The day has finally arrived! There is much excitement and a few threatening rain clouds in the air. We will not let the storms of yesterday and the pending storms today dampen our spirits.

After attending to business concerns, Tom met at the Robbins' home to begin the journey mid afternoon, Friday, May 9. We headed south on Highway 101 a few miles to catch Highway 36 at its beginning. We met Louise and Tom and Louise's daughter Angie at Hydesville. They are headed to Idaho and will spend the afternoon with us. Louise rode with Tom on the bike, and Angie followed in the family Cadillac complete with soft seats, a roof overhead, music, and a heater.

It was a beautiful day on Highway 36. Bikers travel from all over the state for a chance to ride 36, and here it is in our backyard! We enjoyed the flowers and the beautiful view of the Trinity Alps. We dodged an occasional rain drop and deer, laughed out loud at the roller coaster type of road as we approached Red Bluff (the whoop-de-doos), stayed warm enough, and had a wonderful first leg of our trip.

We said good-bye to Louise and Angie in Red Bluff. They continued on towards Idaho. Tom, Dick, and Shirlene found a place to stay and immediately returned to the bikes and the road to enjoy the beautiful evening. We managed to catch the sun setting on the Sacramento River. We have put in a wake up call for 5:00 am and anxiously await day 2. We will head for Reno by way of Lassen National Park and Susanville, wondering if we will have to navigate through snow. We are determined to continue having fun, regardless of weather forecasts.