My plan was simple and therefore,
perfect. Go into work at 5:30 a.m., take a half hour lunch, and leave Alhambra
for Oxnard at 2 p.m. missing most of the rush hour traffic through Los Angeles.
Leave it to the L.A. Kings’ celebration for winning “the greatest trophy in all
of sports” to mess it up. My chosen route was to take the 10 freeway all the
way to Santa Monica and then one of my favorite local rides up the Pacific
Coast Highway (PCH) into Oxnard. I knew that I would encounter traffic along
the 10 Freeway through Los Angeles and even out to the 405 interchange in West
LA but it got ridiculous really quick. I met all my planned time marks for my
escape and actually exceeded one by having the route fully entered to my Waze
app on the iPhone loaded before uncovering my Victory Cross Country and heading
out. I was doing fine and completely feeling like I’d get through the city
without undue traffic right up to the 710/10 interchange. That is when I saw
the harbinger of bad traffic; the Goodyear Blimp flying over L.A. and planes
with advertizing banners trailing behind with the addition of a Sherriff’s
helicopter circling the festivities. I totally missed the idea that the Kings
would get a parade for the first time in 43 years. I love those guys but they
got in the way of me getting to see my grandkids… and their parents.
From shortly after the 710 all
the way through LA to the 405 I was rarely out of first or second gear because
I refuse to split the lanes and don’t weave; it’s just not my style since I’m
cruising and feel that a great majority of traffic snares announced as
“motorcycle down” are due to these very behaviors by would be stunt riders.
I’ll take advantage of openings here and there to merge with a lane moving
faster but for the most part I stick to a lane and eat the slow pace. On the
rare occasions on this ride where I got out of second and into third and fourth
gears it was also an occasion for vigilance as the drivers got so exited at
reaching near speed limits they had to slam on breaks for hard stops when they
closed the gap with the looming back up in traffic. I got through all this and
all the more looked forward to the PCH while really only taking an extra ten to
fifteen minutes longer than my estimated time.
Once the traffic diversified
itself between north and south 405 with a small contribution to the westbound
10 from the 405 we were at freeway speed and breathing a little easier.
Cornering off the 10 to northbound PCH was a nice 35 MPH corner that we all
took at fifty and then hit the brakes out of the tunnel leading to the PCH’s first
signal off the freeway that happened to be red for us. At the light I was able
to take in the Pacific Ocean to my left and observe the bicycle traffic on the
bikeway; the beach scene melted away the city traffic stress like waves washing
away a sandcastle. Traffic along my route dwindled constantly the further up
the coast I rode with folks finding their destinations and turn offs. With the
light onshore breeze I was able to watch gulls and occasional pelicans soaring
along PCH using the updrafts created by the breeze encountering the palisades
on my right like they were private flyways. There were a couple of pelican
flights of eight or more birds in formations over the surf that reminded me of
the WWII movies showing our big Flying Fortress, B-17 bombers flying over
Europe.
I love this ride along the coast;
through Santa Monica and on up to Malibu by all estates of the wealthy and the
celebrities; riding along the Malibu business area I looked for the pizza place
where my late friend Doug and I would go for Saturday dinners after work when I
could convince him there were other meals beyond the hamburger, mustard only,
fries, and Dr. Pepper that he would gladly eat 3X7 but the place is either gone
completely or renamed for the thousandth time since it’s been over 37 years. Shortly after that I road over the Malibu
Lagoon and then passed by Pepperdine University at Malibu Canyon. Pepperdine is
the place where my teammate Brian Gorgian played his college basketball that
launched him into a very successful international coaching career and also the
current college home of one a young friend of mine from the youth group of whom
I have tremendous respect for and fond memories of at our Mission Arizona
trips. Beyond Pepperdine the development starts to thin out and as you come up
over a rise to pass by the Malibu Cove Colony and around the point there you
are offered a great view of the coastline up to Point Dume that marks the end
of Paradise Cove, the place I spent a couple of happy years as a pier coolie
working my way through school. Zuma beach is just beyond Point Dume and had a
goodly number of people laying out, tossing Frisbees, and just enjoying an
early summer’s day before the crowds overwhelm the beach.
I rode past all the canyon road
outlets that lead to some pretty great riding which I plan to someday explore
during the week since weekends bring out hundreds, if not thousands, of street
bikers racing along at speeds I don’t need to approach. It’s a nice open ride after the Ventura
County line and takes me to one of my favorite scenes, Point Magu and its
sentry rock that I slide by and cruise down to a stopping point overlooking
Magu Lagoon. I like to stop there and stretch a bit and watch the traffic go by
with the bikers offering a nod and their favored salute, usually two fingers
held low and the to the side, to acknowledge fellow riders. I took heed of the
napkin note at the lookout warning me to watch for the rattlesnake but was not
given a look at this more deadly part of nature, only the egrets working the
wetlands and the chaparral birds looking for seeds and insects. From there it is just around the corner and
inland to Oxnard and I had to rely on my GPS app to get me to their hotel; Waze
performed very well and got me there without a hitch where I enjoyed a few
hours with my grandchildren, Teya and Jeremiah, and their parents, Matt and
Ashley. We were able to hang out a bit, eat a room service meal on the balcony
with a view of the windswept Pacific, then had a nice little walk over the sand
to touch the surf only then to be swept up in one of Teya’s fantasy excursions
where the two of had to outrun the water that was sure to overtake us if we
didn’t get off the sand and up the stairs to the room. I bid them all a good
night as the kids jumped in the tub and had a nice, if uneventful late
evening/night ride home. I took the 101 south, 126 east, 5 south, and 210 east
to home. The night was fully engaged while cruising along the 126 when my
headlight lit up the sign “Watch for Wild Animals” and I made it back without being
eaten.
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