 |
| Rumblings Recent Rides Other Riders' Stories Coming Attractions Favorite Links Send me E-MAIL |
 |
| Day 1 - Santa Clara, CA Day 2 - King City, CA Day 3 - Pismo Beach, CA |
| home l rumblings l recent rides l other riders' stories l coming attractions l links |
|
Dave Montgomery, my Harley riding neighbor, and I started talking about making this trip several months ago. That was in the midst of the California rainy season, which was supposed to have ended by the first part of April. Here it is the middle of May and we’ve just gotten our first nice weekend. Between the weather and work, it’s taken us awhile to get started, but the wait has made the fruit that much sweeter for the tasting. The original destination and excuse for this ride is the Vintage Motorcycle Museum in Solvang. We left the Silicon Valley during rush hour traffic on a Friday night, heading south on 101. Getting out of the Bay Area during an evening commute is a pain in the butt during the best of times, but on a Friday night it’s an exercise in risk-taking just short of licking razorblades. You’ve got a chance if you’re driving a Sherman tank but on a motorcycle it requires much more due-diligence. Riding in rush hour traffic has all those elements of fun and enjoyment you read so much about in the motorcycle magazines. There’s the pungent smell of rich burning fuel as you sit in traffic waiting for the flow light to let you enter the freeway. It’s a contact high only a Deadhead can enjoy. And who doesn’t love trying to balance your 800 pound scooter on a heavily cambered onramp as you inch along to the head of the line. The damn bike wants to go to the low side, right into your riding buddy. There aren’t too many articles about that in Cycle World. I’m looking over at Dave and thinking the spring on that Harley clutch has got to be making him feel glad we started on a Friday night. And let’s not forget the idiot who’s in such a hurry to make an extra car length that he cuts you off, darting from his lane to yours, without signaling of course. Ever see that mentioned in Rider magazine. Such is the price we pay for living in Silicon Valley, one of the sunniest, most economic vibrant places in the world. As we move south of Gilroy, the traffic finally starts to lighten-up some and I can, at long last, begin to enjoy the scenery. I had forgotten how just nice Hwy 101 can be in the springtime. It takes you through manicured farmlands; several sets of robust rolling green hills, then back to farmland. Now this is more like it; it’s starting to become the enjoyable ride we had planned for, much better than I had expected for a superslab. We quickly establish our riding positions for this trip. Dave takes the left part of the lane in the lead, and I park myself off his starboard quarter about fifteen to thirty yards back, depending on terrain and traffic. Dave has been to Solvang before so he became my “tour” guide for this trip. I might add that he did a terrific job and matched my riding style perfectly. About two and a half hours after starting, as the early evening shadows start to make their long, slow, crawl across the valley we pull off the freeway at King City. We enjoy a relaxing dinner at a local cafe, ride across the street to a small independent motel, and rent a couple of rooms for only $45 a piece. Independents in small towns can save you lots of money. Dave rented the video “Rules of Engagement” and we spent the evening “at the movies,” so to speak. |
| back to top |