California Trip Report - Day 2
(Friday - April 28, 2006):
Day 2
We had a lousy continental breakfast at our hotel in Ventura, gassed up and set out for a big day in the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Las Padres National Forest. We took a short ride north on Route 101 until we saw the sign for Route 33 Ojai. Route 33 started as a suburban thoroughfare until 5 miles past Ojai. Then we saw two signs that made us realize that things were about to change…”no services 60 miles” and “curves next 60 miles.” We pulled into a convenience store to stock up on liquids and then pointed the front wheels toward the mountains. It wasn’t long before the serious twisties began.
Highway 33 - 3D map
Route 33 twists and turns as it climbs into the Santa Ynez Mountains. The views of the mountains and canyons are so jaw dropping that it is easy to lose track of the road – big mistake. There are lots of serious twists, but they are well marked. We were able to carry more speed on 33 than we did on Topanga Canyon Road, because the signage was better and we were able to see through the turns……fun, fun, fun.
Highway 33
I was amazed at the variety of vegetation that could survive in this deserted semi-arid landscape. I would drive along and be surprised by delicate wildflowers clinging to the edge of an abyss.
Highway 33 Wildflower
Eventually 33 leveled out and ran along the Sespe Gorge. I am glad that I was not one of the folks building this road.
Sespe Gorge
I was now starting to really get the hang of the BMW. The bike handled much better than I thought it would. Once I got used to leading with my knee and hip, the bike loved to carve the turns….effortless, yet precise. I looked forward to the next set of twisties. After leaving the Sespe Gorge, Jim and I decided to take a detour around Mt. Pinos that was suggested by Clement Salvadori in his book :Motorcycle Journeys Through California” (great book) and by Pashnit.com. The advice from these sources was 100% dead on. Lockwood Valley Road wound eastward through Ranch Country. The sweepers were a welcome respite after miles and miles of twisties.
Lockwood Valley Road
After 20 miles we turned left (west) onto Cerro Noroeste Road. We rode through sugar pine trees as the elevation climbed with several 180 degree corners as the road runs up a mountainous finger into the Los Padres National Forest. Cerro Noroeste crested near a respectable 7000 feet around Mt. Abel. At this elevation there was quite a temperature variance from the valley below. The view was…
Cerro Noroeste Road
We quickly descended back to Route 33, hung a right and headed north. Before long we entered the Kern County. Kern County has one of the United States' largest petroleum extraction fields, with hundreds of nodding oil pumps along the highway. It was surreal seeing these unmanned machines in the middle of nowhere. We drove through miles of oil pumps until we reached McKittrick and Route 58. We had a mediocre lunch, topped off the tanks, and then started west on 58. I was excited because Pashnit descibed this road as two up and overs with a deserted, high speed straight in between.
Highway 58 - 3D map
The middle portion of the ride travels across an old dried up lakebed, Soda Lake. This road is where some riders go to find out how fast their bike can go (30 miles - no turns, no bumps, no critters, and no cops.) The one caveat was that one must watch the “rollercoasters” part way through the straightaway.
Highway 58 Roller Coaster
The BMW was rated at about 140 mph and I was curious to see whether the Germans were lying….after all, they took my brother’s bike the day before J. I waited until I spotted a long, flat straightaway and then lit the fuse. Wow….my cruiser never took off like this! The engine note changed from a purr to a growl as the revs climbed. 80, 90, 100, 110, 120 (holy **it), 130, 137. The beemer couldn’t get my fat *ss above 137. Whether it was my 200+ (laugh…fall down) or the lying Germans I will never know. The bike was extremely stable at speed. I was worried that a 58 inch wheelbase would feel twitchy when going that fast. There was little difference in feel between 100 and 137 (except the scenery did go by a bit faster J. It was fun, but I don’t think that I will be trying this at home. (Debbie…I meant 87 not 137….).
58 began to change as we went up and over the coastal mountains. Horses, livestock, and grazing fields started to pop up as we neared 101. We turned north for eight miles before turning onto 41 west. Route 41 climbs up and over the Santa Lucia Mountains before tumbling down to the Pacific at Morro Bay. The change in weather as we entered the coastal micro-climate was startling. It went from 80 and sunny to 60 and misty within minutes. This change happened every time we crossed the Santa Lucia mountain range. The sight of the ocean and the huge Morro Rock was quite different from the semi-arid land that we spent much of the day in.
Morro Bay
We followed Highway 1 north to Cambria which was the town suggested by Salvadori. The town was very pretty and quaint. Great shops and good restaurants. We stayed at The Bluebird Inn, as suggested by Salvadori. The Inn was clean and within walking distance of some great food. 267 tough miles….a good day. We parked the bikes, checked in, unloaded the gear, and then walked over to Brambles. The rib eye, medium rare, was perfect. I toasted Jim with my glass of Malbec and said that I couldn’t imagine a better day.