XC Run 2010 -- Day 1

Nothin' better than that ribbon of Highway in front of your handlebars.

Well, I'm on the road...

The Amboy Crater

Elk Grove to Bakersfield -- what's to say? Hwy 99. Dodgin' cages and trucks, lousy road, flat, hot. Did violate the first rule of packing a 'scoot (and I know better) ALWAYS put your jacket on top. It was 50 at 0600 and I was cold to Stockton. Aggregated my collective fecal matter (nice way of saying it) and moved on warmer and laughing at my out-of-practice mistake.

Bakersfield to Barstow -- heck, it's Hwy 58. 20-30 Kts. of hot desert crosswind beatin' the heck out of you. Get through it, runnin' 80, just got into the sound of that big V-Twin hammering through the miles.

The 'scoot's solid as a rock, trackin' good, eatin' up the curves. Guess I can still pack. Though I'm leaning to the right tonight from pullin' into that wind all afternoon.

The plan was to stop at Barstow -- but heck, that's where you pick up 66. Couldn't resist. Rewarded myself by hopping on the Mother Road and running to Needles. Went through Amboy, so I took the obligatory picture of the Amboy Crater -- though it still looks to me like a big pimple that popped, which if you think about it, it is -- and, of course, stopped at Roy's. The cafe is open, but the Motel is still in the planning stages, though the Lobby is still in all it's early sixties glory.


Amboy to Needles is about 75 of the straightest miles you'll ever run. I think there's a curve there somewhere, but damn if I can recall it. Dad used to love to let those small block 287's run flat out through the desert there. Thought about him a`lot runnin' that road.

So I'm sittin' on the Colorado River and don't need to be in Kingman till noon. Meetin' Skreeech and his boys for a burger at Mr. Dz. Guess I'll run the old "gold road" section of 66 through Oatman and harass the donkeys. Nasty critters, most of 'em bite if you don't give 'em a carrot.


I'll talk at you tomorrow -- maybe even figure out how to put the pictures where I want....