Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Friday afternoon; I was enjoying a company picnic/bbq in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains in Palo Alto but I needed to hit the road soon. At 4pm I finally headed out; the plan was to make it to LA by the night - hopefully using a minimum of freeway droning - and hook up with Tom, the Manhattanite / Uber-geek / Hiking-meister who would fly in from the Big City.

I had just put on new rubber (yesterday the front, the rear two weeks ago). Highway 25 south hence had to serve as break-in platform for my tires rather than the 'fast and fun' ride it usually is. After having passed Pinnacles, I took the Coalinga Valley Road turn-off: a beautiful, forgotten gem. On a 60 mile stretch I saw one car. Many deer though, including the type that waits on the side until you've approached to within 20 feet and then jumps across the road; fortunately I did manage to avoid too close contact.

Sunset on Los Gatos Creek Road, the extension of Coalinga Valley Road - less bumpy and faster. Both of these beauties are pure Monster-bliss... it got dark too soon so in Coalinga I opted to take I-5 and drone to LA. Crossed some weird and smelly oil fields nearby Coalinga.

Arrived in dowtown LA around midnight. Tom's flight was delayed so when he finally got in the motel where we were supposed to meet, there was no time to go hang out in the city. A sixpack in a bleak motel room was our share. The vehicle he had rented for the occasion: a Siebring convertible, not too bad a way to get around in South California. Since the weather forecast said 'blistering hot' and I didn't feel like taking on the endless Los Angeles freeways on two wheels, I gave in and capitulated for the cage; parked the bike in a garage, sat back and enjoyed the ride towards the Mojave desert.

I just had to take this picture of my Monster on the fine road after which my favorite movie is named.

The freeway was clogged so we took the slow and scenic route, over Big Bear and the San Gabriel mountains; the scene of huge forest fires last year.

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All pics (c) Dirk DB
Click on thumbnails for high resolution version

	I had just put on new rubber (yesterday the front, the rear two weeks ago). Highway 25 south hence had to serve as break-in platform for my tires rather than the 'fast and fun' ride it usually is. After having passed Pinnacles, I took the Coalinga Valley Road turn-off: a beautiful, forgotten gem. On a 60 mile stretch I saw one car. Many deer though, including the type that waits on the side until you've approached to within 20 feet and then jumps across the road; fortunately I did manage to avoid too close contact.
	Sunset on Los Gatos Creek Road, the extension of Coalinga Valley Road - less bumpy and faster. Both of these beauties are pure Monster-bliss... it got dark too soon so in Coalinga I opted to take I-5 and drone to LA. Crossed some weird and smelly oil fields nearby Coalinga.
	Arrived in dowtown LA around midnight. Tom's flight was delayed so when he finally got in the motel where we were supposed to meet, there was no time to go hang out in the city. A sixpack in a bleak motel room was our share. The vehicle he had rented for the occasion: a Siebring convertible, not too bad a way to get around in South California. Since the weather forecast said 'blistering hot' and I didn't feel like taking on the endless Los Angeles freeways on two wheels, I gave in and capitulated for the cage; parked the bike in a garage, sat back and enjoyed the ride towards the Mojave desert.
	I just had to take this picture of my Monster on the fine road after which my favorite movie is named.
	The freeway was clogged so we took the slow and scenic route, over Big Bear and the San Gabriel mountains; the scene of huge forest fires last year.