415 Days Later

May 20, 2007


April 1, 2006

The Last 2000 Miles

I hope that you will bear with me for a few more days while I digest my recent return. For now here is a brief synopsis of the last 2000 miles of my trip. After riding from L.A. to Reno in a day (with a brief intermission at Stanford - a not insignificant 180 mile detour) I met up with Ellis at the Reno Econolodge. After an "unsettling" tuna melt at the Golden Nugget casino we woke to "fule up" with a pancake breakfast for the ride to Salt Lake City. Before getting to SLC we enjoyed the vastness of the salt flats, and I payed the price in oil consumption. I have learned that anything over 100 mph increases my consumption exponentially. After leaving SLC we rode through Utah and Colorado, ending in Aspen with a short blast up one of my favorite roads. On Sunday we met up with my dad to finish the last 100 miles. After 13 months, it's a little odd to not be riding today, but I don't mind a little break. I'm sure I'll find a way to ride this weekend.

Oil

The bike is now drinking 1 qt of oil for 200 miles of riding. It's definetly time to go home. Great riding through Nevada though.

14 Volts

After waiting almost 2 weeks, my bike is finally charging its own battery again. The Monday after Coachella, the voltage at my battery was an inconsistent 11.5-12.7 volts. This was not good. Today I was happy to see a consistent reading of 14 volts. These 14 volts come courtesy of a new stator and voltage regulator.

After returning to San Diego from San Fransisco on Monday I loaded up my bike and prepared to do almost the same trip in reverse. I should be in Reno tomorrow night where I will meet Ellis Scharfenaker. I was frustrated to have to split off from Ryan so early, but we had a memorable couple of weeks as usual. Ryan is continuing north on our original planned route. I am heading back to Colorado, heeding my bike's cries for a break. Let's all keep our finger's crossed that my bike is as commited to returning home as I am.

Shameless Self-Promotion

Me, Ryan, the Golden Gate Bridge and a convertible...

Pacific Coast Highway and The Hearst Castle

Driving the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) was great. The coast of California is delightfully empty from San Luis Obispo to Monterey. My favorite sections are just north of San Simeon. Mountains on one side, cliffs to the water on the other. This is a spectacular drive. We found some kite surfers enjoying the incoming front north of Monterey.





On the way to San Fransisco, Ryan and I stopped at the Hearst Castle, a monument that was well-covered in my CC architectural history class. It was still bigger than I expected. As you can see from the first picture above, the view from the complex is amazing. The Castle appears out of nowhere as you drive along a deserted coast. The gardens were beautiful and the house was at the least, extravagant. Besides the courtyards overlooking the ocean, my favorite was the indoor pool which had amazing tile work and a dive platform. If you are driving the PCH, you must see this.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

FANTASTIC!

No Time for Pictures

Armed with my Dad's new car and beautiful roads from L.A. to Santa Barbara, these are the only 2 pictures that I took today. Not that anyone reading this really cares, but the new BMW M Roadster is a spectacular driver's car. There is not a better way to get a sunburn. I took the second picture on a quick break on the side of Highway 1. Ryan and I are now headed towards San Fransisco, but not without enjoying every inch of road on the way.

San Diego Zoo

Last Sunday Ryan, Michelle, "Aunt Sue" and I all went to the San Diego Zoo. It is clear why this zoo is so famous. The facilities are extensive and impeccable. The message of conservation and care of the fauna is clear throughout the park. The plant-life is so extensive that the zoo makes a botanical garden as well. There is far too much to see in one day. I enjoyed my kids meal and "Souvenir Bucket" (which, unfortunately I did not keep) almost as much as I enjoyed the hippo that was lounging on the bottom of the pool. Many of the children were speculating on whether he had "punched out." I would lay down there too if I weighed 900 lbs and it was 95 degrees outside. The aviary was fun and the crocodiles were busy watching the naively-interested children in their strollers.

Pipe Organ

These photos were taken at the Getty center in Los Angeles, CA. Pictured is a pipe organ by artist Tim Hawkinson. Ryan and I were lucky enough to have arrived right as it started playing its hourly tune. The organ reads its tune off of a sheet in the same basic fashion as a player-piano. The sheet music signals a release of air out of a series of air sacks through a system of valves and reeds. As a fan of kinetic art, this anthropomorphic "organ" tops the list. The Getty Center was beautiful and a little odd. I enjoyed the collection and the gardens, but I constantly felt like I was walking on the set of Woody Allen's "Sleeper."

New Feature

My blog has a new feature that might interest you. If you look to the right-hand side of the page, below my map, you will find a link entitled "VIEW MY PHOTOS IN AN ALBUM". By clicking on this link you will be redirected to a site that has all of my blog photos together in a single album. Enjoy.

New Feature

If you look to the right hand side of the page you will find a link entitled "

Cinco de Mayo

For those who are not familliar with Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) you can read more about this holiday here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_Mayo. Enjoy. As for me, I am with Ryan and some of his friends in Encinitas, California enjoying the sunshine and good food. Cinco de Mayo is always fun, and I'm sure that my first cinco de Mayo night in southern California will be especially interesting.

I am happy to report that the bike has never run better after new spark plugs, new gaskets, new cooling fans, new coolant....the list goes on. Unfortunatley the bike runs well only until the battery runs out. My intermitent charging problem has come down to needing a new stator (alternator) and a new voltage regulator. Part of me is beginning to realize that my bike has given almost as much as it's willing to give. Fair enough.

Coachella Pictures

Besides a suddenly unreliable bike, Coachella was great. Hopefully these pictures give that impression. I had so much fun, that I can confidently say that the Burning Man Festival is next on my list. My favorite moment of Coachella? The Tesla Coils pictured below. Unreal.