The First Harley Trip, 2014 Part 13: The Ride Home

The First Harley Trip, 2014

Part 13: The Ride Home

"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end." Ursula K. LeGuin

          Hotrod and I headed south on 395 for about 3 hours riding thru rural farmlands, scenic mountains, and valley roads that followed  mountain streams.

When we came to the small town of Mt. Vernon, we filled our gas tanks and said our good byes. He headed west on 26 back to Powell Butte and I continued south on 395 towards Sierra Madre, a two day ride.

          The mountains soon turned into high desert where weather patterns can change with little warning. In the far distance, maybe 20 miles ahead of me, I could see massive thunder clouds developing.  395 became very remote and was just a 2 lane highway without a shoulder, far away from any real civilization. Had it not been for the blacktop road, the surrounding scenery would have looked more like a covered wagon trail out of an old Gun Smoke episode.

           As I found myself directly under the thunder clouds, it did not take long for the rainy drizzle to turn into a torrential downpour. My visibility was reduced to about 45 feet and my speed to about 20 MPH. Without a shoulder on the side of the road, I was unable to pull over and wait out the storm. My fear was that if a semi came speeding up behind me at a higher speed, he might not have enough time to slow down before he saw me. After 10 minutes or so, the rain turned into hail; enough to whiten the entire road and create an ice ball that sat in my lap.  Now that is cold.

          The hail subsided but the rain did not. Eventually, I found an old abandoned building that had a roof overhang that stretched out from the building far enough for me to take cover.

Sorry Dorothy, not enough room for the both of us. After waiting out the storm, I was able to continue on to the next town. I found McDonalds’ golden arches and tanked up on some hot coffee while I tried to dry off a bit.

Heading south again, the temperatures rose as I went through the Nevada desert. By this time, I was ready to be home. I made it as far as Reno, Nevada. I found a cheap motel next to a Subway Sandwich shop. I bought a footlong turkey-bacon-avocado on honey oat bread and settled in for the night.

In the early morning, I headed south down the 395 through the Nevada and California desert. Temperatures were exactly what one would expect during the summer, HOT!

I made the 600 plus mile trip in one day pulling into my driveway by early evening. I was exhausted, saddle sore, and happy to be back in Sierra Madre, 4600 miles later.