CalSTOC
October 22-24, 2010
When I first found out about this year’s CalSTOC, I had my mind pretty much made up that I wanted to be there. But, I didn’t want to go alone and I knew Dave’s knee could be a problem for him to be able to make it. So I just kind of put it on the back burner until I knew if Dave (DaveH) was going to be able to make it or not.
About two weeks before I checked with Dave and he felt he could manage to control the pain enough to do some riding! So we made our reservations at the hotel and responded to the RSVP to Jeff. I figured that the only way Dave would be able to make it down would be to trailer his bike down and bring Dino with him. Since Dino was coming, I talked Chris into coming too. That way the Ladies would go Quilt Shopping while Dave and I go for the ride.
Now that all of that was arranged, I started thinking of what I needed to do to the bike to prep it for the ride. I love this bike, the only things
were to change the air filter and front foot peg rubber and then wash it.About a week before CalSTOC, I talked to Dave to see if they would want to come down early to our house, then we could spend Thursday night (I was supposed to work) getting the bikes ready and drive up on Friday together. Dave and Dino thought that was a great idea, and then I made it even better by taking Thursday off. Dave and I were able to spend much of the day working on the bikes. We needed to add a 12v power supply under his saddle for his GRMS Radio, and wash the bikes. I also needed to remove the OEM air cleaner and put my K&N air filter back in and replace the front foot peg rubber, since the ones I put on after the accident were looking pretty sad.
Friday morning, Dave and I got the bikes loaded on the trailers and Dave’s SUV and my truck loaded and the Gals and away we went, stopping at a local restaurant for breakfast. We were soon on our way with me leading. We avoided LA the best we could and worked our way up to I210 and then I5 to SR126 that takes us to Ventura. When pulling the trailer, I really don’t like to push my luck too much, so we kept our speed down and were just a few MPH above the speed limit all the way up to Lompoc. We arrived around 3:30pm which gave us plenty of time to unload the bikes and rest up a bit before the dinner at Cindy’s (motogirl) and Mike’s (970Mike).
When I was growning up in Santa Barbara, my Dad, who was was a Civil Engineer for CA Parks and Beaches, took me up to see the La Purisima Mission a number of times. But it has been years since I was last up there, which happens to be near where Mike and Cindy live, and all I can say is that area has grown!What a great dinner! Excellent food and couldn’t beat the company if we tried! Cindy and Mike sure have a nice home! I thought my Motorcycle garage was great; Mike’s puts mine to shame! Wow is all I can say.
It was a bit soggy when we were leaving Cindy’s & Mike’s and when we got up the next morning. I had to put my mc cover on my trailer to let it dry out. After Dave and I prepped the bikes (had to swap out our trailering saddles (stock saddles) with our riding saddles (Dave’s Corbin and my Russell) and hook up the radios, we were ready just before 9am when we went over to the old Honda MC Stealer (closed down just a few months ago) and found nobody there! So we rode back to the motel (across the street) and asked Dave(dh5379) if he had heard anything about a change of location? Sure enough, they had changed
it to next door at the Lodge, because the old Honda lot was roped off. So we headed over there and found by then a couple of bikes had shown up.We waited for about an hour for the rest to show up, which about 12 or 13 bikes came on scene. Jeff (1129VLD) called everyone over for the ride details, but I didn’t hear anything what he said, so I turned to Dave and said, well, I guess we better stay close to the lead rider (Jeff)! (-: When we were getting ready, Dave’s bike would not start. So Jeff and I push started him and we were ready to go.
The path of the ride took us through the south side of Lompoc and then north through some fields that were pretty wet, with some mud here and there from the farm tractors and workers. There were a few places were the mud was thick enough where Dave told me that my rear tire was flinging pieces of mud. I didn’t get Dave with any, but I guess he had to back off a bit! LOL.
Nobody got lost and we continued to the Avila Valley Barn, where they stacked us in a little corner of the parking lot of loose pea gravel. As the bikes continued to be piled in, I moved the Railroad tie farther back so we would have better clearance around the bikes. I also pulled out my sidestand puck for the first time to keep my bike from tipping over in the loose pea gravel. What I will do to protect my bike! (-:
Dave and I first went for the restroom. On our way there, I was ambushed by a rugrat in a stroller with her ice cream! She managed to get my hand and riding pants. Because of the backup at the restroom, the sticky stuff was drying up and getting worse. )-: After the RR break, Dave and I started looking for something to eat and drink. Dave grabbed a water and I found a CherryCoke, and we grabbed some pepperoni and cheese and I found a loaf of bread, which we shared.
Everyone was getting back to the bikes, so Dave and I got back to get suited up when I heard a "Bob", so
I looking up and found out it was picture time. Once suited up, Dave and I rode out of the parking and found some shade across the street until the rest came out. A small group was following Mike for the extra long ride, while Jeff and others returned to get the BBQ going.Mike then took us through Nipomo and out to 166 and then to (I believe) Tepusquet Road (very twisty), Foxen Canyon road, through Los Olivios, and into Solvang. As we passed the Motorcycle Museum, I asked Dave if he wanted to take a break and go see the museum. Dave returned with the comment, "I’m done". I figured he was getting tired, looks like I was correct. So we found a place to turn around and stopped at the museum. We probably spent about an hour there. 1/2 hour in the museum and then took a break on a beach out front and had a drink and some cookies I found in a vending machine.
We then took off for the ride back to Lompoc. As we closed in on Lompoc, I asked Dave if he was still up to a little more riding. So we turned south on Hwy 1 and soon came across a fire truck, and shortly an ambulance. I told Dave, "That’s not good!" Well we rode a short a few miles looking for the campground where the BBQ would be at, when we decided to turn around and go check out the park I saw just before we went down
Hwy1. When we got to the park, we found the group (real hard to find…lol). When I pulled up, Tim said something about Paul going down. At first, I wasn’t sure who Paul was, then it came to me, he was the rider right behind Dave and I, when we were following Mike on the extended ride! He locked up the rear and lost it in a corner, about 7 miles down Hwy1 from where Dave and I had turned around when we went looking for the campground.Paul got a little banged up and his bike was picked up by his roadside insurance. It sounds like Paul’s bike was banged up pretty good. It is mostly broken Tupperware, but that stuff is expensive!
Last I heard it was going to be totaled.Dave and I then headed back to the hotel and found the wives working on their mat
terial they had bought earlier! Dave and I took a little bit of a break and we collected the wives and went over to the campground for the BBQ. Lots of good eating and story telling! We had a great time seeing old friends and meeting new ones! I think Tim (from Canada) must have talked Chris’s ear off about WeSTOC 2011 in Nelson BC Canada. Now she is all excited about going, we’ll have to see how things go between now and June! (-: I just might be able to get Chris to do a longer ride (longer then riding up to Lompoc back in July 2008) yet.Thanks goes out to Jeff, Mike and Cindy
for putting a great weekend together!