The Southbay group (Mario, Pat, Kevin and Brian D.) met at Hobee's in Los Gatos. We had a nice ride up Hwy 9 and Skyline to Skylonda where we met up with the rest of the group. Steve, Jeff, Rick, Bill were there waiting for us, and Manny arrived shortly after.
We departed Skylonda on schedule at 11:30 sharp and headed down La Honda Rd. and our next destination, San Gregorio Store. It was a good day to have patience and take it easy. Lots of bicycles and slow traffic on the road. Our group had no issues dealing with the conditions, but not everyone on the road could say the same. We witnessed some pretty scary behaviors by both motorcyclists and Porsche drivers.
The weather was just about perfect - on the warm side at the top and cool by the coast. The fog layer was still visible when we arrived at San Gregorio. We enjoyed the ambiance at the store while comparing notes on speedometers and front brakes. Not sure what Mario and Manny were so intently examining on Mario's bike, but no one had any mechanical problems all day.
After half an hour or so, we continued up Stage Road to Hwy 1 and north a short distance to Tunitas Creek Rd. Tunitas Creek is one of those amazing roads we get to ride here in the Bay Area that instantly transports you to a world very far from our daily lives. It's a favorite among cyclists of all types, but not too many motorists take it. It's a great road for two wheels, but not so much fun in a car because it's a single lane most of the way and has lots of very tight turns. I was in first and second gear for the entire climb. There is some automobile/truck traffic on this road because there are people who live off it. Rick had first hand experience with one of the residents backing a pickup onto the road from a driveway. A close encounter of the frightening kind, the driver apparently decided to allow Rick to pass before turning it into actual contact. Near the top of the hill I saw a bicyclist stopped on the side of the road watching the line of vintage bikes pass. When he saw me he starting pointing intently right at me - couldn't figure out what the problem was until I recognized him as a fellow motorcyclist who has joined us on a few non-club rides with his newish BMW R something or other. One thing we all enjoyed about Tunitas Creek Road was the fact it has received some significant maintenance since the last time we rode it. No more pot holes! As a result, we found ourselves at the Canyon Inn twenty minutes early. No problem, they were ready for us and we all enjoyed an excellent lunch.
They have a pretty broad selection of food - from Spaghetti to Beef Stew Soup (that's what they called it) to burgers and what appeared to be an excellent buffet. Steve's sister lives a short walk from the Canyon Inn and she joined us to admire the fine machinery. Joe paid a visit to share his newly extracted intake valve with us.
With the exception of Manny and Bill, who headed in their own directions, and Kevin who needed to get home in time to do some officiating at Stanford (Water Polo?), the rest of us headed south on Alameda de las Pulgas, Foothill Blvd., Grant Road, Fremont Ave., Wolfe Rd., Pruneridge,and Monroe. One by one various members of the group turned off to head their own direction. We lost Jeff somewhere on Foothill (lots of red lights, hope you made it OK!). As I pulled into my driveway the odometer showed 100 miles for the complete trip. Great ride! Thanks Steve for organizing and leading it.
Canyon Inn Ride by Brian Davis
