2008Norcal

2008 December 13 - Polar Bear Ride

2008-12-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

2008 December 13 - Fourth Annual Polar Bear Ride

{Click on any picture to view it full sized.}

Okay. Today is the NorCal VROC's Fourth Annual Polar Bear Ride {PBR}
We are meeting in Livermore at 11:00 AM for Brunch. Then a short ride in the coastal range near the infamous Altamont Hills.
Emil Villa's
A brief history of Emil Villa's Hickory Pit.

from: Oakland Tribune, Mar 13, 2004
"Started in 1928 in Oakland as the Hickory Pit, baker Emil Villa became owner in the 1940s. The chain expanded and was bought by Oakland's Clorox Co. in 1979, which sold it in 1986 to a group including David Preuss. Emil Villa's filed for bankruptcy in 1998 and then sold its eight Bay Area restaurants, with four including the Oakland one going to Hahn Global International. That firm is led by Alex Hahn, a grocer turned real estate developer and restaurant owner."

The ribs went down hill and the original "brown sauce" was lost by the Clorox Company. The first Emil Villa's Hickory Pit was on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. {in the late 60's my younger brother had an apartment two blocks away while he was attending the California College of Arts and Crafts} That location was shut down and the Oakland location was moved to Rockridge Shopping Center by Clorox. There is little similarity between or among any of the BBQ joints with the name of Emil Villa any longer.

I remember the "good old days" {for me the 1950's, 60's and 70's}. I "found" the Oakland store and remember the ribs which they served over a hamburger bun covered with their brown sauce and served with french fries and a pickle spear. Their sauce was a brown gravy based sauce that had a delicious distinctive flavor that would enhance the ribs. I would also mop up the remaining sauce with the other half of the hamburger bun which was your "bread".

The Hayward store is one of the older EV's and I used to eat there as often as the Telegraph store. My golfing buddy, a CPA, was the accountant for Emil Villa during the 1970's. Emil sold I think 4 stores {maybe more} to Clorox for $7 million.

From EV's Livermore web site: {but the ribs and sauce are a far cry from when Emil owned the chain}
"the story of the “california” barbecue
california barbecue is the direct descendant of a traditional indian cooking system used by the kiowas, araphoes and ures. we are very fortunate today that an old kiowa sheepherder names tom walkingstorm shared the secret of his ancient indian barbecuing method with the founders of emil villa’s california barbecue restaurants.

the indians barbecued over open fires and swabbed their meats with a secret basting solution they called “lassyemma.” they dig a pit about thirty inches deep, near a cliff or in a cave where the fire would have protection from the wind, and where the meats would receive the maximum smoke. during the process, they would intermittently swab the meats with the lassyemma which gave the meats their distinctive flavor and retained the juices, preventing the meats from shrinking.

in 1928, we opened a small storefront on the old trolley line on telegraph avenue in downtown oakland to introduce california barbecue to the world. lassyemma, now known as by its trade name “pyrocure”, was applied with a patented spraying device. mr. Emil villa, already known around oakland for his fine pies, soon gained a reputation for the best barbecued ribs and meats as well.

today, emil villa’s california barbecue is famous throughout the world. at emil villa’s, we hope you will enjoy eating our fine fare as much as we enjoy cooking it for you."

But EV still serves a very fine breakfast.

Jim, Cat, Redbeard, VSP and K. C. waiting to order
Jim S. and Cat with their 4E inspired shirts and Cat's Jelly Belly jacket
Cranky has the ham and eggs and ordered the country potatoes "burned"
Redbeard and I have the waffle
Cat has the veggie omelet
K.C. and Jim S. have the pancakes with sausage
Redbeard tells a dirty joke and Cat blushesJim comparing his front end to K. C.'s MeanieRounding up and bundling up for the Ride
We hit the road shortly after Noon. The weather report called for a chance of showers, but the skies looked pretty good. We rode to the entrance of the Livermore Laboratory then turned onto Vasco Road to head toward Brentwood.

Today's Ride Route
If you click on the View Larger Map it will become an interactive Google Map and you can zoom in or even use Street View for a Virtual Ride.

View Larger Map

Vasco Road used to be a fun, twisty country road when Brentwood was a farm town of 2,000 people. But Brentwood now has a population of over 40,000 and Vasco has become a commuting highway. Quite a bit of traffic but it was moving faster than we were going in the cold and windy conditions.

We head over to Deer Valley Road and onto Balfour and need to take a pit stop at a local AM PM.

Undressing for the pit stop. But Cranky can take a pit stop with his helmet on. :-)
Jim, Cat, Cranky and K.C.
K. C. , VSP, Jim and Cat
Getting ready to hit the road againWe then head over to the "haunted" Byron Hot Springs Resort. But the gate is locked so we can not go in.

Byron, California is also home to the somewhat well-known and historical Byron Hot Springs, a now-abandoned resort which was a retreat that attracted many movie stars and famous athletes in the early 1900's. The first hotel was built in 1889 and was a three-story wood building, with a few cottages scattered nearby, as well as a laundry, gas plant and ice plant, all of which were destroyed by fire on July 25, 1901. A second hotel, also three stories, but made of stucco was constructed 1901-1902, but it burned on July 18, 1912. The third and final hotel, a four-story brick structure was built in 1913 and still stands.

In 1938 the resort closed, due to a series of lawsuits, probably brought about by the Great Depression, but was leased by the government in 1941 and became a military interrogation camp housing both German and Japanese prisoners of war, known as Camp Tracy, until 1945, when orders were sent to dismantle it.

In 1946 the Byron Hot Springs property was put up for sale and purchased by the Greek Orthodox Church for a sum of $105,000. It served as the Monastery St. Paul for several years. It then changed hands several times both as a resort, country club and private residence. It is currently privately owned by a developer who hopes to begin restoring the resort in early 2009, but the property is now in a state of disrepair. Plans for the restoration of Byron Hot Springs are outlined at byronhotsprings.com. In 2005, a Victorian-era carriage house on the property was burned to the ground. The hotel itself sustained some fire damage, but still stands.

Undaunted we ride past the Byron Airport. {yes, Byron (pop. 916) has a General Aviation airport}

We then wind our way onto the old Altamont Pass Road which was part of the Lincoln Highway, US Highway 50.

Altamont Pass Road with wind mills

We end the Ride in chilly but dry weather at the Chevron Minimart just east of the Livermore Harley dealership.

Cranky taking our picture
Here is Cranky's pictureCranky taking my picture
Here is a photo taken by K. C. of five of the intrepid Polar Bear Riders

We really admire the riding that Cat and Jim S. have to do to ride with our little group. They made it from Oxnard to Salinas on Friday night and were the first to the Brunch place.
Oxnard to Livermore is but a short 357 miles along Hwy 101 according to Google Maps.

Anyway today's Riders
Jim S..................Fort McMurray, Alberta .............. Meanie
Cat......................Oxnard, CA.................................Nomad
Cranky...............San Jose, CA...............................Classic
Redbeard...........Fremont, CA...............................Classic
K. C. ..................Sunnyvale, CA............................Meanie
Don "VSP".........Stockton, CA..............................R850R

end

2008 October 19 - Market Club Brunch and River Ride

2008-10-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

2008 October 19 - Market Club Brunch and River Ride

Cranky also has a Blog of today at:
http://vrocsactomarketclub.blogspot.com/

{Click on any picture to view it full sized.}

Today is a Sunday and we are to meet at the Market Club restaurant in Sacramento for a very late breakfast. After eating we are to ride South River Road down to Rio Vista. Last year we ran into the Bass Derby Parade in Rio Vista and could not get across town without help from a local resident. This year we are riding one week after the Bass Derby.

Cranky is the first to arrive after his 133 mile ride form San Jose. He found the Sacramento Produce Market easily enough, but had to ride around the circle to locate the Market Club.

Pdub is the last to arrive since he lives but 5 miles away.

Here are the daily lunch specials {note also that Spam and eggs are a breakfast special}

The six of us on five bikes get seated at our table. While waiting to order I bother some other patrons by photographing their food. :-)

Hamburger and onions over rice
Homemade corn beef hash and fried rice with eggs
Now it is time for us to order. David J, Cranky, Yvonne, Pdub, Phil T {hidden}
After ordering my corn beef hash and fried rice with two eggs over easy. I bother more patrons. :-)
A true Oriental, wienies and eggs with an old fashion waffle, while making a phone call
This is a half order of Hamburger Royale over rice with some pickled horse radishes

Our food arrives and both David J and Phil T have ordered a ham and cheese omelette with fried rice and toast instead of hash browns
Yvonne and Pdub have decided to share one order.
Pork cutlet with eggs and hash browns
Getting ready to eat
Now Cranky decides to have lunch, but his stomach is shrinking. Here are the before and after photos of Cranky's meal. :-)
Cranky's hamburger steak with fried onions, scrambled eggs and hash browns
This is what is left of Cranky's order after he has finished eating
AND the bill for the five orders with coffees came to $43.91. I collected $53 to include a decent tip.

This is what all the other plates looked like. :-)
Valdez has phoned Cranky as we finish eating. He has been on a PGR Mission and he and wife Patti and Greg will meet up with us a few miles into our Ride.

After about a half hours rest to digest the food we head over to the west side of the Sacramento River to start our Ride.

Here we are on South River Road
Just south of the village of Freeport Hwy 160 crosses over a bridge and merges with South River Road. This is where we meet up with Valdez and Greg.

One of the many marinas along the Sacramento River
A rest break in Clarksburg
Greg {on his first VROC Ride}, Patti and Valdez {bending over}
A couple of boats cruising down the river
We are riding a river levee road. The land on our right is at least ten feet LOWER than the river level
We move off the river roads and head over to Hwy 84 which runs from Rio Vista to West Sacramento. David J has to leave the ride when we reach Hwy 84 so he heads north as we continue south. But Hwy 84 eventually gets onto Ryer Island where we again are on a levee road. Hwy 84 has the McCoy river ferry to get us across the Sacramento River four miles north of Rio Vista.

Waiting for the ferry {photo by Cranky}

Here is Cranky getting ready to take a pic from the ferry
Riding the ferry {photo by Cranky}

We make it across Rio Vista rather easily this year since we missed the Bass Derby Parade.
Oct 2006 VROC Ride
We ride Montezuma Hills Road which takes us through a bunch of electric power generating wind mills.

Then we head back to Rio Vista for the end of the Ride. Valdez and crew have not eaten so they are having a late lunch in Rio Vista. Pdub wants a chocolate dipped frostie ice cream cone from Gemma T's Drive Inn.

The weather has been in the mid 70's and the winds calm. The ride pace has been moderate since the breakfast folks had full stomachs. :-)

Gassing up at a Chevron
Gemma T's where Cranky bids us all adieu
Two of my bikes are on this ride as Pdub has sold his Triumph and is borrowing my Legend until he buys his new bike. Actually he was using my 1999 BMW F650 dual sport. But I met Pdub last Sunday at the River's Edge Café in Isleton to swap bikes. Cranky picked up the F650 with his daughter on Monday. Cranky rode it back to San Jose, since his daughter although having an M1 {motorcycle endorsement} had not ridden much in the 3 or 4 years since she passed the MSF Course.
Valdez, Patti and Greg decide to try Maria's which is right next to Gemma T's.
Cerveza, chips and salsa
Verde {pork} enchiladas
Carne Asada tacos
Pdub and Phil T head back to Sacramento. Valdez and company are stopping at a couple of wineries on their way home to Sacramento. And I head east on Hwy 12 in very, very heavy trafic back to Stockton.

Todays Riders:
Don VSP I.
David J.
Phil T.
Bill Cranky S.
Pdub and Yvonne
Valdez and Patti
Greg

If you click on the View Larger Map it will become an interactive Google Map and you can zoom in or even use Street View for a Virtual Ride.

View Larger Map

end

2008 Sep 28 - Happy Wanderer Send Off Ride

2008-09-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

2008 September 28 - Happy Wanderer Sendoff Ride

{Click on any picture to view it full sized.} photos by Cranky, K.C. and VSP

Happy Wanderer, Paul S. is leaving NorCal {Defense Language School in Monterey} and being assigned to Fort Belvoir, VA in three weeks. He is a Russian translator on active duty in the USAF.

Today we rode Hwy 25 to Hwy 198 to Coalinga. Then used I-5 and Hwy 165 to get to the Wool Growers for his send off dinner. Temperatures in the Valley were in the high 90°s.

Here's HW

We meet at the McDonalds in Hollister at the south end of town.
Six bikes will make the Ride. K.C. from Sunnyvale, Cranky from San Jose, Jim S from Alberta, Cat from Oxnard, VSP from Stockton and Happy W.
K.C., Jim S., Cranky and HW
VSP in the lead Jim S. and Cat as we leave the McD's parking lot
Heeerrrees Cranky riding Sweep
From Pashnit.com:
Highway 25
Hollister to Hwy 198

"63 Miles of Bliss"

There's something unique about this road and I think I've finally realized what it is. It's the length really. That unimpeded length. It's but another deserted stretch of pavement that's become a playground of sorts for motorcyclists of any persuasion. You might even say this road has it's own fan base. A road built with motorcyclists in mind.

Hwy 25 headed south out of Hollister (home to one of California's biggest biker rallies) is probably one of California's poster-child motorcycle roads. It's one of these forgotten roads surrounded by bigger and better well traveled rides. I-5 to the east, Hwy 101 to the west. In between is this little gem and any motorcyclist will love this road!.

About 2/3 along the way on Hwy 25 there is a wide spot in the road just before the King City exit. This is the usual break spot.
Not much traffic on this road. This is one of the few trucks that I have seen on it.
We reach the intersection of Hwy 25 and Hwy 198 and go over the Grade. In the middle of our ride on Hwy 198 we stop for a break at Priest Valley. Not much in Priest Valley.
Priest Valley Station Bar and Grill

Next door is the Priest Valley Dance Hall. There was actually a band practicing inside the dance hall!

Note that the Harley sign is from Kingman, AZ HD. The old phono was blasting out tunes.
After Priest Valley Jim S. can't stand the leisurely pace that we are doing especially in the twisties. So he and HW take off toward Coalinga at high speeds. After a bit K.C. decides to follow. Somewhere in running down the other two K.C. manages to get his GPS to record a top speed of 109 mph.

Here the rest of us pulling into the Chevron, which is my usual gas stop and rest break in Coalinga. Sherm and SAG and I stopped here on our Tucson trip last year.
Along Hwy 198/Hwy 33 east of Coalinga.
We eventually get to ride I-5 for some 54 miles of heavy traffic interstate riding, not my favorite roads for a day ride, but we were getting hungry. Hwy 33 the alternate is just as straight as I-5 and slower since it goes through four or five small towns.

The parking lot of the Wool Growers in Los Banos.
Three of us parked in front of the building. Redbeard was already there waiting to have dinner with the rest of us.
Nicole our waitress took this photo of the group.
Taking our orders, which at the Wool Growers is your choice of the main course.
We got there for dinner which meant that the choices included a New York steak and prime rib.
Green salad, potato salad and beans. A bottle of house wine.
Cranky holding the chicken and rice which is Sundays entree on the other days it is lamb stew.
The prime rib and Cranky's steak.
Cat's pork chops. HW and I had the roast lamb, but we both ate it up before I got the camera out. :-)
Desert. Ice cream and pieces of cheese.
The six of us chipped in to pay for HW's dinner. Dinner is a flat $18 which includes the sales tax, but not the tip.

We say our good byes and good luck to HW. Everyone but me heads for Hwy 152 to head to I-5 or Hwy 101 via Pacheco Pass. I am the only one headed north. I take Hwy 33 as far as I can but get on I-5 just north of Vernalis and head home. The I-5 traffic is really heavy for a Sunday afternoon.

Cranky, HW, VSP, Redbeard, Cat, Jim S.

Cranky leading the South Bay group home

Redbeard

Map of today's Ride

View Larger Map

~end

2008 Aug 17 - Kilo Ride

2008-08-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

2008 August 17 - Kilo Ride
{Click on any picture to view it full sized.} photos by Cranky, K.C. and VSP

Today's Ride was the NorCal - Northern Nevada Chapters portion of spreading Kilo's ashes as he had requested. Unlike our other Rides this one had less to do with the roads than to help Bruce Rojo spread Kilo's ashes. For the Northern California site we will be spreading his ashes at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Here are today's Riders in ascending VROC number order:
Bruce "Biggtwin" Rojo...........................247
Howard "nite lite" Sublow....................4234
Don "Very Short Person" Inamasu......5569
Rick "Jest" ..........................................6372
David J. ............................................13157
Bill "Cranky" Snodgrass....................16804
David "Redbeard" Crabtree..............18179
Ken "K.C." Muir.................................23847

We met at one of the McDonalds in Novato. I like the Senior coffees and clean rest rooms. :-)

Cranky is the last to show. He has to stretch his joints before he can ride.
From left to right: Cranky, Jest, David J., Biggtwin, nite lite, K.C. and Redbeard.

From left to right: Jest, David J., Biggtwin, K.C., VSP, Redbeard and nite lite.
Here we are leaving the McDonalds and heading onto Hwy 101 South.
Here is K.C's photo of Bruce "Biggtwin" who is carrying Kilo's ashes.
This is on Hwy 101 just north of Sausalito. The marine layer is really thick. Both Jest and K.C. had come over the Golden Gate to get to Novato and they both said that the fog was so thick that it was more like a drizzling rain.
Nite lite is leading at his usual 75 mph. We are of course in a 55 MPH Speed Zone.

We have arrived at the Fort Baker Battery Spencer inside the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. We parked down the hill and hiked up to this spot.
VSP, Jest and Redbeard catching their breath. Redbeard has had recent heart surgery. Jest and VSP are just old. :-)
We are just discussing where the exact spot will be.
Bruce at the spot we selected. This may be the only photo where the Golden Gate Bridge is not shrouded by some sort of marine layer this afternoon. The marine layer is drifting from right to left at about 15 knots. So normally one or the other of the bridge towers is hidden from view.
Today is a typical Summer day for this part of the San Francisco Bay.
You can see the Marina District of San Francisco and Crissy Field of the Presidio behind the Bridge. And a little speed boat going under the Bridge. It is a gorgeous view despite the marine layer. Or maybe because of it.
Getting ready. From left to right: Bruce, K.C., Redbeard, VSP, Jest, nite lite and David J. Cranky took this photo.
Bruce is probably our longest term VROC member here in NorCal since the passing of Papa Cats VROC#6. He will have the honor of spreading Kilo's ashes. The next three photos are of this ceremony.

Rest in Peace, Kilo.

This is a view of Alcatraz from here.
This is a view of a marina at old Fort Baker. It is about 150° from the Bridge photo.

After this we all head our separate ways. Some south. Some north. Some east.
K.C. took a ride around the rest of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Here are some of his photos:

End

2008 July 26 - Princeton-by-the-Sea

2008-07-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

2008 July 26 - Princeton-by-the-Sea
{Click on any picture to view it full sized.}

Today's Ride was not really scheduled. I bought a set of Givi E21 bags from Uwe and decided to ride to the Coast to pick them up. At the same time to ride down to near Half Moon Bay for a bowl of Clam Chowder.

Anyway Uwe lives in Pacifica just up the street from the fanciest Taco Bell in the country.
The Taco Bell restaurant at Pacifica State Beach is rated No. 9 on the Travel Channel's World's Best Fast Food Stops.

Front {Taco Bell photos by Uwe}

Back
Back

Uwe, his wife Rad and I head south from Pacifica on Hwy 1 heading for Princeton-by-the-Sea.
This short 12 mile trip goes over the infamous Devil's Slide:

"Immediately north of Devil's Slide is a stretch of California's State Route 1, famous for closures and landslides, which also is referred to as 'Devil's Slide'. Construction of the road began in 1935 and was completed in 1937, replacing the steep, narrow, and winding Pedro Mountain Road. It is known for the landslides and erosion that often occur during winter storms, sometimes making the road impassable. The first major landslide destroyed much of the road in 1940, and a cycle of building and destruction has prevailed since."

{Wikipedia photo}

We are to meet Red Beard and K. C. at the Princeton Seafood Company. Red Beard is waiting and has a parking spot saved. Just as I arrive the car next to that space leaves. So I park there and now we have two parking spaces. Uwe and Rad arrive and park. Then while we are saving a place for K. C. a rude Harley rider and his ruder pal on a Moto Guzzi from Marin County plow into our parking spots.

The Take-Out window of the restaurant.

The old salt guarding the entrance.

Figuring out the after lunch Ride. Turns out that this was a fruitless exercise since Hwy 1 heading south was a parking lot. The weather was gorgeous. The views along the coast can be spectacular. And were the sight seers out in large numbers today.

Today's Specials. Actually I think they are the Specials everyday.

K. C. and I have the bowl of clam chowder with a 1/2 order of warm sourdough bread. Rad has the same except she only has a cup of chowder. At $6.95 {$2.00 for the bread} this was a pretty good deal.

Uwe has a cup of artichoke soup and a grilled chicken sandwich. Uwe is not a sea food fan.

Someone snapped this photo with my camera as K. C. and I were looking at the map.

Uwe's sandwich.

Red Beard had the fish and chips. It looked good, but I had ridden all this way for a bowl of clam chowder.

After lunch we had a route planned heading south on Hwy 1. Well, that quickly changed as we ran into a 3 mile long line of cars. We can lane split in California, but you need multiple lanes to do this. Hwy 1 is a two lane road here {as well as most of it}. So no lane splitting. We turn around and head north back to Pacifica then up the hill to Skyline Blvd.

It has been quite cool on the Coast. As we are now riding the spine of the Coastal Range it is becoming quite warm. We stop to remove some gear and figure where to next. But we are very near the route to the San Mateo Bridge. So Red Beard and I bid our farewells and head back to Fremont and Stockton, respectively.

That is Uwe's new to him 1998 BMW R1200C in the foreground.

Red Beard and my 1999 Cardinal Red Triumph Legend with the new to me Givi bags. One of the bags I was using took a ride down the highway when I did a poor job of snapping it in place.

You can view K. C. photos of the rest of the Ride at:
K. C. 's photos of todays Ride

After Don, and Red Beard headed home we continued south along
Crystal Springs Reservoir. We stopped at the old Woodside Store
built in 1894. A local place of interest.

After a quick stop at Alice's restaurant, we went west to
San Mateo County Park for ice cream at the park store.

End

2008 July 13 - Sandy Robinson Ride

2008-07-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

2008 July 13 - Sandy Robinson Ride

{Click on any photo to view the full size image}
Photos by Sandy Robinson

Sunday morning {6:00 AM} picture as we get ready for today's Ride:
Breakfast in Isleton at the Rivers Edge Café

Our guest of honor, Sandy shows up. {photo by Sherm A.}

Sandy had French Toast with Honey Ham

Gathering in the parking lot at the Jelly Belly Factory. Don "VSP" talking to a new member from Elk Grove, Barry Gorman VROC #26707 and his friend from Sacramento. Both are Vulcan owners.

Bikes lined up under the Jelly Belly sign.
{this photo by Sherm}

Off we go on Pleasant Valley Road. This is a nice easy road that is used by a lot of bicyclists.

Along Hwy 128. Sandy took this one over her shoulder.

The Corners {Moskowite Corners} nothing is open. So we take a short break and head up the road to Turtle Rock.
Turtle Rock. {photo by Sherm A.}

The inside of the store at Turtle Rock. A bunch of signed dollar bills on the ceiling.

The more popular portion of Knoxville-Berryessa Road.

Lake Berryessa.

Here are some cows along the one lane portion of K-B Road. Sandy shortly will quit taking pictures as the road surface becomes extremely rough. She was not pleased with my choice of this one lane section of rough road.

The entrance to a closed Homestake gold mine. Where we recover from the ride over Knoxville-Berryessa Road.
We have a gas stop and rest break in Lower Lake. Then we decide to "free for all" along Hwy 29 to Buster's. Hwy 29 is too busy and passing opportunities too few to go as one big group. Sherm and Jim S. engaged in their "drag race" along the way.

{Buster's photos by Sherm A.}
We make it to Buster's Southern BBQ in Calistoga. Skid, Sandy, David J and Sherm's brother-in-law, Richard.

Happy Wanderer, Jim S with a mouthful and Cat.
After lunch we split off as everyone is going a different direction. I lead a pack of five bikes along Silverado Trail to Hwy 12 to I-80.

If you click on the View Larger Map it will become an interactive Google Map and you can zoom in or even use Street View for a Virtual Ride.

View Larger Map

Almost home. This is on I-5 about 3 miles from home. Note the "great" condition of I-5 through Stockton.

The riders:
Skid and Sandy Robinson
Sherm Acord
Cat
Jim S
Jazzhound
David J
Barry G
Mike, A New Vulcan Owner from Sacramento
Happy Wanderer
Nite Lite
Don "VSP"

Uwe and Rad drove and met us at Buster's for lunch. As did Sherm's relatives from Hidden Valley, CA.

END

2008 July 12 - Jest Kaw Pasture

2008-07-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

2008 July 12 - Jest's Kaw Pasture

{Click on any photo to view the full size image.}

Jest had another Kaw Pasture. Pizza and pies for dessert. Some swimming and BSing.

Skid, Sandy, Cranky and K. C.

Skid, Sandy, and Colleen

Lauren, Jest and Colleen's daughter.

Jest ordering Pizza

No Comment!!!!

Red Beard.

Cranky, pigging out!!!!!!

Steelman and Son

Oh my gawd!!!!!!

Water wings ??????

Uwe and Rad.

Lauren watching two beached whales.

The Blues Brother's ?????????????

Uwe just bought a BMW R1200C to replace the Nomad that went over the side of the road on
the May 31, 2008 Ride.

Pumpkin, Banana Cream and Fresh Peach Pies for Dessert.

Eating dessert.

~end

2008 May 31 - Skaggs Springs Road

2008-06-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

2008 May 31 - Skaggs Springs Road

{Click on any photo to view the full size image}

We meet up at the McDonald's on Lakeville Street in Petaluma.

Sherm's Burgman with his brand new Corbin seat. Just built the day before.

Bob the Builder from Geyersville and Roy C. from Castro Valley.
Nite Lite makes breakfast. He says the cane is just for "looks".

Cranky and Nite Lite Jr aka Brian S.

Jazzhound has a couple of Harley rider friends with him for the Ride.

Sherm taking pictures and Rad

Jazzhound and Uwe

More BS

We get a late start not getting out of the parking lot until about 10:50 AM. Head out to the Coast via Valley Ford Road.
Leaving Petaluma

Valley Ford Road before joining up to Hwy 1

Lucas Wharf at Bodega Bay on the left

Entering Bodega Bay

Bodega Bay

Our first rest break at Jenner at the Jenner Country Store. Also this is for the small gas tanks to top off their tanks.

David J, Cranky, Sherm, Uwe and Rad

Our Ride Leader, Josh on the far right

"VSP" {with a cigarette in his mouth} sits on Sherm's Burgman

Uwe and Rad

The ride never really made it to Healdsburg. The following happened between Jenner and Lake Sonoma.

Here is Rad's description of the main events {written June 1st, the NEXT day}:

This is Rad reporting in 'cause it hurts Uwe to type (and he's on his way to work). Together we managed to ruin the barbeque, but are thankful that no human was seriously hurt. We also thank everyone for their gracious help and patience.

My spill was a bad choice: instead of pushing a little more, I chose to bail off the side of a curve. I didn't realize the damage it would cause the bike, tho' both it and I were still quite capable of continuing. We taped a turn signal, strapped a broken bag to Uwe's bike, and dusted off my otherwise spotless gear and off again.

Uwe's spill is in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat click here to read

His age is exaggerated but the damage is not. He was rounding a curve too far outside, hit gravel, and couldn't correct in the split second left before the rocks. I was in front of him and saw him fly up into the air and disappear.

Uwe has a separated shoulder (a swollen lump between his neck and arm). No broken anything. No tears in the gear. It also seems like no poison ivy/oak either. He's so sad about messing up that beautiful bike and ... well, he'll add info... tomorrow probably.

--
-- Rad

I did not take any photos of either incident.
Sherm has some photos of Rad's mishap in his Blog at:
Sherm's Corbin Blog
Cranky has some photos of Uwe's in his Blog at:
Cranky's Skaggs Springs Road Report

David J is a retired Deputy Sheriff and made a good 911 phone call {we were lucky to have cell phone service}. Josh is a trained First Responder and went down to check out Uwe. The rest of us provided moral support and a few of the younger ones went dwon the slope to do what they could.

The Geyersville Fire Department responded with a couple of trucks and man power. They managed to place Uwe on a "board" and get him up to the ambulance. When I got home last night I called Uwe's cell phone and Rad answered saying that their son was at the Santa Rosa Hospital to take them home. And that Uwe's main injury was a separated shoulder.
{My goodness he went to work the next day!!!!!!!}

And a little humor to end the Blog.

Sherm drying out his underwear

end.............

2008 Apr 19 - Little Dragon - Welcome Home Cranky

2008-04-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

2008 Apr 19 - The Welcome Home Cranky - Little Dragon from Atwater and ending with lunch at Modesto

{Click on any photo to view the full size image}

Today I delayed the start of the Ride. The bike that I started on had an oil light come on about a mile from my home. So I took it to my maintenance place about 400 yards from my home. We filled about 1.25 liter of oil. But then examining the bike found that a bolt had busted loose on the exhaust header. So anyway I head back home to switch bikes.

Here is a map of the Ride Route:

Anyway our KSU time of 11:00 AM became 11:20 AM. The rest of the crew was at the McDonalds in Atwater. I missed my egg biscuit.

From left to right: Cranky's new bike, Rad W's bike, Uwe W's bike, and Happy Wanderer and his 650 V-Strom.

Don I., Uwe W., Happy Wanderer and Rad W.
We ride the 20 miles to Snelling through Merced County farmlands. We pretty much leave civilization after Snelling so we make a pit stop.

We turn onto Hornitos Road at Hornitos. It is an old gold mining town.
http://www.ghosttown.info/ca/hornitos/
Among the ruins in Hornitos are the walls of the Ghirardelli store, where Domingo Ghirardelli traded with the miners before moving to San Francisco in 1852 to found his chocolate company.

My camera refuses to stay on during the ride up to the Little Dragon. So these photos are from the Southern Vista Point.

Notice that the road starts at our elevation and winds back and forth down and down to the valley floor. It then heads across the bridge over the Merced River. That bridge is about half way through the Little Dragon.

The 15 miles to Coulterville takes over a half hour and is like a Disneyland E ticket ride. The traffic was real light as I set a really slow pace. No one was in front of us and no one ran up our rear end.

Here we stop for our second pit stop at a Mariposa County Park next to the historic Jeffery Hotel: http://www.hoteljefferygold.com/

These pics are on Hwy 132 just a few miles west of Coulterville.

We make the 60 mile ride to our lunch stop. Arriving at 2:35 PM. Nomad 42 is waiting for us. His bike is in the repair shop in Modesto.

Lunch is at Doc's Q'in Pit Stop: http://www.docsqinpitstop.com/Restaurant.html

Doc's uses a huge outdoor BBQ pit to slow cook his meats.

Nomad 42, Happy Wanderer and Uwe W waiting for their orders.
Cranky looks sleepy. This was his first serious ride since his accident. Welcome back Cranky.

This is my main course - the large order of barbecued ribs. I also had black eyed peas and cole slaw and a corn bread muffin.

This is Uwe's main course the brisket.

Cranky and VSP taking photos:

It became really windy as we headed home. I will have to add what Cranky and the others had to say about their rides home.

I just got off the phone with Cranky. For some reason the winds were blowing 40 knots with higher gusts along the Coast Range and through the center of the Central Valley. Hwy 99 was not windy but Cranky said that Hwy 165 was blowing this morning. I am glad that we did not have those kinds of winds riding the Little Dragon.

From Uwe:
"Anyhow, we also were nearly blown over (winds gusting at +55 mph) -- we had to slow down to "a crawl" so we where not blown into the next lane, or worse across the road. But we both had a lot of fun today thanks to all of you-- not only where our expectations met, they where exceeded by far. All of you are a bunch of great guys and we both felt really "welcomed to the VROC Family". I hope we get to do this often and we both look forward to our next ride with all of you."

The Rider's:
Cranky (VROC #16804) - San Jose, CA
Happy Wanderer (VROC #18670-R) - Monterey, CA
Rad W. (VROC #26674) - Pacifica, CA
Uwe W. (VROC #26135) - Pacifica, CA
Don "VSP" (VROC #5569-R) - Stockton, CA
Lunch only:
Jon "Nomad 42" (VROC #19338) - Manteca, CA

2008 Jan 19 - Polar Bear Ride

2008-01-19T19:50:00.000-08:00

2008 Jan 19 - Polar Bear Ride Manteca to Jackson

{Click on any photo to view the full size image}

Scotty said "Don, you can't have a Polar Bear Ride without snow ;-). " So for Scotty, Top Dawg insists he rode through this to get to the Ride. But I know that it is a photo from a Death Valley Ride.

Tom, Top Dawg and David J.

We met at the McDonalds on East Yosemite Avenue in Manteca. I got there first and had my biscuit and egg with a Senior coffee which was $0.69 in Manteca.

Tom from Sacramento arrives next, then Top Dawg. After a bit, the rest of the total of 9 bikes and 11 people arrive, 2 bikes are riding two-up.

Jason a new member from Manteca and Rhonda and Tim from Brentwood.

KC and his Meanie and John and Lea.

It is too cold to ride without my left glove today and I can't press the button to turn on my camera with my glove on. So no road photos. We head along with the traffic on Hwy 120 through Escalon and just before Oakdale we turn onto the back roads. Nice twisties along Rodden Road to Orange Blossom. More twisties as we ride Orange Blossom to Knight's Ferry. We take a break at the park above the Stanislaus River, a part of the Corp of Engineers.

David and John

Everyone but K. C. who took the photo.

We were suppose to have lunch at Teresa's Place and I am phoning for reservations. Well, it turns out that Teresa's no longer has lunch on Saturdays and wont open until 5:00 PM. On Sundays they open at 2:00 PM for dinner. So we will head over to Mel and Faye's Café, a Jackson stand by.

From Knight's Ferry we back track a couple of miles to Sonora Road, which is a little used road where on a weekend you may find more bicycles than cars on. Things are uneventful for 8 or 9 miles. Then there is a old guy on an ATV riding toward us and is pointing his arm to his left, our right. I slow but am not sure what he is trying to tell us. Then as I make the next corner I rapidly pull as far to the right as I can on this narrow road with mud and fences along both sides of the road. And just as quickly come to a stop because what I saw was a herd of cows and calves being herded down the road right at us by two horse backed cowboys. We stop in a single file and turn off the engines so as not to spook the cows with any exhaust noise. Part of the herd moves over in the dirt to my right and the whole herd stops as they reach me. Eventually the cowboys with their herd dogs manage to move the herd around us. The first time I ever encountered this. I was a bit panicked by the sight of 40 to 60 cows spread across the road and both shoulders blocking any path through them. I could not get my glove off and camera ready as I was paying more attention to what the cows in front of me were doing. And I was the only one whose camera was readily available in my tank bag.

We continue along and head north on Milton Road for 20 miles, which has recently been repaved to Hwy 26 to Valley Springs then over to the road on top of Pardee Dam.

There is the single lane road on top of the dam that we rode.

Bikes at a break at Pardee Dam vista point.

We take Stoney Creek Road, a favorite of the squibs in the Summer into Jackson.
Photo from Pashnit.com

We ride the original ride route into and out of Teresa's Place parking lot and along old Main Street. Then to Mel and Faye's Diner.
We decide to eat outside and order from the take out window because the wait for a table is too long.

Eating al fresco on a Polar Bear Ride.

KC, Top Dawg, VSP and David J. waiting for our food.

Top Dawg insisted that I post a solo photo of him. The old town of Jackson in the background.

Tom eating his burger.

Bill eating his burger.

John eating his food.

Lunch was the end of the Ride. So we break up into ones and twos as people are heading in different directions to get back home.

Here is a list of Riders and their home towns:
KC................Sunnyvale
David...........Woodland
Jason...........Manteca
Top Dawg...Atwater
John............Manteca
...Lea............Manteca
Bill..............Arnold
Tom............Sacramento
Tim.............Brentwood
...Rhonda.....Brentwood
Don.............Stockton