Big A## Southern Desert Loop

[metallyguitarded_imp]

I was graciously invited to join some friends from the VFR group on an all day desert outing that will take us over the mountains along the Ortega Highway with a descent into Borrego Springs. Not unlike the Spring Equinox ride I hope to do next month. Of course, I said I'm in! Only, I'm riding the CB. I sure hope they can keep up!

I leave in about half an hour to ride north where I'll meet up with the guys who are coming down from Orange County. I believe there will be four us. Photos and a complete ride report to follow.

Oh, and that was the name given to the ride by its organizer. Potty-mouthed VFR riders!

[the Ferret]

LOL was relieved to see the pound signs (or do you young folks call them hash tags?).

Anyway, have fun, ride safe, ride your own ride and report back tonight.

[metallyguitarded_imp]

#anachronistic, #obsolete, #pound sign

Haha. I still call it a pound sign too! I wonder how long it will be before those recorded voices start saying, "Enter your account number, followed by the hash tag."

The ride yesterday was fantastic. The guys came over the Ortega Highway and I met them on the east end just outside the Pala Indian Casino. I've done Ortega on the VFR but not yet on the CB. Something to look forward to! Pala is nestled among the hills just a short ride from Palomar Mountain; a very popular, very technical ride here in Southern California. But, on this day, we passed by the mountain and continued on our way towards the desert along Highway 76. Although not as challenging, the road along the 76 and then onto the 79 have a series of fun turns as you venture east. The CB handled the corners well and the only limit was self-imposed. The riders I was with are simply much faster than I am and were atop much faster bikes. I knew from the outset that I would not be able to, nor would I attempt, to keep pace with them. Still, I couldn't help but feel some pressure to keep a decent pace. Pressure that on some corners got my heart beating pretty good. The CB never even hinted on letting me down. Literally or figuratively.

Initially, we had Darryl on a 5th Gen VFR, Jordan on a 6th Gen VFR, David on a Buell 1125 and me on my CB11. Unfortunately, David's battery started to fail but not before he peeled off from the group and made it home. That left the three Hondas to make the ride into Anza Borrego. We hit 48 degrees (F) as we rode through the mountains which, to us spoiled Southern Californians, was downright cold! Once we made the descent into the desert, the temp went up into the mid-70s. Overcast skies gave way to beautiful scattered clouds and sunshine. The roads through the desert are great. Perfect, clean, two-lane roads that snaked their way to the desert floor.

We arrived at our lunch destination, Carlee's, ahead of schedule. We waited a few minutes for the doors to open then enjoyed what was a much appreciated lunch. I've been trying to lose weight so I limited my intake to the jalapeno burger without the bun and tomato slices instead of fries. Tomato slices instead of fries! It's outrageous even typing it! Oh well, the burger was great. Within minutes, the restaurant filled up with riders. Leather and helmets were everywhere. The three of us talked bikes, wives, work, bikes. It was a good time. Eventually, we made our way outside, into the blinding light of a midday sun. From Carlee's, we rode south towards the highway that would take us home. This part of the ride was mostly straight and I appreciated the ability to take in the surrounding landscape. We made our way past some large windmills then onto the interstate where we turned west.

I eventually signaled that I needed gas. The VFRs still had a decent amount of fuel with their larger tanks but we stopped and I filled up. After one last stop in Alpine for the VFRs to refuel before their last push north, we said our goodbyes and made our way home. I was only about another 30 minutes from home while Darryl and Jordan had another hour and a half to two before they'd make it home. I didn't record the exact mileage but I travelled roughly 200, trouble free, fun, at times exhilarating, miles. I feel as if I came away from this little outing a slightly better rider with an even deeper appreciation for this wonderful machine we own. It's no canyon carving rocket ship but it was never intended to be such. And, certainly, I'm no canyon carving pilot. It's great to know that the CB is more capable than I am and that it's the perfect bike for the more casual riding I enjoy most.

Darryl next to his red 5th Gen VFR in the foreground with Jordan next to his red, white and blue 6th Gen VFR in the background at a turnout overlooking the desert floor. Dual sports and adventure bikes were seen most often but the roads were surprisingly free from traffic. Slower cars were usually kind enough to pull to the side, allowing us to pass.
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Here we are at Carlee's. Home of the bunless burger and tomato slices!
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We stopped before leaving the desert to photograph the windmills. I, of course, was more interested in the bikes. Unfortunately, I ruined what could have been a much better shot by leaving my helmet on the mirror.
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I eventually realized it may be better to take my helmet off the bike and snapped a few more photos of the bikes and the windmills, which were actually pretty cool.
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Darryl eventually gave the signal that it was time to hit the road.
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Here's the last photo of the day at our stop in Alpine. My favorite motorcycle with my favorite helmet. My photos aren't the best quality but they captured and preserved some great memories from what was a great day.
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[flynrider]

Looks like you had a great ride! Thanks for the pics.

Q: Is Darryl a retired Storm Trooper?

[Jeephoto_imp]

Thanks for sharing. Looks like a great ride.

[emptysea]

The helmet in your photos actually was perfect in the picture taken from the side. Great pics and a great report. Also, quitting fries had a huge effect on my no longer being huge. Good willpower, that.

[metallyguitarded_imp]

Looks like you had a great ride! Thanks for the pics.

Q: Is Darryl a retired Storm Trooper?

Thanks Flynrider! It truly was a great ride. I admit, I wondered the same thing about Darryl. Turns out, he's still on the dark side's payroll. He's a great guy who's very knowledgeable about bikes and over the phone has walked me through some electrical and brake caliper issues I had with the VFR. He has a few bikes, one of which you may be familiar with:

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The helmet in your photos actually was perfect in the picture taken from the side. Great pics and a great report. Also, quitting fries had a huge effect on my no longer being huge. Good willpower, that.

I'm glad you think so (about the photo) and I sure hope quitting fries pays off in the end! There's often talk about shaving pounds off a bike to improve handling and performance when in reality, at least for me, shaving the pounds off my gut would be the best thing for my own handling and performance and I'm sure the CB would thank me as well.

[the Ferret]

Great report MG, and great pics of the other guys. You know the problem with being the photographer in the group is no one even offers to take YOUR picture. BTDT! You take a dozen pics and then say "hey, could someone take a picture of me, I was on this trip too!"

Did you wear the new leather? How was it?

[metallyguitarded_imp]

Thanks for sharing. Looks like a great ride.

If only I had your camera and skills, I could have better captured the ride. Still, it was a fantastic day. I'm considering getting a GoPro. I think it would be fun to capture some of my rides on video.

Great report MG, and great pics of the other guys. You know the problem with being the photographer in the group is no one even offers to take YOUR picture. BTDT! You take a dozen pics and then say "hey, could someone take a picture of me, I was on this trip too!"

Did you wear the new leather? How was it?

Thanks! Both Darryl and Jordan took photos too. I haven't seen them yet. I'm sure I'm in at least a couple of them. As soon as I get copies of them, I'll post some here. I certainly did wear my new jacket. I love it. I wore my Freeze Out jacket underneath which came in handy in the mountains but was a bit warm once in the desert.

What does "BTDT" mean? I tried to work it out but gave up! Haha.

[rboe]

Oooh, I like that blue, white and red VFR.