The Coho ferry schedule requires a 4:00 am start on the 1st day - the toughest part of the trip for a night owl like me. That's one problem with living on an island. In the dark I discovered that both low beams were dead. The only VFR trouble all trip.
We took a side trip over Beartooth Pass again this year, one of my favourite roads. I prefer a south-to-north pass but time pressures allowed only one run. The wx was fantastic and there weren't too many cruisers clogging up road.
[image: 2 On SR78 near Red Lodge, Mt]
[image: 3 Beartooth Pass north]
[image: 6 Beartooth Pass south]
[image: 7 Tony atop Beartooth Pass south]
We transited Yellowstone NP only because it was the shortest route. One should really budget for a longer visit.
In Nevada, between Wendover and Ely, we were caught in a massive thundershower. For ~5 miles the rain was heavy to monsoon-like but unlike Tony, I have an Aerostich so no worries. The Toiyabe Cafe in Austin, Nv is a good place for breakfast.
Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, is my favourite way to cross the Sierra Nevadas. Hwy 49 from Jamestown to Bear Valley then J16 to Snelling are a sweet pair. Better yet is Hwy 25 between Hollister and King City - tight bends and great pavement.
At Jamestown I swapped the O² sensor back to stock and 86'd the foot peg brackets. I'll post an ad for them.
We lucked into mid-70°'s crossing California's central valley but the mercury rose and it was upper-90°'s at Paso Robles. Forty minutes later at Cambria it had dropped 40° thanks to the marine layer. A good Italian can be had at Lombardi's.
The next day's ride up Hwy 1 was under heavy skies, and foggy in spots, but with little traffic. For breakfast at Big Sur I recommend Ripplewood Resort.
Plenty more mist/fog each morning at Laguna Seca. Saturday only warmed to the mid-60°'s while on raceday it was a more pleasant 75° (according to my VFR). Not the most exciting race but I love standing trackside at T5 and watch them charge into charge into the corner only a few feet away.
[image: 10 foggy Laguna Seca]
[image: 11 foggy corkscrew]
In Monterey, First Awakenings is our usual breakfast stop. For pizza it is Gianni's.
Going home we rode the coast in mist/fog all the way to Crescent City. Cutting inland to Leggett I had a bit of fun hounding three guys on DL1000s. It's the first time in ages that I had a chance to ride with fast guys. My pal Tony is a bit conservative, speed-wise. After that it was a slog on I-5 through Ore & Wash to home. On the last night Tony noticed a dinged rear wheel on his ZRX1200 - bummer. At least it held air and there was no sign of a crack so we made it home ok.
