MC Raven Trip Report 29 - Southern California

I left Jamala Beach Campground and headed on down through Los Angeles. I took the 101 to the 405 to the 5 and, blessedly, didn’t have any major problems. 

I made it to Oceanside and stopped at the harbor to reminisce before jumping back on the interstate and heading to South Carlsbad State Beach Campground where I hoped to spend the night. No such luck: CG Full.

It was getting later in the day and I was hot and tired so, I checked into a Motel 6 which, as near as makes no difference, is located right where the Hadley Orchards store used to be. Too bad, I was looking forward to stocking up on nuts and dried fruit. I was even going to have a date shake. Oh well. Staying at the motel gave me a chance to charge up all my electric toys so I should be able to update the blog pages for a while.

9/30 I woke up early and packed the bike. Tried calling Marzie and wishing her Happy Birthday but the call went to voicemail. I sang the song anyway.

I wanted to go by the AAA and pick up their famous Baja Guide and some maps but, they weren’t open yet so I want to Denny’s for breakfast. While waiting for my food another rider came into the restaurant and walked right up to my table (must be the squished hair that Id’d me). Klaus was his name – he invited me to attend the BMW Owners Association meeting on Sunday morning in San Diego. I feel like I need to be more social so I think I’ll try to make it.

Turns out that AAA doesn’t have Baja Guides or maps anymore (30-miles from the Mexican border and AAA doesn’t stock Baja maps or guides!). So, I headed up the El Camino Real to Eternal Hills Cemetery where I wanted to visit with my Grandmother, Grandfather, Great Grandmother and, Christine’s parents.

Great Grandmother

 

Grandmother

Father in law

Mother in law

We all had a nice visit (I did most of the talking) and I left a little bit of Chrissy with her parents.

Leaving the cemetery, I headed along the El Camino Real to the Mission San Luis Rey and Chrissy’s high school located on the mission grounds. For a while in the 80’s the school had been turned into a women’s shelter. Now though, it’s a school again: a Montessori school.

I found the hidden garden with the giant goldfish and fountain that Chrissy always spoke of. A lovely, quiet spot. The hummingbirds she’d remembered weren’t there though. I left a little of here there.

After that, I stopped by a Walmart and stocked up on some vittles then, went by a Lowes to buy parts to fabricate some ‘Tool Tubes’ for the bike.

I headed up to Palomar Mountain and spent the night at the State campground at Doane Pond. $28 per night with a Senior Discount! California is pricing its campgrounds right out of the budgets of young families (and old bikers also).

10/1 After visiting the Observatory, I moved my camp to a US Forest Service Campground where my $30 will buy me 4 nights.

The ‘tool tube’ project turned out really well. Now Raven looks like it’s fitted with rocket launchers.

10/5 After spending 5-nights on Palomar Mountain I headed to Escondido where I called lifetime friend Margie.

Lucky I’d spend too much time on the mountain – Margie and Sally had been on vacation for 3-weeks to Yellowstone! I almost missed them!

But, I didn’t. I was able to spend more than a week shopping, dining, visiting and reminiscing. A wonderful time for me. I got the bike serviced and ready for the Mexico trip.

BMW of San Diego! Three Cheers for BMW of San Diego! Beemer riders have a real jewel there! Unlike the previous 2 BMW Dealers I’d gone to, BMW of SD actually looked up the gas pump recall and found out that mine could be replaced under warranty! Saving me $900. Since they saved me so much, I was able to replace the rear brake rotor and pads. Doing the right thing made them money and I’m a happy rider.

Unable to update my 10-year old GPS (Garmin Street Pilot 2610) with the Mexico maps, I finally gave up and bought a new (refurbed) Garmin Zumo 660.

Had to call customer support but, after 2-days, got everything updated and the Mexico maps loaded.

Look out Mexico! Here I come!

MC Raven Trip Report 28 – Yosemite, The HU Rally, Central CA Coast

I bypassed Yosemite Village and headed to Bridalveil Creek Campground. I spent 2-nights there then, since they closed for the season at noon on the 22^nd I moved to Crane Flats Campground for my last night camping before the U event which starts on the 24^th.

Look in the center of this picture. That speck is a climber.

Here's the climber without the zoom.

I took lots and lots of pictures which I’ll share with you. Yosemite is kinda like the Arches National Park in that you can’t point your camera without finding a good picture opportunity. 

Looking down from Glacier Point

Overhanging rock at Glacier Point

Old picture taken looking up at overhanging rock - Glacier Point

9/24-9/27 Horizon’s Unlimited (HU) Rally, Mariposa, CA. This event has turned out to be everything I hoped it would be. I’ve spent 3-days hobnobbing with riders who’ve done the trips I’m planning and all were very ready to share what they learned.

I even had a chance to meet a couple of celebrities: Clemente Salvatori, the M/C travel writer and, Eva Rupert who was on “Naked and Afraid” the TV survival show.

John W (Fire Chief from Arizona) had his tent set up next to mine and took it upon himself to try to solve my gas gauge problem – he wasn’t able to fix it but, I really appreciated his trying.

After attending several lectures, I’m feeling much better about heading to Baja later this Fall. The weather (hot and getting hotter) is now more of a concern than banditos and drug lords. 

The caption says "If you're going to be stupid, you better be lucky."

9/28 After the HU Rally I headed over to the coast to ride down Highway 1. I hadn’t been that way since hitchhiking up the highway back in the 60’s.

The road seems the same (mostly) but the traffic is 100’s of times more than then. When I finally found a campground with a vacancy, who should I run into but one (the only one I didn’t attend) of the presenters from the HU Rally! 

Mike K. proceeded to give me my very own personal presentation on the Baja and where to go when I get there. Great!

Mike also recommended some highlights along the Central California Coast: The Nacemiento Road, The little French bakery in Moro Bay and, The Jamala Beach Campground just south of Vandenberg AFB.

The road was a great ride for winding, twisting and diving into corners. The bakery has this great apricot kuchen and very good coffee (I even got to plug in my phone and charge its batteries). And, the Jamala Beach Campground, though pricey, was a neat place – my first campground with palm trees. There’s even a street with Sunset Magazine’s top hamburger for sale (had one and their very good).

On my way down the coast I stopped to view the elephant seals, and even had lunch at Hearst Castle. I had a bar-b-que sandwich with fries and a pickle. While I was leaning over trying to coax a raven to take a French fry, a gull snatched the last bite of sandwich from my other hand.

All in all, a good ride and a fun day.

MC Raven Trip Report 27 – Eastern Sierras – Part 2

As a motorcyclist, I have to say that this highway should be on every biker’s bucket list. Riding that road is what we got into motorcycles for. You ride from the valley floor to more than 10,000ft in elevation. Switching back, diving, 180 deg corners, single lane cuts through solid rock, no shoulders, sheer drop-offs – SPECTACULAR!

There’s a campground at the 8,000ft level where I stayed, and a new visitor’s center at Schulman Grove with trails to the Bristlecone Forest. Some of these trees are more than 4,800 years old.

When we came here in the 70’s the bristlecones were claimed to be the oldest living things on the planet. I think that that title has been taken by some desert plant now. Still, 4,8000 years of age is pretty old!

Overnight, at the campground, a couple of guys on older model Harleys arrived. In the morning, when they tried to leave, their bikes would barely start and, kept stalling out. Theirs were older, carbureted machines that, I think, were having troubles with the altitude. When I started up Raven (fuel injected) there was no problem at all. In fact, even fully loaded, Raven took the road in stride giving me a truly great ride.

9/17 – The ride down the mountain was just as good as the ride up~ I went back to Big Pine to top off the tank then, headed up Highway 395 looking for Obsidian Doe and the camp where, back in the 70’s, we’d stayed. I found the Dome but, not our camp. Too bad.

Obsidian Dome is this huge ridge of volcanic obsidian: some rocks look like root bear, others like snowflakes imbedded in black glass. Hunks of rock that are as big as washing machines

.

What both my boys remember about our visit here were the floating rocks. There are volcanic pumice rocks all over that are so light weight and full of holes that they float. The boys spent hours making little boats out of these rocks and floating them down the stream that ran past where we were camped.

Alas, I couldn’t find the camp but, I did find some floating rocks.

The Horizon’s Unlimited get together is just on the other side of the Sierras from here so, I’ve decided to spend 2 or 3 days here at the free campground and save both gas money and campground fees.

I’m worried that the bike’s power outlet is killing my electronic gadgets. First my Kindle (which I love) died and now, my phone is dead. Both after a day hooked up to the charger from the bike. If the bike’s killing these, that’s a major et ack. I don’t get to plug into 110-volts very often and charging while riding was the only way to keep the phone charged.

There’s more than 1,000 pre-paid minutes on that phone. I hope it’s not dead. All my phone numbers and contact info too!

9/23 – After spending 3-nights at Glass Creek Campground I rode on up Hwy 395 to Lee Vining where I filled up my gas tank and spare 1.3 gallons, then headed to the little store. I bought the usual – tortillas, summer sausage, peanut butter and was strolling past the health food section when I spied boil in bag Indian entrees! Something new! After 4 and a half months of Ramen Noodles and tortillas rolled around cold cuts, I’m getting royally tired of the same thing all the time. I picked up 5 different entrees: so far, my favorite is the eggplant one – kinda like eggplant chili without the meat (Tasty Bites brand).

After shopping, I headed up the Tioga Pass road to Yosemite smacking my lips and thinking about what I was going to have for dinner.