My DVD "Tail"

[BeniciaRT_GT]

I decided since I wrote a good bit of this last week, and haven't had a chance to add to it, I'd just post the tale in segments...

 

Enjoy:_______________________________________________________________________

 

The timing of this DVD pre-run worked out well for me. I was off for the whole weekend and even a day before to have time to get packed up and ready. I even had time for a “mini” tech day with RT Russ.( Story Here )

 

The last few weeks I’ve been have trouble sleeping at night when I’m on my days off. (I work graveyards, so during MY workweek I sleep during the day, and on my days off I try to be on a “normal” dayshift schedule.) I haven’t figured out why, but after most of the last 20 years staying up at night, it seems to have caught up with me. So I went to bed around 21:00 tired and ready to get up around 05:00 or so and take off. I woke up at 23:30 and couldn’t sleep again, so I watched a little TV and tried going back to bed at 02:00. I finally gave up at 03:00 and decided to get dressed and take off. I figured I may as well ride while I was awake! So a goodbye to Jacqueline and I was off a little after 04:00.

 

It was a little chilly, but my Gerbings were just fine at half strength, and all was well for the ride down. There was no sense in doing anything other than freeway in the dark, so I just took I-5 down to Bakersfield. I did get to watch a nice sunrise over the valley though. I did stop for gas and get a chicken biscuit along the way.

 

 

Mojave airport where they park a lot of airline’s planes in storage:

 

 

 

They were doing some kind of run-up tests with an old F-4 Phantom and it was neat to hear the beast getting throttled in contrast to the quiet of the desert. It helps if you like airplane noise of course

 

 

 

Just outside of Beatty is the old ghost town of Rhyolite. Unfortunately, they have put up fences around the cool stuff!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I arrived about 14:00 and Heck and the Missus were there. We chatted a bit and decided to go find some food. Mark (the other Mark, MBElectric) showed up and all four of us went to find a bite. Sadly, there were very few choices, but we found pretty much the only WRONG one! Although, not completely amused, we had already eaten, so we wandered back to the hotel. As the others started drifting in, we headed for the saloon across the street.

 

We ran into LVNbiker out front and had a beer on him. He had to head into the park and set up a tent so it was a short visit...

 

The next I know Mark (MBElectric) is flashing some kind of gang symbols at Joe (CoarsegoldKid).

 

 

 

Joe was stunned:

 

 

 

Luckily since he wore his sunglasses most of the night, seemed to recover quickly:

 

 

Here, Mama Hoon is finding out about it:

“He did what?”

 

 

 

And then proceeded to let him know that was like politics… no, no, no!!! Bad member

 

 

Luckily, Mark behaved the rest of the evening and it all calmed down…

 

We had some most “worthy” pizza and hung out for a bit.

 

Apparently, the root beer wasn’t as good as the regular beer:

 

 

 

 

 

 

As usual, there was some "love" spread:

 

 

 

 

Since this was after all a "working" trip, we all gave up a little before midnight and headed off to bed.

 

That non-sleep thing decided it was not done with me, and I watched what is simply the WORST movie ever made!

Frankenstein Meets the Sapce Monster

 

So I finally fell asleep watching Dirty Harry and when I woke up I wandered off into the park.

 

There were about 1.4 billion RVs there, almost all parked thank goodness. There was an art show at the visitor center. There were some amazing paintings and all the artists were there with their paintings. Very neat stuff:

 

 

 

This ones called "Will He Bite?"

 

 

 

 

So while my SO had threatened to run off to Alaska with Tom, I decided I didn't need them at all. I could see all the wildlife I wanted:

 

Wolves:

 

Donkeys:

 

 

Bison:

 

 

Moose:

 

 

And even...

 

 

 

 

 

That's right:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEARS:

 

 

 

We don't need Alaska to see all that now do we?

 

Next, the ride home!!!

 

 

[BeniciaRT_GT]

Now the ride home Sunday was nothing like the rest of the weekend!

 

My alarm went off at 07:00, and since I'd only been asleep for a few hours, I promptly hit the snooze button about 438 times or so.

 

When I finally got up, now I know this is shocking, but everyone was gone...

 

So I packed up and headed back into the valley. On the way down into the valley, I could see the other side where I was headed had gotten some snow...

 

 

 

 

 

 

That almost looks like rain...

 

 

 

I didn't take a lot pictures for the next part, but oddly, I passed Heck and Mrs. Heck in the bustling metropolis of Trona. I saw them at a gas station, but was already passing at that point so I pressed on. A bit later, I came up on Mark and Joe. We rode for bit together, but I decided I had the furthest to go and wanted to try to beat some weather so I, ahem, separated myself from the crew.

 

Then the side winds started with a more serious force than they had been all weekend. I've seen worse, but only once or twice in Nevada.

 

Then this odd looking storm was sitting over Tehachapi:

 

 

 

It looked like fog, but was rain driven miles out from under its cloud. In fact I got wet just a few hundred yards down the road for this picture and was still several miles from the clouds and under blue sky. It made for a very bright rainbow though:

 

(More proof of what is at the end of that rainbow)

 

 

 

I pulled into the first gas station in Tehachapi and this wasn't a good sign:

 

 

So driving rain and wind, mid 30s for temp, and now what? SNOW?

 

I filled up and went in to call Jacqueline and everyone else showed up, even Mrs. Heck! We figured that trike would be way to much of a handful in the wind, and even worse in the rain. We really expected them to stay out of that nasty weather. The moral of that story is don't mess with Mrs. Heck...She is a tough cookie!!!

 

 

 

 

It turns out that was the worst of it and once over the pass and down into Bakersfield it was fine. In fact as I headed north on I-5, it even cleared up by the time I got home.

 

 

What a great weekend, with some great folks!!! I'm sorry I can't make the regular DVD. I've made the last 5 in a row... so this is gonna sting.

 

 

 

 

 

[Whip]

Thanks for takin us along.

 

I wish we coulda been there.

 

Whip

[Twisties]

That non-sleep thing decided it was not done with me, and I watched what is simply the WORST movie ever made!

Frankenstein Meets the Sapce Monster

 

Jeez, I mean it was so bad they didn't even spell the name right?

 

Looks like fun, great pics. Pretty sure we'll be seeing you put that big smooch on Jamie a few more times over the years.

[Firefight911]

Thanks for takin us along.

 

I wish we coulda been there.

 

Whip

 

Here, here! Jamie and I echo these fine comments of the Senator from TX.

[Highway41]

Thought for a second that the electrostatic aura eminating from the tankbag was a rainbow over the bike.

You guys need to visit the right coast again.

See ya. Bill

[Heck]

don't mess with Mrs. Heck...She is a tough cookie!!!

 

+1.... (and I should know..... )

 

Actually, the trike was more stable in that crosswind than we thought....

 

Let me add a couple of pictures that you must not have stopped for.....

Tehachapi was not the only snow....

or wind....

 

 

and how could you not stop in Trona????

Only decent weather on the east side of the Tehachapis

 

The worst thing about that trike is the fuel capacity.....Range of 110 miles is miserable....hello Tourtank...

 

Great weekend though...we had a blast.

 

 

 

 

[Paul_Burkett]

Good friends and good pics, it's the recipe for a wonderful, even in the face of lacking enough sleep. Thank you for sharing.

[CoarsegoldKid]

Thanks for ride tale. Sorry I missed it. I think. Maybe it was just something I dreamed.

[azkaisr]

Worthy

[Francois_Dumas]

+1.

 

You wouldn't want to park your bike in the middle of the road like that in Italy though......

[eddd]

Too cold for this boy...but glad you had a good time.

[Jacqueline]

Too cold for this boy...but glad you had a good time.

 

Aren't you the guy who said something about Texas (where you live) being to hot?

[RT Russ]

I don't envy you that shift working schedule. I could not swap from nights to days without going a bit nutty....but then again having met you.....maybe you couldn't either?

[KMG_365]

I could not swap from nights to days without going a bit nutty....but then again having met you.....maybe you couldn't either?

Oooooooooooooooooooooh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bull's-eye!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Hey!! . . . where's my little popcorn-eating/lurking guy??? )