Hacks, Trikes and What?

Trikes and ... other more than two wheel thingies, seem to be very popular this year. I saw a number of these three wheel Can Am things. They sort of resemble a snow mobile and I suspect they may have a snow mobile in their Can Am heritage.
I saw a lot of Sportsters with four wheels in a training wheel type configuration. Several had trailer hitches, and several appeared to be removable. I guess if you are feeling tippy you bolt on the other two wheels for security. While I like a nice side hack and would have one if I had the room, I think trikes and these other three and four wheelers are just weird, but to each his own.

Oatman

I really enjoyed our side trip to Oatman. This year there were fewer people in Oatman, but still plenty of nice bikes and great people watching. Wild burros roam the streets, ignoring the noise and looking for handouts of carrots.

Laughlin River Run 2009

...This year we enjoyed Laughlin with a more relaxed attitude. It helped that attendance appeared to be down. It was easy to find a parking space. We spent more time eating and drinking with friends. We shopped less and spent more time walking along the river.
...No 400 mile side trips this year. We took one side trip to the Hualapai Mountain Resort in the mountains above Kingman, for a great steak dinner. Hualapai Mountain Resort is high enough in the mountains that it is much cooler than Laughlin.
...We also took the short jaunt to Oatman and on to Kingman via old Route 66. I'll have photos of Oatman later.

...The Police seemed frustrated by the decreased attendance and accompanying lack of stuff to do. They were decidedly unfriendly. I noticed that if one Officer made a stop, at least five or more other Officers arrived, a sure sign of nothing happening.

We were noticing a shortage of shovel heads, so we started looking, this was the only one I saw.

...I bought a Windvest windshield while doing my shopping. I had it shipped home because I'm still not sure if I want a 4" or 6" windshield. The Windvest people were very nice and said that I could return it as long as it was in "as new" condition.

...I go to the Laughlin River Run every year because it is at just the right time of year. Winter is just about over but the weather is still iffy. By the time Laughlin arrives, I have been cooped up all winter and am ready for a road trip. Laughlin is the perfect start for the riding season.

Bishop to Laughlin, Via Death Valley

We are at Lone Pine, Ca, where we leave Hwy 395 and head into Death Valley. That's Mt. Whitney in the background, it's the highest point in the lower 49 states at 14,96f t. above sea level. It just shows how rugged this country is, that the highest parts of the United States and the lowest are within a few miles of each other.

This is the Panamit Valley, its the valley just before Death Valley. I love how the road just seems to go on forever.











This is Death Valley, taken from Artists Palette Road. The mountain in the background is Telescope Peak 11,049 ft., in the Panamit Mountains.

There were still a few cactus blooming.

This photo is on the road out of Death Valley on the way to Shoshone, Ca.. From there we headed south to Baker, Ca. on Hwy 15 then on to Searchlight, Nevada and on to Laughlin.

We Leave for Laughlin

We left for the Laughlin River Run on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. Marie decided to ride her Sportster. We got held up on the draw bridge over the Sacramento River on Hwy 12, so it was a good opportunity to snap a few photos.

We took Hwy 88 over Carson Pass, Hwy 88, like Hwy 80 and 50 is plowed and kept open all winter. We went through Minden, Ca., then over Monitor Pass, which was open. Sonora Pass and Tioga Pass were still closed due to snow.

The last photo is on Hwy 395, which I think is the most beautiful highway in America. The photo is above Mono Lake. Hwy 395 travels along the eastern side of the High Sierras. The mountains are 10 to 14 thousand feet and the area has many volcanic features.

We stayed the night in Bishop, Ca, a ride of about 400 miles.

Little Things Mean a Lot

....Marie made a couple of small changes to her Sportster. She added a lay down license plate and lay down tail light. Not huge changes, but I think these particular items affect the character of the motorcycle more than any other simple change. They make the bike look longer and sleeker.

....Neither the tail light lens or the license plate bracket are Harley Davidson products. HD does not make a lay down tail light and their license plate bracket is about three times heavier and three times more expensive.

Mount Veeder Road

.....The weather has improved since I rode Cavedale Rd., surprise, surprise, the killer storm did not happen and the drought has not yet evaporated all the lakes and streams in Northern California. I promised that I would get to Napa and ride the Mt. Veeder Rd.
.....Marie and I started by heading to the town of Sonoma for breakfast. Then we went over Trinity Rd. toward the City of Napa. The photo is at the turn off for the Mt. Veeder Rd.. I found the road smoother and wider than Cavedale Rd., and a very beautiful ride. The road does not follow the ridge as much but follows a clear stream.







The road drops into Napa where we caught the Silverado Trail and rode through the Napa Valley Wine Country to the town of Calistoga. After lunch in Calistoga, we went back toward Napa and at Saint Helena turn west on Spring Mountain Hwy.
.....The round trip was about 125 miles, it was a beautiful day and great ride.

The M Gene

There is a family in England known as the KE family, they have a language problem. Most of the family cannot speak, scientists say the impairment is genetic. The human genome has been mapped, so the specific genetic abnormality can be found by comparing DNA from the KE family to the map of the human genome. Find the gene that's different and bingo, there's the faulty gene, which the guys with the lab coat gene named FOXP2. It seems that the FOXP2 gene allows connections in the brain that make language.
.....You see where I'm going, the motorcycle gene, it has got to be there. It's hiding in the human genome like thousands, maybe millions of traits and connections. So how would we find it? We could apply for a grant, get some of those guys with the lab coat gene and do a study. Its really simple, get some people who could care less about motorcycles and compare their genes with those who eat, breath and live motorcycles. We could easily locate the motorcycle gene, but why bother?
.....The problem is that here we are with our oversize brains, thinking we are in control of ourselves, we think we will just figure it out and make it work. Most people believe that they could play the violin if they just put their minds to it, but you probably need the violin gene. It turns out that who you are, what you can or can't do, is written in your genes. Without the gene your brain doesn't make the connections. It seems that we couldn't even talk unless it is in our genes.
.....So if you have the motorcycle gene or even enjoy motorcycles, you probably have the M gene and your brain is happily making connections.