First_Coast_Trip_Page

After Ragged Point, we continued on up PCH. This portion of PCH was extremely twisty, with plenty of blind corners marked 20 mph, with a couple going all the way down to 10 mph. Dirt & rocks at each corner also added to our excitement. The tight turns didn�t last long however, and after a long sweeping 20 mph left turn, PCH became more spacious as it entered the Los Padres National Forest. This forest was huge as it dominated the landscape. Low lying shrubs and grass made way for large Pine trees and junipers. It was all very lush and green, and so beautiful.

We passed the community of Lucia, which had an interesting restaurant and motel right on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the Pacific. Then, we arrived at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park where there was a small road that turned off into a trail and down to the rugged coastline. We stopped there to admire the views and do a restroom run.

There were many vehicles parked in the parking lot, but nobody around. No doubt the owners of these vehicles were out hiking on the coastline or the trails leading to scenic overlooks and waterfalls. This turn off was right next to creek with a bridge the lead to somewhere I didn�t know.

While we were standing next to our bikes and talking about the ride, a tourist family walked by staring at Dean & Patty. One of them made a comment about their matching leather jackets and the color of their bike. It was kind of a joke I thought at the time. But I knew deep down those folks were poking fun at the outfit. I guess they�ve never seen sportbikers before.

Back on PCH, we soon reached the Big Sur area. I got stuck behind a rental car that was going excruciatingly slow in the turns. At each corner exit however, the car would accelerate away. I hate it when people do this. Just pull over! It would take me a mere 2 seconds to get around them, yet they insist on keeping me back there. I stayed behind this rental car driven by an ass of a driver for a couple of miles before an open sweeping turn presented itself. The car couldn�t really accelerate here as its chassis and tires wouldn�t permit it, that�s when I made my move and quickly got around the car. Poor Dean. Now he had to deal with that fool. As we got deeper into Big Sur, the number of cars driving around us increased. Soon, we were stuck behind a 4 car caravan being held up by a Nissan minivan. The minivan, true to form, refused to pull over. Every car in the caravan would be riding their brakes as they rounded every turn as the minivan was moving at a walking pace. Arrrggh! I sat behind the last car in the train trying to be as patient as I could, waiting for the right opportunity to pass. At each sweeping turn, I had to almost put my bike in first gear! Finally, I realized, I would never get an opportunity to pass the whole caravan with Dean in tow. I decided to pass this train one car at a time. Dean was just going to have to do the same and catch up. So I started my dance. One. Then two. Then three. Soon I was right behind the culprit. The minivan held its ground. Occupants inside kept on looking behind to see what I was going to do next. On a couple of turns, the minivan passed a couple of big wide turn offs and just ignored them. I turned on my Brights�.no response. I finally put the Busa in a lower gear and roared up to pass the minivan. I got a good look at the dickhead driving the van; he looked like a clueless soccer dad of some sort. I just shook my head when I got in front of the van as I tried my very best not to reach out with my left arm and give this moron the finger!

Dean wasn�t as fortunate and aggressive as I was however. He got stuck behind the train of cars so I couldn�t even see him back there. I had to blow off some steam so I kept up a quick pace through Big Sur, trying my best to enjoy the curves, the scenery, and the freedom from slow traffic. After a few minutes, I realized I needed to stop and wait for Dean as he had fallen so far behind, I was afraid we�d get split up. I stopped somewhere by Andrew Molera State Park. This portion of the PCH sat way inland under a thick canopy of Pine trees. Dean�s ZX9R�s headlight finally became visible so I got back on the road. We passed the park, which had a road that lead down onto a dirt parking area. This park had trails that gave access to the coast. At this point, PCH opened up onto this large flat area where Point Sur Lighthouse State Historic Park was located. The lighthouse station sat on top of a very large rock jutting out into the sea. I could see the road cut out of the rock that lead to the light station. The surrounding beaches were gorgeous and unspoiled. Not a speck of human footprint on the smooth sand. The ever present fencing protected this area for I�m sure if it was possible, hundreds of tourists would be all over this pristine beach. I hate sounding like or even thinking like a tree hugger but the thought of large numbers of tourists using this beach scares the crap out of me. I can imagine all the trash that would be left behind, as well as all the cars and tour buses parking alongside the beach. As much as I myself would like to be able to walk along this area, which looked like it was straight out of a scenic painting, I�m glad that everyone else cannot.

We soon left Los Padres National Forest and continued on towards the historic Bixby Bridge. We stopped right after that to catch our breath and admire the views.