While loading the bike, one of the "residents" of the motel was quite talkative, he was either just coming in from work, or something else, afraid to ask. He informed me how great it was living in Vegas after moving there from Santa Monica. According to him, you can "live like a king on $1200 per month" in Vegas. This from a guy who was living in the Holiday motel. He wished me well, and I rode off without my morning coffee, b/c even though the sign said "free coffee", the office didn't open until 8am. Another note to self, never stay in a motel, where the office doesn't open till 8am. Guessing most of the "guests" sleep in at this place.
Riding I-15 to LA is a lot like I-10 in far West Texas, lots of sand, trucks, and wind. Soon enough I hit LA traffic, and am happy it's a Saturday. The weather was clear and cool, getting cooler as I got closer to Brooke's apartment near the water in Venice. Stopping first at Bartel's HD in Venice to pick up a quart of oil and a new pair of lightweight gloves (lost mine somewhere in AZ), I arrive at Brooke's apartment and load up her gear. She packed really light, and we had plenty of room in the bag for all of our stuff.
Heading west on the PCH, our first stop is at Neptune's Net, a locally famous biker hangout and seafood restaurant in Malibu. The clams and shrimp were delicious, the hundreds of bikes were fun to look at, and the people interesting.
Next stop in a couple of hours was at our friend's house in Santa Barbara, Kevin and Chrystal Sturm. They are always so hospitable to us when we visit. We have stayed with them several times, and each time is great. We try to reciprocate by letting them swim in the pool at home when they visit family in Arlington, but we definitely get the best end of the deal. They find a sitter for Mia and Brody, and we go to one of our favorite places in SB, the Palace grill. www.palacegrill.com Plenty of cajun food, drink, and conversation ends a wonderful day of memories.
Sunday morning calls for a visit to Reality Church with the Sturms in SB. They meet at SB High School, and we enjoy a great time of praise and worship. Their teaching pastor reminded me of my son, Chris, in many ways. His delivery, energy, and interesting mix of clothing.
It's really great knowing a local, b/c they know all of the out of the way quirky places. They take us to the Cold Springs Tavern, a remote biker hangout/restaurant/historic stop on the Wells Fargo stage line.
Operating continuously since 1861 as a saloon, and way station, not much has changed. The buildings are original, and this place is as cool as anyplace I've been. Disney worked really hard to make Frontier Land look like this, and this could have been the model, but it's real.
Brody Sturm is the newest Harley enthusiast, and we left Cold Springs Tavern, with him begging his dad to get a Harley, and teach him to ride.
Riding further north up the PCH, the temperature drops from about 100 inland where we were, in the Santa Ynez Valley to around 50, as we pulled into Pismo Beach. Necessitating a clothing change stop, we layer up with more and continue onward riding in and out of sun and fog. As the fog is rolling in, we decide to stop for the day in San Simeon, at the southern end of Big Sur. Home to the Hearst Castle, this small beach town is just the place for dinner and sunset viewing. We view the sunset as the sun drops through the marine layer. The hotel has several roaring fire pits near the beach, and they really add to the warmth of the evening as the temperature drops with the setting sun. I am reminded of how blessed I am to be with family, and able to enjoy the amazing array of miracles by our Creator.
Just enjoying the day.
Loved reading about these days.
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