Raven's Roads
Living an interesting life: the travels and musings
of motorcycling author Linda R. Moore

May 4, 2003

04 May 2003

Filed in Blog

Miles Today: 18.6
Miles This Month: 18.6
Miles This Year: 122.9

Landmark #644

The sky was grey and threatening as I set out this morning. In fact, I had got up especially early to ride when there was no traffic, but it was still raining when I did. Eventually it dried up, but…

I rode from the house and to the Martin Murphy historical park… a mere mile from my home, if that. I was unable to determine whether the bike was simply cold (it seemed not to want the choke though) or whether something were wrong… or just user error. Either way, it cleared up from the bucking bronco routine a bit later.

I parked in the car park, then scampered to the landmark. Using the auto timer thingie didn’t work, as the only useful place to do that was too far away and the zoom on my camera is a little hurt. (Switch broke - I still don’t know how - but it looks like something heavy landed on my camera :: sniff :: )

There was a homeless gentleman sitting there giving me funny looks as I leant against the marker in various poses, trying to find one that would allow me to fit all the salient things in. If a person can’t bring her bike to the marker, a view of the marker, the person and the ID placard is okay, but I don’t have a tripod. At least I now know it is just about possible to take a picture of myself…!

In-Between

Afterwards I left the little park and went to fill up with petrol, the first time I have done this on my own in the USA (hard to believe, I know). It was not a big deal, and yet it’s another little hurdle overcome, something else I know I can do (my mind works in very strange ways, sometimes).

A guy tried to sell me roses, but I showed him my bike and we laughed. I love roses, but I have a garden full…and I can’t imagine the poor flowers surviving long on my bike.

Next stop was the post office, to keep my promise to the Grand Tour organisers and post my application form off (they had a scanned copy before). Then I made it back to Karen’s house, where I met for a Cinco de Mayo brunch. I spent several hours there, meeting new people, having fun, and being variously cosseted or attacked by the six cats. Karen has a glorious garden, and I really did have a nice time. We talked of trips and looked at books and gazetteers of information. It did rain, but only a little.

Landmark #800

When it was time to leave, probably just a little before three, I decided to go and try for another landmark. I went a few miles along Sunnyvale Saratoga road, which turns into De Anza, and made a right on McClellan. Some way along there is a high school, and that is where the landmark is to be found. I was hasty in my photography, though, and while itw as intensely satisfying to feel that I was covering new ground, dealing with more traffic than I expected, and bagging a second landmark, I messed it up. The ID placard swung round in the wind, so can’t qualify as a game piece. I will have to go back. (But it’s not the end of the world, it will be a nice evening jaunt some day when I am too busy to ride during the daytime).

The speed bumps in the car park were interesting to ride over. Coming home was a little easier, though I do have difficulty sometimes seeing where the heck the lanes are going. It was nice to be able to keep going, with very few stop lights being red. I got a taste of “long distance” riding, without the interruptions. It’s different, and I like it.

When I got home, I had ridden 18.6 miles, the longest ride to date.