kowboy Posted January 29, 2003 Posted January 29, 2003 Sure is great to be retired. You can go bike riding during the week and avoid all those weekend cages. I just got back from a 240 mile ride. Boy was it nice. Hardly any traffic except thru towns and the weather was beautiful (sorry you weather bound folks). Left "glamorous downtown Romoland" (if you believe the glamorous part I have a left handed monkey wrench for sale) about 9:45 this morning. That's at the junction of I215 and hiway 74. I went east thru Hemet, that's always a challange with the "older folks" that are on the road, and up the mountain (great twisties near the top} to Mountain Center. Keeping right at the junction of hiway 74 and hiway 243 (went left last Friday) proceeded east thru the pines and past Lake Hemet. Then down the Garner Valley. You could smell the pines and really enjoy the view. I go this way quite abit and usually pass a LEO either on the road or see one sitting by the side of the road just waiting for some one to enjoy the long straight stretch. However today no LEO. Just my luck the K1200RS is just tooo smoooooth. Onward Don stop wandering..... Well I continued on hiway 74 down the east side of the mountains down to Rancho Mirage (Hi Tony) and Palm Desert. There I turned right on hiway 111 and along with a fair amount of traffic (didn't realize the Bob Hope Desert Classic was this week) headed for Indio and hiway 86 which goes along the west side of the Salton Sea. When I reached hiway 86 I went south thru the high desert farmland and Date Palms groves. Sure brought me back to my Ag Research days with Union Oil Co. and the Imperial Valley 35 years ago (can't have been that long ago . Two lane and hardly any traffic until you're about 15 miles north of state hiway 22 then it's over to the "new divided hiway". No fun there. O well I could use the cruise control until I hit state hiway 22. Having read Russell's report of how nice S22 is I just had to see for myself. Geez he wasn't kidding S22 is made for learning how to push your new K1200RS (sure glad there were no LEO's on S22 today.) Triple digits on sweeping curves going into Borrego Springs. Don't anyone one tell my wife I said this I'll deny it for sure. By the time I got to Borrego Springs the ole fuel guage (darn the small fuel tanks on these K bikes) was starting to show 1/4 tank and besides my fuel tank was getting low also. So I stoped for fuel and lunch. Darn $6.41 for a hamburger, fries and small pepsi. Fuel prices were up also $1.98/gal. Well the bike and I was fueled up and ready to find out just how good the rest of S22 is. Let me tell you it's just as good as the first part (sweepers) except it's twisties. Boy was I having fun when wouldn't you know they just had to pick today to work on the road and make me stop for (seems like hours) several mins until a long string of traffic could pass going the other way. I slipped up to the front of our line to avoid having to pass all those cages when they turned us loose. Well when I got started again it continued to be fun on the twisties up the hill (mountain for you midwesters) then turned to sweepers onto S2 to hiway 79. At hiway 79 I turned right and headed home. BTW I love this section of hiway 79 into Temecula. I quess that's why I have been up and down it so many times. Once in Temecula I got on the interstate and set the cruise control for home ~ 25 miles. Besides its starting to cloud up and the smog is creeping out here to the high desert in earnest frown]. All in all I had a great time and wish you were with me. BTW it's suppose to warm up from the low seventies to the high seventies in the next couple of days. Sorry just my wierd sense of humor.
russell_bynum Posted January 29, 2003 Posted January 29, 2003 Great ride! I just love 74 between 215 and Palm Desert. Nobody seems to know about it (everyone does San Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore) and it's at least as fun and twice as beautiful. Sometimes I stop at lake Hemet and just watch the wind sweep across the lake while soaking up the pine scent. Awesome. S22 is indeed a great road. When we descended it on the way to DVD, there was construction. Did you encounter any of that? I'm hoping they're repaving the whole road, preferably with some good sticky stuff. FWIW, those of us who are stuck at work during the day can still enjoy a great ride with some good Aux lights and a 1:00am departure time. The best part is the looks on your coworker's faces when you tell them why you fell asleep in that last staff meeting.
BrianT Posted January 29, 2003 Posted January 29, 2003 Nice write up. I think I passed you this afternoon going the opposite direction. As I was going east on 79 through Temecula there was a blue KRS going west. I figured it had to be someone from the discussion board. You're right, it's nice to go through there without the weekend traffic. I turned around at Borrego Springs and returned the same way. The construction on the grade was finished for the day on S22 when I went through, but man are they screwing up that part of the road. You should've been on there before they laid down all that loose gravel. Definitely not as fun as it used to be and I hope this is a precursor to repaving it.
kowboy Posted January 29, 2003 Author Posted January 29, 2003 Brian T Yes that was me and I was thinking the same thing. Must be someone on the board. Maybe we can hook up for a ride someday. Russell Wish we weren't so far away. I love to ride at night (must to crazy some say). I've always been a night person. Enjoyed your moonlite ride tale the other day(whoops night).
Zip Posted January 29, 2003 Posted January 29, 2003 It must be great to be retired. There is an incentive at work, and many of my buddies will be going soon. I don't have the years in, and I am a few years too young, so I'm stuck working for a while longer. But, that got me thinking. How to cheer myself up, and last another 6 or 8 years working? I could swap my '86 K75 in on a new RT or GS. That would work, wouldn't it? Oh, and it was a bit chilly to ride here in NY state. It was well below zero this morning here. In Saranac Lake it was -35 F, polar bear weather. Enjoy the riding out in California. Zip
Jim Moore Posted January 29, 2003 Posted January 29, 2003 "S22 is indeed a great road. " Speaking of S22, I went down the grade about two weeks ago and I saw a flock (herd?) of Bighorn sheep. How cool is that?
BadAdam Posted January 29, 2003 Posted January 29, 2003 <b>I love to ride at night (must to crazy some say). I've always been a night person. </b> Then you should come out to the valley tomorrow night to ride at the SFVbikenight. We may be heading over to Universal City Walk to oogle girls and bikes. I'll be there with my 1100S celebrating its last month with me before trying to find a new home.
TonyM315 Posted January 29, 2003 Posted January 29, 2003 Don- Awesome write-up and I'm very envious! While you were out riding I was working...working...working. I hope one day I can enjoy a retirement in the manner you describe. What a great ride you had. The 74 to 111 to 86 to 22 and onward is a great great ride - one that I never grow tired of - especially this time of year. The 'Bob Hope Classic" Golf Tourney is indeed getting into full swing and the people are here. Unusually heavy traffic around town - that is for sure. Glad to hear you were in the neighborhood! Drop an e-mail or something next time you're out this way!
AdventurePoser Posted January 29, 2003 Posted January 29, 2003 Nice write up, Kowboy! I've got 11 years to go for retirement, but just the same, I love those roads...How come you are not on our Ride Town Flock list? Steve in So Cal
kowboy Posted January 30, 2003 Author Posted January 30, 2003 Steve Thanks. I thought I was on the ride-town crew just didn't go with Yahoo group. Maybe I'm not on there anymore??
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