So we spent several weekends, tuning and retuning our bikes. It was a lot of work and when it came time to hit the road we decided it would be better to camp for the weekend in Long Pine. It would give us a chance to really take our bikes out on the road and see if there are any real serious issues. Up until this point, we have only really been taking our Hondas out to places that were under an hour away.
Long Pine was four hours away and if there was a serious issue, we were certain that we would see it on the way up or the way back. Jared followed us up there with his Jeep and trailer, providing moral support.
We spent the first evening bar hopping the one and only bar in Long Pine. We had the whole place to ourselves, including the beer garden. Later that night we went racing around in the country with the Jeep. I told Jared that I felt like we were on safari.
The next day we had a few things to do to the bikes. I had to install a spring for my oil filter. Wes, on the other hand, had to track down a place to replace a bald spot that seems to be forming on this tire. We stopped into the Long Pine museum for a quick look at how the town was long ago.
After the chores were completed, we floated down the little stream that runs near Long Pine and through Hidden Paradise. That place is great! The people were fun and the whole atmosphere was very relaxed.
We were going to find this other bridge in a neighboring town but Storms roared through the area that evening and brought lots and lots of rain. I would guess it was over an inch. Wes and I desperately tried to cover our bikes as best as we could and I think we did a good job of covering them up.
The next morning, we put our bikes out in the sun to dry off and after a large breakfast we packed the bikes to head back to Fremont. When we returned, we found that the small bald spot on his rear wheel had become a very large bald spot. Upon closer inspection, we realized Wes’s rim was bent slightly. This was awful news because now Wes’s bike was grounded until a new part could arrive. With the holiday it would be days before the new part would ship out. It was looking like our road trip was busted before it even got started.
Total miles: 465
Total ride time: 9 hours
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