First ride on the GS

For today’s Weekly Weenie Ride, I took the GS on a tiny little jaunt around the local Stevens Creek Reservoir.

Constructed in 1935, it’s our local boating and bicycling hangout. This time of year, it’s pretty empty, but in the summer, there are always people out fishing or boating. I believe swimming is prohibited, though Peter and I did come across a “special event” type high school swim race there once.

Near the other end of the reservoir are many little picnic area strewn about. Again, they’re pretty desolate this time of year (hey, 60F is freezing for Californians!), so I explored the parking areas and little back roads.

I found a very short yet fun dirt trail behind a closed park building, so I did a few laps to see how the GS handled the leaves/gravel/dirt. It was spectacular! It handled better than it did on pavement. I found out when I got home that that was because my tires were at 12 and 20 psi (instead of the 28 and 31psi they should be for street riding). Whoops! But it sure made that dirt section fun.

On my way back home, I stopped briefly at McClellan Ranch, a tiny natural preserve park that used to be a horse ranch. From Cupertino.org: “The site houses a nature museum and community garden. Also, preserved on the property are the original ranch house, milk barn livestock barn, a replica of the Baer’s Blacksmith Shop that was originally located at De Anza and Stevens Creek Boulevards, and the old water tower from the Parish Ranch which is now the site of Memorial Park.”

I believe this is the water tower:

There was another dirt trail leading away from the water tower, but when I went down it, it just dead-ended at a chicken coop, so I U-turned and came back out of the park. I’d like to go back there sometime when the nature museum is open, but I can’t seem to find their hours online. Guess I’ll call on Monday.

I stopped for gas on the way home because the trip meter hadn’t been reset the last time the bike got gas. Turned out I only put 2.5 gallons into the tank (it’s a 4.6 gallon tank), but I reset the trip meter this time so that I can get the MPG calculation next time I fill up.

Is this a car or a motorcycle??

Hooray for my first real ride on the GS. I’m really loving this motorcycle.

My neck is only a wee bit sore, and I think it’s mostly from trying to get to the tire valve stems to inflate the tires post-ride. I gave up on the rear and am waiting for Peter to wake up to help me with that one. I really need an LED or something in my field of vision that goes off whenever I’m about to do something stupid that’ll mess up my neck. Stupid spine; who needs ’em anyway? 🙂