Going on group rides! Aug 15-16 2015

NevadaWolf · August 17th, 2015, 02:49 PM

This weekend proved to be very adventurous in two very different ways.

On Saturday, I met up with the Harley group that I rode with down to Death Valley earlier this year. This time the goal was to scout out routes and sites for their annual National Meet coming up next year. I was asked to help map out some routes for this trip and one was chosen for us to ride.

Morning started with breakfast at Dan's place where everyone was socializing on the patio. About half were folks that I'd met before, with a few new faces for me to meet. There's an odd/cool story in the middle of this.

A few months ago, I was filling my truck up and a black Kawi rolled up behind me. It had the headlight of a 250, but looked wrong. Turned out it was a 650 and the gal riding it was super nice. We exchanged numbers, but our schedules kept us from riding together. Imagine our surprise when we found each other again at Dan's house!

9 am came up and it was time to hit the road. We all headed out of town and down towards Yerington to gas up. Most of the riders hadn't filled up since sometime yesterday so they were all getting low. I had filled up before breakfast so I took off ahead of them to go play in the canyon. A few passes through the beautiful canyon then I pulled over to video the rest of the group coming through.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Caught up with them at their first stop, Iggy and Squiggy's at Holbrook Junction. Neat little place with burgers that I dare to compare to the likes of Middlegate's in sheer awesomeness! Unfortunately, it was here that I was informed my bike has picked up a nasty habit of smoking. (folks here and that I spoke with after the ride are leaning towards seals - will investigate during my next maintenance day.)

Back on the road, we all headed to Nevada's Oldest Saloon, the Genoa Bar. Being a frequent biker stop, the road was lined with all sorts of bikes. I spotted a blue FJR at the end and pulled up right next to it... wondering...

"Quit following me!" came a shout from across the street.
"Quit going to all the cool places!" I shouted back.

Sure enough, my friend Shawn was there (though it wasn't his FJR, he was on his Tenere that was parked right next to it - oh the only other bike with an IBA plate backer!) Joined him and his friend Greg for their lunch at the café on the other side of the street and we chatted bikes until my group was ready to head out again.

We turned back and headed up Kingsbury Grade - alas, the traffic was such that we crawled up Kingsbury. Even my pull over and wait tactic backfired as I got stuck behind an even slower pack than the one the group was behind. However, the CA state line isn't too far away and I was able to split through weekend traffic to catch back up. Another stop found us at Sonney's BBQ in South Lake Tahoe, where I finally needed some food and ordered three small pulled pork sliders. Scarfed them down before my root beer even arrived!

By now we were behind what little schedule there was, so everyone got back on the road and headed down Spooner Summit. I know this road and have no trouble with the corners - so once the sweepers began I slipped into the other lane and opened up the throttle. I do so love highway 50! Regroup at the bottom and then onward towards our next stop at Slidin' Clyde's in Stagecoach. Short stop mostly to fill up the smaller tanks and we were heading out again. The wind had picked up and I found myself at a power disadvantage for the first time today. My trick of tucking in tight got me some friendly ribbing from the sweeper who passed me splayed out on his cruiser in full Superman mode. I peeled off in Fallon for gas and relied on my routine for IBA rides to get me in and out and back on the road before the group got too far ahead. I think I caught up with them about 15 miles outside of town.

Middlegate lies way out in the middle of nowhere and they are a very worthy destination! Insanely awesome burgers throughout the day and dinner entrees that leave you stuffed an satisfied. Our goal was the weekly offering of prime rib. You know those large platters places use for bigger meals? That was the size of the single slice of meat on my plate! We hung out there for a few hours (I spent some of my time watching the flames from the Cold Springs Fire lighting up the dark night) before it was time to head back into town.

Day 1:

On Sunday, I sent out a message to Shawn asking what his and Greg's plans were today. He responded that we could all meet up for breakfast in Carson, then head up and over 50 before cutting over to 88 via the back roads, and grab lunch. Greg was heading home towards CA and Shawn is from Reno. I agreed to meet them at a neat little café called the Red Hut. Long established in Tahoe, they just expanded down to Carson not too long ago and are a pretty decent little diner. Blueberry pancakes were delish and a steady supply of coffee kept us all wired!

Filling up at Costco, we headed down Carson Valley towards Kingsbury where traffic was just as bad as it was yesterday! This time I learned to stay together and even led the two friends through a quick local's route behind the casinos. Back on Pioneer Trail we had a fairly traffic free ride before this nagging feeling I should turn at Elk Grove began gnawing away. I ignored it and not two turns later traffic came to a grinding halt. Oh, yeah, it's mid morning on Sunday in Tahoe. UGH!!!! We survived and made it over Echo with little hassle.

Shawn was on his Tenere and Greg was following behind on the Wee-Strom. I ended up in the lead on 50 and was soon pulling into Kyburz to make a safe turn onto Silver Fork. I learned my lesson from when @tfkrocks and I came up to this intersection - don't take it head on! The guys and I pulled over for some water and cool shade before diving headfirst into the narrow twisty road.

I promised myself to try to keep up without going too far outside of my comfort zone. Both guys were on bigger bikes and had both been riding a LOT longer than me so I really felt like I either had to keep up or get out of the way. Luckily, with Shawn leading, the pace was just right for me to stretch a bit while keeping it all under control. The only goofy thing that happened was as Silver Fork Rd began climbing up out of the canyon, it makes some rather sharp, steep turns. On such turn has a dirt forest road heading out into the woods that on the approach from the north blends in perfectly with the paved road. So, all I saw was Shawn crest a rise, stand up rapidly, hit the brakes, and a giant puff of dust billowed out from around him as he rode right off the pavement. I checked the road, saw the tight right hander, saw he was stable and upright, and puttered around the corner to wait for him. I could hear Greg asking over the intercom if Shawn was ok. He took the lead again and we made it out with no further incidents.

Once we reached Mormon Emigrant Trail, I led the guys to North South Road where we were able to cut through more back country paved roads. All I wanted to do was not hold these two up and was able to maintain a fairly good pace - despite the numerous potholes right in the middle of the perfect line. Greg told me later I was a great tour guide, pointing out all the hazards, including one time where "It looked like the bike was getting all squirrelly at the apex of the corner and your foot came off the peg. I thought you were just regaining your balance - but nope, you were pointing out the pothole you had just corrected around!"

Having found a neat BBQ place last weekend with the Ninjetters, I took these guys there. However, turns out that the BBQ is only on Saturday, "Smokin'Hot BBQ Saturdays!" and Sunday is burger day! Still good and we had a good long lunch hanging out and chatting.

Heading back over the hill, I followed Shawn over Carson Pass and down into Minden via the Carson River route (don't know the name of the road off the top of my head, our mutual friend J introduced me to it). One last gas stop before heading up to Virginia City on the truck route. With Shawn in the lead I was able to focus more on my line vs debris or cars coming at me and I had a much smoother and fun run up the mountain than I have had in a long while. I do love chasing good riders around! We separated in VC and I turned to head back to Carson to meet my Dad for dinner before heading on home.

Day 2:

It has been an awesome weekend, filled with lots of folks and lots of riding!

Oh, and I crossed 85,000 on the clock. No picture of the milestone, was in the middle of a corner when it turned.

VaFish · August 17th, 2015, 02:55 PM

I'm going to have to fly out to Carson, visit my little sister and rent a bike to ride with you.

tfkrocks · August 17th, 2015, 06:45 PM

You're gonna have to jog my memory on that intersection. Is it where I was less than graceful with my bike?

NevadaWolf · August 17th, 2015, 07:36 PM

Yes. Taught me to be a little quicker in relaying information than I had been.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaFish

I'm going to have to fly out to Carson, visit my little sister and rent a bike to ride with you.

Come on out! Be glad to show you around my backyard!

August 17th, 2015, 02:49 PM	#1
NevadaWolf Certified looney toon Name: Teri Location: 39°52'40.7"N 118°23'53.8"W (Northern NV) Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250, 102k+ miles -- 2014 CB500X, 42k+ miles Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 16 MOTM Jul '13, Jul '14	Going on group rides! Aug 15-16 2015 This weekend proved to be very adventurous in two very different ways. On Saturday, I met up with the Harley group that I rode with down to Death Valley earlier this year. This time the goal was to scout out routes and sites for their annual National Meet coming up next year. I was asked to help map out some routes for this trip and one was chosen for us to ride. Morning started with breakfast at Dan's place where everyone was socializing on the patio. About half were folks that I'd met before, with a few new faces for me to meet. There's an odd/cool story in the middle of this. A few months ago, I was filling my truck up and a black Kawi rolled up behind me. It had the headlight of a 250, but looked wrong. Turned out it was a 650 and the gal riding it was super nice. We exchanged numbers, but our schedules kept us from riding together. Imagine our surprise when we found each other again at Dan's house! 9 am came up and it was time to hit the road. We all headed out of town and down towards Yerington to gas up. Most of the riders hadn't filled up since sometime yesterday so they were all getting low. I had filled up before breakfast so I took off ahead of them to go play in the canyon. A few passes through the beautiful canyon then I pulled over to video the rest of the group coming through. Link to original page on YouTube. Caught up with them at their first stop, Iggy and Squiggy's at Holbrook Junction. Neat little place with burgers that I dare to compare to the likes of Middlegate's in sheer awesomeness! Unfortunately, it was here that I was informed my bike has picked up a nasty habit of smoking. (folks here and that I spoke with after the ride are leaning towards seals - will investigate during my next maintenance day.) Back on the road, we all headed to Nevada's Oldest Saloon, the Genoa Bar. Being a frequent biker stop, the road was lined with all sorts of bikes. I spotted a blue FJR at the end and pulled up right next to it... wondering... "Quit following me!" came a shout from across the street. "Quit going to all the cool places!" I shouted back. Sure enough, my friend Shawn was there (though it wasn't his FJR, he was on his Tenere that was parked right next to it - oh the only other bike with an IBA plate backer!) Joined him and his friend Greg for their lunch at the café on the other side of the street and we chatted bikes until my group was ready to head out again. We turned back and headed up Kingsbury Grade - alas, the traffic was such that we crawled up Kingsbury. Even my pull over and wait tactic backfired as I got stuck behind an even slower pack than the one the group was behind. However, the CA state line isn't too far away and I was able to split through weekend traffic to catch back up. Another stop found us at Sonney's BBQ in South Lake Tahoe, where I finally needed some food and ordered three small pulled pork sliders. Scarfed them down before my root beer even arrived! By now we were behind what little schedule there was, so everyone got back on the road and headed down Spooner Summit. I know this road and have no trouble with the corners - so once the sweepers began I slipped into the other lane and opened up the throttle. I do so love highway 50! Regroup at the bottom and then onward towards our next stop at Slidin' Clyde's in Stagecoach. Short stop mostly to fill up the smaller tanks and we were heading out again. The wind had picked up and I found myself at a power disadvantage for the first time today. My trick of tucking in tight got me some friendly ribbing from the sweeper who passed me splayed out on his cruiser in full Superman mode. I peeled off in Fallon for gas and relied on my routine for IBA rides to get me in and out and back on the road before the group got too far ahead. I think I caught up with them about 15 miles outside of town. Middlegate lies way out in the middle of nowhere and they are a very worthy destination! Insanely awesome burgers throughout the day and dinner entrees that leave you stuffed an satisfied. Our goal was the weekly offering of prime rib. You know those large platters places use for bigger meals? That was the size of the single slice of meat on my plate! We hung out there for a few hours (I spent some of my time watching the flames from the Cold Springs Fire lighting up the dark night) before it was time to head back into town. Day 1: On Sunday, I sent out a message to Shawn asking what his and Greg's plans were today. He responded that we could all meet up for breakfast in Carson, then head up and over 50 before cutting over to 88 via the back roads, and grab lunch. Greg was heading home towards CA and Shawn is from Reno. I agreed to meet them at a neat little café called the Red Hut. Long established in Tahoe, they just expanded down to Carson not too long ago and are a pretty decent little diner. Blueberry pancakes were delish and a steady supply of coffee kept us all wired! Filling up at Costco, we headed down Carson Valley towards Kingsbury where traffic was just as bad as it was yesterday! This time I learned to stay together and even led the two friends through a quick local's route behind the casinos. Back on Pioneer Trail we had a fairly traffic free ride before this nagging feeling I should turn at Elk Grove began gnawing away. I ignored it and not two turns later traffic came to a grinding halt. Oh, yeah, it's mid morning on Sunday in Tahoe. UGH!!!! We survived and made it over Echo with little hassle. Shawn was on his Tenere and Greg was following behind on the Wee-Strom. I ended up in the lead on 50 and was soon pulling into Kyburz to make a safe turn onto Silver Fork. I learned my lesson from when @tfkrocks and I came up to this intersection - don't take it head on! The guys and I pulled over for some water and cool shade before diving headfirst into the narrow twisty road. I promised myself to try to keep up without going too far outside of my comfort zone. Both guys were on bigger bikes and had both been riding a LOT longer than me so I really felt like I either had to keep up or get out of the way. Luckily, with Shawn leading, the pace was just right for me to stretch a bit while keeping it all under control. The only goofy thing that happened was as Silver Fork Rd began climbing up out of the canyon, it makes some rather sharp, steep turns. On such turn has a dirt forest road heading out into the woods that on the approach from the north blends in perfectly with the paved road. So, all I saw was Shawn crest a rise, stand up rapidly, hit the brakes, and a giant puff of dust billowed out from around him as he rode right off the pavement. I checked the road, saw the tight right hander, saw he was stable and upright, and puttered around the corner to wait for him. I could hear Greg asking over the intercom if Shawn was ok. He took the lead again and we made it out with no further incidents. Once we reached Mormon Emigrant Trail, I led the guys to North South Road where we were able to cut through more back country paved roads. All I wanted to do was not hold these two up and was able to maintain a fairly good pace - despite the numerous potholes right in the middle of the perfect line. Greg told me later I was a great tour guide, pointing out all the hazards, including one time where "It looked like the bike was getting all squirrelly at the apex of the corner and your foot came off the peg. I thought you were just regaining your balance - but nope, you were pointing out the pothole you had just corrected around!" Having found a neat BBQ place last weekend with the Ninjetters, I took these guys there. However, turns out that the BBQ is only on Saturday, "Smokin'Hot BBQ Saturdays!" and Sunday is burger day! Still good and we had a good long lunch hanging out and chatting. Heading back over the hill, I followed Shawn over Carson Pass and down into Minden via the Carson River route (don't know the name of the road off the top of my head, our mutual friend J introduced me to it). One last gas stop before heading up to Virginia City on the truck route. With Shawn in the lead I was able to focus more on my line vs debris or cars coming at me and I had a much smoother and fun run up the mountain than I have had in a long while. I do love chasing good riders around! We separated in VC and I turned to head back to Carson to meet my Dad for dinner before heading on home. Day 2: It has been an awesome weekend, filled with lots of folks and lots of riding! Oh, and I crossed 85,000 on the clock. No picture of the milestone, was in the middle of a corner when it turned. __________________________________________________ <-- Linky Hey Unregistered! The code [you] shows the username currently logged in. IBA # 56020 AMA # 521481 Fun Rides! ][ My Videos ][ My Gear Hold yourself to the same rules you expect others to follow.

August 17th, 2015, 06:45 PM	#3
tfkrocks ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rebecca Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2013 Ninja 300 w/ ABS, 2014 NC700X, 2008 Ninja 250 (sold), 2002 Ninja 250 (sold) Posts: A lot. MOTM - Jan '18, Sep '13	You're gonna have to jog my memory on that intersection. Is it where I was less than graceful with my bike? __________________________________________________ My Ninja 300

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August 17th, 2015, 02:55 PM	#2
VaFish ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Tom Location: Northern Virginia Join Date: Jul 2015 Motorcycle(s): 2001 Ninja 250, 2019 Harley Ultra Classic, 2001 Suzuki SV650 Posts: A lot. MOTM - Jan '16	I'm going to have to fly out to Carson, visit my little sister and rent a bike to ride with you.