California Friends

On Saturday we take off from Crestline late in the morning - none of us want to rush back down that crazy road!  Denise and David were great hosts and I'm so lucky to have her as a friend.  She's always there for me, no matter what.  A friendship like ours is rare.

We wind down the mountain and the Boys are surprised at Crestline's elevation - it's 4500 feet above sea level and it's a steep hill will venture down.  At the bottom of the hill Ed and Richard go north and we head south to Temecula to see my other best friend from high school, Cathy Clowe.

Temecula

Cathy  meets us at Texas Lil's a cool biker bar in Old Town Temecula.  A great suggestion and we settle in for serious catching up.  We enjoy a quick lunch and meet a few bikers and the cutest puppy ever, a blue heeler named Lucky.  He was a sweetie and we know that Jayme and Blake would fall in love with him.  

We also see an amazing Softail that is customized to the max including a TV!

 It was a great lunch and I'm always so happy to see my girlfriend.  Our memories run deep and I'm blessed to have her support.  

Del Mar - our first view of the ever gorgeous Pacific OceanWe head out to Del Mar to meet Karen Fulton from the PIA along with her husband Kevin and 11 year old daughter Kaleigh.  We ride along the best road ever...sweeping turns, gorgeous houses, golf courses, no lights and the ocean.  Perfect.  We cruise by Del Mar Race Track and end at the Poiseden a restaurant right on the beach.  We enjoy fabulous conversation and the amazing view of the ocean!

Kaleigh is a charming 11 year old in 6th grade (I'm sure she hates the fact that I called her "charming "  but she truly is a nice girl.  Karen...send her to us anytime!  She definitely likes our bikes and I encourage her to hop on -  a Harley Babe if I've ever seen one.  

La Mesa Afterwards we head over to Kim and Boyd Richardson's in La Mesa.  I've been to San Diego a lot and never to La Mesa.  What a nice surprise.  It's tucked in the hills east of San Diego and the homes are fabulous.  Kim and Boyd great us with a smile, hug and wine.  Perfection!  

Randy met Boyd through PIA and we've enjoyed getting to know both him and Kim.  The ride motorcycles and love to travel. Kim is a super woman on a bike!  She's ridden her own in Japan, Laos, and the Alps!  WOW!  I wish I could ride like she does.    They are a fun couple who are easy to hang out it with and we hope for more adventures with them. 

Dinner is at Karen and Greg's printing friends of Kim and Boyd's.  They have a lovely home with a beautiful view of the west.  Randy wants one of these succulents in our Utah yard. 

I love sunsets and theirs is spectacular.  Their backyard is an oasis and the food incredible.  We had a terrific time and we're so grateful to have met new friends.  

We've only been gone for a couple of days and we're so lucky to spend time with people who care about us.  Starting with our send-off at Carl's to dinner at Karen & Greg's we realize that friendships are rare and we should try to make new friends and keep the old.  Wow!  I think that is the phrase from an old camp song.  :)

Expect the Unexpected...NO!!!

Death Valley ... the name says it all!

Friday morning was full of anticipation of riding through Death Valley.  We made it in record time and rode right into Scotty's Castle, an amazing piece of history at the northeast entrace of Death Valley.

We took the tour and learned all about Scotty and his "fake" goldmine and learned who the real owner of the Castle was.  Interesting story and who knew that a midwesterner millionaire would build a vacation home in the middle of nowhere.  (you should google Scotty's Castle to learn about the showman and the millionaire who called it's his "camp" or vacation home and all the eccentric people who visited it)  Randy's standing right in front of Scotty's and yes, he's one of the eccentric ones visiting!  

Off to Furnance Creek - still cold and windy but like the settlers before us, we keep moving.  At Furnance Creek the temperature soared from a cool 60 to 97 and the wind just right on blowing.  We paid $6.00 for a gallon of premium (ouch!) and stopped for lunch in the Saloon.   

We learned that from September to May the Park is full of mostly American tourists and in the summer it fills up with Europeans who want to experience 120+ degree heat.  Our server is done for the season and wants out of Death Valley heading up to a cooler locale...Glacier National Park (a favorite of ours).   We want out too so we pass up visiting a few of the sites and ride right by the Twenty Mule Team Borax site. 

Wind, Sand, Rain, Fog and a little Snow

The titile sounds like a country western song and yes, we're right in the middle of that song.  Riding through Death Valley is horrible at best.  Its, windy and dry.  Yes, exciting to be -200 feet below sea level especially after starting off at 6700 feet above in the mountains.  But that excitement lasts just a few seconds.  I can't imagine walking or riding a wagon through this horredous country.  It's desolate, dry, windy, hot and as the temperature cools we are in a blizzard of SAND!  Winds are 10-45 mph and sand is so dense sometimes you can barely see 10 feet in front of you. Have you seen the movie "The Mummy"?  It opens with a huge sandstorm ...that was us!   You can see in the photo Ed brought out his goggles.  Not beer goggles ...BIG GOGGLES.  

  Luckily that only lasted for about an hour and we're out of Death Valley.  Relief is short lived because the wind keeps blowing and doesn't stop until Crestiline about 250 miles away.  I'm confident that we will NEVER go back to Death Valley again.  

Along HWY 395 we're buffeted by the wind and we know that It's never a good sign to see a semi-truck on it's side and we pass three right in a row, knocked over by the force of the wind.  The highway is now closed to motorhomes, semi's, busses and all tall trucks.  But it's ok for everyone else so we keep going.  Watching the sun set quickly and the cold and rain intensify!

Crestline is in our sight, only 15 miles away and we know that Denise and David Santos, have chili, snacks, a cozy fire and tasty beverages waiting for us. We consider stopping but we're so close.  We head up the mountain, me trying to keep a steady pace behind Randy and saying lots of Hail Marys.  (I'm sure I did the entire Rosary by the time I got to Denise's)

This is the storm that was following us all the way from Utah.  Luckily we've been slightly ahead of it.  It's been a chilly ride and most of the time we have had sunshine.  It's passed over us and heading east.  I hope we don't catch up with it as we head east.  

Going up the mountain to Crestiline is the hardest ride I've ever done.  More difficult than Rocky Mountain National Park in the rain with construction,  Independence Pass or Bear Tooth Highway.  It's steep and windy, along with major twisties. We make it through several hairpin turns only to be engulfed in fog with zero visibility.  We creep along and eventually end up at the Santos' cabin around 8:30 pm, just in time for a fun, relaxing, evening of storytelling and friendship.  Thanks to Denise & David for hosting us.  

I know this ride is going down in the books as one of the hardest for all of us, Randy, Ed and Richard will completely agree with me on this.  As time goes by, I  know our stories about the ride to Cresline via Death Valley will become legendary.  (At least in our minds) 

Three's a Charm

After a fabulous send off at Carl's Cafe we headed west to Tonapah, NV and immediately turned east back home.   What? Home?

My jacket zipper (the nicest one HD makes) broke leading us right back home to grab another one.  As a Harley Fashionista, I have  few to choose from.  Then on the backside of Utah Lake we discovered that my detachable saddle bag was detaching!  Not a good thing.  Stopped fixed and onward.  Finally, heading toward Eureka, I accidently turned off my bike.  Yes, I know an amatuer mistake - I quickly recovered and kept going.   Three odd things all within the first 2 hours of our trip.  I'm good for the rest of the ride.

Snaked our way through the beautiful Nevada desert which is more gorgeous than I thought it would be.  (more about that later).   We landed at the A Le' Inn after riding the Extraterestrial HIghway.  The boys Randy, Richard and Ed wanted to steal the spaceship and take off.  They opted for their bikes instead. 

Windy and at sunset we headed off for Tonapah, 120 more miles west and on barely enough gas to make it but we did.  There's a consipracy theory I'm working on as to why there is no gas between Caliente and Tonapah.  Aliens, government, Area 51 I know it's a conspiracy.

Thursday was a milestone for me, 550 miles in one day, I usually ride about 400-450. I know for some tha's nothing but for me - it's something!   Friday, it's chilly, windy and about 48. We're on our way through Death Valley National Park and will spend the night with my high school best friend Denise and her husband Dave in Crestline, CA.  

T-minus 24 hours and counting!

In 24 hours we will be riding out of Salt Lake City heading to Tonapah, Nevada our first stop. I can't believe how fast time has flown!  The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity; researching our route, planning, and packing. Many bikers and road trippers have offered great suggestions and it's been fun to create our itinerary.  Bikes have been serviced, are ready to be packed,  and we have a few last minute things to do today. 

Russ' winter Harley

We couldn't do this without the support of friends and family.  Our good friend Russ, is living with us and will now have the house to himself.  Russ, you're the best!

Me & my mom, Peggy

My mom, Peggy, has offered to dog sit so I know Enzo will be well cared for and loved.  Thanks Mom! He'll also get too many treats from Grandma.  She has strict instructions to not overdo the treats. 

But Enzo will con her out of a few extra. 

How can you resist Enzo's smiling face?

I'm off this morning to take care of a few last minute errands; lunch at the Utah Women's Forum; repack my T-bag (it's too full) and I hope to catch up with my sister, Jennifer.  

I'm excited and nervous, for tomorrow our journey begins...

What really started this idea of riding across the country?

Our motto is "work hard, play hard" however, in the last year the "work hard" side was taking over my existence.   I still had lots of time for vacation and fun but work was always looming in the back of my mind.  Randy's the same way about work - it's always there.  We're dedicated, and creative business people and our minds just don't easily turn off.

We knew we needed a change and last year, we started talking about downsizing.  What does that really mean?  Clean out a few closets, get rid of some junk, have a garage sale, stop buying stuff.  However, our way of life wasn't changing; we weren't changing.

New Year's Eve brought renewed resolutions; finish projects, take more time for reconnecting with friends, create opportunities for making new friends, focus on our health, take time for each other, figure out how to de-stress.  We never make resolutions and this year with our friends Tanna and Russ, we actually talked about a few of our resolutions.  Be accountable to each other to get them done.   The New Year passed, we went back to our lives and our resolutions tucked in the back of our minds waiting for "someday" to start; after all, we have the whole year ahead of us.

On January 16, 2014, our lives were irrevocably changed. Randy's best friend from college, Kent Parker died of heart attack at age 50.  Kent worked from home and that afternoon used his cell phone to call 911 for help, which never arrived.  In Salt Lake County, when you call 911 from your cell, you can't be sure that your neighborhood fire department will respond.  In Kent's situation, a dispatcher, 15 miles away picked up his call. After waiting 20 minutes, Kent called back and told the dispatcher he was "feeling better" and the dispatched allowed him to cancel his call for help.   A few minutes later, his wife, Lisa found him unresponsive.   He lives 1/2 mile from a fire station and hospital.

Kent left behind a wife, children and a huge circle of heartbroken friends and family. Kent was one of the good guys, a genuinely nice person who loved his family, friends, REAL soccer, darts, travel, motorcycles, his cabin, the outdoors; he loved life.  Everyone who knew him misses him every day.

Lisa, Kent, Cathleen & Randy 

Losing Kent rocked Randy's world and then a few days later, we learned that Randy's company was to be sold and he might be out of a job soon.  January was a tough month.

February was worse.  Randy's company sold, closed and over 150 people laid-off.

Now, Randy's unemployed but I'm not worried.  He's talented, with an entrepreneurial spirit that is unparalleled.  His career has been incredibly successful and I know he'll land in a great job.

He's also the most positive person you'll meet. His beer glass is always 1/2 full even when it's empty while my wine glass is always 1/2 empty even when it's full.  His positivity keeps me going even though it drives me crazy.

I jokingly tell Randy that we should sell everything, buy a RV that holds our bikes and just take off.  He thinks I'm serious and he starts planning our departure.  I ignore him and tell him to get a job.

March rolls around and life gets even tougher.  With everything going on in my personal life and at my job, my stress level is skyrocketing and I'm not handling it well.  I find myself wanting to leave my job, so I do.  In the blink of an eye, my life is dramatically different and I'm unemployed for the first time in my career.

So now, we're both unemployed.  Our new year's resolutions and simplifying our lives suddenly became our priority.  

We're also realizing that this is an opportunity to figure out our dreams and reinvent our lives. 

What is next?   We can do anything.

Randy whispers to me...road trip.  

The photo that inspired the  journey!

Hi!  I'm Cathleen Sparrow AKA the Happy Harley Gurl and this is my very first blog post!

Randy and I would like to invite you to join us on Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 7:00 am at Carl's Cafe, 2336 Fort Union Blvd., Cottonwood Heights.  Carl's is owned by our dear friend, Lisa Parker and it's a favorite breakfast diner for most of Cottonwood Heights residents and tourists.  She doesn't accept checks or credit so bring cash.  :)

Carl's Cafe is the start of our Coast to Coast Journey and I'm terrified, excited and shocked that I'm actually able to do this and that I GET to do this! Many of us only dream of riding our Harley's across America.  This is our amazing adventure!   I'll be riding my 2012 Softail CVO Convertible alongside my husband, Randy who will be on his 2013 Road Glide CVO. 

After a hearty breakfast and lots of coffee, we plan to be on the road by 8:15 am.  If you can't come for breakfast, we hope you'll stop by just to say hi.