I normally get up at dawn for our rides, but not today. I like to get out before the cars pollute the roads, and on any other Sunday it would be an issue. Today is different. I'm practically guaranteed empty pavement due to the big game that will air in a few hours. I never learned football and most of the time I'm embarrassed to say that. Touchdowns and quarterbacks--that's about all I can figure out in three hours of staring at the TV. My male friends roll their eyes. My female friends roll their eyes, too. My ignorance of the sport affords me a certain freedom today, and I sleep in knowing that for once time is not of the essence for a weekend ride.
It only takes us 30 minutes...brush teeth, put hair back in pony-tail. Long johns, a t-shirt, nice thick socks and I'm dressed enough to grab a bowl of cereal and eat it by the old gas floor heater before slipping into my leathers. The Dainese feel a little stiff and cool as I put them on. I haven't been in them much now that it's winter. The Aerostich is my suit of choice for my commute which comprises most of my riding in the colder, darker months. But cold and dark is not what I see outside my window---quite the opposite.
I head out to the detached garage where the bike waits. The old red Duc still looks pretty sharp. 54,000 miles and she shows it. Dirty, scraped, rusted, bent...but she still turns heads as we rumble through the quiet streets in the late morning. Unhappily it chugs along at slow speed when it's not up to temperature. My riding partner and I head out onto the freeway and the big twin comes alive. 3rd, 4th, 5th, aaaaand 6th....I'm 6K on the tach and that tells me that I shouldn't look at the speedo. With my earplugs in and the visor down I hear almost nothing but the wind. The looks on the faces of the drivers I pass tell me their ears hear my exhaust.
We pass roads with names like Skyline and Pinehurst. The source of their monikers is obvious. We ride Redwood on our way out to 580. This is my backyard, and when I want to show off, this is where I go. I've been riding the road long enough to respect the cliffs that drop their rocks into my path--it can be clear one minute and the next you find yourself eye to eye with a grapefruit-sized chunk of mountain. This happens more in winter and there haven't been enough cars to grind down the big stuff yet this morning. We take it slow.
We cruise 580 into Livermore and onto Vasco. The plan is to do Mines and Mt. Hamilton, and we're not alone. Three bikes approach from behind us as we make our way up Tesla. They keep a respectable distance and a mellow pace until we turn onto Mines and hit a few mild turns. The three pass us, obviously much more comfortable with the dirt and gravel they're kicking up than I am. The pace I'm doing is brisk, and I feel the rear wheel slide once or twice. This will be my limit for today.
Mines is beautiful this time of year. Stark and barren even during the height of spring, it's even more so now with all the leaves from the trees gone. Wild turkeys cross our path. My riding partner and I ride through small streams that cross the road that I seem to remember flowing even in summer. We pass several other riders who have come out to take advantage of the day--two brightly painted cruisers who wave us past, a lone rider with a jacket that's exactly like mine, a couple riding two-up goes the other direction.
We arrive at the greasy spoon known as The Junction. It's East Bay's answer to Alice's. We're greeted by a boisterous crowd of well over a dozen other riders. BMW's, cruisers, and Japanese brands of every kind are lined up. We bump into a man that used to live across the street from my husband. The waitress calls me "honey" and it reminds me of the small town where I grew up, where literally everybody did know your name. I eavesdrop on the conversations around me--crash stories, bike mod's, football, ex-girlfriends. The man with the jacket that's just like mine walks in to order a few minutes after me. His jacket is new and shockingly clean in comparison. I'm not sure whether to be ashamed or proud of the scars and stains that my encounters with the asphalt and weather have left on my leathers. I decide to be a little ashamed and move away from him.
We leave The Junction and continue up to Lick Observatory at the top of Mt. Hamilton. The ride up makes me wonder if I really want to ride back down the same way. Cattle guards, sand, gravel...it was hairy and the effort to stay upright has left me a little shaky. My bladder can't figure out if it's full or if I've just got a case of the jitters. It's the jitters. All that effort to get out of the leathers for nothing.
We decide to head back down the way we came up after all. I lead this time. My confidence has returned, but so has the urge to use the loo. Damn. I pick up the pace, making sure to keep an eye on the guy behind me. He's not only my riding buddy today, but he's another Duc rider, and I just happened to marry this guy a few months ago. I can't help but be protective. We've both watched each other fall and it's not an experience we care to repeat.
Conscious of my speed, I try to remember landmarks that I'd taken note of on the way in. The bent tree tells me that the corner where I saw those rocks is coming up. The streams mean that the sand left over from a big storm's washout is up ahead. The sun is going down and riding through the shadows doesn't only become darker, it becomes a lot colder, too. The damp grabs me and I stiffen up a little, fighting off the urge to shiver. The landscape becomes almost surreal with a chiaroscuro of golds against deep greens. A bobcat crosses the road right in front of me in the late afternoon--she stops, looks back at me and continues down the hill. I can't stop thinking of her and can't wait to talk about it when I get off the bike.
My husband and I stop in at a Starbucks off Tesla. There are two m/c cops patrolling Vasco near the gas station where we've just filled up. We decide not to tempt fate and instead grab some caffeine and put our feet up. Three guys that we'd seen up at The Junction are there, too. I read the name off the side of a couple of their bikes. They're two of the smallest street-legal motorcycles I've ever seen: CBR150. We admire them and ask some questions which they happily answer. They take off before we come back outside. We note that one has a BARF license plate frame as he pulls away. (Hi guys!)
I return home just as the sun is setting. I had planned on arriving earlier but decided to do Redwood again, and then take on part of Skyline. The bike is even more dirty, scraped, rusted, and bent than it started out this morning over 200 miles ago. She wears the abuse well. Wish I could say the same for me. It takes a shower, a stiff drink, and a couple of aspirin to get the feeling back in my knees and feet again. I'm pleasantly exhausted....and already planning next weekend's outing.
Brilliant H. You really should start compiling all these stories and put a book together. It would sell. You could call it 54,000 miles on a Ducati.
Quote from: ghostrider on February 01, 2009, 10:42:51 PM
Brilliant H. You really should start compiling all these stories and put a book together. It would sell. You could call it 54,000 miles on a Ducati.
Thanks, man. I still owe DucStew a story about Toastie...it's just hard to get worked up about a small appliance that I got to know in a port-a-potty at Zeitgeist. :o [laugh]
That's such good writing Mbelle! So crisp, clear and thoughtful.
Those roads are in my backyard to, though I feel like I've neglected to appreciate them after reading your post.
Lovely stuff! And you saw a Bobcat... woah :o That's RAD!
Quote from: ghostrider on February 01, 2009, 10:42:51 PM
Brilliant H. You really should start compiling all these stories and put a book together. It would sell. You could call it 54,000 miles on a Ducati.
Agreed.
Have you read this BTW?
(http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0393318095.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) (http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Vehicle-What-about-Motorcycles/dp/0393318095/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233560574&sr=8-1)
haven't read....but might have to. I like that cover. (I choose my books a lot like I choose my wine--visually. [laugh])
It's a classic.
This will give you a flavor of the book (http://books.google.com/books?id=gX-yd9KpqdQC&dq=the+perfect+vehicle&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result)
Nice writeup 'belle. I went for a short east bay oakland hills loop yesterday ... it's hard to believe with weather like this that it is January.
Wow - that's a great write up of one of my favorites roads on a bicycle. Still haven't done it on the moto yet, but one day.... You write so well! Thanks for sharing that.
I am a fan of football, and haven't missed a big game in I can't tell you how long...
Your write up makes me want to start a new Superbowl activity.
C-Ya next year!
[thumbsup]
Thanks for the story, H.
Post it in General. [thumbsup]
Quote from: Spidey on February 02, 2009, 10:12:40 AM
Thanks for the story, H.
Post it in General. [thumbsup]
Last time I did that things didn't go so well... it turned me off of my little stories for a while. :P Maybe I'll see if it goes better this time. I'm a glutton for punishment. [laugh]
Quote from: mostrobelle on February 02, 2009, 06:07:58 PM
Last time I did that things didn't go so well... it turned me off of my little stories for a while. [laugh]
Really? That sucks donkey balls. We'll MOB (get it, eh, eh?) anyone who talks some shit this time. Cuz you know we Ducati yuppies get all thuggy when provoked by unfair literary criticism. [laugh]
Wow! I can't even daydream as eloquently. It usually ends with some smut... :-[ Nice write up! [thumbsup]
Quote from: sfarchie on February 02, 2009, 06:44:05 PM
Wow! I can't even daydream as eloquently. It usually ends with some smut... :-[ Nice write up! [thumbsup]
I can add some smut. [laugh]
awesome [thumbsup]
i lived in SF last year for about 6 mos and your story got me feeling all nostalgic and sh*t. i did a ton of exploring while i was there and i'd been to most of the places you mentioned. i really miss those roads and hopefully i can ride up there this spring. i would have most of the daytime to ride before work so i took full advantage of those incredible roads. i had moved there from NYC where it takes a good ahour before i got to any decent twisties and even then the twsties wouldn't go on for miles and miles... so i was in heaven. thanks for the story and the memories.
i'm living in LA now for work reasons. BTW, my tag at BARF is hydra also. i haven't posted on that site in a long while....i think i'll wander over there and say hi. everyone was really welcoming when i posted my move from the east coast.
Faz is the one who introduced me to BARF...great bunch of people there.
what's your tag there? i remember your avatar if you're using the same one.
ciao
I was really in the mood for a good story today. I felt ya holding back just a tad, like there was more story there you were not telling us just yet. At the end, I was like, ' where's the next chapter?' Nice. [coffee]
[thumbsup]
Quote from: hydra on February 02, 2009, 08:00:46 PM
awesome [thumbsup]
i lived in SF last year for about 6 mos and your story got me feeling all nostalgic and sh*t. i did a ton of exploring while i was there and i'd been to most of the places you mentioned. i really miss those roads and hopefully i can ride up there this spring. i would have most of the daytime to ride before work so i took full advantage of those incredible roads. i had moved there from NYC where it takes a good ahour before i got to any decent twisties and even then the twsties wouldn't go on for miles and miles... so i was in heaven. thanks for the story and the memories.
i'm living in LA now for work reasons. BTW, my tag at BARF is hydra also. i haven't posted on that site in a long while....i think i'll wander over there and say hi. everyone was really welcoming when i posted my move from the east coast.
Faz is the one who introduced me to BARF...great bunch of people there.
what's your tag there? i remember your avatar if you're using the same one.
ciao
Yes, definitely come on over! My avvie is the same over there, and a long time ago I tried to change my username and everyone gave me crap about it, so it stayed...wait for it.... "DucatiHoney." Go ahead and laugh. [laugh] I was testing out names when I first joined BARF and couldn't figure out how to make it work--had a slow connection on the computer--and voila'. [roll] I'm a moderator over there now, too, so I should be easy to spot. ;) Faz is great btw. [thumbsup]
Quote from: Desmostro on February 02, 2009, 08:15:26 PM
I was really in the mood for a good story today. I felt ya holding back just a tad, like there was more story there you were not telling us just yet. At the end, I was like, ' where's the next chapter?' Nice. [coffee]
[thumbsup]
I'm working on bein' less wordy. Super long stuff doesn't work well on the intrawebz. And I suck at endings. :P
You are a realy good writer, bring on the book of your stories [thumbsup]
Quote from: mostrobelle on February 02, 2009, 09:30:23 PM
Yes, definitely come on over! My avvie is the same over there, and a long time ago I tried to change my username and everyone gave me crap about it, so it stayed...wait for it.... "DucatiHoney." Go ahead and laugh. [laugh] I was testing out names when I first joined BARF and couldn't figure out how to make it work--had a slow connection on the computer--and voila'. [roll] I'm a moderator over there now, too, so I should be easy to spot. ;) Faz is great btw. [thumbsup]
ducatihoney, that's right!
it's not a bad tag at all. it kinda goes with the avatar [moto]
Great story. Thanks for posting on the General board. Makes me want to bail out of work and go for a ride. Oh, wait, I did that yesterday.
The guy you passed with the same jacket...was he on a Tuono? I think that was my buddy Steve. He mentioned that he thought he saw you guys on the way up. Small world.
I can't believe y'all are having a "BARF is so great" discussion. [roll] BARF is just like dumpster-diving--> you can find an occasional gem if you are willing to wade through all the trash, rot and human feces.
No one said BARF is great. Faz is great. And we're trying to clean things up a little by taking out some of the trash. ;)
yes Faz is great!
i DID happen to meet some cool people on that board. it could be better, yes, but it's not terrible. and i try to stay away from negative energy anyway.
Quote from: mostrobelle on February 02, 2009, 06:07:58 PM
Last time I did that things didn't go so well... it turned me off of my little stories for a while. :P Maybe I'll see if it goes better this time. I'm a glutton for punishment. [laugh]
ciao 'belle -
and i am sorry that ducati never posted your earlier work ... the world is not a better place for it, but would be if the folks @ ducati would post your works! [bang]
It had nothing to do with Ducati, John. I'd actually forgotten all about that! [laugh] Hey, it was cool getting as far as I did with them. No worries there. [thumbsup] What I was referring to was about another member deciding that my writing was trash publicly. He and went off after one or two people called him on it. It was kinda weird actually. Left a bad taste in my mouth. It's not like I needed therapy after, but it wasn't conducive to me rushing to type out anything else anytime soon either.
mostrobelle,
I'm Joe's friend Steve with the black Aprilia Tuono. I'm the "other", "other" guy with the same and yet embarrassingly "cleaner" jacket haha. I'm pretty sure I saw you on the way up Mt. Hammilton you were coming down heading towards the Junction. I was tempted to turn around and catch up with you 2. Yeah mines road up near the top of Hamilton was a little sketchy. Lot's of fine sand. I sled out once an almost high sided!!! Said after that...time to go slow Wink Other than that the weather was great and Mines was a blast. It's so freaking awesome living in CA!
Take care and nice write up.
dude ... please accept a more tolerant view of other two wheeled peeps. there are lots of calamari over on BARF ... but as you correctly state, some gems exist as well. [roll]
think of posting on BARF as your civic duty to help raise the I.Q. level over there ... besides, some of the photos of you in valencia would fit right in with BARF behavior (as does mine) [evil]
so, help edumacate them ... it's in all of our best interests [thumbsup]
Quote from: Spidey on February 03, 2009, 10:53:33 AM
I can't believe y'all are having a "BARF is so great" discussion. [roll] BARF is just like dumpster-diving--> you can find an occasional gem if you are willing to wade through all the trash, rot and human feces.
sorry to hear that some boneheads feel the need to trash someone else's work, but glad to read that others had your back.
Quote from: mostrobelle on February 03, 2009, 11:12:17 AM
It had nothing to do with Ducati, John. I'd actually forgotten all about that! [laugh] Hey, it was cool getting as far as I did with them. No worries there. [thumbsup] What I was referring to was about another member deciding that my writing was trash publicly. He and went off after one or two people called him on it. It was kinda weird actually. Left a bad taste in my mouth. It's not like I needed therapy after, but it wasn't conducive to me rushing to type out anything else anytime soon either.
Quote from: johnc on February 03, 2009, 01:55:42 PM
think of posting on BARF as your civic duty to help raise the I.Q. level over there ... besides, some of the photos of you in valencia would fit right in with BARF behavior (as does mine) [evil]
C'mon John, BARF is like the black hole of intelligent thought - it may go in, but nothing ever emerges.
Best of luck to you 'belle with the cleanup - and I thought NMC was a tough job!
Quote from: Michael Moore on February 03, 2009, 06:53:01 PM
C'mon John, BARF is like the black hole of intelligent thought - it may go in, but nothing ever emerges.
no argument from me that BARF does have some darwin award candidates ... but there are also some really cool folks there too (like 'belle, for instance)
and to use a BARF smiley icon for my post: (http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/smilies/twofinger.gif)(http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/smilies/twofinger.gif)(http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/smilies/twofinger.gif)
Quote from: Spidey on February 03, 2009, 10:53:33 AM
I can't believe y'all are having a "BARF is so great" discussion. [roll] BARF is just like dumpster-diving--> you can find an occasional gem if you are willing to wade through all the trash, rot and human feces.
You forgot "dead hobos"
<BARF>
HEY BELLE, R U HAWT?!?! ILL GIVE U A SUNDAY "RIED" IF U TUTCH MY CAWK. drool, drool, spit up on myself. more drool.
</BARF>
Quote from: Spidey on February 04, 2009, 12:09:12 PM
<BARF>
HEY BELLE, R U HAWT?!?! ILL GIVE U A SUNDAY "RIED" IF U TUTCH MY CAWK. drool, drool, spit up on myself. more drool.
</BARF>
[laugh] [laugh]
Quote from: mostrobelle on February 02, 2009, 09:36:47 PM
I'm working on bein' less wordy. Super long stuff doesn't work well on the intrawebz. And I suck at endings. :P
Well that just means you have more to say... and we have more to read.
Thanks for that. Right now, all of my riding is commute. I keep dreaming of a ride just for fun and then I wonder when I will have the time. I'm digging around my schedule trying to find it now.
I've noticed that time has a way of not being found. Ya gotta make time to ride. There was one summer where my house was a sty, the yard was a mess, and the dishes and laundry were always behind...but I rode thousands of miles. Sometimes I'd ride for hours both days of the weekend. I don't think that I'll be doing that again soon--balance is good--but I sure did have me some fun and I improved a lot that year. I think I started going to the track that Fall. [thumbsup] (Trackdays are a great way to force yourself to get out there. I try to do a few weekend rides in the twisties before I do a day at the track.)
Quote from: sroberts152 on February 04, 2009, 01:43:17 PM
Well that just means you have more to say... and we have more to read.
Thanks for that. Right now, all of my riding is commute. I keep dreaming of a ride just for fun and then I wonder when I will have the time. I'm digging around my schedule trying to find it now.
1) Call in sick.
2) Don't tell your wife.
3) Ride!
Quote from: MrIncredible on February 04, 2009, 02:19:26 PM
1) Call in sick.
2) Don't tell your wife.
3) Ride!
Somehow I don't think
your wife will mind.
Quote from: Michael Moore on February 04, 2009, 02:28:57 PM
Somehow I don't think your wife will mind.
You never know.
She went to philly this week and took the key to my Brutale.
Some nonsense about not hurting myself.
I think she hates me.
Quote from: MrIncredible on February 04, 2009, 02:19:26 PM
1) Call in sick.
2) Don't tell your wife.
3) Ride!
She would want to come with me and then get grumpy when she can't get out of work.
Quote from: sroberts152 on February 04, 2009, 02:46:36 PM
She would want to come with me and then get grumpy when she can't get out of work.
That's what step 2 is for.
Quote from: MrIncredible on February 04, 2009, 02:35:17 PM
You never know.
She went to philly this week and took hid the key to my Jamie's Brutale.
Some nonsense about not hurting myself being in worlds of pain the last time I rode it.
I think she hates loves me.
FIFY ;) :-*
Quote from: somegirl on February 04, 2009, 04:22:05 PM
FIFY ;) :-*
Ew, even I'm sickened by that amount of mushiness.
Get a room.
[puke]
Quote from: mostrobelle on February 02, 2009, 09:36:47 PM
I'm working on bein' less wordy. Super long stuff doesn't work well on the intrawebz. And I suck at endings. :P
I'm telling ya, add smut! [thumbsup]
Quote from: Spidey on February 04, 2009, 12:09:12 PM
<BARF>
HEY BELLE, R U HAWT?!?! ILL GIVE U A SUNDAY "RIED" IF U TUTCH MY CAWK. drool, drool, spit up on myself. more drool.
</BARF>
Can I watch, huh.... ?!?!
;D
BD