Healdsburg Ride

It was a spectacular fall day in Northern California, one of those days with sunshine, but cool enough for chaps.  As we left, the sun was shining, but we faced thick fog as we crossed the Benicia bridge.  It was the first long ride on the new bike.  As the damp fog surrounded us on the bridge, I suddenly felt  my butt getting warm...  It was not my imagination, Julie had cranked up the heat on the seats, one of the features of the new bike I had forgotten about, but obviously she had not.  As we got closer to Kirk's place, the fog broke and the sunshine gradually warmed us up.

After meeting up with Kirk and Patty, we headed up to Healdsburg, crossing 37 and turning up Lakeville Highway to Petaluma.  then up 101 to Windsor where we ate lunch at the Downtown Grill.  It is a nice little place with outdoor seating and a 50's era interior with lots of unique signs, Marilyn Monroe and Jimmy Dean posters and various other entertaining decorations.  The menu is basic Americana, our kind of place.  We've also had breakfast there, but I believe they stop serving it at 11:00.  The service was good, the food was good and the company was great.  Next to the ride itself, it is always wonderful to catch up with old friends over good food.  It had been a few days since we had seen each other so naturally there was a lot of catching up to do.

Downtown Grill - Windsor

Windsor is a quaint town that looks like it was either entirely remodeled as all the main buildings are similar in design, or it was all built new in the past few years.  I honestly don't have enough interest to look it up, but enjoyed the visit.  Just as a note, there is a candy store that has all the old candy we had as kids such as the flat wide strips of taffy, the paper with the candy dots and many candy bars that are no longer available in regular stores.  I have to wonder if they are really old candy bars, unlikely, or just reproductions done on a smaller scale to meet a niche market.

Just one view of the Francis Ford Coppula Winery 

After lunch we rode to the Francis Ford Coppula winery off of Independence Ave.  It is a beautiful winery and the grounds are exquisite (please note that I will not be using that term ever again, but thought it was appropriate).  We stopped and walked around.  There is large swimming pool that can be used by visitors to the winery for a fee.  We all decided that we would ride up there next summer, enjoy some time lounging around the pool, sipping wine and then ride back.  I got my Speedo out just to make sure it is ready to go...  There was also a tee-pee on the property.  I have no idea why it was there or what purpose it served, but perhaps it was to recognized the contributions of the Native Americans to our country.  After all, they were living in tents when Europeans who sailed across the ocean in wooden ships discovered this fine land.  They were also using sticks dragged by horses to carry materials, rather than the clunky wheel that the Europeans had used for hundreds of years.  Come to think of it, I don't know why the tee-pee was there, but it was...

Dave mugging for the camera

On the way out of the winery, we stopped to take some glamour shots of our bikes...  Hard to beat the setting and we thought the fall colors would go well with our paint, so here they are....

Dave and Julie's Bike

Kirk and Patty's Bike

After visiting the winery, we road the back roads of Healdsburg following the same route that Dave and Julie ran during a recent half marathon.  The ride was beautiful with the grape leaves having turned orange and red and the smell of remaining grapes fermenting on the vine.   Fall is a great time in wine country, particularly on a motorcycle.  The ride home was almost as nice since we cut over the hills to Calistoga and took the Silverado Trail through the Napa Valley.  After a quick stop at Kirk and Patty's it was back over the bridge and a quick ride home.

A great day in all.  See you on the road.

Kirk and Patty Wedding

The Happy Couple

September 10, 2011 - It was a wonderful weekend with friends and family, lots of friends and family...more than we could imagine.  It may have been the beautiful setting, the scrumptious food, or the free booze, but was most likely the wedding of two wonderful and loved members of our Mildhog family getting married.  Kirk and Patty, The Outlaws, finally tied the knot.  As in typical Outlaw style, the wedding was a gigantic party beginning with the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner on Friday night, into the wedding and finally the reception.  

"OK, Kirk, first you slip your arm around her..."

The wedding went off without a hitch, unless of course you count Patty getting hitched....  There were some tense moments, late arrivals for the photo shoot, should the groomsmen place their hand in front or to the side, the first dance, the old man's toast...  

Without a doubt, it was a wonderful celebration of two friends who eventually fell in love.  

The Wedding Party, well, not the "party", we cannot show those pictures!

All the best on a long, loving life together.  We love you!

More photos....

Before....

After...

They clean up nice...John, Dad, Kirk

Steve and Joe left Danny at the hotel....he arrived just in time.

The wedding cake

Kirk's dad took the opportunity to hawk t-shirts featuring his image.  $20 per shirt.  If you are interested, let Patty know.

August - Run to Santa Cruz

Today's run to Santa Cruz was particularly special, not because it was perfect weather for riding, and not because we were headed to the coast.  It was a special run because Jersey was back in the pack.  It has been sometime since all the NorCal Mild Hogs were together for a run.  Since Jersey retired, he is too busy to ride.  I know what you are thinking...  I cannot explain it, but I was happy to see him.  It was as if no time had passed since we had seen him.  He immediately began to release sarcasm at each and everyone of us, without missing a beat.

Jersey - Did not get the memo on GTL...

As always, every ride starts with a stop at Starbucks, and this ride was not different.  It was beautiful weather and a great chance to catch up on everyones travels and the latest news on the upcoming wedding between Outlaw and Miss Outlaw.  2 weeks and counting down!

The Happy Couple!

With the niceties behind us, we were on our way towards the coast.  As we rumbled down the freeway at 75  MPH, a squirrel came bounding across the right hand lanes into our lane.  Now I like animals, but there was no way I was going to make a move to avoid the impending impact between bike and beast.  For a split second, I pictured my name changing from Snake to Squirrel, or worse, Nutsy...  Somehow, the squirrel made it across without so much as a scratch, only to find himself on the BART tracks that run between the east and west bound lanes of the freeway.  As we rode, I pictured him dodging 4 lanes of traffic, only to touch the third rail on the BART tracks and getting fried to a crisp and perhaps rendering the transit system inoperative for several hours...  I know, I should be focusing on the road.

As we approached Skyline Drive, we could make out a blanket of thick fog covering the ridge.  It looked like it did not extend very far south, so we decided to keep going and in fact we were right.  After a short ride in the damp fog, we emerged into the daylight and the bluest sky you could imagine.  It was going to be a great ride.  As always, the cyclists also discovered the fog did not go very far along Skyline and were out in force.  At one point, there was a gal rider...is that insensitive...ok, chick cyclist sharing our lane as we worked through some "S" curves.  Not wanting to scare her as she seemed somewhat shaky, Outlaw waited patiently just behind her as she worked her way down the hill, only to have a bicyclist pass between him and the gal on the bicycle.  This was a very uncool move by the bicyclist, not to mention very dangerous for all involved.  Once we were all able to pass the chick, it was on to the rude rider.  I knew it was not going to matter how tight the turns might be, he was going to be passed, preferably in a turn, and he was.

We soon arrived at Alice's restaurant.  I am not going into the details about Alice's because I have covered the restaurant in other blogs.  If you missed it, go back and read all about it.  At Alice's we all snuggled onto a picnic table and enjoyed the sun, each others company and a great meal.  Soon we were on our way to Santa Cruz.

Alice's Restaurant

The ride to SC was relatively uneventful as we attacked one "S" curve after another.  There were a couple of funny incidents...there always are.  At one point, Outlaw made a rather immediate left turn.  Everyone in the pack had time response except Snake and Snakes Girl who were right behind him.  We ended up taking a detour into a shopping center, exiting right in front of the pack who had gotten stuck at a light.  I could see from Repo Man's face that he had no idea where we had come from.   At another point in the ride we were separated by traffic and lights.  I knew that the folks out front would wait at some appropriate spot until we got caught up.  What I did not realize is that it would be a sidewalk. I guess those ramps aren't just for the handicapped.... as I watched Outlaw and Jersey run down the sidewalk and down the ramp, eventually merging into traffic.

After a stop in Half Moon Baby for gas, rest rooms and a coffee, we were on our way home.  It was a wonderful ride, one that will not be forgotten soon.  See you at the wedding!  I know everyone will be there!  Everyone...

Coffee at Starbuck, of course!

Gott's Run in Napa

Mild Hogs at Gott's in Napa

It has been some time since the Mild Hogs have ridden as a club.  We've all done our own thing, or gone out in smaller groups (I know, it is difficult to get much smaller), but on Saturday, we were at full strength.  Today was a special run.  Not only were we all together, but Outlaw was riding his new Street Glide.  I thought I would take several pictures of it since there have been previous complaints that only my bike makes it into the blog...

Kirk's new ride!!!

After meeting at Outlaw's, and soon to be Mrs. Outlaw's place, we headed up the highway to Vacaville, home of the Iron Steed HD shop.  The Iron Horse was having a barbecue for it's Hog members, but not being members, we did not participate.  They seemed to have a low turnout.

We probably spent about 30 minutes at the shop looking at bikes and using the facilities. They also have a popcorn machine in the lobby if you are into that kind of stuff.  After taking care of business, we were quickly on our way.  With Outlaw in the lead, Snake quickly behind and Repo Man guarding the rear, we headed west towards Lake Berryessa.  As we approached our typical route, there were detour signs indicating the road was closed.  Not having a clue as the names of the roads we typically ride, we took an alternate route and found ourselves at the "end of the road".  Turning around, Snake took the lead and quickly took us down a dead end street...   After practicing another u-turn in the middle of the road, we went back to our original route and found it was open all the time.  Oh, well, it does not really matter as long as we are riding.

Speaking of riding, there were lots of bicyclists riding on the same roads.  This is often the case as both bikes and motorcycles like roads that are out of the way and not frequented by cars.  I'd like to report that unlike previous rides, the bicyclists rode the shoulders and did not block the road.  I guess they must have read my blog where I threatened to put my boot up the rear of the next one I catch hogging the road.

Eventually we passed the lake and stopped at a small store to buy some refreshments and take a short break.  It was nice sitting outside chairs under a large shady tree to catch up on what all the Mhogs have been up to.  Jerry and Doni had just gotten home from an epic road trip involving 4400 miles, several states and I suspect many Subway sandwiches.  Kirk and Patty discussed the wedding plans, while Dave and Julie discussed the last concert they attended.  While it is fun riding, it can be difficult to chat.  These brief interludes give everyone a chance to catch up and get reacquainted.

Off again, we headed to downtown Napa and the restaurant formerly known as Taylor's, now Gott's.  I  know I have written about Taylor's before so I will not spend too much time on it.  I will tell you that only the name has changed.  It still offers a variety of gourmet sandwiches and salads in a casual setting.  It is also interesting to see the variety of people who eat there.  Some are all dressed up coming from some fancy, smancy wine tasting, while others were causal, yet very attractive in their riding apparel.  As always, the food was great and the company even better.

After leaving Gott's we headed south and eventually peeled off to our own destinations.  It was great getting back on the road with our friends.  We all look forward to doing it again.

See you on the road.

P.S.  One more picture of Outlaw's new bike...

Tour de Hollister

I've never been to Hollister.  I tried to go to the last HD rally that they held in Hollister, but could not make it when I came down with beer poisoning.  I know what you are think...too much beer.  That was not the case, it was one beer, a bad beer.  I had brewed it up myself.  The beer was stacked in my garage fridge like cord wood.  I had drank it for weeks when I came to that one beer that did not taste..."quite right".  Well, it was not quite right.  4 days of puking and diarrhea until I could finally think about beer again.  I'm happy to report that the incident is behind me now, but needless to say, I did not make it to Hollister that weekend.

Today was quite different.  Julie and I were without our fellow Mild Hogs for this trip. We passed through Gilroy on the way, the smell of garlic was strong and we somehow fought the urge to stop and sample garlic wine and garlic candy.  Before long we entered Hollister, famous for the movie The Wild Ones, starring Marlo Brando as a renegade biker.  I've never seen the movie, but I guess it is about a motorcycle "club" terrorizing the town of Hollister.  Since then, Hollister has been a spot for HD rally's until they decided it was too much trouble and stopped having them, the same year as the beer poisoning.

Well, Hollister is not much to look at.  It is an agricultural town with some light manufacturing.  I suspect companies move there for the cheap labor.  When you think about it, it is isolated, the only major industry is picking crops.  Companies would not have to pay much to attract labor away from the fields.  Perhaps that is why Corbin, manufacturer of motorcycle seats is located there.  It was the reason we were going to Hollister.  We wanted to see the various seats that they manufacture.

We arrived around lunch time.  The show room had a variety of motorcycles on display, each with a different style of Corbin seat.  There was a person polishing the bikes, but he never looked up when we entered.  He was clearly not a salesperson.  As a matter of fact, we never saw a salesperson.  The front counter was empty and no one appeared the entire time we casually walked the show room.  I guess we could have rousted someone from the back if we were really interested in buying, but lack of service turned me off.  We did look through the various leather options.  They even had ostrich.  Julie was convinced it was real until I asked her to make a bet.  She said something about $2000 purses and then quickly changed the subject and I was glad she did.  If we did want to buy a seat, they manufacture them on the spot and install them as you wait as several folks were having their bikes worked on while we were there.

It was lunch time and we were hungry, imagine that...  Fortunately for us, they have a cafe on site.  It was actually very nice.  The walls were filled with pictures of all types of motorcycles, movie posters with motorcycles and all kinds of racing photos.  As we sat at our booth I had the distinct impression we were being watched.  I scanned the place and did not see anyone paying any particular attention to us, perhaps Julie, but that is normal.  Then I saw it, on the wall above our booth was a framed and signed racing picture that captured two dirt track riders in close combat on the curve of a track.  One of the daring riders had his front tire under the arm of the other rider as he passed him on the inside.  HEY!  That rider was Kirk, one of our club members!  He even dated and signed the picture, January 6, 1973.  I explained to Julie that they did have picture cameras back then.  Being only 4 months old at that time, she would not have known.

Kirk's Picture at the Corbin Cafe in Hollister

Our lunch at the cafe was really breakfast which they serve until 2 PM.  The egg yokes were a dark orange, typical of the eggs you would find on a farm, not in the store.  The service was good, unlike the showroom, and the food was tasty.  The ride home was uneventful, but windy.  While we enjoyed the trip to Hollister, I will add it to Gillette, Wyoming as towns you only need to visit once.

See you on the road.

Daffodil Hill Run



Daffodils



It was a sunny, breezy Sunday, the third day Daffodil  Hill was open.  Daffodil Hills is a 4 acre farm owned by the McLaughlin family since 1887.  The farm began as a 36-acre ranch and toll road for travelers and teamster hauling timber.  In the 1930's, the first visitors stopped to admire the family's garden.  Responding to public interest, the family began expanding the flower bed. Today the farms has over 300,000 flowers when they are all in full bloom.  For more information on Daffodil Hill, you can go directly to their web site...

www.amadorcountychamber.com/Historic/daffodil_hill.html

Julie and I met Jerry and Doni at the Starbucks in Brentwood.  After coffee, tea and pleasantries, we hit the road. The ride across the delta was exceptionally windy.  It was one of those cross winds that blow so hard you have to lean into it to ride a straight line.  The wind, aided by our speed, entered my left nostril and exited my right.  As you might imagine, this gets pretty old, pretty quick.


Once in the foothills, the wind let up and the ride was gorgeous.  Green grass, leafy trees, flowers everywhere and wide open roads.  When you arrive at the farm, you will certainly be struck by the amount of organization round a free display.  The entrance is manned by a State Police officer who directs traffic in and out of the farm and helps the crowds get across the road without injury.  There are volunteers that direct parking which includes an area specifically for motorcycles.  My only complaint about the parking is dust that is kicked into the air by the traffic in the dirt field that ends up clinging to the bikes.  This year was not too bad as the dirt was somewhat moist.  



Mild Hogs at Daffodil Hill

Looking at 300,000 daffodils does not take as much time as you might think...  The farm has trails that allow the crowds to walk through the fields to view the numerous varieties.  I honestly thought a daffodil was a daffodil, but there are many varieties that do not look at all like daffodils.  


The Farm

On the way back we stopped at Mel's and Faye's Diner which is biker friendly and has outside seating.  The food is typical diner fare, not bad and reasonably priced.  We also decided to swing by the Jackson Harley dealership...it's gone!  My guess is that it is a victim of the poor economy and the location.  Jackson is not very large and it surprised me that it could support an HD dealership.  Well, I guess it can't.  We did make a quick stop at the local feed supply store so that I could purchase a bandanna to cover my face (nose) for the ride home.  They had a variety of chicks outside, no, not the kind you are thinking...actual poultry.  Doni and Jerry took a brief journey back to the farm as they enjoyed the chicks while Julie and I perused the feed store.  We managed to find a blue bandanna which Julie tied around my face for the journey home, protecting my sinus from the inevitable reverse flow.  It worked, but I still cannot get the smell of feed store and Chinese workers out of my mind as the bandanna was embedded with that particular scent.

Spring is here, so look for more Mild Hog adventures in the near future.

See you on the road.







Winter in NorCal

Outlaw, his lady, and Repo Man

Snake

While two thirds of the country is butt deep in snow, we took advantage of the warm weather to get out on our bikes.  Yank off the covers, unhook the chargers, grab the chaps and hit the road.  Repo Man arrived early at Starbucks followed by Snake and then Outlaw and his lady.

After sipping coffee and swapping stories, it was time to hit the road.  Today's destination would be Alice's Restaurant.  I've blogged about AR before so I will spare you the details.  It was wonderful to be in formation and on the open road after months of short dashes to local stops when weather permits.  Soon we were crossing the San Mateo bridge heading into the hills that border the Pacific Ocean.  With the sun on our backs, we glided along Skyline Drive with other motorcycles and many, many bicycles.

A word about bikes...  I've ridden road bikes and mountain bikes and enjoy them both.  For you bicyclist who hug the edge of the road and ride in a single file, I thank you.  For those couple of Jackasses that were two abreast in the middle of the road, I waited to go around you today, but cannot guarantee you will not find a Harley Davidson boot up your ass the next time you hog the road without regard for others.  There, I feel so much better.

Alice's was packed with motorcycles, all kinds of motorcycles, all kinds of riders.  I'm not sure if it is the food, the location or the reputation that draws bikers from far and wide.  Surprisingly we able to get a table outside in the sunshine.  The food was excellent, the coffee hot and the service excellent.  I suppose they serve something other than breakfast, but I have never had anything else.  After we were packed with eggs, toast, sausage, bacon and hash browns, and coffee, it was time to hoist our carcasses onto our bikes and head to Half Moon Bay and then home.

Alice's Restaurant

The ride along the coast was everything you would expect on such a beautiful day.  As we left Half Moon Bay, if appeared everyone was headed to the coast.  The traffic coming the other direction was thick, fortunately our road was open and winding.  As we approached the end of our journey, Repo Man signaled he was running low on gas.  I was in a similar situation, but knew Outlaw was okay as he is still on the last tank of gas he bought in Sturgis in 2008.  Fortunately we found gas before we ran out.  Repo Man had about a gallon left, good for about another 40 miles.  I'm not sure I will panic the next time he cries "I'm out of gas!".

After fueling, we all went our separate ways with smiles on our faces.  It was good to be back on the bike, back with my friends.

See you on the road...