Dan_Ashley
04-30-2014, 08:39 PM
Today my friend and I left the local gas station with an intent to ride from Redlands, California, through the farmland and foothills to Temecula--about 1 1/2 hors or so, then have lunch at a bikers joint in Old Town Temecula, then buzz home on the freeway. A planned trip of about 150 miles or so...
We left the gas station at 9:30 am and headed through the canyon towards the foothills. After riding about 30 minutes or so we encountered wind. I mean A LOT OF WIND. We soldiered on and turned South towards a small town named San Jacinto...then the wind kicked into high gear. It was so windy that trees were breaking. The dust blowing across the street was so thick that you couldn't see more than 20 feet ahead. We passed one telephone pole and FOUR cars were wrapped around it.
Wow. Windy is not the word. WIND,
We turned around and a little up the road was an old farm house. We stopped at the farm house. It was windy, but at least the dust wasn't blowing. We knocked on the door and a toothless old woman came to the door. Upon asking if we could hang out on her porch for a little while--until the wind died down a little bit, she very graciously said, "Of course." She then went back into her house, returning a few minutes later with a bottle of water for each of us. What a gracious and wonderful lady!
We sat on the edge of her porch to discuss the wind and started enjoying the water. I noticed some ants. "What color are those ants?"
"Are they black ants?"
"NO! RED!"
I only got bit a few times on my ankle. We jumped up and grabbed our gear and found a place a few feet away with no ants. A few minutes later the lady of the house came out to ask us how we were doing. This gorgeous woman then gave us directions to a diner about a mike away. The more we interacted with the lady, the more beautiful she became. What a nice soul!
Back on our Spyders we rode --and red ants wee INSIDE MY HELMET! Slap! Slap! Cuss! They turned into dead ants.
Finally we saw the restaurant on the left and pulled into the parking lot--two spaces right in front! We opened the door to the little restaurant and saw wind blown leaves all over the floor inside. Several patrons teased us for being crazy motorcycle riders. We all laughed.
The waitress was friendly, kind, and helpful. We had lunch...note that we rode less than 35 miles, but it had taken us almost 2 1/2 hours. One of the local police officers came in covered in dust. He teased us for being on motorcycles on such a weather beaten day.
The owner of the restaurant told us that we could leave our Spyders parked in front of his diner until we could get a ride, or a tow, or whatever. The waitress got a 50% tip.
One of my friend's neighbors came and rescued us, picked us up and drove us to my house where I got my trailer. We returned to the restaurant and retrieved my friend's Spyder. After taking it home, we went back and got my Spyder.
Finally finished our little affair by 5:30 PM. I will wash and wax the Spyder tomorrow...it has never been this dirty before.
We left the gas station at 9:30 am and headed through the canyon towards the foothills. After riding about 30 minutes or so we encountered wind. I mean A LOT OF WIND. We soldiered on and turned South towards a small town named San Jacinto...then the wind kicked into high gear. It was so windy that trees were breaking. The dust blowing across the street was so thick that you couldn't see more than 20 feet ahead. We passed one telephone pole and FOUR cars were wrapped around it.
Wow. Windy is not the word. WIND,
We turned around and a little up the road was an old farm house. We stopped at the farm house. It was windy, but at least the dust wasn't blowing. We knocked on the door and a toothless old woman came to the door. Upon asking if we could hang out on her porch for a little while--until the wind died down a little bit, she very graciously said, "Of course." She then went back into her house, returning a few minutes later with a bottle of water for each of us. What a gracious and wonderful lady!
We sat on the edge of her porch to discuss the wind and started enjoying the water. I noticed some ants. "What color are those ants?"
"Are they black ants?"
"NO! RED!"
I only got bit a few times on my ankle. We jumped up and grabbed our gear and found a place a few feet away with no ants. A few minutes later the lady of the house came out to ask us how we were doing. This gorgeous woman then gave us directions to a diner about a mike away. The more we interacted with the lady, the more beautiful she became. What a nice soul!
Back on our Spyders we rode --and red ants wee INSIDE MY HELMET! Slap! Slap! Cuss! They turned into dead ants.
Finally we saw the restaurant on the left and pulled into the parking lot--two spaces right in front! We opened the door to the little restaurant and saw wind blown leaves all over the floor inside. Several patrons teased us for being crazy motorcycle riders. We all laughed.
The waitress was friendly, kind, and helpful. We had lunch...note that we rode less than 35 miles, but it had taken us almost 2 1/2 hours. One of the local police officers came in covered in dust. He teased us for being on motorcycles on such a weather beaten day.
The owner of the restaurant told us that we could leave our Spyders parked in front of his diner until we could get a ride, or a tow, or whatever. The waitress got a 50% tip.
One of my friend's neighbors came and rescued us, picked us up and drove us to my house where I got my trailer. We returned to the restaurant and retrieved my friend's Spyder. After taking it home, we went back and got my Spyder.
Finally finished our little affair by 5:30 PM. I will wash and wax the Spyder tomorrow...it has never been this dirty before.