6. Second Attempt

I followed my cycling route back to Sacramento then followed highway 50.  Freeway riding in gusty winds on a lightweight bike was nerve wracking and I was pleased to get into the mountains where the traffic thinned and the road wound through the glistening peaks and down to Tahoe, truly one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in the world.  I went to a national parks campsite and at the gate met another motorbike rider Jim.

“From Australia, huh?” he said, “What’s this I hear about you folks having to hand in your guns?”

The most common subject mentioned when people found out I was from Australia was not the Olympics or Crocodile Dundee (though he came close) but the gun buy back.  Most people here thought that all guns had to be given up and crime had increased sharply as a result.  The debate is being intensified by the upcoming presidential election with George W. Bush perceived as being strongly pro gun rights and Al Gore as against.

Jim and his friend Cliff invited me to share their campsite and asked me about my plans.  I wanted to ride the original route across Nevada and Utah most of which remains very basic paths far from habitation described in parts of my guide book as  “For high-wheel base 4WD ONLY!. “ and “You’ll wish you had a horse here an not a vehicle.”  They were horrified at my inexperience and lack of preparation for such a journey and checked over the bike, giving me a list of spares to buy and telling me how to make survival repairs so that I wouldn’t have to abandon the bike in the desert.  They were riding large, powerful 1,200cc BMW’s and the little Honda looked small and puny lined up next to them.  Yes guys, in the world of bikers having a weedy motorcycle is like being poorly endowed at a nudist colony.