn’t have any in stock. Even their used tanks (from wrecked bikes?) already had their caps cannibalized. Apparently, people frequently snap their key off in them. The parts guy called the shop in San Jose. No caps there. I asked him to call A&S BMW. He asked “Where are they?” I said “Roseville”, which is just outside Auburn. He called and they had one. He had them put one aside for me. Nancy finds it odd that I know where every BMW dealer is but I can't get myself across Laguna Niguel without getting lost.

We continued on our route which was unaffected by the incident. Leaving Monterey Bay, I give Nancy two choices: Ocean or Mountains. She said “I’ve seen enough of the ocean, let’s go through the mountains." We spent the previous day riding the coast which felt more like March than May. It was very cool with strong winds. Going north on Hwy 1, we turned inland just outside Santa Cruz on Hwy 9. Highway 9 is a wonderful twisty road through a thick layer of tree-laden forest. The curves are just tight enough to keep your attention, but not too tight to be considered work. We reached the turnoff to Hwy 35 (aka Skyline Drive) which is a spectacular ride along a ridgeline through Palo Alto. There are sections where you can see the bay as well as the Pacific. We arrived at Alice’s Restaurant to find a pretty empty parking lot. After all, this was Friday morning. On Sunday afternoon Alice’s will be filled with HDs and the convenience store across the street will be filled with sport bikes.

We continue on across the bay via the San Mateo Bridge, to I-880 north to I-80 north where we catch up to holiday traffic. The rest of the ride to the BMW shop in Roseville consisted of more lane-splitting than Nancy would have liked. We arrived at the shop about 2:30 in the afternoon. The shop made some time to install the new gas cap. We’re away by 4:30 and get to the 49’er Rally by 5. We check in and take a couple of laps around the fairgrounds checking out the bikes and the vendors. We walk into town for dinner and then ride to the hotel and check in. After an action packed day, it’s a short distance from check-in to unconsciousness.

Saturday is a full day at the rally. Well, for me anyway. On the way from the motel to the rally, I drop Nancy off (gently) in town so she can shop. I arrive at the rally, park the bike and make the rounds. It appears that the Auburn site is favorable to the rally goers. It appears that the attendance is back up to the 1k range. Vendors are aplenty. I meet fellow SouthCoaster Dave Gutknecht who informs me he just purchased a set of bags for his GS from Happy Trails. I run into Mike Bacon who had his MotoLight wiring repaired (free) as well as Greg Ruggles, Jim and Jacque Rassmussen (who are moving back to Minnesota), Mike Davis and Jon Taylor. I never find Tom Hooper. Nancy arrives at the rally conveniently at lunchtime and we dine together. Later, we run into Phil Blackstone’s brother-in-law Jim who arrive ahead of Phil. Apparently Jim is in charge of setting up the tent. Har-har.

Phil arrives around 4:30 looking a little ragged, but jovial as usual none the less. Nancy and I excuse ourselves and go into town for dinner while everyone else stays for the BBQ. We return to the rally, look at more bikes, take some pictures and say our farewell. We return to the motel before dark which is significant because we have new helmets and I’m not yet an expert in switching face shields on the Arai after owning Shoei for many years.

Sunday, we are up and on the road slightly ahead of our self imposed 9 am target. We start south on Hwy 49 which is very nice because the traffic is so unusually light. Also, the low pressure front has completely moved out and the weather is perfect. The skies are blue and the air is crisp. Great riding weather! Riding Highway 49 today is the most pleasant experience I have had in a long, long time. We turn east on Highway 108 (aka The Sonora Pass) and start gaining altitude. We stop in Mi Wuk Village to put on all of our warm clothes and top off the gas tank. The temperature drops as we keep climbing. Soon, we can see snow on an adjacent mountain top. As we reach the summit the foliage disappears and is replaced by snow. The snow gets deeper and deeper until the roadside cuts are often over our heads. It’s a spectacular sight, but a little too chilly to stop for a photo opportunity. By the time we reach the summit (9,600+ feet), it is definitely cold and the snow is definitely deep just off the edge of the road. There are families tobogganing on the shallow roadside hills and look at us strange as we ride by on the motorcycle. Little do they know I’ve got a heated jacket liner and gloves which keep me warm. Nancy isn’t quite as comfortable and she is glad to get off the summit.



		What are we stopping for?


	Wanna know what the world looks like when you are riding with Bill Allen? Click on the picture.

By the time we reach Bridgeport, it is still cool (O.K., it’s cold), but manageable. It’s an hour on Highway 395 to our motel in Mammoth. After we check in and get settled in, we walk next door for some pizza. We are shocked when we get outside and discover the snow flurries. Snow flurries with the sun shining. Amazing!

We spend Monday riding Highway 395 and watch the snow disappear from the Eastern Sierras. It still amazes me to ride at 5,000 feet and observe large mountain peaks of granite off my right shoulder. Traffic starts to get bad at Kramer Junction and really doesn't get any better. We snake through the Cajon Pass and take one last break. We follow I-15, but this time, instead of turning off on Hwy 91, I continue south on I-15 and pick up the Ortega Highway for one more stretch of twisties before the end of the ride becomes official. We roll into the driveway right at 5 pm, which allows me to claim that I accommodated Nancy's infamous "Eight Hour Rule" four out of five days.

1,324 miles in five days. Just a few weeks ago, I rode more than this in a day and a half, but this trip wasn't about miles. It was about adventure. In one five day, long weekend, we saw the ocean, the mountains and the desert.