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[ice6900]

Firstly I will again write my apologies for not hooking up with any of my forum friends, but it was only a short 10day rental, enroute we visited and stayed with a couple of personal friends, plus the weather wasn't to great so I thought most of you wouldn't come out to play when we were in your neighborhoods. I would have preferred to have taken my trip and joined you all in Tahoe but the conditions of my travel wouldn't allow it.

Trip preparations were discussed in this thread http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=49459.msg785918#msg785918

So here goes with my ride report,  2620 miles 4State Ca Az Utah Nv in 10 days
1) Los Angeles, Barstow I40 to KIngman
2) Kingman via rte66 Peach Springs to (visit Grand Canyon Caverns) Seiligman, I40 to HD Bellemont, rte66 to Flagstaff for lunch, Hwy180 to Grand Canyon South Rim, Hwy 64 Hwy89 to Page
3) Page Hwy89 to Panguitch
4) Panguitch back down Hwy89 Hwy14 to Cedar Springs,  I15 to Las Vegas
5) Las Vegas Hwy160 to Pahrump, Hwy190 Death Valley, Hwy 178 to Ridgecrest
6) Ridgecrest  to Lake Isabella, then doubled back to Ridgcrest to collect iphone. Hwy14 and 58 to Bakersfield,  I5 to Fresno
7) Fresno I5 Hwy152 to Santa Cruz Hwy1 to San Francisco
San Francisco via San Jose back to Santa Cruz, Hwy1 to Monterey
9) Monterey Hwy1 to Gorda Springs (road closed) lunch break, back track to Nacimiento pass to Hwy101 & Hwy1 to Lompoc
10) Lompoc Hwy1 to Los Angeles
11) return bikes 9am

[ice6900]

my ride

[ice6900]

Rental day1
we picked up our Street Glide rental bikes from Eaglerider LAX on saturday morning May 7. about 9.30am, my wife wasn't to happy with the Duracell color choice of her 3year old ride, but as it was well scratched overall she eventually accepted that she possibly had the better option than mine which was brand new with only 252miles on the clock, mine didn't have an electronic cruise control, just the normal thumb screw, we had never or for that matter anybody else seen a 2010/11 FLHX 96" without cruise! Plus as mine was brand new any scratches I put on it would be easily seen :-( (as my ride was a winning prize I had the ugly thoughts that this is the way they get the rental money out of me by paying the repair bills) I decided to take out the extra insurance cover (60$) which reduced the deposit and the insurance liability.

[ice6900]

We set off, towards Barstow and I40 to Kingman Az in time to  Buy a Tshirt at the Mother Rd dealership, we also had time to visit the 66 Museum before finding a Motel. This was to be our hottest day in the mid 90s riding through the Mojave Desert. Enroute we tried to fill up with gas at a CHEVRON station but found that our Credit cards wouldn't work as a US zip code is required, so we went to another gas station across the road, same chit, we took our credit cards into the shop and had to leave them with the cashier while we were allowed to fill up, then pay with our Credit cards and sign the receipt. We later found that we had both been charged a deposit on our cards for 126$ even though we hadn't been able to take gas, this happened at every CHEVRON gas station.

[ice6900]

Day2
we set off along Rte66 stopping off at the Grand Canyon Caverns in time for the first tour of the day, just the two of us and the tour guide, down there is a stockpile of provisions cased water (off but still drinkable if you have too) and tinned Army rations (as good as the day they were sealed)  which had been deposited there in the 1960s, alongside this were a few new additions of palleted PET bottles of water and food rations. Apparently the owners of the caverns are selling places down there to shelter from any War crisis or so. If you have booked a place and can make it there before they seal the shaft you could live down there until the rations ran out., We continued along rte66 as far as Seilgman where we jumped on the I40 to HD Bellemont. Here we experienced very strong side winds, almost blowing us off the roadway at times, riding at cornering angles while trying to keep a straight line was interesting to say the least. After a GC Canyon Tshirt puchase we took the I40 rte66 to Flagstaff, had lunch is a 66Diner, then filled with Gas and headed up Hwy180 through the trees (protected from the highlands) to Grand Canyon Village, paid our 12$ entrance fee, and rode up to the south rim, its was still blowing a gale and wasn't very pleasant. We decided not to stay the night but to press on towards Page, as the weather forecast for the following 2days up north was getting worse. We saw our first road kill a large Dear lying in the ditch next to the road and stopped off at a road side Navejo Indian stall. We made it to Page at sunset.

[ice6900]

Day3
it was noticeably cooler and with dark grey/ black clouds we set off along north/west hwy89. Enroute we stopped by the side of the road for a Pee Break, its was now near freezing, (we later found out that my wife probably lost her thumb ring here when she took her gloves off, cold fingers) we continued clouds were getting darker and darker, with a few rain showers on dry roads. We stopped off at a little town for a warm coffee and get gas, my wife saw a outdoor shop and went to buy a fleece jacket but thought they were over priced. The owner asked us where we were headed I said Panguitch and Bryce canyon or Cedar Springs, he told us he had just spoken to  a family member who said it was snowing in Cedar Springs and sticking to the sidewalks, hmmmm we decided to press-on to Panguitch. Another road kill of a wild Boar on the side of the road reminded us to keep a look out. Just after Hatch we had the fright of our lives when from nowhere we rode into a hail shower, 1/4" balls of ice rained down on us, the roads were suddenly white and awash with hail balls making the road very slippery as we slowed from 50mph right down and progressed through it. We decided to ride past Hwy 12 to Bryce and into Panguitch, rode through town and decided on which Motel to find a room, turned out to be a Harley guy that ran Canyon Lodge. We both had a hot bath, then walked along main st. visiting the few shops they have, we told Scott if the roads were icey in the morning we would stay a second night. That evening we ate in the restaurant decorated with hunting apparel, good food and atmosphere but the American way of giving you the bill before we had decided on desert or coffee was very annoying. While in town once when I started my bike the diagnostics came on without prompting??  No fault showed up, I thought maybe this is automatic as it hadn't had its 1000m service.

[ice6900]

Day4,
I opened the door to see blue skies to the south but right above us and north the snow was stating to come in, we hightailed it out of town and missed out on Bryce Canyon, took the 14 to Cedar Springs, over the pass was very cold -6c with a lot of snow still on the surrounding countryside, the roads were wet with melting snow.  Just after Cedar Springs it was time to take to take some layers off with the rise in temperature, We dropped in on the Dealership in Hurricane where my wife continued her quest to find a HD Jacket she wanted, they checked with there sister dealership in Vegas who had one in stock which she duly reserved for us. I checked the oil on my bike, it needed a top up. so I decided to take the bike with 1400m to Eaglerider in Las Vegas to have it checked. They topped it up and said not to worry. We rode up and down the Bvld and then decided to check in at the MOTEL6 39$/room. Then walked back along the Vegas Bvld, had a cocktail at HD cafe and a meal at Hard Rock Cafe.

[ice6900]

Cedar Pass Hwy14    bbbrrrrrr

[ice6900]

Day5
we rode to Pahrump gassed up and on though Death Valley, It was a cool day only 25c, we stopped off a few times to see the views and where there is a lil General Store, Restaurant, Gift shop and lodging complex with swimming pool at Stove Pipe Wells Village, we continued along 190 and then the 178 to Trona and Ridgecrest.

[ice6900]

Death Valley

[ice6900]

Stove Pipe Wells Village In Death Valley

[ice6900]

Day6
Isabelle want to go see Lake Isabella but when we arrived there she realized that she was missing her iphone, I sent it a text but no ringing so its wasn't with us, I phoned the Motel back in Ridgecrest  the manager went to the room and with the cleaner they found it under the bed. Of course it was my fault we had to ride the 1.5hrs back because Isi had asked me if i had checked the room before we left!!! Near Lake Isabella was a roadside Museum with old rusty vehicles wagons and tractors which i had seen on the drive out, so  i nipped in there and took a few picks on the return leg. Once Back in Ridgecrest, we decided not to venture up to Yosemite as it would probably be cold and snowy, we headed to Bakersfield and ended up in Fresno,


pic)Paradise Cove @ Lake Isabella

[ice6900]

Day7
we continued a little up I5 before tracking across hwy152  to Santa Cruz, nice warm morning, where we joined the PCH heading north, its was again colder and windy in Hwy1, we made it up to San Francisco and Fishermans Wharf for some shopping therapy and R&R, in the distance we could see Alcatras and Golden gate Bridge. That evening we met up with a friend of Isabelles that she had not seen for 10years, she lives In Emeryville Oakland just over the Bay Bidge, we enjoyed a BBQ in there backyard and the night on there comfy sofa bed.


pic) Casa De Fruita enroute Hwy 152  just before the road splits to Hollister/ Santa Cruz, its well worth stopping here and buying all manner of fresh fruit n veg, sugared dried fruits and sweets   

[ice6900]

you know wy

[ice6900]

PCH just North of Santa Cruz