The following day I rode east towards Lake Tahoe, exploring backroads along the way, some with interesting names such as "Rough and Ready Rd." and "Banner Lava Cap Rd". There is a real labyrinth of rural residential roads east of Nevada City where I managed to become lost because my GPS was having trouble with satellite reception due to the steep terrain and tall trees. I finally snaked my way onto Hwy 20 and then Hwy 80 into Tahoe City. Photo is of Rainbow Trout in the Truckee River taken from Fanny Bridge (named for the line of tourist butts along the bridge as tourists watch the fish below). I'm sure those from the UK will crack an incredulous smile upon hearing the name of this bridge.

The following morning I enjoyed a beautiful sunrise as I rode south on 89 around the west shore of Lake Tahoe.

There was not a car on the road at this hour so I took the opportunity to take a few photos in the morning light and soak up the peaceful ambiance.

Near Emerald Bay with Mt. Tallac in the background.

Eagle Falls in Emerald Bay State Park.

I had a wonderful ride on Hwy 88 through the Central Sierra Nevada.

Caples Lake on Hwy 88. I continued along 88 into the Central Valley with a short detour up Shake Ridge Road NE of Pine Grove.

From 88 I rode a series of highways around Sacramento and found this charming road winding through the hills east of Pleasanton. It was named Tesla Road after the nearby (now defunct) mining town of Tesla which, in turn, was named after one of my favorite inventors, Nikola Tesla.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park south of San Francisco.

Big trees. Some people think capitalism should have run it's course and these trees should have been used to build homes. Personally, I am glad we have a system that is a blend of capitalism and socialism that recognizes the value of these trees to the public. It is a humbling experience to stand at the base and feel the magnificance of these giants. They sure make my motorcycle look tiny!

I had a nice ride up Skyline Blvd. and Hwy 9 returning on Big Basin Way and Bear Creek Rd.

The previous year I had sent my stock forks and shock to Lindemann Engineering for a rebuild. Jim recommended different spring rates, valving, etc. After the rebuild, the sag in back was more (although the titanium spring was supposedly a higher rate) and the sag in front was less but the forks bottomed far too easily. Adding compression damping just made the front way too hard. First I mailed the shock back and Jim added another spring collar for more pre-load and mailed it back but I still couldn't get the rear dialed in and the front was as bad as ever. Since I was in the area, I called him up and he told me to stop by his shop to see if he could fix the problem. He was very accomodating but, in the 1 1/2 days I had available, we were only able to improve it a little bit. We never did get it close to the handling it had new. Maybe if I had more time we could have got it there. Jim is a great guy but something went terribly wrong with spring rates, oil levels and the valving and we just didn't have enough time to fix it properly.

It was time to head towards the town of Jackson on CA Hwy. 49 where I was planning to meet with those attending the first stop of 2008 Madness. This was taken on Felter Rd. in the hills above Milpitas, CA.

Felter Rd. before I hopped on Calaveras Rd. into Pleasanton and navigated a series of freeways to Hwy 88 into the town of Jackson.

Madness 2008 - Jackson, CA
Index of Madness 2008

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