Northern CA Adventuring - Pixs Posted

[Niehart]

+1

 

[TomInPA]

Great trip and enjoyed the pictures. I too missed that you were heading out.

Would you mind saying how much the bike rental was? That is a fantastic trip and brought back many memories.

 

[Top_Speed1]

I have finally got a few pictures posted from the trip and have a few captions, a few more may trickle in once the snow piles up. There are some pictures that I'm sorry we couldn't get like the Sonora Pass (108) where Pillion preferred to hang on for dear life instead of taking pictures and the beautiful Feather River Highway (70) where we were straight into the sun. I will be adding another gallery or two for Bodie and other specific locations.
The pictures.

Link to the routes.

Thanks for the ride along Alan!

Man, you had some money shots for sure, this one included of course. Sweet!

 

[Bugnatr]

Good stuff Alan, you did a great job of capturing the diversity of Northern California.

Rode by the place we had a late lunch in Graeagle last Sunday but it was closed for the season-bummer that was good food.

 

[ionbeam]

Great trip and enjoyed the pictures. I too missed that you were heading out.
Would you mind saying how much the bike rental was? That is a fantastic trip and brought back many memories.

How much the rental was... hmm, there isn't one easy answer. For a K1600 like I rented, in season, for more than 14 days it was a very spendy $140/day with unlimited miles. Because of the length of time we were renting the bike they asked for a substantial deposit up front. They do ask you for an estimated mileage so they can send you off with tires that will finish the trip. There are a lot of other things that you can add on with the big one being the various insurance options. They can totally outfit a person from helmet to gear plus GPS and other add-ons if needed. We always bring our own helmets and gear on the plane. If you need maps, routes and suggestions they have you covered.

California Motorcycle Adventures offers a number of perks such as free pickup and drop off service. Due to the fuxed-up plane schedule we had to pay a shuttle at 3:00 am and it cost $140 so you would avoid as much as $280 with the door to door service. We call CMA when the plane lands and they are there within minutes of getting our luggage. Since we came for a wedding we had way more stuff than we needed for a bike trip so it is really helpful that they offer free, secure storage for suitcases and 'stuff'.

In season a Honda ST will run $120/day and a Goldwing will run a bargain $125/day. A Harley will run, uhh, hmm, I never actually looked

California Motorcycle Adventures motorcycles are always in top running condition unlike a rental FJR I rode in Phoenix a few years ago. CMA let me install my own GPS and add on power for Pillions heated vest. CMA supplied a ram ball mount and fused power to my GPS harness gratis as well as a number of other small things. In terms of customer service they are tops and come highly recommended. As previously mentioned, ask for Ilene and she will take care of everything.

BTW, they were mentioning that they may be adding a FJR to their stable next year.

 

[TomInPA]

Thanks. Good information to know. It's expensive, but it's not a cheap bike to own either. When you consider what it costs to make that bike available and keep the lights on, and cover liability, it's not so much.

 

[ionbeam]

Thanks. Good information to know. It's expensive, but it's not a cheap bike to own either. When you consider what it costs to make that bike available and keep the lights on, and cover liability, it's not so much.

We did a walk-around to note on rental contract paperwork where the dings and scratches were, there was no place unmarked, every single area of the bike, bags and trunk had some type of finish problem from 0 mph drop damage. I commented to Ilene that the paint on the bike was in surprisingly rough condition and she replied that at the end of the riding season all the bikes always have substantial damage. After looking at the body, take the time and look at the tires 360º to ensure that there are no objects embedded in the rubber.

As soon as the bike came in, the mechanic responsible for my BMW came over and debriefed me on any operational conditions and then took it to the shop to service it.

If you are ever thinking of buying a different model bike, this is a great way to get an extended test drive that a dealer couldn't give you.

 

[David Foley]

Beautiful pictures!

Growing up in CA -startling to see pictures like this:

Cali - ride it! Before it's gone.

 

[ionbeam]

Part 1

I've had a chance up upload some links from the photo album, these are small, low res pixs:

Pillion's sister and her driver Bobbie that led us to Alice's Restaurant, Golden Gate Bridge and Bodega Bay before they had to turn around and go back to work. POTATO POTATO POTATO for hours and hours. How stereotype

One of the many eucalyptus groves, you can smell them before they come into sight.

Another of the many faces of Coastal Rt 1.

Fort Bragg at sunset.

The first foray into Redwoods.

Very low Clear Lake, the water should be up to the dock houses.

Note the K1600 in the lower right corner for scale.

Crater Lake.

We saw many areas and miles and miles of this. In some places it includes houses and vehicles.

Mt Shasta and Shastina.

We saw low to dry lakes everywhere.

Lassen Peak volcano.

 

[ionbeam]

Part 2

Tahoe

On the way to the ghost mining town of Bodie. Sierras in the background. Mono lake is just out of sight in the upper left corner.

Bad, bad Bodie dirt road.

One of the Bodie buildings.

All the colorful mounds are mine tailings.

We saw this impromptu flower vase at a gas station stop.

Sonora Pass

Sonoma and Napa vineyards.

Back to reality.

At the Golden Gate Bridge we saw this bagless, high speed lane splitting guy --

 

[puppychow]

Great pictures Mr. Beam. Sorry I missed you while you were here. Since my riding has been limited, great to see your pictures of familiar treading grounds!

 

[BigOgre]

She ain't too shabby with that camera is she?

 

[beemerdons]

A Great Ride Report with Excellent Photographs Alan and Helen, Thank You! JSNS!

 

[ionbeam]

I have had some PMs about the pictures. The moving bike pictures were taken by Helen using a Canon G16. All other pictures were taken using my Canon D60. The moving pictures have been straightened, sometimes cropped and have minor exposure tweaks. It helps to have >3,000 pictures to choose from

I'll probably add an entire gallery for the pictures from Bodie and a few other places. There are some special pictures that I'm reserving for a slow Friday. I'm sure there is something we can do with pictures like this:

 

[rogdeb]

Great shots Mr Beam

. If photo's are anything to go by, you had an amazing trip. I'm sure they're just a small selection of all you took.

Who's the weirdo on the KTM ? lol

 

[Rider]

If I knew you were coming to town, I would have gone out of my way to meet you at Alices, just to shake your hand.

I like the ride from there to San Gregorio beach, and on up to HMB. Haven't done that in many years...

 

[ionbeam]

If I knew you were coming to town, I would have gone out of my way to meet you at Alices, just to shake your hand.
I like the ride from there to San Gregorio beach, and on up to HMB. Haven't done that in many years...

I like to meet people when I travel, a (greasy) hand shake over some most excellent Alice's food would have been great. So many tremendous roads, so little time

Right now pillion's family is on an every other year marriage roll so we may be back again in '16. She is already leaning on the singles that remain to get hitched. It's not a pretty way to get invited to San Francisco

 

[Cav47]

Those pics are great. Just sayin

 

[wnyfjr]

The road into Bodie looks exactly the same as it was about 15 years ago when I drove a (rental) car out there! I really liked that place. They keep it in a state of 'arrested decay'. I spent about 5 years in the San Jose area and I wish I had the bike back then. Your most excellent photo essay makes me want to go back, this time on two wheels!

 

[ionbeam]

The road into Bodie looks exactly the same as it was about 15 years ago when I drove a (rental) car out there! I really liked that place. They keep it in a state of 'arrested decay'....

Text that accompanies the Bodie photos on the linked SmugMug gallery:

1850s gold mining town that was abandoned and now is in a state of what is termed “arrested decay,” which means the buildings are protected but not restored. According to legend, anyone who removes anything-large or small-from the town is cursed with a string of bad luck. Misfortune and tragedy are heaped upon the victim until the stolen item is returned.

A Bodie Park person mentioned to us that it is amazing the hundreds of items that continually get returned, either in person or by shipping.