Was out in California for work in mid June for a couple of weeks - and with a free weekend and beautiful weather...I had to get out and ride. Having brought my jacket, boots, gloves and helmet with me, it was just a matter of renting a bike. No Guzzi's available for rent anywhere, so I went back to California Motorcycle Adventures on the edge of Palo Alto/Mountain View and picked up a new water cooled BMW R1200RT with plans to ride down and up to San Luis Obispo mostly on the coast...roads I had driven several times when I lived in California...but it's always better on a bike than in the car.
I would have loved to ride a Guzzi, but a German twin is the next best thing...off we go on Brunhilda, as Sophia Loren was not available!!
Got a few highway miles underway and headed thru Carmel Valley for Breakfast and then past Quail lodge over to highway 1 - the bike is smooth, quiet, effortless to ride and very nimble:
The coast is beautiful...minimal traffic and weather straight out of paradise:
Stopping to get a bird's eye view from above:
Highway 1 has its charm and personality - it can be welcoming and sunny, or foreboding and foggy...today was a picture perfect day for riding:
Rolling gently down the road towards the middle of the coast - San Simeon (home to Hearst Castle - an obscenely over the top gilded cage)...every minute is a delight as the road rolls smoothly underneath and the curves invite gentle leaning and then tighter and tighter climbing up the cliff face...the bike is very nimble...easy to ride.
I stop to see the Sea Lions - two other riders on BMW Dual Sports are parked - very nice German father and son doing a trek from Oakland down to San Diego...looking for adventure on their annual ride. We chat in German for a bit and I give them directions to head to Valle del Guadalupe near Ensenada to visit Wine Country in Baja California, and a nice villa to stay out...they are hooked and ready to go.
Evening approaches - I decide to hang out in San Simeon and go for a walk - I check into the Sea Breeze Inn and head down to the beach - it's cool and fresh, and the smell of the ocean takes me back to my childhood playing on these beaches, running with our German Shepherd and car camping along the coast with my family.
I come back and my lone BMW now has company - 4 cool dudes from Kansas on a 5000 mile trip...we chat for a few minutes and I ask them if they have been to Cedar Vale...a smile from one of the riders as he recognizes the name and location - yup...what were you guys doing there...oh a small Guzzi gathering. Really? When's the next one...I'll have to come by and visit!
Dinner at a local Mexican restaurant was delicious - accompanied by a classic Cali sunset:
The next morning - I head out past Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay and make my way to San Luis Obispo. My dad taught mathematics here in 1970-1971...visiting Cal Poly was a nostalgic trip - however, it was graduation day and the place was packed, so just a quick ride thru and back out to visit the Mission - part of the original El Camino Real (The Royal Road).
After a little breakfast in SLO, I decide to wind thru Paso Robles and then head back thru Wine Country on 46 back to the coast, a chance to wind up Brunhilda and see what's she's got...easy revving, smooth, quiet, a bit devoid of the traditional Twin vibes, but at high speeds, they do make a subtle appearance. Back up the coast we go...stop for lunch to write a few postcards and just soak in the moment:
Back up to Bixby - a massive crowd of people...I spy a guy on a rented Harley...we chat...he's from Vienna with a group of Austrian friends - we enjoy a nice conversation, exchange a few stories and they're off to continue their ride to Death Valley over the next week.
It's an easy ride thru Carmel heading north up to Santa Cruz, then about 10 miles of congestion, but lane splitting is allowed, so off I go at a steady pace watching for intruders but all is good, a few minutes later, 2 bikes (both riding 2 up) are on my tail...we make it to a clear section, and they both zoom on ahead...couple of bikes from Saskatchewan...a friendly wave and they're zipping ahead at full throttle.
I am leisurely enjoying the day thru Santa Cruz, up to Davenport and then with one final stop at the Pie Ranch, head home over Old La Honda Road, and back to Palo Alto - what better way to enjoy a birthday weekend!
...and 1 week later...we were off to John Day...June was a great month for riding to say the least!!
