MrKiwi is in Kalifornia

[MrKiwi]

I've landed in San Francisco.

On Wednesday I will ride from here to Kernville in the Sequoia National Park area for WARPED.

I'll be sure to post some pics...

[campfire]

Here?

Legally?

Like with a visa and passport?

Man! Did you screw up royally. If you snuck in, they GIVE you a drivers license, free health care, a no interest small business loan, your own personal attorney, and the keys to used Nissan to drive around. Oh, and they allow you to vote in the next election.

You're registered as a Democrat with the license, so you have to vote that way.

[diogenes009]

Here?

Legally?

Like with a visa and passport?

Man! Did you screw up royally. If you snuck in, they GIVE you a drivers license, free health care, a no interest small business loan, your own personal attorney, and the keys to used Nissan to drive around. Oh, and they allow you to vote in the next election.

You're registered as a Democrat with the license, so you have to vote that way.

You're not wrong. I know a lady from Mexico that has been truly screwed over, repeatedly, for doing everything legally.

[MrKiwi]

ha ha ha, no just visiting, I'm not intending to stay long.

I managed to get past immigration, seems their system is still broken

I am riding one of these for a week, loaned to me by a MOD from the other forum. She came over over and used Red for ten days in March. Handy being able to use each other's bikes...

[Cagiva]

ha ha ha, no just visiting, I'm not intending to stay long.

I managed to get past immigration, seems their system is still broken

I am riding one of these for a week, loaned to me by a MOD from the other forum. She came over over and used Red for ten days in March. Handy being able to use each other's bikes...

That is a really sweet way to do rides in far away places , course you kinda want to be a little picky about loaning a bike to just anybody but most of the riders I’ve met from far away places have been really nice people and probly some of the people on this rock that go ride in far away places are of a better cut than the avarage squid except those California girls . If you get toward Texas it’s hot and humid . I followed Jocks rides over here both times and saw him on both trips , they were an adventure , specially the last one , I was camping in Colorado a few miles from where his motor dropped a rod bearing , I was going to go pick them up while they waited for parts but the town I was in didn’t have a bar and he found a really nice one within walking distance of where they were stuck .

[Cagiva]

I think he did a bunch of other work on his bike while they waited , pretty sure they didn’t hang out in the bar from open to close .

[Delicate Snowflake]

I am riding one of these for a week, loaned to me by a MOD from the other forum.

Did you take a banned camp sticker with you for that bike?

[campfire]

I am riding one of these for a week, loaned to me by a MOD from the other forum.

Did you take a banned camp sticker with you for that bike?

[MrKiwi]

I'm back, need to post a few pics when I get a chance..

[diogenes009]

Yes. Yes, you do.

[MrKiwi]

OK, I have a bit of time so pics of my recent trip.

Earlier this year @sfcootz came to NZ and borrowed Red for about ten days. We arranged this about this time last year.

Towards the end of last year I decided I wanted to meet up with a bunch of people from the VOTB thread over on advrider.com who intended to go to WARPED. When I mentioned that I was thinking of attending @sfcootz offered me the use of one her bikes, so a plan was hatched.

I arrived Sunday 21 April into San Francisco. I left NZ at 8:00pm on the 21st, arriving in SF about 2:00pm, some six hours before I left. Damn that international date line, it confuses the hell out of me .

I stayed with Cootz and we were not leaving for the ride to WARPED until the Wednesday. This give me a couple of days to complete some office work in the piece and quiet of her place while she was at work. Good WiFi and VPN means I can work anywhere in the world as if I am in my office. Sad but true.

On Tuesday night a fellow rider Jeff arrived and we bought some beers and chatted away until Cootz arrived then I packed up ready to leave in the morning.

Brothers from another mother





My ride for the week away


We packed up and left about 9:00am, the later start to miss the worst of morning traffic in San Francisco.


But just as we left Cootz realised she had left some stuff behind so we waited while she diverted back home.


First stop was Alice's Restaurant


Some nice views along the way

[MrKiwi]

We arrived before dark and set up the tents.

The vent is held in Kernville, just up from Lake Isabella in Sequoia National Park.

For me, the area was dry. A very low humidity, which is not something I am used to. There was no dew on the tent in the wee hours of the morning. Bone dry. I liked it, I could get used to this. Also warm.

Some campsite pics








Lady Draco's care package arrived





Not long into the night tall stories and drinks followed freely.



The next morning was slow, gee I wonder why?



For the most part I hung around this day. The ride down had been long and I needed a rest, getting old is not for the faint hearted

[MrKiwi]

Friday rolled into existence. I had been given a large bottle of gin on my first night there as a prize for the longest distance traveled to the meet up. I had spent two nights doing my best to empty it. Hmmmm

I teamed up with three other riders and we led by Gergybear we did a loop around and through the mountains. I had no idea where I was, just went for the ride.





The night rolled on and Blue Mule and Rapid Roy looked after me


A rip roaring meal was in the offering. Thank you Roy for buying the food, Thanks to James for cooking it.





It was super yummy




The night wore on and more alcohol (surely not) and tall stories flowed.

Had the pleasure of meeting this guy, a well known inmate from here and there...


Saturday (I think) things were a bit of blur by then, Blue Mule and a couple of others and I went to see the giants of the forest.

I was impressed.



This one was particularly large and earned a dubious nickname from us, can you get what?


An old log from a tree that fell won 200 hundred years ago.


The mule himself


Does this make you feel inadequate?


No

[MrKiwi]

Some more pics of the area and a Mule being a mule...









No idea who this twat is that photo bombed my scenery shot

[MrKiwi]

The ride back to SF with Cootz was a blast taking back roads until we needed to cross that long flat boring valley. We jumped onto the slab and well... slabbed it.

I had a couple of days to unwind and I walked around SF a bit.

Pics of buildings that caught my eye







Looking out over the city towards the Golden Gate bridge which is hidden by fog (as usual)


The flight home was uneventful and this all appears now to have been a dream.

It was fabulous meeting up with a host of people, I had a blast and now I want to come back.

The END

[diogenes009]

Thanks. That was a very enjoyable write up.

[campfire]

Glad you had a good trip & enjoyed it.
Thanks for the write up and pictures.