"How Well Do Fully Loaded ADV Bikes Do Splitting Lanes?" Day 1- Portland to San Francisco

I am sure that I am like the rest of you in that the night before a journey, is like the night before Christmas, you just don't sleep.  I woke up at 6am bright eyed and bushy tailed, but I was still tired. 

I loaded up the bike, made final adjustments, and I was on the road a few minutes before 7am.  Traffic was light leaving town, and it felt like I was just heading to work.  The cities I passed through started looking less and less familiar though as I got further South.  I have driven all the way to San Diego before, but with much less frequency.  Although the cities and towns felt vaguely familiar, my adventure was really beginning to take shape as home felt further and further away. 

All geared up and ready to leave this morning. 

As I trekked down I5, the road had a few curves here and there.  It was more interesting than further North, but still I5.  At some points, especially near Eugene, my ice warning appeared on my dash.  It was actually quite surprising.

Eventually I stopped at Mt Shasta for gas and a quick photo up.  

The mountains started to shrink as I worked my way away from Mt Shasta and towards San Francisco.  The mountains were slowly replaced by fields full of crops and hundreds of workers in the fields bringing in the harvest.

Eventually I found myself crossing the Bay Bridge and entering San Francisco.  As I crossed the bridge and traffic begun locking up, I remembered that I was now in California, which meant I could split lanes.  So even though my bike is completely loaded to the teeth, I was going to take full advantage of this California treat.  There were a few close calls, but nothing to write home about.  The bike did very well at not knocking mirrors :)

Once I had battled through the lines, I would meet up with Paquo off of the ADV Rider forum who had a spare fuel filter for me.  Apparently even brand new KTM bikes suffer from fuel pump and filter issues.  They choose to patch the problem rather than repair it.  Paquo (Steve) lives on a very steep hill, so I had to look at the area a few times before deciding on proper placement for the bike. 

  

After a very pleasant conversation with Steve about his family, his dog, his GTI, and more importantly his 1090R, it was time to head south to the Home of Yohan and Brittany!  Not only did they allow me inside their home, but they offered me a bed, warm water, and an amazing dinner made by Yohan himself.  They were incredibly hospitable people with great conversation.  Yohan has been riding with his dad and friends for a while now.  He even rides two up with Brittany.  Currently he has a Tiger 1200 which is a pretty mean machine!  They are still deciding on a bike for her.

I am starting to see why everyone says this trip takes so long.  I want to stay a few days everywhere I go and just get to know the people!  I guess all of the people I meet will have to come stay with me in Oregon as they prepare to conquer the PNW. 

Budget Updates:

I need to put the gas all together, but i think it was around $50 in Gas today (ouch), along with $5.35 at Taco Bell, and $34 for a gas filter.  I am a bit over budget, but I also knocked 3 days of average miles off too.