Ride with Special Ed

[DiverRay]

Special Ed is going in to get cut and stitched in a week. We are planning a ride Sunday, March 22. IF anyone in the area wants to join us, all are welcome. Plan is to ride up Highway 9, along 35 to Alice's, then down 92 to 1 and back South. Plans may change as we get people and locations, but that is it so far.
You can reply here, or PM Ed or myself, or just try and catch up with us along the route. My cell number is visible for anyone who may want to call.

[Special Ed]

Thanks Ray!

After consulting SWMBO she reminded me that we need to be at Stanford at 10 AM, which means we may stay at a friends house in Santa Cruz Sunday nite. An alternative ride might be in the opposite direction: up 68 to (mental blank) over to Carmel Valley Rd. to PHC down as far as we like through Big Sur. That way I can be relatively close to home to jump in the cage with SWMBO to drive to Santa Cruz Sunday night. This will be my last ride for perhaps a month.
Special Ed

[soccer4m]

Special Ed Rocks on....

Hey Ed, have a great ride and one to remember for awhile until you get back in the xs saddle again. Hope you dont open up that monster xs1100 engine you got, its a beast. I still remember the time we all met the guy who built that engine at the crash site of James Dean. Unreal the rally lunch stop was there and the guy rattled on about his fastest xs at the time....anyway, hope the Doc does good for you. We Sun Diegans cant make the ride but wish we could....see you and Ray sometime soon,,,,,,,Mike in S.Diego

[ekim]

And Then There Were 3

Gents,

It would be a pleasure to ride with you guys on Sunday!
I'm coming from "over the hill" so when you finalize the trip/route, I will plan accordingly.
Please keep me posted.

- Mike

[DiverRay]

Mike,
We can plan on meeting at my house at 12:00 noon. The ride down to Ed's is about 45 min. with traffic. I would think a ride down the PCH, then up and finish in Monterey about 5:30 or 6:00pm. We can then ride home from there. You should go up 101, as 17 will be a bear at that time.
Anyone else??

[Special Ed]

Great to hear from you Mike

Not to worry about the XS11+. The clutch is not up to the extra power, so it slips right when things start to get really fun Wish you could ride with us!
I look forward to meeting any new (to me) riders. I'll see if I can recruit some more riders in the Monterey area on Meetup.com
Special Ed

[Wildkat]

Wish I could make this one! I love the Monterey area and would love to be able to meet Ed in person... Maybe one of these days.

I hope the weather is wonderful and y'all have a great ride.
Enjoy your day Ed!

[JeffH]

Hope somebody will take some pics -and- then post some pics. That would be awesome.

Ditto on what Kat said, I'd like to do this again too. Rode that area every year as part of my day ride circuit. And Alice's still there too. That's amazing.

So Sunday forecast says sunny 68. Can't beat that. Enjoy the Ride. Post some pics & ride update on what ya did.
As Arlo says: up there "you can get anything you want" for us some pics would suffice.

Jeff

[fredintoon]

To all those who can make it to the event, have a safe and pleasant ride.
I'd take a short co-ride in Ed's name, perhaps for Saskatoon pie at the Berry Barn, but the snow on the roads around here puts that at least a Month into the future.

[DiverRay]

So we have a little drizzle on the North end of the bay, my home. Ed said it's just cloudy on the South end of the bay, his home. Looks like a "normal" spring ride, bring it all, because you don't know what the weather will toss at you! Mike needs a little tweek on his carbs, then off we go about 12:30pm Pacific time.
Should be an attack of the 80's! 1980 Standard, 1980 Special, 1980 Midnight Special.
I WILL take photo's, and try to post soon.

[Special Ed]

Brief ride report:

Met Ray and new rider/ friend, Mike who rode over from San Jose to rendezvous at Dennie's on Reservation Road, on the old Fort Ord property. The weather was overcast and verging on misty, around 60 degree temperature: the bikes loved it, and the riders weren't complaining.
We agreed on a truncated ride down Reservation Rd.overlooking a loverly valley planted with late winter and early spring crops.
A right onto Hwy 68 for a cruz down to the Lauralis Grade turn off, and a left up and over same. It is only a few miles and is over far too soon, but the views are spectacular. It is always a pleasure to turn someone onto their first view of something to which I have become accustomed.
A right down Carmel Valley Rd., past some of the most over valued property in Cantafordia, for about 15 miles, and we pulled into The Bajah Cantina, (remind me to download a Spanish language spell checker,) a very popular, very biker/ gear head friendly watering hole. There is a 1915 single cylinder Indian on permanent display attached to a wall over an archway. A pitcher of Modela Negra, a bottomless basket of chips and salsa, gear head talk and stories of life's misadventures, recommended bike movies later, we headed on down Carmel Valley Rd. to PHC (AKA Hwy 1, or as they say down South: "The 1".)
I parted ways with my Brothers on "The 1" as they continued on to points North and I pealed ofr to take care of some last minute shopping be fore heading home.
Kat, do I understand that this is your Birthday? If so, have a happy: If not I love you anyway: I wish you could have joined us. I would indeed like to meet you some day!
Special Ed

[ekim]

What a GREAT Day!

It was a wonderful ride. The scenery was picturesque and the comradery engaging. Great to meet Ed and ride with the Monterrey Bay contingency.
The bike ran great after Ray did some minor magic. Both, Thanks for showing me the secret back roads. The views were spectacular and I look forward to a repeat and more exploring. Ray took a photo or 2 so I am sure he will post some pics when he has time. Ed take your time and mend well so we can do this again. We probably can swap another story or 12.

For those with us in spirit...
Here is the only picture I took. It is the 1980 Yamaha XS11 'brochure' !
Pick your favorite model - we had em all!

[DiverRay]

OK, I don't have much to add about the ride, other than it was a good one. We had overcast, with rain in the morning in the hills as Mike found out getting to my house. After a quick re-sync on Mikes carbs, we rode down to meet up with Ed in Marina.



Southbound Highway 1 going into Moss Landing



The three bikes at Denny's

For Kat, and those that knew Fort Ord, we took Reservation Road from 1 to highway 68, Right on 68 to Laureless Grade, Left and over to Carmel Valley Road, Right and on down to the Baja Cantina to swap stories over a beer and chips with salsa.



East end of Reservation Road.



Highway 68 Westbound



Laureless Grade view



From the right, 1980 Standard (Mike), Special (Ed), and Midnight Special (Ray)



And the three bikes properly parked.

After the beer, we rode West out to California Highway 1, and North. Ed peeled off first, into Monterey. Mike and I rode together until Castoville, where he took the Highway 156 East to US 101 North, and I stayed on 1 until Aptos and home.


Looking back on the Monterey Bay as Mike and I ride North towards home.

Mike riding just as we parted ways. Mike needed to take US 101 North, and I was staying on California 1 North.

[Wildkat]

I'm so glad y'all had a great ride! The pics brought back some great memories! Traveled that area a LOT...

Ed - yes it was and thank you. I love you too! Keeping those positives coming for you.

[JeffH]

THANKS, for the great Ride Report and Pics.

This is awesome
Report said right on 68. It took me two days. 68? 68? 68? then finally remembered why Hwy 68 was familiar: Laguna Seca ..... duh!
We appreciate being able to follow along. I looked up 'street view' of Baja Cantina; out front that great old carriage wagon from days of old. nice!!

Jeff


the 'Money Shot', this is fantastic:

From the right, 1980 Standard (Mike), Special (Ed), and Midnight Special (Ray)

This is a good motivator for us XSives to plan a ride here in Georgia soon