So-Cal Motorcycle Roads and Biker Hangouts. And a visit with Andrew

 Several weeks ago I happened to pick up an old (March, 1987) issue of Road Rider magazine in which one of the featured stories was "365 Reasons To Hate Southern California," the premise being that in So-Cal one can ride a motorcycle 365 days a year and people in other parts of the country are jealous. The article contained descriptions of several motorcycle hangouts and many good motorcycling roads, so I thought that this was a good excuse for a short trip and I could also stop in Long Beach to see my son, Andrew.

(Wednesday, June 26, 2024)  The Harley's (2021 Low Rider S) last prepaid service is this month, so I rode that bike figuring that the miles I put on the bike would be free. I left home a little after 11 a.m. and rode down US 101 past Gilroy to CA 25  to Hollister where I stopped for gas and a coffee and sandwich at a Starbuck's and continued on 25 to CA 198. This is the same route that John and I rode a little over a month ago on our way to an old bike show in Hanford, and the road was just as much fun this time - curves, hills, good scenery, and little traffic. The day started off chilly, but by the time I got to Coalinga it had warmed up and I stopped in the town park to switch to lighter gloves and open the vents on my Klim jacket. 

From Coalinga I went south on CA 33 to Blackwell's Corner at the junction of CA 46. This is the last place actor James Dean was seen alive before he crashed his Porsche 550 Spyder into a left turning Ford sedan at the junction of Highways 46 and 41 and died. I stopped at the Shell station there for gas and went inside the café/gift shop where there were many pictures and posters of Dean and other movie stars

Heading east on CA 46 I rode by fields of oil pumps before I reached I-5 and headed south to Buttonwillow where I went east on CA 58 to Bakersfield, where I checked into a Hilton Express. Bakersfield had reached a high of over 100 degrees earlier in the day, but it had cooled a bit before I arrived at 6:30 PM. The location was in a somewhat sketchy part of town, but the lady at the desk said I could park the bike at the covered check-in area by the front door, so I was happy. The room itself was slightly tired, but better than most places I stay at. Dinner was at a nearby Mexican restaurant. On my way to the hotel I rode on old US 99 for a couple of miles and went by many motels that dated back to when the street was the main route through the city. The fact that some of the motels advertised "Color TV" on their signs gives you an idea of their vintage. (300 miles)

(Thursday, June 27)  Yesterday in Coalinga I realized that my GPS was no longer working. It has an internal battery and the unit plugs into a power outlet on the handlebar, so I surmised that either the power outlet wasn't working or there was a fault with the GPS, probably the battery not accepting a charge. Fortunately, I still had a mount for my phone on the handlebar and I quickly switched devices and used the phone for navigation. Unfortunately, my phone is an iPhone SE, which is small (it fits in my shirt pocket) and the directions on Google Maps are difficult to read. 

Breakfast at the Hilton was good, and since I had a short day I didn't leave until 9:30 and then spent an hour at a Harbor Freight and Walmart looking for an SAE/female cigarette lighter adapter cable that I could connect to the SAE cable by the seat of the bike in case the fault was in the handlebar power outlet. Neither place had an appropriate cable so I continued on using the phone for navigation. 

Back on I-5 heading south I went over the Grapevine and down towards Burbank. It had become quite warm and in Burbank the traffic increased with inexplicable jams every few miles followed by 80 mph. Since I was on a motorcycle I took advantage of the Express (toll) lanes, HOV lanes, and lane-splitting and I kept moving. I stayed on I-5 to CA 22 south of Anaheim where I went east to Orange and then went south on Santiago Canyon Road, which is a pleasant and well-maintained rural road that is a big contrast to the busy highways and streets just a few miles away. The road goes through a corner of the Cleveland National Forest and the elevation had increased a bit, so the temperature was pleasant. After 15 miles I arrived at Cook's Corner (Santiago Canyon Road and Live Oak Canyon Road in Trabuco Canyon), an old (built in 1884) roadhouse and motorcycle hangout that has barbeque, country dancing, entertainment, and of course drinks. On a quiet Thursday afternoon there weren't many people.

The building is larger than it looks in the picture - there is a large inner room where, presumably, the entertainment and dancing take place, and there is also a large, covered outdoor patio and another parking lot. I ordered a salad with chicken and ate on the patio. 

By this time it was 2:30 and I wanted to avoid the worst of the afternoon commute traffic - futile, I know. I followed Google Maps to the 241 toll road to 133 to I-405 into Long Beach, where there was a very slow few blocks before I turned onto the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway, which is several miles inland at this point) to the Hotel Current, where I stayed last year. I checked in, unpacked, showered and called Andrew who said to come on over. We chatted awhile at his apartment, played with the cats, and then walked a few blocks to the bluff overlooking the Long Beach beach. It was a pleasant afternoon and considerably cooler than inland. We walked away from the beach to E. Broadway (only a block from Andrew's apartment) to The Attic, where we've eaten before. We both had lobster rolls and Grandma's cornbread and roasted carrots. Back at the apartment we talked some more, and then I left for the hotel. (200 miles)

(Friday, June 28)  There was no hurry this morning because it was a short day and I was going through LA to Santa Monica and an early departure would just mean more traffic. I left a little after 9 and took I-405 to I-10 to the PCH. Traffic was Friday Lite (light for LA, anyway) and I split lanes in several places but otherwise had an easy ride. I had researched breakfast places along my route on US 1, and stopped at the Country Kitchen in Malibu, which is more of a take-out place but it does have three small outdoor tables. It looks like it has been there forever, and the clientele was a mixture of tradesmen getting breakfast to go, locals who walked down for coffee and pastry, and of course me. Breakfast was bacon and eggs and it was very good.

The buildings along Highway 1 are a mixture of old and new apartments, fancy private residences, older cottages, surf shops, restaurants, and a few strip malls. There were a couple of construction zones on the PCH with consequent slow traffic, but after a few miles I turned onto Malibu Canyon Rd. and followed that into the Santa Monica mountains to Mulholland Highway and then to the Rock Store, a famous motorcycle hangout and watering hole. The location was originally a hot springs and during prohibition Hollywood celebrities would travel there to soak and drink whiskey. In the 1940s and 1950s it was a gas station, and in 1961 a grocery store. Ed and Veronica (Vern) Savko purchased the place in 1963 and it became the Rock Store (the main building is made of stone) with a café and shop and it quickly became a motorcycle gathering place. Ed died in 2012 and now his son runs the place. Zapata Espinoza described The Rock Store in Mountain Bike magazine: "humble but infamous hangout is like a church for wayward souls whose paths to Heaven are found with throttle in hand,"

On this quiet Friday there were less than a dozen bikes in the lot and mostly older riders, like me. I wandered into the gift shop and found an appropriate T-shirt and paid for it in the café, then talked for awhile with a Triumph rider. The food is supposed to be good, but I had just had breakfast, so I was soon back on the road.

I rode on Mulholland Highway to Kanan Road then onto Latigo Canyon Road to the coast. This is a very twisty and enjoyable ride with dramatic views to the west, a few scattered and very expensive houses with more being built. One of the ads in that 1987 Road Rider magazine was for Yamaha and featured Latigo Canyon Road.

The road is just like the ad and it goes on for 15 miles. Back on the PCH I rode north and into Oxnard and US 101. I needed gas, so I stopped in Montecito, which is a popular vacation spot south of Santa Barbara and crowded with wandering pedestrians and expensive cars. My next destination was Cold Spring Tavern, a former stagecoach stop in the hills above Santa Barbara and normally reached via CA 154 over San Marcos Pass. Unfortunately, 154  was closed for several miles at the southern end, so I followed Google Maps to North San Marcos Road which joins 154 north of the closure. North San Marcos is a narrow, twisty road that is probably more fun on a smaller bike with no other traffic. As it was quite a few people were bypassing the road closure and the several 180 degree uphill hairpin turns were a challenge at a couple of miles an hour. Finally on 154 I went north for several miles and turned on Old Stagecoach Road and was soon at Cold Spring Tavern, where parking was a challenge for a 700 pound motorcycle. The only real parking lot is an uphill, unpaved area with rocks and soft dirt and after trying that and another slanted space near the road, I finally found a small spot that was mostly level and on firm ground. Cold Spring Tavern is definitely rustic, but the food and service are very good and most of the patrons (myself excepted) were expensively dressed and groomed. My house salad with steak was very good (and very filling) .

Continuing on Old Stagecoach Road I soon connected with 154 and followed that by Cachuma Lake, Santa Ynez, and Los Olivos to US 101 where I went north to Santa Maria. After a tour of Santa Maria I found the Solaire Motel and checked in. The place was OK, but definitely my kind of place and not Carol's. I walked around the area looking for a place to eat, and finally decided that I wasn't that hungry after a large and late lunch, so I purchased a fruit bowl and a bag of trail mix at a Smart and Final and ate in my room. (210 miles)

(Saturday, June 29)  The morning was overcast and chilly, and I walked across the street to a donut shop where I got coffee and a maple buttermilk bar which would get me going before a real breakfast an hour away at Margie's Diner in Paso Robles. I've eaten at Margie's many times over the years, but never breakfast. I chose a Ranch Omellete which is served over a whole Anaheim Chile with salsa and sour cream, and it was very good.

After breakfast I packed my jacket liner, rode across the street to a Chevron station, and was back on 101. The day was just warm enough and pleasant and I rode through King City (where it was warmer) and Salinas and stopped in Gilroy for gas where it was quite warm. Back on 101 there was very slow traffic in Morgan Hill (early Saturday afternoon?) so I split lanes for a mile or two and soon I was on 85 and then I-280 and home, arriving before 2 p.m. (265 miles)

The Harley is very happy on the Interstates and freeways cruising at 75 mph, and equally happy on smooth and curvy backroads. On very tight roads (Old San Marcos Rd.) the 700 pounds make themselves known, but the bike manages.

Hanford Show & Swap Meet

 The Hanford classic bike show and swap meet is an annual event in the California Central Valley and has been around for over 50 years. I first went in 1974 a year after I moved to California. I had a 1972 Honda CB750 at the time, and I left San Francisco very early on Saturday morning and rode down US 101 to Gilroy, then CA 25 to Hollister, and further south to CA 198 where I rode east to Visalia where the event was held in a closed off parking area of a shopping mall. At the time the event was put on by the Classic and Antique Motorcycle Association and it was a real eye-opener for a guy from Ohio whose only exposure to old bikes was the occasional Triumph or BSA. Here there were bikes I'd never heard of from England, Germany, Italy, France, and other parts of the world including many American manufacturers that were long out of business. The show moved from Visalia to nearby Tulare for a couple of years, spent one year farther south in Lancaster, and eventually settled in Hanford, first at the downtown central square, then at the Kings County Fairgrounds where it has been ever since. The ownership of the event changed a couple of times, and it is now run by Classic Cycle Events. 

(Friday, May 17, 2024)  My friend, John P., arrived at the house around 11 on his Moto Guzzi (which he purchased last year on our way home from Hanford) and we rode south on US 101 to Gilroy, where we went on CA 25 to Hollister where we stopped for lunch downtown at Johnny's Bar & Grill. Johnny's pays tribute to the Marlon Brando character in the 1953 movie The Wild One. Hollister had long been a destination Gypsy Tour event around the Fourth of July with motorcycle races, and a general gathering of motorcycle clubs. The event was suspended during World War II, but in 1947 it was resumed. Postwar many military veterans turned to motorcycles for a sense of the excitement and camaraderie they'd found in military service, and they joined together in clubs such as The Boozefighters. The event turned chaotic with 4000 attendees overwhelming the town of 4500, although there were only three serious injuries, all to motorcyclists. A picture (probably staged) of a drunken lout on a stationary motorcycle surrounded by dozens of beer bottles appeared in Life magazine, and a story, Cyclists' Raid, in Harper's magazine went further to sensationalize the "riot." The Hollister event resumed for several years, and the 50th anniversary was celebrated in 1997. Johnny's Bar & Grill turned out to be a dive bar with a decent kitchen and there were ten or so patrons on a Friday afternoon. 

One of the signs behind the bar advertises the services of a bail bondsman - good information to have.

Back on the road we continued on 25 past Pinnacles National Park and enjoyed the empty road, hills, and curves until CA 198 where we headed west on another twisty road over the San Benito hills and through Priest Valley, over more hills and into Coalinga, where we stopped for gas before proceeding to Hanford where we checked into the Rodeway Inn. We've been staying at this place for years; it used to be called the Downtown Motel, but a few years ago Rodeway Inn bought the property and it has been slightly upgraded and modernized. I made a quick trip to the Hanford Mall, and when I returned John and I walked to dinner at Fugazzi's, where we've eaten before. 

(Saturday, May 18)  The next morning I walked to a nearby Burger King where I had coffee and a breakfast sandwich, and when I returned to the room we packed the bikes and rode the short distance to the Kings County Fairgrounds. It was beginning to warm up, but still pleasant and we first looked at the bikes in the show area.

This nicely restored Vincent with sidecar drew many admiring glances.

A very old school extreme chopper is short on practicality.

A nice, understated custom.

An unrestored Cushman scooter.

This trike features a VW engine.

The next two pictures are of a custom BMW crafted by a retired metal worker who did all the work himself. Note the unusual front suspension, the monoshock rear suspension, and the reversed cylinder heads with the intake at the front and the exhaust at the rear.

This Royal Enfield Interceptor is as handsome as a bike gets.

We walked through the large swap meet area, but didn't find anything we had to have, although there were a few tempting bikes, such as this Indian.

Want a wicker motorcycle?

This van may have been a support vehicle for an entry in the biennial Cannonball coast to coast event. 

This Harley Knucklehead is pure classic Harley. 

In truth most of the stuff in the swap meet looked to be junk that was cleared out of a garage, but maybe it was treasure to someone. 

This 1950s BMW single has potential.

Nice custom paint on this Shovelhead chopper.

This Motobike with a 5 hp Tecumseh engine is typical of small volume manufacturers in the 1950s and early 1960s.

We saw everything twice and left the fairgrounds before noon. We followed CA 198 west to Coalinga where we stopped for lunch at the 101 Diner at the west end of town at the Coalinga Mall (a glorified L-shaped strip mall). Back on 198 we enjoyed the twisty road and the hills in the other direction all the way to CA 25, and then north to Hollister and Gilroy, where we stopped for gas before heading home. 

The Harley did fine on the smooth and mostly empty country roads. It is not a sport bike but I am not a sporty rider and I no longer need to scare myself on every turn to have fun. The Hanford show is a little smaller every year, but I'll probably keep going just because it is so much fun getting there.

Quail Motorcycle Gathering, 2024

 (Friday, May 3 to Monday, May 6)

2024 marks the 14th year of the Quail Motorcycle Gathering at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, CA. John P. rode his Moto Guzzi over from Marin and he and I left about 11:30, riding down US 1 along the coast. It was a cool day and a bit windy, but sunny and pleasant. We stopped at a brew pub north of Davenport for lunch, which was just OK, and rode through the Friday Santa Cruz traffic, splitting lanes for several miles before Watsonville. We arrived in Seaside where we stayed at the Sand Castle motel, and right after we arrived four motorcycles pulled into the lot. They were there to see vintage car racing at nearby Laguna Seca racetrack on Saturday, but we told them about the Quail show and they thought that they might do that instead. One of the guys, Timor, was there with his father, who had flown from New Jersey and was on a rented bike. Another of the group was on a Moto Guzzi, so he and John spent some time talking about Guzzi stuff. We had dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. 

The next morning (Saturday, May 6) John and I walked to nearby Angelina's bakery, a new restaurant which served a good breakfast. The previous 13 years of the The Quail had been dry, but rain had been forecast for Saturday this year, and when we left a little after 9 it was just starting to sprinkle. We rode the 8 miles to the Quail Lodge, parked, and talked for awhile with a guy on a Moto Guzzi who was a professional photographer. The gate opened a little before 10, so we opened the AXS app on our phones and after a little difficulty the reader recognized us and we went in. 

Right inside the gate was a Vincent Rapide in Chinese Red. Next is a handsome Velocette, and then a Matchless, much like one I used to own, except mine was a 650cc. The Harley custom "dragon bike" matches the owner in the background (the lady with the pink pom-poms).

Many of the bikes in the show were under canopies. The Gnome Rhone was a well-regarded French aircraft company during WWI, and also built motorcycles from 1919 to 1959. This 1946 Vespa Model 98 was the company's first production model.

Nothing special about this early 70s Suzuki 500 two-stroke except that it is very similar to the one a friend rode when we did a cross-country trip (Ohio to California and back) in 1972. I was on a gold Honda 750.

This 1955 Velocette MSS is in unusual livery - they are most often seen in black with gold pin stripes, or grey.

This custom Norton has an Art Deco look. I like the helmet on the seat. This bike received the "Spirit of the Quail" award.

This scruffy, unrestored Brough Superior SS100 is like the ones that T. E. Lawrence rode. It belongs to actor Jason Momoa, who brought two other Broughs to the show.

A custom BMW cafe racer.

This Harley Sportster is a tribute to the one Bronson rode in the TV show, Then Came Bronson.

A lot of bling on this custom. It is badged as a BSA Golden Flash, but the engine looks like a new generation Triumph.

A Zundapp flat twin stands in front of a Harley board track replica.

A pre-WWII BMW resplendent in Art Deco style.

This charming 1926 Moto Guzzi C2V has an external flywheel and if you look closely you can see the exposed valve gear - wearing its insides on the outside.

The Rudians provided live music.

Henderson built elegant four cylinder motorcycles starting back in the 19-teens.

And, finally, a Honda 305cc Dream from the early 1960s that you would meet the nicest people on, according to their advertising of the time.

At noon the rain began in earnest, and at 12:30 Paul d'Orleans, the show master of ceremonies, announced that due to the weather they were moving up the interviews and awards. John and I left the show at that time and rode about 8 miles to Carmel Valley Village where we stopped at the Cafe Rustica, which was busy, so we ate at the bar and warmed up. After lunch John went on his way over the hill to Salinas and north on 101 to Marin County, and I went southeast on County G16, which is a fun, narrow, unlined road that climbs up over the coastal hills with many twisty sections. However, in the rain it wasn't quite so much fun, and after a couple of slips on wet steel gratings in the middle of turns I went a bit slower. It got down to 42 degrees going over the hills between Carmel Valley and US 101, and rained all the way to Santa Maria, where I stayed in a Best Western Plus, which was a real find - reasonably priced, a very large room with all the upgrades (good lighting, plenty of outlets, nice desk), and quiet. The carpet might be ready for replacement, but that was the only thing that I noticed to criticize. I unloaded the bike, turned the heat up to 78, and jumped into a hot shower. At the restaurant in Carmel Valley Village I told John that my gloves were working fine in the rain. Well, they eventually became soaked - thank God for heated grips - and I realized that they were my old summer rain gloves that I had replaced because they would soak through after an hour or so of rain. The new ones were on a shelf in the garage, and they are waterproof for an extended time. If I'd thrown out the old gloves when I got the new ones I would have been a lot more comfortable on Saturday. 

I'd planned to walk about a mile to a restaurant that had good reviews, but after I went a couple of hundred yards it started raining again, so I went back to the Mexican restaurant near the motel which was OK, although they did not have NA beer, but I've come to expect that outside of large cities. 

The breakfast at the motel was good, and when I left at about 9:30 on Sunday morning (May 5) it was a bit overcast (it gradually cleared) and chilly - low 50s, but I had my heated vest on about 3/4 power so I was OK. I went east on CA 166 and after an hour stopped in New Cuyama for a break at the conveniently located Richardson Park. Fifteen minutes later I turned south on CA 33, which gradually climbed in elevation and it got colder and cloudy. The temperature dropped into the 40s, then the low 40s, and it became more overcast the higher I climbed. At Pine Mountain summit (5000 feet) it was 34 degrees - I was dressed for cold, but not that cold. Highway 33 is one of my favorite roads, but last winter was not kind to it - there are at least a half dozen one lane sections where the road was badly damaged and under repair. The lane control was by automated lights, and the wait varied from 2 to 15 minutes, depending on how long the section was. Naturally the longest wait was at the summit, where in addition to being very cold it was also windy - while I waited for the light I nearly got blown over. Descending, the sky cleared, the temperature rose, and it became a very pleasant day. I stopped for lunch at the Ojai Deer Lodge on 33 at the north end of town. Deer Lodge is an old (1932) roadhouse that used to be quite rowdy, but it is gradually being gentrified like the rest of Ojai. The building is a rambling log structure with low ceilings. They have a barbecue along with sandwiches and salads, and a stage for entertainment. I got there a little after noon, and there were a half dozen bikes parked out front along with pickups and cars. I ordered and a couple of minutes later Andrew called to say he was about a half hour away, so he joined me for lunch. We left for the theater, about 10 minutes away, and met my nephew, Andre, in the parking lot. My niece, Nina, had driven up from LA so she was there as well. After 20 minutes of socializing with them and Laurie (Andre's wife) and Peter, their 7 year old son, we went inside and enjoyed the show, which was a lot of fun. Adeline, Andre's daughter and my grand-niece, played Annie and she was very good - Andre later told me that she's been in 21 different shows since she started doing theater five years ago when she was 6. This was the last performance for Adeline's cast, so she and the rest of the kids went to an ice cream party in downtown Ojai, and the rest of us had late lunch (Andrew and I had snacks) at Rotie, a rotisserie restaurant specializing in roasted chicken dishes. Most of the seating is outside at picnic tables, and it was a bit cool but pleasant. Andre went to get Adeline and a friend of hers whom they were giving a ride back to Ventura. 

We left the restaurant - Andrew was meeting up with Casey, the director of the show and one of Andrew's housemates when he went to SF State, Andre dropped off Nina at her car back at the theater, and the rest of them went back to Ventura. I rode to Ventura and checked in at the Shores Inn, which is about 100 yards from the Inn at the Shore, where I stayed several years ago when sister Linda (mother of Andre) was in town to visit. Vanya (my sister) and I drove down in her car - she had just retired and needed a little road trip to celebrate. The Shores Inn is more of a downscale establishment, but it was OK. I unloaded the bike and walked to Andre's house, which was a mile away, and we talked and the kids showed me their treasures and I got to visit with family. 

I slept well and the next morning (Monday, May 6) I was in the motel office a little after 7 looking for coffee, which was brewing and not yet available. The breakfast was minimal anyway, so I walked to a nearby Chevron and got a cup of coffee (not bad) and had a Clif bar for breakfast. On the road a little after 9 I got right on 101 and followed that all the way to south San Jose and then 85 to 280 and home. I stopped at Margie's Diner in Paso Robles for a roasted turkey sandwich with green Ortega chilies, jack cheese, and onion rings, which is what I always get there. I had a full tank from Ventura, and I got gas in Paso Robles and then again at the Chevron in Gilroy and got home at 4 PM - 370 miles. 

The gas gauge on the bike, which has been replaced three times already, bounces randomly between full and empty, but otherwise the bike is fine. (I'm told that BMW has an updated sensor strip, and I will get the gas gauge fixed sometime before I leave for Redmond and the BMW MOA rally in June.) I had my heated vest on at 3/4 when I started off in the morning, but later switched to 50% and kept it there the rest of the day - it was a bit cool most of the day in the mid 60s. (When I got home the vest battery was depleted, so I ordered a spare so I can ride longer with a higher heat level.) I kept the heated grips at low most of the time, but would turn them off occasionally. Overall it was a pleasant ride with light traffic, even through Santa Barbara and Salinas, and I enjoyed the stretch along the coast in the morning before 101 turns inland north of Gaviota. 

Petersen Museum and Long Beach

Tuesday, September 12, 2023. The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles has a special exhibit of motorcycles from the Barber Museum outside of Birmingham, Alabama. I’ve been to the Barber, but since there are some 900 bikes on display I wasn’t able to look carefully at each one, and I thought that with a smaller selection of bikes at the Petersen, I would be able examine them at my leisure. 

I didn’t leave San Francisco until 11 in the morning and rode 101 straight to Los Alamos (south of Santa Maria). I was on the Harley and enjoyed the pleasant day and just rumbling along the 101. I stopped for gas in Gilroy and for lunch in King City but otherwise went straight to Los Alamos where I stayed at the Alamo Motel, which seems to have been thoughtfully upgraded with a couple of exceptions. 

The room was pleasant but spare with a sort of bunkhouse vibe to the furniture. The only real problem was the lack of lighting. The light in the bathroom was bright enough, but the lighting in the room - two sconces on either side of the bed and a central ceiling light - was very dim. The bulbs were decorative rather than useful. The lone table was next to the window and as long as it was daylight I could read or use the iPad, but once the sun went down not so much. I joined our Taco Tuesday group for an hour, and then went across the street to a Mexican food vendor outside a winery and wine tasting room. There was a temporary screened shelter and the cook was busy as was the woman taking orders and assisting the chef. Everyone seemed to be locals and they all knew each other and the food vendor. I took my order back to the room and picked up a soft drink at the motel bar, which was a small building near the road with screened windows on three sides.

Wednesday, September 13. I was up early and walked to a nearby Chevron for coffee and a slice of banana bread to get me going. There is a bakery in town and there were people inside working, but it didn’t open until 8. The town consists of the winery, a couple of art galleries, antique shops, and two gas stations. I was on the road a little after 8 and went south on 101 to the turnoff for Highway 154 which goes over San Marcos pass and into Santa Barbara. It is a shortcut if you are heading south on 101 and there was some traffic, although it mostly moved along over the speed limit. I did see one Sheriff’s car looking for speeders.. 

In Ventura I followed the GPS to the Hill St. Cafe, which is near a complex of public buildings. In a few minutes my nephew, Andre, joined me for a late breakfast. He works in the Public Defenders office nearby and I enjoyed talking with him and catching up with what is happening with his family.

Back on the road I followed the GPS to downtown LA and the Petersen Museum on Wiltshire Blvd. Traffic was heavy with inexplicable jams every now and then, and I took advantage of lane-splitting and the express lanes (motorcycles can use the express lanes.). The museum garage is very convenient and secure, and I parked, locked up my gear and went in. The museum wasn’t crowded, and I found the motorcycle exhibit, which consisted of only 20 or so bikes - probably chosen to give an overall view of the history of motorcycles. 

The Munch Mammut (mammoth) was the brainchild of German mechanic and tuner, Friedl Munch, who in 1966 released the NSU powered machine that bears his name. The bike used a four cylinder, air-cooled engine of 1000cc capacity which later grew to 1200cc. It was heavy at well over 600 pounds, but the engine was powerful and very smooth. They were produced in very small numbers, and I would like to know the story of the the bike in the picture below. (Unfortunate lighting due to the bike being placed in front of a window.) The bikes were heavy sporting machines, but the one here has a small fairing and windscreen, spotlights, and a large sissy bar with a luggage rack - all popular accessories of the time, but out of place on this bike.

    

The racy Indian Scout and Triumph bobber catch the eye.

    
The Benelli Sei (six) preceded the Honda six by a couple of years, although, like the Honda, it never achieved great success in the marketplace.

    

    

 

Parilla made small (175cc - 250cc) motorcycles that were successful in racing and also quite beautiful.

This BMW R69 looks a bit stodgy among the other bikes, but it had good performance, reliability, and comfort.

   

An early Harley Davidson and a later Excelsior Super-X, both powered by V-twin engines, and both in olive green.

Finally, a very nice MV Augusta. MVs were famous for their racing machines, but they also produced stylish, small-capacity street machines.

I visited the Petersen Museum a couple of years ago, but I took a quick tour of a gallery with a special Porsche exhibit and also the "Splendor and Speed" exhibit. This Mercer Raceabout was the hottest thing going in 1913, and was once owned by world champion racer (and all around good guy) Phil Hill.

This 1925 Rolls Royce was fitted with a new, fashionable aerodynamic body in 1934 which completely changed the look of the car.

The 1937 French Delage D-8 Aerosport Coupe represented the French Government at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

The 1939 Bugatti was a gift from the French Government to Mohammed Rena Pahlavi, the future Shah of Iran, on the occasion of his first wedding.

    

The Jaguar XK-SS was the street version of the Le Mans winning D-Type. Only 16 were produced before a fire destroyed the workshop and the dies for the car. Steve McQueen owned this car and did much of the work on it himself. This has to be the sexiest car ever made, with the possible exception of the 1958 Ferrari Testarossa with the Scaglietti “pontoon fender” body. 

The 1947 Cisitalia by Pinin Farina is powered by a small Fiat engine but has good performance due to its low weight. It was featured in the 1951 New York Museum of Modern Art show entitled “8 Automobiles.”

The 1953 Ghia-bodied Cadillac (one of only 2 made) was a gift from Prince Ali Khan to his then-wife, actress Rita Hayworth.

In the early 1950s Virgil Exner had a hand in the design of several "idea cars" for Chrysler and Dodge, such as the Dodge Firearrow and Chrysler l'Elegance. The design was completed by Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin, Italy using a standard Dodge chassis. The cars were "drivers" with working windows, leather adjustable seats, and working turn signals and lights. Plymouth had their own dream car - the Plymouth Explorer pictured below, which is the only one ever made (several Firearrows were made). It has a standard Plymouth chassis with Plymouth's modest six cylinder, flathead engine. In 1955 Chrysler Corp. made the Firebomb, a further development of the Firearrow, intending to produce it in limited numbers to compete with the Corvette, Thunderbird, and Continental. In the end Chrysler decided against production, but the design was purchased by Dual Motors Corporation in Detroit as the basis of their Dual-Ghia, which was built on a modified Dodge chassis and used the potent Dodge 315 cubic inch hemi engine. The chassis and drive train were shipped to Ghia in Turin where the body and interior were fabricated,  the partially assembled cars were then shipped back to Dual in Detroit where the car was completed. Only around 100 Dual-Ghias were ever made and they were never profitable. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin both owned Dual-Ghias, as well as then Vice President Richard Nixon. Ronald Reagan did also, until he lost it to Lyndon Johnson in a poker game. (Or so the story goes - it may be apocryphal. I did a little research, and the story only appears in articles about the Dual-Ghia. This supposedly occurred 10 years before Reagan's first term as Governor of California.) 

A classic hot rod and a Tucker Torpedo.

Apparently, famed conductor Herbert Von Karajan was also a car enthusiast. He owned this 1967 Ford GT40 Mark III, which was the street version of the Le Mans winning Ford GT40. 

The Bugatti is too pretty not to include and the Porsche is just…weird.

The Nash Healey was produced in small numbers in the mid-1950s and consisted of a Healey-designed body on a Nash chassis.

This mildly customized 1950 Mercury was Sylvester Stallone’s ride in the movie, Cobra. He kept the car when the movie was completed.

Finally, three very early Porsches.

There is much more to see at the Petersen museum, but I’d been there just a couple of years ago and I wanted to avoid what traffic I could, so I left the museum at about 2:15 and followed the GPS through downtown to the 405 Freeway towards San Diego. Even in mid-afternoon traffic was heavy with periodic slowdowns and jams, but I took advantage of lane-splitting and the Express lane and kept moving, although at a slow pace. The GPS had me exit at CA-19 and then Lakewood Blvd., and then onto the Pacific Coast Highway where I pulled into the Hotel Current at about 3:20. I checked in, unpacked, and texted Andrew after 3:30 (when he gets off work) and he said to come on over. 

Andrew and I talked for awhile, his cats inspected me, and I looked at the changes he'd made to his place since I was there last year. Andrew's friend, Michael, came over from his apartment nearby and we walked to an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood, La Parolaccia Osteria, where we sat outside and had an early dinner (Pizza Margherita, Lasagna, and Ravioli with lobster and shrimp). On the way there I spotted this scooter customized in 1960s British Mod fashion with multiple lights and mirrors and a period helmet.

Back at Andrew's apartment, Michael's wife, Olivia, joined us after her Yoga on the Beach class (it's a Southern California thing) and we all discussed the latest entertainment news. Both Andrew and I had an early start the next day, so I left around 8 PM and followed the GPS back to the Hotel Current where I parked right in front of my first floor room. The room was large, everything worked, and I'd stay there again. 

Thursday, September 14:  This morning I was up before 6 only to discover that there wasn't fresh coffee in the lobby, so I went back to the room and stretched for 20 minutes before returning to the lobby to pick up coffee to drink with a Clif bar to get me going. I left the motel a little after 8 and followed the GPS through heavy morning traffic on the 710 and 10 and 5 to Lancers Family Restaurant in Burbank where I had a real breakfast. After breakfast I talked for awhile with a guy in the parking lot who had an Audi TT and also a Harley. Back on I-5  I went over the Grapevine and stopped in Gorman for gas, then back on I-5 to Route 166 west to Maricopa and 33 north through Taft and then west on CA 58 in McKittrick. California 58 is a winding and hilly road through ranch and grass land that starts off with smooth pavement, then rougher paving with tar snakes and occasional gravel in the corners - in other words a lot of fun. Two BMW GSs went by in the opposite direction, and later a sport bike - all three were going faster than I was on my cruiser, although the Harley is a lot of fun even though the 680 pound weight gives me a workout in the tight corners. After about 70 miles the fun was over and I followed the GPS on Creston Ave. through residential Paso Robles to Highway 46 which becomes 24th Street at Highway 101. Margie's Diner is a favorite stop in Paso Robles and I ordered my usual - a grilled chicken sandwich with melted Swiss cheese and Ortega Chiles. 

After lunch I stopped for gas at the nearby Chevron station, then back on 101 north. A hundred miles later there was slow traffic through Salinas, then on to Gilroy where I stopped for gas, then back on 101 to 85 to I-280 and home, arriving a little before 6:30. 

I was glad that at my last service I had a cruise control installed on the bike, along with a cigarette lighter outlet on the handlebar. My hands cramp on cool mornings, and the cruise control lets me flex my throttle hand. The power outlet means that I can use the GPS without having to run a wire back to the seat. (455 miles)