Today was the pinnacle day of the trip. It’s odd that the day home would be such an event, but for me it was. I’d been a bit nervous on doing 500 miles in one day as the max I’d done was 400. In that day I was exhausted and this was 100 more.
In usual Patrick fashion it was an early morning. Kickstands up at 05:59am. We were rolling before the sun was up. The electric gear was in full capacity: jacket, gloves, and socks as the air was crisp (29 F).
Riding through the park was really cool. You could see the sunrise in the rear view mirrors. In those few minutes I got to take in the expanse of nothingness that comes in the desert. It was so quiet and so empty.
We had breakfast at the Ridgecrest Denny’s. From here it was familiar territory home, some 350 miles. The miles to Bakersfield flowed easily and were through town well before lunch.
I split off from the group to take Interstate 5 North for me to get some more freeway miles under my belt. I had lunch in Kettleman City at Taco Bell with the rest of California. The line was out the door, it was loud, and I spilled root beer all over the floor. Not exactly the rest in rest stop.
The 140 miles up the freeway was the hardest part of the ride. Cars and trucks have wakes in the air much like boats do in the water. I had rough seas the whole way.
I had a quick gas stop at 152 and 5: Sub 100 miles. I rolled into the bay area with ease. Seeing the Mtn View sign was a welcome sight.
500 miles behind us and bike in garage, I celebrated! Now where else can we go that’s 501 miles away? “:-)”
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