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The day started with coffee at Starbucks with just my, myself, and I… and Patrick, who unfortunately had on-call work duty and was not able to join the festivities in Hollister but got the bike out for a spin nonetheless – he is a true die-hard! The sky was blue and the temperature mild. We chatted about life in general and then he headed off for responsibility and I headed off for the hills. I took every backroad I could to avoid the freeway and it was lovely. Through Los Gatos, Shannon Rd. to Felter to Hicks and out through Uvas. While I enjoy riding with other people, sometimes a solo journey is such a wonderful experience… it’s just you… no one else to worry about… a good time to feel the bike and feel the rhythm of the road… way cool! I was amazed at how little traffic I encountered along the way Stopped for gas in Morgan Hill and chatted up a rider on his Harley (imagine that… a Harley headed for Hollister!) who said he’d show me a back way in (Hwy 101, as usual, was packed and backed up). So I followed him for a bit but then realized I knew a more back way in so peeled off down Frazer Lake Rd.
And then I rode into the madness that is Hollister on 4th of July weekend. I think there were more people attending this year than ever… it was PACKED! Rode down the main drag with a bazillion other bikes, roasting my tush off since I didn’t have a chance to strip off my jacket while sitting in the hot sun, listening to the idling roar of thousands of bikes along the boulevard. I finally made it through town and to Nancy’s house where chilled bottles of water awaited me. Robin was there as well and after I’d had a chance to rest up, we headed for downtown.
I think my favorite part of Hollister is the people watching. There are so many interesting and varied personalities, it’s a veritable smorgasbord of the human condition. And for the most part, all very cool people with a few extremely unique souls thrown in for good measure. We bike watched (wonder what the price tag would be if you added up all the $$ spent on the different machines… might pay off the national debt!) – one of our favorites was a jet ski which was remodeled to include a motorcycle body underneath it! And Hollister would not be complete if there were not the occasional fashion police moments (yikes!).
After wandering around for a couple of hours, we headed back to Nancy’s house and chowed down on Chinese food and watched a movie. We all shared a tequila shot or two with Nancy’s husband, Gil, and then headed upstairs so Nancy could show us her downloading capabilities on the computer. We also learned a couple of things about Nancy – she can sing (loudly but not on key) and also has the white-man’s overbite dancing capability. Fine combination in private but not a good idea in public! Finally, after a lot of laughing, we hit the sack.
The next morning, Robin had to head for home but Todd and CC joined us for the backroads ride. We headed down 25 to Panoche Rd., stopping for a badly needed beverage at the Panoche Inn, as the temperature in Hollister was quite comfortable but the farther away we went, the warmer it got! We chatted with the bartender about a couple of roads we were intending to try (New Idria to I think it was Clear Creek Rd.) and he suggested we revise our route as the road was mostly dirt and not very conducive to cruiser-style bikes. So we headed out Panoche Rd. and a 40-mile shot down I5 (ick!) into beautiful downtown Coalinga.
We gassed up and stopped at the local Denny-esque restaurant for some respite from the heat and food for the bodies. Chatted up some of the locals about when they used to ride and what to watch out for… I swear, motorcycles just make almost everyone your best friend! From there, we headed for Los Gatos Rd. which turns into Coalinga Rd. and ends at 25. Folks, this had to be one of the most fun roads I’ve been on in a long time. Yeah, a little bumpy here and there, a little gravel to and fro, but some of the loveliest sightseeing and terrain… so many colors – burnt orange, yellow, varied shades of green – all alongside a dry creekbed that ran almost the whole length of the road. A warning: be sure to gas up before taking on this road because there is nothing – no turnoffs, no services – for 52 miles. And I think we saw one other motorcycle and about three cars in all that time… it was heaven!
We took a rest stop at the junction of Coalinga Rd. and Hwy. 25 and marveled at the road we had just traveled. Finally, the sun encouraged us to get on our bikes and make some breezes upon our hot bods. I asked Todd if he’d like to go in front (he of the Happy Throttle crowd) and he said,” Nah, I’m not looking to break any land speed records.” And then proceeded to shoot out from the side of the road like a bat out of hell complete with dust trail. Yeah, right, Todd… no land speed records for you! CC followed in similar fashion followed by Nancy and then I took up the rear.
Now I’m usually leading the rides so don’t get the relaxation of hanging out in the back and not worrying about everyone behind me. So I was reveling in the joy of being in the back of the pack and came across this one long straightaway stretch on Hwy. 25 that just begged for me to stop and snap a couple of pics so I acknowledged the urge and pulled over. And that’s when it hit me… one of those spiritual riding moments… as I stood there, snapping away, all of a sudden the stillness of the moment hit me like a brick wall… there was no one else on the road – no motorcycles, no cars, nothing. I could hear the wind rustling the tall, dried grass behind me and blowing through my hair, the warm sun on my face, a flock of birds flew across the road in front of me, the geometry of perfectly place hay bales on the land in front of me, a hawk’s screech in the distance… it was if the world was mine for a few minutes… and I just sat there in the stillness and reveled in it. Unfortunately, I gave Nancy a bit of a scare as I sat serenely in my spiritual moment as it stretched out to about 15-20 minutes (I lost track of time… sorry, Nants!). We caught up a few miles down the road and headed back to her house where I was severely scolded and groveled appropriately.
Once back to Nancy’s, we were pleasantly surprised at the appearance of Audrey (she likes to make the splashy entrances, I think), and Todd took responsibility for the ceremonial barbeque lighting (we were a little concerned at his generous use of the lighter fluid… our little Firestarter) as well as cooking of the steak and chicken, both of which he did an extremely fine job! We loaded up our plates with meat, salad, and garlic bread and headed out for the sidewalk to witness the neighborhood fireworks spectacle. Kids running in the street with sparklers, fireworks set off on tops of ladders, big booms in the sky (a couple which caught a few of us off guard with the decibel level!), spinners, twinklers, fizzlers, all kinds of wonders going off all around us. Truly a time warp as that was what our childhood fireworks were like, before we were deemed too unsafe to handle them and fireworks were outlawed in the surrounding counties.
After the excitement died down, Todd headed for home and CC, Audrey, Nancy, and myself headed inside for more laughing, chatting, and finally, sleeping! The next morning, we packed up (CC got the award for the most intriguing sleeping bag as it looked like a giant pumpkin and we were impressed at the way she got it strapped to the bike) and headed out for the coast. CC & Audrey continued on to pre-ride the route for this Saturday’s Pescadero ride (should be a really fun route so am hoping more of you will make an appearance for that one!) and I headed for Capitola to meet up with my sisters for brunch before heading for home that afternoon.
All in all, it was a wonderful weekend complete with sights, sounds, and the bonds of friendship. Thanks again, Nants and Gil, for giving us a home away from home. Look forward to seeing you on the road again soon!!
Peace,
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First
off, many thanks to Nancy and Gil for their hospitality and kindness
in opening up their home to us wayward souls. A crash pad, a barbeque,
AND fireworks?? We are truly honored and grateful!