Mid-Week Rides: Correction!

Thursday, Mar 24 2016

Alberto writes:

CORRECTION!  Correction!  The former L&M is now named MIKE'S (not
Pete's), ergo, the correct address for Thursday's breakfast meeting
place is:  2118 1st Street, Livermore, CA 94550 - There at 9:00 am

See you all there, Chris.

And in this manner we all learned where and at what time to meet.

~ o ~

Some of you have met my friend John. He and I will be going together next year to Peru and beyond .

He called asking if I was going Thursday on the ride… “yep, I am”. John said, “ Would it be okay if a friend of mine joins? he rides a Triumph Bonneville” “You bet! I’ll be at your house by 7:45 am. Traffic will be heavy, best set a lot of free time”

Ha! … Ha! - and Ha, ha, ha! You’d think because a time to get going is set - that’s it?! Well Ha! and Ha! to you. I will not go into the details, but we were late to start, and one of us still had to get gas. Me? All tense. I am not one that likes being late.

I am an idiot! But, you all know that already. We did not arrive late… exactly at 9:00 am. Phew! All that worrying for nothing.

Chris Weld, Dave Emmett, Don Thiele, Joe Steiner, John Carlson, Bill XX on a Triumph Bonnevile) and yours truly… Alberto Sevilla

Breakfast, the usual fare. I bet any of you could order for any of us without consulting the menu, and be correct on the choice. Today, no different.

After eating, we hit the road by 9:xx am-something. The day, nothing short of perfect. Traffic low, 68º, clear skies, spirits high and the company superb!

Here is a new one for you: Alberto will post the name of every road taken - no mistakes!

S. Livermore Ave Tesla Rd Corral Hollow Rd W. Line Rd Ahern Rd - Train Hwy 33 Sperry Ave - Mc Donalds Del Puerto Canyon Rd Hwy 130 @ San Antonio/Mines AKA The Junction Mt Hamilton Lick Observatory Quimby 101 a 280 - 880

Pretty boring list, eh? Now you know why it makes no difference to me what road we take… any road is just a road. But, the flavor of the ride, well! Now you talking!

To see how and where we went, better to look at the image that I copied, compliments of SPOT gen3 that I was carrying. Nifty, yes?

The road from Livermore (Tesla Rd, S. Livermore Ave, Corral Hollow Rd, W. Line Rd, Ahern Rd) to Patterson was with only two minor mishaps and an event.

Mishap No 1 - compliments of our appreciated leader (name withheld to prevent senior abuse). There we were, happily trumping around, ahem! Suddenly. The leader makes a U-TURN at a somewhat strange spot. cars coming , crossing the double yellow line, with all kinds of mayhem ensuing. Yes, the proper right turn has been missed. But the fearless leader gets it all under control… he recovered! and soon enough had us going in the direction he meant all along (or so he claims, this is an instance when elderly abuse is permitted : )

Mishap No 2 - Some had the need to get rid of the ingested coffee, Urgent was the status. At a gas station (Bill needed gas for his two-gallon-tank-bike) someone ventured, “there is a McDonalds up ahead - go ahead, why don’t you two go ahead, and do your thing”. So to it, two went. The rest stayed behind getting gas with Bill.

Yes, go and good luck!

After getting gas we all departed the gas station to get in touch with the two that went ahead. Luck alone would not be enough, you see, there is no McDonalds on the suggested direction.

After circling around, and trying this and that road… making a right (on 33), two blocks further… Voila! The Golden Arches of MacDonald’s could be discerned in the distance. Waiting there of course the lost members and others (Joe and Dave and Chris).

It was a fun stoop at the Golden Arches. While making conversation, a bunch of children and their older siblings come to see the motorbikes, with great awe and amazement. Chris, in a most natural way helped a 4 year old and placed him atop the bike. Wide eyes, interest and bewilderment… Chris teaches him to start the engine and rev it up… the world has now changed! wait a few years, that kid will have a bike!

But enough of the Golden Arches tale. The next event is less interesting. On Hway 33 we had to rush a train running parallel to us, as it would be crossing our road… Varrooom! and we got ahead of it, crossing with 20 seconds to spare. Do not know about the others, but at 68, trains still hold my heart. Fun for me.

From there, on to Del Puerto Rd aiming for the Junction and Mt Hamilton beyond. No events nor mishaps. Just plain riding as God ordered us to do on this magnificent day.

At the Junction we befriended a Canadian couple, they were a wee-bit lost, as Dave Emmett would say. They were looking for the Lick Observatory. Needless to say, the answer was easy… Follow us! And they did.

Chris, made his traditional stop to say a prayer and exchange good sentiments to his ex-wife. Her ashes spread somewhere off the road. Chris had the company of a County Sheriff.. luckily no ticket! Just a routine stop to check on Chris, stopped by the road. Good going Sheriff!

The rest of us headed up the hill ahead of Chris to the observatory.

As usual making friends, on the parking lot, with other motorcycle riders and well as Bicycle riders… Imagine, even Chris made friends with the bicycle riders! He must have had a good prayer. Good going Chris! Civil to the byciclists. That’s a new one!

Dave Emmet departed earlier from the Observatory and we lost him quickly. Then the rest of us headed at a leisurely pace down the mountain. Quimby Rd and more gas for Bill’s Triumph.

Hwy 101 took us to 280 splitting in different directions at Hwy 880

To sum up…. another fabulous day!