May 19 4x4 Prairie City

Well, here's what happened!

I want to call this the May of 23 4x4 training and pinkies out trip. Yeah. Why pinkies out? More to come on that. I was super excited and just wanted to get through Friday at school. Todd could probably feel my energy. He had plans with Dave K to do a day ride with the wives. They had been planning it for some time. But we have had this weekend on the calendar since January???? But then Dave, I guess, buried in work, couldn't actually do it. So Todd could have come!! Dang it.

Anyway, Raf showed up to my place just a bit before 3. I was pretty close to ready. We took off and had planned to meet Dorian in Oroville...no sense in him driving to Chico when he could catch us there....sure enough, we met at an intersection at 4 and we were off to Bullard's Bar. Those are sweet backroads and I will be happy to run them forever. Great sights, cool houses, the whole bit. We headed to Bullard's and I pulled over after the dam at the lookout. The lake is filled to the brim and the water was flat. It was beautiful. We contacted Rig and he was at the campground, South Yuba by Malakoff Diggins. But it was gated and closed. WTF? It's almost June? So we decided to scope some campgrounds just above and then tell Rig where we're at. We ended up at Schoolhouse, about 3 miles up above the dam. It is a very nice campground. But what is super cool is that most people were in tents. There were many families and lots of kids. I liked that. Gives me hope for America.

Rig showed up. We then set up dinner. PF Changs. Hold that thought. Rig had some gin to make these yummies and Dorian became bartender. That's important because he is still in a dry stretch. We ate our PFC and then sat down for some Sequence. It's such a fun game. Rig and Raf hand'nt played before and I do believe they like it a lot. We then went on a campground walk. I like to see people's stuff and how they set up. Who knows, I might learn some new techniques. It was cool to see all the kids and all the families. Good stuff. We came back and played some more sequence. I couldn't see straight. I feel my bartender was over serving me.

In the morning, the bartender had to go home. We ate farm fresh eggs and steak. I had to clean the pan. It took me a half hour. It made me think: we could plan meals that are easy cleanup. Mind you, I love the food and the effort. I really do. But easy cleanup is nice. Right? Come on. It's true.

Dorian left and it was two bikes and a Jeep. We agreed to meet at Prairie City. I took off on the 49 and it was my first time to get to know my new baby. And holy shit. That's right. I swore. It is a powerhouse superbike hiding in a comfortable upright adventure. It was so fun.

We rolled into Folsom and we were going by the dam. Rig went home to drop off his fridge. Yeah. Fridge and Freezer actually. The newest addition to the kit. As we rolled by Dave Graves' place I could see his Jeep, Yellowjacket. So I u turned and we went back. That was cool. Raf and I just hung out and then we headed to PC. I was blown away at how many Jeeps were there. It was ridiculous.

There were groups and clubs and women groups practicing. It was super cool. Dave G gave some wisdom and tutorials and that was super fun. I believe Rig and Scott learned a lot. Rig scratched his wheels rock crawling through a creek section. It was good stuff.

We headed back to Dave's place....Raf called it the Graves' Resort...and we had fun hanging out. Dave bbq'd up some sausages and ribs and Angela had some snacks all set for us. Plus, a refrigerator full of bubbles. I was hoping to see baby Ezra, but our timing wasn't quite right. Rig was staying in town to see his daughter's soccer game Sunday..good dad move...so then Raf told me to just stay with family and he'd head home or call someone to connect with.

I wanted to ride and camp still. So I told him I wanted to stay with him. We got great advice from Dave and Angela to ride Salmon Falls Road and it was awesome. We stopped for gas and kept running up to Grass Valley. But I got to tell you, from Auburn there was not very fun. Lots of traffic, lights, slow going, and ribs digesting. By the time we got to GV for a supply stop, we were both tired. But we talked and decided we'd rather stay in the mountains and camp than ride home in the heat. So we looked for campgrounds and found some options on the 49. We took off and had about 40 minutes to ride. My motorcycle makes twisty roads super fun. Not gonna lie.

We found a good camp on the side of the 49. Carlton Campground. It was right next to the river and highway, but it turned out to be great. We got on our street gear and started collecting firewood. I drank a can of chardonnay. You see, I'm fancy. Pinkies out right there. We collected enough wood to get a decent fire. But a little later a nice gal came walking in our camp with an armfull of firewood. They noticed we needed it and were paying it forward because another camper gave some to them. After a few minutes of conversation, we realized we are both UC Davis Aggies. Kind of cool.

Raf and I had a great time around the fire. No need for food. We were still digesting Dave's ribs. Just drank some beers and had a grand time. In the morning, we had coffee....Raf was a great buddy because he had his stove. I had nothing. He had hot water going when I got up. We didn't eat. Still didn't feel hungry. It was a beautiful morning by the river with the sun hitting the pines. So good.

We decided to reverse our route and get back home around noon. And it worked out great. We stopped at the gas station by Butte College, just to stretch and end the ride on a chat. I got a beer, he got something else, and it was a nice 20 minutes. We talked with the wives, and it turns out my wife was having her sister over for lunch so my timing was perfect. We decided to run up Clark to Paradise and down to Chico from there. We parted ways with a wave at Skyway and Bruce.

I got home and sure enough of a bunch of family was here. I parked my girl on the sidewalk in the shade and turned her off. I got off and took a moment to admire. Thanks for this. I appreciate the pursuit of excellence from engineers with passion . This is a most excellent motorcycle. I little high tech, but I will adapt. It's the LC8 superbike engine...and it does not disappoint. It's a rocket. There is no redline on the tach; instead, it has a shift light that flashes at you. I saw it a lot this weekend. The different rides modes, coupled with fly by wire throttle, make throttle inputs and bike reactions feel instantaneous. But the motor itself makes this great flow of power. Twin torque off the bottle, but once you have it in full boogie above 6k, it shrieks and pulls like mad. I laughed in my helmet many times this weekend.

Around coffee Sunday, Raf and I started reliving the food and we started cracking up. What is happening? We had PF Changs Friday night and then ribs at the resort on Saturday? WTF? It is so funny. How fancy. Pinkies out please. Pinkies out.

I love what we have going on here fellas. Great men. Doing great things in life. Raising great kids who are now raising great kids. It's good for the world. It's good for America. I was happy to see families camping in tents, jeepers out in force jeepin', and kind people sharing firewood to a couple of lone motorcyclists. Amazing.

You are all welcome to ride my bike. But you see, I rode Swen's....and it changed me. And here I am. You can ride it....but if you do...be sure you have some open land in front of you and you sweep the shifter so you see the blinking light come on. And try not to either laugh or scream.

Until next time....cheers.