Weekend in the Sierras

[visionless]

I'm looking forward to a great weekend in the Sierras doing some riding.  Mom and Dad (Ron and Sharon) have a cabin up at Johnsondale this weekend, so dad and I are looking to do a lot of twisties.  I'm still visionless, so I will be on the Katana, but dad will have his paint splattered Vision on the road.  Everyone cross your fingures for good weather.  Wish you guys could join us.  Nothing like a group of great riding buddies.
                                 Chris

[VisionMeister]

Weather has been so mild I think I will go out for a half day ride in the Sierras also. Only about 250 mile north of Johnsondale so I don't think we'll get a chance to hook up.
Enjoy.

[Coil Coyle]

Visionless,
? ? ? ? ? Prayers for the weather; those hills are wonderful for riding!? ;)

? ? ? ? ? In February of 1965 Jack Coyle was riding his Yamaha 55cc trail bike up Rancheria Rd. from 178. Dorothy had just started driving so he felt enough freedom from family obligations to allow a little exploring on the road to Johnsondale.

? ? ? ? ? We were all gathered in the living room around 5 pm,? ??? beginning to worry where Dad was, when he pulled into the front yard.? :o

? ? ? ? ?He had 4 pairs of new gray socks, the Red Toe/Heel kind that monkey puppets are made from, on each foot. We noticed the socks when he removed the two-gallon commercial bleach bottle from his right foot as he dismounted the bike in order to push down the center stand. Mom helped him pull the other bleach bottle from his left foot as he stood and shivered and we all helped him into the house, put him into bed and turned the electric blanket on high.

? ? ? ? We all wanted to know, ?why did you cut a hole in the sides of bleach bottles and wear them for shoes??

? ? ? ? ?Shivering there in the bed, all of us gathered to listen, he began?

? I was wondering if the snow had melted enough to allow passage to Johnsondale. I rode up until I got to the county gate where they close the road for the year. There were tracks around the gate where two motorcycles had already passed through days earlier, so I decided to ride behind them and go to Johnsondale.

? About half way up I began riding in snow and I found out that following in the other bikes tracks did not work. The best was to make your own trail and slide your boots for stability. When I was about ? of the way up I saw the two tracks come together in a U turn. The two bikes I was following were one that had turned around.

? I connected the trail sprocket chain and decided that conditions were good for me to be the first one through Rancheria Rd this year.

? The snow only got about a foot deep and, sliding my feet like skis, I made it to the store In Johnsondale about 1 in the afternoon. They were really surprised to see me drive up from 178, no one else had yet. I sat around the fire for a while but my boots were soaked and my feet were near frostbite. I bought all of the socks they had and got the bleach bottles from their trash pile.

? ? ? ? So, with his feet stuck in the side of bleach bottles and the caps forward, he rode and skied down to Lake Isabella, changed sprockets to road gears, and rode home.

? ? ? ? Thanks to the invention of bleach bottle snow riding shoes and the Japanese engineers of Yamaha Motor Corp, your Grandfather was the first one up Rancheria Rd.
February 1965 and the first bike to ride from the Johnsondale store to Lake Isabella that same year.

? ? ? ? On this Veterans Day remember that His twin brother, James, died in the Coral Sea fighting a war with these same engineer's Country. Jack went to Europe, D-Day +6 at Omaha Beach.?

? ? ? ?Trade is better than War..well, we saved the Jews, at least.? Jack Coyle

;)

coil