Reg's Trip to San Diego 09 - AKA Long's BBQ

Trip To Long’s BBQ

Well, the day is here. The time has come for another journey. Maybe not so epic, but quite a few miles nevertheless. Total comes out to 770 miles. Not too bad for a few days. Join me, if you will, while we ride from the central coast of California down to San Diego. We will even have a little sojourn in Tijuana, Mexico. Vamos!

Scratch looking outside to leave


Ahh, the old familiar feeling in the gut is here. Not so much a nervousness as an excitement that builds up in the days leading up to a planned ride. Sometimes it feels like the anticipation alone will kill you. When the day finally comes and you stand astride your bike getting ready to do it, it can be almost anticlimactic, but we all know that’s just until you get into the zone.

Overlooking SLO from the top of Cuesta Grade


I give SLOVFR a call just to confirm that he is backing out for sure. Something about chain probs. Not sure if he means with the bike or some S&M malfunction but regardless it is time for me to move on down the road.

The skies are dreary and gray. Clouds here and there and temps slightly cool. At least my temp gauge on the VFR is malfunctioning so it thinks the temp is in the 70s most of the time. Maybe it’ll convince me if it keeps saying so…NOT! (Repeat this line in your Borat voice and it’s much funnier). I hope these clouds are no portent to what to expect.

As usual I have procrastinated with my setup and so have forgotten a couple things. The tires are still the track tires pictured by Tori in our track day summary only with a little less tread. They should make it if I don’t lean too much. The risk just adds to the excitement. I do pack up my plug kit and air pump just in case, though. I don’t know where I have left my cramp buster but I can’t find it so I head out anyway. Oh yeah, so much for that oil change I needed. When I get back I guess. Good thing I ride a VFR!

First stop is in Grover Beach to see Tori where I get the, ‘You are insane lecture’. Hmm, where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, from him. The same guy who took a corner with me one time with our bikes rubbin like we were racing Nascar and we both stayed upright all the way through it!

The weather is staying consistent. Warnings for possible rains but I have done too much talking to stop now! I head south on hwy 101 and take the exit for Lake Cachuma to go to Santa Barbara. This way cuts off about 10-15 miles and adds a few decent curves coming down into Santa Barbara. It can be a drag if you get stuck behind cages in the no pass zones but once you get around it’s pretty fun.

Next stop is in Carpenteria to visit my aunt who lives down there. It starts raining on me pretty steady just as I pass the exit for Santa Claus Lane which is the first Carpenteria exit so I only get rained on for a mile or two before getting to her place and parking under an awning. The rain doesn’t last long and we go grab a bite of Chinese food and talk about home. After a nice visit I have to remount that saddle and skedaddle because there are quite a few miles before me.

Hiding out under the awning


Once back on the 101 I stop for a quick pic to remember where I am. This one is near Seacliff which is not far from Santa Barbara. As you can see the weather isn’t too bad. I probably should have put my liner in my leather jacket but as I said, I waited too long to double check what I brought.

Seacliff



Scratch and I cruise through Ventura and Oxnard without any problems. Camarillo is a breeze, but traffic is starting to pickup some. Up and over the hills we go and make our way through Lost Angeles. It’s about an average day for traffic and it’s early afternoon so not much work for a bike to make it through. The usual threading through traffic weaving my rug of aggravation for the cagers who are left gazing at the empty space I just vacated but they can’t have. I don’t know how many of you have ridden through traffic in between the cars but your attention becomes a laser beam of focus watching the narrow lane you are in and about 8 cars at once. Mirrors become feelers like a catfish’s whiskers and there is nothing behind, only that which is ahead. If your thoughts start to wander, it’s time to get in behind a car and stop. A few cars swerve at me a bit most likely in frustration but I dance to the side not even deigning to give them an aggravated honk or one finger salute. They are behind, they no longer exist in my world. Maybe if their windows are down, they can breathe that man’s perfume coming from my exhaust and raise their testosterone level a bit before getting home to mama.

Los Angeles Skies


My concentration remains so focused that soon I look up and realize it’s my exit and I quickly dart off the freeway to stop and pick up Long. Wow, that was intense. L. A. is behind me and it seems like I have only been riding a few minutes. My breathing resumes normal, I get off the bike stretch on the grassy knoll just outside where Long works and snap a quick pic while I’m checking my voicemail.



My first voicemail is from Scubalong saying if I’m not there by 4:30 he is leaving without me! That’s a bro for you, huh? Oh well, it’s 3:30 so his ass better be ready. I call him up and he comes out and escorts me back into the high security zone. There are big glass windows and robots all over the place. Some of the things I see are familiar and some not. I don’t get out my camera for fear that some burly guys with badges will jump out and drop a bag on my head and I’ll never be heard from again. He shows me around the place and I do the obligatory bathroom break and refueling with caffeine before we head out for San Diego.

Long looking for a square (Camp Pendleton Lookout)


We ride down on the freeway and stop near Camp Pendleton while Long takes a breathing treatment (AKA smokes a Marlboro) and we watch the helos playing wargames and fly around the battleships and do touch-and-gos. We notice two CHP officers at the off ramp just before Long starts to attempt a knee drag corner into the parking lot. Apparently the cruiser had a flat and his comrade on a bike was waiting for the repair truck with him. Maybe I should have fixed his tire and asked for get out of jail free card.

Reg holding a battleship


Back on the road again heading to Long’s place. I don’t know the roads anymore so I just following along thinking how close the towns are down here. Even though the distance is kind of far, it doesn’t seem like that because there is so much to see. Traffic remains light for us as it is just between 4 or 5 and we are going away from L. A. We roll into Long’s place and I am shown to my new digs. I take a look around and promptly offer to move in and become a dependant. It’s a geek’s paradise. He has huge DLP TV, every video game console I have heard of and at least 3 computers networked together. Before I am seated firmly on the sofa Long has a beer opened and in my hand. Now that is a good host!

Scratch and Black Beauty get acquainted


Next stop


We relax for a bit and make plans to meet up with the boys at Hooters later tonight to meet Derstuka(Jason) & Nepix(Casey). Long’s nephew, Fong, also dropped in a little bit later and hung out with us. (Too bad he just sold his bike or I am sure he would have ridden with us, too). We have a great time reminiscing about the last BBQ and making plans for Mexico tomorrow and the ride the day after. A good time is had by all and a few pitchers of fine Hefeweisen go down quite smoothly with the wings. We haven’t all been together in a few months and only for a short time then, but it seems like no time has passed and we are old friends. I don’t think any of us feels anything less than comfortable around each other. Strange to think that more than 90% of our interactions are online. Most likely I would feel the same sitting down with many of you that I haven’t even met yet. Hopefully we’ll get the chance, though. Now, I don’t know if any of you have been to Hooters and if you have an opinion one way or another but he is our general conclusion. You do not go there for the food. It is all about the atmosphere and you will be paying for that. Get lots of pics cause the beer and wings are the same or better at other places and you’ll save money, BUT you won’t have the same scenery. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Scenery



Day 2

Well, today Scubalong puts on the tour guide hat and hauls my ass all over San Diego. We opt for the cage since it’s morning and traffic won’t be bad and I don’t want my leathers wet for the ride tomorrow (It’s a little misty right now). First stop after the obligatory coffee is North County House of Motorcycles. Quite an inventory and going there with Long is like taking a kid to Santa’s Workshop! We browse around and sit on bikes until every salesman in the place asks if we need help. After we exasperate all the salespeople Long makes his way back to the order desk and grabs all the things he has ordered and we head on out. Long wanted me to insert a plug for his friend at the dealership here so when he gets me the name, I’ll come back and edit it and link it in for him.

Doesn't he look happy?


Now we are getting hungry and I mentioned to Long how much I miss having Dim Sum like when I lived in San Francisco near Chinatown. He knows just the place and he is a fan of Dim Sum also. If you are ever near it, Jasmine is a great place. I liked everything we tried and saw many things I didn’t try that looked good. Thumbs up!



Dim Sum



From there Long takes me over to La Jolla. It still seems weird saying ‘La Hoya’ even knowing the word is Spanish. I just really really want to mispronounce it when I read it. We hang out around the beach for a bit. It’s still a bit misty and you can see it in the pics but it’s not too chilly and we have a good time. Long almost caught a pic of me busting my ass on a rock when I was checkin out the hermit crabs crawling around in the tide pools but he just missed it. Too bad! After that I did a little mountain climbing and then we headed out.

Long's Super Parking (Hey that's why they call them bumpers!)


Cliff's La Jolla


Reg near tidepool




Next stop was the Vietnam War memorial on top of Mt. Soledad. Mount Soledad Memorial Association It was quite a bit chillier and mistier up here and my enthusiasm was not up to Scubalong’s expectations so we rolled on out and headed back home to plan for Mexico tonight.

Memorial


We wait for Raymond while he trailers his VFR down to Long’s place. That’s right, you read that correctly. He trailered a VFR. Now get this, it was a long, long way from where he was riding, like almost an hour! I still can’t believe eh trailered it. I wanted a picture was too ashamed to post it up on the board! It was nice meeting Raymond and then we loaded up and headed down to Tijuana in the cage (safer to park on the border than a bike). After picking up Jase we made to short trip down to the border moved our wallets into front pockets and did passport checks. Yep, let’s go get some one dollar bills and we’re ready…

Back seat full of grins thinkin bout Mexico


That's Mexico behind them


Reg's first time across the border


First stop across the border is a little taco stand that Jason loves. They’ll cook whatever you want right in front of you for just about $1 per taco. Tasty stuff, here’s some pics. We all had the pork tacos. A bit on the greasy side, but tasty nonetheless.

My first TRUE Mexican food


Long's first of MANY taco stand visits that night


From there, we grab a cab and roll on out to the clubs. From my backseat assessment, traffic laws might be a little different in MX. My advice if you are gonna drive over there, drive something big and old so if you get hit, it doesn’t matter. The rule of the road seems to be, ‘if I can get into that spot faster than you then I win’. Arming yourself with at least one automatic weapon is a plus.





Thinking back on the night spent in TJ I draw a blank to the exact sequence of events, but the synopsis is beer, boobs, tacos, beer, tacos, boobs, beer, tequila, beer, boobs, whipped cream, c-section scars, sombreros, whistles, beer, hookers, tequila, boobs or something like that. I’ll see if the pics refresh my memory any. Again, I get to see Scubalong look like a kid in a candy store!

Where are those one's again...


Now Jason has been building up the post Mexico trip obligatory bacon wrapped hotdog for the whole trip. That’s right, you read that right. Apparently in Mexico, hotdogs don’t have enough fat and calories so the had the inspiration to wrap the little buggers in bacon and cook them. I think you can add mayo if you still need more calories. No amount of persuasion could get me to eat one of these things especially after seeing them. Apparently they are slow cooked for …oh, I don’t know… a week or so. Jason got one and ate it, though and last I heard was still alive. He’s also been warning me about how hard the crossing back will be and telling me to expect a minimum of 2 hours to get back across. Now mind you, I was having a fine time going from club to club with no cover charge looking at naked women but we do have a motorcycle ride planned for tomorrow and my wife is on her way down from A-town to Long’s house. We make our way into the border crossing station, walk up to the counter and flop down our passports and walk through. It must have taken like one-two minutes tops. Apparently the Mexican government got word I was coming down, and decided to grease the wheels for me making my visit more enjoyable so I’ll come back. It pays to know people. Either that, or they really wanted us out of there. (the multiple killings going on thereabouts might have some effect on tourism also).

Day 3 - Mt. Palomar

Gathering up


We wake up the next day ready to go. Long has purchased a headset to match up to the extra 2 way that I brought. It’s the same setup that Brian and I used coming back from WA except I got the next model down in cost from what Brian bought. The headset is $40 for the helmet setup and the radios were $30 last I checked on buy.com and that was shipped to your door. He didn’t need the radios, though, since I brought my extra one. It made it handy for him to ride sweep, too. That way we knew Raymond was still back there!

It was a bit foggy by mother's


Jaime leaving ladies' room ... we didn't ask, he didn't tell!


We had a little traffic starting out but it was only for the first 10-20 minutes. Once we made our way past them, we worked our way up the mountain following Shane on his beautiful RWB. His aftermarket exhaust sounds great BTW. I was behind Jase following kind of close and not sure if I made him nervous or he just wanted to look at my ass but he waved me by. So I naturally passed him and gave him the one wheeled salute. My pillion rider was a little startled but he has ridden with me enough that he’s pretty adaptive to my style. We head up to #2 slot and chase Shayne through some really nice roads. The roads are pretty clear, but a little damp so we all take it pretty easy.

After a short stop at the top at Mothers, we head back down and out towards the desert. The roads dry up and it gets warmer and we are able too loosen up and have a bit more fun. Some of the roads were just incredible and it felt like you couldn’t slip on them. This is the last hurrah for these racing tires I’m on so I make the best of it. We have a blast heading out to some town in the desert that I’ll have to insert the name of later and have a bite to eat.
Lineup in the desert


Shayne's bike from the side looking up


From there, we head back towards Palomar and through the really nice curves again but the wind is picking up a bit and I notice my tank back is starting to unzip so I slow down the pace a bit and try to fix it. We drop down to about 60 or so and as we are rounding a nice sweeper a Sherriff meets us going the other way. Well, he decides to pop a U and follow us for a while. I did not realize we had kind of broken into a group A and B but anyway he ended up following us for maybe 6 miles or so. After we pulled off and let him go on, the others caught up and we discussed the directions we were all headed and who was coming out to BBQ later. From there it was more or less around Palomar and back to Long’s to get ready for the festivities.


Reg handlin the grill



How to cheat at basketball

By now, more and more folks are rolling in and the beer starts flowing. The grill gets fired up and we get our grub on while bench top racing and meeting folks old and new. It’s a great time and I thoroughly enjoy putting a face to the handle/avatar. Long doesn’t skimp on the food, and I help him out on the grill while he plays host and makes sure everyone has whatever they need. After a couple hours spent eating and drinking the festivities wind down and the crowd starts to dwindle. The party moves on in to play or watch the Rock Band Long has hired perform. There’s nothing quite like a bunch of drunks trying to read the words to a song they have always sung incorrectly. After most have gone I decide to call it a day AKA pass out whereupon all my sharpie antics are revisited upon me. Apparently Casey and Jason have a contract out on me for the last BBQ and Long and Raymond have decided to enlist the help of the kids to get their revenge. After they drew on me enough to wake me up, I threatened to cut my stepsons hair and they backed off. (he’s very vain of his goldilocks)All of you planning to get me again remember, I keep several sets of clippers at my place and I already shave my head. I also have henna dye so I can get you for a couple weeks if I choose to do so!

Terri and Reg



Of course you are cool bro, now smile for the camera...



Day 4 - The Road Home

Reg rollin down the highway




Good times. But, as always on a trip, the time comes and you have to head back. I keep the radio hooked up and Terri takes the other handset in the car so we can chat if we need to. We have a quick breakfast and roll on out. The weather is ok but still kind of chilly without my liner and only a t-shirt under the jacket. Once in LA the traffic starts slowing down and I end saying bye to Terri in the cage. I stop for fuel and a stretch in Ventura and call Terri. They are passing through Ventura also but don’t need to stop and we have slightly different route plans for the trip back. I get back on the bike and start rolling again up to Santa Barbara and take the 154 by Lake Cachuma again hoping it’s warmer when I get away from the ocean. No such luck! It keeps getting chillier. I don’t know the temp because my gauge is now measuring on it’s own proprietary scale derived from extrapolations of magnetic forces and wishful thinking. It says something like 65 and I say something like, ‘bullshit.’ I make it around the lake and make my way back onto the 101 and keep heading north. I am starting to ache pretty badly by this point as I have been tensing up with the cooler temps. I try to remind myself to relax but after a minute or so realize I am all bunched up again. Oh well, it could be worse, right?

You are damn right it could. I get to Santa Maria which is maybe 50-60 miles from home and those black clouds I have been eye-balling for the last hour or so become my ceiling and I get an impromptu bath at 75 mph. Visibility isn’t too bad as it’s pretty much a straight road but I realize something as my family jewels are clinking together in time to the RPMs of my engine. A lot of people don’t know to turn on their damned headlights when it’s raining. I debate about whether to pull over and try to wait it out or keep on going or tuck in behind a car. Well, I decided to go on but tucking in keeps conjuring up someone rolling up behind me with no lights on squishing me against their front bumper. Now I wouldn’t mind a new bike, but I am not a huge fan of new caskets or even of doing physical therapy for months at a time to learn to walk again. I end up maintaining a 70 - 75 mph pace and staying away from the cars as much as possible. The rain lasts more less all the way home and I scoot into my garage chilled quite possibly to the bone but more or less no worse for wear. Terri got in about 5 mins before me and started a warm bath for me to thaw in so she was anticipating my needs. I slowly slide into the water which is 120 degrees but feels more like lava and thaw out while sipping on a Corona and rememberizing the trip. All in all, another great journey. I wonder how many of these I have left. A lot I hope. I want to keep riding all over and making this VFRworld a little smaller.

Until next time... eace:

 

yeah it's lookin like April will be the month. Hey, you ever think of bringing the VFR to the VFRW get together? I have a nice Corbin seat you could use on it...

 

Great seeing ya again Reg! Maybe next time I'll find ya that donkey show that I keep promising you.....I PROMISE....next time I will find a donkey if I have to search all over TJ! :lol:

:llama:

 

nice meeting you also, shayne. I was talking to Tori yesterday and he wants to ride down sometime also. Expect to see us again. Lookout Mexico!