Calabasas, CA

Wow, where to start. Well without pics it will have to be one of those all reading no pics kinda posts. I left Hurricane, Utah yesterday and headed down 15 South through Vegas and into California. My destination was Calabasas!  Which I'll be staying at for a few days and get into that later.

Utah is incredible. If you've ever scene the kids movie the Land Before Time you might understand how such a place could be described as being prehistoric in appearance and so seemingly untouched. A perfect blend of mountains, flats and touches of ruggedness to make you make like a mountain man. Now keep in mind I missed anything near Salt Lake City so I could be wring but seeing Brian's Head (and riding up the 3 mile dirt road to the top) was like discovering untouched wilderness. They say its lonely at the top and it was. Parking wherever I wanted I dismounted my trusty iron horse, pulled out my ear plugs (i ride with ear plugs to protect my hearing), reversed the buckles on my helmet for has to be the 537 time on this trip and suddenly took in a deep breath of the what has to be the cleanest,  coolest, most delicate air I've taken down my windpipe to date. Sure, Pikes Peak is higher at 14,100 feet I wasn't alone. The air in Boulder was cool and crisp but I along with cars was breathing in the oxygen. Nothing to this date has seemed so delicate and untouched. I can't wait to post pics of Brian's Bead. The landscape is some sort past verse present biological mishap. Dead trees standing right where they died with new life literally growing up next to them. Grassy fields after the tree line that lay in an almost unnatural way against one another. All this and the I couldn't help but pluck a few photos of my bike surrounded by the great outdoors. The funny part and almost neatly designed aspect of my bike (yes, here comes the I love my motorcycle part) is that it appears to have been designed to look even better in this setting of untamed beauty than it does in the showroom. Nothing like some scratches and dirt to highlight its might presence against an already impressive backdrop. OK, enough I love my bike talk its probably dry for for most if you anyhow. Speaking of dry lets talk Majave Dessert and 99 degrees. Thats what the time was going through this dry terrain. Lets also talk how much I would have preferred being cold than so darn hot! So far I've experienced a low of 36 degrees (Vail Pass in the Rockies) and a high of 99 degrees while riding (Majave Dessert). Nothing like a few temperature swings to remind you of just how many climates exist in just our country alone. Dare I.say we have the whole world of climate and terrain changes just within our country alone.

I forgot to mention Vegas! No actually I didn't. I drove right by and as much as the adds to drop my pants and earn $500 where it didn't seem worth it. Besides I've run around without my pants on before for free and probably had more fun.

After reaching Glendale around night fall and pounding away on route 210 west which runs along the top of LA it was time to get off the highway and take some side streets. I know my bike and I knew this: that front tire felt like crap. The bike was was walking from left to right and the vibration in the bars was enough to say slow down or get ready to eat asphalt. The front tire has seemingly decided to degrade at an expotential rate. Leaving me not feeling good about going any farther until some new rubber meets my front rim in a marriage of freshness and safety.  I the meantime I'm hanging in Calabasas,  California with family. Hoping to work on my California tan :-)

Total mileage completed to date: 4,309
Total gas in gallons: 85.31
Total gas in monetary terms: 317.72
Avg speed: 52.3
Avg miles per gallon: 45.2

Alright, all of this seems to check out except for the gas mileage part. Clacs out to more like 50 mpgs but maybe I missed a gas stop...hmmmm. Off to dinner! Catch up later!