We pulled off the road early today because it is just too damn hot to ride any further.  Our progress had degenerated to pulling off at every exit for water and to soak up some gas station AC and it still wasn’t making the trip any more bearable.  By the time we got to Murdo it was registering 110 degrees outside.  That’s just not right.  We have 562 miles to go tomorrow until I can shower and dive into my king size bed. 

          The ride out of Sheridan was cool, really cool.  We had to put on the leather jackets.  The cool weather didn’t last long however and we were pealing layers within a couple of hours.  The day began rather interesting.  As we were having our complimentary coffee at the motel a gruff looking guy wearing a back pack wandered into the motel lobby.  We learned his name is Eddy-bear and he claims to be a two time hobo king from the national hobo convention held the second weekend in August each summer in Britt, Iowa.  Of course Eddy was in need of some spare change but when he asked us for it he was very passionate that we understand the distinction between a bum and a hobo.  You could tell the distinction was important to him because his eyes almost watered up as made his pitch.  There was a specific nobility about Eddy, I was glad to help him out a little and will never forget him. http://www.hobo.com/hobofaq.htm

          Additional drama for the day was witnessed between Sturgis and Rapid City where there was a huge wild fire burning along interstate 90.  As we rode by helicopters and airplanes were swarming the fire like bees doing their best to get control of the blaze.  The 110 degree temperature, a strong wind out of the south and 16 percent humidity were not on the fire fighters side.  What was remarkable about witnessing the battle of man vs. nature was how insignificant the amounts of water appeared in relation to the blaze.  The idea occurred to me that it was like spitting on a bonfire.  I’m sure that each load of water is strategically placed and their efforts were not in vain.  It just didn’t look like the dozens of helicopters were having much effect. 

          I’m glad I chose not to attend Sturgis this year.  There is road construction which restricts travel to one lane near the exit ramp to Sturgis off of Interstate 90.  That particular exit is a traffic nightmare under normal conditions and this year should prove unbearable.  I have waited 45 minutes to get off of the interstate at that exit when all lanes were open.  Good luck with that if you have plans of heading West in two weeks.

          We have a 3 AM wake up call scheduled and plan to be on the road at 4 AM to escape some of this oppressive heat.  Tomorrow:  Cedar Rapids, home sweet home.  I will put out a short post tomorrow describing the final leg of our journey and then on Sunday I will see if I can’t wrap this West Coast Tour segment up with a summation of the experience.  At the moment that seems like a tall task.  I truly have had a wonderful trip.  Thanks for keeping track of our journey.  See you tomorrow.

          It’s hard to believe that today may have been my favorite riding day when I look back at all of fantastic things we have seen over the last two weeks.  We got a late start Thursday as it appears we all needed the sleep.  The ride out of Great Falls was classic high plains touring.  Golden wheat fields shimmered in the high mountain sun.  The iridescent waves of grain seemed alive from the bursts of wind flowing down from the nearby mountains.  We stayed on HWY 89 all the way from Great Falls to Yellowstone and the road was a nice mix of straight shots and twisty curves.  The road occasionally would dip down into a luscious green gulch where there would be a small town or a crystal clear stream or both. 

          We entered Yellowstone and were treated to an abundant showing of wild life that included a herd of Buffalo.  To see the noble beasts which once numbered millions in a wild and natural habitat is always a special thing to witness.  While watching the herd graze in a Yellowstone pasture we struck up a conversation with two couples from Cleveland.  We compared notes on our travels and learned that it was Randy’s birthday.  He had wanted to see Buffalo and they had been searching for the herd for most of the day so he was content.  The other guy was admiring the soiled condition of our bikes; in particular Rick’s and commented something to the effect that he could tell we were not trailer toting weekend warriors.   He told Rick he should wear his road grime like a badge of honor.  Truer words were never spoken and Rick’s bike really is a mess.

          After Yellowstone we made our way to Bear Tooth Pass, HWY 212 which runs basically from Yellowstone to Billings.  We had intended to double back and catch Chief Joseph HWY as well but time was not on our side.  It didn’t matter because Bear Tooth Pass was an event all in its own.  I had mentioned that Glacier National Park held the epitome of what mountains should be and it does but today was something entirely different.  The difference in the two rides was that Bear Tooth Pass actually goes over the Rocky Mountains.  The switchbacks seemed endless as we climbed ever higher on our way to touch the sky.  We actually got to a point where we were looking down on snow covered mountains.  The rocky landscape was mixed with grasses, pine trees and explosions of yellow and purple mountain flowers.  High altitude lakes reflected the surrounding mountains like giant looking glasses.  This is a road that you really need to make plans to travel at least one time in your life. 

          Coming down the backside of the Rockies HWY 212 dumps into a charming but ever so commercial little town called Red Lodge.  As we passed through town a group of wanna-be bikers were backing their glittering Harleys into spots on the street in front of bars sporting “Welcome Biker” signs.  The area is already gearing up for the onslaught of weekend warriors known as Sturgis.  The sixty year old men in shorts and sandals with gold chains and scantily clad women half their age looked up as we rumbled through town.  I was certain they wanted to throw us a Harley wave but I rejected their gesture by looking straight ahead.  Sorry, I just don’t feel that a guy who tows his bike behind a 100,000 dollar motor home and then rides it into town to be seen is worthy of my recognition.  Perhaps that was a jaded and smug outlook to take but the 4,000 miles we have logged so far on this trip earned me that digression. 

          About the Harley wave; having traveled from coast to coast this year it has been a refreshing constant that when ever you pass another rider going in the opposite direction you almost always catch “the wave”.  To do it right you need to keep your wave below your handlebars and it typically helps if you point one finger or flash a peace sign at the traveler going in the opposite direction.  I don’t get to caught up in checking to be sure they are on a Harley because we are all out doing what we love, catching a little wind in the hair.  And wind in the hair is accurate now that we are back in civilization.  Two things bothered me about the West Coast.  First, helmet laws, I have written in this space before that there are statistically more deaths per 1000 accidents in states that have helmet laws.  Helmet laws need to go away.  The second thing that I didn’t like about the West Coast was no smoking in restaurants.  I will get over that however because I have decided to drop the ugly habit when I return to Iowa.  I figure if Lori from www.hahnathome.com can do it I should be able to.  Wish me luck with that.

          Tomorrow we are jumping on the road early in the hopes of making it to Sioux Falls SD.  There may be a slight problem because this section is crawling with State Troopers.  Hells Angels is having a national gathering in Cody, Wyoming this week and Troopers have been brought in from all surrounding states to keep things under control.  The locals here are livid because the reality of the influx of law enforcement has been, what they describe, is a harassment of tourists.  I’m not sure if that is accurate or not but we have seen a large number of mini-vans and motor homes pulled over along the road.  I’m a little sad that with the exception of 266 miles of our trip tomorrow we will be pounding the super slab for the remaining 1067 miles to home.  There will be a glimpsing of Devil’s Tower and a quick stop into Sturgis but other than that the most exciting thing about tomorrows post may involve my ability to mooch some free food at one of our gas stops.  That’s just the way I roll.  Happy Friday!   

          You know what I love most about America?  I love the people!  Every stop we make we end up talking with people who are curious about who we are, where we are from, where we are going and where we have been.  Great people; like the guy we met in Kalispell, Mt who is a rider and wants to make a trip to the coast this fall on his bike.  His son is getting married in September and he isn’t sure if the weather or his wife will cooperate for taking his Harley.  He may end up four wheeling it but I bet he has a good time either way.  Our next cool contact was with a biker, 10 speed, from Wisconsin.  He was telling us he rented a car and hauled his bike to Seattle and he is riding home.  He was kind enough to snap the photo above of the three of us at the entrance to Mt. Rainier.  Big Mountains, can you imagine, riding a damn bike?  This guy, in spite of being a Packer fan, is perhaps tougher than I ever want to be.  Then there was a guy in Choteau, MT. who was picking up a pizza with his son.  He was complaining about the heat and wondered how we were holding up on our bikes and what we thought of Glacier.  The heat was pretty mild by the standards of this trip but I guess it was warm from what he was used to.  He was driving a fairly new Hummer.  Normally I would have rolled my eyes about a guy in a Hummer, you know, all the normal “Die Yuppie Scum” thoughts but this guy was cool because it was a working Hummer.  He used it to navigate the rough countryside of Montana where he frequently has to pull a gooseneck trailer full of lumber or livestock.  Our favorite visit of the day was maybe with Alan and Reta who were fellow Iowans out heading the opposite direction we are but basically making a reverse trip of what we are making.  They hail from Counsel Bluffs where Reta sells herbs, vitamins and minerals.  She is also into Aromatherapy, homeopathic and therapeutic magnetic jewelry.  If you are into that type of natural healing you may wish to drop her an email at rrnsp@att.net

          Okay, about today; we left Sand Point, ID after enjoying our requisite complimentary continental breakfast and made our way to Glacier National Park.  We found HWY 2 out of Sand Point and we were immediately rewarded with spectacular scenic pine covered mountains and pristine mountain lakes and streams.  A light haze distilled the panoramic views of the mountains and valleys and created a dream like aura to the morning ride.  Northern Idaho was traversed quickly and we found ourselves in Montana as the morning fogs were burning off.  I am struggling to describe the spiritual nature of the scenic splendors I am witnessing day to day on this trip.  Truly God’s hand is at play to create such incredible landscapes. 

          From a distance of about 70 miles we began to see the blue black shadows of the Rocky Mountains on the Horizon.  My first impression was that the mountain range was somewhat foreboding in its various shades of indigo, purple, gray and black.  The closer we got to the mountains the more excited I became as the impressive range began to take definition and the darker colors began to be replaced by a full spectrum of vivid greens, reds and browns.  After leaving Kalispell, with a shortcut through town provided by our friend at the convenience store, we began our assent into the Rockies.  Within an hour we found ourselves in Glacier National Park.  I must admit that our friend from the previous evening in Sand Point was correct when he claimed that “The Road To The Sun” would make the entire trip worthwhile.  Glacier National Park is represents the epitome of what I have always imagined mountains would be.  Rugged peaks that invoked a sense of dizziness when looking up and valleys so deep that they caused a bit of queasiness when viewed as we rode up the mountain were definitive of today’s ride.  There is something very unique about looking out over your right shoe as you round a bend on a Harley and seeing nothing but a 2000 foot drop to the valley floor below.  The Glacial melt off and resultant streams and waterfalls of crystal clear water had a fairytale quality that created a surreal experience.  Did I enjoy myself today?  I think so.  So I got that going for me.

          Leaving Glacier we caught HWY 89 and the first 20 miles were marked by left and right sweeper curves that created an almost hypnotic rhythm to the ride.  Steve and Rick agreed that the left and right sweeping turns created the sensation of being rocked to sleep.  This isn’t to say that we were sleepy so much as that the ride was relaxing to the very marrow of our bones.    

          After the initial 20 miles of twisty downhill curves HWY 89 morphed into a flat out drag strip straight away.  Twenty mile stretches provided us the opportunity to resort to the past time we enjoyed so completely on HWY 50 across Nevada.  We opened up the big twin motors and hammered our way to Great Falls at 90 mph.  God I love my life! 

I got an email today from Scott, a great friend back home.  He said, “You aren’t coming back are ya?”  It’s tempting Scott, really tempting.

          Tomorrow:  Yellowstone and then Bear Tooth HWY and the Chief Joseph HWY; two more highways that are ranked among the top 10 motorcycle highways in the United States.  Four of the top 10 in one trip is the stuff dreams are made of, don’t wake me up!

          Today we rode HWY 410 around Mt. Rainier.  The first part of the morning was spent climbing and climbing and we still never were able to get half way up the mountain.  The picture above is about as high as we could get and still see the entire mountain.  I’m telling ya, it’s a huge freegin rock.  Climbing was fun but the trip down the back side of HWY 410 was breathtaking as the highway followed the American river for the entire run down the mountainside.  The river was at times following a 5 to 7 percent grade and the rapid moving water crashed over boulders and rocks and small waterfalls.  The crystal clear water, along the highway, was choppy and fast moving and made for a beautiful ride.

          Eventually we left HWY 410 and jumped on HWY 12 to Yakima where we made a wrong turn on Interstate 82 and headed further South into Washington.  That ended up working out okay for us because eventually we caught HWY 310 and followed it up through the high desert to I-90 so make our way to Spokane.  The road was set high on the brown mountainside but overlooked a lush green river valley.  We rolled down the super slab at 95 miles an hour powering our way towards our final destination of Sand Point, Idaho.  (They grow potatoes here but we didn’t see any.)  There is a naval testing facility in Sand Point where the US Navy does submarine testing.  The lake is 1400 feet deep and local legend has it that there is an underground tunnel to Seattle and Submarines have been known to be seen in Lake Pend Orielle one day and on the West Coast several days later.  Okay we heard that story at Slates Restaurant and Lounge in Ponderay, ID and the story may have evolved from someone spending too much time there but who am I to argue? 

          While in Sand Point we ventured to nearby Ponderay for dinner and it seems to be a recurring theme that if I am treated well somewhere I would recommend it to you.  So here is the plug.  If you ever find yourself in northern Idaho you need to make time to visit Steve Coffman at Slates Restaurant and Lounge.  You gotta love a place where the owner will take time out of his busy schedule to talk with you and ensure that you enjoy your visit.  Another customer of the Restaurant, who has a grand daughter attending the U of Iowa on a gymnastics scholarship, told us that no matter what we have seen on our trip so far Glacier National Park will be the event that makes the trip worthwhile.  Pretty strong words considering what we have witnessed so far.  That kind of excites me about Wednesdays ride.

          Oops, I did it again!  I have to throw a shout out to a wonderful lady named Nicole.  We had been riding hard and were possibly flirting with heat stroke and pulled in for gas and Gatorade at Ritzville, Washington.  We were about done with our break when Nicole walked out of the convenience store to ask her family if any of them needed anything else to drink.  She didn’t specify whom she was speaking too so I told her I could use another Gatorade.  She laughed and proceeded to take her friends and families order and returned into the store.  The next thing I knew she walked out and pulled a fresh blue Gatorade from her bag and handed it to me.  Ya gotta love a lady like that!  She reminded me of the licorice sharing traveler I wrote about on the first day post. 

          We got to talking with Nicole and her family, they were from Montana, and they told us they were on their way to Washington to go to a Christian concert.  Very cool.  It looks like it would be a spectacular event but we needed to continue our push East.  You can check out the line up that Nicole and her friends will see at: http://www.creationfest.com/nw Pretty much everybody who is anybody in Christian Rock will be performing at this concert. 

          Enjoy the pics, I gotta get some sleep.  Big day tomorrow.  Ridin’ in the Rockies.  God I love my life!

            Sorry the post was late.  I needed to find a wireless hotspot.  I finally stopped into a Seattle Starbucks.  There is so much right or wrong with that depending on your view of the world.  Have a great day. 

            I’ve written in this space before about Harley Brotherhood and the loyalty of dealers and their customers.  My ride today was fantastic, it was a day of bridges, seashores and forest shaded highway.  The bridges across various bays along the coast were spectacular but none were as majestic as the Astoria Bridge over the Columbia River.  The architecture is classic iron work and rises what seems to be 200 feet above the river.  The crossing is at the delta where the river meets the Pacific and also works as the state line between Oregon and Washington. 

          Coastal Oregan was as beautiful as Northern California with big beaches on one side of the road and sheer rock mountain on the other.  The temperature remained in the mid sixties for most of my day.  Once I made it into Washington I took a hard right hand turn and made my way down to HWY 4 which followed the Columbia River inland.  It was unique to see sail-boards, motorboats and oil tankers navigating the same waterway. 

          I jumped up onto Interstate 5 to make some time on my way to Puyallup, WA where we spent the night with John Meyers who is a friend of Rick’s from back in the day.  John moved out West in 1999 and was kind enough to put us up for the night.  On my way into town two things happened.  First, I was doing 85 mph in a 60 zone and caught the attention of a Washington State Trooper.  I made my way to the right hand lane and was preparing to pull over as he hovered in my blind spot where I assume he was calling in my plate.  I gulped hard and began to slow to pull to the shoulder but for some unknown reason he turned off his lights.  I still wasn’t sure that I was out of trouble when all of a sudden he turned his lights back on, accelerated and raced up the next exit ramp.  Not sure what happened there but I dug it.

          After the adrenalin rush I began to tire and I was only about 30 miles from my day end destination so I figured it would be a good time to pull over, top off the tank and call Gimp and Gizmo to see what the plan was.  I made my way off the next exit ramp and as I prepared to down shift…Shit!  Evidently my repair job in Salt Lake City sucked cuz I had managed to lose all of my shift linkage.  Bummer.  I had rolled too far up the interstate to get back on the road so the only hope I had was to get to someplace that could help me jerry-rig a shifting solution.  This is where my Karma kicked in.  Would you believe that at the top of the exit ramp my eyes laid upon the most beautiful orange and black bar and shield logo I had ever seen?  North West Harley Davidson!  What a damn fine place to put a dealership.

          I had made great time again.  I left the Coos Bay Harley Dealership, where I had stopped to buy T-shirts for my buddy Adam and my neighbor Amanda who is tending my mail and the attack cat, at about 10 AM.  The Coos Bay Harley Dealership is the Western most dealership in the lower 48.  So they got that going for them.  North West Harley Davidson is in Lacey Washington, just south of Olympia.  www.nwharley.com It was about 6 pm when I limped into the dealership, lugging my Harley in 5^th gear and was fortunate enough to find that they were open until seven.  I counted my blessings and made my way to the parts counter and that is where I met Jason.  I told him my problem and right away I detected a slight glimpse of remorse cross his brow.  It seems the parts I needed have been in high demand of late.  He regrouped and recalled that he had recently ordered a large quantity and began checking the receiving records to see if the part had arrived but not yet been inventoried.  At this point things took a turn for the worse.  The expected ship date for the parts I need was August 31^st!  Before I could begin to freak out or go ape shit Jason told me not to worry.  Knowing I was looking like I was about to be stranded 2000 miles from home Jason went to the show room floor and actually removed one of the parts I needed from their floor stock. 

          I really don’t know how anybody could expect service like that from any type of merchandiser but to be honest, it solidified in my mind what is great about being associated with Harley-Davidson.  Jason had my parts in hand in no time asked if he could do anything else and thanked me for my business.  Great Service?  That isn’t the end of it.  The store was closing as I was finishing my repair in their parking lot and Jason took the time to keep me company before he made his way for home.  There aren’t a lot of guys out there who would go that extra yard as Jason did.  Jason rocks and if you are ever in Lacey, Washington you ought to stop in and spend some money there.  Thanks Jason! 

          Tomorrow, Mt. Ranier and a tour of the Cascades.  See you then.

          OH MY GOD!  The day began with breakfast with Lori and Doreen.  Breakfast was wonderful, Doreen, whom I had heard much of, was a hoot.  Saying goodbye was a little difficult because saying goodbye to people you care about is always a hard thing to do.  None the less, I had places to go, a long way to go and a short time to get there.  It was already pushing the mid-90s when I got on the road.  I traveled 540 miles and ended up in Coos Bay, Oregon.  During the ride I was at times so hot that it was painful and then so cold my teeth were chattering.  Quite a ride, it was.  Traffic was almost super natural in the way that it opened up before me.  I did have to do a bit of lane sharing and double yellow line passing but ended up completing the 540 miles in a little less than 12 hours.  Pretty remarkable when you understand how much time I was having fun dragging metal through 15 and 20 mph marked curves along the Pacific Coast Highway.

          Okay, you want details?  Here ya go.  Dr. Hahn recommended I take I-5 out of Sacramento to California State Highway 20.  Being the obedient man that I am I took her advice and what wonderful advice it proved to be.  State Hwy 20 cuts from Central California to the Coast with a magnificent collection of twists and turns through the Coastal and Klamath Mountain Ranges.  Nestled along Hwy 20 is Clear Lake, a huge lake, that was filled with boaters and swimmers trying to escape the 110 degree heat.  After Clear Lake the road entered a redwood forest and I snaked my way through the giants until reaching the Pacific Coast Hwy at Fort Bragg.

          My first glimpses of the Ocean were breathtaking.  Not only was the expanse of the water phenomenal but the temperature dropped what felt like 50 degrees.  The temperature change was abrupt occurring in a distance of only a few miles as I made my way down the mountainside to the coast.  The sea air experience was short lived, however as Hwy 1 turned back inland to another redwood forest.  I knew I was going to like the ride because a sign indicated that truckers should use caution because of steep grades and reduced speed curves for the next 22 miles.  I was digging my floorboards into the pavement and slamming through the gears as I muscled my bike through the forest.  The temperature again rose to nearly unbearable triple digits but I was having too much fun to let the heat bother me.  The smell of the redwoods was rich in the woodlands and occasionally the scent of the sea air could be noticed.  One patch of forest was filled with Eucalyptus trees and the ever present scent of pine made the ride enjoyable.  Perhaps one of my favorite parts of this ride were the flashes of light exploding on the chrome of the Harley's steering head and windshield when the sun was able to penetrate the thick forest canopy above the road.  It was like riding under a strobe light and I my riding was like dancing to nature’s light show. 

          The road finally made its way back to the coast where I was able to witness big beaches which had row after row of white caps crashing upon the coast.  The Northern California Coast has huge rock formations jutting out of the surf off of the coast and the wave’s crash upon them shooting high into the air in a white splash of unstoppable power.  Upon pulling over and witnessing the wave’s crash upon the shore you could not escape the overwhelming sense of power of a tide that could not be stopped.  Riding up and down the mountainside the road alternates between breathtaking views of the ocean below to racing along the shoreline where the mist of the water can be felt.  It is no misstatement that the Pacific Coast Hwy is among the best motorcycling roads on the planet. 

          I pulled into Coos Bay Oregon just as the sun was beginning its final decent of the day.  I felt certain my timing was impeccable as it appeared certain that a storm was rolling in off of the coast.  As I checked into my motel I asked the clerk if rain was in the forecast and she told me that what I was seeing was not rain clouds but a heavy fog.  She then informed me that heavy fogs at sunset are indicative of splendid weather the following day.  A guy could get used to living out here. 

          A final thought on Sacramento.  I had the most wonderful time and experience in Sacramento.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that my four days with my friends in Sacramento rank with the best experiences of my life.  What was unique for me, a husband and father of three wonderful children, who makes his home in a main stream middle of the country domicile, was that I was welcomed into an environment that does not have a lot in common with the world I normally walk in.  I spent four days as a welcome visitor in a Gay Community.  Never was I treated skeptically as an outsider for my hetero-sexual nature.  I was visiting as a friend “in the family” and welcomed with open arms. 

What did I see?  I saw beautiful hearts and minds going about life the way that everyone does.  I do believe I saw a stronger sense of community and a greater proclivity to look out for each other than one might see in the straight world.  I heard stories of love and joy, pain and sorrow.  To be Gay seems, for those who are, to be both wonderful and arduous.  There is a lot of sadness that results from situations that involve death from Aides and suicide.  Sometimes living a life that is the only way a person finds to be fulfilling can be too much when weighed against intolerance and prejudice from an uncaring and uneducated outside world.  I heard stories of people on their death bed who were not able to have their life partners by their sides because intolerant families could not accept the choices their children had made.  I heard stories of families who had shunned their relation for years step in after a death and deny the very people who loved their abandoned family member a presence at their funeral. 

It is my hope that anybody who may have intolerance for people with an alternative lifestyle might get the opportunity to witness what I witnessed this week.  If you oppose Gay marriage, if you feel that Gay relationships are somehow immoral I would suggest that you only need see the joy in the hearts and eyes of those whom you judge before you are qualified to speak of such nonsense.   In spite of the adversity of an intolerant world the people I spent time with are usually able to set aside the negatives and go about their lives in a very rich and fulfilling manner.  I learned a lot about caring for your friends and caring for those you love from some remarkable people in California.  I am proud to call them my friends.

          It will be hard to leave Sacramento but it is now time.  Lori, Viv and Angie were wonderful hosts and are just lovely people to be around.  Today Angie was tour guide and took us to the Napa Valley.  We visited and sampled wine at three Vineyards.  Domaine Carnevos, Prager and Flora Springs were the stops of choice.  There are more mainstream wineries but Angie seems to be quite the student and lead us to some quality wineries.  Domaine Carnevos is a beautiful winery rather what one would imagine a winery to be.  This was our first stop and we had some lovely sparkling wines with an assortment of nuts, dried fruits and cheeses to keep our palate fresh and to compliment the robust flavors of the fruited quaff.  Okay, I ain’t gonna bull shit ya.  I couldn’t begin to make a description of what I experienced beyond I like what I like and I liked most of what I sampled today. 

          Prager was a special little stop because it is one of the few wineries in the United States that produce a port, of which I am known to be partial.  It was nice to taste Port among the casks of my favored spirit but I guess there is just no beating the real thing from Portugal.  Our final stop was Flora Springs who is a regional favorite primarily for their unique blend called Trilogy.  It was a lovely wine, so much so that even at $60 per bottle I was not dissuaded from purchasing a bottle for our evening dinner. 

          Heat has been a constant theme of my posts and tomorrow I will be back on the road making my way to join Rick and Steve in Washington.  I have about a two day ride ahead of me.  Through the miracle of the internet the fella’s have been keeping touch and I have put a couple of pics online that show just a little of what they have been up to.  Today it reached 112 degrees in Sacramento and even the locals are thinking that is just plain hot.  After sipping wine in the not much cooler Napa Valley we returned home mid afternoon and everyone just opted for a nap.  I was good with that. 

          Sunday is the Pacific Coast Highway for me after breakfast with Lori and some of her friends.  I could stay here forever, I feel at home here, but it isn’t my home and there are roads to be ridden, mountains to be climbed and sweeping curves to be swept.  A heart felt thanks goes out to Lori, Viv, and Angie.  I love you guys.

http://www.florasprings.com

http://www.pragerport.com/home.html

http://www.domaine.com