December 8th & 9th, 2006

© Bill Allen, 2006

Sometimes it pays to be flexible. For those who know me know that flexibility is not one of my strengths. However, it paid off for this trip. We had tickets to the evening tour at Hearst Castle for months. Nancy is a big Hearst Castle "junkie" and she had looked forward to this trip for a long time. Unfortunately, she came down with a pretty bad cold the week before the event. As the weekend drew nearer, she just couldn't shake the bug. Since the contagious phase ha d passed, she still wanted to go, but opted for the cage. For me, it's the means justifying the ends. This was the case as the weather deteriorated as the weekend approached.

Since there were three other bikes making the trip, I decided to meet the group for breakfast in Malibu at the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe. A 9 am seating meant a 7 am departure from the South OC. Nancy had to board the pups. Since she was taking the car, she could set her own itinerary. I know she enjoyed that part of the plan. I pass Vern on I-10 north of LAX who is stuck in traffic. Apparently he's not quite ready to introduce his new riding companion, Robin, to the fine art of lane sharing.

I'm the first to arrive at Paradise Cove, but Vern shows up shortly after I do. A few moments later Mike Dever arrives. After we find a table in the restaurant, Paul and Gail Nelson find us. Eventually, Tom and Barb Hooper, the only other cage in the entourage, arrive and we can (finally!) order breakfast.

Breakfast is good, albeit a little pricey and we are on the road by 10:30. Paul asks where the next gas stop is and I say "Santa Maria". As we make our way north on PCH to Las Posas where we head inland to find Hwy 101. As we make our way, I do some calculations in my head and realize that Santa Maria is probably the boundary of a reasonable range for a tank of gas on an RT that filled up in South Orange County. Further, Mike Dever was on his K11LT which has a much shorter range (DAMHIK). At that time, it makes sense to stop in Santa Barbara for gas, just to be safe. I take the San Marcos Pass (Hwy 154) exit in Santa Barbara and plan on a gas stop nearby. There is a station I frequent which is a convenient stop if I'm taking either 101 or Hwy 154. I move to the left lane, put on my signal, point to my gas tank and think I have everything covered until we go through the intersection and my three companions go straight while I turn left. I pull into the gas station, top off, check my voice mail and otherwise give the others plenty of time to correct their route and arrive at the same station. Yet, they do not.

It's probably a good turn of fortune, because I'm most comfortable riding solo anyway. After gassing up, I pick up Hwy 154 and have an enjoyable ride over San Marcos Pass. Before reaching 101 again, I turn right on Foxen Canyon and discover a newly topped riding surface. Yahoo!! I'm fully expecting to find the rest of the crew at the Chevron station at Santa Maria, but to my surprise, no one is there. I ride through the parking lot but don't stop. I pick up Hwy 101 and take the divided road to San Luis Obispo. Once I transition to Hwy 1, I stop at a AM/PM for a snack once again waiting for the others to catch up, but no one shows. I continue on Hwy 1 until I reach Morro Bay and make my way towards the harbor until I arrive at our motel. Amazingly, I'm the first to arrive. The manager instructs me to park my bike in the covered parking area which she reserved for us. Nice touch. The skies are really getting dark now and there are a few sprinkles on my windshield. By the time I'm unpacked, it's a full blown rain. Vern is the first to arrive (after me, of course), then Mike Dever. Vern lost Paul who didn't take the exit (sound familiar?) with Vern. Eventually, Paul and Gail arrive. It turns out Paul had his GPS set for another Bay View motel. Obviously the wrong one. I call Nancy who had just passed through San Luis Obispo and Tom who was just taking the Morro Bay exit. It wasn't long before everyone was comfortably settled in.

Friday Route

The Hoopers are gracious hosts for the pre-show "happy hour" consisting of a variety of wines obtained along Foxen Canyon and a great assortment of chips. We had to improvise on a salsa bowl, but we survived the hardship. After a frantic research, Mike was unsuccessful getting a ticket for Friday night. He wasn't extremely disappointed, or at least he didn't show much disappointment since his presence was a last minute decision. He did have a ticket for Saturday morning. The eight of us left in two cars towards Hearst Castle about 4:45 pm. The weather was really blustery by now and most of us are happy we are in the cars instead of on the bikes. O.K., all of us are happy.

We arrive at the castle and get our tickets. Unfortunately, a significant part of the tour is outdoors and is quite a challenge to pay attention. The inside portions are worth it, though. There are actors playing the parts of guests of Mr. Hearst, complete in period dress. The Christmas decorations are great, also. After the show, we make our way back to town for a late dinner. Unfortunately, this is the off season in Morro Bay and finding an open restaurant is quite a challenge. I think we find the only restaurant open in town and that one is nearly empty. This meant that we had pretty good service to go along with the wonderful meal. We return to the motel to relax.  Soon afterwards Phil and Sandy Blackstone finally arrive. They left Moreno Valley at 4 pm and arrive about 11:30.  

Nancy has a difficult night sleeping and we both decide that she should return to Orange County Saturday morning. I have breakfast with the rest of the group and by the time I return, Nancy is up and ready to leave. I send her off and chat with the remaining SouthCoasters, who planned to spend the day in Cambria. As they depart for Cambria, I check out and head south.

I turn east at Hwy 166, a road I haven't ridden in a long, long time. It isn't long before I'm experiencing clear blue skies. I stop for gas in New Cayucos, but there isn't a card reader at the pump and the cashier inside is, how can I put it, not very efficient with the two customers in front of me. Was that polite enough? I'm really trying to work on this. Honest. I return to the bike and hope there's a gas station in Cayucos, but I didn't recall one. Of course there isn't one and my yellow light comes on. I don't want to risk running out on my way to Ojai, so I make a detour to Mariposa for gas. It's a 28 mile "bonus mile" loop. I'm soon back on track and on my way down Hwy 33 south. The skies are dark over the mountains up ahead. Still, I defer putting on my rain suit. I guess I'm doing something right. On Friday I find new pavement on Foxen Canyon then today I find new pavement on Hwy 33. What a treat! In addition to a great road, there's very little traffic to get in my way and annoy me. I make my way over the hill and into Ojai. It doesn't take long for me to reach Ventura and turn south on Hwy 101. I exit Las Posas and stop for lunch and to call Nancy to let her know I'm going to stop at the Motorcycle Show in Long Beach.

I arrive at the Long Beach Arena and park my bike about a quarter to six. The show is open until 8. That's plenty of time. I buy my ticket and check my gear. I check out all the dealers and accessory manufacturers once again not finding anything I can't live without (although the two for 1 offer on Motorcycle Consumer News was pretty intriguing). That is until I arrive at the BUB display where there is the new holder of the land speed record. I think this is more than coincidence. Just this summer Nancy and I watched The Fastest Indian on the Big Screen (tm). Next, I read about Speed Week in Cycle World where the BUB entry just about comes out of nowhere to take home the prize and set the world record. And now here is the machine itself. Not only that, but I have the opportunity to talk with the machinist, John Jans. He explains many of the challenges the project presented. There are two things that make this machine unique. First of all, most streamliners use existing engines, usually two of them, for the power plant. On this machine, this is a one-off engine, not a production model. Secondly, and most importantly, the bodywork. The net drag coefficient of the salmon shaped body is a mere 0.08. To put things in perspective, the drag coefficient of a Corvette Z06 is 0.36. This was the highlight of the show as far as I was concerned.

World's Fastest Motorcycle

Upon departure, I pass a 1980 Honda CBX that is for sale. The owner and his wife are selling everything to go on a 10 year cruise. The price on the sign is $5,500. "What a bargain" I think to myself. I load up the bike and ride the coast home. It's a nice ride with very little traffic. A great ending to a wonderful day.

Saturday Route

Kudos to Tom Hooper for setting this up.

Total for the weekend: 624 miles.