Monthly Archives: October 2005
October 16, 2005
ALMS 2005 - Day 3
I dumped a bunch a stuff into Chad's trunk and followed him to the track. We got to park in the campground section, about a mile closer than yesterday, and on asphalt to boot. We got there just as the World class race was getting underway. There was some good action on the corkscrew, but too many cautions made the race flow a little odd.
Porsche Cup GT3 racing was next, and Chad's mechanic Kevin Dobson had taken poll. This race again had too many caution periods, but we cheered when Kevin won the race handily. There was a cool spin in the lower section of the corkscrew during this race: the green number 10 car had been bumped, purposely, a few laps earlier, and the damage caused the fender to rub against the left rear tire. This tire finally gave out halfway down the corkscrew, sending the car into a flat spin that lasted five complete rotations. He was able to limp back to the pits, but his suspension failed soon after and he never passed us again.
I repacked my gear and suited up for the ride home, leaving the track a little before 2:00pm. From SR-68, I headed south on G-20, a fun romp up and down the Laureles Grade, with a bunch of fun twisties. Once I turned east on G-16, Carmel Valley Road, I had to bide my time through town, but things picked up soon after. More great scenery and high-speed fun, with plenty of technical corners to keep you focused. I cut down Central Avenue, with FJR-nominal speeds all the way into King City, where I stopped for some tacos.
I took US-101 south to Paso Robles, stopped quickly for gas, and headed east on SR-46. It's much more scenic to take US-101 all the way back home, but it adds about 100 miles to the route, so 46 is the way to go for the quickest way home. It's posted 55mph the entire way, but alertness and a V-1 make higher speeds possible. It's always prudent to ride in the far right section of the lane, in case one of the on-coming yahoos decides to make a pass long after the opportunity had expired.
I grabbed a bite at a McD's in Buttonwillow, then headed home on I-5. The moon was very bright, with patchy clouds from the storm coming up from the south. I stopped at the base of the Grapevine to add some warmth under my jacket - it gets cold going over the summit.
I pulled into the driveway at home at 8:45pm, wishing I didn't have to go to work the next day…
October 15, 2005
ALMS 2005 - Day 2
Finding the tickets, watching the big boys race.
October 14, 2005
ALMS 2005 - Day 1
Last year, I rode my relatively new FJR up to Monterey to watch the American Le Mans Series race with my brother-in-law Cary and his whole family. This year, it was Cary, his brother Chad, their friend Dave, and my nephew John, and like last year I decided to ride up the day before to enjoy the fantastic motorcycling roads of the Central Coast. Photo album
My original plan was to leave around 8:00am, but it always takes longer to actually hit the road. I finished packing, got everything on the bike, added air to both tires (42/42), and finally left the house at 9:52am.
With the V-1 on duty, I made the run up I-210 and I-5 to Frazier Park Rd. in good time — very good time. Once I passed the Lockwood Valley Rd. cutoff and made it past the Pine Mountain Club, I had a lot of fast fun on Mil Portrero and Cerro Noroeste. I normally do this road west to east, so it was like riding a new road.
I turned east/north when I hit the 33/166 junction for the long slog through the oil fields to SR-58. Looking back, this was the least fun part of the day's ride, and only the anticipation of SR-58 and good reception on the XM radio made it palatable.
SR-58 is really three roads in one. Going to east to west, you get fun, fast twisty section, followed by a big stretch of lonely straightaway with awesome whoopdee's, and finishing with more fast twisties. An excellent way to spend the morning. Without admitting anything, the max speed listed on my GPS showed 122mph after the middle section.
I guess my heavy throttle hand burned off too much gas, and I was deep into reserve way too early, so I had to take the La Panza Road cutoff into Paso Robles. I really, really like SR-229 south of Creston, but gas stations are few out here, and walking didn't seem like the best option. I filled up at the first station I found, with 49 miles on the reserve odometer.
After a quick lunch at the Mexican restaurant next to the Motel 6 in Paso Robles, I headed up county road G-14 past Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio to give the V-1 more exercise. In the fall, the central coast views are a great combination of dry grassland with lots of green oaks.
The highlight of the day's route was my first ever trip on Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. — named in the November 2005 issue of Motorcyclist magazine as one of the ten best rides in the world.
I went west on Mission Road, did the quick check-in at the Fort Hunter Ligget guard gate, and puttered along at military-base-nominal speed, enjoying the views. Once you clear the base, the road becomes an awesome path through the central coast range, with a canopy of trees, tight blind curves, and the occasional gravel-strewn corner. The last few miles are steeply downhill, and once you break out of the woods and look down thousands of feet on the mist-shrouded ocean it's a challenge to focus on the road instead of the fantastic views. Luckily, cage traffic is sparse, but you do have to take appropriate care.
By the time I reached SR-1, the weather had changed dramatically. The inland heat had given way to thick fog, cool ocean breezes, and temperatures in the fifties. I felt comfortable enough to stick with my mesh riding jacket, although I considered stopping to put in the liner a few times the rest of the way.
There was suprisingly little traffic (always the biggest frustration on such a cool riding road), and the ones I did encounter were either easily passed or willingly pulled into the turn-outs. (Remember, I do not pass over a double-yellow, just on general principle.) I stopped in Carmel for coffee, but because of the late start it was past 6:00pm and all the shops were closed.
Before I left I'd arranged with Cary to pick up the ALMS race tickets at the will-call hotel, to save time on Saturday. The will-call was in the Embassy Suites hotel in Seaside, just up SR-1 from Carmel. I called Cary to see if he'd been able to get me authorized to pick up the tickets, but he hadn't gotten through, so we agreed it would be best for me to skip the trip to Seaside. Instead, I took SR-1 up to SR-68 for the ride to the motel in Salinas. On the way, it started drizzling, starting out light and getting heavier as I went along. After checking in, I walked across the street to the In-N-Out for dinner, and spent the evening reading my new book.
All-in-all, one of my best riding days in a long, long time.
October 12, 2005
ALMS plans
From there, county G-14 to Lockwood-Jolon Road, which goes over the coast range to SR-1 just north of Gorda. A quick stop for coffee in Carmel, then maybe up to Seaside to pick up the race tickets at will-call (if they'll let me — Cary paid for them, and they may require him [and his photo id] to pick them up). I spend the night alone in Salinas.
The race starts late on Saturday, so if I'm feeling it I plan to go up to Hollister (maybe even the outlet mall in Gilroy for new socks!) then down SR-25 — one of my all-time favorite roads. From King City, I'll take Carmel Valley Road (G-16) (another big favorite), G-20, and SR-68 back to Salinas.
The plan for Sunday is to catch the rest of the race program, then do the quick 101-46-5 ride home. If I'm really feeling it, I have the option to stay on the 101 and do some rides in Santa Barbara county.