How’s your bucket list coming?

Just checking.

Perhaps yesterday’s blog post caused you to get off your butt and start dreaming.

What’s it gonna be …

• Bungee jump in New Zealand?
• Learn a foreign language?
• Throw a dart at a map and travel to wherever it lands?
• Experience zero gravity?
• Chase a tornado?
• Make a difference in someone’s life?

Me? I’m heading for Sturgis.

***

The day begins as I ride east through some highly fertile farming areas not far from La Quinta. Agriculture is a major industry in the Coachella Valley, with about 70,000 acres producing more than $550 million dollars of edibles every year. The top crops are citrus, dates, table grapes, melons, lettuce, carrots, broccoli and bell peppers.

Despite the blazing summer heat, plentiful access to water provides the valley a 300-day growing season. On average, every acre harvests about $8,000 in crops each year. Our ¼-acre La Quinta homestead has yielded exactly $0 in agricultural benefits over the past 16 years.

About 20 minutes from our former home in La Quinta (more on that later), we pass through Mecca, an unincorporated community sitting on the North shore of the Salton Sea, surrounded by rich farm land. California accounts for about 97 percent of table grapes grown in the US; Coachella Valley growers produce about six million 19-pound boxes of table grapes each year. Sweet!

Mecca is nearly 200 feet below sea level. Of all the North American locations below sea level, most are not far from here. It’s all uphill from Mecca. We’ll spend most of this trip in the mountains, at one point riding above the tree line in Colorado at more than 12,000 feet.

***

Leaving Mecca, I head east on 66^th Avenue. Before long, I cross over Coachella Canal, which provides water for the thirsty crops I’ve just ridden by.

Soon, to the east, I see the 350 square-mile Salton Sea, California’s largest lake, whose surface is 235 feet below sea level.

The Salton Sea was formed between 1905 and 1907 when the Colorado River burst through poorly built irrigation controls near Yuma, Arizona. Almost the entire flow of the river filled the Salton Basin for more than a year, inundating communities, farms and the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

In the 1950s, with the rising popularity of the nearby desert resort of Palm Springs, developers saw opportunity in the Salton Sea. Towns sprouted up, and beaches catered to tourists interested in water sports, fishing and swimming. At its peak, the Salton Sea was drawing 1.5 million visitors annually, more than Yosemite.

Today, the Salton Sea is drying up and dying.

According to an Audubon Society study, in the next 15 years, the Salton Sea will lose 40 percent of the water currently flowing into it. It’s an ecological ticking time bomb. Solutions are political, and expensive. Time is running out. To learn more, click here and here.

***

With the Salton Sea in my rear-view mirror, I’m now on Box Canyon Road. It takes me east, through a true box canyon, which means it has steep walls on three sides. But you probably knew that, especially if you’re a pilot.

Box Canyon Road links the Coachella Valley with I-10, which I’ll join in about 16 miles. The road takes me through the heart of the Mecca Hills Wilderness Area, a 24,000-acre preserve created by the 1994 California Desert Protection Act.

The hills in this area have narrow ravines, some of which become slot canyons. There are a large number of vividly colored badlands.

As you begin riding Box Canyon Road, there’s an immediate turn off onto a four-mile dirt road to Painted Canyon, home of the famous Ladders Canyon hike, which many of this blog’s readers – including me – have done in the winter. The loop is 5.3 miles, and well worth your time. Just not today.

***

As Box Canyon’s twists and turns ease and the road straightens, I can see I-10 off in the distance to my left. Box Canyon Road becomes Cottonwood Springs Road shortly before reaching I-10. If I continued straight (north) on Cottonwood Springs Road, I’d enter Joshua Tree National Park.

But today’s destination is east, so I jump on I-10, and head toward Blythe, 75 miles away on the Colorado River where California and Arizona meet.

I’m on I-10 for only a few miles before reaching Chiriaco Summit, the first of dozens of summits on our trip. Chiriaco Summit sits at 1,706 feet, on the divide between the Chuckwalla Valley and the Salton Sea Basin.

It’s primarily a truck stop, with a coffee shop, a convenience store, an airport with a poorly paved 4,600-foot asphalt runway – and the General Patton Memorial Museum.

Yes, General George S. Patton – made famous by George C. Scott in the 1970 biopic Patton. The film earned seven Academy awards including Best Picture and Best Actor, an honor which Scott famously declined to accept. The movie transformed Patton into an American folk hero.

A museum honoring General Patton, out here seemingly in the middle of nowhere? Well, Patton has history here.

In 1942, the US War Department created the Desert Training Center, headquartered near an area that that was then called Shavers Summit (since renamed Chiriaco Summit). The purpose was to train nearly a million soldiers for battle in the sands of North Africa. Within a month after their arrival, every man sent to the Desert Training Center had to be able to run a mile in 10 minutes, wearing a full back pack and carrying a rifle.

To learn more, click here.

Patton came to the Desert Training Center in 1942 as its first Commanding General. Operations continued at the Desert Training Center until 1944, when the Allies declared victory in the Sahara.

During those two intense years, it was the world’s largest military training ground, covering some 18,000 square miles of Mojave and Colorado Desert. The area was known as the California/Arizona Maneuver Area.

Today, the General Patton Memorial Museum honors Patton, the Desert Training Center, and the troops who served there. When you visit the museum, you’ll find a large collection of tanks used in World War II, as well as memorabilia from Patton’s life and career.

The museum opened on Nov. 11, 1998 – Veterans Day, and Patton’s 100^th birthday. Its major event each year is on Veterans Day, when admission is free and you can experience a fly-by with World War II aircraft.

***

There’s not much to see for the next 70 miles. Desert. Mountains off in the distance. An occasional solar array.

Twenty miles east of Chiriaco Summit, I notice the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm to my left. It’s about six miles north of Desert Center. Desert Sunlight is a 550-megawatt power station, the world’s second-largest solar power generator.

For you science buffs, it uses nearly nine million cadmium telluride (CdTe) modules. Cadmium telluride is a thin semiconductor layer designed to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity. Et voila!

From Desert Center to Blythe, I’m on cruise control for more than 50 miles. Yes, cruise control.

When I began riding 50 years ago, I couldn’t have imagined owning any kind of vehicle with cruise control – car, motorcycle, boat or airplane. These modern bikes will totally spoil you. My first six motorcycles had kick starters. Remember those? Today, in addition to cruise control, I ride with GPS navigation, stereo tunes, ABS brakes. This is just too easy. I can pretty much write this blog as I ride.

There’s not much to see on the way to Blythe. Not much to do once you get there either – other than stop, stretch, hydrate, and prepare to say goodbye to California for the next three weeks.

I arrive in Blythe, elevation 272 feet above sea level, late in the afternoon, steaming hot from two hours in the saddle, baking in 110-degree-plus temperatures.

Since Blythe is tonight’s destination, I pull into the hotel parking lot, thinking about a cold drink and dinner … and who do I see, here in the middle of nowhere? Sure as you can spell H A R L E Y, I bump into my riding pals, Dave Bowman and Scott Donaldson – ready to join me for the journey to the world’s largest motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota.

It’ll take nearly a week to get there. There’s a lot to talk about along the way.

***

First of all, Dave and Scott.

Followers of this blog will remember that I’ve ridden long-distance twice with Dave, and once with Scott. Since they’ll be a key part of this blog, let me take a minute to re-acquaint you with them. I’m busy riding, and you have nowhere to go, so let’s get started. (If these guys need no introduction, feel free to skip ahead a few paragraphs.)

Dave:  A native Southern Californian, Dave attended Cal State University Long Beach and earned his bachelor’s degree (summa cum laude!) in Computer Science from National University. In addition, he has a master’s degree in Global Technology Management from Pepperdine. Dave began his aerospace career as an engineer at McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach, eventually retiring as Vice President and General Manager of Boeing Global Mobility Systems. When he was VP/GM of Boeing’s C-17 program, Dave and I worked together, though the topic of motorcycles never came up. Dave left Boeing in 2010 after 30 years, then went to work at Eaton in Cleveland, Ohio, as Senior VP of Program Management. He retired from Eaton in 2015, finally giving him time to ride. Dave and his wife Gail live in Fullerton, California., and have a mountain getaway near Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains. He rides a 2008 Harley Ultra Glide. Dave, now 57, reconnected with me after reading my Harley blog year after year, eventually saying, “Count me in after I retire. Let’s ride!” In 2015, I rode with Dave up the California coast and back-and-forth across the Sierra Nevada Mountains; and, in 2016, we visited Utah, Arizona and Colorado, touring 12 National Parks and Monuments in 12 days.

***

Scott:  This is gonna get a bit complicated, so pay attention, and contact ancestry.com if you’re confused. Scott is Gail’s uncle. (remember Gail? She’s Dave’s wife). You’d think that would make Scott an old man. Not so much. He’s Dave’s age. Scott and Dave have known each other for more than 40 years, starting when they were ninth grade classmates in Mr. Tebitt’s wood shop class at Alexander Hamilton Junior High School in Long Beach. Scott and Dave both went on to Cal State University at Long Beach after high school, and have remained best buddies ever since, often riding their Harleys together. Scott is a native Southern Californian who lives in La Habra with his wife, Jackie. They’re just a few miles away from the Bowman’s primary residence in Fullerton. After a career in grocery retail management, Scott is now a Superintendent in vessel operations for SSA Marine – Stevedoring Services of America at Terminal C60 in Long Beach, the second-busiest container port in the US. The facility is dedicated to supporting Matson Navigation, providing service to the Hawaiian Islands, Guam and three ports in China. Scott rides a 2007 Road King Classic. He joined Dave and I on our 2015 ride, and after missing out on our 2016 National Parks tour, is eager to ride with us again.

***

And for those of you with long- and/or short-term memory issues, here’s a bit about me – the author of this blog.

Gary: I’m originally from Lafayette, California, home of the Palindromic ZIP code (94549) and Olympic gold medal swimmer Matt Biondi, who went to the same high school (Campolindo) as I did. I earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah, majoring in Broadcast Journalism (yes, it was kind of like typing school). My first career in TV news led me to KOMO-TV in Seattle, where I was a news producer in the 1980s. At the time, I rode a bright orange 1976 Honda CB550F. Eventually, everyone in Seattle with a pulse goes to work at Boeing, so that’s what I did in 1988, seeking fame and fortune (I found neither, but walked away with Sarah Murr, the biggest prize of all). I retired from the big ol’ airplane company 20 years later as a public relations and communications guy. In my final gig at Boeing in Long Beach, I worked for Dave on the C-17 program, stringing together subjects and verbs to make him, the airplane, and the company, look brilliant. I ride a 2016 Harley Street Glide Special, which last year I convinced Sarah I should have as my “last bike,” cuz, at the time, I was 66 and not getting any younger. Sarah, and I were married in Dragør, Denmark, not far from the Copenhagen airport. Earlier this year, we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Along with our two cats, Lucy and Betsy, we lived full time in La Quinta, California – until a month ago. We now reside – or soon will – in Carbondale, Colorado.

***

As our journey continues toward Sturgis, we may be joined by other riders, passengers, hangers-on, Harley groupies, interlopers, and party crashers. I’ll introduce them as they join the party. Progressive disclosure.

***

Tonight, we celebrate the beginning of our journey in the best way possible: with a rib dinner. It’s a short walk from the hotel to Rebel BBQ, where we sate ourselves on pork ribs. I’ve been on record for a long time as saying that my last meal, should I know in advance that’s what it is, will be ribs. At Rebel BBQ, it is like dying and going to heaven.

***

Day One Summary: One hundred ten miles, starting below sea level, ending up 272 feet higher, experiencing the sweetness of table grapes, a tribute to General George Patton, and reconnecting with old friends at the start of an epic journey.

Click here to see today’s complete route from La Quinta to Blythe.

We’re on our way to Sturgis!

Vroom, vroom.

***

Today in Bucket List History:

Bucket List Goal: “Show the World You’re Human.”

Goal Achieved: On July 28, 1971, 16-time Gold Glove winner Brooks Robinson commits three errors in one inning. It happens in the fifth inning of the Orioles 3-2 win over the A’s in Baltimore. Teammate Frank Robinson atones for Brooks’ errors by hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game. Brooks Robinson is generally considered one of the best-fielding third basemen of all time. He was the only Gold Glove-winning American League third baseman from 1960 through 1975. We all have bad hair days.

What’s on your bucket list?

***

P.S. An eagle-eyed blog follower suggested a clarification regarding how to post comments to the blog. Here’s some info that may help.

If you want to leave a comment, you can select the “Comment” button at the bottom of the auto-email you get every day (if you’re “following” the blog). The “Comment” button will take you to the blog, where you can view others’ comments, and/or “Leave a Reply” yourself.

Or, you can select any blog post (there are now 79 of them), click on the Headline for that blog post, then scroll down to the bottom and view others’ comments, and/or “Leave a Reply.”

Did that make things more clear, or more muddy?

Vroom, vroom.