California - Wisconsin and back
Cupertino, CA - Reno, NV
Time to hit the road. Since I was only going as far as Reno, I left around noon instead of my usual dawntime departure. This was nice in that Peter could see me off, but in some ways, it's easier just to kiss his sleeping forehead and go. Even after 60,000 miles of riding, I get a nagging in my stomach when I leave for trips: I wonder why I'm leaving home, whether I'll be safe, what I hope to accomplish. I always cry until the first freeway entrance. After that, I rarely miss home again.
I look like a space dork.
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Peter and I on my way out.
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I took Interstates 280-880-680-80 eastward...lots of 80s. There was an influx of squids in Milpitas: the guy in front had a girl on the back wearing what could charitably be called "not protective gear"; the guy at the end of their parade looked more nervous while weaving through traffic and was trying to hold his hoodie sweatshirt down with one hand. I hope he wises up and finds better friends.
For some reason, Reno was packed. I tried three different hotels, with no luck, until I finally got a room at the Hilton. It wasn't actually as expensive as I'd feared, which was good, considering what a huge pain in the ass it was to carry my bags from the motorcycle parking area across the lot, through the casino, up the elevator, and down the hallway to my room.
On one such bag trip, a little boy in the hallway said hi and asked if I had a motorcycle. When I said "yes", he asked to try on my helmet. His mom stuck her head out from inside their room and apologized, but I was happy to let him try it on. So cute! I told him that he was a natural -- I'm not sure if his mom really appreciated that. It brought a huge smile to the kid's face, though.
Sierra Nevadas. | One state down... |
258 miles today; 258 miles total.
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Next Day --> May 29: Reno, NV - Ely, NV