Home at last
Sep. 6th, 2010 01:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumI did it.‡
According to Google it was 7,778 miles, door to door. That, of course, leaves out a couple bits of getting lost, as well as various bit of random mileage while I was in Oak Ridge and Ottawa (I didn't get on the bike at all while I was in Jersey City/New York, though I did do about 20 miles while I was in Minneapolis).
Not quite half of that was in one week, of two stages (1,300 miles, or so, to Minneapolis, and then a day off withminnehaha, and the remaining 1,500ish, in the four days after).
Getting out of Reno, yesterday, took about an hour. Early traffic from Burning Man, and the vagaries of road repair. I got to to the agricultural checkpoint, and the woman there didn't ask me a thing, merely said, "You're good" and I was, hard to believe, back in Calif.
I decided not to take the more scenic route past the south side of Lake Tahoe, instead just dropping straight through Vacaville (where the Faire used to be, when Maia and I started dating), past Travis Air Force Base, gas in Sacramento, and then to the Bay, and a left turn for home.
The road out of Tahoe is nice. Winding, but not twisty (with the luggage, and all the wear and tear on me, I don't think I wanted twisty). Downside, the condition of the roadbed is variable. Where there is asphalt, it's fine, where there isn't the wear and tear of chains has made the concrete slick, and not quite smooth.
I between the day of horrible wind, and the 650 miles I did Saturday, my hands are sore (the bit I least expected when I left... the inside of my right thumb. It's from the pressure of the throttle). Yesterday I was mush for brains. I was a puddle of ambulent goo when I got in.
The house was empty, and I had no focus. The last hour and-a-half on the road were tough. It was foggy as I approached the Bay Bridge (though as I came through the hills, the sun gleaming off the bay was incredible, but at the bridge, fog. I was cold (the inland temps had been higher; high enough that I was overheating a bit). The traffic was dense, and the approach to the Bay Bridge was full of idiots; I had to use my horn on someone from Illinois, who didn't seem to think my being in the lane was something he had to worry about when changing lanes. This was different from the people (mostly in Utah and Nevada) who seemed to think my coming up in the passing lane, and overtaking, meant they needed to get over, so they could pass the truck in front of them. Having to hit the brakes to dump 20 mph, and then dawdle along while they crept past the truck... grmnble.
The most obnoxious was the guy in the inside left turn lane, after I got off the freeway. I was in the front of the outside lane, and he pulled straight ahead for more than car length, which sort of screwed up my turn.
The sun set a few minutes before I got to the door. Not so much that I needed to stop, and switch for the more clear visor, but I was skirting the edge of that when I stopped the motor.
By the time I got myself together enough to call for pizza, it was too late (we live in the "scary" part of town, and no one will deliver past 9 p.m.), so I boiled some heat and serve indian food, and ate pistachios.
Yesterday I was discombomulated. Four days of nothing but the wind past the helmet, paying attention to the road, and the sound of my own thoughts had me a bit short of concentration.tenacious_snail and I went to breakfast, and then to the market for some food. Decision making power I had not much of. It was strange to be thinking of groceries for more than one meal, to be looking at the mix of people which seemed, "normal".
Ottawa and New York were cosmopolitan enough (I didn't get to see enough of Minneapolis to get a sense of the inhabitants; what I saw felt pleasantly urban, and my company was certainly urbane), but it wasn't the mix of home. I got several offers of help, based on just how dazed and confused I looked.
Came home, cleaned the bike (the fairing, my helmet, and my jacket, had become a hecatomb for insects), added some oil, collected myself some more, and fell asleep at an early hour. I'll probably go and get some coffee (for the house, and some to drink right now) and enjoy a bit more solitude.
School starts in two weeks, and I need to let my job know I am available, but right now, the idea of sitting still is really pleasant.
‡I had to leave Memphis out of that list, because Google Maps will only allow 25 points.
According to Google it was 7,778 miles, door to door. That, of course, leaves out a couple bits of getting lost, as well as various bit of random mileage while I was in Oak Ridge and Ottawa (I didn't get on the bike at all while I was in Jersey City/New York, though I did do about 20 miles while I was in Minneapolis).
Not quite half of that was in one week, of two stages (1,300 miles, or so, to Minneapolis, and then a day off with
minnehaha, and the remaining 1,500ish, in the four days after).Getting out of Reno, yesterday, took about an hour. Early traffic from Burning Man, and the vagaries of road repair. I got to to the agricultural checkpoint, and the woman there didn't ask me a thing, merely said, "You're good" and I was, hard to believe, back in Calif.
I decided not to take the more scenic route past the south side of Lake Tahoe, instead just dropping straight through Vacaville (where the Faire used to be, when Maia and I started dating), past Travis Air Force Base, gas in Sacramento, and then to the Bay, and a left turn for home.
The road out of Tahoe is nice. Winding, but not twisty (with the luggage, and all the wear and tear on me, I don't think I wanted twisty). Downside, the condition of the roadbed is variable. Where there is asphalt, it's fine, where there isn't the wear and tear of chains has made the concrete slick, and not quite smooth.
I between the day of horrible wind, and the 650 miles I did Saturday, my hands are sore (the bit I least expected when I left... the inside of my right thumb. It's from the pressure of the throttle). Yesterday I was mush for brains. I was a puddle of ambulent goo when I got in.
The house was empty, and I had no focus. The last hour and-a-half on the road were tough. It was foggy as I approached the Bay Bridge (though as I came through the hills, the sun gleaming off the bay was incredible, but at the bridge, fog. I was cold (the inland temps had been higher; high enough that I was overheating a bit). The traffic was dense, and the approach to the Bay Bridge was full of idiots; I had to use my horn on someone from Illinois, who didn't seem to think my being in the lane was something he had to worry about when changing lanes. This was different from the people (mostly in Utah and Nevada) who seemed to think my coming up in the passing lane, and overtaking, meant they needed to get over, so they could pass the truck in front of them. Having to hit the brakes to dump 20 mph, and then dawdle along while they crept past the truck... grmnble.
The most obnoxious was the guy in the inside left turn lane, after I got off the freeway. I was in the front of the outside lane, and he pulled straight ahead for more than car length, which sort of screwed up my turn.
The sun set a few minutes before I got to the door. Not so much that I needed to stop, and switch for the more clear visor, but I was skirting the edge of that when I stopped the motor.
By the time I got myself together enough to call for pizza, it was too late (we live in the "scary" part of town, and no one will deliver past 9 p.m.), so I boiled some heat and serve indian food, and ate pistachios.
Yesterday I was discombomulated. Four days of nothing but the wind past the helmet, paying attention to the road, and the sound of my own thoughts had me a bit short of concentration.
tenacious_snail and I went to breakfast, and then to the market for some food. Decision making power I had not much of. It was strange to be thinking of groceries for more than one meal, to be looking at the mix of people which seemed, "normal".Ottawa and New York were cosmopolitan enough (I didn't get to see enough of Minneapolis to get a sense of the inhabitants; what I saw felt pleasantly urban, and my company was certainly urbane), but it wasn't the mix of home. I got several offers of help, based on just how dazed and confused I looked.
Came home, cleaned the bike (the fairing, my helmet, and my jacket, had become a hecatomb for insects), added some oil, collected myself some more, and fell asleep at an early hour. I'll probably go and get some coffee (for the house, and some to drink right now) and enjoy a bit more solitude.
School starts in two weeks, and I need to let my job know I am available, but right now, the idea of sitting still is really pleasant.
‡I had to leave Memphis out of that list, because Google Maps will only allow 25 points.
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Date: 2010-09-06 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-06 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-06 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-06 10:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-06 11:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-06 09:35 pm (UTC)and oh yes... road trips and bugs and critters on fairings and windshields... yikes!
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Date: 2010-09-06 11:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-06 11:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-07 01:02 am (UTC)K.
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Date: 2010-09-07 01:06 am (UTC)Thank you.
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Date: 2010-09-07 02:30 am (UTC)