Hanford Show & Swap Meet

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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.