Sacramento to Reno - a 2 1/2 hour ride on Interstate 80 - approximately 150 miles - called for 8 1/2 hours of Lincoln Highway time. What remains of America’s first transcontinental route is often reclusive & coy. The Lincoln Highway reveals itself reluctantly & only to the determined traveler. It was amply clear today that to pursue this route takes time, patience, curiosity & great determination. Today it weaved alongside I-80 and often deadended, calling for back-tracking, U-turns & calculated guesses. Even the GPS was fooled by the LH’s elusive behavior. This is not a road for those who view travel as a means of going from point A to B.
It’s for those who value the journey.
At times we were reluctantly forced to travel sections of I-80 itself, but were always relieved to find ourselves once again along Historic Route 40…the Lincoln Highway in this section of California. Four lanes became three, three two, until two disappeared and forced us back onto I-80.
Roads are not unlike people. Each has its own unique personality. Some are bland, predictable and difficult to tell from others. Some are aggressive and keep you on the defensive, anxious over what’s next. Others may be filled with a quiet, relaxing charm. The Lincoln Highway is like an interesting older friend - one filled with information from a past that makes for a better understanding of today.
The Piaggio MP3 500 is proving to be absolutely ideal for our purposes. Its stability, reliability & versatility allows us to focus on our search for the "L’s" designating the Lincoln Highway, to meander through historic towns, and to climb 7000+ feet mountain passes with power to spare.
We traveled through Auburn - formally a tent city of miners during the gold rush of 49 - which played a role in the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Its historic district is on the National Register. Colfax is also closely tied to the gold rush, and its original railroad depot - built in 1905 - is still in the same location. (Let’s not forget the pretty waitress at The Naked Rooster in Colfax, for rumor has it she took quite a liking to the two MP3-riding adventurers who stopped there for lunch - ED).
In Truckee, 1908 meets 2008 in this historically rich mining town. Before coming into Reno, NV, hosting the national transvestite gala, we climbed Donner Pass, narrow & steep in the northern Sierra Nevada. The MP3 took the tight sweeping turns with the agility of a race bike, but always with extraordinary control–no surprise adrenalin rushes encountered on bikes that can get away from the most experienced riders.
Sunday morning we will say goodbye to the attendees of the gala in "Biggest Little City In The World" & head to "The Loneliest Road In The World", Nevada’s Highway 50.
Buddy
Your journey not only inspires us to get out and see more of this country, but is also educating us to the history of the Lincoln highway! I’m on a waiting list for the MP3 500 at 3 dealers, and am looking forward to some long distance riding after the break-in period. Your comments on the response and handling of these bikes encourage me to stay course!
Thanks!
I’m wondering if they could put knobby tires on these so I can do the first father and son Piaggio MP3 trip around Canyon Land’s White Rim Trail! You make me proud on this fathers day Buddy, your son, Adam
Hey Buddy, I want to be just like you when I grow up some day. You’re my idol. Safe travels.
I really should’ve traded on your notoriety and scored the phone number of that waitress. After all, Colfax isn’t *that* far, is it?
You hit the Nevada border at 1547 and ten miles later in Reno it’s 1930-so what happened for four hours? Inquiring minds need to know.
William
Buddy & Bob: Did Ground Control get that arrival time correct?
Best, Alex
hello to you both
buddy looking forward to riding on the back of the MP3 500 !!!!
joyce
Hi Buddy,
We’re all thinking about you back here in Pound Ridge. The pictures and google, etc. are great, feels like we’re riding along!
Enjoy it all,
Sharon
Wishing you a happy fathers and grandfather’s day from terminus NYC.
Buddy and Bob,
It looks like you are having a blast! I am still upset that you don’t need me to drive the “support vehicle”.
Be safe. Hey, if Tiger can win the US Open with a bad knee, you can make it to New York.
Love,
Susanne