Mark, don't listen to that AZ wanker DonS. Your RR is looking awesome so far. This is shaping up to be one of the "Great Ones"
Keep it coming!!
Keep it coming!!
Wheaton and airboss do Kalifornia (did we really do this?)
- Thread starter wheatonFJR
- Start date
Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:
Sigh - Wheatie was nice to not mention that it was ME that bowed out on this trip. And now he keeps rubbing it in with these pics. 
Oh well, I had to make a no brainer decision - family priorities vs ride priorities. Got a few nice trips planned this year anyhow and Wheatie even guessed I was going to do a GLG this year. :scooter:
Oh well, I had to make a no brainer decision - family priorities vs ride priorities. Got a few nice trips planned this year anyhow and Wheatie even guessed I was going to do a GLG this year. :scooter: wheatonFJR
...
[No message]
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Really enjoying it, Mark. I know it's a good bit of work, but please know that it's appreciated
by all of the followers of the Wheatie/airboss Adventure of 2011.
Ain't it funny how often you'll pass through a place on a trip "to" somewhere, and swear to yourself
that you'll definitely come back "...and spend more time exploring, etc."?
Never enough time......especially at your age.
by all of the followers of the Wheatie/airboss Adventure of 2011.
Ain't it funny how often you'll pass through a place on a trip "to" somewhere, and swear to yourself
that you'll definitely come back "...and spend more time exploring, etc."?
Never enough time......especially at your age.
SacramentoMike
Not Safe For Work
Great job on this, Mark. So many amazing sights and memories, and I know what you mean about wanting to share the things we get to see on a moto tour. I want to drag my family all over the west too. Funny to see shots of yours that I have, but I'm in mine. Like that pic in Zion--think it's the Checkerboard Mesa? I'm sitting on that same rock wall in my version.
This place looked familiar too:
Also got a kick out of your old portraits. You came right out of the womb looking exactly the same as you do now, didn't you? Anyway, can't wait for the next installment. And then, of course, Karl's entire report!
This place looked familiar too:
Then I realized where I'd seen it before. Ted Kaczynski's cabin. I knew it was for sale. Now I know who bought it.
Also got a kick out of your old portraits. You came right out of the womb looking exactly the same as you do now, didn't you? Anyway, can't wait for the next installment. And then, of course, Karl's entire report!
Some pictures of me when I was growing up and when I had a very young family
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wheatonFJR
...
Thanks OM...I appreciate your concern for my age and delicate condition.
SacMike, I read your siglines a few minutes ago...and only now have stopped laughing.
SacMike, I read your siglines a few minutes ago...and only now have stopped laughing.
marcusorelius
Well-known member
That parking spot at scotty's castle looks familyer
march 2010
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Great pics of Bryce and Zion, Mark. I'm putting those parks high on my list of places to visit.
We'll be taking a similar trip next summer (wife and I).
There are so many great places to go out west it's going to be hard to choose which ones.
We'll be taking a similar trip next summer (wife and I).
There are so many great places to go out west it's going to be hard to choose which ones.
Bungie
FrostBack #2 - IBA # 44620
Excellent!
"I forgot one thing from yesterday, Day 2. Hell’s Backbone Bridge…HOLY CRAP !!! "
Ain't that the truth. I came around the corner to that one and my brain went into instant vapour lock. Puckered me up good. Rob and Tom stopped, I kept going LOL!
"I forgot one thing from yesterday, Day 2. Hell’s Backbone Bridge…HOLY CRAP !!! "
Ain't that the truth. I came around the corner to that one and my brain went into instant vapour lock. Puckered me up good. Rob and Tom stopped, I kept going LOL!
Bugnatr
Well-known member
Good stuff Wheatie, keep it coming.
A favorite stop for many a FJR traveler.
A favorite stop for many a FJR traveler.
Keep it coming Wheatie!
Hwy 12 was also one of the highlights for me last year in Utah.
Say, did you approach FJR nominal speeds on Hwy 267 to Scotty's Castle?
Death Valley is a magical place, glad it wasn't too hot when you were there, would have been a perfect time to do some exploring!
Now give us some more pictures!
Hwy 12 was also one of the highlights for me last year in Utah.
Say, did you approach FJR nominal speeds on Hwy 267 to Scotty's Castle?
Death Valley is a magical place, glad it wasn't too hot when you were there, would have been a perfect time to do some exploring!
Now give us some more pictures!
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wheatonFJR
...
2011 Kali Trip – Wheaton does Kalifornia -
Part2 – Central California – The FJRForum craziness begins…Day 5 to Day 7 (Goleta to Santa Clara)
<map>
[for the sake of expediency, maps of the actual routes taken will be inserted at later time]
Day 5 – 18 May, Wednesday, Goleta to Paso Robles, 130 miles or so.
<map>
Well, got up about 6am local time and started to get things sorted out. My dad threw a few things in the wash for me the night before, and they dried overnight. My dad got up earlier than usual in order to have a little more time with me. Joann fixed me a nice breakfast and had some fresh squeezed orange juice. Man that was good! Both of them were tremendous hosts and I felt embarrassed as they looked after my every want or whim. Thanks again.
The evening rains had continued overnight and had changed plans a little bit for Wednesday. We were supposed to meet Khunajawdge/KJ/George in Los Olivos late morning. He had promised to give me a local tour…but it made no sense for KJ to ride down in the rain to meet us there, then ride back up to Morro Bay. We missed out on Foxen Canyon…but it looks like a return trip to get that road plus 33 is in order.
I headed west along 101 beside the ocean west of Goleta…alone on the trip of my life. Skies starting to clear…what a great day it was going to be! I met Karl at his motel in Buellton at 11:30am, together we then soldiered on up 101 to meet KJ and his BMW buddy Rudy at Maggie’s Diner at 1pm.
Karl and I got there first. The parking lot and street were full of local law enforcement vehicles…we figured that we were safe as long as Karl behaved. A little while later a BMW RT/LT or something or other pulls into the parking lot and pulls up next to us. Must be George’s friend Rudy. A few minutes later George pulls up…in a 4 wheeled vehicle…uh oh. Well we razzed George a little bit, but he explained about a pinched nerve bothering him. We continued inside for lunch. We ordered our meals and talked about the plans for the afternoon.
Food!
Is Philly Cheese Steak sandwich on the low carb diet? It must be, because I ate it!
Portions were TWICE what a normal obese person would consider eating. I asked for a bag and a box, wrapped up what remained real well, and had the rest for dinner that night.
My new buddy George…
George's friend Rudy...
The rest of the gang…
Because of my wanting to spend time with my dad, we knew this was going to be a short day. I had also expressed to George an interest in seeing the Rock in Morro Bay…George had also volunteered in another thread to perform a Trooper mod on my exhaust.
So between those two things, and the need to be in Paso Robles that night, George was our guide for the day. After lunch, George led us to his place on the outskirts of town. He has a few animals in his yard.
Look at the cute goats!
Awwwwww.
I love animals…ever since visiting the farm as a kid, one of the highlights was traipsing around the henhouse, the pig barn, and walking around the cows in the pasture. My mom loved animals, I think I’m wired the same way. George loves animals, too.
But I think he likes them for eating. I think one of the kids is part of a future meal if I overheard correctly.
He also has some geese and chickens as well.
He gave us a nice tour of his barn where he performs his works of art in glass. Wow…what a treat that was!
The oven where George heats up his materials...
George really is an artisan…there are all types in this world, and I’m glad George is part of it. He really is one of a kind.
After the tour, KJ got down to business performing the Trooper mod on my bikes exhaust. He volunteered to do that out of the blue…THANKS KJ! I like how the bike sounds, not obnoxious, just a little grumble at idle…
It also sounds great running up through the gears…which we did later on that day running on Old Creek Road. :yahoo: <clappy smiley>
After Trooper mod was completed, KJ led us along a road south of Morro Bay. It was a fun little road along the coast. He took us as far south as we could go on it…there were some really beautiful white barked trees along that road overhanging the road – fantastic! As we were at the farthest point south, he pointed out that dcarver was probably not too far away. So we faced south and saluted carverboy...and took some photos in the mist of the coast.
We headed back north towards Morro Bay on that same beautiful rambling road…we stopped at an overlook and viewed Morro Bay.
What a place! It feels to me as if it is one of those places that belongs in epic stories…it seems larger than life and more beautiful than possible. I’ve wanted to visit here since I saw this in an FJR Forum RR. I believe there was an informal FJR meetup here as well. One of the highlights of my trip…
Thanks KJ for getting me here. :clapping: <clappy>
...after that, KJ led us north on 101 to a great little road called Old Creek Road. Let’s just say I had fun on Old Creek Road! KJ was a great leader and gave me the slow down signal when we would encounter a nasty curve that would be unexpectedly tight on that little road. It was really great fun. However, if you ever ride this road…first time through, keep it slow, otherwise you will end up in the weeds or worse. Nasty turns…some of them.
At the end of the road, we said our good-byes to KJ and I thanked him for doing all he did. So as KJ turned around to head home, KJ’s friend Rudy, who lives in Paso Robles, got Karl and me the rest of the way…or almost.
Checked into the Motel 6 about 6pm…after a really great day.
Hung out for awhile, talked to that stalker Fairlaner on the phone for awhile and enjoyed a shorter more relaxing day. Karl, with his PC along, kept abreast of what rumors the scoundrels on the Forum were saying about us…
Part2 – Central California – The FJRForum craziness begins…Day 5 to Day 7 (Goleta to Santa Clara)
<map>
[for the sake of expediency, maps of the actual routes taken will be inserted at later time]
Day 5 – 18 May, Wednesday, Goleta to Paso Robles, 130 miles or so.
<map>
Well, got up about 6am local time and started to get things sorted out. My dad threw a few things in the wash for me the night before, and they dried overnight. My dad got up earlier than usual in order to have a little more time with me. Joann fixed me a nice breakfast and had some fresh squeezed orange juice. Man that was good! Both of them were tremendous hosts and I felt embarrassed as they looked after my every want or whim. Thanks again.
The evening rains had continued overnight and had changed plans a little bit for Wednesday. We were supposed to meet Khunajawdge/KJ/George in Los Olivos late morning. He had promised to give me a local tour…but it made no sense for KJ to ride down in the rain to meet us there, then ride back up to Morro Bay. We missed out on Foxen Canyon…but it looks like a return trip to get that road plus 33 is in order.
I headed west along 101 beside the ocean west of Goleta…alone on the trip of my life. Skies starting to clear…what a great day it was going to be! I met Karl at his motel in Buellton at 11:30am, together we then soldiered on up 101 to meet KJ and his BMW buddy Rudy at Maggie’s Diner at 1pm.
Karl and I got there first. The parking lot and street were full of local law enforcement vehicles…we figured that we were safe as long as Karl behaved. A little while later a BMW RT/LT or something or other pulls into the parking lot and pulls up next to us. Must be George’s friend Rudy. A few minutes later George pulls up…in a 4 wheeled vehicle…uh oh. Well we razzed George a little bit, but he explained about a pinched nerve bothering him. We continued inside for lunch. We ordered our meals and talked about the plans for the afternoon.
Food!
Is Philly Cheese Steak sandwich on the low carb diet? It must be, because I ate it!
Portions were TWICE what a normal obese person would consider eating. I asked for a bag and a box, wrapped up what remained real well, and had the rest for dinner that night.
My new buddy George…
George's friend Rudy...
The rest of the gang…
Because of my wanting to spend time with my dad, we knew this was going to be a short day. I had also expressed to George an interest in seeing the Rock in Morro Bay…George had also volunteered in another thread to perform a Trooper mod on my exhaust.
So between those two things, and the need to be in Paso Robles that night, George was our guide for the day. After lunch, George led us to his place on the outskirts of town. He has a few animals in his yard.
Look at the cute goats!
Awwwwww.
I love animals…ever since visiting the farm as a kid, one of the highlights was traipsing around the henhouse, the pig barn, and walking around the cows in the pasture. My mom loved animals, I think I’m wired the same way. George loves animals, too.
But I think he likes them for eating. I think one of the kids is part of a future meal if I overheard correctly.
He also has some geese and chickens as well.
He gave us a nice tour of his barn where he performs his works of art in glass. Wow…what a treat that was!
The oven where George heats up his materials...
George really is an artisan…there are all types in this world, and I’m glad George is part of it. He really is one of a kind.
After the tour, KJ got down to business performing the Trooper mod on my bikes exhaust. He volunteered to do that out of the blue…THANKS KJ! I like how the bike sounds, not obnoxious, just a little grumble at idle…
It also sounds great running up through the gears…which we did later on that day running on Old Creek Road. :yahoo: <clappy smiley>
After Trooper mod was completed, KJ led us along a road south of Morro Bay. It was a fun little road along the coast. He took us as far south as we could go on it…there were some really beautiful white barked trees along that road overhanging the road – fantastic! As we were at the farthest point south, he pointed out that dcarver was probably not too far away. So we faced south and saluted carverboy...and took some photos in the mist of the coast.
We headed back north towards Morro Bay on that same beautiful rambling road…we stopped at an overlook and viewed Morro Bay.
What a place! It feels to me as if it is one of those places that belongs in epic stories…it seems larger than life and more beautiful than possible. I’ve wanted to visit here since I saw this in an FJR Forum RR. I believe there was an informal FJR meetup here as well. One of the highlights of my trip…
Thanks KJ for getting me here. :clapping: <clappy>
...after that, KJ led us north on 101 to a great little road called Old Creek Road. Let’s just say I had fun on Old Creek Road! KJ was a great leader and gave me the slow down signal when we would encounter a nasty curve that would be unexpectedly tight on that little road. It was really great fun. However, if you ever ride this road…first time through, keep it slow, otherwise you will end up in the weeds or worse. Nasty turns…some of them.
At the end of the road, we said our good-byes to KJ and I thanked him for doing all he did. So as KJ turned around to head home, KJ’s friend Rudy, who lives in Paso Robles, got Karl and me the rest of the way…or almost.
Checked into the Motel 6 about 6pm…after a really great day.
Hung out for awhile, talked to that stalker Fairlaner on the phone for awhile and enjoyed a shorter more relaxing day. Karl, with his PC along, kept abreast of what rumors the scoundrels on the Forum were saying about us…
wheatonFJR
...
Day 6 – 19 May, Thursday, Paso Robles to McKittrick and Back, 175 miles or so.
<map>
Well, we told Rudy to meet us at the Motel at 8:00am and he was prompt and raring to go. We promised that we would buy him breakfast wherever we stopped, and he said if we didn’t mind waiting for a little bit…he knew of just the place.
He led us south and east of Paso Robles to some guy’s driveway…
I think somebody said it was Rossi’s driveway. Man that guy’s got a big driveway…and curvy, too. Paving crew was definitely on the sauce when they laid that one out…not a straight stretch anywhere. How’s he supposed to get his RV backed into his garage?? Oh well, thanks Mr. Rossi, for letting us cut through your driveway!
After we got through that, we got to a road I’ve been wanting to ride and see for my own since dcarver keeps posting photos from his danged candyass site. This was on a definite must ride list…not for the curves, cuz I didn’t know it had any, just for the feel of the place. Rt 58.
We headed east and I took the lead for a little bit in the curvier sections cuz Rudy thought I was feelin’ frisky and didn’t want to hold me up. He wasn’t holding me up, but I took the lead anyways…since there was one direction to go…HEAD EAST until you get to McKittrick. What a magical day…perfect temps, sunshine and blue sky, and you’re on 58 heading east.
My idea of a good road is probably different than many on this board. I love the curvy roads…but curvy isn’t enough for me. I need curvy, and I need something else. Don’t always know what that something else is…but I know it when I see it.
We stopped for a short break and surveyed the scene around us...
A residence along 58
Peace, loneliness, serenity, isolation, beauty…
I can’t describe what I saw, or how I felt…but I was happy to ride 58. Thanks carver for pointing me that way with your photos.
Well, when we approached McKittrick, there were oil facilities everywhere, pumps, tanks, lines, vehicles, manpower…everywhere. Rudy had us park at a Café. Once inside, he said after we order, he wanted to take us back to see the bar in back. So we did…
…this is what we saw.
They have strict rules here...
...and pennies
Pennies everywhere. Floor, walls, on the bar, on the doors, sides of the pool table, everywhere. One (penny) track mind…The Penny Bar.
Well, we walked out back so Rudy and Karl could feed the monkey on their back…
Then walked back inside for the breakfast. Holy Crap, look at the size of that sausage!
After another meal of twice the food that I needed…I knew I was going to gain massive poundage on this trip.
We headed back towards Paso Robles on 58, and Rudy told us about the Buffalo Ranch on the north side of the road…so we stopped and I took a couple of poor photos…just because.
Well Rudy got us back into Paso Robles. When we got back to the motel, Beemerdons and FJRonaMission were just arriving. We told Rudy that we were going to meet the others for dinner at Bubbas Big Bad BBQ…right next to the Best Western where Queen Tyler and His Royal Fairlanerness were overnighting. Rudy said he would meet us there.
Richard/Fairlaner stopped by after we got back in our room, and we chatted a bit about our trip so far. We BS’d around the bikes a little bit, and I asked him some questions about the GoPro camera mounting options, and he had some real good ideas as to what I might do. I f I have any good video from this trip, it’s because Richard took the time to help me out. Thanks Richard. After this ride report, I’ll troll through that stuff to see if I have any lame ass video I can post.
Karl and I walked over from the Motel 6 at the appropriate time to the BW Motel. A big bike race was wrapping up that night in Paso Robles, so the BW was full of Chase vehicles and Vendor/Sponsor Vehicles. We went over to Tyler’s room and Richard was already there. How do you introduce yourself to someone you feel you already know? I forgot that she didn’t really know what I looked like…so I just said “Hi Tyler!”…but didn’t mention my name.
I could see the puzzlement on her face, so I realized that she didn’t really know who I was, so either I or someone else clued her in as to who this stranger was…that just walked into her room.
Oh well, awkward beginning to an interesting night.
Before we left for the BBQ place, Tyler shared some wine made from grass…it was a special significant thing for her…so I had a little bit. (I’ll stick with my glass o beer…I’m not a wine or spirits kind of guy… leaving that stuff in the past as much as I can)
We headed over to the BBQ joint, where I sat next to Tyler who was between Karl and I. Beemerdons was across from us, as well as Fairlaner. Brian/Damaged One came a little later…as did Rudy, who was dressed to kill.
Looking good there Rudy!...and Don, too. Richard just looks like he’s pissed off at me.
The rest of the gang, including cute little ‘ol Tyler in the corner, and ol’ crazy eyed Brian right front
…ever see the resemblance between Brian/Damaged One and Jack Elam the actor?
Richard is still trying to figure out what sort of drink they gave him…
I believe Karl had the Rack o Ribs
I just spent the evening enjoying the conversation around me and enjoying the people I was with. It was a great evening, and then…
Richard says, “Mark, you KNOW you’re riding the bull tonight, don’t you?” I assumed that wasn’t code, and that he was talking about the mechanical bull…the gimmicky thing they had up by the bar (both were scary thoughts to me). Well, Richard KEPT it up…so I could see he had it in his mind that I was not leaving until I “rode” the bull. So I’m thinking about my past knee histories, my knee dislocations, my ACL surgery, the post surgery rehab, the fact that I was beginning this FJR odyssey and had ¾ of the trip left, the fact that riding an FJR on one knee doesn’t work too well. I thought this through carefully…and decided that yes, I was going to roll the dice, risk everything and ride the stupid bull and by God if I was going to do it…Fairlaner was going to do it first.
But first, I had to sign a form that said I was screwed if something happened to me.
Thanks to Fairlaner, the bull operator took it easy on me…the ride wasn’t much more than the quarter bucking bronco rides that they used to have in front of Kmart. Thanks to FJRonaMission, my best side has been shown to the Forum already in another thread.
Well, after that dizzying experience, we retired to the tables outside in front, while others were busy trying to pick up chicks, tables at a time…inside.
Finally, one of the cute little chickadees, came outside, a little wobbly, with a drink in her handy, slurred speech, sat right down at our table with us like she knew us and told us that she was getting married on Saturday. She then in a sometimes loud voice told us the story of her life, or atleast interesting details of her life…for the next who knows how long. Bad entertainment…but I guess you go with what you’ve got. She was a cute girl, but in her state of drink was using the word “f**king” as an adjective quite a bit. I felt bad for her, but she didn’t seem to mind. Her fiancé stopped by after awhile and dealt gracefully with her. I hope they have a happy marriage.
Some photos of the group outside the Big Bubba's BBQ
Notice Richard and Brian in these photos...
Tyler is like..."yeah, whatever."
Things wound down, and we headed back to our respective motel rooms. Kickstands up bright and early tomorrow in front of Tyler’s room.
<map>
Well, we told Rudy to meet us at the Motel at 8:00am and he was prompt and raring to go. We promised that we would buy him breakfast wherever we stopped, and he said if we didn’t mind waiting for a little bit…he knew of just the place.
He led us south and east of Paso Robles to some guy’s driveway…
I think somebody said it was Rossi’s driveway. Man that guy’s got a big driveway…and curvy, too. Paving crew was definitely on the sauce when they laid that one out…not a straight stretch anywhere. How’s he supposed to get his RV backed into his garage?? Oh well, thanks Mr. Rossi, for letting us cut through your driveway!
After we got through that, we got to a road I’ve been wanting to ride and see for my own since dcarver keeps posting photos from his danged candyass site. This was on a definite must ride list…not for the curves, cuz I didn’t know it had any, just for the feel of the place. Rt 58.
We headed east and I took the lead for a little bit in the curvier sections cuz Rudy thought I was feelin’ frisky and didn’t want to hold me up. He wasn’t holding me up, but I took the lead anyways…since there was one direction to go…HEAD EAST until you get to McKittrick. What a magical day…perfect temps, sunshine and blue sky, and you’re on 58 heading east.
My idea of a good road is probably different than many on this board. I love the curvy roads…but curvy isn’t enough for me. I need curvy, and I need something else. Don’t always know what that something else is…but I know it when I see it.
We stopped for a short break and surveyed the scene around us...
A residence along 58
Peace, loneliness, serenity, isolation, beauty…
I can’t describe what I saw, or how I felt…but I was happy to ride 58. Thanks carver for pointing me that way with your photos.
Well, when we approached McKittrick, there were oil facilities everywhere, pumps, tanks, lines, vehicles, manpower…everywhere. Rudy had us park at a Café. Once inside, he said after we order, he wanted to take us back to see the bar in back. So we did…
…this is what we saw.
They have strict rules here...
...and pennies
Pennies everywhere. Floor, walls, on the bar, on the doors, sides of the pool table, everywhere. One (penny) track mind…The Penny Bar.
Well, we walked out back so Rudy and Karl could feed the monkey on their back…
Then walked back inside for the breakfast. Holy Crap, look at the size of that sausage!
After another meal of twice the food that I needed…I knew I was going to gain massive poundage on this trip.
We headed back towards Paso Robles on 58, and Rudy told us about the Buffalo Ranch on the north side of the road…so we stopped and I took a couple of poor photos…just because.
Well Rudy got us back into Paso Robles. When we got back to the motel, Beemerdons and FJRonaMission were just arriving. We told Rudy that we were going to meet the others for dinner at Bubbas Big Bad BBQ…right next to the Best Western where Queen Tyler and His Royal Fairlanerness were overnighting. Rudy said he would meet us there.
Richard/Fairlaner stopped by after we got back in our room, and we chatted a bit about our trip so far. We BS’d around the bikes a little bit, and I asked him some questions about the GoPro camera mounting options, and he had some real good ideas as to what I might do. I f I have any good video from this trip, it’s because Richard took the time to help me out. Thanks Richard. After this ride report, I’ll troll through that stuff to see if I have any lame ass video I can post.
Karl and I walked over from the Motel 6 at the appropriate time to the BW Motel. A big bike race was wrapping up that night in Paso Robles, so the BW was full of Chase vehicles and Vendor/Sponsor Vehicles. We went over to Tyler’s room and Richard was already there. How do you introduce yourself to someone you feel you already know? I forgot that she didn’t really know what I looked like…so I just said “Hi Tyler!”…but didn’t mention my name.
I could see the puzzlement on her face, so I realized that she didn’t really know who I was, so either I or someone else clued her in as to who this stranger was…that just walked into her room.
Oh well, awkward beginning to an interesting night.
Before we left for the BBQ place, Tyler shared some wine made from grass…it was a special significant thing for her…so I had a little bit. (I’ll stick with my glass o beer…I’m not a wine or spirits kind of guy… leaving that stuff in the past as much as I can)
We headed over to the BBQ joint, where I sat next to Tyler who was between Karl and I. Beemerdons was across from us, as well as Fairlaner. Brian/Damaged One came a little later…as did Rudy, who was dressed to kill.
Looking good there Rudy!...and Don, too. Richard just looks like he’s pissed off at me.
The rest of the gang, including cute little ‘ol Tyler in the corner, and ol’ crazy eyed Brian right front
…ever see the resemblance between Brian/Damaged One and Jack Elam the actor?
Richard is still trying to figure out what sort of drink they gave him…
I believe Karl had the Rack o Ribs
I just spent the evening enjoying the conversation around me and enjoying the people I was with. It was a great evening, and then…
Richard says, “Mark, you KNOW you’re riding the bull tonight, don’t you?” I assumed that wasn’t code, and that he was talking about the mechanical bull…the gimmicky thing they had up by the bar (both were scary thoughts to me). Well, Richard KEPT it up…so I could see he had it in his mind that I was not leaving until I “rode” the bull. So I’m thinking about my past knee histories, my knee dislocations, my ACL surgery, the post surgery rehab, the fact that I was beginning this FJR odyssey and had ¾ of the trip left, the fact that riding an FJR on one knee doesn’t work too well. I thought this through carefully…and decided that yes, I was going to roll the dice, risk everything and ride the stupid bull and by God if I was going to do it…Fairlaner was going to do it first.
But first, I had to sign a form that said I was screwed if something happened to me.
Thanks to Fairlaner, the bull operator took it easy on me…the ride wasn’t much more than the quarter bucking bronco rides that they used to have in front of Kmart. Thanks to FJRonaMission, my best side has been shown to the Forum already in another thread.
Well, after that dizzying experience, we retired to the tables outside in front, while others were busy trying to pick up chicks, tables at a time…inside.
Finally, one of the cute little chickadees, came outside, a little wobbly, with a drink in her handy, slurred speech, sat right down at our table with us like she knew us and told us that she was getting married on Saturday. She then in a sometimes loud voice told us the story of her life, or atleast interesting details of her life…for the next who knows how long. Bad entertainment…but I guess you go with what you’ve got. She was a cute girl, but in her state of drink was using the word “f**king” as an adjective quite a bit. I felt bad for her, but she didn’t seem to mind. Her fiancé stopped by after awhile and dealt gracefully with her. I hope they have a happy marriage.
Some photos of the group outside the Big Bubba's BBQ
Notice Richard and Brian in these photos...
Tyler is like..."yeah, whatever."
Things wound down, and we headed back to our respective motel rooms. Kickstands up bright and early tomorrow in front of Tyler’s room.
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wheatonFJR
...
Day 7 – 20 May, Friday, Paso Robles to Santa Clara, 2xx miles or so.
<map>
Well, I was really looking forward to this day’s ride. The first ride with Beemerdons, Fairlaner, Tyler, and of course Brian/FJRonaMission. Rudy would tag along for awhile as well.
Well, we set kickstands up at a certain time...and 1 rider wasn’t there. Hmmmm. We waited. We waited some more. Hmmm. This was starting out well. :blink:
Well, we finally pulled to the front of the motel and waited...Richard, called up the missing rider and kindly asked where in the world he was. A few minutes later…we see this rider is looking to gas up at the station. Fairlaner and Tyler chat, and we head east out of town...me in the lead with the message that the others will catch up soon and take over the lead.
Now, we head out of town on 46...and sure enough Richard and his best buddy in the world Brian arrive in the train. I wave the others by and I fall back in line behind Tyler. We make a short photo stop at the James Dean Memorial. I know little about James Dean except the obvious trivia...but wonder how he could die on so straight a road.
This rolling cluster later turns north off the beaten path towards Parkfield. There’s something about these rolling Kali hills this time of year that beckons to me. I don’t know, but maybe they may remind me of the hills of what I consider my ancestral home in northeast Nebraska...near the farm where my mom grew up in the late 20s, 30s and 40s. Whatever it is, I am drawn to them.
Parkfield…be here when it happens!!
San Andreas Fault runs under the path we are taking much of the day. With the rapture supposedly happening tomorrow...who knows, this could be the ride of my life!
It was my pleasure to ride with Tyler this morning...observing her as she worked that Spyder around the roads, bumpy and otherwise. Tyler planned so much of this trip, it was nice to get to know her a little better at the various photo stops and breaks we had along the way. Here, Tyler is doing what Tyler does...noting all things beautiful and making it her own.
Some of the landscape of the day...
I’m not sure, but I swear I’ve been here before...
...maybe through someone else’s photos on the Forum. A real sense of dejavu happened regularly on this trip as I come upon scenes that look familiar, though I’ve never ridden Kali before.
These trees looked to me like they were floating in a sea of tall grasses...
Well, after a bit, I had done my bit of sightseeing and was ready to wick it up a bit, and try the GoPro on Richard...if I could keep up for any length of time. At a stop, I pulled in behind Fairlaner and in front of FJRonaMission, and told Richard I wanted to try the Go Pro. He said alright...but mentioned something about that we may be moving along at a good clip.
Well, I already knew about Richard, the history of WFO, and thought I knew what was coming up. Richard was nice to me and let me park in behind him for awhile. If you’ve seen the movies and look real close, you can see Richard putting his feet up on his HondaLounger, pulling a drink out of the arm rest canister, and puffing on a pack of smokes he kept in the other. B)
The GoPro is so wide angle that it doesn’t appear that I am very close to him at all...however, I would not want to space myself any closer than I was...unless he and I were riding buds who had ridden together for years...and even then only did that for a short time. I had a great time that day...thanks Richard for setting a nice, fun pace for me to follow. Brian and Richard were gentlemen that day...I had a great time riding with both of them. We may have exceeded posted, but not dramatically so...except for that one time...
Well, here we are at the north end of Peach Tree Rd and are taking a break before we head east towards Coalinga.
Caption Please...PLEASE.
Beemerdons and Airboss at the stop...
We then headed east towards Coalinga...another area I asked to ride. I really loved that 198 towards Coalinga! Nice sweepers with good pavement. :yahoo:
On the way to Coalinga, we passed some FJR riders??? Yep, it was MM2 and TomInCA heading from Coalinga to meet us. They turned around and followed us back to Coalinga, where we filled up the tanks, got some Tri-Tip steak sammiches, and headed out for a nearby shady park to eat.
Tyler and her Spyder
TomInCA, Don and Mike...CAPTIONS/THOUGHT BUBBLES PLEASE!
Well, after lunch, we got to head on 198 back west :yahoo: to pick up 25 north...stopped for a short bit for the red Spyder.
I chased Richard on that Wing all the way to Hollister where we stopped for another break
After Hollister some ways, the groups got separated before Santa Clara...but we all made it up to the motel just fine. And ate a dinner next door...
Tyler, SacMike, Panman, server doing her best with this crazy bunch, Don, Highlander, George/escapeFJRtist, Al/Feeger
TomInCA, MadMike, Richard/Fairlaner, Karl/Airboss
Man, do I suck at people pictures...sorry about that.
I’ve got a real blurry picture of Tyler's friend Erin, and Barb and her friend Kim [that is unviewable] who travelled down from "up nort der dataway" to be us that night. It was nice to meet and greet with this growing Cluster as it formed and morphed its way around the Bay area.
We chatted in the parking lot for awhile...then Karl and I had to head to sleep for the big ride tomorrow as our bodies are still on time 2 hours later. We found that to be the case throughout this trip. Nighty night. I have no idea what transpired while we were gone. With this group...don’t wanna know.
Later, for next time...
Part3 – Bay Area madness – The Cluster from Alice’s to Bodega Bay. Day 8 (Santa Clara to Bodega Bay)
<map>
Well, I was really looking forward to this day’s ride. The first ride with Beemerdons, Fairlaner, Tyler, and of course Brian/FJRonaMission. Rudy would tag along for awhile as well.
Well, we set kickstands up at a certain time...and 1 rider wasn’t there. Hmmmm. We waited. We waited some more. Hmmm. This was starting out well. :blink:
Well, we finally pulled to the front of the motel and waited...Richard, called up the missing rider and kindly asked where in the world he was. A few minutes later…we see this rider is looking to gas up at the station. Fairlaner and Tyler chat, and we head east out of town...me in the lead with the message that the others will catch up soon and take over the lead.
Now, we head out of town on 46...and sure enough Richard and his best buddy in the world Brian arrive in the train. I wave the others by and I fall back in line behind Tyler. We make a short photo stop at the James Dean Memorial. I know little about James Dean except the obvious trivia...but wonder how he could die on so straight a road.
This rolling cluster later turns north off the beaten path towards Parkfield. There’s something about these rolling Kali hills this time of year that beckons to me. I don’t know, but maybe they may remind me of the hills of what I consider my ancestral home in northeast Nebraska...near the farm where my mom grew up in the late 20s, 30s and 40s. Whatever it is, I am drawn to them.
Parkfield…be here when it happens!!
San Andreas Fault runs under the path we are taking much of the day. With the rapture supposedly happening tomorrow...who knows, this could be the ride of my life!
It was my pleasure to ride with Tyler this morning...observing her as she worked that Spyder around the roads, bumpy and otherwise. Tyler planned so much of this trip, it was nice to get to know her a little better at the various photo stops and breaks we had along the way. Here, Tyler is doing what Tyler does...noting all things beautiful and making it her own.
Some of the landscape of the day...
I’m not sure, but I swear I’ve been here before...
...maybe through someone else’s photos on the Forum. A real sense of dejavu happened regularly on this trip as I come upon scenes that look familiar, though I’ve never ridden Kali before.
These trees looked to me like they were floating in a sea of tall grasses...
Well, after a bit, I had done my bit of sightseeing and was ready to wick it up a bit, and try the GoPro on Richard...if I could keep up for any length of time. At a stop, I pulled in behind Fairlaner and in front of FJRonaMission, and told Richard I wanted to try the Go Pro. He said alright...but mentioned something about that we may be moving along at a good clip.
Well, I already knew about Richard, the history of WFO, and thought I knew what was coming up. Richard was nice to me and let me park in behind him for awhile. If you’ve seen the movies and look real close, you can see Richard putting his feet up on his HondaLounger, pulling a drink out of the arm rest canister, and puffing on a pack of smokes he kept in the other. B)
The GoPro is so wide angle that it doesn’t appear that I am very close to him at all...however, I would not want to space myself any closer than I was...unless he and I were riding buds who had ridden together for years...and even then only did that for a short time. I had a great time that day...thanks Richard for setting a nice, fun pace for me to follow. Brian and Richard were gentlemen that day...I had a great time riding with both of them. We may have exceeded posted, but not dramatically so...except for that one time...
Well, here we are at the north end of Peach Tree Rd and are taking a break before we head east towards Coalinga.
Caption Please...PLEASE.
Beemerdons and Airboss at the stop...
We then headed east towards Coalinga...another area I asked to ride. I really loved that 198 towards Coalinga! Nice sweepers with good pavement. :yahoo:
On the way to Coalinga, we passed some FJR riders??? Yep, it was MM2 and TomInCA heading from Coalinga to meet us. They turned around and followed us back to Coalinga, where we filled up the tanks, got some Tri-Tip steak sammiches, and headed out for a nearby shady park to eat.
Tyler and her Spyder
TomInCA, Don and Mike...CAPTIONS/THOUGHT BUBBLES PLEASE!
Well, after lunch, we got to head on 198 back west :yahoo: to pick up 25 north...stopped for a short bit for the red Spyder.
I chased Richard on that Wing all the way to Hollister where we stopped for another break
After Hollister some ways, the groups got separated before Santa Clara...but we all made it up to the motel just fine. And ate a dinner next door...
Tyler, SacMike, Panman, server doing her best with this crazy bunch, Don, Highlander, George/escapeFJRtist, Al/Feeger
TomInCA, MadMike, Richard/Fairlaner, Karl/Airboss
Man, do I suck at people pictures...sorry about that.
I’ve got a real blurry picture of Tyler's friend Erin, and Barb and her friend Kim [that is unviewable] who travelled down from "up nort der dataway" to be us that night. It was nice to meet and greet with this growing Cluster as it formed and morphed its way around the Bay area.
We chatted in the parking lot for awhile...then Karl and I had to head to sleep for the big ride tomorrow as our bodies are still on time 2 hours later. We found that to be the case throughout this trip. Nighty night. I have no idea what transpired while we were gone. With this group...don’t wanna know.
Later, for next time...
Part3 – Bay Area madness – The Cluster from Alice’s to Bodega Bay. Day 8 (Santa Clara to Bodega Bay)
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Khunajawdge
Toto El Mundo!
Dam fine report there Mark! :clapping:
You and Karl come on back to Klaforonia anytime! :yahoo:
You and Karl come on back to Klaforonia anytime! :yahoo:
beemerdons
Certifiable Old Fart
Fantastic Ride Report Mark, Thank You; Barb's friend is Kim, Al's Forum handle is Feejer.
Actually Al's handle is Feeger but forgive Don... it's probably that Arizona heat affecting his brain.
And, Wheatie, have you not been on this forum long enough to know NOT to post photos of farm animals?? That is going to come back and bite you in the butt (so to speak)! :lol:
Wonderful to see the view from your vantage point... keep 'em coming! B)
dcarver
Well-known member
I purposely scrolled to the bottom without looking 'cause I want to grab me some fresh whiskey and a cigar before I start *slowly* reading and enjoying this RR...
WheatieBoy, it had better be good!
WheatieBoy, it had better be good!
FJRBluesman
Some call me... The STIG!
WOW! What a freakin' RR!!! Absolutely AWESOME!!! :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:
Loved the shots, food porn, jellyfish lamps and bummer Fairlaner was on a Wing, and you had to meet Beemerdons. <_<
You saw The Devine Miss Tyler, Sacto-Mike, MM2, etc. Excellent! :yahoo:
Great RR thank you mucho!!!
Loved the shots, food porn, jellyfish lamps and bummer Fairlaner was on a Wing, and you had to meet Beemerdons.
<_< You saw The Devine Miss Tyler, Sacto-Mike, MM2, etc. Excellent! :yahoo:
Great RR thank you mucho!!!
Last edited by a moderator:
escapefjrtist
Searching for Dry Roads
Nice job on the RR wheatie!
Quite a bit to keep track of...and you remembered everyone's name. Looking forward to the next installment.
--G
Quite a bit to keep track of...and you remembered everyone's name. Looking forward to the next installment.
--G
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