Pictures of Christa in Obscure Places

San Mateo CA, Silicon Valley
Staying with Mark & Joanne
Christa should Arrive tomorrow

My hired man, Thomas Duncan of Thomas Duncan trucking sent me these pictures yesterday. Thomas is making tracks and should arrive at KKMI shipyard in Richmond California. I should be on station when Thomas arrives. It's all happening!

Pretty crazy to see Christa in the interior, especially with a west Texas dust storm bearing down on her!

Capt Chris

California Arrival

San Mateo California, Silicon Valley
Staying with Mark & Joanne

In my minds eye I had held the beauty of California. But the reality is a stretch better. I crossed into California yesterday morning and watched the nature of the desert gradually change. The desert is so vast and majestic and so very hot. I was traveling along I-10 for most of my trip westward.

But to avoid the metropolis of Los Angeles I had to re-route myself pretty far off the rhumb line, but was well worth it. I turned north at Palm Springs and climbed into the mountains, and then descended into Yucca Valley. The grandeur is tough to get your mind wrapped around. Certainly not a ideal location for a breakdown. All of this scenery was totally unexpected and really made the long drive pleasant. I would have loved to camp in some of these areas but the temperatures preclude any thing like that.

I guess what I am saying is I really did forget how absolutly beautiful California is. I spent the night in Mojave California not far from Edwards Air force Base. Another desert oasis of a town.

This morning the terrain changed again into mountains, then straight into the bread basket of California. I stopped in Arvin, a sleepy agriculture town south of Bakersfield that felt like Mexico to me. Maybe because the population is 87.8 percent Hispanic according to the 2000 census. I picked up a authentic breakfast burrito from a little Mexican Tacoria and then spent the next 3 hours north bound on I-5 through the central valley. The central valley is a sea of commercial farming operations. Water is a gigantic issue in California. The system of canals that has been created to divert water to the LA basin and the farms is a gigantic political football. With that, I noticed thousands of acres of farming land burned out. Signs abound reading "Congress Created Bustbowl." Something is afoot; not unusal in a state where the government is in a constant state of crisis management.

I've spent the past few months in warm temperatures and air conditioning. But in true San Francisco fashion, as soon as I negotiated Altamont Pass, the temperatures dropped dramatically and the fog started to appear. The Green Hornet felt the influence of the mighty Pacific for the first time. Once upon the San Mateo bridge which spans the south San Francisco Bay, I could see a typical 15 to 25 knot westerly breeze churning up a chop. And once again I had that stupid grin, boy was I happy.

It's nice to be back in the hood. Now I just need Christa to make it safely here. More on that tomorrow.

Capt Chris

Could Be Biker Trouble

San Tan Valley Arizona
Staying with my Aunt Cindy & Uncle Joe

72 Sportster, Rhode Island 1992

 Here is a little tid bit regarding my past most blog readers have no clue about. I had a biker phase. And this phase is latent and could surface at any time. Check out stud boy at 24 years old. I felt like the man no doubt. Feeling like the man was the watch word today as I once again climbed aboard a phat Harley for a morning ride in the Arizona desert.

Uncle Joe & Me

I had the fever right away. In fact I worried about swallowing a bug because I couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face. It was a Sunday morning, little traffic, long long double lane highways that stretch as far as the eye can see, circled by the arid Arizona mountain terrain. Even better, the temperature was only in the high 80's. Very abnormal for this time of year.

My machine was a 1989 Electra Glide Official Police bike. Big and smooth, with tons of power. Uncle Joe was riding a real classic, a 1964 Panhead. Loud. In fact so loud that I had trouble moving out in first gear on my bike as I couldn't hear the engine on the Electra Glide.

We have some biker history in the family. I sold my Harley in 98. I am well aware of the dangers of bikes and just decided enough was enough. But holy cow did I love today's ride.

I can easily draw a parallel to sailing. Today was like a day of broad reaching in 15 knots and a 3 to 4 swell. On the bike, all alone with just the surrounding hill country, everything dialed, every care in the world simply leaves you. What a feeling. Kind of like the Judas Priest song, "Heading Out to the Highway." A real biker anthem. But bikes are like boats, prone to breaking downs, weather directly affects your enjoyment and the community is cult like. Of course bikes don't readily drag anchor, which is nice, but at some point all bike owners would choose to use the bike as an anchor.

The Panhead can be ruff on the rump, So Joe & I stopped in at San Tan Flats Bar and Grill to cool down. Place was really very cool indeed. Of course pretty soon Joe and I were pestering the girls to "I don't know maybe take a picture on the bike." With the Canon G11 in the saddle bag, I was on the case big. They were all great sports about it. I love these spontaneous small pleasures, that if accumulated consistently really adds up to a great life. Here are some more pictures.

Thanks Girls

Me & Prof Shelby

As usual having a great time with Cindy & Joe and my cousin Lauren. As of this writing I plan on leaving tomorrow  bound for somewhere near LA and snag a hotel. And then my next stop should be San Mateo just south of San Francisco in the Silicon Valley.

Christa as of this moment is still in Texas. Thomas and I had a deal for him to take his time driving across the country so I could seek adventure. The plan is for him to leave tomorrow for a SF arrival Weds or Thursday. Getting excited to get to my final destination and begin my re-assimilation to the Bay Area.

Easy Rider Out

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