Northwest Bike Trip 05

It’s 3:45 am and it’s dark. This is the first trip I’ve ever started in the middle of the night. Even my girlfriend is awake and wishing me well before I leave. I mount my bike and off I go. It’s not very cold for this hour, but I’m going over a pass that’s 7000 feet so I dress with all my leathers. I hit Auburn/Folsom road and wind my way up to Hwy 80. It’s almost a relief at this point because of all the planning for this trip had me all stressed out. That was all done now and all I had to do was enjoy the ride. I hit Auburn and jump onto hwy 80 and I’m off. Hwy 80 twists up the hill into the darkness. The only thing I’m passing is semi-trucks, no other cars on the road at this hour. Driving in the dark is much different on a bike. It’s hard to tell where you are with no visuals along the road to give you hints. Before I knew it I was in Truckee with no sign of slowing down. It’s all down hill from here into Reno.

I’m in Reno in no time. It’s still dark, only 5:20am, I’m a little early. I arrive at Landrums Café 45 minutes before I’m suppose to meet Ronnie. No problem, I could use a little rest and now it’s starting to get light.