I'm back from a 1,311 mile trip to California.

[Dewman]

I took my '97 Magna on a trip from Nampa, Idaho to Modesto, California to visit friends and family. I celebrated my 66th birthday while there. It was a trip that I'll never forget and one of the greatest adventures I've ever experienced. I took Hwy 4 over Monitor Pass and Ebbett's Pass over the Sierra Nevada Mountains going and Hwy 108 over Sonora Pass coming home. The scenery was magnificent and an absolute motorcyclist's paradise! The trip went as planned and Maggie performed flawlessly. Damn, what a bike!:thumbsup:

Here's the Photobucket URL if you'd care to see photos I took while on my trip.

http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/dewmantreat/Trip%20to%20California%20Sept%2020-28/

[alalien]

Awesome pics and a great recollection of a perfect trips man!

Glad Maggie did what she was expected to do for ya :)

Oh, and happy belated B'Day :D

[Rain]

What a trip. Fantastic photos and narrative! Thanks for sharing.

[Rain]

How long you had the bike? Looks almost new!

[Dewman]

How long you had the bike? Looks almost new!


I bought it this past March 14th. One owner, with 13K miles on it....and flawless. $2,200. It now has 20,228 miles on it....and the season's not over yet!:D

[OTD]

Looks like you had a great trip. I hope I'm as fortunate as you to be able to do this after I retire.

[Dewman]

You know....it's kinda' amusing how many of my friends and relatives tried to talk me out of taking the trip. I heard things like: "You're no spring chicken, ya' know....Don't you think that's too far?....It could be dangerous!....What if it rains?....What if your bike breaks down?....Your back and knees won't hold up....You shouldn't take the trip alone....Why don't you fly, instead?...You can't be serious....with YOUR heart problems?....What if yada-yada-yada....ad infinitum.

All it did was convince me to JUST DO IT! NO, I'm no spring chicken....and your point is? YES, it IS a long way....so what? YEP, it COULD be dangerous, but so is driving to the grocery story. IF it rains, I have RAIN GEAR! My bike is in GREAT condition. If it breaks down, I'll get it fixed and continue on down the road! My back and knees did JUST FINE! I PREFER to ride alone most of the time. I'm AFRAID of flying! IF my heart decides to give me problems, it WILL, regardless of where I'm at or what I'm doing.

I guess it all boils down to a quote I recently posted somewhere here.

"I refuse to tiptoe through life, only to arrive safely at death."

[vito]

Life is too short to not take the opportunities when presented to fully enjoy it. I envy you for this great trip. Its been awhile since I have had the chance for a long road trip, but I am planning to go next spring from home in northern IL to visit my daughter in Dallas, and sometime I plan to make the long 2,000 mile ride to visit my son in Seattle. I find that my appreciation for motorcycling grows greater as a I get older. I guess I can better appreciate the experience and don't take as a given that I will always have time to do it later. I'm about the same age as you are, at 68, with two prosthetic knees, quintuple coronary bypass surgery, double partial corneal transplants for my eyes, and having survived a near fatal crash 11 years ago. My wife and kids would love to see me quit motorcycling, so to answer them all I bought a new bike (a Triumph America) this past Spring. Ride safe, and ride more!

[smooth1]

Great Pics. Thanks for sharing

[TechGirl]

Good words in this thread from more than one person. Nice job, Dewman, keep up the good work...

[Big.Tater]

Good words in this thread from more than one person. Nice job, Dewman, keep up the good work...

+1 with TechGirl

I'm jealous of your trip too! One day I hope to do the same.

[Jim8208]

Great pics and narrative, thanks for posting. I owned a 2002 Magna and it was a great bike, very dependable. One day I plan on a trip like the one you took. After all you only go around once on this earth so why not live life to the fullest. :biggrin:

[JohnnyQuid]

Awesome pictures! Looks like you made some great memories on that trip!

[Ops]

wow.

Ops