08/15/13 - Group ride - Bucks Lake

[Mel]

Hey GM,

Thanks for a great ride with a really fun pace! Had a blast riding and chatting about bikes and life during the breaks. Hopefully we can get some more riding in before the winter.

Sorry we missed you Wiles and hope your ride was just as fun.

Mel

[dub]

No worries; it's my fault, I should have posted up saying I was coming before I went to sleep last night.  But since it was such a last minute decision, I thought it would be fun to be all mysterious and hook up with the group unannounced.  Guess that back fired.

I knew I would be a ways behind you, but I thought maybe if I rode fast and didn't stop, and you guys took a few 15 minute breaks I could catch up.

I looked for you at the Sierraville Country Store, the Chevron in Graeagle, the Chevron in Quincy and Bucks Lake Lodge.  No luck.  There were a lot of other groups out in Quincy today.  I saw a group of guys hanging out in the dirt turn off at the beginning of La Porte Rd, another group at the first gas station in East Quincy, a couple bikes at the Polka Dot and another group riding through town.  I thought for sure I would see you coming the other way up Bucks Lake Rd as I was going down.  When I got to the bottom I thought maybe I would catch you at the Lakeside Market and Gas station.  When you weren't there I thought maybe I had missed you because you took the Truck Route while I rode past the Lodge and I could catch you having lunch at the Pizza Factory.  But alas I decided to give up.

It was a perfectly nice ride, although my last 10 miles or so of Bucks Lake Rd was completely ruined by a line of 10 or so Harleys doing 30-40 mph that I couldn't possibly get around.  I would rather come up on one slow truck and trailer after another than a line of Harleys.  At least you can pass the truck/trailers.  I briefly thought about slicing and dicing my way up through the group, but I didn't want to be a dick and it's not like I'll never ride that road again.
So after I gave up trying to catch you guys I had lunch at Subway in Oroville then decided to really make a day of it.  I took Forbestown - Challenge Cut-Off - La Porte - Oregon Hill Rd - Marysville Rd back to 49.  It was also my first time on that route from Oroville to 49.  I thought it was awesome.  I've heard people refer to Oregon Hill Rd and Oregon Hell Rd and I can see why you would say that if you were on a repli-racer.  But I had a blast.  I took a right on 49 and headed down to Auburn, then up to Foresthill and took MRR/French Meadows/11 Pines down to Wentworth, Ice House and up 50 home.  It was a pretty awesome loop.  I covered a lot of ground too; 430 miles in 8.5 hrs ride time.  I only stopped four times: lunch in Oroville, a brief rest stop above the reservoir and fuel in Graeagle and Auburn.  Although when I'm alone, I don't take off my helmet, gloves or dismount for a fuel stop and the whole thing takes about 4 minutes. 

The Tiger is going to click over 10,000 miles on my commute tomorrow.  I've only had it for 19 weeks.

[Mel]

Wow, now that was a full day of riding Wiles ! I guess you could call me and GM a couple dicks because we also came up on a big group of Harley riders but did the slice and dice ! That Tiger of yours is getting a great workout for sure.

Mel

[dub]

I usually do the slice and dice.  Just didn't feel like dealing with it this time.  Fuck those long lines of Harley riders.  They were going so slow we had a pick up truck riding our ass the whole way down.  What's the point of riding a motorcycle in the mountains if you aren't going to go any faster than a guy in a full size truck? 

[GreenMachine]

 

Good story Dub!

And BTW, I take that back.  You know me better than even I would have figured.  Had that CHP not trolled in, you would have spotted us on Oro-Quincy or at the Pizza Factory, which I was craving.