Summary:

Friday, May 27th

I left the comfortable confines of San Juan Capistrano at a little after 6 am on Friday, May 25th, 2005. This was my first BMW Rally since September of last year and I was pretty anxious to get going. Although my determination to go to this rally was high (I even pre-registered; something I never seldom do), I wasn't as certain regarding the route. I definitely wanted to avoid the obvious; I-5 to Hwy 99. There's one thing my geometry teacher, Mr. MacAteer, never taught me is that the shortest distance between two points is BORING! I read that the forecast for Fresno on Friday was 98^o and I wanted to avoid the heat, so I headed for the coast. I stopped for coffee in Malibu and then in Santa Barbara to have a prescription filled. I stopped for an early lunch in Santa Maria and started to take stock in my route and the time.

Partly due to the time I spent in Santa Barbara at the drugstore (or more accurately, finding a parking place near the drugstore) and in Santa Maria (I seldom stop for a full meal), the coastal route would put me in Sonora near sundown (or later). Further, it seems that it was going to be foggy on the coast. I decide to take Hwy 41 to Hwy 46 to Hwy 49 instead. Yes, it was hot in Fresno, but I don't believe it was in the high 90s. The fear I had about holiday traffic leaving Fresno for Yosemite (something I experienced last year at the Range of Light Gypsy Tour) was short lived and made it easily to Oakhurst. I enjoyed the section of Hwy 49 from Oakhurst to Sonora, particularly the section above Mariposa; good pavement and light traffic.

I arrived at the fairgrounds a little after 6 pm, 12 hours after I left San Juan Capistrano.

Saturday, May 28th, 2005

I spent the entire day at the fairgrounds, looking at bikes, talking to people about their bikes, talking with vendors about stuff for bikes and eating bratwursts. It was a beautiful day which was much cooler than the day before. This new location of the 49'er rally is better than the old one in Auburn for several reasons. First of all, there is plenty of level camping area. I'm not certain what the final tally was (by Saturday afternoon it was 850+), but I'm sure that, from a camping area perspective, this venue can handle twice the crowd. One rally official told me that this facility was probably too expensive to be considered as venue for future 49'er rallies.

I ran into a lot of current and former SouthCoasters including Greg and Mike Ruggles, Jim Rasmussen, Art Zamarippa, Mike and Vicki Bacon, Tom Hooper, Phil Blackstone and his brother in law Jim, Rick Catarineau and Mike Dever.

click on image for larger version
BMW NA was here with the new models. My bike still looks pretty good to me (and it's paid for)	Old and new	Tent City
More Tent City	My Home in Sonora	Who says you can't custom paint a BMW?
More Custom Work	The Adventure Section	Oldies But Goodies
They're worth a second look	Now, that's a tent!	What a paint job!

Sunday, May 29th, 2005

Sunday is getaway day for me. I pack up and have breakfast while chatting with a few folks under the tent. I roll away at 8:20 am. I decide to take the Sonora Pass home, hopefully to get me in tune for the Edelweiss Tour my wife and I will be taking in a couple of weeks.

The ride over the Sonora pass was incredible. As I approached the 8,000 foot level, the snow along the road became very deep. I estimated that the the wall of snow on the shoulder of the road was as much as eight feet deep! I regret not stopping for a picture, but not only were my hands not anxious to let go of the heated grips, but the only turnouts available appeared to be gravel suitable for only the trucks and SUVs carrying/trailering snowmobiles. This surrealistic view will have to remain a vision embedded in my mind. Even though this road has only been open a short while (days), the condition was pretty good. There were a few marbles in the corners and a few locations where water flow across the roadway adjusted my line of travel but, all-in-all, the road condition was pretty good.

I made my decent stopping for a break in Bridgeport (2 on the adjacent map). It's cool and very breezy here, a sign of things to come. As I work my way south, the winds get stronger, but they get downright aggravating south of Bishop. I try to minimize the effects by lowering my windshield and hugging my tank bag. These two procedures reduce the "sail area" and keep my bike from crossing the line. Fortunately, cross winds do not affect speed and I make good time.

I make a couple more stops before arriving at home; 10 hours after the beginning. I unpack my wet tent and hang it up and toss my dirty clothes in a pile. Nancy orders pizza and, afterwards, I fall asleep in the chair in front of the TV. I apparently wake up in the middle of the night and go to bed where I remained until nearly 9 am! Those winds took more out of me than I thought.