On the road again...a day of extremes

This entry is for Friday, 13 May

Today, Bruce, Gerry and Dave, road from Truckee to Tecopa Hot Springs, CA, just under 440 miles. Leaving Truckee in the morning the temperature was in the mid-30's ((burr!) and the elevation of the first part of our ride down the mountain via Rt. 395 into the Carson Valley (NV)varied between 6000 to over 7000 ft. Lots of snow still left Sierra Nevada Mountains as we rode along - beautiful!! Lots of snow around Lake Tahoe giving it a real deep majestic blue look (see photo). We stopped for a photo shoot of the three riders at Tahoe at the early part of the ride.

We stopped in Gardnerville, NV for breakfast at a local diner where the temperature was finally starting to warm up. I ordered a breakfast combo that included two pancakes. The waiter asked if I was sure that I wanted two pancakes and of course I said yes. I was blown away by these pancakes that hung over the plate (see photo). I finished half of two - that is the equivalent of one for those who are not math wizzes.

After riding much further south on Rt. 395, we headed east on Rt. 190 into Death Valley National Park. The temperature was just over 100 and the elevation was at sea level or a low as 250 ft. below sea level. Man was it hot and dry!! Believe me when I say this terrain is appropriately named. This section was a real test for the oil cooler I put on my Harley Electra Glide Classic that I am riding on this trip.

After Death Valley we stopped in Shoshone, CA for gas. Gas cost a mere $5.209 per gallon and it the cost to fill the tank (5 gallons) was what I used to pay to fill up a car.

Then it was on for our nightly destination at the Tecopa Hot Springs Resort. Tecopa Hot Springs is a very small town famous for its mineral hot springs. Our accomodations were, let's say pretty basic. Clean beds yes, but phones, TV, reliable internet service, cell phone service...all NO. Oh well it is an adventure - right? The highlight of the night was dinner at the adjacent bistro (only eating place in the town). The food really was good as the chef was New York trained and Las Vegas experienced before moving to Tecopa Hot Springs to "get away from it all" (and he sure did). The water from the faucets and shower had a distinct smell of rotten eggs from the hydrogen sulfide that came with it.