432 miles / 695 km
Wow, the last day sucked! It started out well enough though...
I woke up well rested. I love sitting in the morning at a campsite in peace and quiet. A lot of people pack up early and move out, or are gone for the day by mid-morning. It's nice and cool and there's no one around. It's nice to make some coffee, breakfast, and just sit there and chill out. Doing nothing. Yes.
It's always at this point I wish I had more time to stay in places longer. One thing about going to a lot of places in a relatively short amount of time, is that you are always packing up and moving. It's nice to be in a place for a few days and not have to do that. I'd love to have stayed in Banff a few extra days. Same with Jasper. I'd like to have stayed in Kelowna a few extra days! And Grand Teton, it really needed more time.
All this and more, I contemplated as I took my time on the last day. I was looking forward to getting home, but a bit sad it was all over too. I wonder where the next one will be? San Francisco to Argentina? Now THAT would be an adventure....!
The drive was nice enough winding down through the Cascades where they merge with the Klamath mountains. I knew however, once I got down into the Central Valley, the heat would rise. And boy, did it rise...
US 97, which I'd followed all the way down from Canada, joins Interstate 5 at the town of Weed, California. That was where "Hell" began for me. I've driven in heat before, but this was really, really, REALLY hot! It was also still fairly early in the afternoon, one o'clock or so, and I knew the hottest part of the day lay ahead.
As we wound through the mountains, I found anything less that 80 mph was not enough to keep cool. Traffic was moving pretty close to that anyway. It was really difficult driving - lots of big rig trucks, really barreling along, two narrow lanes through the mountains, and heat of 107F. The blacktop on the road was also really reflecting the heat into my boots. Add to that a major forest fire and reduced visibility, and parallel "grooves" in the road which are a nightmare to ride a motorcycle on. It was getting really hellish.
It sounds funny now, and maybe a bit melodramatic, but honestly, my boots were getting to the point that my feet were starting to cook - literally. I was starting to get a bit alarmed. Listen, there is nowhere to pull off on this stretch, and if you stopped, you would not be able to stand on the ground. Your feet would get actually seriously burned. I was really getting worried.
I thought I might make it to Redding, and then realized I wouldn't be able to. I was really freaked out when i saw traffic backed up for miles on the other side of the road dude to some accident related to the fire. I thought, "If that happens to me, I'm screwed. I'll have to dump my bike and put on my flip-flops and walk. Shit! It will be terrible!!!"
Fortunately, that didn't happen and we kept moving through the smoke, although by now we were down to an unbearable 45 mph. An exit finally came up, with a sign for a gas station. I took it and literally drive straight across the road to the shelter of the pumps. There was a car in the way, but I literally drove right up against it and parked in a tiny bit of shade. I headed straight for the store and pounded down two big containers of Gatorade and a footlong sub sandwich (that was pretty uninteresting). I could't believe how much the heat was affecting me. I verified it was 107F. I had surely driven in that across Nevada and the Great Basin before, but this was way worse.
After about 45 mins I started feeling a bit better, but I realized I wouldn't be able to get home like this. I would have to either wait four or five hours for it to cool down - or get a new pair of shoes. Thank heavens for smartphones. Out with the trusty iPhone. I have used the TomTom US & Canada GPS app for the whole trip and, while sending me the wrong way once or twice, it has been worth its weight in gold.
> Navigate to
> Local search
> Search near me
> Google search: Payless Shoes
> Mt Shasta Mall, 900 Dana Drive, Redding = 7.2 miles
Off I went. I ended up finding a "Famous Footwear" next door to Payless, and the staff there were great. A few minutes later I was back on my bike with a pair of "ventilated runners" - ahhh the relief! I got back on the road. It was still horribly hot, but at least it was bearable now.
NOTE here on the BMW ComfortShell: It works really well until you approach 100F, then it doesn't work so well. If you stay hydrated you'll be okay.
I hammered it out until Winters. I stopped and again knocked down a double sized Gatorade followed by my favorite road drink Rockstar. I was pretty knackered at that point, but knew I'd be home soon enough. Back on the road, and as soon as I hit I-80 it was familiar territory: Vacaville, Fairfield, American Canyon. I stopped at that rest area near the top of American Canyon, and got a photo of the distant San Francisco Bay. Almost home! I could see the famous fog rolling in, and it was already cooling down, so I put on my inner liner jacket and I was off for the final stretch.
Bay Bridge toll plaza, Bay Bridge, Fremont St., and up Russian Hill. I stopped by Royal Grounds, visited with a few friends, enjoyed the self-congratulation. I was totally beat though and didn't last long. It was time to head home where a very excited four-legged creature was delighted to see me.Good to be home! :-)
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