The Modesto Bee reports that organizers of the annual Sierra Hope Ride are working with police and the California Highway Patrol, to ensure the procession of riders moves out of town more quickly than before...
To speed up the ride's passage through Riverbank, riders will slow down at Al's Furniture on McHenry Avenue before entering Riverbank from Modesto. A short delay for riders at the head of the pack will keep bikes closer together. The dense pack will move through Riverbank about 17 minutes faster than last year, which took 47 minutes, Police Chief Tim Beck said.
At issue are complaint from townsfolks seeking to leave town for summer vacations, and experiencing severe traffic delays from the rally riders.
Keep in mind, the purpose of the ride is to raise money for a Muscular Dystrophy charity.
You know, residents don't seem to mind when a Christmas parade shuts down a major thoroughfare, but when traffic is delayed because of a charity ride complaints are filed.
Kudos to city officials for trying to work out a solution, rather than shutting down the event.
Last Saturday ten of us rode through Joshua Tree National Park, here in Southern California.
One of the guys had a camcorder mounted to his Harley Davidson Ultra Classic and shot some video. He combined it with some photos and a Johnny Cash song and produced a cool little music video.
That's me riding two bikes ahead, as well as me in the water trough.
I suppose when you mount a camcorder on the handle bars of a Harley, you can expect some shaky video. But I think he did a cool job.
You can also see my set of photos from the same ride, along with a ride map, on my Flickr site:
If you haven't been to Joshua Tree National Park, it does offer a nice ride. The curves can be quite tight in places, however, the speed limit is slow, varying from 35-45mph. It's more of a place to enjoy the scenery than to burn some rubber. The photos I took didn't do the place justice.
The Los Padres National Forest, in Southern California, has become one my favorite places to ride.
I first did this last September with Tony, but just did this again last weekend with Tom. It's not just the roads, but the scenery, that makes this always makes this area a joy to ride through.
The ride starts in Santa Maria, and heads east along Hwy 166. It continues to Cerro Noroeste Rd, to Mil Portrero Rd, then a stop in the town of Pine Mountain Club for a rest at the English Pub. Then continuing down Mil Portrero Rd to Cuddy Valley Rd, and then south on Lockwood Valley Rd. Lockwood Valley Rd takes us all the way to Hwy 33. We take Hwy 33 south to Ojai, and then Hwy 150 east to Santa Paula.
But Tom and I didn't get to do the same route that Tony and I did last September. As we prepared to leave Santa Maria in the morning, Tom had trouble getting his Honda Sabre 1100 started. It seems the battery wasn't getting charged. I tried push starting him about five times until I ran out of breath. A guy driving by helped us get it jump started.
Heading east on Highway 166 offers some beautiful scenery combined with wide sweeping curves paralleling the Cuyama River as it winds through Chimney Canyon. About 20 miles later it ascends up and out of the canyon and stretches through the Cuyama Valley. On your left is the Caliente Range while on your right are the Sierra Madre Mountains.
We stopped at the Mobil Station in the town of New Cuyama. Tom said to me, "This is God's Country!". The stretch of Hwy 166 that we rode through is largely desolate except for an occasional herd of cattle here and there.
You will want to top-off your gas tank at New Cuyama because there are very few gas stations on the route we were traveling. There is a Texaco station in Pine Mountain Club, but last September we discovered the station had no gasoline. There's a station in Cuddy Valley, but I don't know if they have gas. There is also a gas station in Ventucopa (on Hwy 33), but it was hard to tell if the station was operating. Either way, the operator of the Mobil station here in New Cuyama said this was the only station selling gas between here and Ojai.
Tom had to shut off the engine to fill his gas tank, and that had us worried if he could get it started again. Nope, it wouldn't start. The gas station operator had jumper cables and we managed to find someone to help us get it started.
We had to make a decision at this point to take the same route that Tony and I took last September (outline in blue on the above map). We were running short on time because we burned too much time in Santa Maria trying to get Tom's bike started. We decided to shorten it by taking Hwy 33 south instead to going out to Cerro Noroeste Rd.
Highway 33 from the intersection of Highway 166 to the intersection of Lockwood Valley Rd is all straight road. But it's not a boring ride by any means. The scenery again is stunning. The puffs of clouds in the sky illuminated by the sun, combined with the damp ground from the evening's rain made you want to take in deep breaths to clear out of the smog from your lungs.
Eventually Hwy 33 ascends into the mountains and becomes very twisty. Keep your eyes open for a California Condor floating in the skies because this is where they release them to the wild.
Tom and I pulled our bikes over to the side when we spotted an excellent place to view Lockwood Valley and Pine Mountain in the distance.
The road winds its way down the other side of the mountains and follows Sespe Creek through Sespe Gorge and Wheeler Gorge. These gorges offer views of rock walls that shoot up from the sides of the road. This is a very popular stretch of road for bikers, you'll find more bikes than cars here.
In between the two gorges we came across an accident scene with a helicopter blocking off the road. A biker took a curve too hot and lost control. His bike appeared to be mangled wreck in a ditch. Paramedics hauled him out and flew him away. A reminder that no matter how skilled you are, you have to respect the road.
Highway 33 continues descending down through some very twisty road and into the town of Ojai. On a weekend, Ojai is invaded by bikers of all types. Tom and I stopped at a sandwich shop to rest. He tried to leave his bike idling, but it died out. We found someone to jump start it for us.
The final journey into Santa Paula takes us west along Highway 150. It's only about 15 miles to Santa Paula from Ojai. As expected, Highway 150 carries a lot more traffic, even though it's still a twisty two-lane route through the hills and valleys.
As you ride through Santa Paula on Highway 150 (10th street), take note of the bronze statue of two Japanese guys riding motorcycles right at the railroad crossing. As the story goes, it was in 1928 that these two had witnessed the St. Francis Dam breaking above the town of Santa Paula, and jumped on their bikes to warn the people below.
I would have liked to spend more time in Santa Paula, but it just wasn't to be. The California Oil Museum is one place I'd like to visit next time. And it looks like there's lot of great places to eat there as well.
Saturday (May 13), Lewis and I took a ride out to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, near Lancaster, CA, ate lunch at the Rock Inn, and enjoyed riding San Francisquito Road, putting on about 300 miles.
The Poppy Reserve is supposed to put on its best display during the months of April and May with acres upon acres of golden poppy blooms. You're supposed to be able to walk on top of one of the hills and see a mile of bright orange emblazoned all around you.
But it wasn't to be. A poor rainy season produced very little poppies this year, and I guess the best of what it could produce had already passed. Still, the ride fun.
We started the ride by leaving Tom's Farms in Corona, CA, we headed north on I-15 up to just before the Cajon Summit, and took Highway 138 north to Palmdale. Riding along the 138, we ran into a swarm of bees, which peppered my Ultra Classic with stick-gooey muck. I looked in my mirror and saw Lewis wiping dead bees off of his pants and jacket.
Eventually we got into Palmdale and took some city streets until we came to Highway 14. Then it was a few miles north to Avenue I. Avenue I heads west towards the Poppy Reserve, and provided about 11 miles of scenic riding, mostly hills and farm homes.
After the Poppy Reserve, we backtracked a little on Avenue I, and turned right on Munz Ranch Road. This road runs south ending at Elizabeth Lake and provides about 5 miles of twisty riding through grassy hills. The cooler air temperature at Elizabeth Lake was a welcome relief from the high-90s at the Poppy Reserve.
Turning right on Elizabeth Lake Road, we rode up along the side of the lake enjoying views of million dollar lake-front homes until we got into the town of Lake Hughes, and the famous Rock Inn.
The Rock Inn used to be known as Harley's Rock Inn. It's an actual Inn, with rooms, a restaurant and bar. For the most part, it's a popular destination for bikers. The entire Inn is made of large river-smoothed rocks. The inside revealed a great place for bikers to hang out, lots of tables, low-lighting, air conditioning, and cold beer. Lewis and I ordered BBQ Pork sandwiches which are said to be the best thing on the menu. They were definitely great.
We backtracked down Elizabeth Lake Road to San Francisquito Road, and took it all the way to the end, at the City of Valencia. San Francisquito Road is another great road for riding, filled with hills, twisties, and straigh-aways. Many of the curves are wide sweepers and many of them tight-twisties. It was along this road we ran into another swarm of bees, with more gooey stuff on my bike.
In Valencia, we connected up with Interstate 5, and slabbed it back to Lewis' house, where we hung for awhile with cold bottles of water.
All in all, about 300 miles of riding starting from Toms Farms, to Lewis' house in Riverside, spending about 7 hours.
Yesterday, Jello and I took a ride through some of the most picturesque scenery in Riverside County's portion of the Cleveland National Forest, in Southern California.
What I've dubbed "Tenaja Trail Ride", it takes you through the hills and canyons following San Mateo Creek, with a distant view of Tenaja Falls, and many breathtaking vistas.
Moreover, it's perhaps one of the few loops you can ride on a street bike in Southern California with very little traffic to contend with. In fact, when we rode it, we encountered only a few cars coming the opposite direction across the entire 40 mile stretch.
To start, take Interstate 15 into the City of Murrieta, and exit off Clinton Keith Road, and then head west into the Santa Ana Mountains. You'll ascend into the mountains to the top of the Santa Rosa Plateau. Follow the road until you reach Tenaja Road, and then turn right.
Tenaja Road runs through the community of Tenaja, filled with large million dollar ranch homes, each on several acres of land. The riding through here is actually great, with enough twisties and great views to keep in you 2nd and 3rd gears.
Keep your eyes open until you see Cleveland Forest Road, you'll easily miss it if you don't pay attention. Turn right (it's the only direction you can turn), and it'll take you into the Cleveland National Forest. The road narrows into a single lane serving both directions.
It's on this road where all the fun begins. The road gets narrow and twisty enough that you'll never get out of 2nd gear. In fact, for much of the road you'll stay in 1st gear, just because the scenery is so great, you won't want to miss it. Jello and I pretty much rode it at 10-15mph with our heads turning and left and right trying to see all there was to see.
While still in the Spring season, both sides of the road were filled with a variety of native flora in full bloom casting colors of yellow, white, purple, red, and orange. On either side, we enjoyed fields of green grass with hills and mountains in the distance. It was common to hear birds chirping against the sound of our V-Twins, and an occasional chipmunk trying to get out the way.
As the road winds its way into the canyons, it gets bumpy and sandy. Many of the turns are so tight and so sandy, you're moving along at 5mph. If you have any loose nuts and bolts on your bike, now's when you'll start hearing them.
About six miles into the ride, you'll eventually come to the Tenaja Falls Trailhead. If you have a Forest Adventure Pass, you can park here and hike the trail up to Tenaja Falls. There actually is water falling here, but only during and after the rains. The hike is about 7/10 of mile. Once there, you'll find a swimming hole and usually a few people taking a dip.
Continuing another few miles down the road, it widens and straightens out a bit, allowing you to ride comfortably in 2nd gear, but not yet for 3rd. There are couple places where the road is covered with loose river rock. The first of such places takes you by surprise while you're riding about 30mph; don't slow down, just roll right over it in a straight line.
The road finally enters into a small community, and widens up into a two-lane road allowing you to get back into 5th gear. Here it changes names to Killen Trail, and it'll take you along the ridge of the Santa Ana Mountains offering a sky-high view of Lake Elsinore.
Eventually it ends at Ortega Highway (Highway 74), and you can either turn left with a mile to go to Hells Kitchen for a beer and a burger, or you can turn right and take the highway down into the City of Lake Elsinore, and get back on Interstate 15.
The entire ride, from Clinton Keith Road to Highway 74 takes about 1 1/2 hours if you make no stops. But you'll probably want to stop in a few places just to enjoy the views and hear the silence of nature.
A bunch of us from Temecula Motorcycle Riders decided to get away from civilization for a short while and spent the night in Death Valley.
At this time of the year, Death Valley is quite cool, or perhaps "cold" is a better word. At Death Valley, you either burn to death, or freeze to death. It's death either way. The ride up from Temecula, CA was pretty cold too.
Most of us rode our motorcycles, though a few of us drove trucks carrying all of our camping gear. We left at 6:45am, and headed north on Interstate 215, and then on to Interstate 15. When we got into Victorville, it got even colder. I thought my lower-lip was going to fall off.
We headed up US 395, and stopped in at Kramer Junction for breakfast. This was probably our first chance to warm up.
By the time we rolled into Trona along Highway 178, the temperature finally got warm enough that I didn't need to wear any face protection. It was still pretty chilly though, and the time was about 11:30am.
We finally entered Death Valley around 12:30pm, and pulled into the Wildrose Canyon campground. We pitched our tents, got settled in, and then took off to Ballarat.
Ballarat is located outside of Death Valley, basically backtracking the route we came in on. It's a ghost town, though at least one person still lives there, a guy named Rock, who I'm told has just one eye, though I certainly couldn't tell. From Ballarat, one of the guys with us, unhitched his Jeep, and he took off into the mountains.
We followed him in a pickup truck driven by another one of our guys. We were in search of Charles Manson's hideout. Manson and his band of followers had a cabin up in the Panamint Mountains, overlooking Ballarat. He supposedly had something like 30 young women, and a few other guys, and they just spent their time engaged in orgies. Eventually the FBI swarmed in, and busted him.
We headed up Goller Wash, and came up to a waterfall. There was no water falling off it, but it was clearly an area where water fell. The problem was that the waterfall was in the wash were driving in, and there was no way around it due to the sheer high mountain cliffs surrounding us.
Ted tried to get his Jeep up and over the waterfall, but he couldn't do it. He ended up killing his battery and got stuck in the sand. So, we jump started him, and pulled him out, and headed back to Ballarat.
Back at Ballarat, we poked around the abandoned artifacts, took photos, and chatted with Rock. As the sun started setting, we headed back to camp.
By the time we got back there, the few folks we left there had a fire started, as well as some homemade chili. We sat down for food, and just started partying.
There was more beer there than we could possibly drink, whiskey, liqueur, vodka, and the usual assortment of sodas and water too. A couple of us also brought large volumes of fireworks, purchased out-of-state. We lit them off in the night sky over the next 5 or 6 hours, until we just too tired, and hit the tents.
It got pretty cold over night. Everyone else had butane heaters, but me. It turned out I didn't need it. The sleeping bag and blanket kept me pretty warm. It was my face that got cold. I had to sleep with the blanket over my head. Even then, I couldn't really sleep because I wasn't used to sleeping in a tent.
The next morning, I got up, and walked out of the tent. Everyone else was still inside, though I knew some of them had gotten out, and then got back in. I brushed my teeth, and found the water and cold morning air to be SO COLD, that I thought for sure my fingers were going to be frostbitten. But all is well.
After everyone else got out, we all had bloody marys and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Dave lit off a bunch of bottle rockets. Then he grabbed a bunch more, and tossed them into the firepit. Everyone yelled, "Shit!", and scattered like cockroaches. They started shooting off in every direction, popping all around us.
We packed up, and headed back out. We took the loop over Emigrant Pass, and up to Panamint Springs. Then took the road back to Highway 178, and back to US 395.
We got lunch in Randsburg, and from there headed back home.
It was really good to get out and get my mind off of work for a while!
The ride down to Pine Valley, located in south-eastern San Diego County, California, offers some breath taking views of the mountains and desert. And once you get into town, be sure to visit El Rancho Grande, a biker friendly bar and mexican restaurant.
Yesterday, some friends and I from the Temecula Motorcycle Riders, we headed south along Highway 79 and rode all the way to Santa Ysabel. If you've never been to Santa Ysabel, be sure to stop in at Dudley's Bakery for some delicious bread and coffee.
From there we gased up, and headed south along highway 78 into Julian. In Julian, we turned down Highway 79 South again, and rode it to County Road S1. The S1 takes you through rolling hills and then leads you into a forest of Pine Trees, offering you a scent fresh Pine. There is a rest stop here where you can get an awesome view of the Colorado Desert floor.
The road continues on through lots of twisties, more trees, and fog! There were some places where the fog bank was just above your head, and it was almost like you could hold your arm up and scrape it. When we rode down from the mountains, we pulled into another rest stop that offered a view of Pine Valley, and a glimpse of Interstate 8 in the distance.
The town of Pine Valley was only few miles from here. Once in town, we stopped at El Rancho Grande. The bartender and owner is a very nice guy and welcomed us all. I ordered the Carne Asada French Fries, which was a plate of cheese fries, but with chunks of carne asada beef and green onions, and dollops of guacamole and sour cream. Very good!
From there, we continued through town along Old Highway 80, until we found Highway 79 and took it back up north. This part of the highway offers a lot of tight turns with a small brook running along side of it. There was water running in the brook as it had just rained in the days before. The highway takes you into the town of Cuyamaca, which was totally burned down during the "Cedar Fire" of 2003. But it also takes you past gorgeous views of Lake Cuyamaca.
Eventually, we came back to the town of Julian, and turned back on to Highway 78 and rode it down to Santa Ysabel. We gassed up, and backtracked on Highway 79 until it met up with Highway 76. We took the 76 west until we reach the Pala Indian Reservation, and rode through town to Pala Road. We took Pala Road north into Temecula, headed into Old Town, and stopped in at Texas Lil's for some beer.
All in all, a great day's worth of riding, about 176 miles I believe.
