PCH Day 2

I hit the road this morning at 0840 and my goal was to get at least as far as Klamath Falls, OR.  With the rain that was forecasted I didnt know how the day would shape up.

I took US89 out of Walker, CA to Lake Tahoe. What an incredible ride that was.  I have been all over Colorado and Utah and this part of California was every bit as good.  Monitor Pass was breathtaking and the pictures just don't even do it justice.

Lake Tahoe is incredible. The day was overcast and it was very windy so again, the pics just dont capture the true beauty there.  I would love to come back another time and spend a few days here.

Highway 50 runs around the lake for quite a ways. I eventually hooked up with US395 again and headed to Carson City and Reno NV. From there I continued on to Susanville Ca.  There was lots of open range land between Tahoe and Susanville and there were dark heavy rain clouds looming overhead.

It is about 200 miles from Susanville to Klammath Falls and for most of the 200 miles it was raining. Nothing heavy or dangerous, just a drizzle.  The scenery changed from rangeland to farmland with areas of thick forest thrown in for variety.  I rode through miles and miles and miles of hayfields, grain silos, quaint little farm houses, and old rustic dilapidated barns.  I passed up so many photo ops because they were everywhere I looked. I just couldnt absorb it all........

Did I mention the rain? For nearly 200 miles?

I love the sights, sounds, and smells of being out on the motorcycle.  You miss so much when you are in a car.  I also love to take the back roads.  There is a time and a place for the interstate but I generally avoid the superslab.  When you are on the back roads, you get to experience Americana.  I ran across a memeorial dedicated to the flight crew of a C130 that crashed in 2002 while fighting a wildfire.  There was a monument, a piece of the planes propeller, and 50+ t-shirts from various fire departments attached to the fence.  It was really cool!

And then later, there was this tribute to uh..........well.........I dont know, but it was cool.....

You dont get to see this kind of stuff going 80 down the interstate....

Today was a 400 mile day with cool temps and rain. The forecast for tomorrow calls for more of the same. Then after that, the weather is supposed to be perfect the rest of the trip.  Tomorrow holds another 300 miles in store and then i'll hook up with Angie in Portland and the real trip will begin.