Its soon going to be M-m-m-m-may..... in Petaluma and Yosemite

Per the last missive from Yoda and Becker, we parted company with those two intrepid lads, who were not content to simply ride south into sunshine, but determined it was too much of a whooosy approach and instead headed back north into the eye of the storm.  JP was looking a tad green at the time and with 4-6 inches of snow forecast for Klamath Falls, it seemed like a wise choice. 

On the other hand (even more fingers), we had to search far and wide for something challenging and rode into a lot of white in the mountains west of Redding. We tried for the honoured double dog dare you crossing and got just what we wanted.  No harm done and several lessons relearned.  You'd be amazed at how much discussion you can tease out of multiple illogical decisions in a row. 

As demonstrated by the photo, as yet unretouched, the weather is better, we're seeing some great country and we'll be headed for more soon, as we turn west toward Yosimiie and then start north through Tahoe and perhaps Crater Lake,    

These tours always contain a bit of adventure and this one has its share.   Take 6+2 Canucks in a bar in Davis, making a lot of noise as we watch the Habs win the 7th game of the playoff series with Washington.    We really know how to push the limits...but we did offer severa l apologies.  Its only Canadian, you know,

jm

A Change Of Plans

Unplanned problems made it necessary for Gary & Becker to turn around and head back north from Klamath Falls.  Seems that JP had a serious reaction to something at Ellensburg, probably the chemicals used in the room at the Thunderbird Motel, and it's been a drain on him.
A disappointment, to be sure, but there will be more opportunities.
Anyway, we made it back to Yakima that day, even though we had to deal with rain and some snow, but nothing like that reported by the boys going south.
Today finds us in Princeton, after some great roads not ridden before.  630km to home tomorrow.

Greetings from sunny California.....

...enjoying the great weather and trying to avoid getting sunburned.  Coming from a cooler than normal spring in Canada, we are really having a wonderful time.  We're not yet aclimatized to the heat, but hopefully within a few days, and keeping hydrated, we'll be fine.  Don't worry, we're all wearing hats and using lots of sunscreen.

Biggs to Klamath Falls: It was nothing to blog about....

Grant, looking at his future

The ride from Biggs to Klamath falls;  it was singularly uninspiring.  Breakfast at the Blackbear was an enjoyable interruption in an otherwise cold and less than enthusiastic wander over high plateau.  Riding from Bend was long and uninteresting, but the pavement is better than years past when the semi ruts were deep enough to eat a small cruiser.  We don't want to make it sound too dreary, but the idea out here is to find roads that are a thrill to ride.  Sometimes you have to ride through these areas to get to those. 

We had a faint hope of visiting Crater lake, but with the heavy snows up high and more forecast today in Klamath, it was a no go and time to head straight through.

South and better weather at lower elevation is the plan

Waitsburg to Biggs in the sunshine on great, great roads....

A fabulous morning in Waitsburg, up early, coffee and a stretch before we saddled up and rode to Walla Walla for breakfast.  A short ride on semil slab like roads, then onto some of the sweetest twisties with no traffic and excellent pavement.  For the pure enjoyment of riding a motorcycle, it doesn't get much better than this,

Down the Road

On  a bright Saturday morning, we left Cranbrook and headed south.  Immediately the skies darkened and by the time we hit the border, hail, which, after it we rubber suited up, subsided and by the time we hit Sandpoint, it was warm and sunny.  Hooked up again with Strips in Cour'dlaine, and a decent ride all the way to Waitsburg.  Some excellent roads and a pleasant evening in Waitsburg at the Whetstone pub while watching a playoff hockey game. 

Camping at the local fairgrounds on soft grass and a good sleep.  All good

Didja ever wonder....

Its like this; the CB's, radios that is,  have been a great accessory and safety tool when needed, BUT, when they don't work, a source of frustration that has focused the discussions around many a campfire and coffee stop.  They work, they don't work, I can't hear in front, he can't hear behind, the effective distance is at least several hundred metres, and on it went over the last 4-5 years of tour riding.  One of these years we should fix these things.

So, the executive plan for this year was to have them "tuned".  Get an expert to check them out, give us advice on what to do to make them all work together better.  Let's see how much we can get out of this aging and sometimes practical communications system.  That was the plan. 

Off we go to an experienced techie, who helped us define the issues, focus on reasonable solutions and make the adjustments to communicate more effectively and consistently.  Again, a great plan and armed with our newly minted knowledge, we proceeded to implement the changes. 

We did it, as designed, then tested our handy work.  Okay, so the end of the block might have been a long first experiment, but when Grant couldn't copy me at the end of Stu's driveway, a small inkling of doubt began to creep in...just a wee feeling of "what the hell did we do this time" moment. 

Ah well, the adventure continues and I am committed to talk with someone else and get more information.  Certainly the answer is out there somewhere...sort of like the expectation of intelligent life on this or some other planet, sort of,

jm

Northern California, or that is the general direction folks....

Okay, its been a while and not a lot of blogging action.  Time to change that.  We'll be heading out on Saturday, April 24/10; 5 from Cranbrook, 3 from Vancouver and perhaps 1 from Kelowna.  All this and the above will become more clear (or confused) in the posts that follow. Hast luego amigos....

jm