| Author | Message | ||
     Ezblast |
Part One: Too Sweet! Its 8:45am - I do a check down on the bike and I'm ready to roll, just need my morning cup of Joe - lol - so I throw my pack on and head for the best coffee in SF - just a few blocks from home - a large cup later I'm ready to go! Wanting to take it easy and make sure its all good I choose my route to 1 through Golden Gate Park - slow and scenic, the cold air embraces making a lie of the clear Blue sky overhead - this is SF after all - the park trees break before me and my senses smell, hear, taste, and finally see the Ocean - Sweet! Its a cold beautiful day and my hard task is to ride and enjoy the day while mapping out a ride - so today I'm doing the first half 0 Time is a consideration because I have to fit a good ride into about 8 hours realistically - lol - by freeway this ride is only 3 1/2 hour - no fun at all - just occasional nice scenery. My plan calls a scenic semi technical route - a much more time consuming thing;0) - the days beautiful and I'm very pleased that I have never been on 3/4 of the roads I'm about to travel, the ocean plays peekeeboo with me to my right and the road just curves before me - the Skyline/35 sign beckons and I skip my second cup of coffee in favor of unknown roads. Anyone who lives here says you have to ride skyline - so of course I never bothered - lol - yea I'm that way - this road is beautiful. The curves are almost all 35 and above and the road is in very good condition, and its just one good turn after another. The cold air is especially felt in the exchanges between the shade from the great pine and oak and the sunny clear day overhead in the breaks - for a couple of miles it merges with 280 and then your back to the curves - even the hwy part - very nice. Miles roll and soon I stop at Alices - cops have a side road blocked off - I don't ask- a cup of coffee later and I'm off to enjoy some more - so many times did I kick myself for not taking the corner a little hotter, still better safe than sorry on roads you don't know - it was fun all the way! I get to crossroads 9 & 35 and pull over to study the map - I ask about time - I smile - almost 4 hours on the road and not quite half way - better find some quick parts - so I study the map - and smile. some guys on Gixxers,R's, and stuff pull up and I'm invited to go with them to a local meet - I decline, but we hang and shoot shit about bikes. Time to go - I take nine heading for 85 and find myself on another beautiful road - more technical - a bit slower but very beautiful - ends in this little town where I gas up at before the highways - 85s to 101s - Yes! the half way point in a little over 4 hours! - A great day! So at Gilroy I turn myself around and head up 101 all the way home to SF - this is timed so that I know how long it will take me to come back this way and finish up the route in the following weeks - all the way back all I can think about was how beautiful the ride down was - 1 1/2 hours to back home - lol - God that was fun! What a great way to spend a day! I can't wait to do that again! When I'm done mapping this puppy I'm going back and try some of those famous roads I passed during the ride - stuff I read about on pashnt.com - sounds like fun and now that I know the road that they start from;0) - Part Two: At 5:03am the alarm goes off - I turn it off and listen - no rain - from studying the weather for the past week - general consensus was drizzles on and off - I listen a few minutes extra - no water splashing from passing outside traffic - its a go and I'm up putting on clothes and later calling myself stupid for not wearing that second shirt - lol - I'm off before sunrise - 6am. The morning mist isn't thick, just damp and I ignore it, I go to work in it most days. I cruise through the park - cold wet weather is a great way to find out if your bikes ok - Vader sings that wild song - smooth and confident - I smile - I figure I'll be wet (even with the plastic overpants) by days end but that figures to be 14 hours away and there is a whole day to explore in. The Park ends at the Coast and sunrise is only minutes away - I'm so busy watching the sun rise and the waves glow that I miss my turn off and have to double back - lol - back onto 35 the scenery turns green and lush before me - the road is in great condition, however in the early morn it is patched with black ice and is wet - I take it at a leasurely pace - speed limit or just above - nothing too drastic, but still when you have the road to yourself it becomes hard to maintain - I pull into Alices - they won't be open for over 40 minutes - so its stop, stretch, and back to it. Beautifull so far, but I new 9 gets technical, and its still wet with ice - still its a nice piece of nature I'm saying good morning too and it ends in the old town section of Saratoga - I stop here for fuel and to warm up - 2 cups of coffee before the 35 min. of freeway riding to get to Gilroy and 25. The bikes just growling contentedly, and its still just a soft drizzle to live with - the turn off is well marked and every thing is clear - a little cruise through the historic town of Gilroy and then you find yourself cruising down 25. The town's last station has a sign posted just before it - next fuel stop 75 mi. - I stop - gas up - though I had only 40 miles ago and proceed. True Californian landscape - rolling hills - farms, rivers, wineries, rock out cropings, sometimes going 65, sometimes 35, still you couldn't ask for better scenery to ride by. It starts getting wet now and the blue plastic pants come on. Peach Tree appears before me and the road becomes a bit more technical, but the scenery is even more rural - nature still the dominant force for some parts, wineries, and farms the rest, the road is wet and some gravel - I maintain and enjoy the view - every once and a while I'll mutter - '..shoulda put on that other shirt too...' but even though I'm cold and wet, the surroundings more than kept me smiling - of course with the cold - it may have just been frozen on - lol - the last leg before the final freeway stint - Indian Valley - what can I say - more beauty surrounding you as you ride - no pot holes but plenty of repairs - a bit bumpy at times - a narrow stretch of ribbon that keeps you on your toes as you enjoy the scenery. I pull in to San Miguel through the back - ask directions and am headed to a gas station - 80 sweet miles - I pull in - fuel up - and check my map, talk to the attendant - San Luis Obispo is only 45 min. away - I warm up with more coffee - a little tired, but now the hard part is before me - its raining now and 101 plows right into SLO - so do I go deeper into the storm, or follow the tradition of getting chased by the wind all the way home. Its 2:00pm now - so I figure my estimate is right on - 7 hrs and a few min. of some glorious riding will take you to SLO from SF - lol - now to get the time for the ride from SLO to SF via 101 - in the rain - ouch! The rain starts to get hard and so after only 35 miles up the road I'm ready for a time out - I take the next off ramp and it puts me by an open gas station, and a station converted into a pet hospital - closed. I park myself in the middle of their overhang and walk over to the station for more coffee and then over to be with the bike and watch the rain from the dryness of the Vets overhang. 20 minutes go by and its down to the old drizzle I know too well - back on the freeway - homeward bound - it never completely stops, however, 4 1/2 hours from the start - San Miguel - and I'm home an hour and a half after the sun - 730pm. Did the weather spoil the trip - naw just slowed me down, I live in weather like this for 2 thirds the year - fog and drizzle - a San francisco happening - lol - at least we are consistent;0) What a ride! and really only a few hours difference between the direct route and the indirect;0) - since both were taken. Was it worth it? - Hell ya! - That was fun, and the route is mapped!! Got Thump?! Just Blasting on the Dark side! EZ  | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
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| Ezblast |
The final chapter: I can't sleep - staring at a clock an hour early - the anticipation of the ride and the worries about fickle weather have me waiting for the alarm to go off. getting ready - I go over my checklist - tools, water, clothes, spare parts, toiletries, and a few protein bars. At 730 am I kiss my wife good-bye and go to grab some coffee and parking. The Beanery on 9th. & Irving in SF has the best coffee - period. A few storefronts down the Arizmendi Bakery also holds top honors in SF. A good start to a great ride! Five out of the six Blastards who are supposed to go I know -only Eric have I never met, so when I see a heavily packed Blast approaching that I don't know - I think - All right! Erik made it from Tahoe! - (I know I said Arizona earlier - I mis-spoke) - then Scott arrives, then Ryann. Coffee is drunk and a bakery patronized. The no show was Rex of American Sport BikeN - so far - I expected Paul C. with his Blue/Purple camed Blast to meet us at Alice's for brunch. I ask - everyone is fueled up and ready to go! We are off! We head through GG park - it ends at the legendary hwy 35. A scenic road with twists and turns a plenty! The day is beautiful and the miles roll by - 92 and 35 combine for just a few miles and that part is slow - weekenders for the coast - lol - I turn onto 35 proper and see a patrol car off to the side - I check my speed and proceed! The groups in my mirror so everything’s fine - lol - a few minutes later I check my mirror and nothing - I think to myself - I wasn't going that fast.. - turning around I go back ASAP worried - there they are - pulled over - Eric’s out of state tag looks like a Cali tag 3yrs expired - we roll on! We pull into Alice's a half hour early - bikes are everywhere and we figure a leisurely early lunch and Paul C would show - no show - almost 1230pm and we are off - hwy 9 intersects 35 and we take it easterly into the old town part of Saratoga - a nice little practice in technical riding. Here we fuel up and shake it off before the freeway charge down hwy 85 to hwy 101 to the next legendary road hwy 25! The scenery on this road reflects the true heartland of California - woodlands, farms, and wineries - with an occasional small town in the distance - the road itself has some long straight stretches then it gets curvy in the rest - very nice! We are tooling right along having a good time and enjoying the ride when yours truly gets a knee cramp and takes the turn a bit wide going into the dirt - keeping control I'm back out, but I figure break time is now due - lol - the day is beautiful, the air clear, and the road before us beacons seductively. Water is shared and comments about the road we travel shared - all in all - everyone is enjoying the ride. We pull onto Peach Tree and everything becomes even more rural and unspoiled - the road becomes interplay between fast and slow curves on a slowly narrowing ribbon. The middle line disappears and we are down to a lane to a lane and a half type road - all to ourselves! We blend on to Indian Valley and more of the same beautiful scenery and road. We pull into the rear of San Miguel and are instantly lost - at least I am - everything looks so different on a nice day, but Ryann went to College in SLO and knows vaguely the area - we gas up for the final 30 miles to San Luis Obispo via 101. By now we are all a bit tired and its approaching 530pm - Ryann leads the way taking us into SLO to the hotel. We arrive tired but satisfied with the ride. 376 miles total from beginning to end. We park and get our rooms and are told Saro and Loti are already here - cool - but we are curious because we saw no bikes parked. A little looking and we find two more Blasts parked between some vans. Saro and Loti come out and we are well met. The list of characters - Saro - creative, sharp, and a great twist in humor, Loti - his perfect foil with wit and charm, Scott - a straight foward kind of guy taking charge of his life, Ryann - a charming heartbreaker who loves to ride, Eric - a friendly resourceful traveler, and Ed - a lover of the ride itself. At dinner we talk of folk missed - James and Eric (heal fast bro!) - about Blasts, and basically anything else under the sun. Absent is Scott who had neighbors partying till 3am and had elected to crash for a while then grab a bite later - he was zonked out by the time I left for dinner - hell of a ride for only 3 hrs sleep in preparation (I woke him a little after I got back) - lol - and Ryann who is going to look up some old friends while in town - yup ladies a heart breaker - lol. We again meet up in the morning get it together, and we are off! I can not tell you the names of the roads - they escape me - we were to meet two other Blasterds a a pre designated spot - we are off and flying - Loli takes the lead - not really sure where she is going but willing to wait for us at a crossroad - lol - as the pack separates into two Saro drops back to take lead on the second half - foolish me I'm chasing Ryan who is following Loty who is flying hell bent for leather - we loose the others but I'm hoping Loti knows where she is going - I have them in my sight till the last two turns and when I get to that point the road divides so I stop. Cig break time - I go back and read the road sign - I pick the way I figure would be closest to gasoline and go - three hundred yards up the road I see Loti and Ryann waiting at an intersection side - some historical tar pit behind them - lol. Together we wait - after a bit we convince Loti to go gas up and go back and we would wait to see if they roll out. It’s just after 1pm and there is no shade anywhere, but the days cool breezes save us from total roasting - Loti roars back by. Where’s a Sequoia when you want one? An hour and change rolls by and we decide to go get gas and go back ourselves - most of our water now gone - lol. To keep things interesting we exchange bikes and check out differences in our steeds. We gas up and head back down the road - and find Everyone working on Scotts ride - finalizing the repairs to get it on the road - he went into a corner just a bit hot hit gravel and then a barbed wire fence - fencing in a very lush pasture - Damage - a tweaked throttle cable, shifter and front fairing light assembly - a some deep scratches, and Scott caught some scratches and a small shiner - Scott 1 - Fence Zero - winner of the Barbed wire wrestling match and still Champion! While we where gone - some very good repairs had been performed - another light fetched, also fuel, duct tape - lol - for the helmet, and a few tools that would be needed - if I had been there, they could have saved a few bucks in tools but otherwise it was a job well done and Scott not that much worse for wear. Saro calls the party waiting - we will not be there - on the way back we all enjoy the ride at a much more sedate pace, and finally I got to enjoy the scenery we missed in enjoying the chase - lol. By the time we get back our spirits are actually high - we still put in over 200 miles - and pulled together in the rough parts to make something that could have been a negative into a positive - we all learned a little something from that ride - there is a fellowship and for that day we all participated in it. We get back into SLO and decide Mo's for some ribs is the ticket! It was a great night of tales, sharing, and fun! In the morning everyone is taking off at differing times. We are still not adjusted to DLST. Eric heads back - a long ride back to Tahoe - God's speed new friend, Ryann takes 1 early to get back in time for a class he is just starting in his field - later we will ride some more - he is a very fluid rider, Loti (for President - lol) and Saro ;0) the thinker - hope to see you next year - perhaps san Miguel - I here they make a beer there Loti - lol. Scott and I decide on Coffee and hwy 1 for ourselves as well! It’s a beautiful, windy, cold coastal day - and I loved every minute of it. The funny part was when I dropped my bike in the parking lot - you had to see laugh in to understand the similarity of what happens to the guy on the tricycle and I - I'm almost at a stop, almost ready to throw my leg over and off and kick down the stand when a big ole gust of wind sends me down in slow motion - a few turns of the Allen wrench later - I collect a few scratches, a broken brake toe peg, and a deflated ego - lol - all just minor stuff to be taken care of at my leisure - Vader had done her job well and a few battle wounds would not mar her in my eyes for all the fun she has provided. Still hwy 1 is a great ride with every type of curve imaginable you just have to catch it on a nice day - waterfalls, lighthouses, the ocean, and woodlands - with little coastal stops to keep you interested in things other than natures beauty. Those 3 days were a heck of a lot of fun - even with the hard parts - its all a part of the ride - and as I've always said - the ride is the thing! I want to thank everyone who played a part - it was a great time - even the hot part wasn't bad shared with a friend - and the rest just showed a true sterling character of Buell riders and Blastards particularly - Stepchilds of a Stepchild you might say - lol Got Thump?! Just Blasting on the Dark Side! EZ A meeting of Blastards - yup - Black is Faster! | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
nice work EZ  FB | ||
| Ezblast |
Thanks it was fun - perhaps next year - San Miguel - either route we take to get there will be great and then we can try the other on the way back - an awesome loop! 376 one way and 279 the other - and mostly nothing but views and the road beneath ya - very sweet! GT - JBOTDS! EZ | ||
| Blake |
Nice. Thanks for sharing. | ||
| Ebear |
Great rides EZ!Igrew up and learned to ride on the roads from Los Gatos to Gilroy...Went to JH and HS in Morgan Hill.Will you be at Laguna Seca this year with your Buds?I plan on Organizing a ride from Seca over 152 up 9 and then hitting Big Basin,Alpine,Swanston back to Seca....Hope to see you there!  |
