California Central Coast

[AIRHEAD#124]

Glad you are enjoying the CENTRAL COAST :yahoo: You are really burning up some of our Local Roads! But luck has it there are more to ride! Indian Valley Rd-King City Hwy25 to San Juan Basita (great German Resturant)

Carmel Valley Rd; New Idra off 25 to Colinga (Harris Ranch)

off 33 s/o 166 Lockwood Valley Rd - Pine Mnt. Just a few more roads ; PECHO INN off Hwy 25;

How much time do you have left in RIDER PARIDISE??

PM ME ??

 

[dcarver]

Glad you are enjoying the CENTRAL COAST :yahoo: You are really burning up some of our Local Roads! But luck has it there are more to ride! Indian Valley Rd-King City Hwy25 to San Juan Basita (great German Resturant)

Carmel Valley Rd; New Idra off 25 to Colinga (Harris Ranch)

off 33 s/o 166 Lockwood Valley Rd - Pine Mnt. Just a few more roads ; PECHO INN off Hwy 25;

How much time do you have left in RIDER PARIDISE??

PM ME ??

Airhead, Barry, EXACTLY!

I would be willing to take a, ahem, 'sick' day....

Come on Peter, post up!

Airhead has the best human GPS system I've ever seen.

..and, cough, cough,

I'm feeling poorly..

really,

bad

 

[brick1]

Day 5 - Wednesday

This was a slow riding day, a needed break from the pace I've been keeping the last few days.

It started with a short ride to Guadalupe, only 15 minutes from the hotel, for a lunch with "ninja boy" and a group of Long distance riders. We had to stand up and introduce ourselves, and when they heard I was from North Bay, Ontario, there were audible gasps in the room. Relax people, I only rode 15 miles to get there, one of the shortest distances of all the riders.

Guess I couldn't claim the "longest distance" award this year.

After lunch I wanted to get one road in today,so I headed back towards Foxen Canyon Road and took the Tepusquet Rd turnoff.

This was a very nice road, nicely paved, a ride up then back down almost as fast. From 166 I headed back to the home base to relax.

Far Western Tavern, home of the legendary Bull's Eye steak.

Riders gathering at the Far Western parking lot. There was a good turnout this year

even doug5551 was there, representing SoCal FJR riders

some big name riders were there

after lunch I headed to Tepusquet Rd, a beautiful smooth carpet of asphalt cresting a ridge

looking back at the crest

the view from the top

This was a really fun road, a quick rip up and down a ridge; the perfect tonic after a delicious lunch shared with friends.

Now, what is in store for tomorrow??

So many roads, so little time...

 

[AIRHEAD#124]

Thinking about FRIDAY San Jaun Bautista; leaving Pismo 09:00 ; meeting in Paso Robles at 10:00 to start Ride!

anyone interested?? Maybe only KING CITY; Spanish Food??

 

[brick1]

Thinking about FRIDAY San Jaun Bautista; leaving Pismo 09:00 ; meeting in Paso Robles at 10:00 to start Ride!

anyone interested?? Maybe only KING CITY; Spanish Food??

I'm in! PM me meeting place details and ride plan, if any.

I'll head south today, save north for Friday.

 

[Khunajawdge]

Thinking about FRIDAY San Jaun Bautista; leaving Pismo 09:00 ; meeting in Paso Robles at 10:00 to start Ride!

anyone interested?? Maybe only KING CITY; Spanish Food??

I'm in! PM me meeting place details and ride plan, if any.

I'll head south today, save north for Friday.

Yeah Barry I'll Go! :clapping:

Oh, and Rich (Ex-Skibum?) IS a fellow California Native, he's not a tour guide exactly?He IS however, sworn to serve and protect.

 

[AIRHEAD#124]

OK! Ride is on :yahoo: leaving McDonnalds in Walmart Center Paso Robles at 10am

 

[James Burleigh]

What's the northern route, boys? If some of us Bay Area folks get a wild hair up our exhaust, maybe we'd come down and show y'all how to ride a moorcicle.... :assassin:

 

[AIRHEAD#124]

HWY 25 North; to Cienga rd to Hwy156 to San Juan Bautista, should arrive about noonish leaving Paso Robles Riding Indian Valley rd (hwy 25 s/o 198) :yahoo:

 

[brick1]

Day 6 - Thursday, Dec 29

Nice day planned: From Arroyo Grande, ride to Lompoc and head for the coast via Jalama Beach Rd, over to Solvang to visit, what else, the Moto Museum, then through Los Olivos to pick up what are two of my favorite roads, Foxen Canyon Rd, which leads to Tepusquet.

Incidentally, got so warm today I had to remove the liner out of my jacket. My thermometer registered just over 80F, which was amazing!

Back to the roads. Nothing really interesting until you turn off Hwy 1 onto Jalama Beach Rd. Although the road is a bit rough (nothing like Santa Rosa Creek Rd), the corners, and scenery more than made up for it. And of course, there is the ocean and beach at the end of the road.

Jalama Rd

taking a minute to soak it all in

Jalama Beach

From Jalama I headed to Solvang via Santa Rosa Rd; not the Santa Rosa CREEK Rd I was on the other day. The real Santa Rosa Rd.

The photo can't do justice to the emerald green crops I went by

These roads are starting to look familiar

A fun stop at the Solvang Vintage Moto Museum. We must support our own!

I saw a never-raced Britten

and one of my all-time favorites, the engine in the front wneel.

Solvang has the tourists and the Danish theme happenning.

For my money I liked Los Olivos. A cool vibe in that town. Get your ice cream in Solvang, get your wine in Los Olivos.

Speaking of wine, I headed for Foxen Canyon Rd again (couldn't resist!) but promised I would get myself a bottle of wine.

Stopped at the Fess Parker Winery and picked up some Pinot Noir

The front yard

The really fun part: after leaving the Winery and heading northwest on Foxen Canyon Rd, I did not have a car ahead of me until I reached the 101, and that included riding Tepusquet Rd.

I absolutely owned those roads today, riding them like I almost new what I was doing! :yahoo:

Great fun!

Look forward to hooking up with fellow riders tomorrow morning. Oh, by the way, I've already gassed up.

 

[brick1]

link to Spotwalla tracks:

https://spotwalla.com/embed.php?id=3d514ec7d80b8518b&width=600&height=600&scale=on&zoom=default&refresh=no

 

[Khunajawdge]

What's the northern route, boys? If some of us Bay Area folks get a wild hair up our exhaust, maybe we'd come down and show y'all how to ride a moorcicle.... :assassin:

Uhhh? What's a Moor cycle?

 

[Ally House]

Great post. Three inches of rain in two days. I really needed these pics!

 

[TheZsdad]

Thanks brick1 for the great pics. Although you are making me a bit homesick.

Hope you get to check out Northern Cali as well. The area exskibum is in I called home for 21 years.

and the Bay area for another 17. I recognize some of your pics along the southern coast.

Did lots of cross country skiing near Kirkwood Meadows.

Absolutely stunning scenery and great MC roads when the snow was gone.

After NAFO next summer I'm headed down to Northern Calif to see family.

Thanks for the reminder.

Enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

[brick1]

Ride Dec 30th, 2011

Day 7

Started as a nice sunny day in Arroyo Grande. I rode a mile or so to Pismo Beach to meet two fellow FJR Forum members for a day of riding.

Joining me were airhead#124 and Khunajawdge. Both live not far away.

The plan was to ride to Paso Robles and meet up with another rider.

Airhead#124 mentioned that there was fog this morning, north of San Luis Obispo, but was confident it would burn off as the day went on.

I had to believe him, what the hell did I know about fog in Central California. Well I learned a lot today.

The fog ended up being not so much of an issue. But I learned that on a foggy day, anything north of the Cuesta Pass at San Luis Obispo is ten degrees cooler...instantly.

We rode to Paso Robles and met another rider, Peter, who would join Airhead#124 and I for the jaunt northward. He was riding a pristine burgundy Honda 700, the new touring model.

Khunajawdge had to leave us at this point for an appointment, so three of us headed north from Paso Robles up Indian Valley Rd, following the tour guide Airhead#124. There are no photos of this road, as I shot video of the event. Peter and I spent the time trying to keep up to Airhead #124 through the twists and turns of the road through the Valley, with a slow deceptively high climb to over 2000 feet.

The fog burned off as we continued to ride.

At Hwy 198, Peter bid us farewell, and the two remaining riders made good time up Hwy 25 through a beautiful valley, with mountains and hills on each side. Again no photos, just video.

Our destination was San Juan Bautista, a small historic town, with a great little German restaurant right downtown.

Amazing how the pace increases when food is waiting at the other end.

downtown San Juan Bautista

parked in front of our German restaurant. The schnitzel was perfect.

We looked at the historic Mission

Airhead#124 on his Airhead. The FJR was getting new shoes.

you can still tie a horse to the front of the hotel

After leaving San Juan Bautista we followed as many "G" rated highways or routes as possible. G17, G19, G14 allowed us to avoid much of Hwy 101.

The advantage of riding with a local became apparent when we pulled into a Mission somewhere on G17. Airhead#124 knew where all the public washrooms are in Central California, and we pulled up to a washroom that I would have ridden by had I not been following my guide.

I took a few photos of the Mission, dating back to 1791.

Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad.

A bell, original I suspect.

After the emergency stop, we motored home.

All in all, a great day in Central California

 

[AIRHEAD#124]

Great Riding with you Pete! You can be my Wingman anytime :yahoo: Thank's for lunch; looking forward to meeting you again

 

[brick1]

Times are tough. ANother sunny day in Central California. No fog today! Bonus.

The day started at a parking lot less than a block from the hotel I am staying at. Airhead#124 told me about the impromptu car show every Saturday morning before the mall opens. SO I walked over to check it out.

how low can you Go?

lots of sweet rides

the red corvette

After the show, Airhead#124 and his riding buddy Bob C. decided to head up the coast for a coffee...because we can.

Joining us would be another Forum member, Chris, better known as supertankerm60a3.

stopped at a vista in San Simeon

Surprise...elephant seals. Big ones.

then it was off to Ragged point for a coffee.

Neat place, busy spot, beautiful grounds. A hotel, restaurant, dining room, gas station, with a view.

view of the dining room and grounds

Hwy 1 follows this coast, about 1/4 of the way down on the right side of the photo.

From Ragged point we went for lunch, first to the Sebastian Store, which was too busy. SO off to Cambria, to the Main St. Grill.

Sebastian Store historical marker

Bob C.

Airhead#124. My guide for the last two days.

Chris. supertankerm60a3

From Cambria, we headed to Morro Bay State Park to Visit dcarver, a guy who was a great support to me during the IBR. My chance to meet him.

That's dcarver in the red T-shirt, with his girlfriend. It was a nice visit. Always fun to put a face to a name.

Our faithful steeds

Then it was back to the hotel, but not before airhead#124 led me down one more back road, a smoothly paved path in a high-end district, Corbett Canyon Rd.

What a great day. Weather was perfect. Friends, FJR Forum members getting together to enjoy the day, and to ring in the new year the best way they know. Thank you guys, you know I'll be back!

Tomorrow. Sad to say it's back to L.A. to pack for an early flight home Monday morning. The goal: a scenic, memorable ride. What will it be??

 

[AIRHEAD#124]

Hope you had a Great Ride today PETE It was a Pleasure meeting & Riding with you! Hope we can do it again :yahoo: Have a good trip home to the GREAT WHITE NORTH :dribble:

 

[brick1]

Today was bittersweet, as I checked out of Casa Grande, and made my way back to L.A. to put the bike away until April.

Monday morning, an early flight will bring me back to reality. Cold and snow!

I followed a route that included some known roads and some new ones.

From Arroyo Grande, down 101 to Hwy 166, then east to Hwy 33. I enjoy both of those roads (166 and 33). They are both smooth, one a more technical ride than the other, with scenery that never ceases to amaze. Where 166 is a gradual climb with fast, wide sweepers, 33 climbs quickly to over 5000 feet then drops almost as fast, with tight turns, some hairpins, tunnels and steep cliffs and embankments.

I took these two photos at the end of 33, just before Ojai:

then I found Hwy 150 leading to Santa Paula, that climbed out of the Ojai Valley:

Ojai Valley

Ojai Valley

Ojai Valley

Then it was off to Hwy 23, selected because I could see a squiggle on the map.

Hwy 23, the fun part

looking the other way

Then a nice quick ride to L.A. to put the bike away.

Home sweet home.

Thank you all to all the Central Coast riders who joined me along the way. Great fun. :yahoo:

Love those roads, the weather was superb, and one observation...you guys are spoiled!!

I'll be back, guaranteed!

 

[wheatonFJR]

Thanks for sharing...it was fun to follow along! :yahoo: