After a final burst of convention floor frenzy, packing a box of business clothes and literature for shipping home, it was back to the hotel for departure. The beginning of a nine day vacation had arrived. The freeways the GPS chose to route me out of town lacked diamond commuter lanes. Nonetheless, traffic flowed smoothly after a noon departure. Did I mention that drivers hauls ass down here? Soon I was riding in view of the Pacific Ocean up the coast through Santa Barbara, and beyond almost to Lompoc. Here I turned off a little road that dead ends at Jalama [View Full Entry]

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The third and final day of the Seattle-LA run dawned clear and warm. The overnight low in Death Valley was 66F. Watching the dawn with coffee and granola bar began a relaxed morning. Struck camp and rolled out about 0900, headed for LA. The route ran South out of Furnace Creek, a side loop around Artist's Drive, and along Badwater Basin. A nice surprise for those who love twisty roads, the Badwater Road South out of Death Valley follows the East margin of the valley, along the foot of the Amargosa Range. A steady series of alluvial fans running out [View Full Entry]

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The initial plan, thwarted by weather, would have seen Day 2 of the ride running South from SE Oregon, through Nevada into Death Valley. Instead, from Red Bluff, California, the route to Death Valley would be SE via Reno and along the Western diagonal of the Nevada border. This is where the high wind warning was in effect for severe crosswinds. Instead the plan was to run south to Bakersfield, then over the South shoulder of the Sierras and NE to Death Valley. The long way around. I-5 and Hwy 99 run basically parallel down the length of California. A navigation [View Full Entry]

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On Thursday morning March 27th at 0700 departure time, an unseasonably cold weather system from Alaska was crossing the Washington coastline. Temps near freezing and snow flurries created a cold and painful start to the ride. Snow on the helmet visor required only a couple of wipes as I bore South toward Portland. The temps never rose above 40F until approaching Eugene as I slabbed it down I-5. The initial option of traveling down central Oregon and Nevada was abandoned with forecast freezing temps and severe cross-winds in the Great Basin desert. Experience as proven (in Nev [View Full Entry]

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A few days out from departure, and the weather has become center-stage in the run up to launch. This year's big ride combines business with pleasure. Five days of the 2008 AORN Congress in Anaheim is the excuse to ride south for a Spring trip. The Association of peri-Operative Registered Nurses is holding it's annual Congress on the West coast. Several thousand OR nurses and I will convene is sunny California for nearly of week of professional enrichment and growth. The trip plan calls for a three-day ride south, Thurs-Sat, Saturday night with Jill and Norm in Woodland Hills, and Sund [View Full Entry]

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