Day One - August 14, 2001
San Fernando Valley to Big Sur
I left the house late, around 11:00am and headed out the
118 freeway towards the 23 to eventually connect with the 101 freeway
North. It was hot the day I left. It was supposedly going up to about
103° in the San Fernando Valley. A good day to leave for the Pacific
Coast. The FJ1200 was hummin' - running beautifully and feeling great
despite the approximately 80 pound load of camping gear, clothes, and
tools.
I got as far as Camarillo,
about 40 miles, when I hit traffic, so I started splitting
lanes only to find that the 101 freeway was completely shutdown in both
directions. A Cal Trans
truck used for painting lines on the highway rolled onto the freeway right in
front of a fully loaded 18 wheeler that was carrying propane - both trucks exploded.
The freeway would be closed until sometime the next day I would later find out.
What a traffic nightmare for those traveling north in cars. So I get off the
freeway and start winding my way around Camarillo towards Ventura
- with about 100 million other people - until I'm able to get back on the freeway.
I was sure glad I was on a motorcycle - I was able to pass about 95% of those
cars. From the point that I rejoined the 101 north, it was smooth sailing. Everybody
else was stuck back in Camarillo.
So
I headed up the coast through Santa
Barbara and Paso
Robles to San Louis
Obispo where I stopped for lunch. I cruised around for quite a while checking
out the town looking for a decent Mexican place to eat. I saw a little place
called "Cabo San Lucas", but it looked more like a fast food place. They didn't
serve beer (what's the point) so my search continued. Up this street and that
street until I spotted a place called "1865".
It looked good so I stopped for some eats. I'm not sure that I would ever
be able to find this place again but if I'm ever looking for a place to eat
in San Louis Obispo, I'll try and find it. I ordered a Margarita - Rocks (of
course) to get me started. Excellent! For my Entree I chose the Classic Caesar
Salad with grilled chicken. Absolutely Fabulous. It actually had whole anchovies
and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Truly one of the great caesars I've had.
A couple of Coronas
with lunch, settle the bill, and I'm off to Highway 1 - North through some
of the most spectacular coastline in the Country. I was really surprised at
the lack of cars on the road. Most people were traveling South.
About an hour later I stopped along side the road to pee. I thought I had picked
a fairly private place. So I'm standing there peein' - minding my own business.
I look up to find myself surrounded by tourists - Europeans for the most part.
I have no idea where they came from. They all just kinda' gave me a smile or
a little laugh and waved. Very embarrassing. I'll be more decree in the future!
As I traveled North, it got cloudy and much colder. On go the warm clothes. As I was riding, I came around a corner, the clouds broke and it was very sunny. A spectacular view. Something I didn't expect to see for quite some time after turning North on Highway 1.
It was starting to get late, and cold, so I started to look for a place to
camp for the night. The first campsite I came upon was really nice. Lots of
green grass and trees, but no place to camp so I continued North a few more
miles to the next campground. A National Forest campground. Just beautiful.
Sunny and overlooking the Pacific Ocean. What a great place to camp, but alas...it
was also full. The next thing that I could see on the map was Big Sur. I thought
for sure there would be some place to camp up there so off I go. The ride was
wonderful. Graceful corners and beautiful views. Just what I had come here for.
After arriving in Big Sur, I found a privately owned campground near the Vantana
Wilderness, called (go figure) Vantana Campground. At $25.00 a night - a
little expensive for camping, but where would the next place be? An hour, maybe
a couple? It was getting late and I was tired so I decided to stay. It was surprisingly
warm there. It was off the coast and down in a valley sheltered from the coastal
winds. I found a nice place to set up camp next to the little creek that runs
throughout the campground, drank a few more beers, called home (I was amazed
that I had cell service) and went to bed. All in all a great day. From hot to
cold. Through bumper to bumper traffic to almost abandoned roads. A wonderful
start to my summer motorcycle ride to parts unknown
309 total miles traveled for day 1.