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The night before the trip was spent finishing up my electric glove liners, and packing everything. When I loaded up the bike for the first time, and tested the way it felt, I started figuring out ways to ditch weight! I got rid of the 17mm lens, tripod, the box for my first aid kit, and some extra clothing. It still felt ungainly...at first. At nearly 4am, I finally got some sleep.
I had a late start this day, spending the morning loading everything up, and time with my daughter since this was my longest trip away from her. I finally got on the road around 1pm, and was afraid of night falling while I was still crossing the Sierra Nevadas.
Now, like I mentioned, this was my first long bike trip since going to Reno and back the year before. And that time, I almost immediately had back aches, weary legs, and one sore butt. This time, it started off much better! I pushed through until Sacramento without stopping (100 miles), and topped off the gas tank. A combination of experience, and the addition of a windscreen, I'm sure. Then, as I passed through Penryn, I remembered that night pulling over and putting on every scrap of clothing I could in the parking lot of the Penryn Inn. And that was in September! Ok, so this was during the daytime, but still I was feeling comfortable knowing I had yet to put on the weatherproof pants, or even my electric liner, and I'm not quite feeling the chill. But still, it's a little victory.
As I approached the Sierra Nevada mountain range, I began to reflect on how different travelling by motorcycle is to a car. It seems corny to try and put in words sometimes, like "Dude, it's not a spiritual experience, you're not Peter Fonda, you know." Hey, I thought it was corny the way Neil Peart was describing how your world contracts, and yet expands on a motorcycle. But sometimes, it all makes sense. You're better connected to the landscape on a bike than a car; partially because you're actually outside, and also because you're much more aware of your environment. And you have less distractions, such as the radio going, a passenger, or scalding hot coffee on your lap.
 Just outside the parking lot at Burger King |
I stopped off at a Burger King around Auburn for dinner as it started to get cold,
and put on the cold gear outfit. My homemade jacket and glove liners worked beautifully,
if I say so myself. Well, the gloves could've been warmer. Then I watched for elevation
markers as I climbed up the mountain. Soon, the landscape showed signs of winter with
snow topping the mountains around me. Now, I was watching the weather for Truckee, CA closely for a couple of weeks before my trip. The one thing that scared me most was making it through this pass with snow on the roads. So it's rather exciting to actually _see_ snow, and feel relatively safe. |
As the sun faded, I made one last stop to snap some photos to capture the spirit of riding amidst snow topped mountains. It didn't quite cut it, but hey, see the snow!! Silly me. A few more miles down the road, and there was snow by the ROADSIDE, but a feel the darkness setting, egging me on to make the most of daylight, while I can. I lost the rest of it before Truckee, and see flickers in my headlight beam. What the HELL is that, that doesn't look like rain. It...was....snowing. And it got worse. Soon, I had to wipe slush off my helmet visor, as I followed tail lights very carefully. I watched snow blowing across the ashphalt. My heart was pounding the entire way, and I thought of options like staying in Truckee for the night, but pressed on, chanting "smooth smooth smooth" in my head whenever I had to adjust any of the controls. I felt a whole lot better once I crested the summit, and started downhill. Then, as I approached Reno, I felt damn near triumphant.
It was still very cold in Reno, and I made my way to my sister-in-law's place in Sparks. I pulled in around 7pm (everything after sunset feels much later now), unloaded the bike, and thawed out before heading for a few drinks with a friend for the evening.
A fantastic first day. I had planned on this stretch being the dodgey-ist portion of the trip, so it felt great to have it over with. And hey, I could (and do) brag that I've biked when it was snowing! I make the most of a warm house, and soft bed while I can.