1-SEP-2022
This is the day I have been dreading. I had been staying with Ralph and Mona for about a week, then went away for two days and came back for a couple of nights. I knew today was going to be tough. It’s been great spending this much time with Ralph, and we’ve had a great time working on the bikes and doing odd chores around the house. I know it was going to be hard for Ralph as well, as he was secretly sticking Dymo labels to all my stuff when I wasn’t looking. That’s his way of showing his love. I have laughed out loud each time when I discover one of these and didn’t yet realize I would be finding them over the next few days. I did get a few minutes unsupervised as well, and immediately dug out his label machine and made a few of my own labels to leave for him. On the shelf above his workbench Ralph has very well organized (of course) shoe boxes with labels on them. Everything organized, everything in its place. He had just received new shoes so I grabbed the box, put a label on it that said “Disorganized Stuff” and put it amongst the others. Inside was a sticker that said “Made you look”.
It doesn’t matter how old you get, you can always be a kid. You just need another kid to play with.
As I was packing I noticed that the lid of my plastic jar was sporting a new label. I opened the lid, and found another label inside.
I’m going to miss you too Ralph…
We both did our best to maintain our composure and said our goodbyes, then I hit the road around lunch time. I had originally wanted to take Highway 299 East towards Weaverville, CA. It’s been on my bucket list for a while but at this moment the north side of the road was mostly on fire, it would be covered in smoke, and we were in the middle of a heat wave. I opted to head south to Fortuna, jump on CA36 East and then North on CA3 to Douglas City back to CA299, thereby bypassing the fires and hopefully all the smoke.
CA36 was a really nice twisty road, and this part of California really shows you how there are so many different climates in such a small geographical area. When I left Arcata it was in the low 50’s, but when I started heading east, every half hour brought 5 or 10 degrees of heat. I remember the bike display showing 69 degrees, hoping for just a little more so that I could enjoy that optimum 72 degree riding temperature. And then it happened. 70.. 72.. there, that’s perfect. oh.. 74.. 80..84..91.. wait a minute now…
I stopped watching the thermometer on my dash and started watching the road a lot more. The road was getting really twisty, with tight turns combining with elevation changes such that as you crest every hill you still aren’t always certain which way the road goes on the other side. I was really enjoying this twisty section, and was using all the skills I had accumulated during my days of commuting through Deals Gap and The Dragon. The bike was amazing, and I was really impressed with how well the Continental Trail Attack 2’s I had found on closeout were performing, when I had the thought that maybe they are sticky because of the heat… Hmmm.. let’s see.. that’s when I saw this…
That’s 43C which certainly explains why they are so sticky. Being 3,000 miles from home on a fully loaded bike, I was enjoying the ride but not pushing it, or so I thought. I know different tires have different profiles. I was able to get the rear all the way over to the edge but not the front. With other brands I have gotten all of the front tire on the ground but not all of the rear. Every manufacturer has their own ‘ideal’ profile. The tires did get a little hot though. This is what fun looks like.
After stopping to drink a bunch of water and rehydrate, I got back on the road and made my way to the In -N-Out Burger in Redding. Sure it’s fast food, but it’s done right. And they have kick ass air conditioning which I enjoyed, as the local temp was now 44C/111F which ended up being my high for the day. I continued east and as I was riding through Susanville I spotted a pizza place in front of a motel with an outdoor pool. The Trifecta.. time to stop for the day, float in the pool and reflect on 250 miles of twisty roads and great memories.