Monthly Archives: January 2005
January 31, 2005
A long, cold ride
By rights, northbound traffic on the 101 on a weekday morning shouldn't be bad, but it always is. By my rough figuring, practicing my SoCal lane splitting technique saved me about 45 minutes.
I read the great, free Ventura County Record over breakfast at Coco's. Lots of roads on my planned route were unexpectedly still closed from the rains, but some quick adjustments kept things fun.
I wasn't in the proper frame of mind on Santa Rosa Rd., and the curves didn't flow as easily as they should. The same on Jalama Rd. towards the coast. I walked a while on the beach, and the ride went more smoothly on the way back to Lompoc. Hwy 1 was closed south of Jalama, allowing for some triple-digit loneliness into town.
Tepusquet was messy, and the weather looked clear to the east, so I headed for Cerro Noroeste. By the time I reached the turn-off from the 166/33, the base was bathed in clouds and fog, but I quickly rose above them - into the cold. Patches of snow edged the road, and I wasn't sure if the wet spots were just water or maybe worse, so the going was slow - and cold. After a quick fill-up at an Arco station next to the I-5, I caught a second wind and went straight through to the house.
427 miles over ten hours. Few better ways to cleanse the soul.
January 20, 2005
WFO-4
Based on projections that my FJR would arrive in July last year, I planned a fantastic trip up the coast for the end of August, returning home on the Sunday before Labor Day. Fours days up the coast to Port Angeles, across to Victoria for 3 days, then four days back through central Washington, Oregon, the Cascades and the Sierra. Heaven on earth. I had hotel reservations for the entire trip, and a detailed yet flexible itenerary.
Unfortunately, my FJR arrived at the dealer on the exact day I was supposed to depart. I had to cancel all my hotels, but vowed to take the trip as soon as it made sense.
The Western FJR Owners group has held ride-ins get-togethers for three years now. Wouldn't you know it - this year's meeting is in the Skagit Valley, halfway between Seattle and the Canadian border in northwest Washington.
I signed up and got hotel reservations within hours after it was announced. The trip will be different than the one I planned last year, but still pretty heavenly.
Sign-ins start at noon on Friday, August 5th. My current plan is to do an IBA Saddle Sore 1000 ride that Thursday, from my home to the Motel 6 in Olympia/Tumwater - 1,083 miles according to Streets & Trips. Yes, I have contigency plans, but my goal is to ride a 50CC cross-country ride in 2006, and I need to assess my ability and desire to ride long distances. (A 50CC is coast to coast in less than 50 hours.)
A Thursday departure also lets me spend more time on the backend of the trip. I plan to head to Victoria after the gathering ends on Sunday, August 7th, and spend a few days riding Vancouver Island - Tofino on the southwest coast, and Port Alberni in the central valley.
On the way home, the plan is to take the coastal route all the way home.
Here's to dreams...