Today was the final day of the trip, and I am exhausted! It was also the shortest day (distance-wise). Probably a toss up for hardest day (between yesterday through Nevada and today).
Actually, I think yesterday’s trip was harder. There was a very good spot on today.
Miles traveled today: 288.4 miles
Total miles traveled: 2,480.3 miles
The day started rather late (7:30 pacific time), but I needed the extra sleep (since I had stayed up “late” to watch Game of Thrones at the hotel. Priorities, people). The drive from Fallon, NV to Carson City was….uneventful for the most part. US-50 runs along the Lahanotan Reservoir (not to be confused with Lake Lahanotan, mentioned yesterday), which was very pretty drive along the sunrise with.
One notable thing near Carson City: there was a sign warning motorists that the area was a horse crossing on US-50. About 50 feet behind that sign, about 3 horses were standing in the middle of the road (well, very slowly making their way across it). I wonder how they got the horses to cross between the signs? Maybe they ARE smarter than some people 😉
After a gas-up and left turn onto US-395/NV/CA-88, I came to the Nevada-California border.
Across the street was a rather nice picture I couldn’t miss taking.
From there, it was a climb into the Sierra Nevada mountains.
As with the Rockies, using words to describe this part of the trip aren’t sufficient. Like the Rockies and Adirondacks, there was as close to a religious experience as I’ve had. A chance to just stand, look around, and ask “How does this exist?”
Pictures will have to do the talking.
Also, yes, I am looking particularly scruffy in this picture. I didn’t bring shaving implements for the ride 😉
CA-88 took me through Carson Pass (elevation 8,652′), which afforded a beautiful overlook.
The uphill (eastern) climb was significantly steeper compared to the downhill (western) slope. Aside from one stop just after Carson Pass (construction – turned CA-88 into a 1-lane road for a few miles, meaning we got to sit and wait for our turn for about 20 minutes…good thing there was shade and it was relatively cool!), the drive down was pleasant, even if it was getting noticeably warmer.
I stopped for gas/bathroom break as I descended at a charming little station (the location of which I forget, aside from the fact it was on CA-88 on the western side of the mountains). After chatting with some local motorcyclists (who were having problems getting the gas cap to pop up on a brand new Harley) about the trip, I went inside the little store. There, I was greeted by the 19-ish-year old feral cat resident (according to the attendant).
In the bathroom, I was greeted with a clever hand soap dispenser.
Descending into the California Valley was…alarming. The temperature, which had been acceptable but getting warmer, all of a sudden became very, very hot. Hair Dryer in an Oven, I think my cousin Gina called Nevada. Nevada was nothing compared to this. The heat, combined with little vegetation for much of the drive, and signs indicating that trucks should slow down to to gusty winds ahead made the drive more than a little nerve wracking. I made sure to stop often to soak my shirt with water as I did in Utah/Nevada, to do my best to keep cool.
To further complicate matters, it is about this time I noticed a small wobble in Donna at slow speeds. I thought, at the time, that it was due to improper weight distribution (the back was loaded much more than the front). At high speeds, the issue cleared up, so I didn’t think it was a huge issue at the time, as long as I was very careful.
I made my way through the Valley (via Stockton), stopping often to fill up the camelpak with water, and to give Donna and myself a rest. The GPS decided to take me through the Mount Diablo region, which, while pretty and likely fun to drive unburdened, had quite a bit of traffic (both fast and slow), and was extremely hot. The road felt like it went on forever, and not in a good way. It might have been the heat. It might have been the fact I had been going for 8 days. It might be that the goal was in sight.
Finally, Mount Diablo opened up to the Walnut Creek area – a chance to take a break and cool down. A quick check of the GPS while I sipped a nice, refreshing Iced Tea provided me with two options:
1. I could travel the backroads through the area, which would likely take me 1-1.5 hours of driving.
2. I could hop on CA-24 (a freeway), and be there in approximately a half hour.
To me, the choice was clear. After reading up on the California Freeway requirements, I determined that I was safe enough legally-wise to drive on it (as Donna is a 150cc, the minimum for driving on a California Freeway), I followed the signs for CA-24.
The experience was not as terrifying as I thought it would be (or as scary as driving on IN-37 in Bloomington before construction), and was mostly pleasant. Yes, I rode in the slow lane, cruising around 55/60 downhill. The weather was still overwhelmingly hot though, and I wondered when it would cool down as I entered the Caldecott Tunnels. The tunnel basically went straight down, under the mountain, and emerged in a MUCH cooler Oakland.
I’m talking about 95*+ to 70*ish. It felt wonderful.
From there, it was about a 10 minute drive off the highway and through neighborhoods to reach what will be my new home (will be, because it will take time to feel like home): Oakland.
(though I can see the Emeryville City Line sign from my window, so Oakville? Emeryland?)
And that’s it. 2,480.3 miles. 8 days. Lots of adventure, and sights I was likely to never see.
Bryan and Donna’s trip across America.
There was one casualty I immediately noticed, after unpacking, though:
I will be posting a reflection blog in the coming days, as I look back, re-read, and have Donna serviced at the San Francisco Scooter Centre. Look for it soon!
Want to Help? That would be super-cool!
Than trip should take an estimated 10 days maximum, and roughly 3,000 miles. That will take a bit of a toll on the ol’ wallet, so I am happy to take any donations my generous friends would like to offer. For reference:
$3 will get me approximately 70 miles closer to my goal.
$15 will feed me for the day
$35 will get me one night at a Tent Campsite at a KOA Campsite
$40 will buy me one tire when I get to my destination (as the rear tire will likely be spent by then!)
$75 will get me one night at a hotel (and more importantly, a shower!)
If you would like to donate, feel free to leave a comment (they are private until I approve them, or you can email me at bryrhoey at gmail) and I can set that up, or you can send me money via PayPal! 🙂
If you live along the route, and don’t mind me camping/crashing/eating with you, I’d appreciate that too!