the Kawasaki Ninja ZX6E 600 ZZR supersport

Mar 15th, 2015 Trip north from Orange County 518 mile day

All Packed up and ready to go. 10:38 a.m. Start mileage: 53,290

A morning stop in L.A. on the way up. 11:48am. Just had to do it with Green Magic:

Went back to downtown, Skid Row to be precise as I cannot find where the f*ck the stupid 10 West to Santa Monica is. Must be the rarest sign in LA. No access, I drive around in circles like 6 laps and 30 minutes swearing furiously into my helmet. Anyway, after going backwards and then backwards again on the 10E – twice no less to take the 2nd damn exit so I can loop back and make it onto 10 W – geez give me a break – I finally lane split the traffic choked highway 10 to Santa Monica. Then after zigging and zagging get ahead of traffic on the 1 northbound into Malibu. Text and pee break across from Pepperdine – nice location, school. 1:30pm.
Malibu:

A lot of bikers just congregated at this restaurant. Was jammed. Some tuner kids too. And I guy wheelie-ing down the road one knee on the seat…

Stopped in Santa Barbara – Montecito precisely – and got a take out burrito from Los Arroyos (done that before there). 4:40pm. Was ok, and ate it next to my bike and back onto the 101 very briefly and the lovely 156 pass!

Stagecoach Lane turnoff at the peak of the pass. I’ve always loved this view:

Getting near desperate on fuel. Was very relieved to see Los Alamos coming up, a town I detoured in coming south.
Notice the Ferrari Dino GTS in the background. I sure did. I was so excited to check it out, as it’s one of my all time favorite ‘cages’, and combined with being so tired, I let the side stand pull it’s usual ‘trick’. It’s happened to us all. I drop the bike at the fuel pump right here. And yeah, GoPro was running so I guess I will have to post that in shame.

A quick stop not far out of Los Alamos. Very pretty wine country, and yeah, I peed right there too.

My favorite rt 101 stop: Pismo Beach again. Wasn’t as dark as the camera suggests it was. I wanted to stay longer and have a proper break, but I’ve made so little mileage today and I am pissed about it all, and the sun is getting ready to set. So rig up the GoPro for the nice section on Rt 101 leaving Pismo and get on my way.

It’s from here on I drop the hammer and don’t let up.
I ride 100 miles straight until my next short break at Wild Horse Road, King City, for my final fuel up. Not off the bike long, but I do clean the damn bug corpses off my helmet visor again. I take time to eat an apple right by the fuel tanks, there’s a nice fuel aroma to enjoy with the fruit taste. 150 miles to go still. So i ride another 100 miles straight. Had planned to split it 75 / 75 but I get a little second wind and ride the wave. I also don’t want a long final leg either. Mostly cranking on the hwy 80 mph and sometimes 85 keeping up with fastest cars out there. On this trip I start gripping narrow the handlebars and move a thumb over the grip like the fingers to change it up for the body. It helps. I also stretch my leg fully out in front of the fairings a few times which actually helps a lot – the E has a cramped knee position. Final stop just south of San Jose on Silicon Valley lane or something. Walk in paces up and down the end of the street. Shoot out a text and back into the night. I arrive into Oakland just before 11pm. There’s some Indian take out food awaiting me! End mileage: 53,808 518 miles about 12 hours total.

Mar 13th, 2015 Trip to Baja Mexico!

Just got back late last night from a trip south of the border.
Blazed to Mexico from Santa Ana and through Tijuana (been there). Customs was quick and I was through.

Tried to find a cute late lunch spot in Rosarito. No such luck. It’s a dirty pit of a city.
I did however, manage to find Splash, with an excellent view by the water. It’s at KM 52, “Libre Rosarito Ensenada” in the town of Primo Tapia across from the road Via Lactea.
A 3pm lunch, it was a nice break because of this view:

Onward to Ensenada. I took the local road here, because it was actually closest to the cliff and the ocean and prettier, I could also cruise a little slower and enjoy the beautiful views. This point was particularly beautiful. I had to stop and snap some pics.

location: Rosarito Beach Municipality
Baja California, Mexico
32.148632, -116.893150

After the Libre “Free” local road stopped following the beach, it wound under the highway and inland. So, I took a little detour and drove inland on the regular route 1. I’m glad I did, the farm country here was breathtaking. There was also some medium exciting turns throughout the mountains there that I shot GoPro of. I couldn’t believe how green it all was inland, a lucky time of year for Green Magic Man!
After rising to a little plateau, I decide to double back, hit those turns harder back to the ocean route, cuz I want to see more ocean.

The new “scenic highway” toll road 1D is just that: one of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever driven on between Rosarito and Ensenada. Particularly the section north of Ensenada, Salsipuedes Bay, is unbelievable. The route follows majestic high cliffs over the dazzling ocean cut literally through a few mountain ridge backs and around this stunningly gorgeous bay. I GoPro a lot of this portion and stopped multiple times for pics of the amazing view. It’s a fast highway 2 lanes each direction and mostly empty. Nice fresh pavement.

I only thought about doing this trip late the night before riding back from a long day at work. I suddenly had all next week off – at least cleared for the moment – so instead of heading north on the 1, I thought about a totally spontaneous trip to Baja Mexico.
I looked up a few things in the morning, which delayed my leave until 11am, but I did find info that only the southern beaches Playa El Faro, and Playa Estero were worth seeing in Ensenada.
As it happened, after the grimy, traffic clogged, hot, and nasty downtown I happened to spot a sign for El Faro. I took the right turn until it Ts. Left to Estero right to El Faro. I went left. This beach apparently has been completely taken over by a posh gated resort. I find out, though, you can visit it independently. Which is what I do. I walked around a bit, and figure it’s gonna be expensive here ($87 is “best” rate for a single I’m told later at desk).

Estero Beach resort views.

Walking to the end of the gated property, I slip through a fence, and I spy with my little eye, a much more modest looking area next door north – El Faro. The vantage point here:

So back I go to the fork.
I follow the the road until the end to the unsurprisingly named El Faro RV resort and camping.
I speak to the guy at desk, this place is near empty this day, and he quotes me $48 for a single. This is right on the beach, and the best beach in the area, and I really want to stay here. I say, how about a flat $40? He checks with someone and says “ok”.
The room is pretty huge, with a front living room complete with “retro” couch. The promising looking bath and shower turn out to be less than stellar the next day.
I ask at check in “cervesa”? And he says I have to drive back down the road towards town. I stash my bag and zip into town and the second place has the stuff. I grab me a Dos Equis and a premixed canned Capt. Morgan and cola. Nice. And wrap it up in my shirt and zip back to the resort / beach.
I finally get to enjoy a cold beer by the beach as the sun has just set and I sit peacefully until it goes to darkness. The pic is the view from my beach there.

Back into town after dark, I stop at Del Reys Tacos which is a little bigger than a stall on the side of the road. Decent beef tacos (2) and a cheese enchilada and Fanta Orange all for $4.25. On the short ride into town, Green Magic does not like the local heat and stalls often in protest. The road is a hot dusty mess.
Back to the beach again and have Mr. Morgan accompany me for the dark walk on the beach.
I walk around and enjoy the peaceful beach and waves gently crashing. I’m the only one on this beach, there’s one street lamp to light the whole thing up (or really only attempting to). I think to myself: it’s about 10pm, I am here by myself, and it’s Mexico. As calm and beautiful as this beach is right now, and as much as I’d like to walk and stay more, I decide I should probably pack it in. I can hear people saying “you got mugged on a Mexican beach at night alone and you’re surprised??!” “Why were you out there alone?” and me having not much to say in response. Hell, I’m weary anyway, so I hit my room.

I scrounge 3 discarded bricks and make a “ramp” and wheel my bike up into my room, as any good motorcyclist to Baja does. My “living room”.

Settled in later, my bed is surprisingly nice and firm, quite comfy.
All I can hear is the ocean, which is quite something to be said if you’re in Ensenada.

Next day wake up. My view out the back patio door.
Have the breakfast of champions: old(er) nacho chips, and a peanut butter power bar I absconded from work last week and broken off hardened bits of an 8 day old peanut butter sandwich, I broke bits off to get around the mold blooms. Yummy!

I eat this on my back deck type of thing. It comes with the older seating enablement devices.

Walk on the beach, it’s pretty tranquil and lovely. Some other tourists about but calm nonetheless. I walked to each boundary, there’s some sort of military property to the north, and the slightly snootier Estero beach resort and the inlet to the south. It’s low tide but I spy a nice deep spot on the estuary / inlet.

The point you see there is where I’m headed next.

Back to room, contacts in, Navajo style under shorts – check. Back to beach I dive headfirst into the water here: Nice swim, the water I’d estimate was about 62 degrees, not bad for early March! I’m the only one swimming about.

Back to room, fast shower and pack, I’m pushing check out time. So on to that shower review. Firstly, the water stinks of sulfur. And with the water “pressure” I might be able to generate more moisture with my saliva and lick myself clean like a cat does. Oh well, at least the water heater made the water not freezing, although not warm.

The resort road to my room.

Packed up and checked out. Final view of lovely El Faro beach.

Exiting the resort road.

After packing up and handing in key, I’ve decided I will head to the far south end of the bay and should be something to the drive and something pretty to see right?
It actually IS quite nice. Not too far, about 25 miles to get to the farthest point. It’s hot, but if I keep moving I can just avoid sweating in my leathers and keep my bike happy. It does NOT like getting hot on this trip. It’s very prone to stalling idling at lights when hot, no matter where I’ve set the idle adjuster screw.

The road gets higher up in the mountain with some nice fun little turns here and there. Very relaxing ride out to the point.

My hotel man tells me about the blowhole or La Bufadora, and that there’s only 3 like it in the world, one here, one in Hawaii, and one, um, elsewhere, I dunno. I recall quickly reading something about that yesterday before I left.
Mostly I just pointed it to this, um, point, because I felt I should and there must be something worthwhile to see.
My hotel guy tells me to go see the blow thingee and eat at Bananas which is good (it’s not really – or at least what I get there later is not good).
So Bananas, huh? You’ve been there. A super touristy spot. It’s three stories overlooking the water at lands end, feeling like a small version of Cancun’s Señor Frogs.
Subpar fish tacos. Just fried white fish without much flavor and over priced for Mexico. Whatever, at least I could see the ocean and the bike from my table. My table and Green Magic down below.
After lunch I walk to La Bufador. At first it’s a little underwhelming. But wait for it… I hang around longer than the other people and some pretty spectacular eruptions occur at odd intervals. I’m talking like a 60 foot ejection of seawater, and once all over a crowd of people at the observation area! I GoPro, canon camera it all. It was pretty damn cool.

Back on the road to head north. I don’t know it at the time, but I pretty much wind up riding the whole back to The U.S. and on to Santa Ana with very few breaks. In hindsight I probably should have stopped at either of those spots on the way up for an early dinner by the sea. But I didn’t and I guess I was worried about the border crossing.

Salsapuedes Bay rest area overlook on the way back north:

Speaking of which, super hot in TJ, the signs make little sense near the border area. I lane split probably 300 cars easily all stacked up going nowhere. I probably cut 2 hours off my border crossing. I also made an illegal lane change from some improperly signed route to the border which turned out to head back downtown (Bah, Tijuana!), so I slow down by the rows of jersey barriers and at the near last point dodge the small gap in some barriers and back onto the right 4 lane road (which is oddly empty at the moment), to go right into the border checkpoint.

I zip through pretty quickly, I cut my motor and push it the final 12 car lengths to the border dude. Again, Green Magic is acting up and rebelling against any real heated idling.
Once through I stop at the 2nd US exit and fill up on cheaper and realer (yeah, that is a word hehe), U.S. premium gas. I’m thinking at this point it’s about 6pm and I should find a spot to eat and take a long break. But I’m not really hungry (really? really), so I push on. Then in my head I can’t figure out where to eat anyway, and I do recall recently finding again the great mexican spot my friend took me to in Santa Ana. So I resolve to power up there and eat when back in town.
I ride the setting sun out and make a final rest area stop about 50 miles from Santa Ana. It’s been a looonnnggg time in the saddle, really since, the southern bay tip of Ensenada, so I gotta move them muscles and pace around the rest area. Re-insert my ear plugs because I didn’t do a very good job last time and the roar on the freeway has been near deafening and certainly annoying. Jam them in good and now I can enjoy some quiet heavier throttling on the super slab north.

Funny thing was, I arrived back in Santa Ana with my takeout (chicken burrito with extra diabla sauce on the side) the same moment my friend pulled in from work at about 8:45pm. So we sit and enjoy some wine together and get caught up.

More Photo and video links to be posted here soon.

Mileage: start 52,827 to 53,290 end trip
I think I’m well past my oil change. And the bike seems to use oil a bit too.

Mar 11th, 2015 Orange County – 1 week

Got to my friend’s place last night Wednesday at 9:45pm. Made it from Oakland in 9 hours which was pretty remarkable I say.
I commuted for the next 6 of 7 days to Dana Point from Santa Ana.
I had some long midday breaks and one day early out, so my friend and I met up for some SUP – Stand Up Paddleboarding twice.

Friday night we worked until midnight and had a short 7am turnaround, so the company was nice enough to put me up in a gorgeous local hotel: the Laguna Cliffs (Marriot). We had another 5 hour midday break so I went over to the hotel and checked in and lounged about in peace for a few hours.

My little back deck was nice to hang out on, with the ocean in the background.
Been a lot of activity for days and not much sleep so I kind of nodded off on the amazingly comfy bed. Set an alarm, shook myself up, showered and finally got to shave before heading back to the other hotel for the ‘night shift’ 6pm – midnight. They fed us a nice dinner although that does not deter the crew from heckling “What’s for chicken?” most meals. No complaints here, I love not having to worry about meals. And they were chock full of healthy choices being So Cal – I loved it.

6:15 am view off my deck the next morning to go back to work.

Saturday I ride back to Santa Ana, and my friend has and old friend in town, so we grill up a nice sumptuous dinner with wine. I man the filet mignon. I’ve never cooked this before, but I get good instructions from Bob and on an iron skillet very hot on the propane grill I cook the 3 steaks in butter and more butter. I turns out really delicious, medium rare and tender and moist. Bob grilled up a ton of terrific salmon steaks along with buttery corn on the cob. And a potato and cheese things and I threw together a salad. So good, I want to go back and eat that dinner again!

I wind up making some salmon, salad, and chipotle mayo tortilla wraps for lunch in the days to come. Yummy!

On Sunday I had a short easy setup day, so rode over to Baby Beach and met Bob again to go Paddleboarding. Changed there and locked my gear in his car. Off we paddled. This time we paddled over to Doheny beach, met Ron, and all tried surfing the small waves there. Perfect weather and very fun, but kind of hard to balance on these boards as they were not the surfing shaped one, but slender and built for speed. So I fell in a lot.
We then got cleaned up and rode out to Cook’s Corner with his wife pillion afterwards.

Here’s the LA County / Orange County well known biker bar at Cook’s Corner:

That blue flamed bike is a real man’s bike. A custom S & S crate motor-ed bike 1300cc. Loud as hell, shakes itself apart with so much vibration, and trust me, that thing hauls ass. I couldn’t believe how fast that thing was with my friend on the throttle and his wife 2Up behind him.
We got some food there, and when we went to leave the custom huge bike’s headlights were out. After popping the seat, battery and battery box looking for the fusebox and or bad wiring and covering my hands in oil, we decided we would ride back in formation, with my headlight on hi beam and his wife pillion on my bike (for safety). It worked out fine, and he sent the bike in the next day to get worked done anyway.

Another long 5 hour break on Tuesday, so I rode up to Laguna Beach to re-visit it again on a bike. I really like that walk in Heisler Park on the cliffs above the water (near the fancy restaurant, Las Brisas I went to in 2011). It was too bad the weather was cloudy or the pics would have been really nice.

The job down here and the experience was great. I had a blast all around. The food was quite good at the St Regis in Dana Point all week too. Mellow work days, with plenty of time off but yet netting nice overtime days too!

Last day of work was Wednesday there. I get an email later in the day that a job for next week has been postponed 10 days… so suddenly don’t have a job I have to ride north and fly back east for… So riding back late at night, I start hatching a plan instead of riding north tomorrow… what about the other direction to Mexico?…

Mar 4th, 2015 474 mile Ride to Orange County!

Ok, a bit crazy. I get a call at 10:32am asking about work in Boston. Then, as I mention I’m still out in CA after work last week, this guys asks, oh, if I am in CA can I work there locally coming up? (Ok, sure, where?) LA, are you LA? (No) Can you get there (hmmm… yes). Ah, it’s a bit south of LA, Dana Point? (Ok) Um, by tomorrow? For a 6 day job?
Ah…. You can imagine what happens next. I start packing while on the phone. Call my great friend Bob next who lives 30 miles from the work location. He’s around and wants me to come visit! Confirm job formally.
Pack for a week, shower, eat lunch, prep bike, pack, add 3/4 qt. synthetic oil (was a bit below low line), check tire pressure. Wow. Have to get out of here as fast as possible. This is gonna be a long day…

Start miles: 52,130.
So off I go, leaving at 12:45pm. It’s 74 degrees in Oakland. Kind of hot, didn’t even expect that.
Spontaneously I decide not to go fastest way on the horrible 5 up north, but wait to pass 152 at Gilroy. And nearing that, I decide its so pretty out and I Love the 101 route so I will ride further south on it and figure out the next or second… Or 3rd pass over to the dumb 5.
I ride 121 miles straight to well south of Gilroy, have to pee and getting low ish on fuel. I finally stop at the entrance to Constellation Wines in Gonzales, CA, and, well, I pee on their tree. Was Getting a little foggy riding too.
Short walk break there. And back on Green Magic I go.
Shorter leg to first fuel up stop in Kings City, just south of that town at Wild Horse Road and the cheapie station there. Boy have I acquired a lot of bugs on my helmet. Yuck. Wash shield off in bathroom. Much better, but it won’t last… Saddle up and move out, have a long way to go and I keep cracking the whip on myself.
Riding along the 101 south, thinking maybe I’ll take the pass out of Paso Robles… and then… I decide I’d love to stop in Pismo Beach, and ride the pass to Santa Barbara, a favorite drive in a cage for years… And I’ve never ridden it. California is so green everywhere this time of year it’s just lovely. I want more.

My first real big stop is in Pismo Beach. Too early for dinner, I just stroll about the boardwalk and eat a packed apple for about 30 minutes and snap some pics. And water is good now too.

Off to Santa Barbara.

I make a short detour here for pics and wind up going through Los Alamos. This becomes very helpful later on the ride north.

Of course I turn off the 101 and take the beautiful 154 pass shortcut. It’s such a nice segment of this trip, I’ve been looking forward to it the whole ride. The sun is setting and huge moon has risen right when I take this exit.



It’s dusky, and getting darker but oh so pretty anyway. Thrilled I decided to take the 101 after all. Coming down the peak, the last vestige of setting sun and some red are on the far horizon.
I make it to Santa Barbara – a town I love – and gas up in Santa Barbara at 6:44pm, was really low on fuel and took 3.7 gallons. Check my texts and a contact there can’t meet for another 45 min for dinner, and I’d be waiting around… Maybe another time we will meet up. I head off to southern border of S.B., the Santa Claus lane exit, and there’s a cool little burger place there called Padaro Grill I’ve been to once before, that time on a sunny day piloting a classic Buick GS convertible about 1972 vintage, with a huge 440 motor with my (ex) girl at my side… Ah, Memories…
Order at 7pm. I get a CA burger with a big slab of Avocado. I sit in a large couch outside under a heat lamp, it’s getting cold. Ah… A great 30 minute pit stop. I bundle up with my last minute added wind breaker jacket under my vented leather AlpineStars jacket which proves to be a critically good decision. It’s getting dark and cold out there. And I still have prob 80-100 miles to go.

I arrive at 9:450pm both bleary eyed and a little foggy tired and a little hyper too. Really, this trip wasn’t anywhere near as hard as I thought it would be. I mostly rode at indicated 75-80 mph on the 101.
Very few stops, I clipped off the miles fast. From when I left, at one point I made 300 miles in 5 hours!! I’ve never paced like that on a bike before.
Only longer day in my life was the earliest post here on a different bike, the CX500 Honda where I went 580 miles in one day in France. That was brutal. This was a lot better!

A few days later next to my work location, Dana Point overlook: