Me, a blonde, 2 Ducati's....3,000 miles

[GP1152]

Someone suggested that I post a link to our ride report which I posted on another site.  Some of you may have seen this already, but for those of you that haven't,  Check it out here:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=819616




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[Stripes]

Sounds interesting... But I can't get your link to work. Oh well, bed time now anyway. Cheers

[GP1152]

Sounds interesting... But I can't get your link to work. Oh well, bed time now anyway. Cheers

Sorry about that. Should work now


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[CanadianBird]

I just rode to Winthrop with my wife last week. We had ice cream at that same spot, Cascadia Organic farm. So far I've ridden from Vancouver to Winthrop 6 times since August. www.destinationhighways.com has #20 to Winthrop the #1 motorcycle road in Washington State.

[effort1]

My wife and I are working on a big trip next year on our Aprilia's. Kansas City to LA then up to Seattle then over to Chicago and home. Not sure about how long it will take but it should be fun.

[GP1152]

I just rode to Winthrop with my wife last week. We had ice cream at that same spot, Cascadia Organic farm. So far I've ridden from Vancouver to Winthrop 6 times since August. www.destinationhighways.com has #20 to Winthrop the #1 motorcycle road in Washington State.

Winthrop is a cool place, huh??  We didn't ride too many others, but after riding that one it's hard to imagine a better road.  Awesome, awesome road.


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[black hills]

Damn, how do you keep everything so clean?? garage, bikes, gear... after 2 days ont the road all my crap looks likel something from a mad max movie?

[atadaskew]

Fantastic!  Excellent photos and great roads.

THIS is what a Ducati ride report looks like, unlike that other one where the dood rides his 1199 on fwys instead of decent roads.

Did I miss (most probably you posted it early on) what camera and software you used?

[cjohns]

Damn, how do you keep everything so clean?? garage, bikes, gear... after 2 days ont the road all my crap looks likel something from a mad max movie?

No kidding!!!

I'm not that far off Mad Max BEFORE I leave.

[kendenton]

Fantastic!  Excellent photos and great roads.

THIS is what a Ducati ride report looks like, unlike that other one where the dood rides his 1199 on fwys instead of decent roads.

Did I miss (most probably you posted it early on) what camera and software you used?

He's using a Nikon D7000 and 15-55/2.8.  For the most part photos were edited on his iPhone!

[GP1152]

Damn, how do you keep everything so clean?? garage, bikes, gear... after 2 days ont the road all my crap looks likel something from a mad max movie?

haha....pride in ownership my friend!!  No seriously, I don't sit there sweating over it, but I also don't mind taking a little time more often to keep my stuff clean. If I hadn't washed the bikes while on the trip It would have been that much harder to clean later. Drives me crazy to see if dirty anyways
The bugs were pretty bad in spots so taking a damp rag to the jacket in the hotel room never hurt anyone either.


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[GP1152]

Fantastic!  Excellent photos and great roads.

THIS is what a Ducati ride report looks like, unlike that other one where the dood rides his 1199 on fwys instead of decent roads.

Did I miss (most probably you posted it early on) what camera and software you used?

Thanks atadaskew. What's the point of taking the highway??  They all pretty much look the same and you don't get a feel for where you are. 

He's using a Nikon D7000 and 15-55/2.8.  For the most part photos were edited on his iPhone!

Kendenton is correct. I was using a Nikon D7000 with a Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 and Stephanie was carrying a Nikon D5100 with a Nikon AF-S 24-85 f/3.5-4.6
We were both carrying these in Tankbags that I retrofitted with eggcrate foam, both on the bottom and on the top (stuffed foam in the pocket above the camera). worked great!!!  And to reiterate what he said about the editing....cameras have eyefi memory cards. With them I'm able to transfer the images wirelessly from camera to iPhone. I don't do much to the images, but whatever I needed to do I did in photogene2 on the iPhone. This app also let's me upload my images (in batches) to Dropbox.




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[nevinfs327]

Awesome report, bikes, garage   etc.  Thanks for posting the link here - ADV has so much to look at that I miss most of this stuff there (or never go in the first place).  

I'm taking notes as this is much more in line with my wife's idea of a motorcycle trip (rather than riding 14 hours straight, stopping only for gas, dining at gas stations, and sleeping outside).

[GP1152]

Doesn't even sound right in paper does it??  lol


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[Mastros2]

Awesome report, bikes, garage   etc.  Thanks for posting the link here - ADV has so much to look at that I miss most of this stuff there (or never go in the first place).  

Awesome report. Was following it over at ADVrider but like Nevin said, missed a few pages due to all of the content.

Thanks for sharing it here! Two  

[GP1152]

Awesome report. Was following it over at ADVrider but like Nevin said, missed a few pages due to all of the content.

Thanks for sharing it here! Two 

Glad you guys enjoyed it. 

I always try and subscribe to the RR's I like there because you're right, there's so much on there that it's hard to keep track.


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[pulsar220]

Just finished reading your RR. Awesomeness !  
I think your garage is more exotic than some of the places you visited.. so spic and span !
I wish i get a ride partner like yourself.. I dont mind buying the bike for her if she has the enthusiasm for it !

Loved some of your edits, wallpaper material.
a little OT: am looking at getting a dslr myself and am confused between the D5100 and the D7000. Which one would you recommend?
am just starting off.. you can see my RR in this forum, called Kerala, India.(not to hijack your thread.)

[GP1152]

Just finished reading your RR. Awesomeness ! 
I think your garage is more exotic than some of the places you visited.. so spic and span !
I wish i get a ride partner like yourself.. I dont mind buying the bike for her if she has the enthusiasm for it !

Loved some of your edits, wallpaper material.
a little OT: am looking at getting a dslr myself and am confused between the D5100 and the D7000. Which one would you recommend?
am just starting off.. you can see my RR in this forum, called Kerala, India.(not to hijack your thread.)

Thanks Pulsar!! I'll check out the RR.

If your just starting out, get the D5100. It shares the same sensor as the D7000 (image output will be similar) but lacks some other features which may not really make a difference to you just yet. We're very happy with the D5100. It's a very capable camera. 


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[Virginian]

Absolutely one of the very best ride reports!   I'm so glad you posted a link here because many of us would have missed it. You are a very lucky couple to find each other and have your interests parallel. Thank you for talking the time to write and post pictures.

Eric

[Rigger]

Excellent report!!!  Love the photography!!!  Thanks for sharing  

[GP1152]

Excellent report!!!  Love the photography!!!  Thanks for sharing  

Thanks Rigger. I'll notify people in that thread the next time I post a new RR, so perhaps subscribe to that one (with email notification) so you catch it.

Absolutely one of the very best ride reports!   I'm so glad you posted a link here because many of us would have missed it. You are a very lucky couple to find each other and have your interests parallel. Thank you for talking the time to write and post pictures.

Eric

Really glad to share. I might have said this here before in that it's nice to share with people and reciprocate on these forums since one gets so much info from them.


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[Shizoku]

Someone suggested that I post a link to our ride report which I posted on another site.  Some of you may have seen this already, but for those of you that haven't,  Check it out here:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=819616
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Couple questions...

Where did you get your wheel chocks?
What type are the bike stands...link?
Did you paint or use tape for your yellow lines on your garage floor?  Very cool.

Dave in Valencia

[GP1152]

Couple questions...

Where did you get your wheel chocks?
What type are the bike stands...link?
Did you paint or use tape for your yellow lines on your garage floor?  Very cool.

Dave in Valencia

Thanks Dave. The wheel chocks are from Griot's Garage. The stands are Pitbull stands.
The lines: after painting the floor I taped off the area for the yellow lines and painted that with yellow rustoleum paint.


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[GP1152]

NEW TRIP & PICTURES……
_______________________________________ _______________________________________

All my life I longed for different things. You know, the usual toys that guys want: Bike, ATV, a boat, a car, etc, etc.  the one thing I realized later in life was that each one of those things was a vehicle to reach a destination.  In other words, each one, to me, was at its best when it could take me SOMEWHERE.  It could take me to an actual destination and not just in circles like a Ferris wheel.  For example, I once rented a jet ski and after 10 minutes I thought, "now what?".  Maybe it's just me, but even when I ride my bicycle I usually pick a spot as a destination and ride there and back.  I might explore along the way, but there's a destination.  We had boats when I was younger, but when I was thinking of buying one later in life I changed my mind during the test ride after thinking the same, "now what?".  If I were ever to buy a boat it would have to be one that could actually GET me somewhere, not just take me for a trip around the bay.  
So when I got into motorcycles I found the perfect match.  A "recreational" vehicle that could actually take me places.  Far away places (like the Canada trip this thread was started for) or closer places like this weekends destination.


The plan was to go to Monterey, making the not-so-long trip there the first day, hang out around Monterey that same afternoon, and then head down the coast to Big Sur the following day.  We hadn't really been able to ride the bikes much lately, so we were happy to hit the road as we always are.  We woke up to some fog, which I hoped would burn off before not too long.  After loading up the bikes in the garage, we headed out.  
The temperature was right around 62 degrees, so not too chilly, but what we found once we were closer to the coast was a pretty dense, almost rain-like fog.  So aside from the obvious lack of sun, this also meant soaked roads.  I spent my entire life (with the exception of the last year and a half that we've been here in the Bay Area) living in south Florida and experiencing the monsoon-type rain that's typical of those parts.  because of this, the rain here still makes me nervous. It won't rain for months at a time here, then all of the sudden you get this little drizzle that does more to activate the grease on the road than rinse it off.  With that being said, we weren't breaking any speed records....steady she goes.

Once on HWY1 it was no longer just a mist and was actual rain.  Not quite the experience I had in mind for us.  We plugged away though.  Riding, even on a day like this beats the alternative events that life dishes out at you (i.e. WORK).  I mentioned this during the last trip to Victoria, but riding a motorcycle to me is one of the few things I can say takes my mind off everything.  I don't know if its the concentration that's necessary to ride or the fact that all your senses are heightened by being exposed to the elements (temperature, sights, smells, sounds, etc,).  Whatever it is....it works!!
Even though it wasn't the nicest of days, we still manage to get some scenic, albeit cloudy glimpses of the ocean.  It's always interesting how different places look under different light and conditions.  The forecast (and hope) at this point is that the weather clears up and we get some sun.  We rode on in anticipation of said event.

It was still a bit chilly and overcast as we approached the place we typically stop at when we come up this way, Davenport Roadhouse.  We were hungry and could definitely use something to warm us up a bit.   We pulled in, parked the bikes where we could see them and went inside.

This place is interesting.  It's on the coast, but kind of in the middle of nowhere.  I guess what makes it "interesting" is that it IS a really nice place yet it's kind of in the middle of nowhere. Middle if nowhere in that there really isn't a large community around it, yet there always seems to be locals there.  Where do these people live??  

Whatever…time to eat.  Once inside we were seated by our waitress, a nice woman whom I'd say is in her mid-thirties.  As she seated us she said she and some of the others were admiring the bikes as we parked.  Turns out she moved there from L.A. and "also" commutes on 2-wheels…..a scooter (close enough).
The food was good, but not as good as it's been before.  It was definitely nice to get out of the cold and get something warm to drink though.  We had made good time and since it's not a long ride in total to Monterey (about 130 miles), we had plenty of time to kill.  From here we only had about 50 miles to go.







Bellies full and bodies warmed, we headed out and back south on HWY1.  The temperature still hadn't budged and neither had the fog.  We made our way thru Santa Cruz and as is usually the case, it was sunny and substantially warmer there.  Always amazes me how these areas have such different microclimates. This area of Santa Cruz also always has a bit of traffic, but once we got past Santa Cruz we hit the area that also always seems to have EPIC traffic.  Luckily lane splitting is legal here in CA so traffic merely means having to drive carefully between the cars that are virtually parked in the street.  Most of the people are happy to scoot over, but every once in a while you get some miserable person that figures, "if I can't go, neither can you".  One particular lady was nudging towards the center of the lane and when I looked over and into her car I see it's a lady in her mid to late 60's who was YELLING at me and giving me the finger!!!.......Repeatedly!!! lol  I couldn't believe it.  Worst part is that traffic was just then starting to move along so not really sure what she was so upset about.  Haters will hate I guess.
The rest of the way was straightforwards enough.  The weather, once out of Santa Cruz, continued to be overcast and foggy.  As we approached Monterey it cleared up a bit and although not sunny, at least the fog had cleared.
We got to the hotel and as we unloaded and traded a few comments on things we had seen during that last stretch (like the irate old woman), we checked in.  This hotel (last minute find Best Western Plus) happened to have a covered parking garage, which is one of the reasons we picked it.  It's in downtown Monterey, within walking distance to the wharf and all the restaurants around.  This would come in handy should the weather not cooperate and we end up staying around the town.
Other than the parking, the hotel was ok.  Nothing too special.  And to our surprise, no AC.  At the moment that wasn't a problem, but we had read about road noise at night (which seemed odd), but we then realized that it must be because you have to sleep with the windows open.  We'll see.

We unpacked, showered and made our way out for dinner.  We had planned on a sushi place about a block away that had good reviews but when we saw it it looked more like a takeout place.  Another sushi place was right down the street so we went there.  When the lady tried to seat us, she took us to this tiny little two-person table which I wanted no part of.  I asked for a bigger one and even though the place was practically empty, she said she couldn't.  I point to a four person table and ask if we could sit there and she says no, that she might need it for a larger table (if they come).  We say thanks anyways and leave.  How someone could turn away ACTUAL business for the potential of business is beyond me.  We ended up a few doors down at a Mandarin restaurant that turned out to be pretty good.



The waitress was (the Asian version of) a cross between my 2 grandmothers.  I thout this was nice and that it gave the restaurant a little more character than the franchise inspired decor might lend itself to.  My food was good, but Stephanie unfortunately didn't know about hers.  She wasn't feeling that great so we decided to take hers to go. We paid the bill and went out onto the street, which was now being doused with a light drizzle of rain.  Remember, I'm from Miami so to me the rain here in California is kind of a joke.  Walking down the street I spied one of these self-serve, by the lb frozen yogurt shops.  No matter how Stephanie felt, I know this is something she will never pass up.  No matter what I knew she'd at least take it with her to the room to eat later.   Holding her hand, I stepped into the shop which she hadn't even noticed.  She was giddy.  Stephanie is a mature, responsible woman but instances like these turn her into a little girl.  She's happy, I'm happy.  She got her ensemble of favors and toppings and took it to go.

(Next day I snapped this picture of the restaurant we ate at)


Back at the room we watched some tv while she ate some of her food and of course, the yogurt.  Sleep time......
Or maybe not.......
At 1:30  I wake up to what I thought was an earthquake.  Taking inventory of my surroundings and the sounds I was hearing, I realize its coming from the hallway and open the door to see its some drunk-ass guy beating up the machine that had apparently taken his money (or he thought it had taken his money).
By the time I open the door and looked out he had gotten the chips he had so desperately wanted and was standing there eating it.  I honeslty just wanted to sleep so I closed the door and that was the end of it.  There's a lot of words that came to mind, but moron was the one I thought most appropriate.

The next morning we awoke to actual sunlight.  A good sign.  We went down to get the (you got it) free breakfast.   While eating we met a group of young, Spanish-speaking, Argentinian guys that were here on vacation.  Poor bastards had been to SF and had a bunch of their bags with passports, laptops, cameras and more stolen from their car.  They were on their way to L.A. where at the same time they'd go to the Argentinian consulate to get new passports. That SUCKS!!
we finish eating breakfast and the sun that had been out just a short while ago was gone.  it wasn't bad out but we figured since it was still kind of chilly out we'd go for a walk to the wharf and do the tourist thing for a bit.  The forecast was for sun later so we'd wait it out to see if that materializes and make our way out on the bikes when and if that happens.
We walked around and saw this:
























The sun still hadn't broken out, but we figured we'd head out on the bikes to at least get lunch at a place we've gone to every time we're out this way.  It's a restaurant that is RIGHT on the ocean side of hwy1 in Big Sur, called Rocky Point Restaurant.  The food is nothing to write home about (or a ride report about), but the views makes it all worth while.  The hope was that the sun would make a guest appearance sometime during the ride.  Sure enough, it did.
A few miles past Carmel on HWY1 the sun started creeping out and in no time, we had perfect blue skies and comfortable riding temps.  Life was good.  
This is the exact image that I always pictured when we made the decision to move to the west coast from Miami; Stephanie and I, riding along HWY1 in perfect weather just enjoying life.  This and trips like the one we did to Canada and back was and IS exactly why we we're here.

Traffic was manageable and before long we were at Rocky Point Restaurant.  The food, as anticipated, was ok but not great.  The view though......

(what was left of the fog, slowly dissipating)








(HWY1 and Rocky Creek Bridge in the distance)









Sitting next to us was a really nice couple whom said they met recently at work (by the copier we joked).  Nice people.  He rode a Yamaha (think it was an FZ1?).  As you can see in the pictures, hanging around there is not the worst thing in the world, but after a bit of lounging we decided to push off and head back.  I needed gas so we stopped at a gas station just a few miles back in the direction of Carmel and Monterrey where we were staying.  At the gas station I asked Stephanie if she'd want to just keep riding.  It was still beautiful out and still early enough where we could squeeze some more riding in.  She agreed and we headed back south towards Big Sur and the restaurant we were just at.  The ride was fantastic.  Aside from a little traffic which we eventually left behind it was about as nice as you could imagine.  To make things even better, it was in the afternoon light which is my favorite time of day.  About 30 miles down the road we figured it was time to turn around.



We stopped at a small resort parking area that had gas pumps and restrooms.  When Stephanie came to a stop her bike got caught in gear.  THIS would not be good.  It happened to her once before on a trip down to Mendocino and happened the same way......when she was coming to a stop.  I told her to get off the bike and that I would take care of it while she used the restroom.  After prodding it a bit, it popped out of gear.  she came back and we turned the bikes around and headed back.  Every minute that went by made the ride more and more enjoyable.  To help visualize it, picture riding along an oceanside cliff and the occasional bridge (like the bixby bridge), and to the left is the Pacific Ocean and its crashing waves being painted by the setting sun off in the distance. To the right is your shadow, an abstract image of you and your machine racing along a strip of coastal highway that most people have only seen in magazine ads and commercials.  Those moments, taking it all in, are moments I can only describe as pure happiness.

Unfortunately that had to come to an end and it was time to get to the hotel.  It was getting dark and we were due for our next meal.  Also, the Miami Hurricanes (football) were on TV so the plan was to go to that take-out sushi place, pick up some food and bring it back to the room.    

We got to the hotel, showered and got ready to go.  After calling ahead to order, we walked a few blocks and got our food.  Back at the hotel I watched the Canes lose over a very good meal.  Oh we'll, was still a great day.  Time for some sleep.

The next morning we had our free breakfast, packed and hit the road back towards home.  It was a lot windier today.  It was sunny out, but It also seemed to be a perpetual 57 degrees out.  Literally, every time I looked down at my outside temp reading on my dash, it read 57 degrees.  This of course was with the exception of Santa Cruz (which did have the same s#!t traffic).  And again, a good 10 degrees warmer.  Of note: saw some guy on one of those Zero Electric Motorcycles.  Pretty cool bike, except for the fact that we flew past him as he was tucked in what I assumed was his top speed.  No thanks.  Probably great to commute around town in though.

Past Santa Cruz and further down Hwy-1 it was time for a stop.  Again we would stop in Davenport, but this time at a small cafe that is a few shops down from the Davenport roadhouse where we stopped on the way down a few day previously.
We scored good parking right in front, which of course is nice since we have the tail and tank bags on the bikes.  As soon as we got there and sat down and almost as if planned,  another 15-20 bikes pulled up with most of the riders going to the coffee shop next door and a few into where we were eating.  The group consisted of mainly sport bikes and a few motards....and a lot of one-piece leathers.  My guess was that they had all gotten here via skyline drive, a popular place with riders around here.  It's a great road and close to us, but a bit too crowded for our taste.  
I walked outside at one point to get something our of my tankbag and see a guy sitting next to his bicycle.  He had some serious panniers on there so i asked where he was riding from.  He said "BOSTON"!!!.  He was British and had spent the last month on the ride.  This was his last leg of the trip and had another day to kill before heading back home.  Talk about an adventure!!  This guy was like Forest Gump on a bicycle!! He asked about the bikes and where were were riding to and after a little more conversation I wished him well and went back inside.  
It turns out this place is owned by the same people that own the Davenport Roadhouse.  The food was cheaper and actually, better!!  Cheaper and better is always welcome.  We had plenty of time to get home so we took our time with lunch and with the very much welcomed hot tea (again).  Plates cleared, cups emptied and bill paid......it was time to get going.

The rest of the ride back was uneventful.   We reached Half Moon Bay where we ran into traffic (Once again, thank god for legal lane splitting) and after that rode on the highway thru San Francisco and onto the Bay Bridge.  It was late afternoon now and the view that stretches along the bay, with views of the city skyline, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge is always a welcome sight.  It wasn't long before we were pulling into the garage at home.  I said it before and I'll say it again: our trips on the motorcycles are the ony times that I can truly say I don't want to come home.  We would gladly keep going.....every time!!

That's it for now.   It was time to wash the bikes and get them ready for the next journey......

[st2sam]

Thanks for sharing and have a Happy Thanksgiving day.  
Hopefully one day I'll get to ride the PCH.....

[GP1152]

Thanks for sharing and have a Happy Thanksgiving day. 
Hopefully one day I'll get to ride the PCH.....

Same to you.
If you ever get the chance, come out and rent a bike for a few days. it's well worth it.


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[tomss25]

Thank you for the great RR.  I followed your thread over to ADVriders.  It took me a while to read every last word and view the pictures.  The pillion (wife) and I covered WA 20 from Tiger, WA over to Puget Sound.  For one distance road, I'd do that again.  We even spent the night in Winthrop, WA.  (August 07).  Finally, noted your visit to Crater Lake.  Followed the same route in, except for the gusting rain storm.  At the visitor center, we could look out and the other side of the lake was clear and sunny.  Waited an hour and a half, for clearing, and the rest of the ride to Klamath Falls was great.  At that point I believe you headed for CA, we headed for Winnemucca via Denio.  

There is nothing like two up riding through those areas and the scenery leaves one speechless.  We spent a month out on that trip, motel camping.  Probably one of the neatest areas of the ride was from Ft. Benton, MT back to US2 for Cutbank, MT.  No fences for miles and miles the way it use to be, except for the black top.  

Thanks again.   Tom

[GP1152]

Thank you for the great RR.  I followed your thread over to ADVriders.  It took me a while to read every last word and view the pictures.  The pillion (wife) and I covered WA 20 from Tiger, WA over to Puget Sound.  For one distance road, I'd do that again.  We even spent the night in Winthrop, WA.  (August 07).  Finally, noted your visit to Crater Lake.  Followed the same route in, except for the gusting rain storm.  At the visitor center, we could look out and the other side of the lake was clear and sunny.  Waited an hour and a half, for clearing, and the rest of the ride to Klamath Falls was great.  At that point I believe you headed for CA, we headed for Winnemucca via Denio. 

There is nothing like two up riding through those areas and the scenery leaves one speechless.  We spent a month out on that trip, motel camping.  Probably one of the neatest areas of the ride was from Ft. Benton, MT back to US2 for Cutbank, MT.  No fences for miles and miles the way it use to be, except for the black top. 

Thanks again.   Tom

Tom,
I obviously agree with what you say about this being a great part of the country to visit. Getting out to some of these areas where, like you said, there are no fences for miles and miles, is a great experience.  Hopefully we'll get out to some of those other areas you mention soon. There's still a lot out there yet to discover


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