Streaking cars and trucks (and motorcycles) race for somewhere dry before the coming rain near Emporia, Kansas. The author had parked for the night and was walking to his motel room when the first heavy raindrops fell. Photos by the author.
Vice President Joe Biden would not be happy. He might also be surprised to learn that after two decades it turns out I?m something of a liar. This goes way back to when I had my Honda 750. For years I?d shared with many that together my old bike and I had hit all of the Lower 48, but it?s not so. Over this past winter, staring out at me from my U.S. map was one glaring omission. Somehow, I?d missed Joe?s Delaware. That, I would need to rectify. But first, a more ambitious ride; I was heading west!
On the south side of U.S. 50 near Dillsboro, Indiana, sits this picturesque Texaco station, a frequent photo stop for U.S. 50 travelers. But be careful, there was a beehive inside the left pump! For no good reason I decided to follow a single route, something I?d never done. I wanted this ride to be different, on something that wasn?t a freeway, at least most of the way. I?d picked U.S. Route 50, my trip beginning in Cincinnati and ending in West Sacramento, riding there over the highway?s final mile.
What I learned on my weeklong trip to California?s capital is that this highway works. Other than a few locations with highway reconstruction the road is a pleasant one. Being a national highway it receives ample funding to keep it decent. Its sur...