Unexpected that is... and unfortunate.

I love Motorbike road trips. In the last three years I have had the pleasure of doing 4 multi-day trips, both solo and with friends. I have camped, stayed in hotels and one of each in the same trip. There is something truly inspiring about saddling up for a long ride. I always get a few butterflies in my stomach and an eager grin behind my face shield as I set off. This past weekend was another one of those times. My good buddy and I were able to align our jam packed schedules for a three day ride to Santa Cruz, Ca. Read on to see how adventurous this trip became.

The weather this year in Southern California has been wet. We have been dry the last few weeks, but the picture above is how we started the trip. A cloudy sky turned into a drizzle that was compounded by fog and temps in the 40's. We constantly checked our phones whenever we gassed up. The weather looked daunting, but promised to clear up as we rode. We set off for Ojai and the start of any great road trip, CA 33 North.

We didn't get very far before the reality of the weather hit us square in the face. This is a shot my buddy snapped looking back down the mountain at me. We had stopped to helped a lady that had run partially off the road thanks to the slick conditions. Both of our bikes were behaving well, but once we tried walking on the road we fully comprehended how precarious the ride could get if we got a little extra zippy. The lady had smashed her front bumper and caused some under carriage plastic to get lodged under the car. We helped her remove a dangling fog light and gave her advice for getting down the mountain. The sky was a grey as you see it here and occasionally got even foggier. With new found caution we kept on going over the mountain.

As we crested the hill, the sun broke free from the clouds and gave us clear skies into Frazier Park. We were going to take Cuddy Valley Rd. up over the mountain into Pine Mountain Club, but the weather apps on our phones told a tale of rain and temps into the 30's. We took I-5 North instead. After a stretch on CA 166 through farm fields on a dead straight road, we hooked back up with CA 33 and into Taft for some lunch. A belly full of Mexican food got us ready for one of the high points of the trip, CA 58 from McKittrick to Santa Margarita. 58 is an awesome road. You go up the into the mountains over some smooth roads loaded with curves. The last stretch is is a 40 mile stretch of nothing but high speed corners. My buddy was behind me which gave me a bit of a push to ride fast ton this great twisty road. We were pumped full of adrenaline by the time we jumped back onto the 101 to get further north.

After a relaxing stretch on the super slab we pulled into Paso Robles to gas up for the last run for the day. We took Nacimiento Lakes Road past the lake that gave it its name. Compared to the 58 it was more tame, but we were starting to get worn out. We cruised into King City around 4:30 after a full day of great riding. Our hotel had this above painting on the wall. It felt right.

Unfortunately, all was not right the next day. We got up early and decided to hit the road right away. We were going to get some miles under our tires before breakfast. Once I got onto the freeway I rolled on the throttle, hit second gear and the bike immediately died. Zero RPM on the tach. I managed to get to the next exit where we could pull off safely. A few restart attempts didn't get the bike going. A quick push to a Denny's nearby was next. We pulled a couple of spark plugs which is what you see above. Lots of wet gas showed us we weren't getting spark. Breakfast gave us time to think and come up with plans to end my ride in King City. Like many adventures this one was full of ups and downs. We gave the bike another start and she fired right up. A trip up the block and back gave us the confidence to give the ride another go and we got on the road.

Another freeway jaunt just in case the FZ died again got us into Monterrey County and into Salinas. The FZ ran beautifully. Our hypothesis is that some water from the overnight rain got into the kill switch just enough to cause a problem. More beautiful grass covered hills and valleys led us into Carmel Valley and our second day's mid-day stop. Above is a picture that doesn't give this beautiful Benelli race bike justice at the Moto Talbot Motorcycle Museum. A formerly private collection of a Motorbike Enthusiast turned public museum. So many beautiful bikes from all eras and manufacturers. I love older race bikes. The technology is out there for all to see. I wish I could hear these machines roar to life. We got back on the road after not enough time with these awesome bikes and headed to Santa Cruz, our destination for the second night.

Getting to Santa Cruz took us through fields and over freeways. A quick traffic jam or two had us practice our lane splitting skills. After checking into the hotel and cleaning up we made our way up the block and found the Recycle Motorcycle Garage the home of the Motorcycles and Misfits Podcast.  I have been listening to the show for almost three years. My buddy went to college with one of the regulars of the show. Those two reasons alone were enough to give us reason to go north to Santa Cruz. After getting the grand tour and meeting many of the faces attached to the voices I've listened to all this time, we got some food at a recommended spot. More Mexican food was just the ticket. I pity those that don't have good food like this available after a long days ride. Nothing fills the belly better than Mexican food and some beers.

The Recycle Garage was a buzz of activity as there were a few bikes being worked on and other projects in various stages of repair. The 'garage' part of the name is a bit of a stretch as it really is just a shed. That gives you a sense of the people involved with the show. They make this small place feel bigger than its actual size lets on. We got invited to be a part of the show for that evening and settled in as the pros of Motorcycles and Misfits got ready for their weekly recording session.

I look serious while my buddy shoots selfies. I have must have been concentrating hard on the topic of conversation. You have to be sharp to hang with the Misfits. Blink and you will find yourself the butt of a joke with everyone rolling in laughter around you. Or maybe it was the Gin that was being passed around making me sleepy. Either way I had a blast recording the show. Especially the topic of getting started in racing as that is the focus of my motorcycle efforts right now.

One of the Misfits I especially appreciate when I get the chance to hear her is Miss Emma shown here with me on the pretty girl couch. She is a British import and an outstanding motorcycle mechanic. Some of her work was featured in the prestigious Quail Motorcycle Gathering that happened the day before. The Quail is a concours like show for motorcycles that goes on once a year in Carmel Valley. One of these days I will get a chance to go and maybe I will combine the trip with a track day at the world famous Laguna Seca Raceway that is just up the road from the Quail. You can hear the podcast, including my buddy and I, here.

Sadly all bike trips have to end and the next morning we got packed up and on the road. We met with some friends for breakfast and set out to get back to Ventura. Here we are taking a quick break in one of the abundant vineyards that are located in Central Valley California area. We had taken Carmel Valley road to Greenfield, CA which started out as a two lane twisty mountain road and evolved into a single lane paved goat track at times. At one point we both got smoked by a local riding a Kawasaki KLR 650 dual sport bike of all things. After this pic was taken we got back on the road for an uneventful and rather boring slog on the slab as the day was getting late and our family pass was going to expire. A little over 800 miles of fun, friends and smiles was what this trip ended up being. I'm glad we finally made it happen.

I have been in the garage this weekend getting to some really cool work on the Ninja Race Bike. Those posts will be coming out sometime during this upcoming week. Work has finally settled down as I graduated the last class of students I will lead in this job. I will have a few weeks of calm before I have to pack up and move to execute another military transfer. Stay tuned for more Motorbike Obsessions action coming soon!

Blue