west coast = best coast

today my home was us highway 101. and for the most part, it was a good home. yes, it was a freeway most of the time and yes, i was drenched in sweat by the end of my ride, but it was a good day.

i started out from los altos around 8:30am and, heading around the rush hour-bound san jose, headed south on 280 and 85 before hitting 101. the first part of the day was rather uneventful, mainly just cruising along at 75-80 mph getting some miles under the tires while i could. i actually made really good time in the morning, which allowed me to go on a lovely detour.

just north of king city i turned off of 101 and onto G14, which is a two-lane farming road roving through the hills of central california. this is pure steinbeck country, as my uncle loves pointing out, and it was truly the highlight of my day. the road took its time, winding its way through the hills with long, lazy curves that were perfect for motorcycle travel. it started getting a little toasty (an omen of things to come), but after losing a layer or two i was sitting pretty and thoroughly enjoying the ride. my pictures don't really do justice to the loveliness of the country, but here's the best one i got:


this was from the top of a hill overlooking the valley i just rode through. it was a perfect midmorning ride, a good 60 mile detour that ended in paso robles just in time for lunch. good ol' burger was the recommendation, and it was quite tasty (with pepper jack and avocado).

the rest of the day was almost exclusively 101, which zips in and out from the coast the rest of the way down to LA. as before i was scooting along as a good clip, but for the most part it was a good ride. i'm going to wax poetic a little bit here, but there are few things better than riding along the pacific coast highway, right by the water, with a cool breeze coming from the ocean taking the bite out of the inland heat. it's absolutely gorgeous, and one of my favorite places to ride. granted i had not been on this part of the coast before, but it didn't disappoint. not the grandeur of the oregon/northern california cliffsides, but it is still the pacific ocean, and the pacific does not disappoint.

again, the pictures fall short. just as a side note, i want to say that i'm not a photographer by any means. i point the camera at what looks pretty and push the button. sometimes i get lucky. unfortunately, due to the nature of motorcycle travel, this is hardly the case. when i'm traveling i don't like to stop too much. it disrupts that much sought after rhythm of the road and, except for the opportunity to give one's butt a quick rest, feels more like a requirement than a desire. i try to document the different types of landscapes i travel through, but a lot of that relies on indicated vista points, or when i actually feel like stopping. this means that i often take a photo only to find a better view 2 miles down the road. i used to try and get all of them, but it takes too damn long. so i usually end up with mediocre pictures. but you get the idea.

coming down through los alamos (gas stop), i started experimenting with wetting down my bandana to wear around my neck. this turns out to be a great way to beat the heat a little bit, though it is not a perfect system. once it dries out, i try to remoisten it a bit with my camelback, but this usually involves taking a mouthful of water and dribbling it down my chin in hopes that it hits the bandana. sometimes it will get my chin wet, sometimes it ends up on my tank bag. oh well. tomorrow i'll definitely be breaking out the cooling vest, as i'll be traveling through eastern california and into arizona. right now the forecast calls for temperatures in the 90s, which is better than the 100s, but not great.

after ventura, i said farewell to 101 and headed east for the first time on highway 126. i'm actually staying north of LA proper, in valencia (right by magic mountain) which suits me just fine. i have no interest in riding through LA congestion on a 6-lane freeway. i did, however, get my first little taste of lane-sharing. lane-sharing (commonly called lane-splitting) is, like so many things in life, mainly mental. i hit major congestion shortly after leaving 101 due to an accident and, after gearing myself up a bit, starting weaving my way through the cars. i wasn't going nuts by any stretch of the imagination, going around 20 mph, compared to their 10ish, but it still took a little getting used to. it's a little freaky, going that close to a moving car, but in the end it was kind of fun, almost like a game. definitely took some getting used to, though. and what i didn't expect at all, was that most people actually moved aside within their lane to let me by. very nice of them, and not at all what i would have expected from california drivers.

after i got to my location i starting peeling off layers (literally), only to realize how much i had been sweating. not a pretty sight was i. truth be told it made me a bit nervous about tomorrow but i'll have the cooling vest, and i'm going to wear some shorts underneath my textile pants instead of my jeans (they were drenched). hopefully cutting down on some layers will help me tough it out. tomorrow will probably be the worst day of the trip for heat, so as long as i can get through that i should be good to go.

as for now, i'm sitting in a lovely air-conditioned room after a nice, cold shower, sipping a cold beer. needless to say, i'm happy as a clam. my feet are actually a bit cold. i'm going to try and remember this feeling, since i sense it won't be around much longer.

i'll sign off until tomorrow then. tomorrow i head east, starting with the mojave desert.

rftc,

scott