| Author | Message | ||
     Al_Lighton |
Bob, Stay away from the Salton Sea..foulest, smelliest body of water that you'll ever see. Not even worth a detour or a stop. And really not even picturesque from a distance, just a huge drainage puddle in the middle of a low spot in the desert. But the roads to the west in the vicinity of Julian (banner grade) and Mt. Palomar are way cool. Al | ||
| Mikej |
And just what's wrong with visiting the Salton Sea? Where else can you see houses half submerged, and right across the street see a bombing range with a trespass and die sign? I haven't followed the discussion, but just two suggestions: Joshua Tree, and Ortega Highway. Watch for Forest/park Rangers in J-Tree, and watch for motorhomes and rock falls on Ortega. Other than that nice rides. There's other roads in SoCal to consider, but it's been awhile and I forget where they are.  Have fun. bye. | ||
| Sparky |
All, I'm thinkin' of making available some scenic backroad detours with routing & maps that can be done with Day 2 of the BRAG ride (Victorville to Bakersfield). Here're some candidates:
Waddya think? Keep in mind that Day 2 will be pretty long to begin with and there might be a time constraint to get to lunch, so... the question is, where can we make up time for this extra stuff? the freeways! FB: Cool! Sparky 96S1, 98S3 (instant classics!) | ||
| Ebear |
SPARKY!! You neglected to mention Latigo Canyon on the Rock Store Run!!Some 126 turns in 7 or 8 miles.We had a guy get motion sickness on one of those rides!! PLUSSSSSSSSSSS Pamela Anderson is one of the very few homes on this road! 95 S2 99 X1 rapidly approaching very yellow XB9R! | ||
| Racerboy |
Uh John, who is this Pamela person they're talking about? | ||
| Dave |
Damnit ... this is killin' me BOb! (Couldn't make the SLAB meeting due to that 4-lettered word) I'm trying to pave my way for success, grease the skids a bit by getting the sposal unit the SUV she's been wanting since I got the Buell in 99. Maybe ... maybe ... maybe .... DAve | ||
| Racerboy |
Yeeha! DAve...You go boy...Are you trying to get a window of time for this CA expidition?...Man would that be great...Three amigos ride the wild left coast...Still checkin' out this Pamela person... See Ya! Bob | ||
| V2win |
Deleted by poster. | ||
| FB |
FMJ, sorry, can't entertain anymore here at the abode, really is too small (the one bathroom thing REALLY sucks), and these days (Mon thru Sat) i'm in bed by 2000 and up at 0330 -- makes it hard to be sociable with those kind of hours  Racerboy, i'm toying with the idea of taking that Fri and Sat off (i'm a couple years o.d. for some quality riding time) and providing expert guide service, if'n you'd be interested. i can envision meeting you guys somewhere in/near Death Valley, relatively early Fri morning, then doing much/most of what i've outlined before, including some local gems (Portuguese Pass, for example :-) that i haven't previously mentioned. Fri night could be spent somewhere in the mountains, and i could get you boys to San Diego on Sat in plenty of time, on yet even more Buellish roads (does Rim of the World Highway sound at all interesting?) anyway, give it some thought, i'd be honored to show you guys some of my personal playground on your way thru  ride to lean, Ferris | ||
| FB |
Sparky, you in a position to join in on Friday if this hair-brained idea of mine comes to pass? Ferris | ||
| V2win |
I like it. Sounds good. | ||
| Firemanjim |
Ferris,I might be heading that way friday afternoon,so could possibly rendevous with y'all somewheres. | ||
| Sparky |
Ebear, Gotcha covered! I didn't mention it because it's already been done. Latigo's combined with Stunt/Piuma as shown here: S.C.A.B. Malibu/Rock Store ride map. Now you're gonna have to tell us where this Pamela Anderson place is -- Latigo's hazardous enough as it is without mixing stargazer with speedracer.  FB, the short answer is maybe. My better half co-rider is seriously negotiating to get 8 days vacation starting Sat, 18 and I'm not sure how much fun we are comitting to just yet. I'll get back to ya. Sparky 96S1, 98S3 | ||
| FB |
Fireman, keep in touch as we get closer, ditto to you, Sparkster V2Win and Racerboy, be sure and let me know if i'm harshin' your gig at all. it'd be a real treat for me to show you guys around, but i don't want to impose, k? ride to lean, Ferris | ||
| V2win |
Ferris, your kid'n, right. Impose? NO WAY! We love to ride somewhere and find someone willing to show us the local roads. We will have to figure out the logistics of meeting you etc, but I am pumped. | ||
| FB |
boys, i can be way type-A if i'm not careful, and i wanted to make sure my inviting myself in was hunka-hunka. (huh???) one of my all-time fave things to do is show non-locals the best stuff, plus it takes the work out of it for you guys, minimizing downtime looking at maps, accidentally taking shi**y roads and worrying about when to take fuel stops and the like. i wouldn't be surprised if we pick up a few riders for this deal (like Sparky and FMJ, hmmmm? :-) as it comes together, which i think would make it all the merrier. shall we call this the California Grand Pre-Ride ? pray that ol' man winter releases his icy grip on this part of the world before May, it only got up to 87 in San Diego today!!! ride to lean, Ferris | ||
| FB |
boys, i set out to do some California GP recon today, in the benevolent warmth and sunshine that passes for winter around here, and made it up Mountain 99 above Kernville about 25 miles, to Johnsondale, before being greeted by a big-assed "Road Closed" sign. i wasn't surprised--this is the mountains, after all--and this is winter (after all), and the sign surely meant snow ahead. so, i did what any of YOU would have done....i rode around the friggin' sign. less than a mile later there it was, an ugly little snowbank lying across the road. fine, didn't wanna ride any farther anyway (actually, i did, but watcha gonna do?) the beauty of it was i had the world to myself. the thermo in the VFR's dash said it was 61 degrees, so it seemed a mite odd to be standing on a pile of snow blocking the road, but there it was nonetheless. very quiet, the air sharp enough to bite your nose, but not cold enough to make you want to hurry away. a butterfly (!) did a couple of laps around my head, with wings that looked like brown velvet, then landed on a branch. by taking my time, i was able to get within about a foot of him (her?), as it sunned itself. very pretty, yellow-tipped wings with the softest blue circles of color bordering the yellow. only when i fell down the bank (literally) and stood on some boulders in the middle of the stream i had stopped next to, did the air become cold enough where i could see my breath. more... Ferris | ||
| FB |
so, Portuguese Pass was out, as was 100 Giants. the only thing to do was retrace my steps back down M99, along the north fork of the Kern River (not exactly drudgery, i'll tell you :-), and twist and shout back to Kernville for lunch. nice ride, the downrun, and as i lost three or four thousand feet in altitude i gained about 10 degrees in temp, as KVille was a very comfy 70 farin...., um, fairen....um, not Celcius. Cheryl's Diner was the destination (hey Sparky!). oddly enough, there were no patrons on the outdoor patio, and i couldn't bear the thought of eating inside on such a keeper of a day. i asked the waitress who met me at the door if i could get a bite to eat outside. she grimaced, groaned, and hemmed and hawed, and said she was trying real hard not to open the patio. geez, i said, i GOTTA sit out there, have you seen what a great day it is outside? (i KNEW she had.) the waitress, a perky little vixen with mousey blonde hair and bedroom eyes, looked me straight on, smiled, almost winked, and said, "Sure, I'll take care of you." yummmmm :-) more... | ||
| FB |
oh yeah, she had a just-right butt :-) wasn't more than five minutes and there were four tables in action, three of which were occupied by riders. to my left were the owners of a gorgeous blue Sporty, about a '78 vintage, i guessed. (turned out to be a '79.) ya know how dogs, when meeting other dogs, will, um, sniff each others' backsides? well, i guess that's what the Sporty owner 'n me did, as we exchanged a little banter back and forth. a slammed full-meal-deal-chop of some description rode by just then (Harley? Big Dog? Titan? Ultra? you decide), obviously runnin' drag pipes. the thing made that stereotypical drag pipe sound between shifts, you know, that BRAPBRAPBRAPBRAPBRaauugghhh..... sound. the Sporty owner says, "Gee whiz, THAT sure sounds odd!" yeah, i said, i think it's only running on two. he looks at me, winks at his S.O., looks back at me with his chest enlarged a size, and says, "Um, dude, like it's only got two." yeah, dude, i said with a wry smile..........i know :-) he got the joke right away, and just like the dogs--who after they've sniffed and whiffed, deciding each other's aroma meets their requirements--we decided to wag our tails and play. more... | ||
| FB |
nice folks, and turns out the Sporty's for sale. it's Fearless' color (oh-so-blue), and i got a phone number for her just in case. an Interceptor-red Triumph Triple pulled in. sorry, no red bikes are allowed to park here today, i said to the pilot. he (a very big guy who turned out to be a former cop) looked at my VFR parked a few feet away, and said with a grin, "Well, bring on the tow truck." you're in luck, my friend, i said, tow trucks don't run up here on Sundays. great folks, Bert and Barb, and we rammed Pastrami sandwiches together like it was our last meal. from Bakersfield, they were, doing the Lake Loop. i ended up riding with them down the lower Kern River Canyon to Mesa Marin, and there was an e-mail from them waiting for me on the computer when i got home. looking forward to the next ride, guys :-) the trip back up the canyon to the awecienda was at, ahem, a little faster clip, as all the traffic was coming downhill, out of the mountains, not uphill like me. rip, rip, rip went the VFR. yum, yum, yum, went Ferris. Portuguese Pass and the rest will have to wait, boys, but i'm reasonably sure the snow will by all vamoosed by May, k? :-) ride to lean, Ferris | ||
| Blake |
Yep, y'all see what I'm talking about. The man is gifted. Thanks for sharing FB.   And no pictures even! | ||
| Racerboy |
Ah but the word pictures were great...Seconding John's words above, Ferris, we are looking forward to the CAGPR...Any and all are welcome to join us (except Reg if I don't see the new Battle2Win in my mail box soon, hehehe)...As John said, we are pumped!... See Ya! Bob | ||
| Sparky |
I saw the pictures! They were forming as I was reading. Gifted indeed, I like his style. But the words and mental pictures are just a hint at what's coming up in May. Another tidbit: an email from a contractor working on the Balcom Canyon Road Project says the road will be open within the next 2 months. Yeah! Fresh pavement to carve, just in time. Sparky 96S1, 98S3 | ||
| FB |
Blake: thank you, Oh Be Juan Racerboy: glad to hear you guys are amped -- that makes at least three of us Sparky: thank you, too rode some this afternoon (an unusually short day at work, only drove 400 miles...), and whooshed thru dark forest glens, past stunning alpine vistas, and next to fields of vibrant wildflowers in full bloom. um, can't wait 'til Spring ride to lean, Ferris | ||
| Aaron |
Ferris, what kind of parts do you need to get the Blurr running again? | ||
| FB |
AW, it is truly great to hear from you again. have quietly followed your salty, speedy exploits with great interest, and still remember with fondness meeting you and Susie in Taos -- still can't believe how readily you tossed me the keys to your FXR :-) well, the BLURR......... .........to be honest, i can't give you an exact laundry list. what happened was a rear-cylinder intake leak got by me, and what's left of the rear piston and cylinder bore leads me to believe one of the wrist pin clips came loose, pieces of which then got between the piston and the cylinder wall. the bore looks dreadful. the engine's out of the frame, and the rear cylinder is partially apart, but the engine hasn't been split yet. the motor's got 70k "Rides-like-Ferris-Bueller-Trophy" miles, so my goal all along has been to open the thing up and start over from the ground floor. i have to imagine that all the metal that dropped into the crankcase did some pretty evil deeds before i got the thing shut down, but, i've never had a Sporty motor apart this deep before, so i'm not excatly sure what i'm gonna find. my best to you and your family, Ferris | ||
| FB |
geez, Aaron, i just looked at the pic in your profile. if i organized a Buell ride and that many Buells showed up i'd be plenty pleased. imagine having that many Buells in your own freakin' garage.......... ......... | ||
| Firemanjim |
Damn,Ferris,did we meet Aaron in Taos and I didn't even remember(sorry Aaron and Susan)--what a maroon.Though I do remember you riding that Harley.And that particular trophy IS mine--you gave it to me,remember. | ||
| Firemanjim |
Ferris,I'll have some fairly low mile cylinders and T/S pistons soon, as the motor is going to Mr.Nallin for a little upgrade for Bonneville.I'll keep you updated. | ||
| Aaron |
I'd sure like to see you get the old girl going again. I'll keep my eyes open for parts you may need ... never know what might show up round here Yeah, I'm fortunate, I look at these bikes and I'm pretty happy, I've got exactly the years and models and colors I want. It wasn't an accident, I put a lot of thought into it. The only oddball one is the Blast, what the hell do I need with a freakin' Blast? But as it turns out, it's actually a terrific bike for tinkering and experimenting. I want to do a little more with it at the Salt and then I'll probably find a new home for it. It's got 50hp as it sits, it's actually entertaining to ride it with that much power. Speaking of the saline flats, big plans for this year, maybe too big, it's a challenge for sure, but I'm going for it. A lot of hurdles to overcome. I don't want to say too much unless and until I line up some more ducks. But I'm trying. You ought to come out, it's a hoot. The 130 club thing is really a lot of fun. I enjoy reading your stuff as always and look forward to more of it. I can only wish I was so gifted with the written word. AW |
