Solo ride to the Desert

Every now and then I take a trip alone. I needed to meet with a client in the Coachella Valley today and decided to ride out on the bike. Southern California is still enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures, perfect for two wheel travel. With a fresh Michelin mounted on the rear wheel I rolled out of Pacific Beach at 8 a.m. After getting the freeway portion out of the way I headed East through Temecula. Fairly light traffic meant I was able to click off some fast miles on the 371. After a quick stop in Anza I was anticipating the ride down to Desert floor via Hwy. 74. This particular two lane is among the finest in So Cal for sport bikes. The pavement is uniform and twisties are abundant. With only a few cars to pass I enjoyed the road to myself.

Heading back I stopped at the Vista point to take in the view and chat with some fellow bikers. Absolutely stellar weather accompanied me throughout the day. I arrived home a bit stiff from 2 hours in the saddle. Closing the garage door, one word came to mind. Gratification.

New Years Day 2009

Running a bit late I arrived at John's garage at 8:20. After a quick adjustment to my chain we were off to breakfast at Kono's. Traveling toward the beach we could see the marine layer was starting to burn off. It was going to be very favorable for ride in the backcountry.
We topped off our tanks and headed South on I-5. I lead the way til the 54East, keeping a mellow pace of low eighties. Otay Lakes Rd. was a new experience, smooth sweeping corners were drawing me in. We wound our way east on Honey Springs Rd. another new twisty two-lane for me.

Descanso was our half way mark, so we topped of again and took a break to stretch our legs.I snapped a quick shot of John's Ducati and my Yamaha. Deciding to take Old Hwy. 8 proved to be worthwhile as we enjoyed light traffic and lots of fast corners. The odometer read 157 miles when I pulled in at home. It was a terrific start of the New Year. I look forward to many more travels on two wheels this year.