Friday, 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.
