| California Trip Page 3 |
| 5-04-01 Stopped at the world�s tallest thermometer to take pics and 2 Cal. Bikers rode up on their Harleys. Talked with them a while, and rode with them to Barstow. We then took aim at Palm Springs, but a wrong turn left us a bit north of the mark. Didn�t matter much as the scenery was nice all over. We were too far west and a stop for directions led us over a steep mountain, with beautiful views down below as we climbed up on the bikes. Fun riding�lots of crotch rockets zipping up and down the great road. We tried to stay out of their way as they raced up and down the twisties. We ended the day in Hemet, Cal. The Indian dude managing the place spoke about Pursig�s �Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance�. He�ll probably be a biker one day. We took a cab(John) to the Soboba casino�pretty rinky-dink. But we had a good time, even though the strongest thing to drink was cappucino. Steve �came out even� at black jack.hahaha. It was just as well we didn�t drink, we felt great to ride the next day. When we drank in Vegas, we knew we wouldn�t be riding the next day. The Hemet Inn, where we stayed, was a beautiful motel, with gorgeous landscaping. |
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| 5-05-01 Rode from Hemet to Malibu. We hit the PCH a little north of San Diego. The traffic through L.A. was the pits. A few close calls with paranoid southern Cal. Drivers. We were whipped after this ride, as it was hours of stop and go and avoid cages aiming at us. We�d taken hwy. 74 from Hemet. Boy, you could see the money dripping when we neared Malibu. Ferraris all over the place and beautiful houses on cliffs. We ate at a neat diner�Ruby�s. They had good food and lots of old cars and trucks parked in front. Then we arrived at Steve�s friend�s (Milton) apt. Milton had to take care of some things�he�s just finishing a gorgeous house a few blocks from his apt. in Pacific Pallisades, and is in the process of moving. Apt. overlooks Malibu Beach and is awesome. Then, on the way to dinner in his S500 M.B. he showed us the house. WOW!!! Bamboo floors, raw silk and cherry-wood closet doors, lap pool, waterfall, etc. etc. etc.! What a pad. The fish tank...about 300gallons, with the filtration in the garage, and the huge plasma t.v., along with the electric drapes, made for an awesome living room! Milton took us to eat grilled halibut(delicious) on the beach in Malibu. Later, at his apt., he was telling me some things about the Big Sur. Things that made me decide that�s where I wanted to put Jen�s ashes. Like the legend that that was the place where God had rested His head. And that it was an ancient indian burial grounds. And the inspiration the area(from Hearst Castle to the Monterrey Peninsula�about 90 miles of the Cal. Coastline�is considered the Big Sur) has given to so many artists, etc. I�d originally planned to put them on the overlook of the Golden Gate bridge. I�m glad I talked to him about it, �cause it turned out to be a most special, and much more private place. Milton was a gracious host and a nice guy. Met another interesting guy in the line waiting for the halibut. He was originally from La. His family ran Laura Lee�s restaurant. We talked a bit while Steve and Milton were discussing telephone stuff. Crashed on Milton�s couch, and Steve took the mattress on the floor. Which he said flattened out pretty quick�all the way to the floor. That�s okay, though, he�s still young and can take it.haha |
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| 5-06-01 Rode from Malibu to Lucia Lodge, about half of the Big Sur. Stopped at Neptune�s Net, a biker meeting place on Sundays, for lunch. It was several miles north of Malibu. The road really started opening up here and traffic thinned out. The scenery got better and better and by the time we�d reached Hearst Castle, the Big Sur presented itself to us in grand style. If there�s bikin� in heaven, this is one of the roads. The scenery was breathtaking. Felt like we were riding on the edge of the planet, soaring high above the ocean, with waves crashing on the large rocks and formations out at sea. And the mountains rising beautifully on our right. I spied the spot for Jen from a mile away. I saw 2 rocks, one a bit larger than the other, about a half mile out to sea, off of a beautiful point of land. There was a pull-over spot to park the bikes. Looking straight down, there was a group of a dozen or so elephant seals. After handing Steve my camera, I climbed a locked gate which said�Private Property(Hearst) No Trespassing. I took the camera from Steve and, with Jen�s ashes in my pocket, walked out to the tip of the point. The land here was full of beautiful wild flowers and types of birds I�d never seen before. When I got to the edge of the land, the wind was blowing out to sea. The ashes flew out to the rocks and ocean, and I could hear(but couldn�t see) a large colony of seals on the 2 rocks, singing loudly. When I returned, Steve said�Now she�s flying free. He was so right. I knew that a part of her was joining in the song of the seals, with backup music provided by the crashing waves and the birds. It�s funny, while tears had welled up a few times on a few occasions on the ride west, I felt nothing but joy when her ashes flew. It was the full moon. Which revealed itself magnificently that night at Lucia Lodge, where we spent the night. It was so remote that electricity was provided by a generator at the office and store. The cabins were some few hundred yards away, on a cliff-side facing another cliff. The moon rose over the cliff, which rose hundreds of feet over the crashing waves, resplendent in the silvery light. Took a few pics by trying to hold the camera still�with a long exposure time. I�d taken a chair out of the cabin to enjoy the view longer. We met a cute couple that same night, he being from Holland and she being from New Zealand. They were teasing each other a lot, but in a sweet, loving way. They took our picture the next morning and when I offered to take their�s he said, You mean with HER!!? They were so sweet, and I took their pic, one with the Holland camera and one with the New Zealand camera. We saw them several times later during the day, as they were heading north, also. I could see Jennifer in her eyes. What a great day and wonderful ride. |
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