Mark, you have no idea how much I am enjoying seeing someone take a classic tuber across country..
I had one of those days at work today and though about quitting and all I could think of is doing a great ride like you did. It just does not pay that well....LOL
I look forward to reading this thread every morning.
Finally a day to sleep in! We got rolling a little later than planned this morning, but no one cared - it was time for me to (mostly) relax and just enjoy where I was.
Asbjorn topped his performance the evening before with a fantastic breakfast and some more of that incredible coffee. Seriously, this guy can cook.
We took our time getting ready for the ride that day. We hung around the house a little in the morning and I started to get the bike shipment in order making arrangements with the carrier. Good news! It would cost about $167 LESS than I was figuring on! That made my day.
We got suited up and set out. Asbjorn was kind enough to let me take one of his bikes today and I elected to ride his 1125R while he rode his Firebolt. A quick stop for gas and we were headed into the mountains.
Asbjorn is a FAST rider - I mean, this guy is GOOD. Granted, he knows his bikes and these roads like probably no one else, but he just looked effortless. I can't think of a single person I've ridden with (no offense to anyone else here on BadWeB) who is as fast as this guy on the street.
We were three or four turns into the hills and that was the last I'd see of Asbjorn until I came up to him waiting for me at a pull off.
The views here are incredible, and only 20 minutes from his house:
We continued up and I was getting a little more "in the groove" on the bike. I was still in "touring mode" after 4,000 miles of doing just that, so it was an adjustment for me to switch into sporting mode, in addition to getting myself acquainted with Asbjorn's 1125R (which felt VERY different than my 1125CR, remarkable, really) as well as these roads - we have curvy roads where I am, but NOTHING like this. In fact, I'd vote that these are on par with Suches, except the weather, at any given time, is always better here.
We continued up as far as we could go until the road was closed. I guess the road was washed out some years ago and just never repaired.
We hit the restrooms here, turned around and made a stop at a local cafe to get something to drink, and then we were off again.
The road turned to one-lane affair with some debris here and there, but I was really starting to get into a groove. I was feeling good, the bike was feeling good beneath me and I was really enjoying myself.
Now, at this point, let's remember Asbjorn's hospitality thus far... He's offered his home to me, a complete stranger. Cooked two fabulous meals. Refused to let me pay for my drinks the night before. Allowed me to use one of his bikes for today's ride. Offered to help me with getting my bike on the truck for the shipper. Just an ideal host. So I repaid him the only way I knew how:
I threw his bike into a pile of rocks.
Gravel in the road coupled with over-confidence and some bad decisions on my part resulted in an easy low-side. After I got done cursing and yelling, I picked the bike up and crossed my fingers it would start, all the while feeling like a total ASS**** for wrecking this guy's bike. Asbjorn seemed a little surprised that I had crashed, but not all that upset (I hope he really wasn't and not just putting on a face for me...).
We took an easy ride to a place to get some lunch and went over the damage. Looks like I'd owe him a pod cover and a fairing stay. Funny - with shipping, both items would run about $167 from Erik Buell Racing. I broke even! Better odds than Vegas!
Lunch was pretty good, and once again, Asbjorn refused to let me pay for anything claiming I already had an expensive day - I was still a little shaky but Asbjorn assured me it was no big deal and he wasn't upset, and in fact seemed more bothered that I was bothered than about his bike.
Views from the lunch table:
From here we rode back to his place to unwind and began searching for an ordering the parts needed to repair his bike. These things crash really well...
We headed back to the Mexican joint for some drinks (which I was still not allowed to pay for) and then relocated to a friend of Asbjorn's Italian eatery for dinner, where I was assured I could pay for a meal. The owner welcomed me to California with complimentary salad and a desert and the food was just great. At one point, Asbjorn excused himself from our table out on the sidewalk and I had a few minutes to myself to just take the town in. I had loved every place I had been to on this trip and would willingly visit every one of them again. But this was the first place where I felt like I could live where I was visiting. California isn't what many people, including me, expect. There aren't as many weirdos as I imagined - it was just like anywhere else, just prettier and less rain, and San Dimas was a nice, quiet town.
Asbjorn came back in time to eat desert and after some waiting I had noticed a check never came, so I excused myself to go inside to pay. I could tell from his grin that Asbjorn was up to something.
"There's no check", he says.
That son-of-a-bish paid when he went inside! I toss his friggin' bike in the weeds and this guy is still an unimaginably awesome host.
We headed back to the Mexican place for some more drinks and watch a local band play. They were pretty good, I got pretty drunk and proceeded to make a fool of myself on the dance floor until the place was closing up. I forget what time it was, but it had to have been 2am or later when we got back to the house, where I thought it a good idea to call my girlfriend back east, where it was at least 5:00am. Turns out it wasn't that good of an idea. At least she told me the next day that it was kind of cute, albeit at the WRONG time.
It didn't take long for us to retire to our respective sleeping quarters and hit the sack.
Highs and lows, this day had it all. California is great and I wasn't looking forward to tomorrow being my last day here.
This was my last day in California, and thanks to a 10:45pm departure flight it meant I had a full day there. The libations from the evening before didn't hit me as hard as I would have expected, but the pace this morning was none-the-less the slowest of any day on this journey. Breakfast was even better - I recall an herby-egg omelet, frittered potatoes, fresh fruit, toast, ham-wrapped cheese from the frying pan - just awesome.
The plan for the day was, in a roundabout way, the very last leg of my trip. We'd be hitting a few places in between, but the goal was to reach the Pacific, and as such no other bike but my own would suffice. Well, that and I didn't want to risk wrecking any more of Asbjorn's stuff.
Upon pulling the S3T out from the garage, I took this opportunity to outline what a coast-to-coast trip does to a motorcycle...
15 states worth of wildlife:
Only marginally squared-off tires (Pilot Road IIs are the BOMB):
Caked on mud from Colorado road construction and South Dakota off-roading:
Some trip memorabilia that will stay on the bike until the weather removes it for me:
Our first destination would be the Rock Store - a semi-famous motorcycle destination, though I don't really know why. The roads around the place are good, but other than that there's not much "motorcycle-specific" about it, but it sounded like a fun, landmark kind of a place frequented by celebrities so that's where we headed.
En route I got my first real taste of SoCal freeway riding - I had done some before, including a little lane splitting, but this was a whole nother story. It took a lot of mental convincing to tell myself that those W--I--D--E saddlebags behind me were no wider than the mirrors. Lane splitting while traffic was moving was neat - something new for me so it was a little exciting and added a new challenge to riding. When traffic was slow or stopped, however, it was a little stressful, but felt nice to still be moving. This was mentally tiring and by the time we got off the highway I was glad to do so.
The ride up to the Rock Store was nice - more traffic than yesterday, but the roads through the mountains here were none-the-less spectacular. The pace was much more relaxed than yesterday as well, I'm sure in part to my "event" and also because Asbjorn elected to bring along his S1, which I got the impression he loved more than any other of his bikes and he had affectionately named Elvira.
The Rock Store, and the only photo I have of Asbjorn (the bald guy) (talking with some Triumph riders about the Speed Triple in the foreground):
The place wasn't nearly as crowded as Asbjorn had expected, I think mostly due to a rather overcast looking morning (the first real clouds I had seen since Colorado, mind you) and cooler temps.
We didn't stay long, and really didn't even check out the bikes - it was about riding today. Some more great roads through the mountains and we pulled over the moment you could see the Pacific in the distance (hard to see but it's there):
...and from whence we came:
Not much longer and we found ourselves in Santa Monica (I think???) and pulled off at a public beach:
I'm told the sky always looks like this until late afternoon this time of year:
In the Pacific!
A pretty pair:
We cruised down this section of 101 (the Pacific Coast Highway through this part) before diving back into the hills to find some lunch. After a failed attempt at a place that was unlocked but not open for business, we found a nice little cafe where we both had some Mexican fare. Most importantly, I paid! I'm not sure if Asbjorn changed his mind and decided I owed him something for ditching his bike or if he knew I just really wanted to treat him, but they took my card this time.
No mosquitos in California, but plenty of these guys:
We headed back to the house, making a pit stop in Pasadena. I'm actually kind of glad we stopped here as I found main drag through town with the interesting motels and tall palm trees to fit that "typical" California town that I had stuck in my mind.
Back at the house I pretty much just got the bike and my things packed up for the journey home and took some time to relax with Asbjorn before we headed to the airport.
On the way, we made a dinner stop at my request:
If anyone is curious, it's pretty much like a Five Guys but without bacon and a smaller menu.
We got to the airport and said our goodbyes. I was content with a handshake but Asbjorn wanted a bro hug, so that's what he got.
*DISCLAIMER* A 'bro hug' is a hug between two males and which must include each participant in the hug patting the other participant three times on the back. Three times is essential as it translates to "I'm not gay." Any more or any less than three pats, or a hug lasting longer than is reasonably needed to complete three pats could possibly confuse the recipient of your intentions.
Like I said, Asbjorn and I bro hugged.
Things in the airport were a change of pace for me - for nearly two weeks I had been traveling at a relaxed pace and now I'm being shuffled through this line and that line. While waiting for my flight to board, I realized I left Gretchen on the sidewalk outside Asbjorn's house, and when he got home he was unable to find her. The love of my life... gone... because of a stupid oversight on my part. But alas, the day after my return home I'd get a phone call from a woman who found it and returned it to Asbjorn to put with the bike. Thank goodness.
This flight was crowded, and being at a big, major international airport is always a good way to people watch. I'll be keep my observations to myself, but they're damned funny.
Accommodations for the night, the last of my trip:
I think I slept for some of the night, but not much. On my connection between Newark and Albany, I was hit on by a most fabulous flight attendant who reminded me of Bat Boy from the tabloids.
Anyways...
Eventually I'd find myself walking down the terminal and across security to the best welcoming party I could think of. My sweetie pie had even done herself up nice for my return and had a box of home-made cookies waiting for me in the car. We got home, zonked out for most of the day before I headed up to my mom's to pick up my dog.
Epic Journey. Over.
Now I know what I did, while daunting to many, is child's play to many as well. I was only on the road for 12 days where some are gone for weeks or months at a time. But I did what I could do with the time and funds I had to work with. And many "hardcore" tourers will tell you it takes almost three months just to get into a "travel" groove, but I got a taste of it. It was good to be home, and for the first day or so back things were exciting; to see people, my house, my dog, etc. But by the time I was back at work, real life, quite frankly, was a little depressing. All I could think about was the trip and how I wished I were still on it. Sitting on the stationary bike at the gym and looking at the little red L.E.D. graph thing on the screen just reminded me of the topography in Utah. I'll be honest - it wasn't anything I'd throw on a Coldplay album and cut my wrists over, but I felt a little depressed. Obviously it was to a much lesser extent, but the feeling was akin to losing a relative or a friend, in that a part of your life is now gone and can't be had again.
Except this can be had again, and I fully intend on doing more traveling as soon as my ass and my wallet recovers. I learned a lot (like not to pack as many clothes) and could definitely do this better next time (and maybe with some company?? ). Who knows what will be next - I'd still like to see Northern California, Yellowstone, the Tetons... we'll see. But I know I'll be out west again sometime soon, maybe with a bike, but maybe not.
Oh, and the S3T was picked up by the shippers this past Saturday, so I should have my baby back soon!
That's all I got... I'll probably add some more when I re-read everything I've written but for now, this is what you get, so I hope you all enjoyed it. Toodaloo!
Enjoyed reading it immensely. In fact, Chili got a verbal reading of the last four days! Lol. It reminded us very much of our time with Asbjorn in L.A The same view, restaurants and margaritas. Oh...and at least you only broke his bike...hehehe Asbjorn-"we don't need no stinkin lever" The end of a journey does leave you with a certain emptiness I agree. Ours would be much harder and more expensive to replicate, but there will be others. Our life at home is constantly changing at the moment, so we will have to wait it out for our next adventure. But hey...we are still on a high from the last one
My baby is home! Though she seems to have a nasty lifter tick... Low oil and sitting for nearly a month I'm sure wasn't good for her and drained one of the lifters.
Great writing style, great pics, a very enjoyable adventure to read about! And I definitely agree with your thoughts on San Dimas and California, and Asbjorn's incredible hospitality!
Thanks Chili - and if you and Vamp ever come back and want a jumping off point for New England and the Adirondack's you're always welcome here - lots of good riding to be had.
Or, if you want to ride through the Rockies and southwest, just say the word and I'm there!
Just reread everything and I don't have all that much I need to add...
- I typically avoid interstates at all costs, but I've finally got a bike that handles them reasonably well so much less bothered by them. On top of it, they do get you to where you need to go in a reasonable time, and if that extra time allows you better enjoy the places you get to, then it's worth it in the end.
- The construction in WV - it was SO friggin' hot that remember learning how to open all the vents on my suit while in motion on that stretch of road.
- When riding through Custer I made a conscience effort to skip the "Wildlife Viewing Area", but as you can tell I was able to see plenty otherwise.
- What impressed me about Del Taco was the option of a much more traditional taco with soft corn tortillas and marinated meat. Simple and good. We don't have Del Taco where I am (in fact, I hadn't ever heard of one until my stop in CA). BUT, Taco Bell now has traditional style tacos. This made my week.
A quick thought that my girlfriend brought up over lunch the other day as we were talking about riding, trips and the things I like to see and do, namely visit state and national parks or other "nature" spots.
Her words:
"Your love of riding is a dichotomy - you like to experience nature through the machine."
It just does not pay that well....LOL 
). 
Asbjorn-"we don't need no stinkin lever"
