Coming to America...

[MikeO]

20th May

I wake feeling great. I ring home and have a good chat to Paul & Mandy, sorting out some personal admin and, as I'm talking, Pierce turns up on his R1100RS to take me for a shortened version of the route I wimped out on the other day.

I fire the Adv up and we're on the road for noon, pausing for a few minutes at a scruffy little Mexican cantina to eat a few tacos, laced with a chili sauce which will remain with me for several days...

It's a beautiful day, warm and dry with little wind. Pierce leads me up through a series of tiny little back roads which were re-surfaced sometime in the late eighteenth century. We stop for a breather at the top...



...Pierce points out a local danger to me...



...Poison Oak. If you touch this stuff, whatever part of your body has come into contact with it will, effectively, be out of action for about 3 weeks. I won't go into the lurid details that Pierce did, but, take it from me, you don't want to touch this stuff...

We carry on, weaving in and out of the potholes and overtaking the occasional cars we encounter...



...riding down some beautiful, sun dappled lanes which cling to the sides of steep wooded valleys...



We eventually reach the 'Summit' of Summit Road, a favourite spot for the local squids, who weren't much in evidence. Just after we arrived, Kostas turned up on his MV Brutale...



He's a Greek, living in California, and waited 3 years for delivery of the bike, which looks like it was in the showroom this morning, but in fact has over 4k miles on the clock...



He's a really nice guy - and his bike is beautiful - if you're under 5'10" and 150lbs .

Pierce & I take a long, lazy and very pleasant ride down towards Santa Cruz, at which point we go our seperate ways (I have stuff to do at the hotel and am not really up for a beer - listening to my doctor, you see ).

I arrive at the hotel at about 1730 after a thoroughly pleasant day out - cheers Pierce

[cRAsH]

Pierce leads a good "goat trail" ride.

Glad you enjoyed cruising my neighborhood, Mike. Sucks to be me and have to ride those roads just to get anywhere...

[pierce]

Originally Posted by cRAsH

Pierce leads a good "goat trail" ride.

I really need to get some kinda motard thumper bike better suited to this sort of riding... wrestling my 525lb 'RS around these potholed deer trails gets old. My ideal bike would weigh about 300 lbs, have close to 100HP with gobs of low end torque, and the ergos of a dirtbike, only without a seat so far off the ground I'd be tippytoeing around. Actually, the R1200GS is lookin' mighty attractive.

[cRAsH]

Originally Posted by pierce

I really need to get some kinda motard thumper bike better suited to this sort of riding... wrestling my 525lb 'RS around these potholed deer trails gets old. My ideal bike would weigh about 300 lbs, have close to 100HP with gobs of low end torque, and the ergos of a dirtbike, only without a seat so far off the ground I'd be tippytoeing around. Actually, the R1200GS is lookin' mighty attractive.

For the way you like to ride, that would be a great choice.

[username]

mike - glad to see youre feeling better, youre in a good place to rest up. you can really chill down in monterey, and santa cruz is also great for resting. just sitting on a park bench in either place is good for your soul. big basin state park is also a nice place to just sit and read a book.

i enjoy your wry observations as you travel, so im glad to see you working to get your mojo back and start touring again. :)

[pierce]

Originally Posted by username

you can really chill down in monterey

indeed, Mike needs to ride down to Carmel, visit Carmel Beach at the bottom of Ocean (some of the whitest sand on the west coast), stop at Pt Lobos and walk out to Whalers Cove, and ride down Big Sur... Also a nice ride is out Carmel Valley and Arroyo Seco to Greenfield, then River Rd back to Monterey or something, or 198 to Coalinga, then back on Los Gatos Creek to 25 to Hollister...

Really good Chinese food can be had at China Delight in the Crossroads Shopping Center on Rio Rd near Highway 1 in Carmel

Really good seafood in Moss Landing at Phil's (or the Moss Landing Cafe for lunch, they make good grilled fresh fish sandwiches)

if Mike wants, I could loan him a Guest Pass to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is well worth an afternoons visit. I need the pass back, however.

[fish]

Originally Posted by pierce

indeed, Mike needs to ride down to Carmel, visit Carmel Beach at the bottom of Ocean (some of the whitest sand on the west coast), stop at Pt Lobos and walk out to Whalers Cove, and ride down Big Sur... Also a nice ride is out Carmel Valley and Arroyo Seco to Greenfield, then River Rd back to Monterey or something, or 198 to Coalinga, then back on Los Gatos Creek to 25 to Hollister...

Really good Chinese food can be had at China Delight in the Crossroads Shopping Center on Rio Rd near Highway 1 in Carmel

Really good seafood in Moss Landing at Phil's (or the Moss Landing Cafe for lunch, they make good grilled fresh fish sandwiches)

if Mike wants, I could loan him a Guest Pass to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is well worth an afternoons visit. I need the pass back, however.

My guess is that MikeO is gonna hightail it out of Dodge tomorrow, headed south along the coast. If I were him, I'd probably plan on stopping someplace between San Luis Obispo and Grover Beach to spend the night (Best Western in Grover Beach is really nice, cheap, clean/new, and close to freeway but quiet. There's an AJ Spurs steakhouse right across the parking lot...hint hint). Then the next day, I'd continue south toward the Mexican border, and decide around Santa Maria whether I wanted to try to skirt east of LA along the San Gabriels, or just tough it out through the concrete jungle. Once south of LA, it gets easier right down into San Diego. That's a good place to stop on the second day. La Jolla is nice...the Travelodge is cheap and clean, not far from beach, a coupla good restaurants, grocery stores, and liquor stores are short rides. Nice pool too. No traffic. From there, he could either go into Mexico (probably not a good idea for legal/insurance reasons), or East toward AZ. There are a lot of reptilian advriders that live out there in the desert. Angle up through all the parks and head toward the Canadian Rockies. Dick around in Canada for awhile, then meet us in Spokane for the MOA national in July. After that, mosey on down through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and into Colorado for the Ouray debacle. Yup...that's what I'd do if I were MikeO.

But I'm not MikeO. Hell, I don't even know what the bastard looks like...he keeps ditching me.

I have been documenting my search for him in the Where's Waldo thread.

[MikeO]

23rd May

Today I’d arranged to meet Fish, the head moderator and Piscean in chief of ADVRider. To arrange such a meeting is no easy procedure. Indeed , we had to exchange a total of 14 Private Messages and one telephone call to exactly pin down the time (1400) and place (the Boulder Creek Brewery & Café). However, when I arrived at the appointed Rendezvous, I saw Fish approaching from the other direction…



Fish has spent much time trying to preserve his youthful appearance. There’s not a grey hair on his head…



We sit and eat traditional American food (cheeseburgers – though, being California, Fish’s has avocado in it :eek) and bullshit for an hour or so, before we have to go our separate ways – Fish because he has to look after his wife, who is at home with a sore throat, me because I’m bored…



On the way back to my hotel, I notice a local artist is selling his wares, carved from driftwood, at the side of the road…



…whereas the artwork is of excellent quality, I can’t imagine where anyone would put them…:



I can see far more business acumen in another store I pass…



I’ll be packing up tomorrow morning and heading south, down the Pacific Coast Highway for a bit – the rest has done me good – as has meeting Fish today – he’s good people – just don’t let him know that

[pierce]

Originally Posted by MikeO

23rd MayI’ll be packing up tomorrow morning and heading south, down the Pacific Coast Highway for a bit

FWIW, we generally just called it "highway 1", or "the coast". PCH is a Southern California affectation, along with calling freeways things like "The Five". In Northern California, its just 5 or Interstate 5.

If you do want to spend a day in Monterey (highly recommended, its a beautiful place), there are a series of nice little motels along Munras Ave that are inexpensive by area standards () ... If you go there, you should visit Cannery Row (where Steinbecks' book of the same name was written, a horribly touristy spot now, but still beautiful), and take Ocean View out along the coast of Pacific Grove, stopping at Lovers Point Park, then putzing out past the Lighthouse to Asilomar State Beach, then up and over Sunset ** to highway 68 and down 1 to Carmel, drop down Carpenter St into downtown Carmel By The Sea, snake through the tourist traffic to the bottom of Ocean Ave, park, walk down the beach to the water and back, then take Scenic Rd southward along the coast til you end up at Rio Rd which connects you back to highway 1 to continue southwards. This isn't a motorcycle ride so much as a scenic tourist loop, but its still worth it.

** Note that "17 Mile Drive" aka Pebble Beach does not allow motorcycles. silly 'tards. They charge tourists money to drive on a few miles of purdy coast past million $ mansions. Screw them.

Anyways, after you get down the coast past Big Sur and all of its lovely sites (Lunch at the $$$ Post Ranch Inn is a highly memorable experience, but probably more suited to a romantic couple, and not a solo motorcyclist... Try Nepenthes instead. Food is OK, view is out of this world, atmosphere is funky^Nth)

*MUST* stop, for a short break... south of Big Sur proper a ways, you'll come to Julia Pheiffer Burns State Park (*not* Pheiffer Big Sur State Park). Stop at Julia Pheiffer Burns, and take the little trail out to the waterfall overlook and to the end overlook. its not even a mile, a very good leg stretcher.





you otta consider turning left in Cambria, and spending part of a day or so tooling around some of the inland roads in San Luis Obispo County. ADVrider AceRPH could probably give you some good pointers down that away... its nice country too. I'd guess that you could find cheap hotels around Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo, certainly cheaper than Cambria or anything else on the coast...

Much past Santa Barbara, it turns into ugliness (says the NorCal native )



btw, Mike, about 2ish, you were getting on highway 1 south from Ocean St in Santa Cruz... I got on the freeway about a minute behind you in my car, and caught up, but I couldn't get alongside before I had to get off... Did you note a madman tailgating you for a mile or two in a white Volvo 240 with badly yellowed headlights and a bike rack on the roof? heh.

[ian408]

Mike,

Sorry we didn't have a chance to meet up.

Regarding the art work. The Ex-wife's folks used to have one of those
giant carved fishermen at the front door. Never looked too out of place
but then again, they lived on the coast in Anchor Bay where what you
*didn't* have at the door was more likely to get noticed

Enjoy the ride down the coast! If you have the time, do stop in San Luis
Obispo and check out Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. San Luis also has
some Chinese history as well.

Stay well!

Ian

[fish]

Originally Posted by MikeO

However, when I arrived at the appointed Rendezvous, I saw Fish approaching from the other direction…

You didn't mention the salute.

Fish has spent much time trying to preserve his youthful appearance. There’s not a grey hair on his head…

they're falling out faster than they can turn grey.




Here's Waldo sucking his thumb by the world's largest ketchup bottle.

[fish]

Originally Posted by ian408

Regarding the art work. The Ex-wife's folks used to have one of those
giant carved fishermen at the front door. Never looked too out of place
but then again, they lived on the coast in Anchor Bay where what you
*didn't* have at the door was more likely to get noticed

I want one of these:

[pierce]

Originally Posted by fish

I want one of these:

take some big trousers to hold that trout!

[Asphalt]

So, the advice of taking Hwy 1 down the coast is a great idea. But if you happen to stay further inland I can't tell you how beautiful the Los Olivos area is. Great wineries, food and it is way less crowded than Napa Valley. The road out of Los Olivos to Santa Barbara, Hwy 154, is a very scenic twisty. Then out of Santa Barbara Hwy 150 to Hwy 126 will take you to the back side of the Angeles Forest Hwy. If you are going to go through L.A., you have to take the Forest Hwy to the Angeles Crest. Stop off at Newcombs Ranch atop the Crest so everyone can salute your heroics. It's a popular spot.
There's certain spots the Pope's just gotta visit!

[JNRobert]

Nice meeting you Mike


Have a safe journey South.