May 17-19

Texting after the ride.  Thought I'd put some here.

Swen

“And let the record reflect, when tho hast written the final word on the weekend that is behind us, that I have shown contrition for my failures as a leader, indeed as a man, for my failure to stop at Malakoff Diggins (Molotov Cocktail in Mike speak) and am prepared to be relegated to middle of the pack, endless community service and to haul as much of any cocktails as is deemed appropriate for the duration of my riding. If that means clearing out my pack of all tentage and comfort items, so be it. It is the price that must be paid and the example that must be set. I accept the tribal council's decision on this at the next wood ring fire burning ceremony! 

Mike

Swen, your failures only make you a better leader in the future, for those are times of growth and inner strength building. This is why I'm not a leader, I seldom fail; I would've stopped at Molokov Cocktail and still be the same person I was. But you? You've just upped your leadership potential 

Holy smokes, was this a fun one or what? 9 bikes and 3 vehicles.  We got several bike guys back into the foray. Dave K called me and was in.  Jason had his maiden voyage on the 890, Rig, of course, back on the 1290, and Mike showed up on the Queen's Gambit ride.  Me, Raf, Kurt, Scott P, and Swen rounded out the motorcycle group.  Alan, Scott R, and Pierre rounded out the vehicle group.  Such great numbers and great guys.  

For me, when new people join, I always wonder what they'll think of the whole thing.  Pierre and I grew up together.  We have always enjoyed the same kind of things.  I knew he'd have a good time on our trips.  The question was, just how much fun?  And was it fun enough that he'd want to come again?  And did he feel like it all was worth it?  And was there enough cussing, drinking, and arguing?  Or how about enough standing up and yelling around a campfire, while trying to explain one's decision making and thinking on the route from the day?   

Let's dive deeper into this one and dissect the events.  Pierre will have to decide for himself.  Clearly, Scott Peterson did.  He seems to think it's worth joining us all the way from Alameda.  I can't help but think he bought that 850 in small part because of our group.  Perhaps you recognize, Scott, that we are the group for you.  Even if you have an extra 3 hours to meet us.  You are an old friend of Forrest's.  Forrest has good taste in the friends.  I'm glad you were along for this one.  Sorry about the air bag.  

Pierre saw a bear.  Haha. To Alan's chagrin, Pierre had a bear run in front of him.  Alan had the same bear run behind him so he didn't see it.  Come on Alan, get it together man. 

Kickstands up at 11 at Palan's.  Todd and Chief Chris were joining us for the day, but unfortunately, not the weekend.  Kurt, Raf, me, Alan, Dave K, all gathered and began making our way to lunch.  Lunch was at the Clover Cafe on the way to Bullard's Bar.  It is something out of a DDD.  Such a pleasant experience.  We then mozied up to Bullard's and did our obligatory stop at the overlook on the south side of the dam.  This was awesome.  My back was killing me.  Has been for a week.  But fuck it.  Ride Pete, ride.  A CHP rolls past us and I sort of wondered.  And sure enough, he was hidden in the shadows about a mile past the dam.  No thank you today chippee!  I was spot on 58.  We get to the 49 and I gotta tell you, this next section to camp is a peach, so damn fun on a sport bike.  I know, I know, I don't ride a sport bike.  But I kind of do, actually.  Swen and I were talking about this Sunday morning while I packed up.  Our KTMs are the best motorcycles we have ever owned. They are amazing on the street.  The WP suspension is fabulous and the engineers just got shit right on these things.  And so, I was hauling ass.  And came upon a newer Ford Expedition.  This guy sees me in his mirror and proceeds to burn the pavement down.  He was a driver for sure.  That said, he also was cutting the yellow line to gain seconds.  I don't do that in general.  So I stayed far enough back that if he made the big mistake, I would have time to fix it for me.  But I also made sure he could see me in his mirror.  I know, not that responsible of me, but super funny anyway.  

So we get to Carlton and it's a little busy, but plenty of open sites and we get two side by side.  It all worked out fine.  We had kicked around riding more up to Downieville, but really, it was 3:00, my back was killing me, and we were waiting for Swen.  So we just sat around and had a beer and laughs.  Love this time at camp.  Always do.  So fun.  Pierre showed up, Swen showed up, Mike showed up, and Scott P showed up, and Rig showed up.  Todd and Chris left.  They actually left before Rig showed up and he was bummed about that, but that's how it goes sometimes.  Still, lots of good riding for everyone.  

Camp was so fun, as usual.  Pierre made everyone pulled pork sandwiches.  So very yummy.  Swen made margaritas and Rig gin and sevens.  Rig decided to make my back feel better and was making me drinks.  Fine man that marine, fine man.  Mike brought a banjo on the English bike.  So Scott played that some.  Kurt played my guitar.  I guess Kurt had said, "The banjo wasn't as annoying as I thought it might be." But to be fair, Scott is awfully good on that thing. Some of us played poker.  We had a blast.  Guys trickled off to bed.  Swen snuck off to bed.  Mike and Alan and I continued poker.  When we ended, I had a sneezing fit.  If you don't know this about me, when I start sneezing, it's 14-16 in a rows.  It sucks, let me tell you.  Rig liked it though.  It was like soft music for him to sleep to.    

Next morning, I was up earlier than usual.  I had hoped there would be a pot of hot water.  All we need is a constant pot of hot water.  Let's get this right for once.  Holy crap.  Just a pot of water constantly filled and being hot.  Geez.  So I finally got a cup of coffee.   Then my obligatory cup noodles.  So yummy.  And then I looked at Rig and asked if his brother was bringing the little crack croissant donut things.  He said he didn't know.  But damn.  Scott showed up in the Jeep and first thing he does is open that box of cracklins.  Thanks man.  Good on ya. 

Jason rolls in.  And we have a rider meeting.  I guess Rig was right.  We haven't done those very often for a while.  The thing is that this is 12 souls and people don't really know the routine.  Or they're out of shape.  So, I wanted to look at the tracks and have a discussion about some things that I knew.  The tracks actually worked great.  And in fact, we found a keeper.  This is the one Jason filmed and Pierre saw the bear on.  It's fun.  

We finally set off and I got everyone to the covered bridge for photo and video time.  You can see those below.  I should have organized this better and learned a lesson.  Plus, I missed a beer here because everyone stood around and Pete was setting up to video.  Damn. Come on Alan! Got some footage and set off.  

When we got to the green track, the one heading up to Camp Bountiful, I pulled over to make sure everyone made the turn.  All good.  But I hung back and became the sweep bike.  I don't mind.  I like leading mostly because there's never dust and if I made the track I might have some inside knowledge, but sometimes it's super fun to be the sweep bike.  Mike was in front of me.  I waited around for a bit to let the dust clear.  And eventually, I decided to just stop and let the dust clear and wait for the 3 vehicles.  This actually was a money spot and could serve as a good dispersed camp spot in the future.  Scott dropped a pin so we could find it again.  This is where Pierre told us he had a bear run in front of him. We eventually got going and I assumed we'd all meet at Camp Bountiful to discuss.  Well, it's a religion camp and private.  But only half the crew was there.  These guys didn't know where the other guys were. And here's where things went weird.  Air bags deployed, wrists were hurt, and four riders, two of which didn't have the track, went missing. But Rig was with them.  And he rode this same ride last month.  So he'll know to stop at Malakoff and hang out, right?  Right? 

Part 2: 

So we continue on the track.  Up this sort of steep turn and come up to some muddy areas.  I'm not a fan of mud.  The clean lines are not good, but for some odd reason I decide to use the one on the far right.  Mistake.  My exhaust pipe got stuck on the side hill.  I would need to dismount and lean it and push it, but my back is jacked and will not allow me such things.  Thankfully I have good pals.  Raf and Jason park and push me along.  I make sure to not roost them.  I continue on the track through methland.  How do people live like that? We get down to Malakoff and I expect to see our leaders but they are not there.  I wait in the shade and the rest of the crew shows up.  Turns out that Scott fell over in the mud area and his air bag went off.  I don't even think he was actually moving, just a tip over.  Kurt did the same thing turning around I guess and sort of hurt his hand.  Thankfully it wasn't broken.  We then begin discussing the two guys that didn't have the track.  It would be super easy to get lost back there without the track.  Mike and Dave K didn't have it.  I assumed Dave was hanging with Rig, so I wasn't really worried about him so much.  But last I saw Mike he was alone and in front of me, so that meant he was a bit back.  So the discussion began about what to do.  Alan was thinking of going back to look for him.  But we all eventually agreed that he is a grown man and we weren't that far away from civilization.  So, we continued on after fellers enjoyed walking around the historic park.  Lot's to see and enjoy here.  We got down to Washington to the lunch spot and we were happy to see the other four motorcycles out front.  We found these guys on the back patio, along with some new friend they made.  Swen had a fresh beer arrive and I just put out my hand without saying a word.  He looked me in the eye and quickly handed it over.  Thanks buddy.  But we are going to have to talk about it.  Maybe later at camp.  We will discuss the thinking.  It's like when you knew you were in trouble with your mom and dad but had to wait to find out what the punishment would be.  We enjoyed our time.  I wasn't feeling great.  I think by now, my back pain was also making me feel sick.  So Kurt decides, finally someone did, to ride a dirt track up to the 20 and then we would camp at White Cloud, which is very nice.  So me and Scott P are last to leave and we both miss the turn.  I turn around and go find it, but then I got roosted and dusted out by about 5 dirtbike guys.  So I turn back to just ride the pavement.  Sorry about that Scott.  Headfake from Pete.  I knew everyone would get to White Cloud though, so I wasn't making a big deal about routes.  We all gather there and it's closed.  So dumb.  I was so mad I threw my bike on the ground.  Shit.  Tried to hold it up with my left leg but my back wouldn't allow it.  Jason helped me pick it up.  It's fine.  That's what all the protective stuff on the machine is for.  But it was the first time I dropped her and I was mad at myself for it.  So Rig leads us across the highway to begin looking for a good spot in the woods.  And by golly we found a fine spot.  Didn't have to ride through a huge mud puddle though, but I did.  Missed the clean run up to the left and around it.  Almost dropped her in there, but this time it was my right leg and that side of my back wasn't the issue.  

So we get camp all set up.  I decided to ride to the top of the hill for a flat spot.  Plus, I snore and don't want to bother fellers.  Everyone is sitting in a big circle.  Like around a campfire.  I suggest we make a fire and get a mediocre, at best, response.  But it's only May.  And it has been wet.  So I'm all in for a fire.  I find one rock by Alan's truck.  This starts the ring.  But then I can't really find any more nearby.  So I grab a couple of burned logs.  And continue my fire ring.  Guys go berserk over this.  What the hell Pete?  You aren't making a fire ring out of wood, you idiot.  This gets the boys going.  Pierre grabs his shovel and the other fellers go and find proper rocks.  Before long, we have a mighty fine fire ring.  There's plenty of wood around, so that was not an issue.  Scott R opens the bar.  He starts making proper cocktails with his clear balls.  Kurt has two balls.  He made sure everyone saw his two balls.  Thanks Scott.  Mighty fine bar tending there.  Unexpected but very much appreciated.  Rig stayed up late again.  And he found this tiny wrench.  He begins ranting about the asshole that brought such a useless wrench.  Then I bring up the track and why those four didn't stop and wait at Malakoff.  And then guys were standing up and yelling.  Belly laughs for us for sure.  I don't know if we ever really got a clear picture as to why those four didn't stop.  Some say it was Swen chasing the ball.  Some say they had no choice but to follow because they didn't have the track.  Dangit.  That's my fault.  I should make it easier to load the track.  I should maybe make a website, where I could post the ride plan and a hyperlink to the track.  Shit, if I did that I could even post links to campgrounds and historic sites and lunch spots and supply stops.  Come on Pete.  Be a better ride planner.  Rig just did this ride a month prior and we hung out in Malakoff for like an hour.  I figured he'd stop.  But he said he worried over Swen.  That Swen took off and he didn't want him alone.  

For us though, the track worked so we weren't really worried.  Just a little about the trackless guys.  It made for funny campfire chatter though.  

For Sunday, we had zero plan.  I was in no hurry.  For some reason we left camp at 9.  Too early for a lunch stop.  But as we rolled into Grass Valley for gas, I noticed Kurt's rear tire was flat.  We took about an hour or so getting it loaded up into Pierre's truck.  Then we all said our goodbyes.  I packed 4 beers out of the cooler because I figured we would lose the trucks because us bike guys heading north were going to ride Sicard.  I wasn't sure Dave K would want to because he still has another 45 minutes on the 99 after us, so I passed the fellers and pulled over at Sicard to see if he and Mike were cool with staying with me and Raf and Jason.  They did.  So I did my traditional route along Township for our gravel stop at the hiking/hunting spot.  Passed out the beers.  1 short.  Because I can't count?  I don't know what I was thinking.  All good.  We shared a little.  And that was that.  We all rode home.  Home early, and that is nice on a Sunday.  I just sat out in my front yard looking at my bike for a while.  It's still dirty as I write this.  I plan to clean it this weekend. 

Shared the news about our close friend Dina and her newly discovered cancer.  It's bad.  Kind of all over inside.  Chemo starts next week.  For you praying types, throw her in there if you would.  Life is fragile.  We are all getting older.  These things will be coming over the years ahead.  Let's keep doing these trips.  Enjoying the sights of our lovely state.  But more importantly, enjoying our time together as brothers from other mothers.  I am blessed to have you all in my life.  I love that we share these adventures.  Ride the track boys, on two or four.  Until next time, cheers.    

So this is going to be a repeat of last month's ride.  Without the rain I hope.  AND, with it being a true Friday through Sunday ride.  Thursday night can be an option for anyone of course, but I have to work Friday morning and will then take off about noon.  

Friday night camp is the general meet up spot.  Right next to highway 49, so some road noise, but otherwise, quite good.  Here is a link to the campground: Carlton Campground 

You can all just google map yourself to it.....no tracks needed.  

For Saturday, I have two big loop tracks, one is blue and the other is red.  Here's the link to them: tracks 

This will be about a 50/50 offroad day.  We have ridden the dirt one from Malakoff down to Washington and it is very good.  My plan is to ride the blue one to the town of Washington, and then use the red one to take us back into the woods and at some place find a spot we like and make camp, dispersed camping style.  On the blue track, we ride through Malakoff Diggins State Park, which is super cool.  So lots to see and plenty of history to take in, if that's something you like.  Washington has some cool history, including this hotel, which we could stop at for lunch or a pint. https://www.washingtonhotelca.com/eat-and-drink

Food:

Gas: not really a concern I don't think, but top off when it is convenient. Here's a place in Camptonville on the way to Friday night's camp: Lost Nugget Market and Gas 

Supplies: There's a general store that looks pretty cool in Washington.  We should at least see if there are more than 14 cats in it: Washington General Store 

That's it for now fellas!  Cheers!