Three old motorcycle shows in May, 2023

 May is an exciting month in Northern California if you like old motorcycles. There is The Quail in Carmel Valley (a few miles inland from Carmel), Hanford (in the central valley), and Chico (between Redding and Sacramento). 

The Quail Motorcycle Gathering - May 6, 2023: My friend, John, and I left around 11 on Friday morning, May 5, and rode down Highway 1 (the PCH) to Santa Cruz where we stopped for lunch at Coffeetopia, which was, unfortunately, permanently closed - a victim of COVID. However, there were three motorcycles parked in front of the Mexican restaurant next door, so we went in there and ordered. While waiting for our food, I began talking with the riders, two older guys and a younger woman, who were also headed for The Quail. I mentioned that my wife (and John's wife) had joined us for last year's event, but had opted out this year. I said that Carol had asked what was this year's show going to be like, and I'd told her, "Just like last year; same old bikes, same old people." The woman replied, "See, you didn't sell it very well. No wonder she didn't want to go." 

Back on Highway 1 we hit the usual heavy traffic where 1 becomes a freeway south of Highway 17 in Santa Cruz, and we split lanes for several miles until it cleared, and then it was mostly cruising along at the limit until we arrived in Seaside where we checked in at the Sand Dollar Inn, where I've stayed a couple of times over the years. The weather had been cool and gray all day but I was in my Klim riding suit, which was warm enough even with just a middleweight layer under the jacket. 

The Sand Dollar has been upgraded over the years, but it is still a budget motel (with a non-budget price) but convenient and clean with good parking. After settling in we wandered around the area looking for a restaurant and checked out a couple before settling on Gusto's, a pizza and pasta place that was nearby and quite good. They also have a full bar, so John was able to have a margarita on Cinco de Mayo. 

The next morning we were up early an walked to The Butter House, a breakfast place that has several Filipino items on the menu - we'd noticed the day before that there was a Filipino market close by, and also a Filipino restaurant. Breakfast was very good, and we returned to the motel, packed the bikes and went south on Highway 1 for 10 miles to the Carmel Valley Road turnoff where we headed inland for a few miles to the Quail Lodge and Country Club, parked the bikes, unloaded, and waited for about 10 minutes until the entrance to the show opened. 

This year the area for the show expanded a bit so there was more room around each bike in the show. The first thing you saw as you entered the grounds was this...well, I'm not quite sure what it is. Sort of a steampunk rat bike chopper and the hit of the show judging from the number of people who were gathered around it. The owner was obviously proud of his creation and delighted in raising and lowering the bike on its suspension (air? hydraulic?) and even let people sit on it for pictures.

That is the owner on the bike.

It wasn't all big motorcycles, as evidence these 1950s Hummel and Salisbury scooter.

I like the four-cylinder Cleveland because it was made in the city of the same name where I lived before I moved to California.

This 1913 NSU V-Twin was the oldest bike in the show, and it is interesting to see the details and controls because at that time the manufacturers hadn't settled on the best way to do things, so everything was unknown territory.

The Scott Flying Squirrel was a two-cylinder, water cooled two-stroke that was made with few changes from the 1930s to the late 1950s.

I'd never seen an Ascot-Pullin before. I like the enclosed bodywork and the Art Deco styling.

At the show I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Paul d'Orleans, a well-known motorcycle rider and writer, who was at a booth for the Taschen publishing company that featured his latest work, a two volume set about 100 significant motorcycles. Paul is a very interesting character. The first time I encountered him was at The Legend of the Motorcycle show at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay (2006) where he was a judge. He dresses in a style that channels David Bowie, so I didn't take him very seriously at the time, though I later learned that he has very serious motorcycle chops - he's owned over two hundred bikes over the years, and keeps a stable of a dozen. He's been on three Cannonball Rallies (3200 miles across the country on a bike that was made either before 1920 or 1930 or 1940, depending on the particular rally), and for many years when he was living in San Francisco his only transportation was a Velocette Thruxton. His grandmother was an editor of Vogue magazine, and his mom was a fashion designer, and he himself was an interior designer for many years, so that is probably where he comes by his fashion sense. You can read more about him in an interview at the website below:

https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/bikes/living-vintage-motorcycle-dream-paul-dorleans

I also spoke with Stacey Mayfield, museum director of the Haas Moto Museum (Dallas, TX), which was founded by Bobby Haas, a successful financier originally from Cleveland. When Bobby retired he became interested in aerial photography, and published several popular books through National Geographic. Then, at the age of 64, he became interested in motorcycles, and began collecting. He was never confident riding a two-wheel bike, and so only rode bikes with sidecars. I wrote about the museum after visiting it in 2016 on my way to Orlando to have lunch at the Ace Café. Bobby (who was Stacey's partner) passed away a few years ago but the museum is still open and, hopefully, will be for years to come. I'd like to return. I told Stacey that I was very impressed with the layout of the museum, the thoughtful way the bikes are displayed, and how there was space around each machine so they could be viewed comfortably. When I asked her who designed the museum, she said that she and Bobby did all the work. 

This custom dual-engine, supercharged Royal Enfield begs the question, "Why?" The answer is probably, "Why not?"

This Ducati Elite has the "jelly mold" tank.

A menacing BMW café racer.

 The Janus Halcyon is a retro style bike made by a small company in Indiana and uses a Chinese sourced 450cc twin engine.

The 1939 Miller-Balsamo (Milan) has Art Deco styling and was selected best of show (I later learned). 

There were a couple of sidecars in the show, including this custom Moto Guzzi.

Not all the bikes were vintage, exotic, or custom. This is a very nice, preserved, Moto Guzzi from the 1970s.

Every old bike show must have at least one Vincent.

And, finally, this 1950s Chevy pickup with custom patina is hauling a late 60s or early 70s BSA Victor.

In previous years one could, when pre-ordering tickets to the show, sign-up for a catered lunch for a modest additional fee. Apparently, it was too good of a deal and most everyone who attended took advantage of it, making for logistical problems. This year the lunch was a little fancier but cost about three times as much as in previous years. Both John and I had opted out of the lunch, so after two or three hours we suited up and headed east on Carmel Valley Road, then up and over Laurels Grade to Salinas where we rode back to the Bay Area, stopping in Gilroy for gas and lunch at a nearby Carl's Junior before getting back on 101 to 85, and I-280 and home for me, John continuing on to the Golden Gate bridge and then to Tiburon.  

The Hanford Cycle Show and Swap Meet - May 20, 2023. My friend, John, and I left on Friday morning at about 11 and rode down the peninsula on I-280 to Spirit Motorcycles in San Jose. John was again on his BMW R1250GS, and I was riding my 2021 Harley Low Rider S. John also has a Moto Guzzi Stelvio, a 1200cc Adventure bike that is very similar to his R1250GS in function and accommodations, and therefore somewhat redundant in his stable. I hadn't realized it but John was serious about a new Moto Guzzi, specifically the V85 TT Guardia d'Onore, a special one year only edition named for the honor guard of the Italian President. The Italian Republic was formed in 1946, and the honor guards began their association with Moto Guzzi at that time. Only 1946 of the special bikes were made and each has a number plate that shows the sequence of the bike. John spent about an hour talking with the young salesman, who didn't know any more about the bike that John did. To be fair, Spirit Motorcycles sells Royal Enfield, Indian, Moto Guzzi, Ducati, and Aprilia brands, so it would be difficult to be on top of all the models in the lineup of each manufacturer. 

We left Spirit and continued on I-280 south to US 101 through Morgan Hill to Gilroy, where we went east on 152 and after 10 miles stopped at Casa de Fruta for lunch. Continuing on 152 past Los Banos we went south on 33 through Firebaugh to Mendota where we went east on 180 then south in Kerman on 145 to Five Points and 269 to 198 and east to Hanford. In previous years we've always ridden south on 25 from Hollister (south of Gilroy) to 198 and then east, but due to road damage from the severe winter storms 198 is closed from the 25 junction all the way to Coalinga. A shame because both 25 and 198 are great roads. Our route through the valley was pleasant enough, but definitely not a riding experience worth repeating. 

In Hanford we checked into the Roadway Inn (where I've stayed many times over the years) and then had an excellent dinner at Fugazzi's restaurant nearby. I wandered around downtown Hanford for a bit before returning to our room, and it hasn't changed since last year, or from 10 years ago for that matter. The Rodeway Inn (now part of Choice Hotels group) has been upgraded over the years, and in the morning we walked to IHOP for breakfast, packed the bikes, and rode the mile or so to the Kings County Fairgrounds. 

The day was pleasantly warm in the low 70s, and the show part of the event attracted a few interesting bikes, but every year there are fewer and fewer. The swap meet portion seemed almost as large as ever, but the quality of the offerings tended towards the "cleaning out the barn of junk" rather than useful rare items. 

The first bike we saw in the show area was this traditional Harley chopper.

This very nice Vincent Comet was a quality entry in the show.

I'm not sure whether this Harley is a rat bike, or just an old semi-chopper.

This Nimbus has been beautifully restored. The Nimbus was made in Denmark beginning in 1919 with slow evolutionary changes until they stopped making them in 1959. They were all four-cylinder models of 750cc and had exposed valve springs.

A nice Indian bobber.

This BMW R69S was the company's sport model in the 1960s and this bike was my favorite of the show.

The R90S was the BMW's sport model from 1974-1976.

Many people got started on two wheels with a Cushman scooter in the 1950s. You might say it was a gateway drug...

Finally, a bike that I haven't seen since the Art of the Motorcycle Exhibit at the Las Vegas Guggenheim back in 2002. The Aprilia Moto 6.5 was designed by the French designer Philippe Starck, and the styling proved to be controversial. In the background is a more traditional Norton Commando. 

We left a little after noon, having seen everything twice, and rode west on 198 to I-5, which we took north to 152 and then west over Pacheco Pass to Casa de Fruta, where we again had lunch. John had decided that he was seriously interested in the Moto Guzzi, so we stopped at Spirit Motorcycles for a couple of hours and John negotiated a trade in of his Stelvio and the terms of the purchase of the V85 TT Guardia d'Onore - number 174 of 1946, I believe. I stayed out of the way and wandered around the shop and the parking lot where the used bikes were kept. Eventually, we were back on the road, I-280 to Skyline for me and John continued on across the Golden Gate Bridge to Tiburon. 

Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet, Chico, CA - May 28: The last time I went to this event was in 2021 and I was on my 2017 Harley Roadster. Unfortunately, about 10 miles before I got to Chico I was rear-ended by a distracted mom in an SUV. I was fine, but the insurance company totaled the bike (the bike was rideable but the frame was bent) and my current Harley 2021 Low Rider S is its replacement. 

The May weather continued to be unseasonably cool and it was a bit damp and chilly when I left at 11, so I was in my Klim jacket and mid-layer. I rode across the Golden Gate Bridge to Highway 37 east to I-80. Traffic was a bit heavy on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and I split lanes for a few miles in Fairfield where traffic always jams up. I stopped at Iron Steed Harley in Vacaville just to look around the shop (I purchased my Roadster there), shed my liner and switch to lighter gloves, and use their washroom. From there I went on I-505 to I-5 in Dunnigan and stopped in Williams to have lunch at Granzella's. From Williams I went east on 20 for 10 miles and just before Colusa turned north on 45 to Ordbend. This is nut orchard country, there was little traffic, and although the road wasn't exciting it was pleasant to cruise along at 65 mph and enjoy the day. Harleys are made for this kind of riding. In Ordbend I went east on Ord Ferry Road (where the Roadster met its demise as I was making a left turn) to Dayton and then north on Dayton Road to Highway 32 and east into Chico. I managed to find the Quality Inn, which is right downtown, but has a large sign in front left over from its previous life as the Thunderbird Lodge. I checked in, unloaded the bike, and wandered around town a bit before settling on the Parkside Taphouse, partly because there was an older Harley Super Glide parked in the patio. The waiter, AD (Adey?), and I got to talking and it turns out he was the owner of the Harley, so I told him about the show the next day. 

A shower had been predicted overnight, and the tank on my bike showed evidence of a sprinkle. I had a quick breakfast at the motel and, after a bit of wandering around and finally resorting to my phone GPS, managed to find the Elks Club where the show was being held. Chico is a very pleasant town with a State college, and a large park in the middle of town. The show itself is rather small, maybe a couple of dozen bikes, but there were a few very good machines.

This 1971 Yamaha XS-650 is very similar to my first big bike - a 1969 Yamaha XS-650 (mine was green).

This unrestored Imme was an interesting post-WWII design. Note the egg-like engine.

The Ariel Square Four was an elegant design but costly to make and buy. The last one was made in 1959 and it was designed by Edward Turner in 1931.

The Harley Knucklehead first appeared in 1936 and this beautifully restored example was my pick for star of the show.

A very clean Indian Chief.

If anyone picked this Triton as star of the show, I wouldn't argue. The Triton was so-named because it featured a reliable and tuneable Triumph engine in the good-handling Norton frame, in this case a featherbed slimline from a 1960 Norton Dominator. 

A little something for everyone - a Harley Panhead chopper.

I see more and more people riding with their dogs. Those are called "doggles" and they protect the dogs' sensitive eyes from the wind when riding with their human companions. 

I've never understood sidecars, but this example is very nice.

When I was in college it seemed that everyone (except me) had a Honda 90.

The swap tables at the show didn't hold much of interest to me except for a small book All the World's 1954 Cars, which I purchased for $1. There is a page for each of 122 different models from 13 countries and it's an enjoyable read. At a booth for the Ishi chapter of thhe AMCA I was given a back issue of The Antique Motorcycle, a publication of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America (AMCA), which I have since joined.

After an hour or so of wandering around and taking pictures I retraced my route out of town - Highway 32 to Dayton Rd. to Ord Ferry Rd. to 45 to Colusa and west to I-5. I joined I-5 a little south of Williams, and so didn't stop for lunch at Granzella's, but I saw a billboard for a Denny's in Dunnigan and since my breakfast had been rather light I decided to have a late breakfast there. Unfortunately, when I got off at the Dunnigan exit all that was there was a Jack In the Box, which proved to be one of the sorriest fast food restaurants I've been in. I didn't think it was open at first because the parking lot was empty, but then I saw someone from the Super 8 motel nearby go in the door. The food was barely OK, the place wasn't kept up very well, and, worst of all, the coffee was lukewarm. Back on the road and after a mile or so the second Dunnigan exit appeared and that is where the Denny's is located. Also there is Bill and Kathy's restaurant, where I ate a couple of times about 30 or 40 years ago. The restaurant building, which is quite big with a large parking lot, is still there, long abandoned. 

The weather had been pleasantly cool and by the time I got to the top of the hill outside Vallejo it was chilly, although fortunately I had changed into my warm gear when I stopped for gas at Red Top Road. Traffic on Highway 37 jammed up at the base of the bridge west of Wilson Ave. where it goes from two lanes to one, but it moved along OK once things got sorted. In Novato I ran into a little sprinkle, but it didn't last and I was home by 3. Walter and Carol were happy to see me, and I walked Walter around the reservoir.

The Harley is becoming my go-to bike for shorter trips when the roads aren't going to be challenging. It is a good bike for cruising along, and if there are a few turns it is fun to throw the big hog around a little. 

A ride to Denver to see Vanya

(Tuesday, September 6, 2022)  Daughter Vanya just moved into a new apartment in Denver and I thought this was a good opportunity to ride the BMW over some familiar roads and one new one (more about that later) and visit her and maybe help her get settled. The BMW (2008 R1200R) was supposed to go on a long road trip in June, but Carol tripped and broke her jaw and wrist a couple of weeks before our planned departure, so the BMW has been sitting in the garage with fresh tires and oil, just waiting to get out on the road.

In the picture above I’m wearing my new Klim two-piece riding suit, which features multiple vents on the jacket and pants. These worked very well in the high temperatures across the Sacramento River valley and through the Sierra.

The west is undergoing a heat wave so this blog entry is all about the heat. I left at 10:20 and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge on 101 north to Novato where I went across the delta on Highway 37. It was about 70 in San Francisco, 80 in Novato, 85 in Vallejo, and 90 at the rest area overlooking Vallejo. It  was 85 at the Starbuck’s in Dixon where I had a sandwich and coffee, then 95 in Sacramento and 113 in Citrus Heights, the high for the day. It cooled down (briefly) to 85 going over Donner Summit, but quickly warmed up in Nevada and through Reno, and it stayed between 95 and 105 for the rest of the day until the last hour on the road when the sky clouded over and I even hit a short rain shower.

I turned into the Cozy Mountain Motel in Austin, Nevada at 10 to 6 and quickly walked over to Grandma’s Cafe where Sarah, who runs both places, was working. After a chicken salad dinner I returned to the motel, fished out the key to room 5 from the box by the office door, unloaded the bike, and signed onto the weekly Zoom meeting with my friends.

The display by the Cozy Mountain office is always fun - the pink rifle is a new addition.

Grandma’s is a nice place - dining room and a bar in an adjoining room.

Sarah, along with the owners of Champ’s (the gas station) are working hard to give Austin some pizzaz. About 10 miles from town I rode by a billboard which stated: What happens in Austin you brag about. Maybe the next time I’m through here there will be more places open. 

Prior to my departure I was anxious about two things: The road construction on I-80 near Truckee, and critters on US 50 in the early evening. The road construction was a non-issue - just a brief slowdown in a couple of places rather than the miles long backup I’d feared. I may have been too early for the deer and coyotes to wander across the road, or perhaps they were just too smart to be out in the heat, because I didn’t see any. The ventilation on the Klim  jacket and pants worked very well as long as I was moving and kept hydrated, so score one for technology. (408 miles)

(Wednesday, September 7)  The alarm woke me at 5:45 and after a few stretches I walked over to Champ’s for a coffee to get me going before a proper breakfast in Eureka, 70 miles east on US 50. This turkey (?) must have wandered over from across the road.

At the gas station a Triumph Tiger (900cc Adventure bike) had just pulled in for gas and I started a conversation with the rider, Peter, who was from Arvada (near Denver) and had just been to San Francisco for Dim Sum. He said that he’d been working (in IT) for two years without a break, staring at his screen and the same people and he told his boss that he just had to get out of town. We chatted for about 20 minutes before I went in for my coffee and he headed east on US 50 for Delta, where he was spending the night.

I was on the road by 7:30 and an hour later I stopped at a cafe across the street from the Owl Club, but the cafe was closed, as was the Owl Club. Fortunately, just around the corner on Clark St. was the Eureka Coffee shop and I ordered an English muffin sandwich and coffee, which was quite good. (The waitress said that the cafe across the street is actually a gift shop, and that the Owl Club is only open for lunch and dinner now.) The coffee shop seems to be new and the pictures on the wall were by an Englishman who travelled around the USA in 1981 on a fellowship.

The pictures were from the Eureka 4th of July parade in 1981, and I was actually trapped in town by the 4th of July parade in 2005 or thereabouts. I’d had breakfast at the Owl Club and parked around the corner, and when I came out Main St. (US 50) had been closed and I couldn’t get out of town, so I just sat on a bench and enjoyed the parade - fire trucks, girls on horses, tractors, but no sack races that I saw.

It was 70 when I left Austin, and 75 in Eureka, and by the time I got to Ely and stopped for gas it was 85. It would be 85-95 for most of the day until late afternoon near I-25 when it got to 102. At the gas station in Ely I talked with a guy on a BMW GS who was from New York and headed to Santa Cruz, CA. The hills and curves east of Ely were fun, and I enjoyed the ride to the Utah border, even though I’d been on the same route a couple of months earlier on the Harley. The rest of the ride to Delta is, no other way to put it, boring. I stopped at a cafe (closed, although a sign in the window promised back soon) in Delta because there were two motorcycles parked in front. The riders were from Tasmania and had been on a BDR ride (backroads discovery route) in Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming and were headed for an unofficial Moto Guzzi rally in Ouray, Colorado. (One of the bikes was a Moto Guzzi, the other a Suzuki V-Storm.) The BDR was started several years ago by off-road motorcycle enthusiasts who mapped out unpaved roads and campgrounds throughout the country. The Tasmanians store their bikes with a friend in Fremont, CA and come over every year to ride the back roads and camp out. 

Since the cafe was closed, I rode a block or so to the Rancher Cafe and had a late lunch. In the middle of my meal I looked out the window and saw a Triumph Tiger parking next to the building, and sure enough it was Peter, whom I’d met that morning in Austin. He was staying at the Rancher motel and he came in for a coke and to chat some more. 

I gassed up in Delta, and stayed on US 50 to I-25 where I went north to Scipio, then to Salina where I picked up 24 east to Torrey. Highway 24 goes through small towns every 10 miles or so, but it is pretty country with no traffic and by the late afternoon it had cooled off to 80 or so. There were many deer warning signs, but I saw no deer, which is fine with me. There were a couple of road construction areas with one-way traffic control in Nevada, and also one in Torrey. I found the Motel Torrey, which has an unmanned office with a code key on the motel door. I’ve noticed this more and more in the last few years. Young owners will take over a motel and mostly let it run by itself - reserve online, get a code for the door, get a number to call for assistance of if something is wrong. That way they don’t have to pay a full-time person at a front desk (or work the desk themselves) and the owner can work another job. Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant across the street, and I walked a little way on 24 to see that the cafe/motel across the street where I once stayed seems to be permanently closed. (441 miles)

(Thursday, September 8)  After coffee and a cookie at the motel I headed east on UT 24 and immediately ran into road construction. The wait for the pilot car wasn’t long, and the other two road construction areas in the 50 miles to Hanksville were the same. Traffic was scarce and I enjoyed the cool morning air (65 when I left the motel, then 75 the rest of the way to Hanksville) and the curves and scenery. In Hanksville I ate at Duke’s Slick Rock restaurant and topped up my gas tank before going southeast on UT 95. The temperature quickly went up to 85 degrees, and it stayed between 85 and 95 the rest of the day, except for a couple of times when it reached 100. There were a couple of construction areas on 95, but very few other vehicles and I enjoyed the red rock canyons, rock formations, and hills and curves. After 125 miles I turned north on US 191 and after 20 miles stopped in Monticello, UT for gas and lunch. I looked at my rear tire and saw this unpleasant sight:

Oil appears to be leaking from the rear drive; not enough to coat the rear tire or wheel, but concerning nevertheless. This has been a problem for BMW for the last 20 years and it is usually caused by a seal failure. Unfortunately, the seal fails because the large bearing in the rear drive is breaking up and the fragments destroy the seal. I called BMW of Denver (where the bike was purchased back in 2016) and spoke with the service advisor, who advised me to bring in the bike and they would look at it. So, instead of riding through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison tomorrow and then going on one of the few roads I haven’t been on in central Colorado, I will instead get on I-70 and head straight to Denver. It is possible that there is a simple explanation for this (bad crush ring on the drain plug) but chances are I’m in for an expensive repair and a couple of days (at least) extra time in Denver. Assuming I make it to Denver. 

Back on the road I went east on US 491 towards Dove Creek and after less than 20 miles went north on CO 141 towards Gateway. This is actually a section of CO 141 I hadn’t been on before, and it is good road with elevation changes, decreasing radius turns, somewhat interesting scenery (mostly ranch land) but you can’t relax. There were several areas where bridges were being repaired and traffic signals controlled the one lane road. In Naturita I noticed two cannabis stores, which was strange because the town probably has a population of a couple of hundred, although the area is popular with outdoor enthusiasts. 

After 100 miles I turned into the Gateway Canyons Resort which also has the Gateway Automobile Museum. I’d been there once before and it is a small (55 cars) but nicely curated collection built by John Hendricks, who founded the Discovery Channel. It was nice to get out of the heat, and I spent less than an hour there looking over the cars and taking a few pictures. (In 2019 John Hendricks put his entire Colorado holdings - Gateway Canyons Resort, his 22,000 square foot house, and the auto museum up for sale at $279 million. I don’t know if it sold or if he still owns it.)

The 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 GM Motorama show car is the pride of the collection and merits a room all to itself. When Hendricks acquired the car (at auction) it was in sad shape, and the display documents the extensive renovation. The car is fiberglass (like the Corvette) and was conceived as a companion to the Corvette, but whereas the ‘Vette had a six-cylinder engine and a two-speed Powerglide transmission, the F-88 had Oldsmobile’s Rocket V8 and a four-speed Hydramatic transmission. In the end it never went into production, perhaps because of poor sales of the Corvette, so the one in the museum is the only one in existence.

Cars in the 1950s had there own style and often featured flamboyant colors, such as on this 1953 Cadillac and Packard.

A 1957 Desoto has the famous Chrysler Hemi-V8.

A Kaiser Darin has sliding doors.

Back on the road CO 141 became a very pleasant ranch road that follows Mesa Creek. The scenery was interesting, but the road was challenging enough that one has to pay close attention. After 40 miles 141 ended at US 50, which I followed into Delta, Colorado where I’m spending the night at a Quality Inn. 

I walked a few blocks to downtown Delta for dinner, and the town is quite pleasant with old buildings, many of which featured murals. 

Tomorrow I should find out what (if anything) is wrong with the bike. Too bad that I’ll have to forego CO 114 and North Pass into Saguache, but that just gives me an excuse to come this way again. (408 miles)

(Friday, September 9)  The Quality Inn was a little tired, but OK, as was the breakfast in the lobby. However, they did let me park the bike right next to the lobby window by the entrance, and that was nice. Last night I checked my Colorado map and saw that instead of backtracking on US 50 to I-70 I could head east on CO 92 and northeast on CO 133, a route that was 15 minutes longer but 20 miles shorter and much more scenic - the choice was obvious. After 20 miles on 92 I turned onto 133 and immediately the road narrowed, there were many more trees, hills, and curves, and the next 70 miles were just delightful. The road goes through the White River National Forest and follows the White River in many places. It goes over McClure Pass (8755 feet) and through a few small towns including the town of Paonia. I think that I may have been on this road over 45 years ago on Boris (my 1973 BMW R75/5). The few small towns (Paonia, Bowie, Redstone) seemed to exist for local farmers and ranchers and vacationers - there were ranches and small farms along the road and vacation homes. There were many scenic view areas that featured the valley, river, and surrounding mountains, but I was on a mission and didn’t stop. Too bad that neither Carol or Nikki was riding on the back on this trip to take pictures as we sped along, but I don’t think that either one would have enjoyed the heat of the previous two days. As I neared Carbondale (and the CO 82 turnoff for Aspen) a nice bicycle path appeared between the road and river, and there were more vacation homes and services. Carbondale was very busy and I suspect that it is a popular vacation spot. CO 133 ended at CO 82, and I went northwest for 8 miles to Glenwood Springs (also very busy but also interesting) and onto I-70, where I soon stopped at the No Name Rest Area to shed my jacket liner and warm gloves. The temperature was 65 when I left Delta, about 70 in Hotchkiss, and between 60 and 65 on CO 133, dipping to 55 in places out of the sun. As you can see from the picture I remembered to put a little strip of tape on the helmet visor to act as a sun shield when heading into the sun early morning or late afternoon.

I-70 through Glenwood Canyon is twisty and demands close attention as there is a lot of traffic, road construction, trucks, and uneven pavement. I stopped in Frisco for gas and something to eat, but couldn’t find a quick restaurant (I confined my search to the area around I-70 and didn’t go into town, which is supposed to be quite nice) and was soon back on I-70 where the weather became cooler (I had put my jacket liner and heavier gloves on in Frisco) and the sky clouded over. Over Vail Pass (10,800 feet) and then through the Eisenhower Tunnel (11,160 feet) and then began the long descent to Denver. There was a combination of fog and smoke, but no rain and I followed the GPS to Centennial and pulled into BMW of Denver. 

Chris, the service advisor, had received the picture I sent of the rear wheel, and by the time we had finished the paper work the technician, Trent, had the bike on the lift and had pulled the rear wheel. After an hour (during which time I had a Jimmy John’s sandwich delivered) he had completed his diagnosis. The good news was that the rear drive appeared to be OK and that the leak was from a speedometer sensor seal and from the drain plug O-ring, both of which he replaced along with the drain plug itself, which had been damaged by over-tightening at some point. The not so good news was that the bike has a leak in the engine rear main seal and a balancer shaft seal. Neither was severe and Trent said that the leak would just slowly get worse over thousands of miles eventually contaminating the clutch. However, to replace the seals the whole back half of the bike has to come off, along with the transmission and clutch. Lots of labor and quite a few parts would need to be replaced, parts that they would have to order. They wouldn’t know what parts they needed until they had disassembled the bike. I was tempted to have them just go ahead since they are a good shop and I trust their work, but the possibility of being stuck in Denver for a week (or more) if parts had to be shipped from Germany was a deal-breaker and I decided to wait until I was back in San Francisco. I paid the (modest) bill and was at Vanya’s apartment building before 4. Check in went smoothly and I settled into the guest suite, which is a studio apartment that is modern and functional.

Vanya returned from work and we walked Rocky, her lab-mix dog, and had Indian food delivered to the apartment. We rearranged some furniture in the apartment and made our plans for Saturday, which included moving items in and out of storage, and dinner with Carol’s sister and husband, who live in Boulder. (289 miles)

(Monday, September 12)  The two days in Denver were busy, but Vanya and I got a lot done although she still has quite a bit to do to get settled in.

I was up early on Monday morning, packed the bike, said goodbye to Vanya, and was on the road heading out of Denver a little after 8. There was traffic, but it moved along, and soon I was on 6th St. headed west and shortly after that on I-70. It was a beautiful morning with clear sky and although it was only 55 degrees the sun was warm at the high altitude. I stopped in Idaho Springs (after only 35 miles) for breakfast at the Main Street Restaurant downtown, which is closed off for several blocks creating a mall. Carol and I tried to stop here last year in June, but there was a lot of vacation traffic and no place to park, so we ended up at a Starbuck’s a mile or two away. This fine morning in September there were few people about, everyone in the restaurant was very friendly, and the food and coffee were good.

Back on I-70 there was the usual Interstate traffic that moved along at or above the speed limit. As Interstates go, I-70 is quite scenic with curves through the mountains and of course the up and down over the passes, although the road surface is rough and patched in many places and the lanes are narrow. Through the Eisenhower tunnel and a long descent, I exited at Colorado 9 in Silverthorne. CO 9 connects to US 40 in Kremmling and it has become a preferred route for those going from Denver to Salt Lake City, so there was more traffic than one might expect for a two-lane road in the middle of nowhere. The road is in good shape with many places to pass and, although it is a high elevation, the slopes are gentle. Over Rabbit Ears Pass I descended into Steamboat, where Carol and I used to meet my sister and her family for skiing. Steamboat is a major vacation spot, summer and winter, and I passed on through town stopping at the tiny town of Hayden 20 miles later at a Sinclair for gas at the Hayden General Store, which appears to be the only business in town. When I went inside to use the washroom, the sign said that there wasn’t one available for customers, and to use the washrooms in the park a block away. However, when the owner inside saw I was a bike, she said that she made exceptions for motorcyclists, seniors, and pregnant women and I qualified for two of those. 

The day had started off at 55 degrees, and the temperature stayed between 55 and 65 until Silverthorne, and then it warmed up and stayed between 75 and 85 for the rest of the day, with an occasional 90. I stopped in Dinosaur for a late lunch at the Bedrock Depot and while I was eating outside, a bike  pulled up and parked next to me. Simon Knill is from Sussex, England, and was on a 400cc Royal Enfield Himalayan. He had shipped his bike to Toronto, and then ridden  across Canada to Vancouver Island and Tofino on the west coast, then down the west coast of the USA to San Francisco, and was headed to Chicago to visit his uncle. The Himalayan makes about 28 horsepower, and has a top speed of 75 or so, but the way his bike was loaded he said that he mostly cruises at 60-65

A sign on the Himalayan gas tank says “Simon Knill My Global Challenge” and he has a presence on Facebook. He got an espresso and ice cream and we compared road notes and he told me about his trip.

Back on the US 40 I continued to Vernal (where the pink dinosaur on the east side of town appears to have been recently painted) and then through Roosevelt and Duchesne. Along the way there was long section of one-lane road construction where the road was being chip sealed. The good news was that I got there when my lane was moving and I didn’t have to wait, but the bad news is that I was behind a tanker truck. The chips were down but not sealed, and that is like riding on marbles, and the truck was kicking up a large cloud of dust. Sometimes being out in the elements has its drawbacks.

Just before Daniel’s Pass (8000 feet) I passed the Currant Creek RV Park. There was a small motel there back in 1973 where a friend and I stayed on our cross-country motorcycle trip. About 8 miles from Heber City I rode by the Lodgepole campground where I’ve camped a couple of times, and then I was at the Swiss Alps Inn, my lodging for the night, right on Main St. AKA US 40. 




As you can see from the picture above the repair in Denver was successful - no black oil.




The motel is a basic single story park-in-front-of-the-room place, very clean, a large room, but a bit tired. The desk chair is wobbly, the mattress too soft, and the place is probably in need of refurbishing. Still, it worked fine for one night. 



Dinner was next door at the Dairy Keen, which seems to be a local institution, and very popular with the locals, including what seemed like several high school sports teams. I’d actually eaten there once before on a trip to visit my sister in Deer Valley near Park City. As you can see from the sign above, the labor shortage hasn’t abated.

(455 miles)

(Tuesday, September 13)  It was 55 degrees with a few sprinkles in the morning when I walked across the street to Chick’s Cafe (opened in 1954 - the same year the younger of my sisters was born) where I had bacon and eggs and a scone. The Utah scone is nothing like your English Scone; it is the size of a small plate and is a puffy, fried bread that is served with butter and honey - very similar to the sopaipillas served in some Mexican restaurants. Heber City is a charming little town, but all the businesses are on US 40 which, as I mentioned, has become a major route with many trucks passing through. Back at the motel I spent a half hour working a little on this blog post, then dressed for rain, which consisted of wearing my rain gloves and closing all the vents on the jacket and pants. The nice thing about a proper motorcycle riding suit is that you are always dressed for rain. When I first started riding and for many years thereafter riding attire was Levis and a leather jacket. When it rained you stopped, dug out your rain suit, rain gloves, and maybe rain booties from your duffle bag, and continued on your way. This took a good 10 minutes or so during which time you were being rained on and getting wet, assuming of course that you stopped to put on rain gear before you were soaked anyway.

I left the motel around 9:15 - I was in no rush because it would be a short day, I would gain an hour going into Pacific Time, and I was staying in Austin again and there is no reason to get there early. I rode south on US 189 along the river and by a couple of parks and a waterfall (nice road with curves), through Provo (home of Brigham Young University), and went south on I-15. The GPS wanted me to continue on I-15 to Nephi for 20 miles and take UT 132 southwest to Delta, thereby saving some time and a few miles, but I exited the Interstate after just a few miles at Santaquin and US 6 west. I once had a delicious fried chicken dinner at Leslie’s Family Tree Restaurant and that included my first Utah scone. The building has a reputation for being haunted, and several reality shows have done stories on it. However, a web search says that it is permanently closed, a victim of Covid. I rode through Goshen and Eureka and then 6 angled southwest through the Tintic Valley. The road was deserted, the rolling hills were green, and there were a few farms and ranches. I got gas in Delta and took a short break at the Delta city park. There had been light sprinkles off and on, and the weather had stayed around 55-60 degrees. I checked the Dark Sky app on my phone, and it seemed I was in for colder weather and rain before I got to Austin. That proved to be the case. It started raining about 20 miles from the Nevada border and continued off and on the next 90 miles to Ely. Over Connor’s Summit about 20 miles from Ely it was raining hard and 50 degrees, so I was quite cold when I stopped for gas. I did not bring a base layer or a cold weather mid-layer or my electric jacket liner (remember, it was 95 degrees in Ely 6 days ago). Fortunately, after a half hour at the Tap Root coffee shop on the west side of Ely (where I had an almond scone and coffee) I had warmed up and when I headed west again on US 50 there were patches of blue in the sky and it was almost 60 degrees.

The 150 miles to Austin were pleasant and uneventful. There were sprinkles and the temperature remained between 55-60 degrees, so I was comfortable enough and looking forward to dinner at Grandma’s in Austin. The pools of water alongside the road were evidence of heavy rain earlier in the day, as was the dirt and gravel washed down on the road over the pass leading into Austin. I checked in at the Cozy Mountain Motel where the process consisted of looking for my name on a hand-written list on the the office door, and then fishing out the key to my room from the open drop box. 

A slight change to bench in front of the Cozy Mountain office.

I added a little oil to the bike, then walked over to Grandma’s where a sign on the door informed me that they were closed for the day. I had carefully checked the restaurant hours and schedule before I left, but apparently something came up and Sarah couldn’t be there. Unfortunately, the food truck at Champ’s gas station was also closed, so I picked up a turkey sandwich and trail mix at Champ’s. (425 miles)

(Wednesday, September 14)  This morning I was up before the rooster across the road and after a few minutes of stretches I walked over to Champ’s for a cup of coffee, which I drank while I checked the weather on my route for the day. It looked like I would stay dry, but might be chilly for the first few hours. As I was packing the bike I talked with Matt, who had the room next to mine. He and a couple of friends arrived after I did yesterday in two jeeps that were caked with mud, and they were going out again today to play in the dirt. Nevada has many well-maintained dirt and gravel roads that lead to small settlements (or former settlements) and abandoned mines. It was 55 degrees under an overcast sky when I left at 7:30 and I was cautious for wildlife in the early morning, but saw nothing except one dead deer on the shoulder that was partially in the westbound lane. It had rained at some time overnight and the road wasn’t completely dried out, not that it made much difference because with the exception of one half mile curvy section near Austin US 50 is straight going to Fallon. The temperature hovered between 50 and 55, and gradually warmed to between 55 and 60 as I neared Fallon. Once over the last pass and into Fallon Valley the overcast sky gave way to a thick, smoky haze that would remain for the rest of the morning. 

The smoke smell was quite noticeable when I arrived at the Courtyard Cafe & Bakery at 9:15 and I quickly went inside and ordered eggs benedict, which were delicious and presented so well that I should have taken a picture. Nellie, the four-year-old at the table next to mine was with two women, and Nellie was very impressed with the fluorescent yellow panels on my jacket and especially my helmet, which is the same color. She had quite a lot say and eventually revealed that her favorite color was purple, but that she liked my colors as well. I was back on the road before 10 and followed the GPS to US 95 south, which leads to Las Vegas. I was afraid that there would be a lot of traffic on the road, because it is the major road north out of Vegas, but that was not the case, although there was a moderate amount of traffic heading north. The scenery was rather desolate, with scrub bushes and strange, round hills and after 40 miles I turned onto Alt 95 in Schurz which goes directly west to Yerington  where I got gas at a Sinclair station. My route led me through Yerington, which is a nice looking little town, and I went south on NV 208 for 40 miles to the California border and US 395. Along the way I was stopped for several minutes at a one lane road construction site, and I chatted with the road guard who said that he lived in Smith, and that the valley that I was now in was Smith Valley. 

At 395 I went south through the CA agricultural inspection station (I was waved through) and once by Topaz Lake I turned northwest on CA 89 over Monitor Pass (8374 feet). There was little traffic in either direction and once out of Smith Valley the air began to clear so that over the pass it was a lovely and sunny day. I went west on CA 4 (which I would follow all the way to Stockton) and the 31 miles to Bear Valley seemed more like 60 because the road is very narrow and twisty (several first gear corners) and demands complete attention. I was lucky and I had the road mostly to myself heading east and once over Ebbett’s Pass (8732 feet) and Pacific Grade Summit (8050 feet) I began the descent to Bear Valley. For about 25 of the miles the road was so narrow it didn’t have a centerline, and of course there was no shoulder. Extreme caution was required, but it was still a lot of fun. Back before kids, when Carol and were working at Western States Bankcard, we would ski at Bear Valley with a friend from work and his family. Leave Friday after work, ski Saturday and a half day Sunday, and then drive home and work on Monday. 

After Bear Valley CA 4 becomes and very nice mountain road with good pavement, shoulders, and a center line and there was little traffic until Big Trees State Park. I stopped in Arnold at the Bistro Espresso for a delicious barbeque grilled chicken salad (half of which I carried home for dinner) and coffee. 

There is always traffic on CA 4 after Arnold, but it was mostly moving along at or above the speed limit and there were a couple of places to pass. There is now a bypass around Angel’s Camp and soon I crossed CA 49 and followed the once again twisty and narrow road to Copperopolis, where CA 4 widened and became dull and straight with the exception of a section with many short hills. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere and the cars and few trucks moved along over the limit, so I just followed along. The day had become warm (I’d shed my mid-layer in Arnold, opened the vents in my jacket and pants, and switched to lighter gloves) and it was over 75 in Stockton, where I went south on I-5. I stopped for gas and after 15 miles of heavy traffic moving along at 75 mph I was on I-205 through Tracy, and then I-580 to Hayward, and then 238 to I-880 south to CA 92 and across the San Mateo Bridge to US 101 to SFO and I-380, I-280, Skyline (foggy and cool), and home at 5:40 where Carol and Walter greeted me enthusiastically.

If I had continued on US 50 from Fallon to Fernley and then I-80 home I could have saved at least an hour and a half and 60 miles, but where is the fun in that? Also, yesterday there was a fire near I-80 in Colfax that closed the Interstate and I didn’t know if it had been contained yet. I had checked the Cal Fire website in the morning, but at 6 AM it hadn’t been updated. (I-80 was open all day.) I was happy with my route - I got to ride through a couple of places I’d never been, revisit favorite places, and enjoy several hundred miles of mostly empty roads.

The bike ran great the entire trip, with the exception of the leaky rear drive, which was quickly resolved by my friends at BMW of Denver. It is happy going over gnarly mountain passes and blasting along at 80 mph on the Interstate, and is quite comfortable. The little wind deflector that attaches to the top of the windscreen reduced wind noise and buffeting, and my new Klim riding suit is very well designed, comfortable, kept me dry in the rain, and worked well in 50 degree weather and 100 degree weather. I’m not so sure about the helmet - I still think that it is tight around the ears and forehead, but I’ll give it at least one more long trip before I consider purchasing a different helmet. A good trip. (465 mile day, 2890 miles for the whole trip)