Southwest Adventure on an R18 – Introduction

Everything is set. I am packed up and ready to go. This morning I fly from O’Hare to Los Angeles. On arrival, I’ll walk from the terminal to the local HertzRide location to pick up an R18 for the next week. Originally, I had planned to ride up the California coast to Fort Bragg then come back down, crossing the coastal mountains a few times along the way. Now, I have no idea where I’ll go.

As it happens, some of the best miles of the Pacific Coast Highway are closed as a result of the “atmospheric river” that has been hitting the west coast for a week now. Some of the road is washed out and several of the mountain passes are also closed from flooding. As it’s too late to reschedule or cancel, I am going to make the best of it.

I am only taking a single large bag which I will use as a tail bag while on the trip. It has all my non-riding clothes, camera gear, dopp bag, and laptop. I’ll have to wear all my riding gear on the flight and my helmet will be the second carry on. Sounds fun, right? We’ll see what happens.