The I'm Not Sure What to Name It Ride

[Tyler]

I’m in a quandary of what to call this ride… how about the Darth Helmut ride?

Tour of the Sierras Rest Rooms Ride?

Dueling Photographers Ride (cue banjo music)?

Pretty in Pink Ride?

Illegal Parking – How to do it with style – Ride?

The Blinkeritis Ride??

Or maybe the OM Squared Ride??

Hmmmm… I think I need to go think about this a bit… more tomorrow.

 

[Old Michael]

I was fortunate enough to have Tyler partner with me

for a ride up to Yuba Pass and back.

We had a fantastic day- riding, taking pictures, trading remarks,

and just enjoying the hell out of a great route into the mountains.

Well, here are a few photographs of our little adventure.

Early morning, arriving at the meet point in El Dorado Hills.

And the Tylerator roars in - Holeshots howling!

Up a part of Salmon Falls Road.

Hey kid, you're crowdin' me.

Tyler carving.

I've seldom encountered a smoother rider.

I taught her everything she knows.

Really.

Tip: She smiles right before she takes a swing at you.

Hey, get away from my sign. You said I could be king of the hill.

I'm tellin' mom.

This taken just before a car ran over my head.

You had to be there.

Tyler. Tyler, put down the stick. I was just kidding.

And the next day, this gal went farther north and put up with Dr. Rich and that crowd.

Quite a weekend.

Thank you Tyler.

 

[Dr. Rich]

I can't wait until Friday to post this up and ask folks to add a caption.... Only three more days and you're history Old Man!

 

[FJRAL]

I can't wait until Friday to post this up and ask folks to add a caption.... Only three more days and you're history Old Man!

I lived in San Jose, CA from '71 to '07. Now live in NC. Your pictures were great! NC is different, and the main thing I miss about CA is the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Sierra, the Monterey to Big Sur region, and the regions North of the Golden Gate.

Riding in NC is much more sedate than the riding I enjoyed every weekend in CA. However, Eastern NC is really very nice in a FLAT kind of way and his really green and pretty and water abounds. Admittedly the roads are pretty darn nice with the lower speed limits, constantly watching out for revenue HUNGRY LEO's! They are MUCH more common to see than the veneralbe CHIP's! And they are not nearly as professional. Not to mention my driving and riding style, RAPID, in CA was going to get me in trouble sooner or later.

Summer is coming soon, hot and muggy here, and it'll be hot and muggy there. I lived about 5 minutes from the Santa Cruz Mountains, too hot in San Jose for riding, you'd be in nicer weather pretty quick most of the time on the costal side of the mountain range.

FWIW

 

[dcarver]

Nice report you two -

Ride name 'PeeWee's Big Yellow Ride?'

 

[Tyler]

Ok... here we go... the REAL story. B)

I had been wanting to ride 49 between Sacto and Sattley to refresh my memory of the area for one of my NorthStar tours and snap a few pics. I thought it would be fun to invite a kindred spirit along for company – someone who had the photo bug and wouldn’t mind stopping a few bazillion times for a photo… I was thinking something in yellow… hmmmm, who could that be??

So with great anticipation, I packed up the new-to-me FZ1, and headed out to the garage… this guy was waiting for me, all eager to take the FZ out… I said, no way, little man… this is MY baby!

He was whining it was too cold anyway so I tucked him away in the tail bag so he could stay warm… wuss.

I hit the road at 6:20 a.m. (first thing that’s gotta get installed is the connector for my heated gear… man, it was COLD!!) to meet up with said spirit in El Dorado Hills. I did manage to get my cold fingers to snap a photo of the sunrise. Early mornings are one of my favorite times to ride… the world is quiet and a new day about to dawn with so many possibilities in store.

I arrived in El Dorado Hills to a smiling face and coffee to warm my hands. Once properly thawed, we headed out to Salmon Falls Rd. A friend of mine had one of these keychains and I thought it was a needed accoutrement for OM’s bike… just to remind him, ya know.

It was a beautiful morning and I looked forward to the ride with great anticipation.

The hills were green and the sky was blue and the sun was shining… OM is a wonderful traveling companion… good conversation, smooth riding, and witty repartee (although he does spin quite the yarn at times with a glint in his eye!).

Pit stop number one for OM

Damn bikers can’t read worth a damn…

While waiting, I snapped a pic of the river view at the bottom of 49 just before you head up into Auburn

We wiggled our way through the traffic and finally hit 49 with its twists and turns and beautiful scenery. Pit stop number two… guess they knew we were coming and saved us some parking space.

Views of the Yuba River

The rocks in this section of the river were HUGE! Hard to get an idea of the scale of them in the photo… bet this is a great summer swimming hole spot!

Wildflowers blooming everywhere… can you see the butterfly?

Squid in training… when we were gearing up and pulling out of the parking lot, this little guy just stared in wonder at the “big” kids’ bikes… I waved at him and his face lit up and I thought he might just run over and jump right on with me!

As we continued along 49, we came across a slew of classic cars that were out for a jaunt, taking a break

Obviously a feminine touch with the fresh flowers

Attention to detail

 

[Tyler]

Higher up it got pretty rustic… lots of abandoned houses… hmmmm, wonder how much fixer-upping this one would need?

We continued climbing up 49 and pretty much had the road to ourselves. We came across ominous looking clouds here and there and OM, worry wart that he is, kept wondering if we were gonna get rained on. I told him to not worry… it wasn’t going to rain because I said so, dammit!

We arrived in Downieville and they had put out the welcome mat just for us.

I laid in wait to capture the elusive OM… got him!

I love these little towns in the middle of nowhere… quaint, rustic, and always interesting things to see. One wonders what it must be like to live so far away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Both OM and I wondered what kind of gifts you would find in a store with a name like this.

Bridge dedication to Juanita… one wonders what she had endured the night before to cause her to stab a man through the heart.

Reflection

It was such a lovely day, we decided to forego the restaurant scene and instead get sammiches and sit outside by the river.

While we waited for our food, we soaked in the locals as they played a board game and bantered about their day… again, fascinating to experience the small town.

Our view for lunch – good conversation, stories of kids and grandkids, past lives, and the joys of motorcycling.

 

[Tyler]

Sated, we sallied forth, OM taking the lead and continuing up 49 toward Sattley… crossing Juanita’s bridge.

Sweeper fun!

As we climbed in elevation, we started to see the first hints of snow on the mountains

We stopped in Sierra City to take in the town… this is a natural stream that continues under the road and out the other side. The daffodils were in full bloom here.

The town church prompted OM to break out into show tunes ala the “Sound of Music”… I was impressed at this and expected him to break out into dance… but I was disappointed in that expectation.

Onward and upward we went, stopping to view this man made waterfall off the beaten path.

The views of the Sierras with the snow was just breathtaking

As the snow got thicker on the way up, so did the amount of sand on the road… oh goodie, my favorite… NOT! A couple of rear wheel slippie slides but slow and steady won the race.

We stopped at the SnoPark at the top of Yuba Pass to watch another form of thrills and chills on the snow. These kids were wailing on those things!

Damn… they’ll let anyone drive these things!

Again??

Having had enough of sand for one day, we decided to head back down to the flatlands. I was all ready to go but had to wait for OM to primp and get his gear on… he’s worse than a girl.

As lovely coming down as it was going up

Not the best lighting but I liked the sense of movement

Did I mention the views were spectacular?

Mother Nature’s fortitude – anyone know what type of plant this is?

Dueling photographers on the fly

I loved the look of the stark trees along this section of the road – it was so peaceful and quiet.

 

[Tyler]

We stopped for gas and hydration when someone managed to escape from his hiding place and started molesting OM’s bike… he wanted to take it out for a spin and pop some wheelies but I nixed that in the bud.

Sun starting to set and lighting up the clouds

Shadows are getting long... day is done

We retraced our steps back to El Dorado Hills via Salmon Falls watching the sun set as we rode… we didn’t stop as it was getting dark and obligations were calling us back so this is the best I could get on the fly

We said our goodbyes before hopping onto 50 to our respective end destinations for the evening. I stayed with my good friends, Gary and Donna, in Sacramento and was treated to a fabulous meal, good vino, and great conversation (you missed out, OM… Gary was quite taken with the little guy… imagine how he would have been with the real thing!).

It was a fitting end to a fabulous day… bonding with the FZ1 (TOTALLY thrilled with it!), wonderful companionship, beautiful roads, sights, and sounds, good friends… I just don’t think it gets any better. Thanks again, OM, for keeping me company and sharing the journey. Look forward to wreaking havoc again sometime soon!

FIN

 

[Dr. Rich]

Tyler.... You have a gift for capturing the moment and nature.... The only thing that is a distraction is the yellow helmet... Everything else is perfect! Rich

 

[Niehart]

Loved the story & pictures.

"Remove before flight" made me LOL. Some times I forget we lucky to still have the guy in the yellow helmet ...

I stayed in Downieville a few years ago and worked those roads for 3 days. Awesome, thanks for taking me back again.

 

[beemerdons]

Tyler & Old Michael: There've been many outstanding Ride Reports from you two and this one is indeed the best yet! Thanks

 

[rogdeb]

You guys make quite the excellent picture taking team :clapping:

 

[wheatonFJR]

Thanks for posting! :clapping:

 

[Gramps]

Great report & pics you two...loved it.

 

[Tyler]

Loved the story & pictures.
"Remove before flight" made me LOL. Some times I forget we lucky to still have the guy in the yellow helmet ...

I stayed in Downieville a few years ago and worked those roads for 3 days. Awesome, thanks for taking me back again.

Glad to oblige... and yes, given hearing about the incident first hand this weekend, he is quite lucky to still be around to harass those he cares about... I thought the keychain would be a good reminder to stay strictly to the pavement on future rides.

 

[SacramentoMike]

I’m in a quandary of what to call this ride…

I was thinking "Sierra Potty Tour" for quite a while. Luckily, you shifted your emphasis after a while. But nice report and piccies.

 

[CAJW]

I can't wait until Friday to post this up and ask folks to add a caption.... Only three more days and you're history Old Man!

Close enough to Friday for me...... Looks like take two for a Flomax ad....

 

[FJRBluesman]

Tyler and Michael - You two had an awesome trip! You're quite the team of FJR Yamaha's.

Looked like a BLAST! I'm wondering though, how much riding you really got in. You two stopped so many times for pix and potty stops (OM), I'm not sure you spent more then a few hours on the twisties.

Cool stuff thanks for sharing.