Part VII - Bye, Bye Reno.


May, 4/15

After two and a half days of rest and ice Lori's foot, albeit still purple, can accept a boot so we're off to the races.This was time well spent ensuring she was feeling up to riding. What a trooper!

Thanks to an early night we're checked-out and rolling before 7:30 AM which is early for us. A quick fuel stop and we hit 395-north and roll it on. The day is fresh and sunny and it's a pleasure to feel the early morning air on my face.

It's a quick run up the hill from Reno and we're soon at the Califorina state line and passing through the agriculture road check where we get waved through with a big smile from the inspection officer. The hills are brown and dotted with cattle and I like to get their attention with a blast from my horn as I cruise by them. We stop for a quick photo-op at the 'shoe-tree' on the side of the road. These quaintly adorned trees have been popping up a lot in the last few years. There used to be this one very big one on Hwy 50 in Nevada between Fallon and Middlegate Station but it isn't there anymore...must have fallen down under the weight of the all the shoes.

Shoe-Tree Hwy 395.

 



Before too long we're rolling into Susanville and I need a coffee and a stretch. We pull up on the main street in front of the Primo Deli and Bakery and saunter in. We're quickly greeted by the new owners who are in the early stages of launching this new venture so there are ladders and paint cans throughout the place but the coffee's on and they're making lunches.The thing about small towns is you sit down and in no time at all someone is saying howdy and asking where you're going. I love this interaction, it's what makes the trip all the more delicious.We meet Danny, the new owner, working away at the chopping board and he takes some time to yak with us. We also meet John, the ex-pat cabbie from Brooklyn, N.Y., who pulls up a chair and hangs with us as we have our coffee. He's a motorcyclist too, however; today is ride of choice is a bicycle. Danny's wife, sorry I missed her name, stops by now and then to top up our cups. There's a bunch of local folks having lunch at the other end of the long table and there's people coming and going and everybody knows one another and it's friendly and relaxed. I could easily spend a couple of hours here yakking but we have to be on our way as we have a lot of ground to cover. So, the next time you're passing through Susanville stop in and have lunch with Danny et al at the Primo Deli and Bakery.

Susanville is where we leave 395 and head north-east on Hwy 139 passing John on his bicyle and we exchange waves. This is a wonderfully scenic road which we actually covered last year in Desert Honeymoon although we were going in the opposite direction. Lots of ranchland, hills, pine forests and dry lake beds and best of all no traffic in fact the road was pretty much deserted. We stay with 139 which become 299 and we continue north-east for a while rejoining 395 in the town of Alturas where we stop for fuel.

Lori on Hwy ?

 

 



Hwy 395 north of Lakeview, OR.

 



Dry lake bed.

 



 

A quick pit stop in the bush.



It's 395 north, crossing the Oregon state line and into Lakeview which is a misnomer to say the least as all the lakes around there are dry and deserted. The town is decaying and it's a sorry sight with all the closed and boarded up stores, restaurants and gas stations. There is a prison on the outskirts of town so I can only assume this is what keeps what's left of the local economy grinding along. Once out of Lakeview it's ride north to the junction of Hwy 31 where we swing north-west. This stretch of road is hot, dry and frankly kind of boring. It looked interesting on the map with all the 'lakes' along the way but once again the lakes are dried up and it's black flies, dust devils and gravel trucks competing to blow us off the road. While riding along I notice another motorcycle coming up behind Lori at a quick pace. The headlight gets brighter in my rear-view mirrors and when it gets close enough I recognize the gold coloured forks of a Suzuki V-Strom, the same as ours. The rider comes up on our left to pass us and he pause for a second by Lori and then passes me with a quick pause and a friendly wave and he roars off out of sight. Not too far ahead is the town of Paisley and coming into 'town' I spot the 'Strom parked on the side on the road so we pull up to say hello. Second surprise is this bike has BC plates too. It turns out Bill, the rider, is from Kelowna and on his way home from a trip down to Yosemite. We talk V-Stroms for a while and Bill goes for a walk while Lori and I take off. Once again you meet all kinds of people when you take the time to meet them!

Bill from Kelowna

 

 



V-Strom Rally Paisley, OR

 



Hwy 31 is becoming a drag and I want off it. I'm getting tired, windblown to Hell and my mouth and eyes are full of dust. After 120 miles of this torture I never thought I'd be so happy to see the junction of Hwy 97! With another thirty miles to go we're in Bend, Oregon, our oasis for the night. I booked a room the day before so it's unpack and go for a much needed shower. We're tired and don't feel like going out so it's order in pizza and kick back. Before too long I'm nodding off and it's lights out. Tomorrow morning we'll figure out where we're going next.

Until then.......

Steve
Bend, OR

Distance for the day
434.7 miles
704.4 kms