Day 3: Rancho Cucamunga

We got up and left by six.  It was cool outside, which meant the ride was a little cold.  Things were going pretty smoothly.  We only had a couple hundred miles and it looked like we would be there in no time.

Then we saw clouds--lots of clouds.  Big, dark, cold and soaking wet black clouds.  We stopped for gas before we hit them and thought about what to do.  I think all of us wanted to stay at the gas station and wait it out, but Dad decided we should just go for it in case it only got worse.  We only had one more leg and we weren't sure we would hit the storm anyway.

Keeping a close eye on those clouds, we set off again, keeping ready for the worst.  We seemed to be headed straight for the storm, but the road turned in time and we avoided it, at least for a little while.  Then it turned again and we faced a thick wall of water.  It looked a bit like heavy rain, but as we got closer it turned out to be really thick fog.  The change from clear air to the worst of the fog was abrupt.  As soon as we entered the fog, I looked back and could not see anything else.

It was better than rain, but it was still miserable.  Water didn't fall on us; it just got us wet as we rode through it.  Thankfully our electronic gear stayed dry.

It also got really cold.  I don't think it was quite as bad as Trinidad, but it got close.  I'm not sure how long we were in the fog; it seemed somewhere around a half hour.  I was so happy to see a sign saying Rancho Cucamonga was five miles away.

It started raining lightly as we pulled into the hotel parking lot.  We couldn't find the entrance at first, but after we circled the building we figured out where it was.  Finally, we parked and I was able to get off the bike.  We went inside as soon as we could to check in.  When we did, we heard that breakfast was still open for another ten minutes.  We hadn't eaten yet, so me hurried and got some.  Being some of the first bikers to have arrived at the hotel, most of everyone else there were "normal" people with suits and ties.  Our hands were still clumsy from the cold, and while we made a bit of a mess of our breakfast people starting giving us weird looks.

We did not come out to get our stuff until we had gone into our room and settled in a bit.  It rained some more while we were indoors, but eventually we went outside to move the luggage and the bikes.

We stayed in the room for a few hours, waiting for Dad's meeting at one.  When it came around, Dad left and I stayed in the room for a couple hours longer.

When he came back, he let me leave the hotel and talk to the people who had come since the last time I was outside.  People were arriving pretty steadily for it being this early.  I talked to many people I recognized, and the rest of the day was mostly spent talking. 

In the evening, Dad, Mr. Kevin, Chaplain Gryder (who rode with Dad, me and Chaplain Dean last year) and another friend walked around for a few minutes.  We found a Carl's Jr. where we ate dinner.  We all talked a while, and when we were done we all went home for the night.  Tomorrow more bikers will arrive and will be filling out paperwork to sign up for RFTW.