Nikki & Daddy Picture taking Expedition 2005

Nikki and I were looking for something to do together. Nikki has an interesting photographic eye so we decided a picture taking expedition was in order. Then we decided, it should be on the bike since it would be easier to backtrack and turn around if we missed a shot we really wanted. (well okay, Daddy had SOME influence in that bit of propaganda, but it worked). The next thought was where to go.

We had just been to the coast recently, so Nikki was more inclined to go to the mountains. She also likes rustic type photo subjects so I suggested Virginia City. She liked that idea a lot. Much of the ride would give many opportunities for landscape images, but Nikki likes more object based art so the Virginia City stop would be an excellent destination.  Add the fact that she seems predisposed to rusty stuff, and there couldn't be a better choice. So the weekend before her 15th birthday, we decided to take the river road up to Rio Vista, cross on both ferries (because she never had done it), cut across to HWY 88 and follow that all the way up to Lake Tahoe, around the east side of the lake and then over to Virginia City. We planned to spend the night in Reno then meet a friend of ours who is a CHP officer on HWY 395 for breakfast on Sunday and head home on HWY 70 and HWY 49.

 We took off a little after 7 AM on Saturday. We suited up, got the MP3 player set up incase we decided to use it, got the communication unit plugged into the helmets and hit the road. Weather was a bit chilly, but we expect that. We figured it would warm up quite a bit mid day. As we rode north we discussed the ominous clouds north and east. We headed up 160 to 12, turned west over the bridge into Rio Vista and took the first “exit” up the west side of the river. We passed my plant and a few hundred yards further up the road Nikki said stop. She had spotted Charlie’s Yard. Charlie is the Rio Vista junk man and he has a lot of old junk from my plant and everywhere else up the river. Nikki is into rusty stuff and she snapped a few shots through the gate. We could not get in, but I promised her I could get Charlie to let her wander around some afternoon and take all the pictures she wanted.

We moved on up the road another half mile or so to the first ferry. This was like watching an old movie for Nikki, she had never seen anything like this in real life. ”So how do we get the bike across?” “Well, when those cars get off, we drive on and it takes us across.” “WE ARE GOING TO DRIVE ONTO THAT THING???” Once she got on, it was much less cool than I think she thought it was going to be. We skittered around the south side of Ryer Island to the far side for the smaller cable driven ferry. By this time she was an old pro and we watched and commented on the erratic path the ferry was taking even though it was on a cable to guide it. A good operator keeps the cable taunt so the ferry tracks smoothly, this was NOT a good operator and I was wondering if he thought we were going to drive up the muddy bank on the far side.

We were a bit cold as we drove along the water. It was not that bad, but I really wanted her first long ride to be a really fun one, and being cold would not be fun. We stopped and I had her put some leather gloves on inside of her winter gloves, she already had 2 t-shirts, one long sleeve, a sweat shirt and my old leather jacket, thermals, jeans and knee high boots on. She was not too bad she said. We took a few pictures at our stop in Walnut Grove. Being a budding actress, she was intrigued by the dilapidated theatre we stopped next too. A few more of the bridge and off we went towards Ione.

Now we trekked off across the valley to get to HWY 88. Along the way is pretty much open plains and nothing very picture worthy in Nikki’s mind. Me, I probably could have taken several. I pointed some things out, but none were impressing her. Then we came around Rancho Seco. After I explained what it was, why it was, the background and debacle that surrounded it … she wanted to stop. After several looks, try’s and ponderings, she decided she needed to be closer for a really good shot. So I showed her the “forbidden” sign and that seemed to spark her composing juices. After a few more shots, we moved on up the mountain.

I told her there was a building up here that reminded me of her. She has always loved Harry Potter (even before it was trendy to do so) and the old CDF training academy building looks like Hogwarts from the movies to me. When we came around the corner and she saw it, she started asking where the best place for a picture was. I had never really stopped to take photos, so we looked around and ended up driving onto the Juvenile Detention center property. We almost rode through a walk through gate but the looks the guards were giving us from across the parking lot changed our minds. After a few shots, Nikki decided it was a creepy place and wanted to move on.

We rode up HWY 104 and HWY 124 to hit HWY 88. We were not stopping much and I asked Nikki to remember, I would turn around, stop, back track, whatever she wanted for pictures. She said she knew and would let me know.

As we got higher into the mountains, she was loving the scenery. She and I have the same tastes in nature so we were oohing and awing and I was pointing out various things to her. We took a handful of shots, not as many as I was expecting, but then we came around some corners with some very nice lake shots. Here we crept along looking for good angles. My favorite is the one with the clouds reflected in my helmet. I want a helmet painted like that now. 

I did finally get a picture of her, but she was leaving her helmet on all the time so it is tough to get a good look at her. Note that jacket is a little baggy on her, not a great fit, but workable. It used to fit me perfectly many years before she was born. It is a trusted old friend that I know will protect my little girl. Now all she has to do is stop complaining about how much it weighs. At this rest stop, I asked why she was not taking so many pictures. “I had no idea how much fun riding was going to be. I don’t want to keep stopping.” She had been on a few short rides. Down to Grandma’s house, around town to friends houses, but never a long trip. So this was her first. Her little brother goes along with me all the time so he was trying to give her tips before she left, of course you know how much of that sunk in. I guess I can’t complain too much, fewer pictures, but another willing and desiring riding partner.

We stopped in Tahoe for gas and tried to get a few pictures of the lake, she was not happy with any of them so I will leave them out. Next stop was Virginia City. After getting around the lake and over Spooner Summit, we picked up a small group of bikes and rode along with them for a while. They were out scoping out the house they had rented for Street Vibrations in a few weeks. We pulled off on HWY 341 and headed up the mountain (after the obligatory candy factory stop there at the bottom of the hill).

 As always, VC was packed, lots of bikes, lots of cars, lots of people … we discovered later that it was the weekend of the annual CAMEL RACES. We toyed with the idea of going to watch and decided that the crowds in town were more than enough. After driving through town 5 times I managed to find a parking spot on a side street next to another Road Star. We did the window shopping thing. The town gets more touristy every year. When my friends and I used to go up 4 or 5 times a year for weekends just for the ride up and back 25 years ago, the town was a whole lot different than it is today. All things must change, some not for the better.

 After Nikki the Cat Girl talked me into taking a picture with a panther that was up there, we had a quick lunch and headed over to the cemetery. Nikki wished she had brought some walking shoes too because we spent close to 3 hours just walking around the cemetery, talking pictures, reading tombstones and speculating on what life back then must have been like.

I told Nikki I wanted some nice pictures for our house (we are in the middle of a semi remodel inside) so she took several shots all over the town and cemetery. In town traffic was very polite as she laid in the street taking shots strait up the steeple of the church and what not. After many hours and pictures, we decide it is time to head on down to Reno and check into the hotel.

Reno is Reno. The Golden Phoenix is a nice Casino/Hotel. A bit pricie, has your normal gaggle of rude and obnoxious drunk gamblers that can’t seem to figure out standing in the hall and screaming at 4 AM is not one of the most polite things to do. It is right by the train tracks too. The project to have the train under the street is far from done. At least three trains went through that night and they all had to blow the hell out of their whistles in the densely populated areas to make sure the drunks got off the tracks. Not their fault, it is just what they have to do. We did not sleep very well, even after all the hot sake I had with dinner at Benihana’s.  It was also incredibly crowded.  We learned that there was the annual balloon race going on and some big bicycle race as well.  I am not sure how we got so lucky to plan these places on this weekend, but every joint along our route was hoppin just like the Dance Dance Revolution queen!

Next morning we were planning to hook up with a good friend who is a CHP officer up on HWY 395 on the border. We called his dispatch who was set up to relay the message. Later we found out they never told him and we waited around for 45 minutes before we decided that he must have had to deal with something on the road. Bordertown has GREAT breakfasts. If you like French toast, it may have been some of the best we have ever had. Prices were good as well. It is located on HWY 395 right on the California/Nevada border.

After we ate, we headed up HWY 395, looking for CHP cars in case we could at least say hi to my friend. We did see an empty cruiser at the inspection station a few miles up the road, but I felt a little weird stopping and asking for him if it wasn’t him. And again, I found out later it was him. He decided to hang out there waiting for my call that was never relayed.

We crossed over HWY 70 to HWY 89 and then hooked up with HWY 49 heading towards Auburn. I told Nikki this was one of the most beautiful roads in the world and she commented that she thought it was even prettier than the Road to Hana on Maui we went on this summer. We saw a few picture worthy shots, but Nikki was enjoying the swooping leaning to and fro.

We stopped for a few pictures and a butt rest here and there. There were many sport bikes up on HWY 49 as well as a Porsche club and a couple of WRX’s that we saw at least 4 times. There was a bicycle race being set up along HWY 89 and I wonder if that was the race the people we met at dinner were going to be in. I just hope the canyon carvers and sport car club's showed them some respect when the race was underway. After we hit Auburn, we decided that we would just slab it home. It had been a long weekend and we were both a little tired after not sleeping well. I did have to take HWY 160 home since it is one of those roads that I know like the back of my hand and never get tired of. Plus I got to take the Pocket Road exit which made Nikki’s day as she was missing her pet rat at home named “Pocket”.

All in all, one of the best rides I have had in quite some time. My daughter had a great time, we got to share a lot of quality time together, and have more of those “inside jokes” that will drive her mom nuts. Her brother Erik and I always come home with the secret wink and nod, when Nikki walked in I think he may have felt a little left out, but he and I will be on the road again soon enough. Too bad it is so late in the season, I could do another one of those trips if I had a free weekend.