Thanks Karen, for your comments and interest in the journal. It is a beautiful area with many attractions and a rich history, of which I merely scratched the surface. I did some extensive riding in California back in the early 1980s. Things have definitely changed since then. I hope that some of the roads can eventually be improved to better serve the increased volume of users. Take good care and be safe out there!

As a native Californian and someone who lived in Sebastopol and Sonoma, I know well of the roads you speak. They have been in the same shape since I worked at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park in Calistoga in 1976! We have more traffic, more people, and less money for any road upkeep. I am always embarrassed when I see how much trash is on the roads nowadays. If it were not for our temperate (usually) weather, I would prefer to live outside of CA. Glad you were able to enjoy my home state and one of the nicer areas with history worth knowing about.

Thanks Rich. It was a long journey. Over the course of 7 years, we get older, circumstances of our lives change, and we may not be able to finish what may have seemed possible in the beginning.

Chuck and I are fortunate and at least I have been blessed. All of the other folks who spent parts of the long trip with us are still good friends that I plan to continue riding with and spending time with. Each helped us finish this ride and they are heroes to me.

We had several support drivers for some of the stages. They all did great jobs and were invaluable to the success of each stage.

The whole thing was a team effort. I like to look at it that Chuck and I brought the whole team over the finish line. We owed it to them.

I am deeply appreciative of your kind comments and that you took the time to read some or all of the journal. I wish you all the best. Take good care.

Wow! Congratulations on completing this ride! I have even more admiration because you've done it in sections over 7 years. So many of your buddies have dropped out along the way. It would have been easy for you to do the same. The 2 of you are heroes! Bravo!!

I too enjoyed the Nevada towns. They are far apart and have their own personalities but they also seem to know what is going on with their “adjacent” neighboring communities. The International was a cool place. I am glad we got to experience it. Nothing else was open, except for the gas station/convenience store, which actually had some decent looking sandwiches.

I believe the way you went is harder. While we had some tough climbs, I was glad we weren’t riding up some of the downhills we enjoyed.

Thanks George for your perspectives and for following along.

Great minds think alike ;-). Yes, the goat heads are bad there but the shoulders are strewn with all sorts of small rocks. So, who knows what really caused the flats. Chuck has not had any, so far. He is using Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. I had them before and will likely return to them after this trip is over.

Thanks George. I learned from Michel that some of this route is part of ACA’s Western Express. It is tremendous scenery and some very unusual landscape. I am happy you are following along. I am also very much interested in your perspective.

I thought I recognized this photo, so I checked my 2017 journal and discovered I had taken the same photo! But mine was in the early morning light and yours is much better. And to add to that deja vu moment, shortly after I took the photo in 2017 one of my traveling companions had a flat tire - so beware of the Dayton area for flat tires!

I liked these small Nevada towns. I ate at the International (it was either eat there or the burger bar was the only other option), and stayed at the Lincoln motel (that was the only choice in 2017). You are riding the route I rode in reverse, and I'm enjoying re-living the experience as I follow along. Best of luck,

You are on part of the route I rode on my 2017 Western Express adventure - I concur that the roads can be very lonely in places! Looking forward to following along as you ride over some very interesting Nevada basin/range province areas.

Wow, 20 Daytons! I wouldn’t have guessed that. There is a Dayton, PA. It is a very small town in Armstrong County, western PA. The Dayton Flyers (Ohio) occasionally knock off a big school in the NCAA basketball tournament. I didn’t know Nevada had a Dayton ‘til we arrived.

You have more expertise on that than do I. Dumb luck on my part. Thanks Bill, for pointing it out. The place we are staying at is on the edge of an industrial park. The small airport is also adjacent to the park. Despite all of the industry, it is pretty quiet here.

They are nasty ! I too hope he is accurate. Thanks Bill.

Hated them as a kid in Mojave, CA. Hope Peter's right about them being "not be as prevalent" on the other side of the hills...

And a Rutan design canard aircraft just above the seat! Rare sighting.