Return to sanity

The last day

Leaving San Francisco with nothing but great feelings about our trip and time with George. Granted the bikes were not the best and we looked like old shuffling men on the hiking trail and George snored and engaged in other forms of questionable behavior regarding restaurant selection and which route to take, but this was still fantastic. It is always good to leave home and spend a week or so with George and it is always good to return.

We had a great meal at the balboa cafe in sf last night. George was quite upset at the couple sitting next to us because they were on a date, sitting too close and, most significantly, were far apart in age. I am not sure why this inspired George's ire but his comments grew louder after the third beer. Outside, I noted that the couple was of consenting age and asked what harm they were doing. George pondered the question, took his iphone out to text, and then looked up "Nothing, I suppose." So would it have been better not to have been so critical? "I guess so," he said before returning to his machine.

I think we sometimes underestimate the importance of humor and most importantly the need to laugh at ourselves. George reminds me, without saying it, that we have no business taking ourselves too seriously. Thank you for your friendship, George, and thank you for making me laugh so hard that I came close to returning to sanity. Not complete sanity, of course, or I would not be so excited about next year's trip.
- Eric
-----------


We're on-board flight back to Boston. Storms back east delayed our departure by an hour. No worries. Relaxed and content. Bring on the stress. It won't phase me.

The ride back yesterday was easy until the end. We took the back roads through Clayton and Concord and Walnut Creek. Vast expanse of hills, fields and farms. Exquisite!

Unfortunately, we had to take the freeway for the last 10 miles. 10 lanes, 65 mph speed limit with insane drivers. One creep took umbrage to my going 60 mph in the 2nd lane. He zoomed up behind be, leaned on his horn for awhile, then pulled along side, waved his arms, gave me the finger and took off. Ah, city life. In my zen state I simply smiled, mouthed to him to have a nice day and resumed my singing.

We returned the bikes two hours early, fearing that we would face penalty charges for the bike damage. Happily, the owner. a wonderful German named Wolfgang, wave it off as minor scuff marks and charged us nothing. "Glorious," as Laura would say. Loved the toilet


paper holder in Wolfgang's bathroom. See photo.

Stayed at the downtown Westin last night. We don't deserve such luxury but I'll take it. Had a late dinner at the Balboa cafe. I had a burger, Eric the chicken; good atmosphere (though a bit loud for my taste) and good food. The couple next to us drew our attention; he about 60, she about 20. Didn't feel right. Something was off. Eric scolded me for being judgmental. Though i have lingering doubts, he was probably right. Just don't tell him I said so.

I enjoyed watching the window washer at the airport. I love a guy who takes pride in his work. This man was a true artist. See video below.

This version of Wild Hogs might have been better than the Utah original. Great riding, hiking and appreciation of the American expanse. More than that though, the companionship of a good friend. Lots of talk, debate, teasing and above all, belly-aching laughs. Thanks Eric. I can't wait to do it again.

Now glad to get back to the family and to work.

Annie, thanks for the tip on new riding boots ( http://www.amazon.com/Inch-Heel-MenS-Platform-Knee/dp/B0002VJGH0/ref=pd_sbs_shoe_2 ). I'll have to get a pair.

If any of you have good ideas for next year's destination, let us know.

Thanks for following.

Until next year, signing off.

-George

- Posted from George's AT&T
iPhone

San Francisco here we come

Wednesday morning

Our contentment is sometimes measured in how many of our key possessions are misplaced or lost. Today George lost his I phone and sunglasses (expensive) for about half an hour. We tore apart our bags (I was accused of accidentally packing the I phone) to no avail. Theft was suspected. Finally, I suggested to George that he check a tent adjacent to ours that we accidentally searched earlier to find another of George's lost possessions. Sure enough, he had left the phone and glasses there.

I am in similar shape. At one point several days ago, I had lost the following four posessions: motorcycle keys, cover to Kindle, motorcycle gloves and watch. All but the latter two have been recovered.

The obvious question is whether there is something terribly wrong with both of us. It seems unlikely that we both would have become simultaneously ill with the same disease. What we do have in common is incredible exhaustion secondary to our inability to sleep. George took great umbrage at a 2 am conversation in adjoining tent and was considerate enough to say "shut up" in a voice that was inaudible to the adjacent tent but loud enough to wake me up. Snoring has been an issue for both of us but does not merit further discussion in the limited space we have available.

-Eric
---------


Thursday a.m.

I am a very happy man this morning. Had a great night sleep here at the La Quinta Inn in Salida, CA. We are now at free continental breakfast. They have the same waffle machine that they had at the Best Western in Tahoe. This time there are no lines. Unbelievable. Somewhere in my youth or childhood I must have done something good.

A long day of riding yesterday and it was hot, hot, hot. Against better judgement I rode without my jacket. There really was no choice. It was over 100 degrees in the valley. Sweat pouring inside my helmut. I've never had so much water in my life. Eric has been a drill sergeant forcing me to drink.

Were getting ready for our last stretch back to San Fran. The bikes need to be back by 4 p.m. Eric and I are having our first argument. He wants to take the freeway. I want to take back roads. I intend to win this dispute.

Had trouble yesterday posting video and photos from our Tuesday hike. I'll post them here today.
San Francisco here we come.

-george

- Posted from George's AT&T
iPhone

So George, how many times have you scaled El Capitan?

Tuesday

Probably our most adventurous day. Magnicent 9 mile hike from the top of Glacier Point down to Yosemite Valley.

The day started out well with George up around 5 am after yet another sleepless night. He left the tent after waking me up to tell me that he wanted " to stand in a line." By that, I think he meant the breakfast line, which opened 1.5 hours later, so I went back to sleep.

We took a bus to Glacier Point arriving around 10. Various other hikers, some in their 80's, got off too. George wanted to get off to a fast start so we could be the first down. After less than a mile, our speed hiking reduced to a shuffle, everyone had passed us so we could slow down even more.

As I said, the trail was magnificent with many views from many different angles of half dome. Many pictures of the most renowned mountain in
America, probably too many, prompting George to remark: "It's just a _____ rock." This prompted a further discission of various antiqities. For example, George on the Parthenon:"It's just someone's house that fell down."

As we struggled toward Nevada Falls, having long lost the race with our elderly friends, our conversation became less interesting. "So when the [northeastern women's] soccer team goes to DC to play how do they get there?" I asked. "By plane." "How about Pennsylvania?" George: "It depends. When we go to Philadelphia, we take the bus." Pause. "When we go to Penn State, we take the bus.". I guess you have to know George to fully appreciate this colloquy.

Nevada falls was spectacular. Water spilling down a 200 foot wall into a river below. The hike was well worth it. We were in relative isolation before the falls but were now standing in a line the rest of the way down. That's the weird thing about Yosemite. If you go on a moderately difficult hike, you are totally alone but if you stay in the valley, you are surrounded by mobs and hearded around cafeteria lines like cattle. In the bus ride after our hike there were two young men sitting next to us, one in a ski mask and both drinking an open bottle of vodka. Don't come to yosemite unless you plan to get out on the trail, or climb El Capitain, which leads me to another bus incident.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

-Eric
----------


Its Wednesday morning. Hanging out a bit. Someone hacked into the wifi router last night and changed the settings. Now no one has access. In Yosemite, dozens of people milling about, disconnected, not knowing what to do with themselves. Only in America.

An incredible hike yesterday. I'll let Eric provide the details. 3,500 feet vertical drop and we are paying the price this morning. Just took bodily inventory. My back, hips, knees, shins and calves are shot. Other than that, I'm feeling great.

Thank you Margot for my hiking poles. Best Christmas gift ever. I would never have made it down without them. Thank you, thank you!

Thanks to a great tip from Tom B., we made dinner reservations at the Ahwahnee Lodge for last night. Unfortunately when we got there they informed us of the dress code; collared shirt and long pants. I was wearing a collared shirt and shorts. Eric was wearing a t-shirt and long pants. We could have combined clothes to allow one of to get in. Opted not to... Too bad. It looked like a place fit for kings. We ate in the bar instead. Not a bad fall back.

On the bus over to the Ahwahnee, a drop dead gorgeous woman came on board and sat down in the seat in front if us. Eric looked at me, I looked at him. and the following conversation ensued;
Eric; So George, how many times have you scaled El Capitan?
George; Oh, maybe 13.
E; Very impressive. Did you use ropes?
G; Nope. They just get in the way.
E; Amazing. How can you do that?
G; Comes naturally, I guess.
E; Didn't you also hike Mt. Evrest?
G; Yeah.
E; When?
G; Last year.
E; Who did you team with and how many sherpas were there?
G; I did it alone, alpine style.
E; what? Your kidding!
G; No, I prefer solitude during these kind of things.
E; You know, only a couple of people have ever done that.
G; I guess so.
E; Wow. Say, do you still have that mansion in the Hamptons?
G; Nah, that old thing. I'm rarely in New York these days. I let the caretakers use it.
E; How about the big polo matches. Do you get back for those?
G; Once in awhile, if the top competition shows up.
About then the bus comes to a stop. She gets up to leave. Gives a subtle glance back. I nod. Encounter over.

Our return trip begins today. 200 miles to San Fran. Maybe we'll get half way.
Later...
-George


- Posted from George's AT&T
iPhone

Keys

All can rest. Eric found his keys.

Beautiful morning.


Off for our hike. Been looking forward to this day for months. Half Dome, be ready. Here we come!




- Posted from George's AT&T
iPhone

Day 2 in Yosemite

It's 8:30 Monday evening. My iPhone adapter broke. As luck would have it, the Yosemite store carries replacement units. We just took the bus a couple of miles to pick one up.

Eric wasn't so lucky. He just discovered his motorcycle keys missing. While I am sitting here charging my phone and his, he is back at the tent scouring every inch. If he doesn't find them, we are in deep sneakers. Either way we plan to take our strenuous all day hike tomorrow to Half Dome. It is supposed to be brutal on the knees but absolutely spectacular.

Other than the couple of mishaps, A relaxing day in paradise. Went for a easy, flat casual three mile hike from the trail head of Lower Yosemite, along the river to the banks below El Capitain. It is unbelievable to me that people rope climb that thing. A completely flat surface, straight up thousands of feet. I have lots of things on my bucket list but that ain't one of them.

Haven't been sleeping much so we came back for a brief nap before heading off for a motorcycle ride to explore the park some more. It was 97 degrees today. With gear on it was brutal. We stopped on the roadside to take a dip in the river. It was incredibly cold and refreshing. Most of the water falls and river beds are completely dry but we were able to find a small pool.

Came back for a pretty good dinner buffet; spaghetti, potatoes, salad, lemonade and carrot cake. Not like Margot's or Laura's home cooking but not bad for backwater grub.

I don't think Eric is going to have time to post tonight and we have an early bus in the a.m. to Glazier Point to begin our hike. I'll post without him tonight and be sure to give him more blog real estate tomorrow night.

Keeping my fingers crossed about the keys. Say a little prayer for us tonight.

Over and out.
-George

Excuse me officer, could I take your photo for my blog?

I am sorry to report that George has completely lost his mind. Pulled over for speeding in Yosemite. Unfriendly park ranger asks for license. Other female officer remains to ensure we don't take off. George decides to get gregarious. Tells life story and mentions this blog. Gets out iphone. Points it at park ranger. Then: "Officer would mind if I took your photo for my blog?" I started to laugh so hard I thought I might have a brain aneurism. Ranger: "Actually I would mind. I don't want my picture in your blog." George looks at iPhone. He has a signal and immediately starts texting. As he later recounts. "Why wouldn't I text? I had a perfectly good signal." Other officer returns and sees texting. "Put that thing away Mr. Gardner." we escaped with a warning.

Staying in a massive tent city in Yosemite. Seven hundred tents very close together. A cross between guantanamo and Japanese american internment camps. Only not as nice. George has become unravelled. Has not slept or shaved in three days. Heard imaginary Vietnamese people yelling at night.

We are having a blast. Did I mention that this is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. Hope to see some of it if I can get George off his machines. - Love to all. Eric
----------

It's 7:30 Monday morning. Temperatures are starting to rise. That's a good thing. It will allow us to thaw out a bit. This is the first time over two motorcycle trips that Eric was responsible for getting accommodations. He chose Curry Village. Curry is huge. It has dozens of log cabins as well as hundreds of heated and unheated platform tents. Of course he selected the unheated tents. We each got a cot with two blankets. The blankets were the width of one- ply toilet paper.
Last night the temps dropped into the low 40's. Eric, who completely overpacked for the trip, had full body thermal underwear. Even so, he was frigid. I, in my t-shirt and jockeys, did notice the cold but was able to block it out. My one low point in the night was the 3 a.m. trip to the bathroom. I think I stubbed each of my toes during that critical mission.
Our bikes are parked on the other side of the huge, completely full parking lot. I hope they are still standing. My kick stand sunk three inches into the sand when I left it. Unfortunately that spot was the only option.
Yesterday morning we had hoped to hike a bit in Lake Tahoe. However, with the

marathon and bike race in town, the roads were unpassable. We opted to head to Yosemite instead. The trip added another 210 miles to the odometer. Despite the heat, a fairly easy five to six hours of leisurely riding.
The scenery turned spectacular once we cut off of 395 south onto 120 east and into the park. The one hiccup was when shortly after entering Yosemite, we got stopped by Park Rangers for speeding. We were doing 46 in a 35 mph zone. It seemed to me that they were being a bit nit picky but I guess they had a point. They have had lots of collisions between cars, motorcycles and/or bears this summer. They want to keep the bears safe.
While one ranger took our licenses back to the cruiser, the other one asked us a series of questions. I took out my iPhone hoping for a photo of her for the blog. I politely asked if she minded posing for a shot. She was incredulous and emphatic in her refusal. Ok, no big deal. Since I had my phone out, I noticed that I had a rare cellular signal so I took the opportunity to send Margot and the girls a text message. The other ranger, returning from his car, observed me typing and barked "Put that thing away". I think he was further bothered by what must have been my inquisitive look. He made a short, but clearly discernible growl. I think he has been working amongst the bears for too long.
This incident seemed to shake Eric. I would have expected an accomplished criminal attorney like him to stand up against this tyranny. Instead, he lectured me about the need to show more respect for authority. Maybe he is right.
Last night I had a 23 oz Sierra Nevada nut brown ale and some almonds for dinner. That hit the spot.
No bike riding today. We are going to take a flat easy four hour hike this morning and then an hour hike to Mirror Lake this afternoon. Tomorrow is the strenuous day. We hope to do a 6.2 mile hike up near Half Dome.
That's it for now.
Later,
-George

















-------------

Safe and sound on the shores of Lake Tahoe

6 a.m., a clear, brisk, invigorating 30 degrees here in S. Lake Tahoe. All the makings off a beautiful day ahead.

Eric is still in bed, so I am hanging out, sitting by the window overlooking The lake, having my free continental breakfast in the restaurant at the Best Western Timber Lodge. Lots of people here with me. They are getting ready for the Lake Takoe marathon and bike race; some last minute carb loading. A hearty bunch. (I love these homemade waffle makers. So does everyone else. The line is already five deep. Good thing I got here early.)

Sorry we didn't post last night. Couldn't keep our eyes open after a long eventful day. We left Walnut Creek in the dark and 240 miles and 14 hours later we arrived in Lake Tahoe in the dark. In between there was plenty of light, highlights and lowlights that is.

The first couple of hours was made up of peaceful back road riding. We mapped out a root to Ripon and Eric placed our notes in the map holder on his gas tank. Unfortunately, an hour into the ride, the notes went flying out, multiple pages blowing into the wind. That slowed us up as Eric went chasing pieces of paper through the California countryside.

We arrived in Ripon in time to watch 30 minutes of a u19 girls soccer game. I needed to see if these California players lived up to their billing. I wasn't disappointed. We watched a team called the Cougars. Very impressive. My guess is that most of the roster will be Div. 1 college bound. These girls can play...

From their we jumped on 120 towards Yosemite; we and the rest of the world. In first gear with hands on the clutch much of the way, we finally pulled over in Jamestown and readjusted our plans. We decided to head to Tahoe for a couple of days and then head south to the park once the weekend crowds clear. So we grabbed the Rawhide bypass, catching Route 4, heading into the Sierra Nevada's, through Stanislaus National Park and Ebbetts Pass. I am so glad we did.
This route was amazing. We climbed to nearly 9,000 feet. As we ascended, the tree types and vegetation seemed to change along with the altitude. Different pines at the beginning, changing to fir and then sequoias. There is nothing like these narrow roads, surrounded by tall trees, weaving through a quiet mountain pass... a motorcycle ride to heaven.





The decent on the eastern side of Ebbetts Pass was much more challenging. The road was narrow, very steep with very tight switchbacks. Occasional cars coming the other way were constant reminders not to stray towards the middle of the road.
For the most part I like these bikes; 106 horsepower, 990cc with lots of thrust.
What I don't like is the fact that they are tall, very tall. In my opinion one should be at least six feet to ride them. Eric and i both fall short of that forcing us to be on our tip toes when at a stop. At over 530 lbs, the bikes are difficult to keep upright. Today, while on a sideways incline, I tilted the bike to put up the kickstand, I tilted a little too far and the bike came toppling over. I was able go cushion the fall but I ended up slightly damaging the luggage rack. I wonder how much that is going to cost me.

I don't have as much range of motion in my hip as I used to have. Eric has to help me mount and unmount the bike. I make sure no one is watching when we go through this routine. I have a reputation to keep up.

We arrived in Tahoe around 7p.m. and pulled into a MacDonalds so that Eric could get a snack and I could consult my iPhone for a hotel room. When about to leave, Eric declared that he couldn't find his keys. Panic ensued. He ran back into the MacDonalds; no dice. He accused the two homeless people nearby of stealing them. He actually referred to them as druggie thieves when describing them to the store manager. It was not a fun way to spend the evening, especially after a 14 hour day. We locked up the bike with my lock, decided to get Eric a taxi and looked for the phone number to call the bike dealer to get replacement keys. Then, when the store manager stepped into the parking lot to determine whether the surveillance cameras might have picked up the thieves, she spotted the keys hanging from Eric's saddle bags. Unbelievable. Eric had been ready to press charges against these guys. So much for presumed innocence.

We had an expensive sub-par dinner last night. Eric had chicken. I had fillet mignon. Neither was memorable.

Thankfully, Eric did much less snoring than the night before. He is using his Blackberry much more than last year's trip. I'm not sure what's up with that.

We are off for a four mile hike above the Lake and then getting on the bikes for a few hours heading back towards Yosemite. Not sure where we will spend tonight.

I'm a little bummed that I can't watch the Patriots. Go get em boys.

If I am lucky, I will get a moment to log into the web stream to watch the NU Womens soccer team take on league foe James Madison. It's a big game. I will be cheering for you behind my helmut shield. Go Huskies!

Later...
George
---------------------

Another great day. George wanted to see a high school soccer game necessitating a 40 mile diversion. Then a long ride into the sierras up to two great passes at almost nine thousand feet. Picture a road with lanes of say the taconic parkway and then cut them in half, add 270 degree switchbacks and a 24 percent grade and there you have it. Fabulous.

These bikes, KTM 990s, are ok but because they are also off road, you have to be 6' 6'' to have your feet touch the ground. Not a problem for me but a problem for George. I have to essentially lift him onto the bike and pull him off. A little mishap in the parking lot when he tried to get on himself but once on riding is good and safe. George keeps up with the traffic now; no more 15 mph and flashers on the interstate.

You forget how different things are here. Huge distances, great forest smells, nicer people and daunting peaks. A very different feel.

I would say George and I are getting along well. He has been critical of my sleeping habits and asked "what I was sucking last night" (a water bottle) but given some of the early challenges of the trip, things are good.

I will defer to george on the incident at mcdonalds. Because I only have the smaller keyboard of the iphone (he has the iPad), my entries will be shorter. Thanks for reading.

-eric







Nice finger Eric...
























- Posted using BlogPress from George's AT&T iPhone 4

Day 1

Taking showers and getting ready to head out for dinner here in Walnut Creek. It's a nice upscale community about 30 mile from Sam Fran.
We would have made it much further but we had to backtrack eight miles to find an Apple








Store. Here we are 40 miles
from where it was invented and My iPhone 4 froze up. I couldn't handle the thought of going a week without it working. I will take endless abuse for this but it is worth it.
Tomorrow we trek to Yosemite. Our latest thought is that we will
head up to Tahoe on Monday or Tuesday; a little gambling and night life bookended by some wilderness and hiking. Sounds like fun...
The KTM bikes are slick. They are very tall and thus tough to mount, especially with my artificial hip. Once mounted though, they are fun to ride; lots of power and easy to handle. Unfortunately we were in rush hour most of the time. Tomorrow we really get to test them out.
Looking forward to a full and fun day tomorrow.
-George

-----------------

We are off to a great start. Fabulous orange bikes and great weather, although it is very hot and we are wearing massive amounts of jackets, thick pants, body armor and these really cool green vests. Disaster struck at a Quiznos in Concord CA where George's iphone conked out. Could have been a trip and blog killer but it turned out to have been only a four hour diversion as we tracked back to the Apple Store in the swishy SF suburb of Walnut Creek.

-Eric






- Posted from George's AT&T
iPhone

Off we go

85 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect..






- Posted from George's AT&T
iPhone

Landing in San Fran

Easy flight. Arriving ten minutes early. Dubbelju Motorcycle Rentals, here we come...





- Posted from George's AT&T
iPhone

Location:S McDonnell Rd,South San Francisco,United States

Lift off

Amazing. Wifi on Virgin Atlantic.






- Posted from George's AT&T
iPhone

Location:Virgin Atlantic - 30k feet

California here we come!

We are ready to rumble.  This Friday at 8:45 a.m. we lift off from Logan.  By mid-afternoon we should be tackling San Francisco.  It will be a tame night, if I have anything to do with it, so that we can be ready to pick up our bikes early Saturday morning.  Can't wait to hit the road.

It is about 190 miles from San Fran to Yosemite.  We start at Dubbelju Rentals (http://bit.ly/d96F9y ), go north across the Golden Gate Bridge and then who knows from there.  One possible route is highlighted in the map to the left.

We will be riding KTM Adventure 990's (See photo).  I have never heard of KTM, much less ridden one.  I rely on Eric's expertise on these matters.  He says that they are great bikes, made more for performance and handling than for touring.  Should make for fun riding inside the park.

Eric made reservations in tent cabins for the first couple of nights ( see http://bit.ly/1agyBf ).  I trust he knows what he is doing.  

Look for our first post on Friday night.

Later!

-george