Lompoc-an amazing ride and a epiphany.

Left Denny's in Brea at 6:31 AM sharp, and except for a small navigational error on my part, first stop was breakfast at Dupar's in Thousand Oaks. Pretty good food and thanks, John R. for the recommendation!

Their corned beef hash wasn't too bad, but couldn't finish it. That was a good thing, considering what edible goodies were to come!

The ride consisted of going up 101 to Lompoc via Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and points north. First stop, Dupar's Restaurant and Bakery in Thousand Oaks, and took about an hour despite me going the wrong way on the freeway I didn't mean to take. I keep forgetting that the carpool lane on the 57 N to the 60 DOESN'T LET YOU COME OUT when the 57 continues north. Oh, well. NOT the last mistake I made that day, but the epiphany to come was worth much more than any errors. Travel times, not sure because we made a few stops on the way up for gas, rest stops, etc. but made better time than I had planned. Of course, I was going between 75 & 80 MPH (hey, that's what the TRAFFIC was doing!) and it felt wonderful. My little bike might be the smallest Yamaha cruiser, but it keeps up FINE. Keeps up? What am I saying? I LEAD about 90% of the way! (Why? Because the guys just DO NOT LIKE being told where to go. Why do I lead? Because unless you're the lead dog, the view never changes, and I didn't like the view. Sorry, guys. Plus the NOISE when they'd back off on the throttle-that's the trouble with after-market exhaust...those suckers are LOUD. Glad we didn't hit any tunnels!)

Going up the 101 from LA to Ventura was a bit chilly, so Bub and I brought our jackets, and I warned Johney to bring something a bit more substantial, so we were all pretty comfy going up, except I felt something hard hit my foot, felt weird, but I was wearing boots so it was no biggie. When we hit Hwy 1 to Lompoc and I TRIED to put my left foot on the highway peg...well, let's just say that the peg was what hit my boot. It was no more. It was gone, buh-bye, cya later. Not that I use them that much, but still...

Up in Lompoc around 10:50 AM we ran into John and Jeanie from Chapter 209 in NorCal! They saw Bub and Johney's STAR vests and knew we were all members of the clan! Whoa.

The guys convinced me...um, I mean, we decided to take a side trip to Buellton and Solvang to the Motorcycle museum instead of doing the Lompoc Flower Festival (damn, that sounds so GAY, doesn't it?!). But it worked for me! More riding! I had some FUDGE because somebody bought some and asked me to help them with it, so who am I to not help?...and it tasted GREAT.

At the Motorcycle Museum I guess that only one guy owns this whole museum, and he has many many more bikes that he rotates in and out of the museum. The only (kinda) bad part of it was the $10 entrance fee...a little steep, we felt, but we had travelled all that way to see it, so we forked it over. Hey, with the money I saved by not going to the festival and shopping and buying stuff, I felt it was ok afterwards. Below are Bub and Johney going in and (probably) discussing how they felt about the entry fee.

Below right, Bub checking out this specialty racing bike.











Above a bike kind of like one I rode in the '70's with me next to it; a 1914 Indian, and an 1887 Benz Horseless Carriage. All the old bikes were really cool. (Girlie note-I wish I could get cuter motorcycle boots-these stompers aren't exactly fashionable, and yes, guys, I know they're not supposed to be, but still, you'd think that somebody would MAKE them cuter AND functional)

I saw a few that brought back memories, like some Hondas and a Yamaha 650 that were amazingly like bikes I had years ago. Ah, those were the days! Fearless and young, instead of old and overly cautious. The truth is, I can vividly imagine and have dealt with death by many means throughout the years, and am not ready for that 'final curtain', whereas youth is not hampered by a death they can't even imagine much less had any experience with. (I didn't just 'think that up'-it was in something I read somewhere and by paraphrasing the words, it kind of fit.)

Next stop, Nojoqui Falls State Park, just 10 miles down Alisal Road, past the golf course, and it was really beautiful. Made me wish I had one of those camera attachment thingys that Tommy TT has. Below, the two 'unconditioned' members of the ride start up the trail-they had to rest halfway up, poor things.







I love the grotto-like area underneath the falls. Bub and I were really surprised that there was actually water coming over the falls in such a dry year.


Above left, Bub and Johney thankfully (for THEM, anyway) resting after the climb...personally, I'D call it a gently sloping trail. To the right, you can see the height of the falls compared to me (I'm the blonde with the backpack. That tank bag is the BEST thing I ever bought, because it turns into a back pack and has a special flap that folds out for a helmet!)

Had to watch it and go single file down the trail because one of the guys slipped a bit and almost lost his footing. Me? Are you kidding, after years of being a Girl Scout AND a Girl Scout leader? I'm as surefooted as they come, PLUS having the 'waffle-stomper' M/C boots on.

We took Hwy 246 east to Hwy 154 SSE, past Cachuma Recreation Area, then came back into the 101 at Santa Barbara.

I TOTALLY blew my diet because we went to Portilo's at the Buena Park Mall-they have EVERYTHING there. We were back just before 6 PM.

NOW-THE EPIPHANY.
"An epiphany is the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something. The term is used in either a philosophical or literal sense to signify that the claimant has "found the last piece of the puzzle and now sees the whole picture," or has new information or experience, often insignificant by itself, that illuminates a deeper or numinous foundational frame of reference."

WHY I'M BRINGING THIS UP:
I've felt that I've had a problem with curves/turns that bank or go to the LEFT...my right turns/curves were usually pretty good, but my left turns SUCKED big time, which never helps with your riding self confidence, and mine was at an all-time low because of dropping my bike 5 times in the past year, ALL of which were standing still! (I was lucky in that the folks who saw me dump my bike were really nice about it and helped me get thru the bad feeling I went thru) My U-turns on both sides weren't the greatest either, and that was embarrassing because guys with bigger bikes that were loaded down were making turns and U's that were a thing of beauty and a joy forever, whereas I was 'backing and filling'' with my feet down like a damn beginner. Embarrassing to a rider who has been riding cumulatively for 14 years.

I searched online for ERC's and more advanced riding classes because Gary's forum post referred to an ERC if we could get enough people, and I wanted to see what they were like. I also checked out Terry's link to Streetmaster's Riding class. I was searching the site, seeing what they taught and I saw a term that was relatively unfamiliar; ' late apex' and 'early apex'. I was aware of the apex of a curve, but this was interesting. Intrigued, I did a Google search for the term 'late apex' since a few of the sites seemed to think that this was a desirable thing to do, especially on blind curves. Hmmmm...the more I looked that term up and found out what 'late apexes' and 'early apexes' were, I realized that I had been doing 'late apexes' (the good ones) on my right-hand turns/curves, BUT I was doing 'early apexes' on my left-hand turns and curves. BINGO. My 'early apexes' were causing me to not only come into the curve too early but have to correct and adjust my line coming out of the turn and use up what little straightaway between curves that I had. NOT a good thing when you're on a blind curve!!!
I tried out my theory when we left the 101 to get onto Hwy 1 to Lompoc, and it worked like a charm! Practicing the 'late apex' turns not only helped my riding technique, but gave me a huge confidence boost, because instead of approaching a left turn/curve with fear and slowing down too much so I could recorrect, I could now hit the curve at the proper angle and accelerate out of it nicely. It even aided my U-turns, making them smoother and tighter.

For ONCE I feel that I am at one with my bike, that it's hard for me to discern where the bike ends and I begin, and it's a great feeling. I just want to ride ride ride ride ride, all kinds of roads, all kinds of weather. Even riding to work is a blast.