I don't think it was as cold this morning as it was yesterday morning, but it was still cold. My hands were fine on the ride over to Walnut Creek (those heated gloves work great ;?), but they got cold as I was standing around waiting for departure time. As we were waiting it seemed like there was a never ending stream of motorcycles arriving, with the final count being 41 bikes on the ride.
When it was time to go, we roared up 680 to 80 and then on to our first stop at the Chevron station in West Sacramento. The traffic was light and other than being cold it was a pleasant ride. We did hit some fog along 80 just before we got to Sacramento but it was only a couple of miles before we rode out the other side. This is a good thing because it was fairly thick and I had to keep wiping the moisture from my face shield so I could see. It took 20 minutes or so for everyone to gas up, use the facilities, and warm up, but then we were back on the road.
The rest of the ride to Auburn was up 80 and again the traffic was fairly light. We pretty much had the number two lane all to ourselves with an occasional cage moving through the lane. We took the Hwy 49 exit in Auburn and turned North. The traffic signals weren't with us today though as we were segmented several times as we rode through town. Oddly enough we were able to get back together just as we reached the dealer and have all the bikes ride in together.
After we all registered, we went in search of coffee and sustenance. The only coffee to be had was from the vending truck in the parking lot, which was out of regular coffee so they offered us some watered down espresso that really didn't taste too bad. Food however was pretty much out of the question. There was a taco vendor there as well as a hot dog booth, but neither were appealing, and the line for the hot dogs was long. So we chatted and listened to some way too loud music blaring over the loudspeaker system. The longer we stood around the warmer it got until most everyone there had removed all their jackets. Some folks headed for home and some went on the Sweetheart Run. We decided to make our own ride and take the scenic route home. A group of ten or eleven bikes headed down Hwy 49 through Placerville and into Jackson where we ate lunch at Mel & Fayes. The diner was packed as usual but they got us seated in short order and served up some good chow.
Once we'd eaten we geared up for the rest of the ride home. We make a quick stop at the Chevron station in Sutter Creek for fuel and noted that one of our group was not present. They had left the diner a bit ahead of us and were supposed to meet us at the Chevron station, but that didn't happen. We sent out a scout to search for them but to no avail. We called their cell phone and left a message, then proceeded on our way.
From there is was down 88 to Peltier Rd, I-5, Hwy 12, and Hwy 160 into Antioch. It had started to cool down a little so we had donned our light jackets before departing Jackson. Even so, it was another beautiful day with temps in the high 60's or low 70's. Another great day spent with friends, eating & riding.
Speaking of eating, the Valentine's Day Ride-n-Dine is next weekend. I can't wait! Hope to see you all there.
