The 30 Hour Las Vegas Turnaround Trip March 26-27 2009

I'm going to break this post into 4 parts: This first part will be about the ride, the road conditions, timeline, etc. The next part will be hotel-specific, touching on check in, amenities, interesting tidbits, etc.. The next part after that will be Vegas-specific, i.e. things to see and do, little nuances regarding gambling and things we found out, and the last thing will be motorcycle and trip planning-specific.
PART ONE: We left Brea around 10:45 AM when it was a LOT warmer than 7 AM, trust me! Had breakfast at Denny's (to the left is us plus our friend Diana, who used to watch Jackie when Jackie was little!) so that we wouldn't have to stop on the way up (good thing, too, because of the wind). Usually, if I go someplace, I like to GO and get there unless there are some really neat stops that are cool. But that's if they're planned in and I can know about them. Anyway, got to Barstow around 12:05, got about 40 MPG right there, 100.1 miles (up Cajon Pass, not too bad, traffic great) and the price per gallon was $2.299. It was a little windy, a little cool, but doable, I was doing about 74-79 MPH. Left Barstow around 12:20 and arrived in Baker around 1:20, 69.8 miles, MPG was 39. In the desert there, they had rain a few weeks prior. Rain means flowers. Flowers mean BUGS. SO many frikkin' bugs that my windshield was splattered with yellow and Bub practially had to scrape them off from our windshields! Gas in Baker on Thursday was $2.499 and on Friday $2.439. The wind in Baker was blowing us around, practially off our feet while we were getting gas and I was beginning to have second thoughts about going up into it. One of the guys who was coming down the I-15 said that the CHP was escorting drivers up the freeway due to visibility problems. Great. All I could think about was the I-15 in Norco at Limonite when the wind and visibility are nil when it gets bad. We left Baker around 1:40 and hit a couple of 'interesting' situations: firstly, WIND. The wind was bad to very bad. We were riding at a 15 degree angle sometimes. The wind outside of Primm and at Primm was so bad that there were dust clouds blowing across the freeway. I'd try to time it where we'd hit that part of the freeway just after that dust cloud gust would pass. It was so windy that even though I had these wraparound glasses on, the wind got in there and was wicking the moisture from my eyes and nose. (Ok, it made my nose run, happy now?) It was one of the more challenging rides I'd ever rode. I did take the 'crampbuster' off my throttle on a hunch, and I am so very glad I did.
Secondly, CONSTRUCTION. There was construction on the road and the speed limit was 55. TRUST ME, you go 55! CHP everywhere.
Thirdly, and this didn't surprise me at all because I was warned (thanks, Johney! This won't be the last time I appreciate your input!) about going from Baker up to Halloran Springs and Halloran Summit. Baker is about, what 1000' above sea level? Well, within 15 minutes we went from that to 4,000' above sea level and I SWEAR the temperature dropped at least 15 degrees.

We got into Vegas proper at 3:10 and I KNEW I should have gotten off at Russell Road for the Vegas sign! I KNEW IT! We continued up the freeway to Tropicana and spent about 40-50 MINUTES getting off the freeway, because everyone who's going to the airport gets off at Tropicana. Shit.
Finally was able to turn onto Las Vegas Blvd S, pass Russell, and there on the left, in a little meridian/park type area was a parking lot and the sign. So the sign is about 1-2 blocks SOUTH of Russell, on the left. I was surprised there weren't many people there, but it IS hard to find unless you REALLY search online for it and ask friends. Went down Las Vegas Blvd. S. to Sunset, east on Sunset to Eastern, then east again on Tropicana, turned left onto Boulder Hwy, up 1 1/2 blocks and into the parking lot of the Eastside Cannery around 4:20 PM. Looked like a nice place. It is.
Checked in and told them we were probably going to stay 1, maybe 2 days and they said no problem, just check out by 12. I saw a sign regarding refunds could take up to 15 days and thought that was interesting. It freaked me out a bit later on, so keep reading.
Up to the room (I love checking out the rooms and seeing what amenities are there), did a bit of calculating mileage and stuff, called Richard Von Luft and he said they had gotten there around 4:00 PM. I was surprised that they got there that late, since the latest they could've left was 7 AM, but they kind of went a longish way, through Pahrump, but that way usually only takes an additional hour, if not less.

I had figured out that there were 4 THINGS THAT I REALLYREALLYREALLY wanted to do in Vegas: Get our pics at the sign (did that), go to the Fremont St. Experience, have shrimp cocktail at the 4 Queens, and cruise the Strip on the our bikes. Got ready to go to Fremont Street for the Fremont Street Experience because I wanted to see the George Thorogood show at 7:30 PM, so we left around 6:30 PM, got gas at Rebel on Boulder Hwy, 2.119, MPG was 33 due to the wind and slow speeds. Fremont Street was pretty cool. You can hear the wind on my first video-it was really blowing. Below, is video of Bub walking before we went to the 4 Queens.Got there around 6:50 PM, went to the 4 Queens, had a couple of 16 oz draft beers for $2.50 and 6 shrimp cocktails for $1.50 ea. Each shrimp cocktail was around 20-25 small shrimp on a bed of lettuce that makes the shrimp cocktail look 'fuller' than it is. Oh well, what can you expect for the price, plus I like lettuce anyway. Went walking down the street (which is actually enclosed, no traffic vehicles allowed), took pics & video of Barry walking, then got startled wildly when the George Thorogood 'Bad to the Bone' presentation started.Had barely enough time to start my video and was wondering if I had enough battery or memory.Yup, I had enough for all my pictures PLUS 2 light shows. One thing I will do, however, is learn to look with an artist's eye for the picture vs. thru the camera viewfinder-I need to turn the Vegas montage video about 90 degrees right.

After the light shows, Bub was hungry and I tried to get him to go for steak at Billy Bob's Steakhouse (TripAdviser or somebody like that rates it really good) but he wanted something RIGHT THEN. So we come to Vegas just so he can have PIZZA. GMAB.

Had pizza and I noticed in the mirrors there that one of my eyes was really red from the wind today (the wind which crossed inside my wraparound glasses and was wicking the tears out of my eye) so I went into WalGreen's there on the corner and got some Visine. Helped alot.

We did everything on the list except ride the Strip, so for our final venture, we started out at Carson and Las Vegas Blvd S, and headed down the Strip. Bub complained that I was catching every single freakin' light, but I WANTED to so that I had time to take off a glove, raise my camera, take a pic, put on my glove, then drive. I think I got some nice pictures!

The construction was a bit much, but the lights were still wildly glowing. I heard afterwards that on Saturday nights, the lights would be dimmed to 'go green'.

After a good night's sleep, we got up for breakfast, or rather, Bub got up and checked stuff out. He SAID they didn't have coffee to go, but I checked afterward and they did. He was mean.

Check out the portions of the breakfast! That ham steak breakfast was $4.99. My ground sirloin with mushrooms and onions was $6.99.

March 16, 2009. Yeah, it's my birthday, ho-hum.

Check out this incredibly beautiful knit jacket from my sister in Vermont. This is unbelieveable but she always has an eye for what I love that THIS is definitely it.

My husband (and the kids) and sister sent me flowers. Check these puppies out-

they're both beautiful and SO apropos-12 long-stemmed roses and a beer mug arrangement!

The Vegas Trip Part 3-Stuff I Want To Do There WHICH ain't gonna be much since it's now turned into a 1 day turnaround

We're talking doing some SERIOUS research here. Oh, yeah. My forte.
I'm sitting here watching Ghostrider (Nicholas Cage) and watching the special features 'the Making of Ghostrider', especially checking out the fiberglass fire bike. It's getting me into the mood for this trip.
The schedule for the STAR BQ was published and there are three self-guided rides on Friday. I WAS going to give all 3 a shot. It would've been a tad hard because the two day rides are kind of far from each other, but if I had made a schedule and stuck to it, then I could've done them both. Ok, yeah, I had already done a schedule. and it looked like I could've done it, but again, on a one-day turnaround, it'll be not in the cards this time. Wish I could do one of them, but I know that Barry and Johney will be champing at their bits to be-bop outta there. Or maybe not. Maybe if I stamp my foot and cry... I should be a frikkin' travel agent.
Red Rock Canyon/Mountain Springs Saloon was the first day trip, then the Valley of Fire ride is also on the same day.
Both promised to be spectacular photo ops, so I'd had to account for at least 60 minutes within each of the loops for pictures and just jaw-dropping.
The third ride (as I mentioned in the Part 2 post) is the Vegas Strip ride. That I DEFINITELY would've liked to do.

NOW, on to things to do that are not 'ride related'. They are quasi-motorcycle related, though.
The Fremont Experience...ah, the light show. Seems that on Thursday night at 7:30 PM the light show is "Bad To The Bone", music to the show of a wild motorcycle ride through a dusty Vegas boneyard. Oh, YEAH, that's gonna be COOL. I've always been a fan of George Thorogood and the Destroyers, and the songs "Bad To The Bone" and "Who Do You Love?" for this show are going to be perfect for motorcycles. I'm going to try to find a free shuttle (maybe from Sam's Town next door) to go down to the Fremont Street area. NOPE, no such animal, besides it's only 15 minutes from the hotel via bikes. Below is the link, and on the website are links to the calendar and a .pdf of the schedule.
http://www.vegasexperience.com/

So the (MY!) schedule as it stands as of today (03-24-09) is
-depart Thursday morning, around 10 AM (with appx 1/2 hour - 1 hour leeway towards a later departure time, if needed, which would change the arrival/departure times accordingly)
-arrive Barstow 11:20 AM, have lunch and get gas
-depart Barstow 12:05 PM
-arrive Baker 1:05 PM, get gas
-depart Baker 1:20 PM
-arrive at the Las Vegas sign 2:45-3 PM (see below for location)
-depart the sign 3:15 PM
-arrive at the hotel at 3:30-3:45 PM

-Register at the hotel, unpack, register for STAR BQ & get the pins/t-shirts, see if the hotel has a jacuzzi, check out any vendors there
-depart hotel 5:30-6:00 PM (for Fremont St. Experience) BUT get gas first, maybe, probably.
-arrive Fremont St. parking garage
-Dinner at Fremont St. (see if they still have AWESOME shrimp cocktail at the 4 Queens!!!)
-Stay for Fremont Experience Light Show
-Mingle around & see the freaks
-depart Fremont St. 8:30 PM
-arrive hotel 8:50 PM
-Futz around hotel until lights out @ 10-11 PM
(I'm probably gonna go down to the pool and swim or something)

FRIDAY
-Wake up time 7-8 AM, coffee, shower, pack, decide if the Red Rock Canyon self-guided tour is doable
-Check out any vendors 9 AM
-If Red Rock Canyon ride is doable, attend briefing at 9:30 AM; otherwise continue with the shopping/vendor thing; decide where to have lunch. A suggestion made to me by one of my blog buds in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was the Harley Davidson Cafe on the Strip. Must check that puppy out.
-check out at 11-12
-depart Las Vegas, yada, yada, yada with gas at Baker & Barstow
-Home by 5 PM-ish if we don't go on the ride: 6:30 PM if we do. Still before dark, which is at 7:10 PM, I believe.

any questions?

The Vegas Trip-PART TWO (packing for 1 day now, don't need opinions)

PART 2-Packing (or, Planning For The Unexpected-A Woman’s Eye View)
In this part, I touch on the special considerations, packing and planning for the woman motorcyclist and others. Others being the guys. I know guys don't need as much but I do tend to keep everybody in my thoughts whenever doing something for myself.

A girlfriend of mine, when she saw my blog today (03-16-09) emailed me and said, "I cannot believe how much stuff you want to take...how in the heck are you going to schlep it all???" and my reply to her was, "No, that’s how much I WANT to take…my actual list is ‘way pared down.
And if you think about it, it’s really not that much, it’s mostly makeup."

In the meantime, some websites to consider... http://www.her-motorcycle.com/Packing_for_a_motorcycle_trip.html

OK, time to put my packing list in here. This isn't a list of what I'm GOING to take, I'm just listing things I'd LIKE to take. I'm trying to remember everything that I'd like then start winnowing stuff out, because if I forget it, I can't go back for it. Never mind that I've made a list that would be hard for a U-Haul GMC Sierra truck to haul! Just tryin' to think outside the box, heah! In italized blue is stuf I am NOT going to take for a 1-day turnaround trip that this has turned into:
ITEMS I.E. 'STUFF' (thx to George Carlin)
TO WEAR: Long undies (just the silk thermal ones I use for under my ski pants)
Jeans
Thermal socks
Boots
Thermal t-neck (ski turtle neck again)
Long t-shirt that says something irreverent or quasi-dirty...oh wait, I don't have any quasi-dirty...
Sweater, probably black since it shows the least amount of dirt and goes with everything
Heavy jacket DUH
Heavy polar gloves
First aid kit in a fanny pack
Possibly full thermal balaclava (possibly, hell! I'm wearing that sucker for the first part of the ride!)
Glove Liners

TAKE:
2 brushes-big round one, regular one (only girls will know what I mean)
Conditioner (special silkience)
Gel and hair spray
hair ties/rubber bands
Moisturizer (2 kinds for the face-for day and for night)
Eye cream
Makeup-undereye concealer, Lancome kit, lipsticks/chap sticks
Bobby pins
Banana clip
Hat
Black jeans (gotta have SOMETHING to trade off the other jeans with!)
High boots or high heels that I can also use to ride my bike with...thatll be kinda tricky...gotta work on that puppy..
Bathing suit
Large ziplocks or grocery bags for wet bathing suit
Long earrings (If my hair is jacked up and there's no time to do it, I'll just put it up in the banana clip, wear the earrings and extra makeup)
Wine opener
Laptop
Aircard/modem
Wireless mouse
Laptop case PAD that laptop case!!! With clothing/thermal neck gaiter, undies, blank cd's, thin cd cases, sharpies, zenergy, chargers and batteries, wireless mouse, modem, ziplocks/grocery bag
Phone
Phone charger
Phone batteries
Make extra business cards
Bare minimum meds, analgesics, vitamins Bub & I
Cameras
Extra camera batteries
Extra sd cards
Blank cd's Thin plastic or paper cd holders
Sharpies
Little 'side of the body' purse
Undies 2 (yeah, I bet you guys really wanted to know that)
Bra 1 (ditto)
Zenergy/zipfizz
Flip flops or water shoes
Large trash bag in case of rain
Bungee holder
splenda for Barry
coffee creamers, powder
water bottles 1 each
water flavoring
tire fix-it kit
co2 cartridges
flashlight
electrician's tape or duct tape ( I know, guys, for my MOUTH)
zip ties
bike cover (for Barry's bike, since he has the leather saddlebags)
rain suits
hygienic wipes/wet ones (again guys, TMI, huh? But this is a GIRL'S blog, so get over it)
extra sm pack TP because you never know when you're going to hit that portapotty from Hell-you can use the tp to cover your nose and mouth
camera usb connection to download pics
night goggles/glasses
maps (laminated if possible)
extra sunglasses/goggles
jackknife
SOMETHING glitzy (like the sequined jacket) for the STRIP ride (see above)
Deer gauntlet gloves

Don't need the advice anymore, but here's the original information...

Friday night is a group motorcycle ride down the Las Vegas Strip and I have 3 jackets I want to wear. Let me know which one would be the best to ride a motorcycle down the infamous neon-lit Strip, but keep in mind that I will have to probably dress Lambie the same way:

The jacket on the left is all sequins, with a zip front, elastic neck and base (no collar) and black elastic wrist cuffs. It's very comfortable but also very thin. Got one opinion from Colleen that perhaps with the lights of the strip, the sequined one would reflect and show up better. She also suggested that if I wore the fox fur below, I should glue a crown on the top of my helmet. I told her that I was already pushing the envelope with a jacket and I'd look like I was ready for the Doo-Dah parade if I took it further. However, if Lambie is dressed up too, that makes me even closer to the edge. Lambie could wear the crown...see below)

The jacket on the above right is a silky silvery gold-based designed material with roses, with a quasi-oriental feel to it, and is reversible with a shiny black silky material on the inside. The wrist cuffs are snaps. It too is thin but not as thin as the sequined jacket. (My friend Cindy and my sister Tori weigh in heavily on this one as of Friday the 13th. Tori says it's classier, looks better because of the collar, and will still show up really nicely under the Vegas lights.)

Below is a magnificent silver fox fur that clasps in the front. The wind going thru the fur makes it look like waves flowing. This is the kind of jacket that ALMOST makes me wish I was riding on the back of a float, (or a Goldwing) waving like I was "wiping a window, blowing kisses at the hoi-polloi, touching an imaginary crown with my fingertips, touching my neck with my fingertips, touching my lips with my fingertips and blowing a kiss", and then 'presenting' (the hand touches the opposite shoulder then sweeps out in an arc from the shoulder to the front of the body). This is a float rider routine called 'Wash The Window, Touch The Crown, Touch The Pearls, Blow A Kiss, Present" and if you've seen a Disney parade with any of the princesses on the floats you'll know EXACTLY what I mean. Right, Tori?!

That's a bitchin' coat, isn't it?!

to be continued...

The Vegas Trip-PART ONE (anal pre-planning) WITH change in plans-only 1 day turnaround, now.

PART 1 – GETTING READY (the “Anal Trip Planner” Point of View)

Ok, we decided to go. (It’s been up in the air for a couple of weeks, but we decided to go). Then something kinda happened, decided NOT to go, but was convinced by a friend that a 1 day turnaround was a good HOWEVER, we’ll go up on Thursday and leave Vegas on Friday because I’ll have seen the vendors, don’t want to really do the games, and if the dinner is anything like the previous STAR BQ, no thanks, sorry. Not sure when to leave, probably after 12 noon (since checkout is at 12 noon).
NOT HAPPENING, BUT JUST IN HERE FOR REFERENCE: I’d like also to get back on the road and home before the crowd leaves Vegas on Sunday-I can’t see fighting other M/C groups and semi’s, not to mention the regular cages that’ll leave “early so we can get home early”. Leaving Saturday means that there’s less of a crowd to deal with on Interstate 15, there’ll STILL be crowded, just not quite so much.
Things I have already checked (and I usually check anyway, no matter what trip I take or do) and am still checking on:
• WEATHER predictions for the stops
• ROUTES and backup routes
• WEATHER ON THE ROUTES at the times we’d be at a given point (in this case, Brea; Rancho Cucamonga; Hesperia; Victorville; Barstow; Baker; Jean and Las Vegas.)
• ROAD WORK on the routes (learned THAT from a friend one time who got stuck on a highway that they had road work on for 1 day per week for blasting!)
• EXPENSES TO BE INCURRED on route (Gas, food, extras, and don’t forget, I usually have to multiply by 2!)
• THINGS TO DO PRIOR TO LEAVING (They’ll be covered in more detail below, but some examples would be to
o check my MC and AAA insurance coverage;
o scan in my ID’s, medical info, insurance info into a word doc and email it to myself;
o figure out what activities will be going on a figure out how to dress accordingly;
o figure out what could go wrong i.e. will Murphy being riding with me?;
o make a comprehensive ‘to take’ and ‘to do’ list, whether or not I take everything on the list, because once I go, I can’t go back for it (we’re talking HUGE spreadsheet for this one);
o figure out what we’ll need that we don’t have, and plan for the expense/buy it early/borrow it; o go online and find out what others have done, tips and tricks of the trade like putting clothing into Ziploc bags then pressing the air out, thereby making a REALLY flat item to pack.)
And check out the hotel and area around it because it’s been about 19 years since the last time I was there;
• GO INTO A MEDITATIVE MODE and imagine myself on the travel day; that night; the next days and imagine what’d I being doing. A little forethought is worth a TON of Monday-morning quarterbacking.

The ‘suggestion articles’ are always TMI, BUT they make me think of things that I wouldn’t normally think about, such as a flat tire kit (I don’t feel like waiting 2 hours for AAA to get there, since shit like that ALWAYS happens on the longest, remotest stretch of road), or like one thing to pack vs three of. My ‘to take’ list is really long, but again, write down everything you can think of, because you can’t go back for it or you’ll end up buying it when you reach your destination. I also check the hotel room for amenities, i.e. I don’t have to take a blow dryer, shampoo or conditioner. I will take the rainsuits, I have a tool kit already on my bike ( that is good for both bikes), and BIG TIME am doing pre-prep on both bikes. (OK, Barry is.)
I have to travel lighter anyway, since I don’t have saddlebags or even a rack/sissy bar to put luggage.

Someone mentioned to take some ‘older’ stuff that you would discard anyway, and leave them/throw ‘em out on the trip.

It’s always a good thing to ‘make one think’.

I always travel lighter, just enough, and actually take out one piece of clothing. Had done a lot of air travel in the past, doing tax workshops and presentations on new tax laws, so all my luggage and weight was for AV stuff. Very little room for clothes. And I’d always have to wear a suit. Dammit. And they’d be 2 & 3 day seminars, so I had to show up in a quasi-different outfit each day.

I’ve divided all the stuff to bring into four categories: Clothes, Communication, Chattels and Calamities. CLOTHES: again, what I’d like to bring then start winnowing out the stuff I don’t need: COMMUNICATION: not just comm. Devices i.e. cell phone and cameras, but batteries and chargers, plus laptop, aircard, CD-Roms and sleeves (will explain later in this blog): CHATTELS: this is my miscellaneous category, with everything from Beauth, health & personal items to Ziplocs (will be in the Packing Blog 2): CALAMITIES: this is the most important category because I’m a firm believer in ‘What could go wrong, will go wrong’ unless I gag and bind Murphy. (if you catch the metaphor) It’s my ‘in case of’ category, including but not limited to first aid kit, tire kit, tools, etc. Since space will really be limited, I’ll have some of my stuff do double duty, like padding the laptop with undies and some other chattels.

Good websites pre-ride and to do there:
http://safetravelusa.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvbiaI85KTo
this is amazing-I have to go thursday night, downtown Vegas. The Fremont Laser Light Show

http://www.palacestation.com/dining/oyster-bar/
This is supposed to have the most amazing oyster bar and gumbo ever.


JUST IN HERE FOR REFERENCE, CAN'T DO ALL THIS STUFF:
OMG, OMG, JUST got the schedule and I am gonna definitely do:

Guided Self Ride
9:30 am - 2:00 pm
Riding to Red Rock Canyon then on to Mountain Springs Saloon. Red Rock Canyon has a breath taking 13 miles scenic loop that should not be missed. There are plenty of pull offs to stop and the view will make you forget you are only a few miles from the Strip. The fee to enter is $5. Then it’s on to Mountain Springs Saloon. At 5500 ft it’s nice and cool and great place to just sit and relax for a while - a true bikers’ hang out.
http://mtnspringssaloon.com/

Guided Self Ride
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Riding to Valley of Fire. The fire red sandstone formations give this state park it’s name, and you have to see this place to believe it! The ride starts along Lake Mead on a road made for motorcycles (lots of big sweeping corners). Make sure you take the road behind the Valley of Fire Visitors’ Center – it’s awesome! Fee to enter is $6.

I’m going to map these puppies so that hopefully I can do both. Friday is going to be a RIDE RIDE RIDE day!!! (Note to self-have to map where to get gas between these, otherwise have to go back to hotel)

AND THE FINAL THING, THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE:
Guided Self Ride down the World Famous Las Vegas Strip 9:00 pm
Come be one of the “Stars” on the strip!

CAN YOU IMAGINE A COUPLE HUNDRED SHINY SHINY CRUISERS TAKING OVER THE LAS VEGAS STRIP!!!
I have the PERFECT sequined jacket for this, just waiting for the last 10 years for this one chance…..NOTE TO SELF-NEED TO DRESS UP LAMBIE TO MATCH! (My husband’s gonna KILL me)


to be continued...

Nice ride to 'WARM' Palm Springs, the Oak Glen Hwy 79 loop and 'Have Pie, Will Travel'

I'd been checking the weather all week March 2-6 because the club was going to Tehachapi, and I just DON'T do that well when temps are below 48 degrees. (see below, in red) On Friday, the projected temp in Tehachapi at 12:30 PM on Saturday was 45 degrees. Taking into account the mtn roads (Hwy 2 aka Angeles Crest Hwy and Angeles Forest Hwy) that would be in shadow in the morning, plus factoring in the wind chill, IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. Not this time, maybe some other time, but not now.

I will mention a funny that happened at the club meeting this morning before they took off - one of the new people riding with the group today named Mike, well, we know each other from my work, so I welcomed him to the fold. We didn't know each other rode, so I was telling him about my stuffed animal 'Lamb Chop' who is usually firmly ensconced on the back of my bike, and when I have rides with the guys, they call me the "AB" (for some reason he knew exactly what the 'B' stood for, a-yup, he knows me) and I told him I call the guys my 'mutts'. He said that since they follow the Lambie Special, they should be called my "Muttons". I'm gonna GET you, Mike. Maybe splash some mud on that brand new 'Liner. Or some mint sauce.

Of course I had a backup ride planned, and as warm as possible compared to as COLD as the club ride was going to be. Lunch in Palm Springs at Tyler's was a great idea (thanks, Johney!) and then I thought the Oak Glen Loop would be a nice little side trip.
It was.

Just an aside-when I plan a ride, I go anal to the max, using the mapquest feature whereby I can add places to stop at or move them around and get mileage info, figure out total mileage plus potential stopping points for gauging gas consumption and fill-ups; figuring out when we leave, when we'll get to point A or B or C, what the mileage will be, where we'll need gas, AND figure out the TIMES we'll get to point A or B or C so that I can project the temperature and advise the guys what it'll be like and what to potentially wear. So far I've been ok, except I've been a tad wrong on the temps to the colder side; in other words, it's been a bit colder than I had expected on the last three of my guy group rides. I do send the riders a list of where we'll be, projected times and temps, but sometimes with the wind chill and stuff, 55 degrees can feel like 50. I HAVE pretty much been on the money regarding rain and general weather-type stuff, just a little off on the cold factor. The previous Tehachapi ride that the club went on in October '07 was our 2nd ride with the club and I was TOTALLY UNPREPARED for that ride re: clothing and cold weather gear. I DIDN'T have chaps, I DIDN'T have a windscreen on my bike, I DIDN'T have a great jacket, I DIDN'T have that good of gloves (just had so-so gloves we bought in June '07 with the bikes), I DIDN'T have a balaclava or even one of those soft thermal neck gaiters. I wore jeans with pantyhose & a couple of layers under a iffy jacket.

I FROZE MY BUTT OFF-I was so cold going up Hwy 2 to Tehachapi that it took me 1 1/2 hours to defrost with 400 cups of coffee. My neck hurt from tightly shivering (if you've been cold on a bike or skiing or anything, you know what I mean). I will NEVER forget that ride, so if I'm unsure of the weather or the temp, I wear extra or bring extra, and I've never been sorry since, except maybe for this past January ride from Temecula to Pala via Warner Springs and Lake Henshaw, when I tried out my new half helmet... THAT ride was kinda cold.
Left the group meeting & Bub and I met up with Johney Harper 9:15 AM at Denny's in Brea. Had to leave a little late because my mirror was loose, so got it tightened more, then buzzed onto the 57 N to the 60 E to the 10 E to 111 S to Apato St. E (Or whatever that parking lot/street type thing is that's across from the statue of Sonny Bono) to Tyler's, which happened to be right across the street from Ruby's where we ate with the STAR Chapter 345 guys a few months back.

On the way I confirmed that MY bike's speedo is correct, because there was one of those digital speed thingys on the side of the 60 fwy that tells you how fast you are going, and since there was a car kind of next to us and slightly ahead, I reined in a tad from 70 MPH so that I could get an unhindered reading, and the speedy-thingy flashed '68', which is EXACTLY what my speedo was on. So I AM dead on, and you guys that think I'm doing 80, well, I'M NOT. So there. But you know roadies always read 5 MPH higher than you're actually going. No? Well, I've been telling you that, and my bike's the newer of the mutts', so it's gotta be more correct, yes? YES. The AB has spoken. She Who Must Be Obeyed has spoken. Don't argue or I'll cry.

Johney led from the 10 down the 111 because he knew exactly where this place was AND knew where the cops hide on 111, so that was VERY COOL, PLUS he found the mostest bestest parking place ever. ALMOST right in front of Tyler's. See those beauteous bikes below and right? So shiny, so pretty, the one in front is of course mine, the one to the back left with the red tank is Barry's, and the bling-bling chromed up fancy one is Johney's. Mine is a V-Star 650 , Bub's is a V-Star 1100, and Johney's is a RoadStar 1600. So the AB is riding a bike that's about one-half and one-third the size of the other bikes.
Just a little side thought-You know what I like about parking with a bike or two or three in one parking place? Cars think there's a place, they zoom over to grab it, only to see our bikes. I could just sit in a coffee place right by my bike in a spot and watch their faces ALL DAY. I'm evil, I know.
He warned us that we had to get there RIGHT when they opened up at 11 or else we'd have to wait, so we were, like, the 3rd set of people there about 10 minutes before they opened up. I won't say we had great luck because we usually make our own luck on these trips, so it was more like great planning on everybody's part. Good planning from Johney for the destinication (yeah, I spelled it that way on a-purpose) and lunch idea, good planning on my part for ensuring the correct route, temps and times where we were, and good planning on Barry's part for going along with whatever I planned. When I mapquested the route, I noted that the time would be about 1 hour and 29 minute trip. Yeah, right, the way I RIDE? HA! We left Brea at 9:35-ish and got to Tyler's at 10:50 AM. I consider a good cruise at around 75-80 MPH, and as long as people are passing us on the left and we're passing people on the right, it's all good, shouldn't have to worry that much about CHPs. I sit up SO STRAIGHT so people in front of me tend to slow down because they think I'm a cop. Barry's the same way-he looks just like a cop when he's behind me. Heh-heh-heh.
We parked, walked over, sat down, and Mr. Gourmet suggested the potato salad and the chili. Bub and I split the potato salad, chili and a burger. The potato salad came in a big dish and it was fine for both of us. The chili was pretty damn good also, had NO beans & chunks of meat.
Tyler's is owned by Diana Diamico, a really great and absolutely gorgeous lady. Johney knows her from 'way back. To the left is Johney, Diana and Barry.
DID YOU KNOW: that the building that Tyler's is in used to be the Greyhound Depot back in the day, and that paved area was all dirt? Wish I could've gotten a pic of the inside of the place, but I can't remember everything.

The picture at the right I have partly captioned, "I don't care about any of that picture shit, just lemme do some serious damage to this 'tater salad"
and partly captioned, "How much of this do you want, honey? Half? or more?"
It's a pretty big portion, isn't it?!

We were almost done eating at 11:30 AM and people were starting to put their name on a waiting list; that's how good that place is and how crowded.
We left and walked down towards the bikes at 11:40, and more people were lined up.
Since Barry and I had gotten pins on the previous ride there with 345, Johney wanted one too, so we went to the General Store at 188 N. Palm Canyon Drive (owned by Aimee and Steve, but Bill was the one we had seen before and saw today again) and JH got hisself a pin like ours. Bill was nice enough (shhhh!) to let me use his facilities, and I left my damn phone in the bathroom there. I felt really dumb, but Johney offered to get it for me when he goes out that way on Monday. What a great friend. No wonder they call him "The Wrench", because he really offers himself to help in any way possible to almost anyone with the tools at his disposal, namely his generosity and his genuine love for his fellow man.

I had a terrible, evil thought (I don't have any other kind, come to think about it) when we were walking back to the bikes-with Barry in leather chaps and leather jacket, slim, well-groomed, looking like a rich older man, I was thinking, "Hey, he's lucky he hasn't been hit on yet today".

While walking back from the General Store, saw a burger joint called "Grill-A-Burger" with a gorilla mascot. I had to have a pic of myself and the gorilla. Notice I'm touching his 'banana'.
When we were walking back to the bikes at noon, MORE people were REALLY lined up at Tyler's! Just look at that lineup on the left, 1/2 hour after we left Tyler's!
Got on our metal steeds and I pushed Johney into the lead to set the pace (since he knows again where the cops are on 111) and he led for 2/3 of the way to Hwy 79/Beaumont, the Oak Glen turnoff. I mention this because it was very very nice to be in the back-back and just to kick back. It felt great.

Got off the 10 freeway and took Beaumont Blvd. up to where it turns into Oak Glen Road. Stopped at Los Rios Rancho (I think that was it's name) and looked around. It was there that I realized I didn't have my cell phone. We couldn't get coverage there so we were going to wait until we got back down farther and call Bill at the General Store in Palm Springs.

Saw some of those puppet stuffed animals, and since I didn't have Lambie on my bike, thought I should maybe get a replacement for when she gets a bath (in Woolite, of course!). Thought maybe a skunk would be good, you DON'T want to know why. To the right below, a coupla old farts at Los Rios Rancho.

Went on a little farther to Parrish Farms where 230 had stopped for lunch on this same ride (sans the Palm Springs stop) in November '07. That was our 3rd ride with them back and the club is going back there November 7 this year. I was looking for a pie to take back to my office partner Richard, but they didn't have any in the case! It turned out ok...keep reading.

The guys had pie, I had apple crisp, really good. The restaurant, Apple Dumplin's was just bought by John & Melissa Malone, very gracious hosts, and have lunches, catering, banquets, weddings, etc. available. http://www.appledumplinweddings.com/

When 230 is coming back is the best time I know because it's fall, the trees are turning, the apples are harvested, good times. I remember the previous ride, the leaves were falling all around us, swirling on the ground whenever the bikes would cruise through them, just rippling away from us when we'd go by like a pond ripples when a stone is thrown.

ANYWAY, I saw John the owner come out with 3 beautiful, freshly baked, smell-so-good-you-could-almost-touch-the-aroma apple pies, and I told him "I WANT ONE OF THOSE!!" He said, "Sure, but how are you going to get it back?" I told him about the bungee holder thingy for the back of my bike that I bought in Temecula. IT WORKED GREAT. That freakin' pie didn't MOVE one iota on the way back, around curves, 70-80 MPH on the 10 freeway, NO HOW, NO WAY, it DID NOT MOVE. That is one great little gimmick, rat there.

To the left, the pie 'before'. Below, the pie, 'after'. I kid you not-it rode great. Decided that the 10 would work to get home, I knew from my mapquesting that it'd take about 1 hour according to them (again, YEAH RIGHT, just consider who's leading), so I eased it into 70-75 (with maybe a few 'pushes' to 80, depending on the traffic-sometimes faster IS safer) and cruised back home, 48 minutes Yucaipa to Brea, back around 3:30-ish.

The following is something that I wrote to a friend, describing how I feel about riding. I thought it was pretty good so I'm including it here as well.

The act of riding gets in my blood and fires it up like a bellows fires up a furnace. It's like a controlled adrenaline-rush for me, like skiing, sailing, waterskiing. I love it. I smile, I grin, I practically wiggle with delight when I get on my bike and roar away. (I never just 'ride' away, I have to 'roar' away. Silly me, giving in to the 'Look at me! Hey, look at me! I'm on my bike and feel wonderful' childish part of my being.) I love being in control of this metal machine that with every mile more and more becomes a part of me so that I almost feel like half woman, half engine and wheels. The bike and I are one and together. We move together, turn together, we almost think alike. I barely have to move it and it feels like it moves where I want us to go on its own with just my tiny suggestive touch. I love the curves, the scenery, the roar of my pipes when I come out of a curve or accelerate on the freeway (and I do notice Barry or Johney decelerate when we go by cops, poor things, they can't let it all hang out whereas I, I have...STOCK PIPES.)

Just a general observation about my working out habits.

If I'm going to work out, I really damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, whether or not I have the proper gear. Usually I do 60-90 minutes on the recumbent bike (ok, ok, I had been slacking off lately-must have something to do with SAD*) The routines are pretty good-punch R, punch L, punch R, side kick; or punch R-L-R-L, kick right, do a 'switch' with the legs, kick left. I tend to really get into it, and I was sweating bullets after only 1/2 hour.
BUT if I forget something that's kinda necessary for the class, oh, say, some boxing gloves, I'll still do the punches/jabs/crosses onto the big freestanding bag. I'll just suffer for it later. And I am.
I did a kickboxing/boxing class on Thursday (took it, didn't teach it) and when I got there, realized I forgot the gloves. I got some but another member of the gym came to take the class, and so since I get the class for free, I gave those gloves up to him. In that half hour class, I was extremely motivated to punch the HOLY SHIT outta that bag, I mean SLAM PUNCHES INTO THAT BAG. Not sure why. Thursday night. 6:30-7 PM. Last Thursday of the month. Hmmmmm....

It looks worse than it is (doesn't really hurt) because on yesterday's ride, my gloves kinda got sweaty, so I'd take them off, put them on, take them off, and all that rubbed my owies a little rawer.
This is the left hand-my left is usually more 'dead on' and stronger than my right. Why my left arm/hand is stronger I'm not really sure, but it may have something to do with my weight balanced mostly on my right leg which is back, so that I have lots of momentum to bring it forward and the kick the living shit out of whatever's in front of me. Here's the proof that my left hand/arm is stronger. The dark red spots are where my knuckles REALLY came in contact with the punching bag. My right hand only has two owies-between the index finger/middle finger, and between the middle finger/ring finger.
Now you know why people wear boxing gloves.
I like that class. Gonna go again Tuesday night.

*Seasonal Affective Disorder-where you get tired, run down, kinda melancholy because there's not as much daylight available.

Short, INTERESTING ride on Sunday, March 1st, 2009

The weather was wonderful, so the usual Sunday ride was definitely happenin'.

The interesting part is that I took a passenger on my tinker-toy 650. THAT was very, um, interesting.
Planned on going first over Ortega, stopping at Hell's Kitchen, then back;
Decided that we'd be better off going out the 60/10/Oak Glen loop;
Went to pick up our friend Jessica, and she got on my bike. Within 3 blocks I had changed my mind again, to do a simple ride out to Cook's Corner because Jax wanted to shop for a leather vest. Right, that gave me a good excuse to not do curves and corners because:
The weight distribution was ok, but it was twice what I'm used to, so I needed twice as much stopping distance AND power, twice as much acceleration crank, and had to watch out, because my passenger tended to move when we were stopped, so I'm holding the bike up and she moves, so it made me a little nervous. She moved on the seat because my seat is relatively new, un-broken in, and let's face it, a little stiff. Plus Jessica had to sit upright closer to me because I don't have a sissy bar nor a pad, so she couldn't kick back or lean back. Her butt was a little sore, as was mine...usually the first aid kit/fanny pack will brace my back when I lean back on the seat, so it's all good.

I felt better after a few miles under my belt with a passenger on. The freeways are the best, second comes curves, then stopping, believe it or not. A couple of times at the beginning I'd stop so fast that our helmets boinked, but I got the feel of it soon.

Cook's Corners was UNBELIEVEABLY crowded. I mean, the parking lot was so full that people were parking across the street. I thought that there was NO WAY we were going to stop, so we kept on going. We could (and did) stop at Cycle Gear in Fullerton behind the Bally's where I work out (and my knuckles are for another blog, but you guys will see them on Thursday's FOS bike night)

I can't believe I forgot the first aid kit PLUS the sd card for my camera! I wanted Jessica to take pics of when we were traveling, but no sd card and her camera's battery kinda died. She did take some pretty good pictures while the battery was trying to cling to life. I'll get those from her in a day or so. She took a pretty good one of me with my half-helmet on. One time, a friend of mine said that the half helmet looks the best when you ride a cruiser, and I have to agree. I finally figured out how to cinch it under my neck-I dunno, maybe my neck was puffing out like a horse's belly and I had to re-cinch it like I would do if I put a saddle on a horse.

After coming back around from Trabuco again, we beelined for Cycle Gear and got Jax a really cute leather vest to wear without a shirt underneath, plus some of those t-helmet hangers for my helmet lock.

We went for pizza at some place in La Habra, I think it's called 'Slam Dunk' or something like that, and I took these pics with my phone. Usually I keep a small card in my phone, but even that wasn't there. Talk about one's head up one's rear.

Took Jessica home afterward, dropped jax off, then went for more shopping, which is always a good end to a good ride day! Below, Bub and Jax try to figure out how to fit 10 pounds of shit into an 8 pound saddlebag. Jackie eventually had to kind of sit on the top of the saddlebag to get it to close.