Joys of the Open Road

One of the nice things about living in Southern California is it’s proximity to a ton of great riding areas. Pacific Coast Highway, Angeles Crest Highway , the many, many canyons in the Santa Clarita Valley, out through Mojave to Highway 395 north and on up though Mammoth to the back side of Yosemite and Tioga Pass. The list is endless and varied.

The last trip I took was up the 101 Highway to the Central Coast area of San Luis Obispo, Atascadero and Paso Robles. It was about 225 miles north of Los Angeles, one way. I have long loved this area for it’s unmatched beauty and un-crowded back roads. It reminds me of the area where I grew up in the Southern Santa Clara Valley, before it went “urban”. When I was there, up until 1964 or so, it was still un-crowded and rural. Now it’s a bedroom community to Silicon Valley, full of miles and miles of rooftops of the urban sprawl. There are still some pockets of “ruralness” here and there but not like it was. But then, what is now days?

Back in the day, I rode a collection of beater motorcycles, often as my only mode of transportation. I covered about every inch of the back roads of the south county area . All the foothills had rural back roads leading to nowhere. But, often that was the point! For a true motorcycle rider, it’s about the ride, not the destination. I remember a trip a couple of years ago up to Grass Valley, CA via Highway 49 along the western foothills of the Sierras and then back down 395 to La La land. All the way down 395, I kept seeing these little two lane roads disappearing up into the foothills to the west of the highway. It was all I could do to not turn up those roads just to see what the ride would be like. It’s a wonder I ever made it back home.

It’s summer time here in L A now. Riding in this very hot weather is no joy. It’s time to “get out of Dodge” once again. I’ve discovered a fantastic website called www.pashnit.com who’s author is even more of a touring junky then I am. He has put together a wonderful site that details literally hundreds of rides and routes throughout California. Check out this site, you won’t be disappointed if you are a rider. He has now started leading guided tours through some of the most beautiful areas of the state. I may just have to sign up for one.

After all the many and varied “beater” bikes I have owned, I have finally risen to the top of the food chain. I ride a world class touring bike called a Honda Goldwing . This machine is the epitome of comfort and luxury. It’s got everything but doors. I’ve mounted satellite radio, GPS navigation via a PocketPC and a helmet system with it’s own speakers and intercom. This baby is design for just the type of trip I like. Luckily, my new (est) wife loves to ride as well. It’s a good thing or she might not see much of me on my days off! I may have to add trailer towing capability to the “Wing” to handle the extras that need to come along when she travels with me. She only has two feet, why so many shoes?

Here’s a couple of links to touring groups I belong to: http://www.gwrra.org/
http://www.gwta.org/ If any of you are in the southern California area and want to talk bikes, touring or riding in general or get together for a ride, drop me a line at d.bostick(at)Gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.