Marty & I hopped on the 5 freeway to meet Matt at another gas station a couple of cities North of us. When we got to that gas station, Matt was already there smoking a cig and eager to go. After a brief conversation, all three of us took off. Destination: San Simeon, CA. 300 miles away.
The ride out of Orange County was uneventful. But as we entered Los Angeles County, the traffic density started to become thick. We were riding along the carpool lane of the 405 freeway when we got stuck behind a slow moving carpool van. The regular lanes were jam packed full of cars which were moving along fine, but there was little room to maneuver in there. Then fog hit us without warning. It was thick and wet and condensation gathered up on us. The visibility through our clear visors was bad and we constantly had to swipe the shield to clear the droplets of water forming in front of them. The carpool van in front of me was big and I could not see in front of it. So when the opportunity came, I exited the carpool lane to pass the slow moving van. As soon as I did, the van accelerated to prevent me from entering back into the lane. Worse, the regular lanes started to slow down. I could see brake lights forming up in front of me. That damn van! I swerved around slow moving traffic to escape the congestion. Somewhere along the way, Matt & Marty got separated as well. It�s really hard to keep formation under those conditions. It was dark, foggy, and cagers all around us where not too keen on moving over to let us pass. It took us about 10 minutes to regroup. All of that just to pass a stupid carpool van that didn�t want us to pass! I really hate riding through L.A.
Once passed LAX, the congestion on the 405 subsided and it was easier going for us. We got to the transition ramp to the 101, which was pretty congested again. I can�t believe how traffic builds up so fast here and it was only around 6:30AM! It was a bit unnerving riding through that transition ramp with cagers and trucks all moving close together in an uneasy truce.
On the northbound 101 freeway, things weren�t any better. There was still lots of congestion and clumps of cagers tapped on their brakes every few minutes. Extremely annoying! Finally, after and hour of riding through all the congestion, fog, and short tempered drivers, I decided to get off the 101 and look for shelter at the nearest McDonald�s. There�s nothing a McDonald�s Egg McMuffin can�t fix. We quickly found one somewhere in the middle of who knows where, and pulled in to eat a well deserved breakfast.
We stayed at that McDonald�s about an hour to wait for traffic on the 101 to subside, and darkness to be replaced by light. It�s really tiring and dangerous to be riding in rush hour in the dark.
We got back on the 101 around 8:30AM and now the traffic was a bit better. At least now we can see more thanks to the sun rising from behind us. And as soon as we began to leave Los Angeles County, traffic thinned out and so did our stress levels. It wasn�t long until we reached our exit for Highway 33. And not a moment too soon!
Highway 33 starts out fairly straight, with some sweepers as it goes through an ugly town. There were a lot of cars and there were no passing opportunities so we kept the speeds low and stayed in formation. As we neared Ojai, the number of cars thinned out. At the junction of the 33 and Highway 150, we pulled over to rest and gas up. It was our last gas station for the next 60 miles. From this point on, the 33 starts its climb up the Santa Barbara Mountains. At the gas station, we did the usual bathroom run, phone calls to the wives, coffee, smokes, and some BS�ing before heading on out on our first twisty road of the day. No more interstates for the next 120 miles! |
