Ozzie's BMW, CHIP bikes, and Alcohol

The next morning we got up and headed out toward Ozzie's BMW. The morning was warm, the sun was shining, and we were riding through some beautiful farmland. I fell into that totally relaxed state of feeling as if everything was right with the world. We entered a road construction area and traffic slowed way down, but was still moving along steadily. Then, just as we entered the most active area, where the road was down to one lane in either direction and bordered by concrete barriers, some idiot decided to pass the dump truck behind me. I don't know whether he didn't see me and thought he could squeeze in between the dump truck and my husband's bike, or whether he was just an idiot. In any case, he came screaming around the dump truck, there was oncoming traffic, and he had no place to go other than my lane. Apparently he decided, it's just a motorcycle, who cares if I run them down, because there he came. I hit the dirt on the side of the road, the dump truck driver slammed on his brakes, and the idiot missed me by about a foot. I don't know how I kept the bike upright. I guess all I can say is that my MSF class paid for itself there!

After my close call the adrenaline kept me on edge all the way to the bike shop. Normally I hate to stop riding, but in all honesty this time it was a relief to get off the bike and know I would have some time to recover. The guys at Ozzie's had told us the night before that they would try to work us in, and they were fantastic. It took all day to get the bike done, but what cool guys. It turned out that the shop in Anchorage had installed the throttle cable improperly so it had stretched and I needed a new one. One of the high points of my day was looking at the California Highway Patrol bikes that were in the shop for service. One of the mechanics was even nice enough to pull one out for me so I could get my picture taken with it.

When we realized how late it would be before we could hit the road again we decided to get a motel and start fresh the following morning. We took a taxi to the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company bar and restaurant. The food was fantastic, and my husband had great things to say about the beer. I braved the sneers of those around me and drank wine instead. I used to like beer, but as I've gotten older I just don't enjoy the taste. But that's ok, the other people in the bar made up for it, andby drinking pinot I left more beer for them! Coming up next - Chico to Tahoe