Distance traveled: 228.4 km
Cumulative distance: 2785.9 km
Maximum speed: 123 kph
Moving average: 66 kph
Temperature range: 15.6 - 32. 4
I'm all done and ready to go with a new mirror and tire.
Before leaving the Airbnb, I had a "map tour" from the host, Rob. He has a treasured collection of old maps, beautifully mounted and framed, all depicting centuries-old Scotland, England, Italy and parts of North America. They weren't necessarily from the time they were mean to depict but they were old, decades or hundreds of years. Rob had offered the tour when i arrived but I was so tired at that time that I just didn't think I would be able to give it the attention it deserved and thankfully, he was respectful of that. However, he was determined and his last opportunity was this morning since I was heading out. I indicated that the departure time would be 9:30 am. I was thankful that he had a phone conference at 9:00 am. I will say it was a fascinating presentation.
It turned out to be a 10:00 am departure. I checked Google Maps just before departure to make sure there were no obstacles and in fact, there was an "incident", closing the interstate to Sacramento. Even though I don't like riding interstate highways, I figured I needed to make an exception today because Honda was going to "squeeze me in" to mount the tire and I needed to be there as quick as reasonable. Since the decision about riding the interstate was made for me, I was forced to come up with an alternate route at the last second. That route turned out to be Hwy 128 up the Alexander Valley, through the heart of Napa, the Sierra Mountains and then across the plains into Sacramento. It was bittersweet. The ride was spectacular and took me past many wineries that I knew: Berringer, Sterling, Freemark Abbey, all wineries that I like. The road was twisty and there was an endless stream of super cars, classic convertibles and stretch limos, even before 11:00 am. I would love to ride this road when I wasn't worrying about being somewhere.
I had called Roseville Honda Motorsports in Sacramento to source a tire when I decided to make the switch. They didn't have what I wanted in stock however, they told me that there were two at the Roseville YAMAHA dealer, so I had called them and spoke to Colby on the parts desk. Colby held the tire for me and said if he wasn't too busy, he could probably get it over to Honda for me, about 5 km away. I had been visualizing tying it onto the bike, with it resting on the back of the seat with ropes securing it to the top case.
When I finally got to Yamaha about 1:30: Colby was on lunch and my heart sank. Luckily, I was
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| Colby |
When we get to Honda, I ask Colby if he is going to come in with me and trash-talk the Honda guys. A few of them know him and say hi. But it was short lived and he was on his way back to work; it didn't have time to fool around because they were short staffed today.
I am so late in the day that the service department tells me they can't promise it will get done, since they are backed up. It's 2:30, they close at 5:30 and the service guys hadn't taken lunch yet. My only alternative would have been to carry the tire with me, which would have presented its own set of challenges, not the least of which would have been a place to install it. I elect to have them work on it and if they don't get done, well, I'll have a weekend holiday in Sacramento (since Honda is closed Mondays).
While I am waiting, I find myself a nearby motel with the flexibility to take me for either one night or three nights but I would tell them which when I showed up. To my amazement, the service guys roll my bike out at 4:00 pm. They lend me a socket wrench to install my mirror so that I don't have to dig everything out of my kit. While I am doing that, the service rep gives me some tips about a route to Yosemite.
When I get checked into the motel, I go for a walk... to the bar. It is a bit of a dive bar; inside they have a glassed-in smoking section; something I have never seen before. There are about 15 people inside including about 9 sitting at the bar. The bartender, who looks a great deal like Jason Mamoa, is hardworking and knows virtually all the customers by name and is quite respectful to me, even though he looks dangerous. Like me.
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| bar poster |
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| I didn't know karaoke was still a thing! |
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| Smoking or non-smoking? |
