Posted Sunday, July 13, 2025. (Left San Francisco on July 12)
Someone said that you can’t travel well if you are always trying to get somewhere, but I’ve found that having a destination maintains focus along the way. This trip encompasses the world’s largest organism, an opera and a friend in Indianola, Iowa, and a short visit with my daughter in Golden, Colorado.
Unfortunately, the trip had an inauspicious beginning even before I left home. The Friday night before I was leave on Saturday I did a final tire pressure check on my 2008 BMW R1200R and noticed that the front tire was beginning to cup and that the tread was close to the wear indicator. I am obsessive about the tires on my motorcycles, but somehow this slipped my notice. The wear indicator is at 3mm and I measured a little over 4mm, which is probably good for 1000 miles, although I’ve noticed that when a front tire begins to cup (wear unevenly around the tread blocks) the tire wears faster. Once you reach the wear indicator there is still tread left, and in the past I’ve run tires beyond the wear bar, but it’s not a good idea for safety and I worried about the tire for every mile. Almost every motorcycle shop in the country is closed on Sunday and Monday, so that meant that if I didn’t get a tire on Saturday, when I already had a 400 mile day ahead of me, I would have to wait until Tuesday in Colorado (Centennial near Denver and Colorado Springs), which would upset my schedule and I would have worried about the tire every mile of the way. There are three BMW shops on my route on Saturday - San Francisco, Roseville, CA, and Sparks, NV.
(Saturday, July 12) I was up early and skipped my normal exercises and stretches and immediately walked Walter so I could leave early and be at BMW of San Francisco when they opened at 9. Of course I had slept poorly, worried about the tire, my change in plans, and what I would do if I couldn’t get a tire on Saturday. I even had a crazy moment when I thought about taking my car instead of the bike. I was at the BMW shop in SF shortly after they opened and went to the service department, but the service manager said that they were booked with appointments all morning and the earliest they could install a tire would be 3 PM. He suggested trying KC Engineering, an independent shop, around the corner, but they didn’t open until 10. I called A&S BMW in Roseville, but the service manager said that he was down three technicians out of 6 and couldn’t fit me in. Fortunately, Sierra BMW in Sparks (near Reno) had a cancellation for a major service and they could install a new tire in the afternoon, so I told him I’d be there around 3 in the afternoon.
I left the BMW shop before 10 and crossed the Bay Bridge, which at that time of morning on a Saturday didn’t have much traffic, and neither did I-80 through Berkeley and Fairfield. The day was foggy and cool, typical Bay Area summer weather, but began to warm up once past Vallejo. I stopped at the Starbuck’s in Dixon for coffee and a sandwich wrap - an early lunch - and fuel for the bike - and I also opened my jacket and pants vents and switched to light gloves. The day had warmed considerably, but traffic wasn’t bad - there was a slowdown near Sacramento when I-80 lost a lane due to construction, but it wasn’t slow enough that I split lanes. The temperature was 95 in Auburn, but once in the mountains it cooled a bit. I noticed that the Gold Run and Donner Summit rest areas are both closed, which means that eastbound there are zero open rest areas in all of I-80 in California. Another California failure, since Interstate rest areas are primarily the responsibility of the state Department of Transportation.
After a stop for fuel in Boomtown west of Reno I continued through Reno to Sparks where I checked in at the BMW shop at about 2 PM - I had made good time. The one tech on duty was finishing up another bike, so I waited around in the lounge area, read a BMW club magazine, and chatted with another customer. I even walked outside for a few minutes, but since it was 95 degrees I soon went back in the shop. After an hour and a half my bike was ready and I got back on I-80, exiting after 30 miles in Fernley, where I picked up US 50 east towards Fallon. I saw a high temperature of 105 around Fallon. The 110 miles from Fallon to Fernley went by quickly, US 50 slowly gaining elevation and becoming interesting (hills and curves) for the last 50 miles before Austin. I filled up the bike at Champ’s and arrived next door at the Cozy Mountain Motel at 6:30, got my key for room 5 (where I’ve stayed before - a bit small) and immediately took a shower and changed into shorts and a T-shirt. Austin is at about 6500 feet so it was cooler than Fallon, but still hot at 95. I ate too much at Grandma’s, and asked Brandon, the waiter and co-owner along with his wife, Sarah, of the Cozy Mountain Motel as well as Grandma’s, if the Toiyabe Cafe was open for breakfast. Brandon went onto a bit of a rant about the owner of Champ’s gas station and food store, who had been promising to open the Toiyabe Cafe for 5 years but had made no progress. He went on to say that the owner of Champ’s (Champ?) also purchased the long closed Lincoln Motel (where I stayed many years ago) as well as a couple of other properties in town. This being Saturday night the bar across the street had a few Harley’s parked outside and people standing around drinking beer. The biker couple at the table next to me at Grandma’s were speaking German, and the Harley Road Glide CVO parked next to my bike at the Cozy Mountain had Quebec tags, so there was an international group of motorcyclists in Austin that evening. (about 400 miles)
(Sunday, July 13) I was up early because I would lose an hour in Utah and I had a side trip to Fish Lake. However, after coffee (Keurig machine in the unattended motel office with Peet’s Major Dickson blend) I did walk around town a bit and took a few pictures of Austin, which is still struggling for a comeback, although with a population of less than 200 it has a way to go.
The International (inn, bar, restaurant), which was closed the last couple of times I was in town, appeared to be open for business last night
Nice old church - wonder if it will be open for business later in the day
Back at the motel I took a shower, packed, and was on the road before 8. Right outside of Austin US 50 climbs and twists, but I was taking it easy with a cold engine. After 7 miles I passed by the Bob Scott campground, where I’ve camped three times over the years, and I noticed that it was closed. I first camped there about 50 years ago, and it was primitive camping - pit toilets, pumps for well water. Then Carol and I camped there once and there wasn’t even water. Then it had been closed for several years, but the last time I stayed there 10 years ago was with two friends and the place had been considerably upgraded with running water, improved camp sites, and flush toilets. Closed again, though. The 70 miles to Eureka went quickly, US 50 climbing over several passes with interesting curves although nothing technical (we motorcyclists call very tight curves “technical” for some reason). In Eureka the Owl Club Restaurant was quiet with only another couple from Canon City (near Royal Gorge and Pike’s Peak in Colorado) in an RV who were returning from Sacramento where they attended a friend’s 95th birthday party. Carl was a retired LEO who worked as a motorcycle officer in Phoenix and Santa Clara for many years and at 87 was considering buying another bike.
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