Overview:
On September 11th, 1999, a handful of riders from northern California, Arizona and southern Oregon gathered in Eureka, California to simulate the Y2K ride. Ann Reid of Phoenix, Arizona donated the “Y2K-1” name to the gathering and it stuck. The point was to go to and through the same places at the same time of year using the same route that we will all do next year and see what we would encounter. The results are described in the pages that follow. Read on. Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. Thanks.
Weather
The weather was generally foggy and cool. The fog was high enough, most of the time, not to be troublesome from a visibility standpoint. However, you must be prepared to dress for the cool temperatures. The range varied from about 90 degrees inland to about 50 degrees along the coast. A layered approach is strongly suggested. We encountered NO rain.
Road Conditions
The only road problem we encountered was construction on Mattole Road between Honeydew and Weott on the first day. The one hour window for getting through each day made use of that route impractical. That stretch is due to be completed soon so we should NOT have that problem next year. Except for some construction on I5 on the return from San Clemente, no other significant construction or delays were encountered. The roads were twisty (yesssssss!!!), dry and generally smooth. In other words, great for motorcycles!
Traffic
The traffic was generally light except through San Francisco where we were, for the most part, going against the heavy traffic, and through Los Angeles and environs on the last day where it was moderate but slow going because of all of the traffic lights. From information I’ve gotten from people in the area that day, the freeways weren’t much better than the surface streets we took so we will probably use the same route next year as we took this year.
Hotels
(These are the ones we stayed in – many more are available, many with links on this site)
Eureka:
*Best Western Bayshore Inn, 3500 Broadway, 888 268-8005, $85 and up
Motel 6, Broadway between Del Norte & Hawthorne, 800 466-8356, $39 and up
Ramada Limited, 270 5th St., 707 443-2206, $68 and up
EconoLodge – Jim and Bene Alexander stayed here; did not get details
Fort Bragg:
*Best WesternVista Manor Lodge, 1100 N. Main St., 800 821-9498, $65 and up
Ocean Breeze Lodge, 212 S. Main St., 707 961-1177, $69 and up
Pacifica:
Sea View Motor Lodge, 2160 Francisco Blvd., 650 359-9494, $75 and up
Nick’s Sea Breeze Motel, 100 Rockaway Beach, 650 359-3903, $77 and up
Best Western Lighthouse Hotel, 105 Rockaway Beach, 650 355-6300, $125 and up (whew! Hope the
lighthouse was worth it, Peter – grin)
Monterey:
*Cypress Tree Inn, 2227 N. Fremont St., 800 446-8303, $58 and up
Marina Motel 6 (in Marina, CA 5 miles north of Monterey – not the Monterey Marina area), 100
Reservation Road, Marina, 800 466-8356, $42 and up
NOTE: There was a Motel 6 in Monterey, right down the block from the Cypress Tree Inn; this would be
more convenient to Monterey than the one in Marina.
Lompoc:
Holiday Inn Express, 1417 N. H. St., 800 324-9566, $69 and up
Motel 6, 1521 N. H. St., 800 466-8356, $38 and up
Tally Ho Motor Inn, 1020 E. Ocean Ave., 800 332-6444, $50 and up
San Clemente:
*Best Western Casablanca Inn, 1601 N. El Camino, 949 361-1644, $64 and up
* – these motels will take reservations through the web; for the Best Western Motels, except for Eureka which can be reached directly, use this Best Western link.
Restaurants
Eureka:
Samoa Cook House
Woodley Marina
Marie Callendar
Ft. Bragg:
The Wharf
Pacifica:
Nick’s Restaurant
Monterey:
Bullwhacker’s
Lompoc:
? Steak House ? (anyone remember the name?)
San Clemente:
Dave’s Mexican Restaurant
Motorcycle Dealers Along the Way
Eureka:
Richard Miller Motorcycles, 1725 Tomlinson, Eureka, 707 443-5031; 1 block south of Bayshore Mall
Ft. Bragg:
Nearest Honda dealers: Ukiah and Lakeport (both are a considerable distance away)
Pacifica:
Mission Honda, Daly City, 6500? Mission Blvd. (at the top of the hill?)
Honda of San Mateo
Monterey:
?
Lompoc:
Honda of Lompoc
San Clemente:
Honda of Santa Monica (right on CA1 – we stopped there while Joyce got a new helmet and Ann guarded the
bikes while napping on hers.)
?
What was it like? Through the eyes of one rider…
Y2K-1 PC-800 PACIFIC COAST HWY. PREVIEW RIDE
WARNING: Below are four not-so-brief chapters in our September 1999 Pacific Coast Hwy. adventure …. as seen thru Ann’s eyes. *UH, OH* If you have sensitive eyes you may want to delete before reading further. Consider yourself warned! Also, please attribute any repeats to Ann’s senior moments getting closer and closer together. (She said, squirming at the thot of losing her gray matter along with the gray hair that accompanies senior blips.)
——————————————————————
P A R T O N E — T H E C O A S T E R S
(Ride Along/Hum Along with the Coasters)
Y2K-1 (1999) PC BANDITOS: We were an ecclectic group of wonderfully witty folks with and without a sense of direction ….. in more ways than one. No stones will be cast here — for obvious reasons!! An alphabetic list of Who’s Who follows — not necessarily in order of appearance or prominence. Don’t go THERE!
1) Alexander, JIM & BENE (ST-1100, Black Whizzerd)
2) Bowen, ROGER & JUDY (Woger’s Wed Wabbit)
3) Calvert, JOYCE (Red Rolls)
4) Humphrey, TOM (Tom-A-Long … AKA: SWMBO)
5) Noeth, PETER (Fireball)
6) Reid, ANN (The Ghost)
7) Sheppard, LELAND (Shadow Dancer)
——————————————————————————–
P A R T T W O
(Quick ‘N Dirty Original Version)
I got home (Phoenix) Monday afternoon, the 20th, but I was not happy about it. It was probably about the best ever two week (3,000 mile) ride I’ve had. There was only one “small” problem. It was 50 weeks short of perfect. *GRIN* A proper monologue would require weeks to cover all those miles and you’d go blind trying to read it all. Suffice it to say that I shared this adventure with eight other PC fanatics — no two alike, an eclectic group full of fun and mischief. My kind of people!! There were no harsh words among us, only friendly hysterical harmless teasing over 1,000 miles. Pure pleasure!!! *OOOH, AAAH*
Aside from the glorious scenery, great biking roads and history, the people with whom I shared this ride made it a classic. THE BEST! Additionally, ALL my host/hostesses and riding companions as well as roadside strangers seem to bend over backwards to make this holiday memorable and thrilling.
A good deal of the ride was cool and pleasant with much fog, which was nice for a change — after the Phoenix heat and monsoon season. (She said feeling the relief.) It was a great pre-trip of 1,000 plus miles from Phoenix to Eureka, the start of the Y2K-1 preview ride. The scenery, both coming and going, was breathtaking and thrilling, including rugged Mt. Whitney, the tallest in continental US, and Mono Lake which was kinda like an upside down cave with stalactite like formations rising from its depths, and Yosemite’s varied vegetation, waterfalls, skyscraping timbers, unusual rock formations and old tyme lodgings — not the quaint period buildings, but the tent cities for rent! *UNBELIEVABLE*
The roads to Loon Lake and the Tahoe area screamed to be ridden on two wheels (at speed) and produced exhilarating inner feelings — especially when Leland narrowly missed two deer darting in front of him on the Loon
Lake leg. *GASP* It made one glad to be alive and realize what a good life it is. It was especially neat to share quaint historic places like Victorian-looking Ferndale in northern California with other Pacific Coasters who appreciated the ambiance and local color as much as I. The small town friendliness of the shop merchants and George, the one-horse carriage driver (sorta the Greyline Tour of Ferndale), added charm and authenticity to a bygone era. Everywhere we walked and visited in Ferndale, folks treated us like locals which added greatly to our enjoyment of their tiny little community.
Most of the California roads (hundreds of miles at a time) on which we traveled were not for the faint of heart. If you are afraid of heights and MAJOR CLIFFSIDE TWISTIES without guardrails, this is not the trip for you. If you are into natural wonders and the “feel” of Mother Nature drenching you at every curve, beckoning you onward, upward, downward and aroundward, then come along for the ride. Riding thru the huge redwood
forests on the Avenue of the Giants (behind Jim’s super lead — love that ST!) was positively life giving. There were several San Francisco-like hills which brought attention to my “Duck’s Disease” (short legs) as the Aussie’s would say. Several presented some challenges that tested and strained my nerves near their limit. *EEEEK*
One stretch near La Honda (how appropriate, huh?!) took us to Alice’s Station and Alice’s Restaurant via the most wonderful winding road tunneled by gorgeous, huge trees and many sweepers to be savored. Alice’s is known for its biker magnetism. We were not disappointed. There were bikes and bikers of every description and country represented at this oasis. All eager to talk. There should have been a sign proclaiming, “MOTORCYCLE SPOKEN HERE.”
The unofficial official Y2K-1 (1999) Pacific Coast Motorcycle ride started down the Pacific Coast Hwy. at Eureka. I rode all the way to sunny San Diego and Chula Vista, revisiting old haunts like Balboa Park museums, Coronado Island bridge and the wharf where the Star of India (among others) is displayed. For those of you who could not join us for the park, wharf and bridge, not to mention the Coast Hwy top to bottom….. Next time?!
Three of our little Y2K-1 bandits had an opportunity to meet (briefly) with Phil Grice, Phil & Laura, Steve S?, and Harrison Spain of the SCPCRC (So. Cal. Pacific Coast Riders Club) as they geared up to charge the Bear
at their San Juan Capistrano breakfast stop. Joyce signed on for the Bare Bear ride while Leland and I made a PCee Line for Balboa Park’s railroad, car, plane and WWII Russian displays, and Peter headed for home. As always, it was grand to meet like-minded bikers with whom one has only had email contact. Never been disappointed!! Love it when this happens!
The highlight of my ride home was an expensive brand new beautiful blue BMW LT (AZ Lic. JWH2) who decided rather late in the game that a lady on a PC loaded down like a hillbilly flatbed (she admitted shamelessly)
should not be allowed to pass and disappear in a blink. I was moving at near supersonic speeds and it took him many miles and much time to catch up and pass me … moments before he pulled off at a rest area to recharge his nerve or drain the strain. *HEH HEH* I calculate that he had to be doing nearly 130-140 mph for a goodly distance. *WHEEEE* He smiled and waived as he pulled off. I kept the faith and the pace, choosing not to exit.
I got my “best” mileage on the Beemer stretch (she boasted). Approx. 30 mpg! Joyce and I competed for LOWEST (i.e. “BEST”) mileage. Of course, I got my highest (“WORST”) mileage following Leland, the king of great PC mileage who can always squeeeeze another ten miles from a single ounce of fuel. *GRIN* Behind him, I got 52 mpg. Of course, he probably got close to 70 mpg. *GRINS, GIGGLES & WINKERS GALORE*
Remember I was carrying approx. 83.667432 lbs. of schtuff plus my own carcASS. THIS you can attribute to David Smith! I guess he figured I needed to fill the space left in the Ghost’s trunk when the stator was installed a few weeks earlier. The stator hole swallowed up a battery tender, cellphone (on loan), portable air compressor (on loan), and full size halogen headlamp (on loan) for nighttime partying and/or darkside/roadside servicing. *Hmmm* So, if you see something I DON’T have, please DO tell me. (She said with tongue in cheek.)
X-RATED ADVISORY: I have more than 14 rolls of film albumized from the Y2K-1. So, anyone who stops by my place in Phoenix will have to endure reruns. Some of ’em are cool. I took quite a few of the other riders while moving and navigating thru the twisties including one where I focused on my lefthand mirror. I was able to capture the bike behind me and the bike in front of me plus some of the surrounding scenery. Neat, huh?!
————————————————————————
P A R T T H R E E
(Second Thoughts & Tattletale Tails)
As you may (or may not) have noticed, in the original condensed version, I did not take time to describe my white knuckle incident at the “Matterhorn of Novato” (where I was to meet my guide, Joyce!) on Friday the 10th. My hair-raising, heart-thumping, stomach-wrenching sidetrip was necessitated by Joyce’s tiny little error directing me to bear left when right would have been RIGHT! As if U-Turn-Anni needed help getting lost! *DUH* That’s okay. Paybacks abounded later when several other participants (including Ms. Joyce!) were infected with a close relative of Ann’s Get-Lost-Quick virus.
In Eureka, Tom was kind enuf to give me a specially narrated tour of the local auto parts/hardware store which sold Leland a pair of silver deer lures that gave him a chance to test various bandages on two fingers. Don’t ask!! Tom was quick to show me a female pilot’s relief tube kit …. a small yellow funnel and a length of discolored hose
including radiator clamp and plastic tie straps for pantleg adaptation. Tom is soooo clever! Shy and helpful, too!!
Likewise the original version did not mention Tom’s classic look of contentment as he sat atop a child’s potty seat while snacking in an adorable hippy-style cafe (back to the past at last) during our descent. This was at the same stop Leland made a spectacle of himself parallel parking while the rest of us “properly angled” into the curb *ssbackwards as dictated by motor vehicle code. *UH, OH* Just trying to make y’all feel better by pointing out a few of the trivial events you missed by opting to do boring schtuff (like going to work and honey-do chores)
instead of joining the ’99 PC Banditos. *HEH HEH*
The Games Y2K-1er Coasters Played: At Joyce’s luncheon-to-die-for in Rohnert Park on Sat. the 11th, (the one where Jim carefully led us in circles — literally!), we flew 3″ X 5″ index cards folded into jet planes in the kitchen being careful to aim for a lidfree 3-qt. sauce pan hanging from the ceiling above the work island. Arlene, a non-biker, won this match. Hate it when that happens!
Several hundred miles down the coast on Tue. the 14th, outside our motel in Pacifica, Joyce thru suction cup discs at Roger’s face poised as a target inside the picture window of our room, with an ocean and beach view. *AWESOME WAVES* She really got into this one and excelled! *SPLAT, SMACK* At dinner (same motel) we hatched a dozen different (colorful) bugs in warm water in teacups. Our waitress was very supportive and helpful; she’d done this before. What a hoot! *GIGGLES GALORE*
Friday the 17th, our last night in San Clemente, Peter rented the comedy movie “Something About Mary,” bot some candles and made us all S’Mores with marshmellows, graham crackers and Hershey bars. *MMMM GOOD* Of course, he did it in Leland’s room being careful to keep the sticky mess away from his own. *GOOD IDEA*
Okay, that’s it (for now). Just wanted to share our 8-Day Y-2K PC PCH preview ride with you sofa jockeys.
I can’t say it enuf, THANK YOU EVERYONE for sharing the ride, your humor and friendship with me. It was GREAT!!! Hey, I know. Let’s do it again next year.
Ann
’89 PC-AZ Ghost-Devil
’90 PC-AZ Big Bum Red (?) Spice Whirl (?) Red Whey (?)
Fri. 9.24.99 16:20 MST
————————————————————————
P A R T F O U R
(Final Thoughts As Enhanced By Leland)
I WAS IN IT FOR THE RIDE! I just gawked, rode, enjoyed the sights, scenes and PC companions oblivious to where I actually was. It didn’t matter. Once Joyce joined up, she and I rode at a heavenly pace, allowing Leland and Peter to act as tailgunners waaaay back. *WINK* The whole ride was absolutely PERFECT! [Leland’s two cents: “Translation: I’m slooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww. (grin)”
Y2K-1 MAP O’ DAYS (um er, Daze?):
1) Sat. Eureka
Rohnert Park Picnic @ Joyce’s; scenic ride to Eureka. We examined each other’s machines, drooled over gadgets and add-ons they had and we wanted, then stuffed ourselves with a gourmet picnic prepared by Joyce and Arlene. Then it was off to find Eureka. We split into two groups: The Streamers and the Leaners leading the way (Jim, Tom, Ann), followed by their conservative (sensible?) counterparts (AKA: The Tail-Draggers — Leland and Peter).
2) Sun. Eureka
Eureka + Victorian Ferndale by Horsedrawn Carriage where Peter fed his hand to the horse, & the People-Powered vehicle museum where Tom mooned me and then found himself spreadeagle against a cop car; Family style dinner at Eureka’s quaint old restaurant and quasi museum (bunkhouse like) called the Samoa Cookhouse circa late 1800’s. It was really good food and a charming place.
3) Mon. Ft. Bragg
Ferndale in the morning. Up twisty, steep hill to view the fog from atop and then back down to Ferndale and on to Ft. Bragg. This was the start of the route suggested by Juan Goula — Mattole Road/Lost Coast/CA211 route. Unfortunately, it was under construction just beyond Honeydew (**) and there was only a one hour window (noon to 1PM) each day to get through. We drove up to the top of the hill and turned around. [** That’s what I need. A Honey Doer. Honey, do this. Honey, do that. *SMILE*]
Side Note: I scraped my pegs several times on this road following Jim and his ST1100. Think there’s a message here? *GRIN* Until this trip, I’d only scraped the Ghost’s pegs twice in three years, the first time being summer of 1998 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. However, by the end of this ride, I’d done it about seven times, 2-3 of them on this outside-Ferndale-road. *SUPRISE*
Somewhere in here we did Avenue of the Giants (Redwood tunnels surrounding great roads). Jim & Bene peeled off shortly after that. That evening we dined at The Wharf Restaurant at Noyo Harbor where we met Mendocino PCeer Bob Gerbo whose e-mail address, name, etc. are on the ride web site in the bulletins section. For the Y2K Ride, Bob is willing to loan 2-3 of his stable of PCs to European and/or East Coast riders in exchange for using their bikes later. *COOL* BTW the food was very good at The Wharf and the company, too! Bob’s a nice guy with a quick mind and good sense of humor. He fit right in. Hmmm! What is there about PCeers that makes them such nice folks?!
4) Tue. Pacifica
Enroute we stopped at the HOLY GROUNDS, a quaint coffee house style cafe straight out of the 1960’s hippie era. It was there, in front of the laundromat that four of us angled and backed into the curb, while Leland
parallel parked for a quick getaway. It was at the Holy Grounds where Tom had his last potty training class. And I use the word “class” loosely. (Love those double entendres!)
Moments before Pt. Reyes, Tom peeled off for home and we pulled off for soup and hot chocolate. It was that kind of day! Peter slammed the restaurant door in my face, the waitress mistook him for her boyfriend with the same M.O. and I laughed like I had good sense. Don’t go THERE!
The side trip to Pt. Reyes Lighthouse was not as exciting as it could have been because of the fog and some of our little group were not prepared for the colder temps. (She said, pulling extra clothing from every nook and cranny of the Ghost.) *IMAGINE* Not surprising, no one felt like walking the quarter mile out to the point when it appeared we wouldn’t be able to see anything (including the lighthouse). *GROAN, GRUMBLE* Anywho, Leland, Peter, Roger and myself had a nice ride to the Lighthouse trail past historic farms designated by a single alpha character instead of names. *COOL* (Literally!)
As we descended back toward Pt. Reyes, my fuel was getting dangerously low and I was as nervous as a whore in church about running out in the middle of nowhere. Leland insisted I could go another ten miles. I was sure I couldn’t but that HE could. I hailed the first cage I saw and asked directions to the nearest gas station and made a beeline for it. As fate would have, I only took 4.1 gallons (out of a 4.2 gal. tank!), so I did have point one gallon left …. theoretically! BTW, there was no gas station ten miles down the road! *WHEW*
As we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge there were only four of us, and I began peeling off layers of seating and heavy gloves to stabilize control on hills and uneven surfaces while still moving and navigating thru heavy traffic. (She said with sweaty palms.) Joyce met us at Nick’s Sea Breeze in Pacifica about dusk. We had a really fun evening and dinner followed by a shoreline beach walk.
5) Wed. Monterey
Roger left for Oregon in the cold gray dawn. Leland, Joyce, Peter and I continued on to Monterey. We did the wonderful twisty, sweepers, tree lined ride to Alice’s Restaurant for lunch and where they should erect a HUGE neon sign reading: INTERGALACTIC MOTORCYCLE SPOKEN HERE! Peter did not join us for a great ride thru Carmel By The Sea and interesting thatched roof homes including one with real grass growing atop flat roof,
and a Frank Lloyd Wright house. He did lead us to Cannery Row for dinner by firelight (and warmth).
We had dinner outside at a “cool” restaurant on Cannery Row where I sat milimeters from a blazing fire dressed in at least five layers. I also got stoned there. No, no, no. I had a stone (rock) on my head. Would you believe that It fell out of the tree near our table? *DANGER: FALLING ROCKS*
6) Thu. Lompoc
Joyce and I stopped by Santa Claus Lane for some early X-Mess shopping ’cause we didn’t have enuf ballast piled up on the back of our bikes. *GROAN, CREAK* We also tried to see Hearst Castle but it was not practical or good timing. I did laundry in Lompoc and practiced with my paddleball in the hotel laundry room. *EXCITING, HUH?*
7) Fri. San Clemente
We side tripped to Santa Monica to look for a repair for Joyce’s helmet. No luck. She bot a new helmet like Jim & Bene’s instead and, of course, had the fun of strapping the old one on the back of Red Rolls with the rest of her pack, Tippie (Joyce’s pink kerchiefed canine riding companion bungied to the back of her backrest.) keeping an ever watchful eye on her rear for dangerous cagers. By this time Joyce looked as much like a junque peddler from the Ozarks as I did with as much schtuff, schtuffed. *HEH HEH* It was a looong slow toasty ride on down to San Clemente where we ate at a small (one of a kind) Mexican cafe and then back to Leland’s room to watch the comedy SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, burn some popcorn (which popped itself off the cob. Really!) and ate S’Mores Peter prepared over candelight.
8) Sat. San Diego
Joyce, Leland and I met up with the SCPCRC in San Juan Capistrano (after some U-Turn, We-Be-Lost time). Joyce rode to Big Bear with them while Leland and I rode to my San Diego friend’s and to experience Balboa Park
(several museums and exhibits plus a walk around the grounds), rode across bridge to Coronado Island, and the wharf area (where Star of India is on display) and then Leland went back to San Clemente Best Western before heading back to Placerville on Sunday. I went to my San Diego friends and continued on south to Chula Vista Sunday morning.
That’s it. All I can remember right now. If you come to Phx I’ll share the ride via photos and bore you with all the gorey details. *GRIN*
Ann
Thu. 10.28.99 16:50 MST
T H E E N D