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

May 10, 2005

The last days

I left at a little past eight in the morning on Friday, and said goodbye to Arizona and Raven’s Roads not long afterwards. I got kind of emotional crossing back into California.

I-40 was windy, what a surprise. I had gone from sightseeing mode to just plain arriving mode. I stopped at a middle of nowhere gas station with a funny sign which explained why the gasoline cost $3.60 a gallon - absolutely the most expensive I’d paid, anywhere. I’ll do a photo post in a little while.

I called Don and we arranged to meet in Barstow. We arrived within ten minutes of one another and met at a Denny’s, staying in the rather shabby motel opposite. Didn’t realise that Barstow was part of Route 66, which would explain the neat buildings and historical stuff here and there.

We explored a bit, and I got to ride on back and absolve myself of all responsibility for anything, which was grand. We got shopping and later on we went to see “Hitch Hiker’s Guide”, which was hollywoodified but also very funny at times. Worth a look if you’re not a purist and don’t mind silly and pointless plot additions (though I have to say the scene with the depressed Vogons was hilariously funny and still makes me giggle).

They left it wide open for a sequel.

On Saturday, we left and picked up 58 across the Mojave. The road was intense and I lost my mojo towards the end, being tired. There was just so…*much* of it…and fast and downhill and twisty.

And then we were about done with the desert…back to California slightly scorched-looking hilly farmaland. Home-stuff.

We got onto highway 46 which at that end of the road was straight and fun, but we were both tired and pulled up at Lost Hills, which turned out to be at a truck stop which turned out to have cheap wireless. Wheee!

We had an argument about when to leave in the morning, which meant I didn’t get anywhere close to a full night’s sleep and we were both grouchy when we left in the afternoon.

The last day, Sunday, we took bets on when it would rain. I said King City and Don said Salinas. The first sprinkles came just before King City, so I won. It also rained a few sprinkles in Salinas, and a few more in Gilroy. In other words, it was hardly worth a mention - there were these two big cloud systems and we seemed to be riding down a tunnel between them. Quite astonishing, really.

I had to take two naps in order to keep going, but it worked. Each ten minutes buys you an hour. I wouldn’t have gone if I hadn’t have felt I could do it - I’m not stupid. I’d rather sleep and ride 30 miles home than never make the 30 miles home and I know my limits.

We got to the Bay Area where suddenly the road surface was vile - pitted with potholes and ruts that dragged at my bike’s tyres - and it was exceptionally windy as the next major storm system got ready to dump its water on us…overnight.

Home. Photos. Email. Shower. Food. BED!