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Yosemite National Park
This post is more about the pics as I simply can't explain it so I will let the "picture is worth a thousands words" take over, enjoy.
After Shann and Greg left us homeless in a strange land we were lucky to score the camp site at Camp 4 the climbers camp, see the FULL signs!. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-69.jpg And the bear aware pics :eek1 :eek1 http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-70.jpg The first thing that caught my eye was the accessible parking sign which was over the OTHER side of the wall ...... WTF :eek1...are they meant to park on the cliff side??? :D ... they should change the sign to inaccessible. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ite/file-2.jpg We found ourself surrounded by young fellas and fellesses .... all the fellas had 6 packs!!!! ... bugga me I felt like a monster and from an old peoples home... perfect we love hanging with younger people. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-53.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-52.jpg After setting up we headed off to Glacier lookout, whoa ... top of the world views second to none, looking over the edge was spooky for me but I made the most of scaring myself which was plenty enough for my daily quota of scaring myself daily so I know I am alive. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-10.jpg Half dome was standing out with grandeur amongst his shorter counterparts and with the evening sun pasting the western faces it was a pretty cool sight to see. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ite/file-3.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ite/file-4.jpg Spot the people on the top http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ite/file-5.jpg Yosemite Village below looked like a toy village and the cars like matchboxes, again looking out and down gave me the willies. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-15.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-16.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-17.jpg So we had some neighbours from England who were closer to our age and some young gun rock climbers, really neat taking to these guys from around the world, watched some vid of them falling of a cliff .....and larfing!!.:huh We gained some local knowledge on a walking track to the top of Yosemite Falls, a 2800ft climb ... perfect for us oldie non 6 packers. Two climbing kiwis set off on a mission to conquer the mighty Yosemite falls, it started off as a zigzagathon, 60 actually!! then leveling out for a while before the final assault up the gully part 2 zigzagathon. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-50.jpg The views were getting more and more stunning and breath taking (maybe the breathtaking bit was cos we are unfit), although the falls were not falling the abrupt rock faces and majestic surfaces of granite slowly changing colour as the day progressed added up to a walk that would make you stand there in silence and in awe.... so we did that. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-21.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-22.jpg Ya just can't help yaself from looking! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-23.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-30.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-26.jpg Nearly there http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-34.jpg Upon reaching the top I was scared, overwhelmed, had vertigo BIG time and totally gob smacked .. so a normal day.:D http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-37.jpg Chance to take off the smelly socks in the sun ..... so nice! :clap http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-38.jpg Big views http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-39.jpg Other way http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-40.jpg Some strange trees http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-43.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-44.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-45.jpg Really neat tree right near the face http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-41.jpg What can I say but make the effort to go if you can, you will not be let down, it proved hard on my knobbly knees from previous injuries but worth every bit of discomfort. Al Capitan was calling us so we climbed aboard the free shuttle bus to have a look at this incredible rock face, 5 climbers had just started an ascent earlier in the day so we we treated to a level of climbing we had only ever seen at the Wanaka Film Fest. :eek1:eek1:eek1 I am not sure how to explain my feelings seeing them hanging on a rope other than fear, thrill, excitement, awe, crazy, etc ..... be fare to say it is not my game. See the tree, to the left is where they are. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-60.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...itanClamer.png See the zoom up http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-61.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-62.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-66.jpg See the close up. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-63.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-65.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-67.jpg That night was quiet in the camp as the climbers returned very tired (and us) so sleeping was easy as no parties were on, the moon was out, again I will let the pics do the talking. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-71.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-72.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...te/file-19.jpg The following morning we packed up and headed out of the park to Lake Tahoe. |
Lake Tahoe
With the ride to Tahoe being uneventful it was relaxing and pretty with some of the passes already sporting autumn colours that were sneaking in quietly but noticeably.
Truckee was our next destination which was a house swap we did in NZ two years back so a time to catch up on some writing, the photo precessing and learning how to use imovie etc, unfortunately the place we were staying at had a hot tub, garage, great views and a soft bed with sheets ... and cups .... bit of a bugga but we got by. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-23.jpg First day we walked around town, did some food shopping and got a thermometer to replace the previous escapee in Fresno, what started as a quick walk to the shops turned into about a 12 km walk, nice to get the legs moving again after Yosemite but on the flats. Some stuff in the shops (note Ellen time) http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...kee/file-9.jpg Rest the old bones http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-10.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...kee/file-8.jpg Our reward was a dunk in the hot tub to soak the bones .... l u v e l y !!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-38.jpg Second day was a catch up and fix it day (again), Ellens Touratech cradle had been playing up so it was the trouble shooting day with upgrades on software from Garmin eliminating the problem, turns out the Garmin power cradle was the problem. Also my AME grips are playing up, they cleverly turned themselves on in Fresno to full heat when it was 99 F so very unwelcomed as I struggled to hold the bars, I had to pull the power again on them so I would not rate these grips very highly at all giving this is already the second set. Third day we took a day trip to Incline Village and Sand Harbour, we spotted some money into the local economy buying food etc, in exchange we had bean spotted beautiful weather with a nice ride, win win. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...kee/file-1.jpg X marks the spot!!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...kee/file-2.jpg That evening was one of luxury again in the hot tub, this was turning out to be a hell of a treat. Day four, we planned to do a biggish walk on the Pacific Crest trail however we got a little waylaid and ended up riding up Donner pass road from Donner Lake, again we were graced with great views, a groovy bridge and car that had a little damage, should buff out tho, I suspect not enough compression damping eh. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-18.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-16.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-17.jpg We rode around to the roads end and left Chiwi there, our feet took us for about a 4 mile walk around the lake, through the camp ground and back, we then returned to town to get some food. Ellen decided to head off for a run into the forest and found a road that headed up to a lake and pass so that was on the agenda for the following day to look up there. Did I mention the hot tub. :rofl:rofl Day 5, video mounts had been bugging me so it was time to do something about it, off to ACE hardware for a skunk around, found some sprung loaded brackets which are perfect so it was all on to get these mounted. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-39.jpg On completion of getting the mounts done we we both piled back onto Ellens bike and rode through the forest block to Watson Lake, Brockway summit and Watson point to look over Lake Tahoe, spectacular views to say the least and a neat cruse through the forestry. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-34.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-36.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-27.jpg Cool track to get up there http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-25.jpg Not sure why this sign said this but I obeyed anyway :D http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...kee/file-5.jpg Day 6, so it was time to leave and head off up to Reno to meet Scott and Joanne. We cleaned up, packed up and shot off up highway 89 to meet up with Scott at Sierraville, Scott then took us on a roundabout ride to lookout points and forestry roads which was mint as without local knowledge we would not have seen any of this. |
Reno
Scott and I talking at an icecream stop on the way to their home ..... nice
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...eno/file-1.jpg Scotts weapon the KTM 950 Super Enduro loaded with the right fruit :clap http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/.../Reno/file.jpg Arriving at Scott and Joannes around 5.45 pm just before dark we were greeted by Joanne and her sister Jan who had been on a marathon run ... sounds like fun!!! :huh Ellen knocked up some tea (Dinner) which was a Chinese stirfry mix which turned out to be a crowd pleaser, coupled with a few wines a good time was had by all. Scott had Monday off work so invited to take us out on a local ride, Ellen said the boyz can go for a hoon (ride), Scott then said well take the 990 Adventure so I didn’t have to peel the cases off the DR (and I stand a chance of almost keeping up given he was taking his KTM 950 Super Enduro) What was a man to do but accept this invitation and walk straight past the DR!!! .... so off we set. Ouwh yeah http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...no/file-10.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...eno/file-5.jpg A rideby past our official photographer http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...eno/file-6.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...eno/file-7.jpg Scott and I headed off off like two kids heading into a sandpit with powerful tonka toys, given it was a loaner and I was on unfamiliar roads I took it easy and I didn’t want to buy 3/4 of a second hand smashed 990 Adventure.:eek1 We swapped bikes during the day, at one stage I was doing 110 mph on the 950 SE, the Devil on my left shoulder blew the Angel off my right shoulder so it was game on, been a long time since I had power, brakes, handling and sound all working at once on the gravel. :evil :D :rofl .... that thing is sic Unfortunately I had to give it back but the 990 Adventure was certainly not the short straw either. Following Scott on the road section http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...no/file-13.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...no/file-14.jpg Me on the 990 Adv, I nearly split my helmet with the grin!!!:D:D http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...no/file-21.jpg Just as well the ARAI is tough enough to hold my silly grin :D http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...no/file-15.jpg A stop at an old burnt down house http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...no/file-23.jpg Scott bein well mannered http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...no/file-27.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...no/file-29.jpg We hightailed back averaging about 90 - 95 mph on the gravel roads, I felt like a Dakar racer and even once home and showered I was still fizzing at the most excellent hooligan days riding I have done since leaving home. Thanks Scott you are a good bastid, great fun, a great rider, a great host and now a great mate, looking forward to catching you guys agin either here, NZ or on some dodgy trail. That evening once life calmed down to normal we headed out for Tea (Dinner) and had the best steak that I have eaten again since we left home. Root beer, steak, mash spud and beans .... I was a man content and from the KTM I was spent, be fair to say I might have enjoyed the day. On the way home we stopped in at Freeze Yoghurt and had a dessert each, YUMMO ... musta been serious fattening cos it was beautiful. |
G'day Guy's
Looks like once again you have come through with excallent photo's.Hey you know how us Aussie'/kiwi's call dinner/supper TEA.well my brother has a canadian girlffriend ,jeff (my brother)would say something like i im going to have TEA now ,or i have to get the dog it's TEA she sent a heap of different TEA'S from Canada ,she thought Aussie's must drink a lot of TEA even the bloody dog drink's it !!!Well it made me laugh.Carry on enjoying reading your travel's.Noel:D
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Nevada Desert
Tuesday morning Scott and Joanne had to make sure the wheels of industry were turning while Ellen and I set off toward Crater Lake via some dodgy backroads Scott had directed us to, we started on part of the road from the day before so familiar territory then head up to Gerlach, then up via Vya then on towards Adel.
A stop along the way http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-15.jpg A pond that was slightly green ... I am sure it was safe to drink :evil http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-21.jpg So you think in the desert there is not much to take photos of.... http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-27.jpg You are right .. to a point anyway http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-32.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-33.jpg We were not going to make Adel as Ellen was spent and dropped the pace considerably which I recognised straight away so we started looking for camp at 4.30 pm. We explored a few avenues off the road which were cow trails, I saw a hut with an access road so had a look up that to find a locked gate so I returned back to the road, we continued with options running low as the pace is covered is Sage bush and the wind was picking up. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-11.jpg We came upon the Antelope Sanctuary so we turned off up to that, we saw what looked to be a lookout type building so headed for that ... well we arrived there to find a cabin made of stone with windows and fireplace and bunks.... we couldn’t believe our luck. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-39.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-41.jpg Wine was in order as we watched the sun go down, we set up had Tea (Dinner) then I set too and wrote this report while listening to the wind whistle around the building, this was a nice feeling. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-46.jpg We had the whole place to ourselves and an amazing sunset with outstanding desert colours http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-42.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-53.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-55.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-60.jpg So it s is 8.03 pm now on Tuesday night, it is pitch black outside, Ellen is in bed and the last of my wine has evaporated so time for the human battery recharge and have the wind sing us to sleep. |
Nevada Desert To Crater Lake
Wednesday morning we woke to a slightly overcast sky, no sooner had started packing up and mum nature decided to turn it on for us, the lite cloud cleared away to a stunning clear sky with warmth as welcomed as a gravel road to an adventure rider.
The sky provided us with some neat colours again. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-61.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-62.jpg Interesting moss on a rock http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-63.jpg The digs http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-67.jpg Some unusual growths in front of the digs :eek1 http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-68.jpg Inside the digs ... check it out!!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-73.jpg C o f f e e http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-74.jpg We looked across the plato from chez Delis stone mansion and thanked the Adventure Motorcycling and camping gods for great digs and great riding and great place, I am not the religious type but someone/something needed to be thanked. :D Upon packing up we headed north toward Adel, then left on highway 140 on black top through a twisty road to Lakeside, nearly lunchtime we decide to food up at Safeway and head across to Subway for lunch after. Doing the tarseal cowboy bit http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-81.jpg Lunch and food shopping done it was time to fill the machinery as well prior to making our way to Crater Lake, we past many small towns and within an uneventful ride we arrived at about 3.00pm at Crater Lake National Park, only one camp ground open now and it is $21.00 (with no BJ with that...fark). No biggy given the last nights huge bonus so swings and roundabouts, the day was still stunning although cooling a lot quicker a lot earlier, the notice on Yogi Bears booth saying last night was 33 deg f (nearly zero for normal people). Camp set up was in order and we decided to use the rest of the day with a short walk out of camp and loop back up, the creek at the bottom of the gully offered us beautiful spring colours which are filling our days more and more every day. We found permanent frosting already on the track much to our surprise and a sure indication that winter is setting in fast. Dodgy bridge http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-75.jpg Stunning creek and colours http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-77.jpg Most excellent autumn colours providing a surface that looked like a heavily decorated cake http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-79.jpg A blue bird that neither of us can remember the name of ... it a bugga gettin old. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rt/file-80.jpg Tea (Dinner) was Macaroni cheese after cheese and crackers for the entree, Wallace and Grommitt woudla been at home here. An earlier night with pitch black and low temperatures was had after our fire died down about 8.00pm. |
Quote:
Classic mate ... that is our take on it too, we are still Kiwis so will talk Kiwi as that makes us Kiwi and keep us Kiwi and to that end a bit different from the rest of the crowd we are currently haunting :clap: Really appreciate your comment on our photos, we are trying to do better with what we get each day, hope your ride is going well too mate. |
Excellent RR, thanks for sharing, enjoy the US, I sure enjoyed NZ.
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Crater Lake
This post is one of more pictures, I simply cannot write about a destination that will rival New Zealands best, found myself standing on the top of the crater with a small tear of appreciation trickling down my cheek. Simply WOW.
We left camp and set off for Crater Lake, it was -3 deg C or 26.6 F for you guys in the US. It was a very crisp ride but short enough not to worry about putting on the woolies. The day was warming up very quickly, upon arriving at the Lodge we asked to leave our riot gear with them for safe keeping. They were very accommodating so we left them with our gear. On exiting out of the lounge area through the door that opens out onto the lake we were instantly wowed, http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...0Lake/file.jpg I have to say we were both blown away, an older fello said he had been there a dozen times before and never seen the incredible reflections we had in front of us. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ake/file-9.jpg Our aim was to climb up to the top of Garfield to the viewpoint, this turned out to be very easy compared to Yosemite falls being only half the distance and one third of the elevation. A tree on the way up being used as a stone store http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ake/file-5.jpg Us ... luvin it http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ake/file-6.jpg Ellens stalker shadow .. it seemed to be enjoying itself too :rofl http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-10.jpg The view from the top :eek1 :eek1 :eek1 http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-14.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-17.jpg Big mounts in the distance http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-23.jpg The edge of the lake http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-11.jpg The lake was so still it looked plastic http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-12.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-33.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-26.jpg The return walk was one of many photos as Ellen and I could not help bringing out the Two Photo Kiwis enthusiasts. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-43.jpg We were getting worried cos Ellens stalker shadow was getting bigger .... hmmmmm :evil http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-40.jpg On the way around the crater we dropped in to see the hoodoos or pinacles http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-34.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-36.jpg Back at the Lodge a coffee was had, pictures uploaded, gear picked up and we were on our way, we headed on our way to Diamond lake.. |
Once again excellent work!!!
The last time i saw a reflection like those shots i was at lake Matherson in the south island (N.Z),i went to see some hoodoo's in Alberta(Canada) not a patch on the ones shown.im sure your photography is getting better all the time.Travels well im not on the road at the moment(with the exception of weekend rides) ,work,work ,work hope to change that next year.carry on !Noel:D
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Diamond Lake
We arrived at Diamond Lake by accident, we didn’t even know about it until we saw a road sign! ..... that looks OK so we will go there :D
Because it was getting cold and the Americans don’t go camping very much after October, most camping grounds are closing and the only one we found in the area before dark was the Diamond Lake camping ground which is our favourite campground. :huh :evil This is our site, note autumn colours, me doing so electrical testing http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...0Lake/file.jpg David and Kathleens trailer http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ake/file-2.jpg It was only 80 miles (144K) west of Crater Lake. The camping ground is huge -- half of it has closed, the other half, from the entry gate to where we set up our camp would be 3/4 mile. It has a hot shower, heated toilets, outside the camp (lucky it was at our end) about 500m away is a fishing village, a general store and lodge which offers free wifi. Our neighbours David and Kathleen from south California were traveling in their big trailer. They picked up a Taiwanese girl Justine (20 something year old) who just finished working in the Glacier National Park now riding a push bike in America. They camped in Diamond Lake for 3 days, did some fishing. Justine had never fished in her life, she caught the biggest trout among the three of them, talk about beginner’s luck. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-38.jpg We sat at the camp fire with them and exchanged traveling stories. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-12.jpg The next day, Ellen got up in the morning went for a run, she came back and we decided to stay for another day - It’s got every thing we need, why not! Then Kathleen invited us to their warm trailer (out side was -3 degree .... below zero!) for a coffee. As the morning went, the sun came out, lots of people arriving for a fishing competition, the camping ground was filling up real quick. David and Kathleen decided to make a move. We said goodbyes and went for a walk along the lake ourselves. Of course, pictures will do the talking. Beautiful autumn colours http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ake/file-3.jpg Some moss on the trees http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ake/file-4.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-11.jpg This is Mount Thielson, pretty coul!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ke/file-10.jpg :evil We came back to the camp later in the afternoon and the Ranger had come around telling people there would be 2 - 3 inches of rain in the next two days. :eek1 It’s time to go... |
Coquille To San Fran
Umpqua highway To Bandon
On packing up in the morning we headed along the Umpqua highway which was loaded with twisties and a neat ride, a quick stop in Roseburg for food and supplies and we hit the road to Bandon, we took a dodgy wee back road called Coos Bay Wagon Road which turned to shingle and a bit of mud and was beautiful with trees, river waterfalls and all, an excellent accidental choice.... no pics tho :cry 3pm in the afternoon, we arrived a place called Coquille. It was sunny and warm, considering the forecast, we decided to call it quits early so we could take the advantage of the sun and dry the tent out before putting all our gear. We had a few visitors come and chat to us who were interested in the bikes which was cool. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...lle/file-3.jpg Were we set up camp was right next to blackberry bushes and they were choca with berries, Ellen and I scoffed ourselves silly ... we looked like a coupla kids in a candy shop. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...uille/file.jpg The berries were perfect and beautifully flavoured, after tea (dinner) we walked into town to get some yoghurt for breaky so we could have blackberries with yoghurt. The walk into town and back proved to be a heap of fun and really interesting, we stopped into a second hand shop could have been anywhere in New Zealand. There is a big mural on a wall too, very well done. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...lle/file-8.jpg I stopped to pat the horses .... their hair was hard than our horses in New Zealand http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...lle/file-9.jpg On returning to camp we had a visit from Mr.Plod, just checkin us out, once he established who we were he said he would come back and keep an eye out for us, that was really neat. In the morning Mr.Plod’s offsider came over and said gidday too, very cool of them to look out for us. I also spotted two leafs suspended from a strand of spiderman wire ... I would hate to see the big mofo spider that spun it!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...lle/file-5.jpg Magic :evil http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...lle/file-4.jpg We managed to pack up in the dry but with ominous clouds watching down on us closely, the road to Bandon was a nice back road and mum nature did give a wee shower or two. We carried on down 101 to Golden Beach where we had lunch at a romantic toilet block, it was miserable and wet, we both layered up one extra as the fog and rain was chilly, our mission was to get down to the drive thru tree which we did. At that point our day took a huge change when we met up with Craig and Sharon from Oz on a KTM990 Adventure who had travelled throughout all Europe, the Stans, Russia etc so were a wealth of info. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...od/file-26.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ood/file-4.jpg We had a chat and decided to set up camp together which turned out to be very beneficial as the campsite inside the Redwood National Park was $35.00 fookin dollars ...hmmmm. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...od/file-15.jpg After trying to get to a closed camp we backtracked five miles where we set up, great chats, food and travel stories were talked, everything cool about adventure travel!!! Before we all set off the big Redwoods were calling, stunning autumn colours. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...od/file-14.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...od/file-16.jpg And of course another big f#$*^@g tree http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...od/file-19.jpg The following day we left our own ways knowing we would hold them up, we also knew we would catch them again at the HU meeting in Cambria. In the morning we set of for the “Avenue Of Giants” (nothing new for Ellen and I cos bein short everything is giant), this was a nice deviation from 101 heading south to 1. The is "The Immortal Tree" which has withstood floods of epic proportions, monster fires, the human axe and asian eyes :eek1 .... note the fish up the tree was the flood line :eek1 :eek1 http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...od/file-30.jpg We did the touristy thing .... both of us http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...od/file-27.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...od/file-29.jpg Highway 1 was recommended and calling our name, the road was tight, twisty and beautiful and comes highly recommended.... no gravel tho. Camp was beside the sea at a place called Westport and we had about an hour before the sun went down so a walk along the beach was in order... here is a pic of my bum!!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...0CA/file-2.jpg The beach, first beach side camping we had done on our trip http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...%20CA/file.jpg This is also where we met John and Rebecca, we had passed them twice earlier in the day, twice they pulled over in pullouts to let us past. Ellen and I saw them at camp setting up so being appreciative motorcyclists we went over and said hey thanks for letting us go past safely earlier .... and it all went from there. With the ice broken from their good natured driving earlier and our thanks it was easy to make new friends, chats were had around the camp fire (again) Rebecca kindly took care of the smoke which followed her all night ... onya chick!! Turns out they live and work on the road in their fifth wheeler and the setup they had was mint. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...0CA/file-3.jpg Later that evening another ADVer pulled into camp, we had a quick chat and offered to halve our camp as we had the only flat bit of grass and with the cost it was sensible to share too. Fog rolled in thick and fast and was heavily laden with moisture, our tent in the morning looked like it had been through a rain storm, everything was damp. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...CA/file-15.jpg Justin (the ADVer) insisted on paying for our camp too to help our budget (we still owe you that coffee Justin....come to Ushuaia to get it), very nice indeed, Justin was also heading to the HU meeting as well via a different route to us. Heading off with our soggy tent under wraps San Fran was our destination to catch up with Spidey (Warren) and his good lady Chris. 1 was clear further down after riding in pea soup for an hour or so, I keep an eye out for Ellen all the time and she kept appearing then disappearing with differing thicknesses of soup in the air. The last part was very windy pushing and shoving us all over the road which made it difficult, you either get no wind and fog or wind and a view ... take you pick of poison. San Fran wasn’t too bad to get into with Mrs.Garmin sending us pretty directly with all avoidances disabled, the famous car chase streets providing some great stop start rider training for Ellen and making me keep my mind on the job. Spideys house is on a step section so I made sure I was parked and ready for Ellen in case her landing didn’t work out, coming from the top down made it easier so no dramas there ... luckily cos we were both tired from fighting the wind earlier. San Fran next. |
San Fran
Spelt it short cos I can’t remember how to spell it. :evil
So, we arrived safe and well, bloke hugs and chick hugs were had, very welcoming. :clap Bikes were rolled into the dark corner of the shed so as not to bring the neighbourhood down with Two Dodgy Kiwis yello terras. Showers were in order, washing done, wine consumed and big catchups about life. Warren and Chris had two new additions to their family since we were last there, Ziv their daughter is 4 and Nadav who was about to turn 2 years old the day after we left. Ziv, the boss!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ran/file-7.jpg Chris and Nadav, http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...an/file-10.jpg The last time we caught up with Warren and Chris was 2007 after World Ducati Week so big changes since then for them, well done guys, we look forward to seeing you again. Warren had some time off work which was mint so we went out and did the blokes thing of hovering around motorcycle shops looking at everything we couldn’t afford ... it was fun, we were treated to a cafe racer that started its life as a but ugly Suzuki 650 Intruder, this thing put a capital G on Groovy!!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...0CA/file-7.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...0CA/file-9.jpg Also spotted ... NEVER leave home without your camera :D http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...CA/file-14.jpg My Phone Earlier in the piece (coupla weeks back) my Sonim phone had a wee woops, I contacted Sonim asking to get it fixed, they sent back the form saying no problem, just need proof of purchase and the usual stuff ..... ouwh no, my proof of purchase is 10000 miles away in NZ !!! I wrote back saying any chance we can bend the rules being we are RTW bikers and don’t have my proof of purchase with me, I also added I would welcome their inspection to verify it had not been badly treated/abused etc. Sonim customer service rang back and gave me three names, a phone number and an address to go to just out of San Fran, we contacted them and headed to the address as it was only 20 minutes away. Large glass fronted building looking down on us is what we arrived at, we had been sent to Sonims Corporate Office .... ok.....lets go in. Warren and I were introduced to Christoph who said sorry about the trouble with your phone, he looked at it and said hang on I will be back in a minute, he returned with a new 3300 phone and gave it to me ...... hmmmm. My morning started out as how to get my phone repaired to here is a new one and sorry for the inconvenience, also the 3300 was a slight upgrade on my XP3.2 Quest Pro, these guys took customer service to a new level, thank you Sonim. Given the above this is a shameless plug for guys who steeped out of the daily system to help a stranger in need. If you guys are looking for an adventure biker style phone take a good look at Sonim, up to 24 hours talk time and 800 hours standby time (over a month on standby!!). http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...an/file-17.jpg It has LED torch and waterproof as well as many other features that make this a damn good phone for adventure biking communication. Thank you Sonim!!!, find them here. Welcome to Sonim Technologies - Maker of the World's Toughest Phones Or their home page with plenty of other goodies to choose from Welcome to Sonim Technologies - Maker of the World's Toughest Phones Warren and I headed to In and Out as my treat for him running me down to Sonims office then back home to make sure Ellen hadn’t bought too much on the net, the afternoon was simply stunning so we made the most of it going up to twin peaks tower lookout point over San Fran. Some views from the top, famous San Fran Golden Gate Bridge http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...0Fran/file.jpg Alcatraz (Spanish for Pelican) http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ran/file-2.jpg San Fran central, looking down Market Street http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ran/file-5.jpg Mumblings of a coffee echoed amongst the crew so we found ourselves sitting outside Martha & Bros which Warren recommended ... and he was right. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ran/file-6.jpg After that we headed home for a B B Q and wine, talk about living it up and a good evening was had by all. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ran/file-8.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...an/file-14.jpg View from their kitchen http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...an/file-15.jpg The following morning we hit the exit button and back to reality, destination Cambria to the Horizons Unlimited Travelers meeting ... Yay!!! We headed down 101 along the seaside then turned inland to pick up 9 and down through twisties and trees, outstanding bit of road I must say. When 9 finished we carried on down on 1 again, would have to add at this point we believe (some) Californian drivers take the cake for being the most arrogant, selfish and disrespectful drivers we have ever encountered doing 28 mph in a 55 mph zone passing pullout after pullout and sign after sign saying slower drivers use pullouts and holding up lines of traffic at least 30 cars plus that we could see ..... WTF ... CHP need to deal with these people. Back to the usual program now, Cambria was in our sights and we were happy to get off the road. Arriving at Cambria we took a wrong turn, Ellen tried doing a U turn and failed laying Chiwi down for a rest. We registered and got setup, we were in heaven, surrounded by motorcycle travelers from around the world. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-26.jpg |
Horizons Unlimited Cambria Meeting
So much to do and see, so many people to talk to and so much information to be gained .... overload head syndrome to start with but we settled in nicely and started going to presentations, absolutely mint!!
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ing/file-2.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ing/file-3.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-14.jpg Both Ellen and I were presenters too, Ellens presentation was “The stuff no one wants to talk about”, Ellen had the crowd of 70 - 80 people in roars of laughter talking about our scraps on the Denali Highway and White Rim Trail, I was up the front watching many other couples nodding and acknowledging the same sort of difficulties we had encountered in our new normal life which is not ALL beer and skittles. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-42.jpg It was nice to know that Ellen and I had encountered similar difficulties to others and that we were not alone, the key thing is we are now stronger for using it as a learning experience and recoginzing that if no one dies then the rest of material damage can be solved and sorted out and the main thing is to learn and move up a rung on the ladder rather than fall off and throw it all away. Many other presentations we went to were very informative and great so for us it was extremely worth while and great fun, we also met other travelers heading to South America on pretty much similar time tables as us, we will undoubtedly cross paths and we be support crew, help etc along the way when needed, nice to have familiar faces. My presentation was DR650 setup keeping it narrow and setting up for longitudinally challenged humans, this was a great success sharing our information with others, as I hate public speaking I kept it low key and more interactive with our bikes being that people could sit on them etc, this worked very well. :clap http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-29.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-32.jpg After three days of presentations, meeting great people, talking bikes, travel, destinations it was time to leave, destination Fresno to do a LOT of bike work. We packed up and were pretty much the last to leave after getting photos with various people, some famous, some just like us. Famous people .... Ted Simon ... not us!!!:D http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-39.jpg Dr. Frazier http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ing/file-5.jpg Grant and Susan Johnson, Hubb Mum and Dad!!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-40.jpg A HUGE thanks to Grant and Susan Johnson and ALL the helpers plus all the presenters who really make the event, we came away buzzing and not wanting to leave, something that seems to happen quite a bit when traveling.. Here are some general pics of people and bikes Iain and Debs in their sidecar http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...eting/file.jpg Ellen in a Ural http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-13.jpg Ellens dream bike with a MTB!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-15.jpg Another international traveler http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-21.jpg An owl http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ing/file-8.jpg Sun going down through the trees http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-34.jpg Finally, Iain and Debs, Craig and Sharon, Will English and us http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-23.jpg |
Great RR and amazing pictures !!!
Hopefully we meet on the road somewhere in Mexico . |
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