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I also finally met Kelly R., on her bright yellow Sporster, aptly named Tweety Bird. We've been emailing for 8-9 months and tried to hook up in Reno but weren't able to connect. It was like meeting a new "old" friend… one of those people that, while you've never actually met, you just know them already. Bill, a friend of CC's, came with Kimberly riding pinion. And last but not least, Todd, a friend from work, arrived resplendent on his brand new "baby" - a blue BMW R1150RT - a real beauty! We headed off via 101 to 156 and into Tres Pinos for gas and found Nancy patiently sitting on her bike waiting for us (okay, so we were a few minutes behind due to last minute nature stops in Santa Clara… the best laid plans of mice and men and all that). After a few missed and phone calls, we managed to hook up with Ed and Lynzie at the intersection of J1 (aka Panoche Rd.). Panoche Rd. is a wonderful journey through the hills of Gilroy and beyond with lovely wide sweepers that make the lean feel soooo good. The expanse of open land around us was gorgeous… everything was green and blooming (not so great for those with allergies!), horse ranches and cowboys riding them which almost lost us the company of one particular female (I won't mention names but her initials were Cheryl). We turned left onto Little Panoche Rd. (continuation of J1) for more fun on the backroad twisties. There was one section that was nicknamed "Camouflage Rd." as it had been patched in so many places in so many different ways, it seemed like it was trying to camouflage itself as a road, as well as one section that was so bumpy it resuled in airborne butt moments and some of the ladies wishing for better undergarment support! And we all did our part in decreasing the bug population in them thar parts of the countryside… windshields had to be wiped off more than once so people could see through them! Guess those bugs won't have the guts to do that again… hahahahahaha… ahem, okay pun courtesy of my dad. I had to listen to it for years so now I'm sharing it with you all! We stopped for a brief rest/nature stop off the side of the road while CC called some friends who were going to meet us in Fresno. Then on through the rolling hills, across Hwy 5, and along straight farm roads that go for miles and are very easy to find yourself getting frisky (that old twist of the wrist syndrome!). We came to 180 (the spot where a RT or LT would have been most helpful) and turned LT, which unbeknownst to CC was the wrong direction. I thought she had gotten a new direction from her friend on the phone so didn't question and followed our leader (which is what you do anyway - we all get lost and share the adventure together)! We pulled into the beautiful town of Firebaugh (don't blink, you'll miss it!), stopped for gas, and to figure out the best way to get to Fresno from there. We had six different people looking at maps, asking directions of townsfolk, walking this way and that, kneeling on the ground to look at maps trying to find 7-1/2 Ave. (the area seems to have had a decided lack of creativity in naming roads… all numbered 1, 2, 3, and some ½'s thrown in for good measure) it was a little bit like Keystone cops movie for a moment or two. We got clarification and headed off again at a fast pace as we wanted to make sure we made the 2:00 tour (the last one for the day) at Forestiere Gardens and it was already 1:20 - but minus Ed & Lynzie as they had family obligations to attend to. As the pack hummed along at 80 mph along those farm roads, there were two blurs that blasted by us as Todd and Bill let their frisky side get the better of them. But, being gentlemen, they did wait for the rest of us at the next turn.We made it into town just in the nick of time… unfortunately not enough "nick" for Todd to be able to make the tour as he had a commitment back home that he needed to jet off to make. The gardens were very cool… both literally and figuratively. At least a 15-degree drop in temperature which was very much appreciated at that time of the day. There are pics up on the website (thank you, Patrick!) so if you're curious, take a gander to see what it's like "down under." We were first treated to a question & answer time before the tour by the owner, an older lady, who kind of rambled through the history of the gardens intermixed with other fables that really didn't have much to with anything and that, coupled with not being able to hear her very well, made us say everything from "what'd she say?" to "what is she talking about?!?" We glanced over at Bill and Kimberly, who were so fascinated they were nodding off at one point but managed to keep themselves propped up so we didn't have to pick them up off the ground or anything. Finally, we were set loose in the gardens, a maze of connected tunnels (very low in some places so watch your head and certain areas are not good the get stuck in if you're claustrophobic) going to outside gardens, holes through the ground where the trees stuck out, a sleeping and kitchen area even… guess they actually lived there in the summer months to get away from the roasting summer heat. It was quite fascinating to walk around all the nooks and crannies and try to visualize what it must have been like to dig out that much from under the ground. After the tour, we crossed the road (why did the motorcyclist cross the road?) and had a burger at In-N-Out, which at almost 4:00 in the afternoon with no food during the day except for snacks that I had packed and doled out - ever the "mom," must have been one of the most satisfying burgers ever. From there we slabbed it back via 99 to 152, as the gentle reminder that we were riding in the farmlands became ever present with the pungent fragrance of manure wafted into our helmets - whoee boy, what a scent! We stopped in Los Banos for the last gas stop of the day, and to wait for the sun to set a bit as we were driving straight into it and it was frickin' BRIGHT!! Kelly peeled off on I5 to head for Hayward, and the remaining five bikes continued along 152, which really is a nice section of freeway, winding through hills, cool pockets of air at the bottom of the valley. We were treated to a beautiful sunset, pink and gray, blue and purple, the dusky sky reflecting off the Reservoir as we drove past it. Nancy peeled off for her hometown of Hollister while CC, Cheryl, Bill/Kimberly, and I continued out to 101 and the final haul for home. At one point on 152, something caught my eye and I glanced up to see the first star of the evening (okay, so it was so bright it was probably a planet… so sue me) so I made my wish. Arriving home, exhausted yet sated, I let the afterglow of the day's ride settle in to my body, eyelids getting heavy as I dragged myself into bed, remembering the song that had popped into my head as we came over 152. It's from a Broadway musical called "Annie Get Your Gun" and the lyrics go: "Got no diamonds, got no pearls, Kind of summed it up quite nicely.
Peace,
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Another
brilliant California "winter" morning dawned, blue skies and
bright sunshine. We met for the 2nd most important fueling of the day,
caffeine! CC and her sister Cheryl (who is a chip off the old block…
we did 340 miles on this particular day which accounts for 25% of the
total mileage on her bike and doubled the total mileage of her longest
ride… and she had no problems keeping up!) were there even earlier
than me… guess CC couldn't wait to get this ride started as she
was leading it (she made the mistake of asking me what the route was…
and I said, well, golly gee, why don't you plan and lead it? : She also
learned Rule 376 of planning a ride - write down the actual turn directions
- RT/LT - as well as the compass directions!).