Day 3 – Medford, Oregon
8:45 am, November 18, 2014
Wearing All our Cold-Weather Gear
Although no ice on the bike this morning, it was cold but clear. We could see Mt. Shasta in the south-east and happily headed towards it. Our spirits were high and we were determined to make the middle of California before stopping for the night. It was a strange but not unpleasant sensation to see Mt Shasta getting bigger and bigger but still appearing very much in the distance. It was very cold until the point where we passed this beautiful piece of geography, and then it suddenly became warmer.
Pollard Flats, California – Fabulous Restaurant
You would not believe it to see it but a little truck stop on the road past Mt Shasta heading towards Sacramento, there is an incredible restaurant. About 3 years ago, Vern rode the same route we are riding today. Heading for Baja California Sur, he drove a truck with his motorcycle inside. He wanted to find a safe place to leave his truck and ride his motorcycle through the rest of California and down through the Baja Peninsula. The owner of the restaurant (Daniel) said, “Leave it here, it will be perfectly safe.” It was perfectly safe and they became friends.
In the photo of me standing beside our motorcycle you can see that I am wearing all my gear except the dry suit/wet suit and my helmet. I am holding in my hand the connection for the heated vest, which plugs in below my seat.
We arrived to the owner’s warm welcome and awesome food. Not only is the food delicious, the décor is unique with its cache of memorabilia from the two world wars, from the 1950s and 1960s, and from the old movie era. In the one washroom for men and women, there is a beautiful life-sized woman in an old fashioned tub! It’s quite a surprise when you walk through the door and see her.
Pushing on towards Sacramento
We left Pollard Flats feeling warm and comfortably full from the excellent breakfast we enjoyed at 1:00 in the afternoon. We wanted to get as far south of Sacramento as we could before the sun went down. Riding a motorcycle in the dark is not a problem; I just found it much colder. So we jumped back on the bike and roared off down the road.
Riding through Sacramento – Lane Splitting in Rush Hour
This is the first time I have experienced “lane splitting.” It is scary thrilling! And, it’s totally legal! Motorcycles may ride down the line between lanes of traffic on highways in California. It allows motorcyclists to drive through traffic jams and it possibly encourages other motorists to use motorcycles rather than cars. The debate continues, meanwhile we were able to ride quickly – and safely – through Sacramento’s afternoon rush hour.
Riding after Sunset is Peaceful
The sun went down after the busy highway through and past Stockton. I was so peaceful riding in the twilight as the traffic thinned. The wind and lack of sun make riding much colder so we decided to stop for the night after about an hour’s drive. We found another Motel 6 next to a small food market. We picked up a few cold cuts, cheese, veggies, fruit and some delicious buns and had a fabulous feast in our tiny motel room!
We had ridden quite a while today and felt good. We planned our ride for tomorrow and fell into a sound sleep.
Tomorrow, we are heading for the sun!
Next: The Dust Bowl, through the Grapevine, Los Angeles to San Diego.
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