The gear is dried out. I'm dried out and heading out on a beautiful morning, Highway 29 to 20 to I-5. You go up and over Mount St. Helena, which I haven't done since I was a teenager, and I now remember why I got car sick. The hairpin turns are so tight I end up in first gear on a couple of them, and regularly scrape my floorboards. Motorcycling requires you to be in the present, to focus on the task at hand. The views of the wine country below were spectacular, but I was pretty intent on the road and my ride. There was very little traffic.
When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time in this area with my dad. He was an engineer and worked with a number of developers in the late 60's and early 70's. Elder Creek and Konocti Harbor were two of the projects he was on. I developed an impressive arrowhead collection from the traipsing around we would do. The area is heavily populated now and no longer as rural as I remembered.
When I hit Highway 20, there was a 35-40 mph crosswind coming from the north as I was headed east. Crosswinds are tricky. You end up riding slightly bent into the wind to be able to stay upright, hoping like hell that the wind doesn't suddenly stop. It was a relief to finally get to I-5 and head north, although riding into a stiff headwind isn't much fun, either. It does a number on the gas mileage. I had wind all the way up past Redding, where the Siskiyous begin. I love the Siskiyous. It was clear as a bell, snow was blowing off the top of Shasta, the roads were dry, traffic was light and the riding was fine. I want to come back and spend some more time there. I knew I needed to get through the mountains on Saturday since snow was forecast for Sunday. It was good to finally get to Roseburg and get checked in to the Best Western. A short walk across the parking lot brought me to excellent Mexican food and the biggest margarita I've ever seen. Now that is a good way to end the day, IMHO.
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