So. Cal Ride Call to the Sea...the Salton Sea that is

Safe to say, I won't be ordering the fish and chips.

 

This Saturday, too bad, my new-to-me 2000 VFR800 will not be ready to ride that soon.
Still working on some deferred maintenance and mods.
Biggest job will be tracking down a coolent leak under the throttle body by the thermostat.
TINK

 

Probabably some alkali in and around the Salton Sea too. Hell on aluminum.

Best case if not cleaned off is some corrosion. Worst case and this for conspiracy theorists and pseudo science junkies.

Alkali is a base. Bases+aluminum can generate hydrogen gas. The outcome could cause unwanted levitation or just one big kaboom,.

 

Have a safe ride guys....enjoy the perfect weather....

 

Thanks Brother, we'll have to do an epic ride when you're all healed up!

 

No doubt ....it will be close to 6 months...ENJOY....

 

So yesterday was a pretty good day, it started out a little brisk (47F) before I even left so I knew I had to put an additional layer under my vented leathers. I also knew that it would get a bit warmer so I didn't want to wear the non perforated suit as I would get too hot, so figured the layered approach would be the best option for this ride.

So heading South on the freeway to the first meeting point, which is really just to meet up with OCLandspeeder, as no one else seemed to chime in that they were joining us, I was met with some fog patches and a police car cruising it...so I was going to be close to being late!

Fortunately since it was just OCL and I, it wouldn't be a big deal. I did make it right at 7:30, grabbed gas and immediately took off up through Ortega Highway and South onto the 15 to meeting point #2. We arrived a few minutes behind schedule but enough that our two Buell riders showed up right after us, so again no biggie.

We knew we had at least 3 riders joining us but were surprised to find another rider who was there with his fairly new 2014 VFR800, some of us will remember Clinton from the So Cal Meet and Greet. It was good to see another member join us.

So after a few minutes of introductions and route plans and expected schedule, off we ran. We took a little scenic route and stopped once for some pictures at a look out and then another for our brunch at Randy's, which turned out to be a good call, everybody seemed to like the food and the host were definitely known by the locals and were fun to interact with. Word of caution about the menu...it is "wordy", item titles are references to famous people and descriptions are very long! Other than that, I'd say most of us would say it was a good choice.

After brunch, off we went to the Sea! not much as far as roads go, mostly srtaight and boring and at one point, it took a double take to notice that we were actually riding along side the Sea for a few miles! I didn't know that much about it but from what one of the locals was saying, the Sea is 37 miles long and 15 miles wide at it's largest. When we were at the shore, and since it was a little overcast, we could not see the other sode of the Sea so it almost appeared like we were at the shore of the Pacific Ocean!

Although we would have liked to spent more time there as well as look for some of the other landmarks, we ultimately had to rush out of there as OCL only had his smoked visor so the sooner we left, the less likely we would be riding in the dark. All that being said, we did end up in the darks and had to lane split almost all the way home! It did clear up for me some but I didn't get home until about 7PM, so that was 12 hour day for me. Surprisingly I was still doing pretty well all the way home, although I doubt I would have been doing so if I had another hour or two to go!

Anyway, thanks to all those who joined the ride and maybe next time we can go straight to the points of interest we missed on this ride.


Meeting point 2 in Temecula


Taking a break at the lookout.


A peek at the road we'd be riding down.


A view of our next destination as seen from the lookout.


Our choice for brunch. Good food but bring cash as they do not accept credit cards!



Salton Sea Model posing on a local's golf cart. Apparently there was a photography group shooting some pics at the Sea and there were two models, this was oneof them.


A local resident showing the model how you can walk out pretty far into the sea without going much deeper than your shins.


Testing the waters, so to speak


Birds proving the the local's point...


Remnents of the past earily frozen in time.





A "panoramic" view of the lake. This is from South to North.

 

Thanks for the journey and pics. ....long day huh?.....

 

My alarm went off at 6am Saturday morning. A late Friday night made 6am come way too fast. A minute of lying in bed with my eyes closed would allow me to ease my way into consciousness. Don't want to rush this sort of thing. I counted, 1, 2, 3, 4 ... zzzzzzz. At 6:40 my eyes flew open. Crap. Oh well, I didn't have to be to the second meeting spot until 8:15/8:30 and it would take me about an hour to get there. A quick shower, half a cup of coffee, bike check then I hit the road.

I arrived in Temecula right on time. Clinton and his beautiful 8th Gen was there waiting. I fueled up and we chatted as we waited for the others. It wasn't long before OOTV and OCLandspeeder (from the VFRD forum) arrived. OOTV on his black 6th Gen and OCLandspeeder on his RWB 6th Gen. What great taste he has! We were then joined by David and CJ on their Buell's. I don't know much about Buell's but believe they were both 1125's. CJ's was white and David's was black. And loud. I mean, really loud.

From Temecula we made our way over the hills along Highway 74. The road was fantastic. Relatively light traffic with perfect weather. Sunny and warm (after what began as a rather chilly morning). It was my first time on this road and I experienced a number of butt puckering turns. I touched down on one of them, scraping my left peg feeler, resulting in the tightest pucker of the day. This portion of the ride was challenging for me and made me realize just how much work I need on cornering. OCLandspeeder, CJ and Clinton were smooth and fast. I was nervous and hesitant and did a whole lot of talking to myself. Telling myself to relax, loosen up, look through the turns, trust the bike, fight the urge to let off the throttle...it was running dialogue that eventually got me to the scenic viewpoint that overlooked the desert below. I felt bad for David and OOTV who patiently took up positions behind me. In particular OOTV who faithfully acted as sweeper the entire ride and whose pace must have felt rather pedestrian while for me, it was blistering.


The view from on top of Highway 74. You can make out the road snaking below. To be honest, I can't tell you if that's the road we came up or the road we were about to descend. It was my first time either way and it was exhilarating and a heck of a lot of fun. Most importantly, all of us made it through unscathed and in one piece.


OCLandspeeder, CJ and David (seated on the wall).


OCLandspeeder and David admiring the view. A storm trooper patrolling the viewpoint. Oh no, wait, that's OOTV.


CJ laughing at how slow I was. As I told the group, I'm much faster in my mind.

By this point in the ride, the sun had risen along with the temperature. We removed a layer or two, mounted up and made the descent. The ride down felt better for me. Still, this ride really brought home how much more cornering work I need. Something I'm looking forward to putting in. We made our way into Palm Desert where we stopped for brunch at Randy's Café.


Our bikes outside Randy's Café. I still can't figure out why the area is called "Palm Desert."


Legend has it that a crazy Canadian descended from the great white north on a white VFR, setting the asphalt of Highway 74 on fire at speeds rivaling those seen at the Isle of Man TT and that the café was established in his honor. I didn't believe it. Until, that is, I used the restroom and saw this sign.


Then I knew the legend was true. Our very own Randy has a café named after him in the desert southwest!

From Palm Desert we made our way to the Salton Sea. I had no idea it was as large as it is! It looked like we were riding along the ocean. Someone later said it was 35 miles wide and 15 miles across. We rode to Bombay Beach where we stopped and admired the scenery.


Some of our friendly greeters who lined the shore.


I think CJ named this one "Socket."

We weren't the only ones taking photos. A couple of models were posing on and among the interesting rock/mineral deposits that lined the shore.


One of the models being given direction by the photographer. I heard him say, "Picture metallyguitarded out at sea. You long for him. Reach out your arms to him. Beckon for him to come to you."


The other model responding to the photographer's question of, "What are the chances you'd ever go out with someone who looks like metallyguitarded." I thought her zero was overly exaggerated and not well formed. I turned my attention elsewhere.

With little prompting, I convinced OOTV to match the models pose for pose. But before he could strip out of his leathers, revealing his bikini, the photo shoot wrapped.


An Imperial Storm, uh, I mean, OOTV looking like a badass. You would never know that underneath all of that he wore an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polka dot bikini. That he wore for the first time that day.


David and Clinton reacting to OOTV's bikini. Trust me, it brought smiles to everyone's faces!


Paparazzi were out in full force. Word must have leaked that members of VFRW would be at Bombay Beach.


An obligatory shot of the bikes at Bombay Beach. As our VFRs waited comfortably with half-full tanks, the two Buells were running dangerously low on gas. In particular, CJ was worried that she might not make it to the next gas station, the location of which was initially a mystery to us. Luckily, a local was at the beach and told us that just 17 miles up the road in Niland, there was a gas station we could use to fuel up. This news made CJ incredibly happy and she jumped up on the pillars and ran from one to the other in a feat that would have seemed impossible if I hadn't seen it myself and captured it on camera!



When we were finally able to get CJ to stop, we suited up and made our way to Niland.






I'm happy to report that we made it to the gas station without anyone running out of gas. On the way we were passed by emergency vehicle after emergency vehicle going the opposite direction. I have no idea what was going on (no sign of smoke in the distance) but whatever it was, it must have been big. We considered stopping at Salvation Mountain but by the time we made it to Niland, it was already after 2pm. OCLandspeeder and OOTV had ridden from Orange County and had quite a bit of riding to do before they'd make it home. The chance of them making it home before dark was slim. We decided to skip Salvation Mtn and forego the original plan of taking Highway 79 through the mountains, Julian and into Ramona on the way home. Instead, we made our way to the interstate for a long super slab ride west. Our ride was at a spirited pace and I actually enjoyed much of the scenery. We passed a group of windmills that were truly surreal - giants with enormous blades turning slowly in the breeze. I immediately appreciated the delusions of Don Quixote as we rode among those towering beasts.

One last stop in Alpine for fuel during which I realized my turn signals had stopped working. We said our goodbyes in the fading light then made the last push for home. OOTV, OCLandspeeder and Clinton peeled off first and headed north. I continued west briefly with David and CJ until it was my turn to pull away. I made it home just as darkness set in. What a day. What a great ride and a great group of people. All in all, I had spent over 9 hours on the bike. I checked in with OOTV later that night. Coming from his home in Orange County, he had spent much more time in the saddle. I was exhausted. I can only imagine how he and the others felt.

I'm looking forward to the next ride. Thanks to OOTV and OCLandspeeder for making this happen! Thanks for the rest of the group for coming along. You guys (and gal) were great!

 

Wow! sounds like you guys had a great time and the photos are awesome. I really wish I could have been a part of a ride like that.

 

Nice pictures. Looks like everyone had fun.

 

It was indeed a great ride. The weather was perfect and most of the roads were wonderful. I even enjoyed that high speed slabbing on the I-8. Yup those giant windmills were a sight to behold!

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.

The Salton Sea is quite unique. I feel bad that we missed a few points of interest. This place requires a second look before the weather warms up. Next time, I promise to always bring a clear shield!

 

I also have a doughnut shop in Long Beach too. Not far from brother Scubalong's place. Just off the 405

 

No need to go into detail on how those donuts are made.

 

Was watching the Mentalist last night and bugger me they went down to Salton Sea, wouldn't have given it a second thought except for this topic. Bizare sort of place and the Berrego Gap Dinner featured quite a bit. Now Patric Jane was onto the mystery because he worked out that the Dinner had a nice new expensive sign out the front, is this correct?

 

Saw that as well...great show..last season

 

you ever watch Psych?

It was funny to see Sean punk the mentalist...(He was the original)