Road Trips, Politicians, Extraterrestrials, and California Scooters

I grabbed this shot at the Rock Store a few years ago. Recognize this guy? We might just see him again!

Steve and I have been planning the route for our August California Scooter road trip, and it’s gonna be a good one. We’re going to keep the mileage relatively low (less than 200 miles each day) because we want to take it easy and have a good time. 

We’ll be spending a lot of time close to the coast to keep things cool, and you can bet we’re going to stop at either the Rock Store or Neptune’s Net for lunch on Day One.   It’s gonna be cool.  And you never know who you’re going to bump into on these kinds of trips!  In my travels here in the Golden State, I’ve bumped into Jay Leno, Donald Sutherland, Marty Allen, Flip Wilson (remember him?), Tony Randall, Peter Fonda, Liza Minelli, George Burns (no kidding!), Dustin Hoffman, and Ed Begley, Jr.  You just never know!

I’ve covered lots of miles on a motorcycle, and I’m here to tell you that pushing the daily mileage numbers too high on a motorcycle can be tough.  My personal motorcycle record is 1000 miles in one very long day, and I felt the effects of that day for a solid week (we’re not gonna do that on this run).   We’re gonna make this a fun ride, with lots of time for sightseeing, picture taking, and relaxed riding.  Our thinking is we’re here for a good time, and that’s what we want everybody to have. 

So, where exactly are we gonna go?   Well, we’re still working that out, and like always, planning the trip is half the fun.   We’ll have the details posted late tomorrow.   Trust me, it’s gonna be good.   And we’ll post some guidance about what to bring and all of that good stuff early next week.  We are gonna have fun!

What do you guys think? If we could get this crew on California Scooters, wouldn't it solve a lot of problems?

But I love getting on the road in my car, too.  There’s something about a road trip that’s just sort of mentally and emotionally cleansing.  And that’s what I’m going to be doing later this week.  I’m gonna leave the constant bad buzz bombardment about the economy in my rear view mirror, where it belongs.  I don’t know about you, but I sure would like to see some real leadership in our nation’s capital.  

You know what?  I think I have the answer to the DC dilemma.   Listen to this…

My economic stimulus and recovery plan would have every member of Congress and our president riding a California Scooter.  We could take them on a California Scooter road trip.   It’s pretty hard to not get along when you’re out riding motorcycles with your buddies.  Our elected officials would feel better, they’d get along better, we’d have a budget, and we’d create a few more US jobs in the process. 

Ah, what do I know…

My ride for this week's ET Hwy road trip...hey, who is that in my 'Vette?

My sweetheart Susie and I are hopping in the Z06 and heading north early Thursday morning to explore northern Nevada.  My objective is to get great photos of loneliest highway in America (that’s Hwy 50) and the Extraterrestrial Highway (that’s Hwy 375, and it runs right by the famous Area 51). One of the magazines I write for wants a couple of articles and photos of this beautiful part of the country, and hey, I’m happy to oblige.  I’m gonna post a few right here on the CSC blog for you, too.  We’ll be having dinner with our good buddy J (from the Baja trip) and our good friends Cathy and John up in Gardnerville. It’s gonna be fun.

Oh, and there’s more good stuff coming up, too.  We’re only one weekend away from the Lake Arrowhead Endurance Rally. That one’s gonna be a lot of miles…close to 400 miles in one day. But it’s a different kind of ride, and the point of it is to pile on a lot of miles.   It will different than our 12-14 August CSC road trip, but it will still be fun.   The worst day on a motorcycle is still better than the best day in an office.

Ah, gotta run.  My wife is telling me some guy who follows the CSC blog is on the phone and he wants to know about the next Baja ride…what’s his name?  Barack?  Barack who?

Stay tuned, folks!