Monthly Archives: April 2005
April 29, 2005
Magnum Blaster horns
An early farkle was to install Magnum Blaster horns, per the FJR Tech write-up.
Kryptonite Disk Lock
It lives in my glove box. I only use it when things look dicey, or overnight at a motel.
Hein Gericke HT Air Overpants
These are great - good protection, but comfortable enough to wear all the time. I rarely ride anywhere without them.
April 20, 2005
Joe Rocket Blaster gloves
I'm happy with my Joe Rocket Blaster gloves.
April 2, 2005
End of the road
I ate too much at Margie's before starting out on some all-new roads.
Creston Rd. starts from 13th St. and the 101 in Paso, winding south and a little east. In the quaint (no, really) town of Creston, it turns into SR-229. Wow.
SR-229 winds south under a canopy of oaks, past horse ranches in the rolling hills. It only runs for ten miles, but it's some of the best ten miles I've ever ridden. They were running an annual Wildflower Bike Ride on the same road, but I was early enough to avoid most of the riders.
SR-58 gets compared on Pashnit to the best of California's motorcycling roads - Angeles Crest, SR-36 - impressive company. It's broken down into thirds: twisty and hilly on the west, followed by a straight and fast section with fun whoopdees, followed by more twists and hills on the eastern end.
It was all it was made out to be, and maybe even more with the green hills and massive wildflowers on display. My back was yowling after three long days in the saddle, but the ride was still very cool. The bugs were out in force, though.
SR-33 is pretty dreary through the Kern County oil fields. Cerro Noroeste was fast and fun, as always. I-5 was harsh without the V-1. My back was screaming all down the I-210.
April 1, 2005
Bug city
When I found out the McDonald's next to the motel had no sugar (as in none - at all), I wasn't sure how the day would go, but things turned out fun, if not messy.
After gassing up, I started out for Carmel around 9:00am. I always enjoy the last 15 miles of SR-46 on the way to SR-1, and the green rolling hills looked especially inviting today. The first forty miles of SR-1 were fun and fast.
About halfway, I was passed by a guy on a Harley. I've never paid much attention to the various models of Harley's, so I couldn't tell you, but he passed me over a double-yellow while I was waiting to legally pass a slower car.
For a variety of reasons, I choose not to pass over a double yellow. First, the obvious: it's dangerous. I'd hate for my kids to have to tell people that their dad was killed while passing over a double yellow. It also reinforces the widely held view that motorcyclists are a bunch of crazies that make everyone less safe on the road. I make only a few exceptions: if a motorist on a lonely stretch of road slows down and moves to the right (but not into a turnout) and invites me to pass, I'll do it - as the safer option. Refusing this offer causes confusion at best, and hard feelings at worst, and it just makes sense to go for it.
Between the dead bugs and the smears from me trying to clean off the dead bugs, by the time I reached Carmel I could hardly see through my shield. I had a mocha and a muffin at my coffee place, decided to wait on more gas, and made my way to Carmel Valley Rd.
After a few miles of residential traffic, Carmel Valley Rd. (G-16) turns into a superb motorcycling road. Medium-length straights mixed with tight turns and wide sweepers, all under a canopy of oaks following a small stream. Late in this section I peeked up the stream heading into a turn and saw a small deer taking a drink. Very cool.
All the rivers and streams I came across were flowing strongly.
I stopped for gas and a sundae in King City. I called my friend Connie to wish her a happy birthday.
G-14 is less twisty than G-16, running from King City back to Paso by way of Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio. Lake Nacimiento looked a lot higher than I remember. (I talked to my boss about it, and he says the lake fills up almost every spring, and gets nearly drained for agricultural use every fall.)
I had a carne asada taco combo from the Mexican place next to the motel. They've changed owners, but I still enjoyed it. I was somewhat dehydrated by the end of the day.
