Friday, July 8

The day started with something more effective than the world's best alarm clock; the sound of one of my dogs throwing up at 4:30 am . O.K., I'm up! That wasn't too much earlier than the original plan of 5 am . I'm out the door at 5:45 right after sending my riding partner, Gary Clark, I'm on my way. That gives him a two hour head start in Camarillo .

Traversing Los Angeles is pretty uneventful even though it's a work day. I believe I'm in front of the majority of the commute traffic. Even the worst section of freeway in the United States , the section of I-405 between LAX and I-10, isn't too bad.

I reach Camarillo (officially the earliest time I've ever been in Camarillo ) a little before 8 am , right on time. Gary has not arrived yet. I gas up and check my gear. Gary rolls in a few minutes later claiming that he had to go to the office and pick up a computer cable. Oh, the woes of the technically addicted.

Gary asks "What's the route?" I respond "Hwy 101 to San Luis Obispo then PCH for the rest of the day."  Of course, that was just a general description. Gary thought I was in a hurry staying on the Interstate for so long.

That plan lasted until Santa Barbara where we exited the 101 for the San Marcos Pass. Almost back to the 101, I turn right onto Foxen Canyon Road . We have a brisk ride to Santa Maria and stop to refill the Camelback.

We're back on the 101 until San Luis Obispo and decide to stop for gas there since it was cheaper than in Cambria . SLO is a zoo with all the sportbikes. I'm not sure if this is just a regular Friday for this college town or if all the squids are heading for Laguna Seca.

We reach the coast at Morro Bay and it's a beautiful day. This is a euphamism for "no fog". Clear blue skies, a beautiful Pacific Ocean on the left shoulder and light traffic. What more can one ask?

We stop at Ragged Point for lunch and decide to do it like tourists; go in and sit down. We have a table in the back overlooking the bluffs and the ocean beyond; a very serene setting. Gary remarked about staying at the facility "There isn't much to do here." I responded "I think that's the point." There should be no surprise that Gary and I have different perspectives. After all, Gary just opened a new BMW dealership in his spare time when he wasn't consumed by his day job, "posing" as a vice president of a major bank. Me? I'm just trying to squeeze in as many adventures as I can in between a little structural engineering now and then.

Gary picks up the tab (thanks again, Gary ) and we get ready for our last stretch. Gary mentions that we won't be stopping again, so it would be O.K.  if I did not wait for him. I didn't think I was waiting for him except for a couple of times. He anticipated roads to be twistier (which they are) and the traffic to be heavier (which it was). Gary was having trouble latching one of the side case covers of the new 1200RT (a shop demo - one of the perks of the job). We did manage to secure the bag liner inside. It's a good thing because later in the day the lid would open (and drag on the pavement for a while). Fortunately it wasn't any worse than that.

I did have a concern when I saw four or five CHPs heading the other direction. The last time I had this experience, another one of my riding partners, Rick was unsuccessful in navigating a turn in the same area only going south. Fortunately, this time I saw no ambulances.

I arrive at my campsite, Toro County Park , about five miles northwest of the track, at 2:45 pm ; 9 hours after my departure from San Juan Capistrano . I easily find a suitable campsite and proceed to pitch my tent. I seem to turn tent pitching into an engineering project. My previous tent was quite a project in itself. It was one of those designs which was not freestanding. I don't think I ever set it up the same two times in a row. Pitching it was entertaining, though.

My current tent is much simpler; freestanding; two poles. Two identical poles (can't screw that up). Of course, after the first few times, apparently I have become bored with such a simple operation and have added a shade structure to the process.

The shade structure is interesting to put up with one person especially if you are trying to do and not look like a complete idiot while doing so. That is the challenging part. I'm not sure how successful I've become, but at least I have some entertainment. Once I'm certain that the entire project will resist code level wind loads, I can relax.

The grounds are nice. It's nice to pitch a tent on grass. Restrooms are not far away and there are showers! I finish setting up, secure the site and ride into town and find Gary at work. He has an area set up at the Portola Hotel with four demo bikes. This is where he shows me the road rash on his pannier lid. I walk around the hotel and ogle at the bikes that are going to be auctioned off Saturday night. There are a lot of exotic and classic machines.

After a brief tour, I head back to camp trying to avoid riding in the dark (I still have my smoke face shield attached to my helmet). I find a convenience store for water and a Quiznos for dinner. Back at camp, I wait for the line to subside at the showers. Once the road grime is removed, I'm ready for bed. The noise in the campground seems to stop about the time my head hits the pillow.

click on image for larger view

Saturday, July 9

I'm up early and make coffee. I snap a few pictures of the campground and take the shuttle to the track. For some reason, the first shuttle was already full by the time it came to our stop (which was supposed to be the first one). The driver soon realized he should have picked us up first before looping through the campground. The second shuttle didn't make the same mistake and we were at the track in half an hour. There's already a line to get in to the track and it's only Saturday.

The shuttle drops us off and I spend a good part of the morning walking the vendor area. The crowd is large. The line to the souvenir shop is over an hour. Lots of folks are clamoring to have their photos taken with an Unbrella Girl. Michael Jordan is in the Paddock area. It seems he's associated with one of the teams (or one of the derivative products). I still don't have a program, so I don't know which bike belongs to whom, but I take pictures of the mechanics working on the machines, the tire vendors mounting tires. I wander over to the BMW Chalet for a snack (thanks to Dave Brown of Brown Motor Works for the pass). The view of Turn 5 is pretty good from there, but I want to see more of the track. I'm able to get a grandstand ticket for Sunday at Turn 11. Even though the event is officially sold out, there are a few random tickets still available. After my find, I work my way to the corkscrew for to watch the MotoGP qualifying. Nicky Hayden manages to hold off Valentino Rossi for the pole. It would be great for an American to win the U.S. Grand Prix, the first U.S. Grand Prix in over 10 years. I make my way to the side of the hill with a view of Turns 2, 3, 4 and 5 to watch the AMA Superbike race won by Eric Bostrom who got a good jump off the start over Mat Mladin and held off to win.

The shuttle picks us up right after the race and brings us back to the campground. I've always heard that Cannery Row was quite a sight on Saturday night and I wanted to see for myself. Even though I'm pretty tired from a full day walking the course (and suffering from a mild case of sunburn), I change into my riding clothes and head towards town stopping on the way at Quisnos for a sandwich. By the time I get to Cannery Row, it's already blocked off. I find a parking spot (technically one sixth of a spot) just outside and walk in.

Cannery Row was as nothing as I've seen before. Bikes are lined up on both sides of the street and people were walking down the middle of the road. Just about every bike imaginable was on display; mostly sport bikes. There are Ducatis; lots of Ducatis. I walk up and down the entire length of Cannery Row and realized I still haven't taken my shower yet.

I get back to the campground where the parties are in full force. I wait in a short line for the shower and in bed by 11:30 . Even though I have my ear plugs �at the ready�, apparently the party decided to break up just as my head hits the pillow.

Sunday, July 10

I wake to the sound of a diesel truck at 5:30 . I try to ignore it, but finally get up a little after 6. There's a big decision to be made this morning. The campground must be vacated by 8 pm . The final race is over about 3 today. I debate whether to pack this morning and ride into the track or wait until later. It seems like the consensus by my neighbors is mixed.

I decide to pack up and ride the loaded bike to the track. Getting in was incredibly easy. The bikes rolled right past the cars waiting in line. Parking the bike was just as easy. There was plenty of room near the vendor area. I stowed the jacket, boots and helmet under the bike cover. After entering the vendor area, I noticed the line at the souvenir shop was shorter than usual, so I seized the opportunity and was able to get a commemorative t-shirt.

I grab a $7 bratwurst before settling in at my seat in the grandstands for the AMA Supersport Championship race. The race was more exciting than I anticipated. Aaron Yates, one of my favorites, was riding a bike that appeared to me had some handling problems. Every time he would come out of a turn, and sometimes going into one, the front end had a severe wiggle. Regardless, he was able to stick pretty close to Tommy Hayden who was riding the course as smooth as glass. The race was about � over when Tommy Hayden and a lapped rider bumped each other coming out of Turn 2. The lapped rider faded to the left setting up for Turn 3. Tommy attempted to pass on the left but the lapped rider drifted all the way out to the rumble strip. Tommy bumped the other rider to let him know that he was there but that�s when he lost control and took a hard tumble into the gravel. Aaron Yates took the lead for good and won the race fairly easily.

There was about a two hour break before the next race, the MotoGP championship so I got up to stretch my legs. Wandering through the Paddock area I was able to see the damaged Tommy Hayden Kawasaki. The crew was trying to put a fresh rim on the rear but it appeared that there was something else bent related to the rear brake caliper. After a while, the crew threw a cover over the bike. R.I.P.

It�s almost 2 pm and it�s time to find my seat for the �Big Race�. The lines across the bridge were thick and slow. Why can�t the same person who designs race tracks design pedestrian walkways so that we can get to our seat almost as quickly as Valentino Rossi can get to a Finish Line?

The bikes pull out. The umbrella girls are in place. Brad Pitt is in the pits smiling at the cameras.  The riders take their first lap around and then pull into the starting grid with Nicky Hayden on the pole, Valentino Rossi second and Alex Barros third. They take their warm up lap and get ready for the start.

The big 990s let out a thunderous roar at the start of the race as Nicky Hayden bolts to a lead going into the first turn and out of sight. My attention turns to the big screen as I watch the leaders make their way around the track. The leaders come around completing their first lap and Nicky Hayden has a significant lead over Valentino Rossi, maybe a second and a half. This lead grows to as much as two and a half seconds. To me, it seems as if Rossi�s bike is not set up very well for this track whereas Nicky Hayden�s is. The most excitement of the race seems to be watching Colin Edwards move his way through the pack from 7^th (started 5^th but got a bad start) to end up right behind Rossi near the half way point. I�m thinking �that�s it�, but Colin has more and makes an exciting pass on Valentino in the corkscrew! One big difference between Colin Edwards� bike from Rossi�s and Hayden�s is that the former is running a soft compound rear tire whereas the latter are running medium compounds on the rear. While it appears that Colin was gaining ground on Nicky Hayden (the lead dropped to 1.8 seconds for a couple of laps), apparently Colin�s tire went away and he did the best he could just to hang onto second. I believe Rossi could have caught Colin, but I�m sure he was satisfied with a podium finish and did not want to risk costing both him and his teammate (Colin) valuable series points. The race finished American 1-2 in the first U.S. Grand Prix in a long time. This was Nicky�s first MotoGP win and the first American win in five years. We�re back!

After the race, I make it to my bike by 3:45 . My goal is to see how far down the coast I can get. I�m set for either finding a campsite or a motel. I�m pretty sure I�m too tired to make it all the way home. Going down the coast, that would put me at the house by 1 am or so. After a full day of walking, racing and sitting in the sun, I�m sure I don�t have the energy for that kind of ride. I clear Monterey and head towards Big Sur. By the time I get through Big Sur , I catch up to a few sport bikes stuck behind some slow traffic. I get tired of waiting and pass the whole group. I can only imagine the thoughts going through the heads of the riders on the sport bikes as I go by.  Getting passed by an old fart riding a BMW loaded down with camping gear! Of course, they couldn�t have that and a few minutes later they blow by. I grin under my full face helmet.

The weather is good and the skies are blue going down the coast once again. I can never decide which is the better view, going north or going south. I think I have decided that whichever way I�m going at the time is the best view. I stop for gas in Santa Maria and start to feel the fatigue setting in. I call Nancy and let her know where I am and how I am doing. I tell her that I�m going to try to make one more leg, but I don�t believe I will be coming home until tomorrow.

Monday, July 11th

I�m packed and ready to ride by 7 am . I grab breakfast, one of my few �sit down� meals of the weekend (the other two being at Quisnos) and make it down the freeway towards Los Angeles . I�m trying to drag my feet so that I don�t hit rush hour traffic. I stop for coffee at Starbuck�s in Malibu . I work my way through Malibu and then Santa Monica before getting on I-405 south. Amazingly, the 405 is relatively traffic free. One more stop for gas in Long Beach and I�m home by 11 am .

A great weekend; great races. I�m glad I went. This experience was much better than two years ago when I camped at Fox Hill on the course. I would like to go again next year and Toro Park would be a good place to stay once again. Next time, I�ll try to get my tickets earlier so that I get a grandstand seat and a Paddock pass without begging for one. I can only hope that the event organizers will bring over the 250 and 500 class bikes in the future. I think they are much more entertaining than the MotoGP bikes. Sure, MotoGP is fast (3 seconds faster than AMA Superbikes), but they don�t seem as competitive (passing, etc.). To me, they seem like AMA Superbikes on steroids. I know it�s been a long time since I�ve seen a 250 GP race (1988), but my memory tells me that this was the most exciting race I�ve ever seen, regardless of the number of wheels.