Heading south again

The day dawned clear and somewhat chilly, with a sharp wind blowing. We set off from Turlock heading for Carmel Valley across a landscape as flat as a board, and entirely given to farming and food production, orchards,  vegetables, cows in huge open sheds eating through bars, their feed stored in huge ten foot diameter white plastic bags as long as a large suburban block. The roads varied from straight, narrow and bumpy bitumen to winding country roads and 70 mph highways, where we found ourselves travelling 10 mph over the limit while at the same time being the slowest vehicle on the road. (For the record, our GPS shows our maximum speed has been 84 mph).

Our bike is so good to ride: it feels no different at 80 mph to 50 mph. The powerful 1200 cc boxer twin has power to spare, and when I wind on the throttle it responds with a loud purrrrr, like there is a very big, happy cat inside.

The GPS randomly talks through our Scala communication set to one of us one day and the other the next, but never to both of us at the same time.

After a fairly long leg with only one stop we got to Carmel Valley in time for lunch. This is a beautiful little community of just a few thousand people, with lots of art shops and a "feel" that made us think it would be a great place to live. We rode around a bit, looking for a coffee shop and happened upon one more by good luck than skill. All of the businesses have very small and understated signage - a bit unusual considering this is California. At the Wild Goose Bakery we were able to order a cappuccino (most coffee vendors here have no idea what this is). The baker makes her own bread. A crusty, non-sweet bread stick. We wished we could have taken a few with us.

We were discussing the route we had taken, when a gentleman at an adjacent table asked if we needed help. We began a lengthy and wide ranging conversation with him. His name was Charles and he originated in South Africa. He was a most interesting and erudite person; well travelled and worldly-wise. A treasure trove of information.

Apart from warning us about poison oak, a plant that could disable you for a fortnight, he informed us about the former Hurst Hunting Lodge, a magnificent Spanish style building. It is now in the middle of the Fort Hunter Liggett army base. It had been the officers quarters but was now a little known place where the public could stay.

Also in Carmel are the glass and art galleries. Someone, as keen as mustard, had a racing bike in a mobile garage.

After a slow ride down the picturesque Carmel Valley followed by a high speed dash down California 101 for about 4 miles, we turned off down the Jolon Road toward the army base.

At the base we had to produce personal identification documentation as well as the registration and insurance papers for our bike before we could enter. There were cargo planes, trucks and soldiers exercising.

Perhaps I can digress for a moment to mention that when we purchased the bike and had it registered we only received a slip of paper to say the bike was registered - it may be 4 weeks or more before the number plate and current registration sticker are sent out to the address at which we registered the bike. This means we are riding around on a bike\that has no outward sign of being registered or identified and the plates will have to be mailed on to us somewhere along our way.

We found the hunting lodge, a grand hacienda, and the helpful gentleman who greeted us there said he thought they only had one guest that night. However, when we went in to check with the lady who managed it, we were told they were booked out. A reservation was essential..,Hmm!

It was now 5 pm and we were told why we had not been able to find motels in nearby Jolon or Lockwood: these are just localities on the map, not towns. Our GPS told us the nearest accommodation was 10 to 18 miles north and we were heading south. The closest town in that direction was Paso Robles, about 43 miles away, so off we went. The journey south initially took the Jolon Road, with long straights and sweeping corners, and then put us back onto California 101. Our speed rarely dropped below 70 mph and we made Paso Robles before 6 pm. After checking into a budget motel we went off to find a supermarket where we could buy the ingredients to make dinner in our room.

It's been a long ride today - 246 miles, but we have arrived reasonably fresh because the weather was good and the roads mostly fast. So far we have ridden more than 1000 miles in the last 5 days. Our average speed has ranged from 30.4 mph on our first day to 38.5 mph recorded today. Fuel economy has ranged from 43.5 (recorded leaving LA and driving in the fog in Sequoia NP) to 46.1 on each of the other days.

Not as dramatic as the last few days but a pleasant Spring ride on pretty side roads in beautiful weather.

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