Meeting people and making new friends....

[Pat]

I met up with a few people I met via the Triumph "Renegade" site.... they don't ride Triumphs,
go figure. It was a last-minute planned event, funny how the impromptu rides often work out better.
Seven of us joined up for a 250 mile day in the foothills of California's "Gold Country."
With a confirmation call that we were on our way, the six of us set off to meet our seventh.
http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/21531959-L.jpg

It was an initial freeway jaunt to El Dorado hills. But when the road is flanked by rolling green
hills and poppies everywhere, you can't help but ignore the 70 mph drone.
http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/21531981-L.jpg

After a spirited run down Salmon Falls road, we turned off onto hi-way 49. Little traffic interrupted
our ride, the sky was a brilliant blue, and with sites like this.... you can't help but be reminded
why you ride a motorcycle:
http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/21531963-L.jpg

Lemme see, there was me on my Sprint and another guy on his Legend. An FJR, Hayabusa, FZ1, R1, and
a Suzuki Savage 650 thumper. That thumper was operated by a gal standing no taller than 4' 11", she
had it loaded up with leather saddle bags and a duffel. She was our leader for the day, having put
the ride together..... and boy can she make that 650cc one-lunger MOVE!
http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/21531965-L.jpg

We settled on an olde Cowboy saloon for a drink & lunch. Jeez, it was smoke-filled and stuffy in there,
but a little JD over ice helped me to tolerate it. Nobody else seemed to be bothered though.
http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/21531968-L.jpg
Can you imagine that somebody actually ordered this thing?!?!?! It was hamburger big enough to feed
four!
http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/21531971-L.jpg
I HOPE that was a beef-burger, 'cause there were enough kitties living under the building to feed
a Thai family of twenty!
http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/21531974-L.jpg

Such are the sites you see peppering the country-side and littering the town squares. This is the
heart of the 49er Gold Rush after all!
http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/21531978-L.jpg

Instead of horse drawn carts and solo cowboys running the foothills
of California, you got yer solo bikers, and yer groups of motorcycle enthusiasts. It was a fun day
riding with these guys. Sometimes, it ISN'T so much about the ride.... as it is meeting people and
making new friends.


Life.... on a bike.... IS GOOD!

[DJ Downunder]

I met up with a few people I met via the Triumph "Renegade" site.... they don't ride Triumphs....go figure.

Seems a bit odd to me....'not that there's anything wrong with that'.

That bridge in pic 3...did you get to ride over it or is it just a train bridge?

Nice pics.

DJ

[Pat]

YES! We did in fact ride over it, too wide though to see anything beyond/below the guard rail.

[Doug]

Thats what its all about! Thanks for the writeup Pat.

[vintagecycle]

As always Pat, great pictorial!

[Britnheaven]

Nice job Pat - captures the spirit perfectly.