Monthly Archives: February 2006
February 21, 2006
Joshua Tree
Mandy and Carole were heading to Palm Springs for the holiday, and invited me to join them there for dinner. I almost always ride either west (towards Santa Ynez) or north (to Palmdale), and was looking for new roads, so I gladly accepted.
I left at 10:45am, and stopped in Redlands for gas and food at a crummy Del Taco. A three-car accident in a construction zone tied up traffic once I got back on the freeway, but once that cleared I made good time to SR-62. 62 loops north and east through Morongo Valley, Yucca Valley, and Joshua Tree, where you cut south into the Joshua Tree National Park, where I gladly paid my $5 motorcycle entrance fee (I thought it would be $10).
The road through the park is sedate, and I spent some time behind some slower cars which let me enjoy the fantastic scenery. A few miles south of the entrance most of the traffic had found something else to do, and the last half of the drive I was mostly by myself. The views were amazing, and I really enjoyed the twisties on El Dorado Mine Rd. There's no ranger station on the south entrance.
Once you cross I-10, the road changes to Box Canyon Rd., and it proved to be interesting. A few twisties, some wide sweepers, and a 120mph+ straightaway made it pretty fun. It dumps out onto 66th Avenue in the city of Mecca, with views of Salton Sea to the south.
A few jogs took me SR-111 north, then SR-86 north to I-10. The first exit is Golf Center Pkwy, which joins up with SR-111. 111 starts out westbound in Indio, but soon hits prime time in Indian Wells. I got to the Elephant Bar in Palm Desert at 3:45pm, and called Carole to check on our 4:00pm meeting time. They were running late - too much shopping at the outlet mall in Cabazon - and asked me to get them a newspaper with movie times while I waited. They arrived at 4:35pm, and the restaurant was already quite busy - a lot of retirees enjoying an early dinner - but we didn't have to wait for a table.
Mandy had an oriental chicken soup that looked great. Carole had a beef dip with cheddar, and I had shrimp. The cole slaw was perfect - not too spicy, not too bland, nice and crunchy. The lemonade was also just about right - not too sweet, not too tangy. We split a lava cake for dessert.
On the way back, traffic on I-10 was bad from San Gorgonio Pass through to Cabazon. I knew the 10 would be rough with holiday traffic, so I grabbed SR-60 in Beaumont. It had some slowness around I-215, and again at I-15, but the carpool lanes helped a lot. In spite of a sweatshirt, a fleece pullover, and my motorcycle jacket, I was really cold once I got home.
February 5, 2006
Super Sunday
Super Sunday started with a nice ride up to Palmdale — Big Tujunga Canyon, Angeles Forest Hwy, a snack at Tom's in Palmdale, Bouquet Canyon, and Little Tujunga Canyon. I hit the driveway back home with 36 miles on reserve. S&T says it's 137 miles, and I was back in three hours and fifteen minutes.
I made enchilladas for dinner, and managed to clog up the kitchen sink in the process. It was one of those nasty ones, where you have to remove the trap to get the snake into the main pipe. No fun for me.
Seattle got no love from the referees, but could have won the game anyway if they'd avoided all the mistakes.
February 1, 2006
Tie down straps
TWILKIN650 on the FJR Forum posted detailed instructions on building and installing these tie-down straps. They sit hidden under the seat until you need them. Then, just open the seat, pull them into position, replace the seat, and you're ready to go.
I use some 2" clear vinyl tubing around the luggage rack to protect the finish.