Spring Fling 2015

May 15 - 17, 2015

Spring Fling 2015 Trip Report

It was time to revisit the Old Gold Country. We missed last year because of our trip to Hawaii, but this year we had to do it.

Trip prep consisted of getting my 2010 back on the road. A few weeks earlier Byron and I changed out the tires and brakes and I had the rear brake lock up on us. So I had ordered new parts to rebuild the SMC, rear MC and the rear caliper. It took a bit of work, but we got things working again. The bike was ready!

I took Thursday off, so I could get everything packed up and ready to go, not too long after Chris got off of work. Of course, as I was loading the bike into the trailer, it started raining on me. At least, I was able to get it loaded and strapped down before the heavy stuff hit.

We were off by 7:30pm or so with on and off rain. By that time most of the traffic was gone from rush hour, so the first part of our drive was fine until we hit I15 at the Cojan Pass, where it came to a grinding halt due to construction! They have major construction going on and it was a mess for about 17 miles. Needless to say, it delayed us a good 30 to 45 minutes. The good thing, we didn't see any more rain, for the rest of the trip!

We stayed the night in California City. There is a real nice Best Western there, easy to get to and it was a good thing because it allowed us to decide which direction we would go the next morning. I had been watching the weather for the entire week due to several storms that were coming in. We enjoy driving up the 395, but this time I didn't feel it was an option. Going that direction, there are several passes to go through that were between 7,500 and 8,500 feet. The storms were bringing snow to the elevations above 6,000 feet, so I didn't want to take any chances. So it was off to good ole boring 99, up through the central valley.

At least most of the construction we saw a few months back had been completed, but there were still a few going on. We got up to Pine Grove in the late afternoon, so we stopped by the campground just to see if anything was going on. A good number of those that were showing up for the ride, were already there, so I chatted with a few and then Chris and I went over to the lodge.

After unloading the bike, Chris and I were getting hungry, so we decided to head down to Pine Grove and find something to eat. We saw the Pizza place and decided to eat there. As we were parking, we spotted David Q. and Rachel. When we went inside, we found that Ron and Doug were already there too. A couple more riders came in, so we grabbed a couple of tables and sat and chatted while we ate.

When we got back, I was kind of looking at all the Harleys parked under the eaves of the lodge near the rooms, so I got the bright idea to park my bike on our covered patio. That worked out great because I was able to get the bike ready that night. I had to put Chris's wiring (cable) for the Autocom, get the saddles on, put the radio mount on the gas cap and mount the radio. Then I just covered it up with the cover I brought and that saved me a lot of time the next morning!

The next morning (after having to BANG on our neighbors door for them to turn down their TV) I had to move the bike off the patio and I really wanted to "accidently" hit the horn as I was doing it, but I refrained myself and just pushed to the front. We were to meet Dave at the restaurant around 8am and when we got there, there was only one bike there, but it wasn't Dave. (Of course, now I can't remember his name) but we sat down with him and started talking while waiting for Dave, who showed up and about 15 minutes later. As we were eating, more of the group showed up and were we all able to say our hellos to each other.

After breakfast, Chris, Dave and I headed off to the campground to meet up for the ride. By that time it was a little before ten. Ron had printed out some instructions for us, so I grabbed a copy and put them in my tankbag, so I could read them as we were riding. I have found, over the years, it pays to know where you are going on these rides! So we all got mounted and followed Ron and Doe (driving a Miata) out of the camp ground parking lot. The first few instructions were quite simple, but as we were going, the roads became a little confusing. I was hitting my trip meter every time we would hit a long stretch of road, so I would know about when to start looking for the next turn. This proved to be very handy!

At one stretch, one of the old Magnas developed an issue and dropped to the side. I went ahead and stopped Ron and told him, so he found a parking lot for us to stop at and let the rider catch up. He wasn't far behind, but he did take some time to try to figure out what was going on. I never did hear what the issue was.

Our next challenge was to get through Placerville without getting lost. It seems that Dave and I were the only ones to figure it out. I could see in the instructions, after getting on to Main Street, it was go a third of a mile, turn right, then go a half mile on US50 and turn right , then go another half a mile and turn left, etc. Well, I was able to follow that by using my instructions and my GPS, whereas, even Ron (since he didn't do a dry run of the course) missed that first turn off of Main.

As Dave and I hit 193, a long section (13+ miles long), we had two other riders with us. Soon, they disappeared and it was just Dave and I for about 7 or 8 miles. I then looked in my mirror and what did I see not only the two that had gone missing, but the rest of the group! As we turned into Georgetown, and since I was just going by the instructions, which didn't have any town names on it, I assumed it was Main Street and started looking for the BBQ place on the instructions. I rode through town and never saw it, when I looked back, there was Ron & Doe, so we all did a U turn and found parking.

Come to find out, the BBQ place went out of business long ago, so we just wondered town (which was only a couple of blocks long) and some went into a cafe' to eat and we found a deli across the street to eat. We were there for probably an hour and a half before remounting our bikes and headed out for the second half of Ron's instructions.

Ron only missed one other turn, but that wasn't a big deal, we turned around and found the correct road and off we went. We even rode by the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, where Chris and I had taken the boys to back sometime around 1992 or 93.

We took a break near the 49 and before we knew it, everyone had taken off. When we took off, I was looking for 49, which we found, but I wasn't sure which direction was which. I wanted south, but this was one of those crazy intersections where I had to study it first. We turned right and there were a couple more of our riders that probably got separated from the rest and weren't sure of the way back.

We followed 49 south and I kept looking for another of Ron's turns, but for some reason the instructions were a little confusing and I thought we had missed that turn, so I was just heading back towards Jackson, figuring that we would just hit 88 from there. At one point a couple of Harleys came on to the road just behind us, and of course they couldn't be following a bunch of Jap bikes, so in a passing lane section, they gave it all they had to get around us. I started pacing the lead bike and could have left him in the dust, but my back seat driver wouldn't let me! So, I backed off. But later, Dave told me he was ready and waiting for me. lol

As we were approaching the outskirts of Jackson, I saw our turn off, so we took that and followed the instructions to get in a little more windy roads, instead of the hwy. We were soon back on 88 heading into Pine Grove. Our two followers took off for the campground and we headed back to the lodge, but just before we got to the lodge, I spotted a dear standing on the road. I hit my horns and stayed on them until it moved and ran off into the bushes. We got to the lodge and found our son, Dereck and family had made it up and were waiting for us. We visited for a little bit and then Dave took off to beat the Sun going down, especially since we saw that dear. Obviously, they were coming out already.

We drove down to Jackson and stopped at KFC for dinner and then headed back to the lodge. The great gal that was managing the lodge, saw that I had two rooms, so when an opportunity came up to put the rooms next to each other, she did! Now, that's service!

The next morning, we packed up and headed down to Elk Grove, to meet up with my Mom, Dave, Dino and our little sister, Yvonne. On our way down the hill, my "Check Engine" and "ABS" lights came on! Huh? What the heck? As we got onto the freeway, I had my cruise control set and when I turned on a blinker to change lanes, the Cruise turned off…..hum…interesting. After some thought, I decided it must be the converter unit that converts the truck taillights to work with the trailer lights.

After taking Dereck out for his birthday, we stopped by an auto parts place and I picked up a replacement unit and some connectors (since I didn't bring any). The next morning, it was cold and windy and I really didn't want to get under the truck, so I thought I would try the trailer's ground wire and redo it. That seemed to work for a couple of miles, but the ABS light came back on (the engine light stayed on). After about 20 miles on the freeway, Chris needed to stop and I found a Sears Autocenter, thinking they might have a diagnostic type setup I could buy. They didn't and I wasn't about to wait 45 minutes for the main store to open.

Chris and I worked our way to I5 and after a short while I decided to try the trailer ground again. No good, so I stopped and pulled the trailer plug off the truck (it was daytime, I wasn't worried.) and drove the next 10 miles with both lights on. Meaning it had to be that unit. Chris and I stopped for lunch and I found an empty parking lot across the street, where I could get under the truck without any danger of getting ran over. It took me about an hour, but I got it fixed for the trip home, knowing I would have to redo it later.

We didn't have any other issues for the rest of the trip, other than a couple hours after going through the Pasadena area, they had a big rig that crashed and blocked traffic up big time! Like I always say, timing is everything!

We had a great time. And it was great to see old friends and meet new ones. I'm sure we'll do it again next year (maybe even if they don't schedule it)

Pictures: Spring Fling 2015 Pictures