By Dave Pelletier
Well, here we are in October. For some, the end of the riding season. For others, it’s the best time of the year! Temps are cooler, riding is more comfortable, and the Summer traffic is over!! (except for my commute to breakfasts over the Washington Bridge!)
As you may be aware, this months Tuesday Breakfast is at the Groundwater Café in Scituate. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, depending on the morning temperature.
Not a motorcycle trip, but last month my wife Pat and I flew to California to continue checking off more of the National Parks. This time, we flew into Sacramento to do the parks in Northern California. We headed to Pinnacles, one of the smaller National Parks, but none the less beautiful! The map that I had used was deceiving, as it showed a road going through the park, that ended up not being complete. We ended up coming in from the West, backtracking and going around to the Eastern entrance to visit both sides. As this is a lesser visited park, we were at awe of the dead silence on one of the trails!
We then visited some relatives in the area (my Aunt is 94 and doing amazingly well!) and headed to Redwood NP, another great park with amazingly tall trees!
We then drove on the Pacific Coast Highway – US Rte 1. At the end of Rte 1, Rte 101 takes over. The last 28 mile section of Rte 101 heading into Oregon is one of the twistiest roads that I have been on! Fun in a car, must be a blast on a motorcycle! We have now done the entire length (in segments) of the Pacific Coast Highway in California!
We continued on to Crater Lake NP in Oregon, another beautiful NP. The Rim Road was closed for a section, which meant we backtracked around to do as much as allowed. A visit to Crater Lake is tricky, as there can be snow there into July, and the park closed in October, again due to snow. Planning is essential.
Back in California, we went on to Lassen Volcanic NP. Fires within the past 10 years have damaged about 70% of this park. I guess you have to look at it as evolution, with the downed trees giving way to new growth.
With an extra day to ourselves, we stayed in Reno Nevada where Pat got to play some slots! (no, not enough to win me a new bike!) We drove around Lake Tahoe, a beautiful resort area, then decided to re-visit Yosemite NP as we had not been there in around 10 years.
Back to Sacramento where we visited the “Old Town” section that looked like we were in an old Western Town, complete with wooden, elevated sidewalks!
We put around 2,250 miles on the rental car and now have done 22 of the 63 National Parks.
For those of you over the age of 62, you can purchase a Senior, Lifetime National Park pass at any of the park entrances for a one time fee of $80.00. One of the best deals going!
Our Monthly meeting is on Columbus Day, October 13th at the Carriage Inn. Hope to see you there!
Rubber side down,
Dave Pelletier, Pres
