2008 first ride over the pass

You hear about Cabin Fever but seldom see or feel it. I got to experience it this year. Work, eat, sleep...repeat. Do that day after day after day. That's been my world since December. I was lucky to be able to ride into December of last year because the weather was so nice. But by mid December the rain started. In fact, I think we go a whole years worth in a month and a half.

I have been super busy at work for the last couple of months and also working from dark to dark. That can make me a dull boy and a bit cranky.

So when the weather turned nice and the roads dried off mother nature started calling my name. Mother nature and I are on first name bases by the way. She calls me Polo and I call her Mother!

I started checking the weather on Wednesday before the weekend. Checked Sacramento side then checked the Nevada side. Yep both areas will be rain free. All the lights are green and by Friday I had decided to go.

I was ready to leave around 9:30am on Saturday with the weather being Sunny and Warm! First real trip of the year and I was looking forward to feeling lake I was on a road trip. It wasn't until about Placerville (30 miles from home) that I began to relax and feel like I was on a bike ride.

Just after Placerville (around 2000 feet) I started to see some snow. Just a patch here and there but I was a little worried because it was so low.

I hit Pollock Pines and the temp started to drop. From here you drop down into a canyon that never gets any sun. I was reading 51 degrees before I enter the canyon and by the time I got to Ice House road 5 miles down the road the temp had dropped 15 degrees to 36. From Ice house it starts to warm up again and another 5 miles down the road it was back in the high 40s again.

Kyburz is another 8 miles up the road and kinda special to me. We had a rally there back in 05 and it turned out to be pretty wild. So every time I pass this place I smile.

Here is the Hotel everyone stayed at. It was warm with no snow back then.

Kyburz is not a big town. In fact, to give you an example of how big it is, here is their welcome and exit sign.

It's about this time that I'm really enjoying the ride. My stress had been sucked from my body the same way those foot pads remove the toxins from your body when you put them on your feet. I felt my spiritual and philosophy sides emerging, I found myself thinking what was all that fuss last week about.

As I closed in on the top of the pass (over 7000 feet) I wondered how cold it would be. Turned out it was only 41 degrees, not bad at all. The sun was out and as long as I was in the sun I fell warm.

It was heaven up here, everything was so bright and white. I felt my body being cleansed from last weeks dark and damp weather.

I just wanted to set out a chair and just hang out here for awhile.

One more peak before I head over the pass.

Up and over the pass then you drop over 1500 feet back into Lake Tahoe. As I pulled into town I almost didn't recognize it. Snow lined the streets, over 6 feet high, on both sides of the road.

Once through Lake Tahoe I climb another ridge to 7000 feet then droped 3000 feet into the Nevada/Carson City Valley. You get some great views on this road. Pictures just don't show how beautiful it is up here.

Once I hit Carson City it's a straight shot for the next 60 miles to Silver Springs. I lock the throttle, turn up the music and enjoy the scenery.

Another hour later I pull up to Ronnie's and Claudine's new store. Can't miss it because it's right on the main drag. Ronnie gets involved at this point and the camera goes back in the bag.

It's always good to see Ronnie. He has such enthusiasm for riding and it's additive, and before we know it we are talking about our next ride. I didn't get any pictures of Ronnie but I did try out my new video camera and got some short movie clips of him.

Got to meet Ronnie's daughter, granddaughter and grandson. Had a lovely dinner from Claudine (who is also a joy to hang out with) and hit the rack about 10pm.

Next morning we are all treated to a French toast breakfast then Ronnie and I ride down to the store.