02-02-2026, 08:37 PM
I've been in an existential funk lately. Work is getting to me. Hasn't been great, but I'm working to potentially change that. My mind has been a bag of rocks, I've been moody, forgetful and just not fun to be with. I blocked off yesterday to ride, and to keep up a tradition, albeit over a month late.
I bought the Enfield after riding a rental all over L.A. in late December 2022, and bought mine in January of 2023. For the past few years, I've marked the occasion by taking the bike on an all-day adventure through the L.A. area around the same time. Yesterday was the day to make up that ride.
I started with an early morning jaunt to the Bike Shed, and was the odd-man-out for "Adventure Bike Day", with several BMW, KTM, Tiger and Africa Twin riders cuing up for a Sunday ride. I took a break to walk over to check out the "Ford Mustang Immersive Experience" at a nearby warehouse. Been meaning to do that, and was invited by an industry friend. It was a nice marketing piece for Ford, and if you don't want to run out and buy a Mustang after viewing it, something is wrong with you. I've owned plenty of Mustangs, just don't have the room or the budget these days.
Back on the Enfield, I wanted to ride to a place I've avoided for the past year. If I ride all the way to Malibu to hit the cool riding roads, like Mulholland, Malibu Canyon, and everything else you see on YouTube, I typically stop in Pacific Palisades for lunch and a fuel-up. Tragically, the Palisades, along with much of Malibu, was destroyed by fire last January. I have plenty of friends who lost their homes and while I have enjoyed dining, hiking and just being in the area, my loss over not being able to spend leisure time there in no way compares to someone who lost everything. I haven't had the heart to go near the area, but, it was either ride up the coast to get to Malibu, or go wide and spend a ton of time on the 101 Freeway to get there. That's no fun.
A year after fires destroyed the Palisades, my entry to the area, heading up Temescal Canyon Road from Pacific Coast Highway was interesting. Due to the winter rains, the area was green and lush, and if you didn't know a fire had laid the entire area bare just a year ago, you might not notice immediately. That is, until you glance up the hillsides and see dozens and dozens of concrete slabs that used to be homes. The debris has been cleared away, and there were signs of new homes being built. Getting to the top of the hill at the intersection with Sunset Blvd, normally I'd head straight to my favorite hiking trails in Temescal Canyon. They are still closed off to the public. Turning up Sunset and getting into the town of Pacific Palisades, it was basically... gone for the most part. Some buildings still stood, but most had been scraped away. A shopping center was being rebuilt. Our favorite restaurant was a single scorched wall facing the street. The supermarket where I'd duck in for snacks, drinks and a bathroom break was just a vacant lot.
Turning down Sunset Bvld to the coast, newly vacant lots were about even with surviving homes. Riding up Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu, the homes that lined the beach side of the street were just slabs for miles. Getting toward Peperdine University, the destruction stops and normalcy takes back over, and I turned up Malibu Canyon Road to get to my destination.
The Snake, a very popular section of Mulholland Drive, had been damaged in a 2018 fire. While the repairs had been made, a fence shutting off the road had remained in place ever since, located about a half-mile from The Rock Store, which is Mecca for local riders. No doubt the local residents must have liked that fence just where it was, and no doubt there was a reason it stayed up. But, word got around that within the last few weeks, the fence was removed, and The Snake was back in it's full length for riding enjoyment. I had to ride it!
I worked my way through Malibu Canyon, and marveled at the lush, green landscape courtesy of recent rains. It looked more like the riding videos I've seen going through Europe than tan-colored California chaparral. Making a left on Mulholland, I rode to The Rock Store, pulling up to a hundred other bikes enjoying a beautiful day. I sidled my Enfield up next to the most gorgeous Ducati you've ever seen. Meant to make it a really quick stop, but you know how it goes. You start a conversation with another rider, and time flies. I was chatting with a gentleman about his Harley when lo-and-behold, a 2014 CB1100 pulled in. I had to talk with that guy! Turns out he has had the bike for a year, and is a little on the fence about it. It's heavy, not too fast... I asked if he'd been on this forum, and he said he had not. I invited him to check it out and join our wonderful community!
After a long chat, I saddled back up, and rode up The Snake to the scenic overlook, where most riders take in the view for a bit, then turn around and take the road back down and to wherever they are planning to go. Me? I realized something... Mulholland Drive goes from Malibu all the way to the Hollywood Hills, ending at the 101 Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass. Right near the Getty Center. I've ridden Mulholland dozens of times on the Malibu side, but had never taken it all the way to the East side in Hollywood. That was my goal for the rest of the day.
It doesn't fully connect, you do need to take another road East for a while till it picks back up, and Ventura Blvd made a good connector. I made my way through several neighborhoods, thinking what it must be like to live off of a winding two-lane road typically filled with yahoos on motorcycles and sports cars, just to get to the nearest market, the closest freeway, or to work. A nice place to tear through, but I wouldn't want to live there. Besides, we're talking mansions and hillside homes with million-dollar views, a bit out of my budget.
Got to the end of the road, and played tourist, riding up into the Hollywood Hills, to the maelstrom that is the closest viewing point to the Hollywood sign without actually working for it. (I hike to it, thank you very much). This was the road around the Hollywood Reservoir. What was my attraction? I had just watched 1974's Earthquake, and in the opening scene, Charleton Heston is jogging around the reservoir on this road. Today, it's choked with street vendors, tourists and isn't as serene as the movie made it look.
Finally, made my way back to the Bike Shed for a quick bathroom break and a coffee, before lane-splitting the 5 Freeway home. A good day of riding, even if tempered with the fallout of one of the worst tragedies to ever hit the L.A. area. A bit of a brain-eraser. And, courtesy of Mrs. G, a Paloma waiting for me when I got home. What could be better?
I bought the Enfield after riding a rental all over L.A. in late December 2022, and bought mine in January of 2023. For the past few years, I've marked the occasion by taking the bike on an all-day adventure through the L.A. area around the same time. Yesterday was the day to make up that ride.
I started with an early morning jaunt to the Bike Shed, and was the odd-man-out for "Adventure Bike Day", with several BMW, KTM, Tiger and Africa Twin riders cuing up for a Sunday ride. I took a break to walk over to check out the "Ford Mustang Immersive Experience" at a nearby warehouse. Been meaning to do that, and was invited by an industry friend. It was a nice marketing piece for Ford, and if you don't want to run out and buy a Mustang after viewing it, something is wrong with you. I've owned plenty of Mustangs, just don't have the room or the budget these days.
Back on the Enfield, I wanted to ride to a place I've avoided for the past year. If I ride all the way to Malibu to hit the cool riding roads, like Mulholland, Malibu Canyon, and everything else you see on YouTube, I typically stop in Pacific Palisades for lunch and a fuel-up. Tragically, the Palisades, along with much of Malibu, was destroyed by fire last January. I have plenty of friends who lost their homes and while I have enjoyed dining, hiking and just being in the area, my loss over not being able to spend leisure time there in no way compares to someone who lost everything. I haven't had the heart to go near the area, but, it was either ride up the coast to get to Malibu, or go wide and spend a ton of time on the 101 Freeway to get there. That's no fun.
A year after fires destroyed the Palisades, my entry to the area, heading up Temescal Canyon Road from Pacific Coast Highway was interesting. Due to the winter rains, the area was green and lush, and if you didn't know a fire had laid the entire area bare just a year ago, you might not notice immediately. That is, until you glance up the hillsides and see dozens and dozens of concrete slabs that used to be homes. The debris has been cleared away, and there were signs of new homes being built. Getting to the top of the hill at the intersection with Sunset Blvd, normally I'd head straight to my favorite hiking trails in Temescal Canyon. They are still closed off to the public. Turning up Sunset and getting into the town of Pacific Palisades, it was basically... gone for the most part. Some buildings still stood, but most had been scraped away. A shopping center was being rebuilt. Our favorite restaurant was a single scorched wall facing the street. The supermarket where I'd duck in for snacks, drinks and a bathroom break was just a vacant lot.
Turning down Sunset Bvld to the coast, newly vacant lots were about even with surviving homes. Riding up Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu, the homes that lined the beach side of the street were just slabs for miles. Getting toward Peperdine University, the destruction stops and normalcy takes back over, and I turned up Malibu Canyon Road to get to my destination.
The Snake, a very popular section of Mulholland Drive, had been damaged in a 2018 fire. While the repairs had been made, a fence shutting off the road had remained in place ever since, located about a half-mile from The Rock Store, which is Mecca for local riders. No doubt the local residents must have liked that fence just where it was, and no doubt there was a reason it stayed up. But, word got around that within the last few weeks, the fence was removed, and The Snake was back in it's full length for riding enjoyment. I had to ride it!
I worked my way through Malibu Canyon, and marveled at the lush, green landscape courtesy of recent rains. It looked more like the riding videos I've seen going through Europe than tan-colored California chaparral. Making a left on Mulholland, I rode to The Rock Store, pulling up to a hundred other bikes enjoying a beautiful day. I sidled my Enfield up next to the most gorgeous Ducati you've ever seen. Meant to make it a really quick stop, but you know how it goes. You start a conversation with another rider, and time flies. I was chatting with a gentleman about his Harley when lo-and-behold, a 2014 CB1100 pulled in. I had to talk with that guy! Turns out he has had the bike for a year, and is a little on the fence about it. It's heavy, not too fast... I asked if he'd been on this forum, and he said he had not. I invited him to check it out and join our wonderful community!
After a long chat, I saddled back up, and rode up The Snake to the scenic overlook, where most riders take in the view for a bit, then turn around and take the road back down and to wherever they are planning to go. Me? I realized something... Mulholland Drive goes from Malibu all the way to the Hollywood Hills, ending at the 101 Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass. Right near the Getty Center. I've ridden Mulholland dozens of times on the Malibu side, but had never taken it all the way to the East side in Hollywood. That was my goal for the rest of the day.
It doesn't fully connect, you do need to take another road East for a while till it picks back up, and Ventura Blvd made a good connector. I made my way through several neighborhoods, thinking what it must be like to live off of a winding two-lane road typically filled with yahoos on motorcycles and sports cars, just to get to the nearest market, the closest freeway, or to work. A nice place to tear through, but I wouldn't want to live there. Besides, we're talking mansions and hillside homes with million-dollar views, a bit out of my budget.
Got to the end of the road, and played tourist, riding up into the Hollywood Hills, to the maelstrom that is the closest viewing point to the Hollywood sign without actually working for it. (I hike to it, thank you very much). This was the road around the Hollywood Reservoir. What was my attraction? I had just watched 1974's Earthquake, and in the opening scene, Charleton Heston is jogging around the reservoir on this road. Today, it's choked with street vendors, tourists and isn't as serene as the movie made it look.
Finally, made my way back to the Bike Shed for a quick bathroom break and a coffee, before lane-splitting the 5 Freeway home. A good day of riding, even if tempered with the fallout of one of the worst tragedies to ever hit the L.A. area. A bit of a brain-eraser. And, courtesy of Mrs. G, a Paloma waiting for me when I got home. What could be better?
You know what? I actually would like a pickle.
