Good Morning, and a late Happy New Year! Periods of rain. High 49F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Glad to see you all enjoyed a nice bit of time off with your family and friends.
Did ya miss me? Oh, didn't even notice I was gone? :laughing: Took a little trip down south for New Years to meet with 60 of my best friends out in the Anza Borrego Desert at a little place called Agua Caliente Springs.
Our little camp in the group area is in the foreground, nestled into the hills on a state run park complete with running hot water, great showers, and a pool fed by a natural hot spring. Took two days to get down there, skirting the foothills in the Sierra Nevada mountains and seeing more snow on the ground than I cared to, but arriving safely on New Years Eve. The meals were prepared by three of our club members, and the first was tri-tip with fresh veggies, ranch beans, and a great spinach salad. A fourth member carted in several small kegs of his home brewed beer, and others brought various desserts and treats, so there was no shortage of food. All of the meals were excellent, the best I've had at any large event and even in most good restaurants. I was worried my riding gear wouldn't fit when it came time to leave.
The atmosphere was very casual with a dash of eccentricity thrown in for good measure:laughing:. Most rode their air cooled BMW motorcycles there, and we enjoyed nice rides during the day to near by historic sites, followed by serious bench racing and trip tails each evening around the roaring camp fire (that U-Haul trailer was stacked with oak a couple feet over the rails when it arrived!).
There was no Internet service at the site, but by Saturday the weather rumors were for rains to return by Monday, so a long dash up I-5 got me home yesterday. The winds were quite strong coming down off The Grapevine section, enough to uproot huge tumbleweeds and toss them across the freeway. Some were bigger than the cars, and it was quite entertaining to watch all the dodging and swerving going on. Aside from that, both legs of the trip went by uneventfully, with the bike not skipping a beat or needing any attention more than a pint of oil (the new rings are still seating) and feeding the fuel tank. Man, there's nothing nicer than your own bed after four nights on the hard ground. :cloud9:
A yearly tradition is stacking all the folding chairs on the last night, apparently started years ago when one cranky attendee objecting to sharing his.
