Heading Inland... and Avoiding the RVs !

June 28

I had originally been planning on riding up the Pacific Coast to Seattle, but frankly I’ve had it with the traffic.  In Fort Bragg a bartender at the brew pub (always a great source of tourist information) had suggested a road through the mountains to me that was guaranteed “spectacular and with almost no traffic”.  Fortunately, he was right.  

I got some spectacular views of Mt. Shasta 

As well as of the Trinity River

On the way I also spent a night in Weaverville, an interesting old gold mining town.

One incredible stretch of road in Northern California is known as the Avenue of the Giants.

It is 32 miles through the giant redwood forests.  Really worth getting off the highway. 

Just before leaving California I hit another milestone:  I’ve ridden seven thousand miles on this trip.  And to think I’m not even half done! 

I ended the day in Ashland, Oregon, where I plan on spending a few days immersed in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and other theatrical pursuits.

 

San Francisco Here I Come…Right Back Where I Started From

June 23

From Santa Cruz I headed up to the San Francisco Bay area.  Just north of SF I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.  No matter how long I have been away (and it's been since 1984), it always feels like I’m going home when I cross this bridge. 

I lived more than 20 years in the Bay Area, starting with going to college at Berkeley.  For eight of those years I lived in Sausalito (Marin County) just north of the golden Gate Bridge.  I made a quick stop in Sausalito to visit the houseboat that I had owned, and it was still there.  The only difference was that the prices had gone up so much (in the 80s it was a rather economical way of life) that I doubt that I could afford it today.  But, oh to dream (and to remember)! 

From there it was across the San Rafael – Richmond Bridge to stay with my friend Flory in Richmond.  We’ve been friends for more than thirty years, and coincidently she lives about 10 minutes away from my daughter Kim (who lives on a sailboat at Point Richmond), so it was really convenient… as well as really nice to catch up.

I spent the next two days visiting with Flory, her daughter Justine, and her boyfriend Les and with Kim, her husband Brad, and my new grandson Henry. 

Henry is three months old, and while we didn’t have a lot of deep conversations we certainly made a connection! 

After a couple of days in the Bay Area, it was back on the road… still heading north.  The Sonoma and Mendocino coastlines are really spectacular.  There were wildflowers everywhere (and, dammit… hayfever!) and spectacular views. 

June 25 - 28

I have been feeling really guilty about writing this blog… or more realistically not writing it.  I’m more than a month behind and I keep getting “where is Steve” memos from friends, family, and fans (OK, from friends and family).  I guess I need to at least get the blog out of Mexico.

I decided to hole up for a few days and begin to catch up, but I had a few requirements for my writing retreat:  I wanted an ocean view, a balcony or patio, a fireplace, and a jacuzzi.  Not too much to ask for, right?  Anyway, I found the place (and busted my budget) in Fort Bragg and stayed for three nights.  Just to make it interesting, there was also a great brew pub, some good restaurants, and a coffee house with live music nightly.  I’m still a month behind, but I’m getting there! 

Please let me know that someone is actually reading this !!!!

North to the Bay: Fish and Friends

June 22

This morning I visited the Monterey Aquarium.  This place is absolutely amazing… one of the best I have ever seen.  I thought the $35 entrance fee was a bit steep for an aquarium, but it was totally worth it.

The jellyfish display was the most interesting I have seen since diving in Jellyfish Lake in Pulau (Micronesia).  In Jellyfish Lake the  critters have been without natural predators for so long that they have lost their sting, so we could swim through clouds of them.  I don’t think the same can be said for the aquarium’s collection.  Best not to touch, but these things are poetry in motion. 

The sea dragons (a kind of sea horse) are among the strangest critters in the sea.  I’ve never seen one in the wild, but they are fascinating. 

My next stop was Santa Cruz, where I visited our friend Claire Sears and stayed with her son John.  We had a nice dinner on the pier and evidently I influenced John to get his old motorcycle back in shape and on the road.  Never too many bikers!

North from Los Angeles, and a visit to the “Ranch House”

June 21

I had a nice week in Los Angeles staying with my sister and brother-in-law (thanks, guys) and visiting family.  I was glad I had rushed through Baja California a bit to get to LA before my mother and her boyfriend Jerry left for a trip to Italy. 

I spent one day with Mom and Jerry visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.  Although I’m not of the Reaganish persuasion (remember… I went to Berkeley in the 60s.  Enough said), it really is an interesting and well done museum.  Lot’s of displays about the cold war, an Air Force One, and I even got an opportunity to make a speech… undoubtedly to the Republican Convention.  Imagine what I told them.  However, Nancy and Babs (to my right) seemed appreciative)

The rest of the week was spent visiting, running errands, and doing maintenance work on the bike.  I had ordered a number of parts to replace stuff that broken on the trip and so was able to get it all installed.

On June 19 I was ready to get on the road again.  The Call of the Wild, and all that stuff, so I headed north.  While I expect this part of the trip will be very different (they speak English, right?) I’m looking forward to it.  I’m from California, but I don’t think I’ve traveled up the California coast in about thirty years so it will be very different to do it as a tourist.

First stop was Solvang, just north of Santa Barbara, where I stayed with Patty and Dan Simon.  Patty was a good friend in high school who I hadn’t seen in forty years when we met up at our 40^th high school reunion in 2006.  I had promised to bring some Cuban cigars (smuggled TWICE across the US border!) which we enjoyed with much single malt Scotch on the deck of their gorgeous property in the Santa Ynez Valley wine country. 

Then (June 21) it was up to San Simeon and Hearst Castle.   This was William Randolph Hearst’s  “ranch house”, Despite the early morning fog, it was a fascinating place and it gave me some great ideas for future projects at our cabin in Cerro Azul.  

I really like this fireplace, and may do something like this on the patio.  I've been searching the base of Ancon Hill for the right marble to use.

I also got some great ideas for the new pool that we’re planning.   Don't you think this would fit in well at the cabin?

Just north of San Simeon there is a beach where elephant seals come to mate and raise their young.  If you’ve never seen elephant seals, they are quite something.  The adult males get up to 4000 pounds.  The females weigh in at a svelte 2000 lb. 

The males, jealous buggers that they are, tend to fight a lot for the right to a (ok, many) female and this is not something you want to get in the way of.  However, it is really interesting to watch.  The males start practicing this fighting when they are adolescents… just like humans do in high school.   Only we call it football.

The females raise the babies until they are toddlers (at about 400 pounds) then they all take off into the sea until the next year…  breed – rinse – repeat.

From here I continued up the coast.  I had forgotten how beautiful the California coast is.  It’s also a pain in the ass to drive, as it is all curves generally full of tourists from Iowa driving (to the minimal extent that they are capable) rented RVs at about 12 miles an hour.  Highly frustrating!

It is, however, good for the merchants. At one point (obviously the only gas for miles) they were happy to charge any hapless tourist who hadn’t filled up in time a whopping almost seven dollars a gallon for fuel!  Take that, you damn tourists!  Oh yeah, and thanks for visiting J 

Finally I arrived in Monterey, where I spent the night.  I ran into a couple of Harley riders that I had met in San Simeon and we had a fun night on Cannery Row listening to music, drinking beer, and talking politics (OK, I lied about the talking politics being fun).

On and On to the US... and El Pinguino Turns Forty Thousand

June 8 to 11

I left Palapas Ventana and headed north. Riding through this part of Baja California is BORING. Lots of straight flat roads, sagebrush, and cactus. 

At this point, because of timing and the fact that there really isn’t anything of real interest in this part of Baja (at least not at this time of year) I was just trying to crank out the miles to get to the US.

We did have a celebration along the way, however. My trusty steed, El Pinguino, turned forty thousand… miles, that is. 

Of course, we pulled over to celebrate. I toasted his longevity and perseverance with a libation of water, and annointed El Pintguino’s windshield in honor of the occasion, and we both contemplated what the hell we were doing out herein the middle of the desert in 110 degree heat. We came to the conclusion that we were there because I am completely mad, but since we couldn’t do anything to change that on we went to spend the night in Loreto. 

The next day (June 9) I continued north in the 100+ heat, at least until I started approaching Guerrero Negro. At this point the road curves in towards the Pacific, just above Scanlon’s Lagoon, which is famous for the grey whales that breed there in the winter. Suddenly I hit a cold front, and I mean it was like suddenly walking into a freezer. Within ten minutes (and this is accurate… I measured) the temperature dropped from 105 degrees to 74 degrees! All of a sudden I went from sweating to freezing my buns off.

After a night in Guerrero Negro I had another cold day of riding to Ensenada, where I spent the night in a motel “with options”: That is, the option of paying for a room for two hours or all night! No… no other options were available! I opted to pay for the entire night, and in the morning headed for Tijuana and the US border.

June 11 - Into the US- The line in Tijuana to cross the border into the US was about three hours long (as I was informed by someone sitting in a car as he shot visual daggers in my direction). Fortunately, bikes aren’t restricted by such mundane restriction as lines. Rather, we take advantage of helpful little things like breaks in barriers, sidewalks, grass, and any little gap between cars. Using all these I managed to find myself within about two vehicles of the US border in about 20 minutes. Wonderful… except for the fact that I had never completed the paperwork to exit Mexico! This might not be a problem for most day-trippers to Tijuana, but I had paid a $300 deposit when I entered Mexico from Belize to assure that I would take my bike back out of the country and I had to visit Mexican customs to make sure I would get my money back. However, there’s no going backwards in the never-ending surge of vehicles to the US border! When I asked the US customs agent what I could do, he said “get on the 805 freeway, make a U turn a couple of miles up the road, and go back to Mexico”. Not my preferred solution, but that’s what I did.

After re-entering Mexico I found the right office to get my documents cleared (not, by the way, right at the border), canceled my temporary import permit, and went back through the maze to the US, where they checked my passport again and declared me a non-terrorist allowed to enter my own country.

Now I was driving in the US, and I have to say it frightened the hell out of me much more than central America or Mexico. I can deal with traffic and curvy roads, but who came up with this idea of 12 lanes of cars going 70 miles an hour until they all create a traffic jam and stop at the same time! This shit is scary! No wonder there’s road rage.

But I survived, and made it as far as La Jolla, to spend the night with one of my oldest friends, Fred Steiniger and his wife Laura. Fortunately, they had an adequate liquor supply, of which I was in desperate need and we had a nice visit until Fred had to leave to take care of a family emergency in Tucson.

I spent the day getting new tires for El Pinguino (the 3^rdset this trip), and headed up the road a bit to Carlsbad to spend a very nice night with our niece Audrey and her boyfriend Justin.

On the 13^th I headed up to Los Angeles for a week of visiting my family.

Baja: La Paz and Palapas Ventana

June 7

My brief foray into La Paz convinced me that I had absolutely no desire to stay there.  It’s a big city (by Baja standards) with virtually no charm.  I checked out one hostel that had gotten good ratings, and there was no one there.  “Time to move on” I says to meself!

One of the things I wanted to do in Baja was to check out some places for a future trip of whale watching.  Baja California is where the grey whales go in the winter to mate and have their babies.  I heard about an area called El Sargento on the Sea of Cortez, so headed over there.  I ended up staying at a great little resort called Palapas Ventana, which has cabins overlooking the beach, kite boarding, stand-up paddle boards, and scuba diving.  They also have whale sharks on the Sea of Cortez side and do paddle boarding trips to see grey whales on the Pacific side in February.  I think this is definitely a place to return to.  Not only that, but they make GREAT margaritas, and the cook made me chile relleno filled with red snapper and mango that was to die for.  A definite keeper! 

Over the Devil’s Spine to Mazatlan and the Ferry to La Paz

 June 5 - 7

 Leaving Zacatecas I had to make a choice:  Do I go to Durango and spend the night or try to make it all the way to Mazatlan in one day?  This was Tuesday and I had a reservation on the ferry from Mazatlan to La Paz (Baja California) for Friday.  On the other hand, I kind of wanted to get to Los Angeles before my mother was leaving for Italy, so I had an incentive to move the schedule up a few days.  I called the ferry company and was told there would be no problem getting on the boat on Wednesday (the ferry only runs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) so I decided I would make it a long day of riding and would try to get to Mazatlan (about 400 miles) in one day.

The stretch from Zacatecas to Durango was not a problem.  It took a while to get out of Zacatecas and its suburbs, but then I took the toll road part of the way to Durango.  I don’t normally take the toll roads;  not only are they expensive, but they are boring.  They bypass all the towns and interesting sights.  But I was in a hurry and had a lot of riding ahead of me.

In Durango I stopped for gas and coffee and had the only uncomfortable experience of the entire trip.  I’m often asked if I have any problem with “bandidos” or other unsavory characters, and fortunately I have not.  I talk to a lot of people and generally they are just curious about the trip.  But while I was talking to a couple of guys in the coffee shop I just felt that they were being a little too curious about me and my plans.  It is very possible that this was entirely my imagination, but I just didn’t feel comfortable with their questions.  So I did what anyone would do:  I lied like hell, told them I was staying in Durango, and got out of Dodge (or Durango, as the case may be).  Like I said, this might have been all in my imagination but why take a chance?

From Durango there was a bit more toll road to get out of town, but then it ended. They are building a beautiful new highway from Durango to Mazatlan that consists of something like 34 bridges and 38 tunnels (or vice versa) with a four lane road that will cut the drive down from about 5 hours to 2 1/2, but it isn’t finished yet.  Damn!

The current road is called “La Espina del Diablo”, or “the devil’s spine”.  It is appropriately named.  This is one curvy SOB of a road.  The altitude ranges from about 6000 feet above sea level to over 9000 feet.  It is all sharp curves, with sheer drops that go down (or at least seem to) the entire 6000 feet.  Oh, and did I mention the guard rails?  No?  Probably because there aren’t any.  Anyway, they would only slow down the double trailer trucks that are zooming around the blind corners.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not particularly fond of heights, so this was not my ideal day of riding. Fortunately this portion only went tortured me for about 150 miles.   

I did, however, have one unique experience on the road:  I actually ran into (not literally) another traveling motorcyclist.  This has been a strange trip in that regard.  In South America I was always running into other bikers.  On this trip, in more than two months I have not seen even one!  But today I passed someone on a bike going the other way, fortunately on a straight stretch of road.  We flagged each other down and stopped at a little roadside kiosk for a couple of tacos, and went off in our separate directions.

After 10 hours in the saddle I finally arrived in Mazatlan.  I checked into the Hotel Belmar, right on the water.  Now this place was probably lovely when it was built, but it was in desperate need of renovation… in 1980!  By now it is a POS, although with a great view and location.   However I did manage to find a massage, which was desperately needed after the days ride.

I hadn’t been to Mazatlan in 29 years and seven months.  I know the time, because Karen and I had our honeymoon there.  I certainly didn’t have as much fun this time!  However, the old part of the city has improved:  They’ve rebuilt the area around the plaza in downtown and there are lots of restaurants and trendy shops.  It’s a nice alternative to the high-rise hotels further north. 

On Wednesday morning I went to the ferry terminal to change my reservation, only to be told that there was nothing available that day.  But despite telling me that there were no seats and no rooms, the young lady at the counter kept typing into her computer.  OK, I thought, I don’t know what she’s doing but this is probably a good time to just keep my mouth shut and see what happens.  She just kept typing, and eventually said I had a ticket and a cabin for that afternoon!  I don’t know what she did (and I don’t care), but I copiously professed my undying love for her and left to get some minor things fixed on the bike while awaiting the afternoon departure.

The ferry itself was adequate.  It’s mostly trucks and truckers, with a few tourists thrown in for good luck.  The boat leaves at four in the afternoon and arrives at 9 the next morning, so having a cabin was muy importante.  The only other options were sitting up in the main cabin all night (if you had a reservation for a seat) or sitting in the cafeteria drinking a LOT of beer with the truckers. 

In either case, extremely loud TV programs were included at no additional cost.  The ferry ticket also included dinner and breakfast, which wasn’t too bad especially considering there was no other choice.  We finally arrived in La Paz, and I headed into the city about 20 miles from the port.

The End (of the alphabet, not the trip): Zacatecas

June 1 - 5

From Xilitla I headed towards Zacatecas.

My first stop was at Laguna Media Luna, where I had considered staying.  I had heard that this was an interesting place, and site for some good fresh water diving.  I had visions of a couple of days by the lake in my head.  Unfortunately, while it was pretty, it was basically a park where you could camp but otherwise there are no accommodations.  I had a swim and a beer, then was off to San Luis Potosi.

San Luis Potosi is another large city with a beautiful cathedral on the central square (are you seeing a pattern here... the Spaniards were nothing if not consistent).  For me it was just a stop for the night.  I had to keep moving, because there is a rumor that if you stand still in the central plaza for too long you will be bronzed and never able to leave, as happened to this gentleman.







On June 2 I arrived in Zacatecas.  This really is a beautiful colonial city, which also happens to have some of the most active street life that I have seen.  Everywhere you look there is some kind of street performance:  Clowns, bands, or singers.

The first "performance" I ran into, however, was a political demonstration protesting something or other that the government had done, was doing, or might do someday.  Just like at home!

The second performance was a bit more interesting:  I went on a tour of Zacatecan legends.  On the tour bus there were performers in costume both telling about the city and telling the "secret" legends of why things were as they were.  At the end we were all herded into an old monastery and more of the legends were acted out.  Definitely a unique perspective of the city, involving death, dismemberment, and the loss of virtue of a number of Zacatecans.

Zacatecas is built on several hills, and I think I walked them all.  On one hill is the Mina el Eden (Eden mine).  This was one of the most productive silver mines in Mexico.  After basically enslaving the local indigenous population (they were good at that) prodigeous amounts of silver were sent back to Spain.  While the tour of the mine was interesting, it was a bit of a Disneyland version of what a mine was like... complete with artificial miners.

From the top of the hill where the mine is located there is a telferico that goes to the city's other large hill: Cerro la Bufa.  The ride gives a spectacular view of the city and surrounding area.  At the top is (surprise !) another church and monastery.  Seeing a pattern here?

Unfortunately I was not feeling well in Zacatecas.  I haven't been having any problems up to this point, but I think that Montezuma was finally getting his revenge and while I felt like a king, it wasn't wise for me to stray too far from my throne. 

A comment about the convenience of the Mexican medical system:  I had brought some antibiotics with me for just this situation, but had used them up.  You can't buy antibiotics in Mexico without a prescription.  The convenience part is that attached to many pharmacies is a small medical office, staffed by an MD for most of the day and evening, and you can drop in for a consult for about US$2.50.  Now that's making things easy!

I stayed in Zacatecas a few days just to get myself feeling right, then it was off to Mazatlan.

Xilitla: Strange gardens and Mermaids

May 30 - June 1

From Pachuca I headed to the small village of Xilitla (pron: Shi-lit-la).  Getting here was a tough day of riding, particularly given my fear of heights.  The road was 200 km of steep mountains, with tight curves and switch-backs about every 18 inches.  The road dropped some 2000 feet on either side.  I've heard that it is quite beautiful scenery, but I couldn't look to either side of the road for the entire ride!




On occasion, however, there were some flat spots filled with giant cactus (cactusses?  cacti?  You choose)











In Xilitla I stayed at the Hostal del Cafe, a very nice small hotel with a beautiful garden.  I heard the owner, Alejandro, speaking Catalan to someone and, surprising him that I even recognized it, we became instant buddies.  It didn't hurt that I shared some Cuban cigars while he provided the beer in the afternoon.

My purpose in going off the main road to Xilitla was to see "Las Pozos", a surreal fantasy of a sculpture garden built in the 1960s by an eccentric rich Englishman (OK, that's redundant) named Edward James. 

The place is about 40 hectares of sculptures, staircases, doorways to nowhere, symbols from everything ranging from Hindu to Masonic, concrete flowers, and anything else you can think of.













I'm sure that one part of the garden must have been the inspiration for the moving stairways at Hogwarts (If you don't understand the Harry Potter reference ask a kid).









After visiting Las Pozos, I was walking around some cabins and came across what I am sure must have been three Sirens from Greek mythology. 



Like the sirens of old, they attempted to lure me into dangerous waters, which would undoubtedly lead to my untimely demise.  "Oh no", said I.  "I will not be lured by these lovely but dangerous creatures who are attempting to get me to go with them to the magic waterfall".  But then, beautiful women being much stronger than rational thought, I said "what the hell" and succumbed to their charms.





So off to the waterfall we went, cavorting and carousing in its healing fluids until, alas, the hour struck two and the magical mermaids had to return to their lair (ok, they had to go back to class).


Hey... it's my fantasy.  I can tell it any way I want !