Local Smell-the-Flowers Ride

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James Burleigh

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This morning I texted Jerry White (jwhite518) to ask if he was available to go riding this coming Saturday, Christmas Eve. Jerry texted right back, saying “Out of town Saturday. However I am riding today after lunch. Play hooky?”

Well, no need for me to play hooky since I’m already taking the week off, and with the weather mid-50s and sunny, I let him know I was game. Jerry met me at my house at 1:30 on his FJR (not that bitch Wing of his :D ), and we designed a local smell-the-flowers ride where we would take it easy, see some local sites, and be allowed to stop more than once every 13 hours like Jerry prefers. :p

Here’s the route we took, ending up in Berkeley at the Wall, from which we each headed home (I wound up getting onto the freeway at 5 PM at my usual on-ramp in a sea of brake lights just as if I'd been at work that day, and made my usual work-day, lane-sharing drive home in heavy traffic. :angry: But I was on vaca and didn't let it harsh my mellow -_- ).

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Fang takes a pic of the boys ready to go....

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Overlooking Carquinez Strait....

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California Maritime Academy, with a view of the training ship Golden Bear....

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Peek at the old C&H Sugar Factory....

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Carquinez Bridge, or Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, consisting of a new suspension span and cantilever bridge....

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What it's all about (well, it's about friendship too :friends: )....

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Our ride included local favorite Bear Creek Road (stock photo below). I let Jerry go ahead of me on this one.... :clapping:

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View of San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay from the Wall....

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Golden Gate Bridge....

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Only one other guy was at the Wall, who rode in on a Kawasaki Ninja (picture below). He was a young fellow with a shaved head and a bit of a crazy look in his eye. In fact he looked a bit like this guy here. At one point I noticed he was poking at his headlight cowling with some kinda tool, which I then realized was an 8-inch Bowie knife. :eek: I looked quickly away and resolved not to piss him off.... (Notice the smiley face sticker on his bike with the bullet hole through the forehead. :unsure: )

But I did go up to him and, with a jerk of my thumb over my shoulder to indicate Jerry, said, "See that guy over there. He thinks you're an ass-hole. What are you gonna do about it?" :rofl:

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Here's a picture of Jerry's auxiliary fuel tank so he can go farther without stopping to pee.... (Here's a smiley of Jerry the iron butt guy: :crazy: )

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And here's a picture of Jerry's cockpit. Our friend Jim Bowie right away noticed and commented on the "bandoleer" (i.e., bullet holder) functionality along the side of Jerry's tank bag. Ooooooookaaaaaaay..... :unsure: (P.S. Jim Bowie, I noticed, was missing his index finger on his right hand. He probably lost it in a knife fight with his buddy Davy Crockett.... )

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Well, Jim Bowie left, and Jerry and I let out a sigh of relief. That's when Jerry announced today is his 50th birthday ('splains why he was taking the day off work), and I asked him if he was planning to go for a ride to celebrate.... :blink:

Happy birthday, Jerry! Thanks for playing motorcycles in my backyard sandbox with me today. :jerry:

JB

 
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Thanks for the ride today, JB. It was just what I needed to usher in my second semicentury. Great pics, too.

I didn't notice Bowie's missing finger till I shook hands with him and something felt funny. :eek:

 
Hans glad to see you grew a set after all........ :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: meet me at the top of Monitor pass Saturday am??????

R

 
Looks like a perfect day for a ride. That overlook with the scary knife carrying fella looks a lot like what I know as Grizzley Peak Rd / Skyline Blvd. But there are a lot of secret twisty roads along that ridge. A favorite of mine in that area is to drop off Skyline to Pinehurst Road to Redwood Road and ride south to Castro Valley. We sometimes pick that up on the way to Alice's Restaurant.

 
Looked like a great time, thanks for sharing. Where were the smelly flowers? :blink:
Thanks, FJRB. It is winter now, the spring is asleep, and the flowers are resting. :)

Hans glad to see you grew a set after all are more of a man than I could ever hope to be. Meet me at the top of Monitor pass Saturday am??????

R
Isn’t Monitor Pass, like, in the mountains an all, where it’s cold and snowy? Um, I would love to, but I think I’m sleeping at that particular time. :unsure:

Looks like a perfect day for a ride. That overlook with the scary knife carrying fella looks a lot like what I know as Grizzley Peak Rd / Skyline Blvd. But there are a lot of secret twisty roads along that ridge. A favorite of mine in that area is to drop off Skyline to Pinehurst Road to Redwood Road and ride south to Castro Valley. We sometimes pick that up on the way to Alice's Restaurant.
Our overlook point is on Grizzly Peak just above the Berkeley campus. Redwood and Skyline are a bit to the south and great motorcycle roads. Jerry grew up riding those roads. I know because I’ve tried to keep up with him before on them. :(

Wow,that was way more fun than I had at work...

Way to go guys!
Thank you, Don. Hope to ride with you in the new year.

 
Ooh, you guys rode really close to my office where I had my FJR snoring in the parking lot yesterday. I wish I could have played hooky. I definitely have been enjoying the weather around here but I was stuck just doing the usual commute to/from work. A tad less than 200 miles to go and my 600 mile break-in period will be complete. Muwahaha!

 
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