Put on Your Dancing Shoes…A Pashnit Central California Adventure, April ‘08

[the mad otter]

This tour of Central California was destined to be different…Tim Mayhew wasn’t going to be there. Instead I was asked to accompany Tim Regehr as a guide which made sense if you consider that I was born and raised in San Luis Obispo county and have been riding it’s roads since ’69. Like all previous tours of CC, we met in Saratoga early Friday morning. The “we” consisted of Tim and myself along with Ken, Mike, and Billy from the bay area and Jim from Illinois. Tim gave the obligatory safety talk…we downed our coffees and off we went.

We had a leisurely ride up hiway 9 to Skyline Blvd behind a row of tree trimming service trucks, which kept our Nicky Hayden impressions to a minimum. Although I’m sure that it’s not impossible to drag a knee at 15 mph, none of us were willing to give it a try. Once free from our “lack of pace” vehicle escorts we took off in earnest towards 236 and Big Basin.

The weather was proving to be ideal allowing views of the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean at the foot of the coastal mountains. I got ahead of the group to get some photos of their arrivals at the park headquarters…Billy on his GS followed by Jim on the GT

,

Ken on his Bandit with Tim on the Duck

,

with Mike on the Boulevard

bringing up the rear. Tim gave us an example of things to come with his impromptu tango-solo . I really like the look of Mike’s Boulevard , so much that I took a self-portrait with it . A closer look .

We wound our way out of the park and found Jamison Creek Road, which lifted us to Empire Grade. From there we found our way through Scotts Valley to Bean Creek Road and finally Mountain Charlie Road. Mountain Charlie was the original road connecting the coast to the inland areas of Los Gatos and San Jose. It was built by a guy named Charlie for a few thousand dollars in the 1800s (try that now). Since I bought the GS it has become one of my alternate commute routes to work, which really got a reaction from the guys. Something along the lines of, “you lucky son of a *****”. I got my first chance for a group pic at the junction of Mountain Charlie and the summit of hiway 17 .

From here we did a little slabbing on hiway 1 to Carmel and our first gas stop. The next photo opportunity was the famous Bixby Bridge just south of town where I caught the group . Tim makes himself so hard to spot it is amazing that he ever gets in any photos.

My friend Blu joined us for lunch at Nepenthe in Big Sur on his 929 who entertained us with stories of riding on the tracks. Blu is now instructing newbies and racing his Gixxer 750 as a novice with quite a bit of success.

Jim was starting to enjoy himself quite a bit with views like this and . At this point I felt that it was only fair to let everyone in on what I had observed while framing the last pic… did you see them? Tim says, “Oh yeah, we get a lot of that around here” I think Jim was about ready to trade in his set of matching snow shovels by now!

At the end of the first day we checked in to the Cambria Pines Lodge for much-deserved hot showers and some refreshment. The rooms turned out to be great with views of the valley below and the village of Cambria. The lodge was originally built in 1927 and had one of the only covered swimming pools in the area. The entire facility is made up of cabins which each contain a pair of rooms complete with fireplaces. I would say “very romantic” but since I was sharing a room with Tim…well you get the idea.

The next day after a great breakfast we headed south to Morro Bay and it’s famous rock. Billy needed to get a cable for charging his phone so while I escorted him to the local electronics store the rest of the guys went down to the beach for a close up of the ocean. Finally fueled and cabled, we headed up hiway 41 to Atascadero and the gateway to Rossi’s Driveway (hiway 229). We made several passes on the short but oh so sweet stretch of asphalt that connects 41 and hiway 58 before finally turning east again for the wildflowers of the Carrizo Plains. Notice the effect of lowering the camera and adjusting the focal point? .

At this point Tim was overcome…and began dancing to a melody that the rest of us could not hear… until he was exhausted and content to blend in to the bed of nature’s bounty . As we were preparing to head out I took one more moment to find a suitable bush…but before I could attend to any business a 4 foot Gopher snake slithered under my feet and I had to catch him to share with everyone…needless to say, as my hands were full I didn’t get any photos for proof but I think Mike and Billy both did so I will wait for their posts.

As we headed further east towards Taft I came across this guy and the rest of his family lounging under the canopy of an oak tree . Probably next season’s burgers???

After meeting FastRicky and his beautiful Tuono at the summit of 33, we made out way to the Deer Lodge for lunch and the usual Saturday “bikers and too many beers” shenanigans. Burnouts are sooooooo attractive, why do we bother buying tires with tread?

We then headed towards Santa Barbara past Lake Casitas, Carpentaria, and Montecito with Ricky leading the way. I had fun watching him romp through the corners and do unicycle impressions…that guy can ride!

Soon it was Foxen Canyon Road and Tepesquet…where we encountered zero…that’s right, absolutely no other vehicles. Oh there is justice!!! By now Jim was getting pretty used to the GT and decided to stick to my tail through that glorious stretch of road. I was getting quite a kick keeping an eye on his grin in my mirrors. Every time another corner came up his eyes would get a bit bigger and I was beginning to think his head might explode with happiness! When we got to the top of Tepesquet Jim looked up at the cross street sign that says Blazing Saddles Dr. and asked, “So, is that Mel Brooks place?” We had a good laugh and then dropped down the other side towards 166.

To cap the day I led everyone to Turri Road, which Tim has written about in the past. It is my old commute to work and a great little stretch with rolling elevation changes and tight corners stretching along the backwater of Morro Bay. We arrived at the summit just in time to watch the sun drop into the sea ahead of us…glorious!

The days ride ended back at the lodge in Cambria. Dinner that night was at the bottom of a pathway that leads into town and a place called Robins. Another wonderful meal accompanied by a few Fat Tire Ales.
After dinner we visited the lounge at the lodge and listened to one of the very talented local bands complete with a blues playing violinist…wow!

Sunday’s ride started with a moderately goaty Santa Rosa Creek Road, which leads from Cambria through the nearby hills to hiway 46. It provides a great overlook to catch the tour members as they wind their way to the top It also provides a dramatic backdrop for the group photo Tim would have been proud of me on this one…in true Pashnit Tour style I perched the camera on top of a 15 foot embankment, got everybody positioned, set the timer, jumped/slid down the slope and ran across the road into the frame at the last second.

After passing through the wine country west of Paso Robles we found ourselves on Indian Valley Road leading towards Hollister. I tried my hand at merging several images here it didn’t quite work but I thing you get the idea…its beautiful country.

Color along the San Andreas fault (visible in the background), which runs parallel to hiway 25. . The Beemer taking in the view and two versions of the eastern view

We had a final meal in Gilroy at Famous Dave’s Bar B Q and went our separate ways with great memories of yet another reason we ride…and I even brought home some souvenirs protein, yum!

[Papa-Ken]

Very nice report and pictures Alan. My wife and I love Cambria and the surrounding landscapes.

Nice work getting to fill in for Mr. Pashnit..........Ken

[j2x]

yeah, yeah, yeah... it's spring and you had a blast- so what?

no, really, I'd kill for a day off. I'm totally jealous.

[motorrad]

Hey Alan, fantastic ride report and photos of the central California coast. You and Tim picked some awesome roads and looks like the weather was perfect for riding. I especially liked the pics of Santa Rosa Creek Rd. Very fun, bit goaty, just the way I like them. The lush green landscapes and wildflowers will not be out much longer. Thanks for taking us along on this Pashnit ride.

Looks like the group had a fun time.

[JeffeVerde]

Originally Posted by the mad otter

. . .Sunday’s ride started with a moderately goaty Santa Rosa Creek Road, which leads from Cambria through the nearby hills to hiway 46. . . .

What a great trip! Thanks for reminding me of this little gem; I think a run up the coast is in order this weekend

[1911]

hey! wait a minute...I don't see any farkels or pics of farkels in this thread?

...I feel cheated

[the mad otter]

Originally Posted by 1911

hey! wait a minute...I don't see any farkels or pics of farkels in this thread?

...I feel cheated

"Farkle Free", its the fast food of the next Millenium

[FASTRICKY]

Awesome Alan! It was great finally getting to meet and ride with you and the boys. I just wish I wasn't so beat up from work and could have kept going to the next day. Soon though, eh? As for the unicycle...

[taosports]

Catchy title Alan...got me to look!

Very nice ride report and photos...Tim should be proud!

[Sbyllek]

A very well done ride report...farkled or not...

Loving Tim's riding suit! Blends in with the flowers beautifully!