Day 1 We had breakfast at the Kettle and then we were off to Ratsfest in Bellville. We went on the run and then back to the park to visit and have lunch from the Cow. At about 3:00 in the afternoon we left the park and rode to San Antonio. It was a great day for riding. We had dinner at Burger King and then spent the night with Uncle Tom.

Day 2 Left at 7:00 in search of food. We ate breakfast at Shoney’s, then we headed west on l-10. We had never been further than San Antonio on I-10. I’m not real sure what I expected, but what I got was cactus, rocks, bushes, and buzzards flying around once in a while. We had lunch at Dairy Queen, there isn’t a lot of choices along the way. We made it to El Paso, had supper at Shoney’s and spent the night with Uncle Tom.

Day 3 We were packing the bike and met a couple with CMA from Idaho, They were on their way to Guadlamala to deliver dirt bikes to the missionaries. We also met an old Indian bike rider. We left the motel in search of food and found a Shoney’s where we ate breakfast. A couple from League City came over and said hi, told us they had recognized our colors. We made it to New Mexico at 9:55. From this point on the wind became a constant companion and a continuos problem. At one time it was strong enough to push the bike into the other lane and the gas mileage at this point was disgusting, less than 30 miles per gallon. We hit the Arizona border at 1:55, and ate lunch in Wilcox at Burger King. We hit a little sprinkle at mile marker 339. I think Grady got a little worried when I started mooing at the cows at mile marker 335 and 325. What can I say. the same landscape mile after mile gets a little boring after a while. I even started imagining things in the clouds. Grady suggested that I try counting railroad trestles instead of scaring the cows. l even got a history lesson when I found out the Texas Canyon is located in Arizona. wonder how that happened? We decided to stop in Casa Grande and stay with Uncle Tom where we did clothes and took a dip in the pool.

Day 4 We left the motel at 7:15 and headed for California. We arrived in California at 11:44. The temperature seemed to soar upwards as we crossed the border. We stopped at Denny’s to eat, and I have to tell you the service was lousy to put it nicely. We did eventually get food and drink and were on our way. We made it to San Diego at about 4:00 and went to check out the zoo. From there we headed up the coastline to LA It was my first trip to California and the coastline was beautiful and the weather made for a great ride. When we arrived in LA we found a place to eat and then we spent the night with Uncle Tom.

Day 5 Today is for sightseeing and we are looking forward to it. We drive by Anaheim Stadium the Crystal Cathedral [what a beautiful sight] and Disneyland. Took a scenic tour of Long Beach on the way to the Queen Mary. We spent over half the day touring the ship, and got plenty of exercise walking up and down all the stairs, and all around the ship. After our tour we were on our way to Hollywood where we passed a crew filming a movie, saw the famous Hollywood sign, stood on the corner of Hollywood and Vine, and drove down Sunset Blvd. We checked the stars on the Walk of Fame, parts of it were under construction because of the earthquake. After sightseeing all day it was time to find a place to eat. We stopped at a place called Coco’s. The food and the service were great, no more Denny’s for us. We spent the night with Uncle Tom.

Day 6 We’re off to find food for breakfast before we go to the NBC studio for a tour. We saw them put the finishing touches on the new Tonight Show set. It’s not as big as it appears on television. We didn’t see Jay Leno, but his car was parked in the number one spot on the lot. He has a red Jaguar XKE Roadster. We were told he stores all of his other cars and his motorcycles in a hangar at the Burbank airport. Next it was on to Warner Studios, where we got to take the VIP tour. The tour was great. We got to see the back lots where a lot of the movies and television shows are filmed. It was interesting to find out how they fix up all the different sets and how they use the camera to make things appear larger or smaller. We even got to watch as Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy rehearsed for their show Step by Step. We really had a fun time. We drove back to Hollywood for a closer look at the sign and to take pictures. We couldn’t leave the LA area until we drove over to Beverly Hills and checked out Rodeo Drive. We left LA going north up the coastline through Malibu and Santa Barbara. The winds were a little strong, but it was warm. We spent the night with Uncle Tom in Santa Maria.

Day 7 Left hotel in search of food and then on to San Francisco. We stopped and Grady checked the clutch and added fluid. We got about 30 miles down the road to San Luis Obispo and the clutch went out. We found a phone and called the Honda shop which came out and picked us up. They checked it out as soon as they got it in, unfortunately the clutch servo had gone out. As if things aren’t bad enough, they don’t have the parts and it is Friday. Brad, the service manager, called a Honda

warehouse in LA and they had the parts. We told them we will pay the extra charge to have them hot shot them in. Brad tells us the bike will be ready by closing time on Saturday, which is much better than the first date which was Tuesday. We have to make a decision to either forget San Francisco or go to plan B. We decide we are too close to San Francisco to miss it so we opted for plan B. We rented a car and headed north. It is my turn to drive and give Grady a break. We spend the night with Uncle Tom at Fremont, which is just outside of San Francisco.

Day 8 We’re up early, there is a lot we want to see, and we have to be back to pick up the bike by 5:00. First we have breakfast and then to the Golden Gate Bridge. Drove across the bridge and pull off to the side to the scenic view. There was a lot of fog. We could see Alcatraz and Angel Island through the fog. Next it was back across the bridge and on to Fisherman’s Wharf. There were people everywhere. The first thing we did was to get tickets to ride the trolley car, the real one. We rode to Chinatown, and then walked back down to the where the car was parked, checking the gift shops along the way. We stopped to look at some t-shirts and a lady stopped us and ask what part of the bay area we were from. She had recognized the colors and told us she rode with the Banditos when she lived in Houston many years ago. After buying a few more souvenirs, we were on our way to pick up the bike. Just as they promised the bike was ready when we got there. We decided to ride to Bakersville and spend the night. We took a road Brad suggested, and it was really a great ride through the mountains. We arrive in Bakersville a bit late, ate dinner and spent the night with Uncle Tom.

Day 9 After breakfast, we were off to Vegas. It is a great day for riding, nice and cool. We stop for gas in Barstow, then on to Baker for lunch. Turns out Baker is the home of the world’s largest thermometer, which is located right next door to the Bun Boy restaurant. If you ever get near the place, you should really stop in and eat. We had the shrimp salad, it was huge and tasted great. The service we got was excellent. We arrived in Vegas about 3:00 and drove down the strip to Fremont Street which was the original strip. We stayed at the Sands Hotel, which is located right about the middle of the strip. We unpacked the bike and then it was time to check out all the casinos. Grady had been to Vegas before, I hadn’t and I wanted to see everything. We hit all the well known casinos and some not so well known. We ate dinner at the Stardust, steak and lobster. We were walking through one of the casinos when this guy we had just passed said "I live down the road from you." Turns out he was from Channelview, and had recognized our colors. He was on vacation with his family and had to leave his bike at home. We did some gambling but no big money was won. The lights on the strip at night are just like in all the movies, it was great.

Day 10 Got up and went down to Fremont Street and hit some more of the casinos, then checked out the souvenir shops. We had lunch at the Aladdin before we left town. We then decided to go to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. The water was low, real low, but the ride was great and the view was beautiful. We stopped in Kingman for gas, and ran into another biker from Texas, but he was on four wheels. Then on to Flagstaff. We rode on parts of Route 66. It was really cold riding in the mountains at night, for the first time on the trip we had to get out the cold weather gear. I kept thinking, "We’re in Arizona, where’s all the hot weather?" We ate dinner at the Kettle. This is the first time since we left on our trip that we have eaten at a Kettle. They are the same no matter what part of the country you are in. Stayed the night with Uncle Tom.

Day 11 We slept late, had breakfast at the Kettle, and then on to the Grand Canyon. We took the East Rim Scenic Drive. It was a great ride with beautiful weather. We spent the night with Uncle Tom in Holbrook.

Day 12 Got up early, and Grady went to pull the bike around closer to the room and it wouldn’t start. Checks the battery and the water is low. He added water and we walk down to the restaurant to have breakfast. Luckily for us when we got back the bike started. We head out for New Mexico to see Carlsbad Caverns. Drove by the Petrified Forest and saw lots of volcanic lava rock. Had a good day riding. Spent the night with Uncle Tom.

Day 13 Went to Carlsbad Caverns, and took the self-guided tour. It was about an hour and a half long. There were bats flying around everywhere when we got to the entrance. We got plenty of exercise walking up and down and around the path going through the caverns. After checking out the gift shop, it was time to get back to the bike and head for home. We lost the low beam coming into Sonora, hope we didn’t upset too many truckers. We rode on into San Antonio and stayed with Uncle Tom.