Alissa Posts: Journey on New Bikes

It's been a bit since we've been posting... and many things have changed... One of the changes includes finding a way to delineate which of us is posting, as Josh and I have very different ideas about how to say what we think is important. Look for the title to give you an idea of who is saying what, and understand that as a couple, we provide each other with input and ideas to include no matter what the other thinks! For example, Josh is WAY more mechanical and can speak to those topics better than I, though sometimes I have very definite ideas about machinery and I am forceful about asking for those ideas to be included.

Almost a month ago, Josh and I had twins. We'd been planning carefully for about a year, but nothing really prepares you for twins. We had a gift card from a friend for Harley Davidson and wandered into Chester's Harley of Reno looking for a helmet when we spotted them. We sat on them and petted them and loved on them and Kevin came over and told us all about them!  Then we wandered over for helmets since that was really what we thought we'd wandered in for. But we kept thinking about those cute little twins! We left empty handed except for Kevin's card but I couldn't stand it! When we got home, we called Kevin and let him know we were thinking about adopting.

Alissa and Josh at Chester's Reno Harley Davidson

Less than a week later, we were the proud owners of twin Electra Glide Limited Harley Davidson Motorcycles. They are beautiful and we couldn't be happier! Many factors went in to planning the twins, including cost, accessories, availability, maintenance... and I must tell you it was hard to think of any of those things when we were sitting in the saddle. It's a very good thing we thought about those things first!

We had a very big ride ahead of us (1500 miles)... our next big decision was whether to ride the 1000 miles and have the first maintenance done before the trip or go easy and do the first maintenance after the trip. We decided to RIDE RIDE RIDE (duh!). What a joy!

Taking a Rest at Yerington Rest Area on Alternate HWY 95

Stopping for Lunch at Nu Yalk Pizza on South Virginia in Reno

At 1100 miles, they were named (Freddy as in Mercury as in quicksilver and Lady Illyria as in pirate ship as in Queen Teuta encouraging her peeps to attack Rome before it got too big for its britches), serviced and ready for their first big trip. 

Today we rode aver 350 miles to Beatty, NV and the heart of  Death Valley. We left the house at 9:30ish and after a few quick stops were on the road in earnest at 10:20am. We took Interstate 80E to HWY 95S and stopped for fuel and a snack in Hawthorn at about 12:45pm. (We brought salami, goat cheese and a baguette). We purchased hot drinks because it was VERY chilly and super breezy. If you'd been in the greater Reno area Saturday, you'd know there were blustery winds and snow in the hills. 

It was chilly and still blustery but we have heated grips, fairings, lower fairings and we dressed well. Still, using the cruise control and stretching my arms up and out made me realize what a bubble those bikes create around the rider. We made it to the hotel by 4:30pm... after one stop for lunch... rider fatigue was supremely diminished. 

These motorcycles are going to spoil us in a wonderful way! 

About 20 miles north of Schurz on HWY 95S

Perspectives

Remember that Stephen King story about the guy who buries that other guy in his Cadillac by digging a huge pit in the highway? Pretty sure we were on that road yesterday. From Garrison to Milford, UT there was no sign of civilization. There were three mountain passes, sky, sage, sandstone, malpais and an abandoned mining town. 75 miles. Totally beautiful!

You start to wonder when you do see a sign of people- like an abandoned structure or a tire on a fence post- why is THAT the spot??

On our way to Sacramento Pass there is a windfarm. It's crazy to see, like 40 windmills juxtaposed against mountains. You may remember our photo of the windmill tower outside Lamar, CO that stopped highway while it entered from the on ramp. Amazing something THAT large can be THAT small next to a couple of mountains I don't even know the name of!

On Sacramento Pass we took a few pictures of Wheeler Peak. Too bad the camera flattens everything. So beautiful and so immense!

And now we are doing laundry in Beaver, UT. Jaxx had it right- there IS a part of me that is still a 14 year old boy that just cannot not giggle.

There are pictures, but I am on my iPad while Josh uses his computer. Stay tuned! Next we are off to Kaibab National Forest to meet up with our very good friends, Jaxx and Mark!

Farewell Friend

Let us rejoice. Yesterday at 1:27 PM, Paco Loco Llama decided to embark on his own adventure. I can only assume it was after riding through Springs Creek on highway 722 between Middlegate Station and Austin, Nevada. This is a beautiful section of farmland and we had to break for baby cows, sheep and a large male antelope in the middle of the road who stared us down almost long enough to get the camera out. As we rode along between Austin and Eureka, the winds picked up and Paco made a break for it. Who knows? Maybe he didn't like his new companion- Voodoo Groom- maybe he's a loner and prefers the solitude. I like to think he is making his way back to greener pastures where the deer and the antelope play. Regardless, he will be missed. He's been my riding companion for as long as I've had Floyd (my motorcycle).

We pulled into camp- the Ely KOA- at about 5pm. This is one of Kewpie's favorite spots. LOTS of chipmunks to hunt. Foolishly, we told her to stick around as we let her out of her house. RIGHT! Completely ineffective and we watched her chase those little guys for a few minutes before setting up camp and taking her on a real hunt.

This morning, Kewpie waited patiently while her humans woke up. She's pretty cute in a fluff of sleeping bags but you can tell she is impatient.

The wait was worth it, though! That is what a happy, hunting Kewpie looks like... 

Stay tuned... we are headed to Beaver, UT today: a completely new spot for us!

Geronimo!

Thank you Jackie Snyder for the perfect sentiment for 2013! Geronimo indeed! Josh and I got married a week ago today and it was a spectacular event! Truly! We had so much fun watching everyone we know and love get to meet each other. Our friends and family seemed to be having a great time meeting each other and connecting the dots to the stories we tell.

We could probably go on and on... It's a many layer event and processing it will likely take a long time.

BUT we are alerting you because we are taking our show on the road again! We are headed to Kaibab National Forest- DeMott Campground to meet up with the Snyder Family for 4th of July and our Honeymoon! Stay tuned because we are stopping at Ely NV KOA- one of our favorite spots; Beaver UT KOA- a completely new spot for us; then DeMott. DeMott is a mere 7 miles from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon! Neither Josh nor I have been to the North Rim. There ought to be some great photos coming your way.

Geronimo indeed!

Christmas in San Francisco

At 11am on December 24, The Gosh and I departed for San Fransisco. We had our new Hippo Hands on the handlebars and I just got new mittens. Cost of Hippo Hands- about $75. Cost of Dakine Mittens- about $65. Oh, and we were each armed with hotties- about $2 per pair. If it keeps our hands warm over Donner Summit, I say it's the best money ever spent! And... the verdict... SUCCESS!

We took a picture to post to Dan's blog- he's the owner of Hippo Hands- at the Donner Summit rest area. Temperature- about 25*. From there we descended into Auburn and shed a few layers. By shed, I mean our neck gators and heavy mittens. A stop for bike fuel and human fuel- mmmm- Jimboy Taocs!

We made a final push and pulled into the Travelodge on Lombard St. at about 4pm. Oddly enough, as I hit send texting Winn to let him know we'd arrived, he pulled in on the BMW. Uncanny, his ability to discern from our Donner Summit post when we'd arrive. We had a Buckbean Black Noddy (local brew from Reno), a shot of Cake and headed out to walk the Kew and decide on dinner. We saw Bobos next door... steak and crab... we are IN! Delish! Back to the room for a nightcap and swapping our cool iPad apps... what geeks!

Christmas I am up early. After unsuccessfully trying to post Talking Carl singing to all my friends, I head out with the Kew up Lombard St. And I mean UP! But we are rewarded with that crazy block of bricked switchbacks and a grip of foreign tourists. How odd it must be to live in a house on that block...

From there, we head to the Wharf and Ghiardelli Square in search of a good cup of coffee. I could go on and on about how deplorable it is that hotels do not usually have good coffee unless it is a REALLY expensive hotel... I mean really... how hard is a decent cup of coffee to produce? We do it every morning... But I digress... We will be successful if we wait around about half an hour. We wander the beach a bit...

Ghiardelli does not disappoint. I walk in and get a piece of peppermint bark, order a latte and get a chocolate croissant (which comes with a free cup of coffee- how will I carry all this home? I shove the croissant in my sweatshirt pocket, hook the Kew to my belt and away we go. Not too bad...)

The rest of the pack is sitting on the patio contemplating their navels. We opt for the egg special next door and it does not disappoint. Winn is correct so far- there is no bad food in SF. The potatoes are delicious and the chef comes out to yell, good-naturedly, at Gosh when he asks for ketchup.

And so we get geared up to ride. First, we head up Lombard St. ... Along with several million other tourists... Man! Starting and stopping on that hill is ABSURD! I roll back before I go forward and make Gosh nervous. Ha! I wasn't nervous... He says I rolled 4' backwards but I say it was more like 1-2'. Mind you, he was so concerned about me that he didn't mention anything about struggling his own bad self...

Lots more tourists now than earlier and now they are in cars, too. And everyone is taking pictures. We pretty much walked the bikes down the hill... it was pretty cool. And again, I wonder if I would like to be living in one of those homes...

Right, back to the ride... We take off to the beach and ride along all the piers, then off to Half Moon Bay. The ride along Skyline is really fun! Redwoods, the smell of eucalyptus, and twisty-turnys make me happy! We stop at Alice's Restaurant (closed), chat with a scooter gang a minute, and listen as Winn points out all the good rides in about 5 different directions. From there we head up the coast on Route 1. A beautiful ride!

Winn decides to take a break and we take Kew for a walk through Fort Mason and down to the Wharf. It is sunset and beautiful!

Winn promises the best Chinese food at The House of Nanking. We arrive to a very long line and Gosh runs over to the convenient store for a few beers to keep us busy and we make friends with the folks in front of us. They are all riders and we swap stories and laughter as we wait to be seated.

I have no idea what we order- I leave it to the boys. When it comes out, there are scallops, beef, chicken and sweet potatoes. We are not disappointed... this food is fabulous!

Our final morning, the Gosh, the Kew, Winn and I head back up Lombard St. and back to the Wharf. We pass the Buena Vista but can't take Kewpie in so we wander to Ghiardelli Square and Lori's Diner allows us to bring Kewpie in as a "comfort animal". More delicious food and we check out, head to the Buena Vista for an Irish coffee (OMG! This is a MUST!) and part company for our ride home.

Not a bad way to spend Christmas...

Home Again- But the Pictures are from 4 Days Ago

This is Fancy Pig... she was a gift from Kamryn. She is surveying the campsite in Estes Park.

Gosh and SheNayNay surveying the campsite, as well.

The view from our campsite was beautiful!

Our morning walk revealed some really pretty flowers!

Not as easy to capture with a pocket digital camera, but we tried.

Anyone looking for property in CO? Beautiful view...

THIS was supposed to be the better picture of me... o well. The start of the ride through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Gosh contemplating his boyhood journeys through the park.

SheNayNay contemplating the wind gusts on the way to the peak. She definitely needs a pedicure... Here she still has toes on each foot but by the end of the journey, she only has 3 toes on one foot! 

The peak! What a view!

Kewpie wants so badly to run through the snow! Can't get her this excited about snow in the winter, I tell you!

More view from the peak.

And more...

Yep- it's deep snow!

Still more from the peak. Crazy how much it changes as you look around...

More views... Also, did I mention that it's really quite chilly?

Good thing we brought our chaps... 

So there were these people and cars are flocked around on the side of the road. There are signs expressly prohibiting stopping anywhere that is not really a stop, so we figured there must be something good. Look! The Elk Boys gathered for breakfast!

Gosh thought about joining them, but he'd already had his breakfast, so he just gave them all the thumbs up!

Aren't they something?

This is actually a picture of the Washington DC license plate we were stuck behind at a road construction site. It says, "Taxation Without Representation" at the bottom and in the corners it says to "see front window for sticker". Gosh thinks it's not real. I told him to ask the guy, but we didn't. We DID end up seeing him again on our way through the salt flats in UT! Is it possible he's making a statement? We SO should have asked him...

Just chillin at the road construction...

Yep- chillin...

Well, it's been a journey! I'll take more time to share but I thought that after the past few days of having limited access to the internet, I'd just post some pictures for now...