Tentative rollcall for Downieville - Mother's Day

GreenMachine · May 11, 2018, 08:18:44 PM

North route departure, but read at least the next paragraph. Check this thread for updates and get ready to ride!

Planned 9:30 AM kickstands up (KSU).* Difficult to predict on the weather though. Shows current forecast as raining in Reno by the time we'd be returning. We'll have to see. It currently appears though that Markleeville is clear sailing for Sunday. So perhaps, one way or another, we'll get a shorter nice ride in. Maybe swap weekends between the north and south route rides and both are about the same easier short distance.

This is one of our more fun short rides (less than 190 miles), taking us up into the snow covered Sierras, with vistas, running rivers along side and warm weather to accompany for most of the day. The group will decide if they want to take in a little more or head back.

Bring your camera if you can. Gold Lake loop should have some great picture opportunities of Sierra Buttes.

Lunch stop ideas: Downieville or Quincy of course. Sierraville has three choices, the diner at the T, the Mexican restaurant across the street or the deli with home made apple pies for dessert across the street from that.

RSVP** if you're planning on going. If you do not RSVP, the ride may be canceled even if you had planned on showing up the day of the ride. Expect the group to depart on the ride as soon as everyone who has RSVP'ed is ready.

North route ride. This is a minimum C level ride pace route, so all riders welcome. Meet at Starbucks or thereabouts (if parking is an issue).

As always, see 2018 SSA Ride Schedule for everything that is expected of you and what you can expect. *** Safety is paramount. ***

* KSU dependent on when everybody is ready.
** RSVP - répondez, s'il vous plaît a.k.a. please reply.

rg500nut · May 12, 2018, 08:55:17 PM

where are the updates? RG may come...........

A DRAGON · May 13, 2018, 05:50:45 AM

I'M OUT. GOT THE KIDS ON MOTHERS DAY. IF. YOU NEED MY TRUCK. CALL ME.

GreenMachine · May 13, 2018, 07:17:55 AM

Quote from: A DRAGON on May 13, 2018, 05:50:45 AM
I'M OUT. GOT THE KIDS ON MOTHERS DAY. IF. YOU NEED MY TRUCK. CALL ME.

Were you in?

rg500nut · May 13, 2018, 07:22:36 AM

North or South?? 9:30 or 10:00 as schedule shows?

Please update.......

GreenMachine · May 13, 2018, 07:23:34 AM

Quote from: rg500nut on May 12, 2018, 08:55:17 PM
where are the updates? RG may come...........

Just as to whether the route goes to Downieville or to Markleeville. Markleeville is tickling my fancy at the moment, since it's damp outside and the forecast really hasn't changed much. Downieville is going to see showers during our ride, if we headed that way. Nah. I don't like showers messing up my bike.

Let's go to Markleeville. And since it's just us, let's meet at the Caughlin Scholari's at 10:00.

It'll be 60° by then, so tolerable.

rg500nut · May 13, 2018, 07:52:57 AM

RG will be there

GreenMachine · May 13, 2018, 08:47:22 AM

It's clear in Marleeville already. Looking forward to warming up.

GreenMachine · May 13, 2018, 06:14:45 PM

That was fun. Thanks RG, you were great company, as always.

We stopped today for two lunches. The bar in Markleeville is under new ownership and is said to serve bikers now.

When didn't they? It's called the Cutthroat now. The menu almost looks like the one from My Cousin Vinny, where it was breakfast, lunch and dinner. The daily special on some days is whatever the chef decides. No kidding. They still have some of the regular staples though. RG and I split a BLT because we were planning on going to JT's Basque in Gardnerville after taking a lap on Monitor.

They tar snaked the lower east side of Monitor. We were lucky because today was relatively cool. Come weeks from now the snakes are going to be awful. RG had just smoked back in MV, so we didn't really stop on the other side, just turned around and came back over.

JT's was closed so we proceeded to a Mexican restaurant at the 395/89 split. The food was good, but they were short staffed on Mother's Day. Our bikes got rained on while we waited forever for our order.

After our fill, RG needed to get back to Reno on his own schedule, since I was going to take my merry time going home, thinking all the storm cells had passed. WRONG! I sent him on ahead and it was clear in Minden, but you could see it was pouring in CC. I imagine RG got soaked. I was still on the south side of CC and could see it rolling in from the north, but I wanted Costco fuel and was getting low enough anyway. Topped off just as it started to sprinkle. Now back on old 395 I had a decision to make. Go 580 around CC and get soaked too or take hwy 50 to Tahoe where it appeared partly sunny and chance it. Which one do you think I took. Oh yeah!!!

I got no place to be and tons of daylight left.

I made it all the way to Sand Harbor before seeing just how bad it would be going anywhere in N. Lake. So I U-turned back to Spooner and it still looked dry going east, so maybe the cells had passed and I wouldn't have to go down to Placerville and back up I-80. Probably get rained on in Truckee no matter what. Planned on going east to Silver Springs and Fernley if I had to..just to stay dry. Sure enough, I caught the tail remnants of the storm passing over CC, just mist by then and the roads weren't wet enough to create any mist. Now back on 580 headed north, Washoe looked clear, but Moundhouse/VC were getting dumped on. Washoe was the right choice, it was clear, but I could see Reno was starting to close in with rain cells all over the west side. Pulled into my garage just as the large drops started to fall and soak the roads. Got hit by a couple drops but almost untouched. What timing and luck! The bike hardly got wet through all of it.