What an amazing weekend! A ride on the California coast has been on our bucket list for many years – and now we’ve done it, with our girls too! Thanks for being born Pat! It’s been such a lean riding year with the pandemic that the minute Kim mentioned a possible ride for Pat’s birthday, none of us could say “yes” fast enough!
As customary, we all met Friday morning (July 17, 2020) at Pat and Kim’s house. Dale made his debut on a new Street Glide – wow, what a bike! When the girls pulled up in Dave’s truck, the excited talk began in earnest. I know that every one of us would love to be back in that moment right now, just beginning another epic ride! Soon we were thundering down the freeway to Linda and Donovan’s, and then it was up the beautiful California Coast. We followed the girls to a tasty lunch at In-N-Out, and then the anticipation became real as we wondered what our rental home in Atascadero would look like. Boy were we pleasantly surprised! It was brand new and beautiful! The view from the deck was gorgeous – endless golden hills dotted with oak trees. After the necessary beer and chips, the boys flopped on the couch while the girls played cards. Lori’s yummy pasta dinner was awesome, so with full bellies and tired bones we retired early to start dreaming of tomorrow!!
As the Saturday morning sun hit our faces, coffee on the deck was marvelous. The girls’ plan was to sightsee and shop their way up the coast while us boys got underway early, heading down to the misty Highway 1. I had been up the coast several times in the past, but never on a bike – what a difference! With fresh ocean air in our faces, the smell of the sea and the continuous thump of our bikes, we headed out to an awesome adventure! And the best part was being together again! After leaving Morro Bay, the road became long sweeping turns with beautiful landscape all around us. The ocean was gray like the sky, just waiting for color to burst out with the sun. Then a winding road announced our entry into Big Sur, which was so pretty with all the trees right on the coast. We stopped at a little roadside stand for hot coffee and heard the barking of seals on the rocks below.
As we continued toward Carmel, the sun emerged and turned the sea to a brilliant blue. The girls were enjoying the sunshine too as they sat posing with locals along the shore and checking out all the cool little stores. Many of the items for sale were beautiful representations of coastal life made by local artists. I remember thinking that I wish our kids could see how beautiful all this is! But it was more than just the view. The sounds and feel of the bike and the salty breeze added to the excited chatter on our headsets as we took in beauty that could never be duplicated. The farther north we went, the more people we saw coming down the coast, and now I understood why “California Dreaming” is not just a saying…
Monterey, complete with beautiful waves crashing on the rocks, had sure expanded since the last time I saw it. But it still had the charm, as we stopped for a great lunch and music near the bay. By that time, we all agreed that a “loop” was in order for the ride back, so we took the 101 through the never-ending agriculture of the pretty Salinas valley. The smell of farms, vineyards and produce permeated the warm air, which was so different from the cool sea breeze on the way up. After we entered the house with our manly, clunking boots, we all hugged our girls tightly. It was impossible to wipe the smiles off our faces as we laughed and told the story of our journey. You’d think we just rode across the country (although that’s in our future plans too)!
Dave’s barbecue skills really showed with a great steak dinner, followed by Pat’s birthday celebration and cheesecake. It was such a great time that hopefully no one paid attention to the lame song that Dale and Sue tried to sing (it was really Dale’s idea).
The next morning, the mood was a little mello as we packed up our bags and bikes, but we still had a lot of riding to look forward to. The trip home was beautiful as we headed down toward Santa Barbara, where we stopped for a picnic lunch in a park. Then it was back to the concrete jungle, but the fond memories had already become a part of us as we finished yet another Great Ride With Great Friends!
Great Rides, Great Friends 
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