There and back again PT1

Well, it has been a very fun trip. I cant say that i got as far as i wanted, because it was VERY cold in arizona. I yet again had to scrape ice off of my seat, and the drive through nevada had been insane near salt lake city. Try as i might, you cant compete with being so cold that your hands wont work the throttle and clutch. So in flagstaff arizona, afterseeing the giant redwoods, the oregon coast, most of california, the boneville saltflats, the northern side of the grand canyon, and most of the deserts in utah, arizona, and californina, i decided to turn around. It was a hard decision, but i think the right one.I spent a day or so contemplating the turn around, but after driving 5 days through the desert from the top of cali, to utah, and down through arizona, i decided that i could not handle driving across texas. It was becomming more of a marithon than a sight seeing tour, and i was paying for the visual experience, not the preteige of a sore rear and an empty bank account. So, the decision was made to return via the highway south of vegas and through cali.THe trip back was jsut as much fun, as i made sure to pick a route that i had not traveled before. Sticking mostly to the highway, i can say that the sacramento valley reminds me alot of home or of kelowna valley as there are lots of orchards and vinyards.Eventually after a number of days of hard riding i worked my way up to chehalis washington, right below seattle. THe past few days of weather had been pounding rain and scary mountain passes that reminded me alot of the coquahala, and almost cold enough to snow.At that point, I could not go any further.