Down to Earth: Two Wheels to Adventure: Highway 1 Perfection

My bad mood magically disappeared while I slept in our ho-hum hotel in Pismo Beach. I miraculously awoke with a desire to face the day with optimism and renewed vigor to ride the motorcycle. And that is an important aspect to every day on this road trip. My ability to get on the back of the motorcycle and sit there for as long as it takes to get where we are going takes a special kind of patience and trust. It's best for everyone involved if I do it with a happy heart. Even Peter admitted to me yesterday that he could never ride on the back of a motorcycle. He said he'd never trust anyone enough to have that little control or be able to sit for that long with nothing to do. So, it's a good thing that I trust Peter ultimately. In fact, I've been grateful for his endurance for driving the motorcycle, keeping it upright, and navigating it over freeways and through cities. He's a very competent and safe driver with great reflexes and instincts. I started the day with these thoughts in mind, and wouldn't you know, the day went much MUCH better!

Our first stop was in San Luis Obispo where we made a beeline to a British Sports Car shop that we happened upon. My first good decision of the day was to be more comfortable. You see, I have to put on five layers of clothing every day in order to protect myself from the cold and potential danger of coming off the motorcycle. By the time I have everything on I feel like I'm in a body cast. While it might be necessary to keep me warm and safe on the bike, it's not very conducive to moving or walking. So, I peeled off a couple layers until I looked like a normal person walking down the street and I was ready to look at old cars.

British Sports Cars (raised in California).

Bond. James Bond.

This rare pre-Jaguar SS was reported to be Amelia Earhart's.

So many little pretties!

I'll drive behind the motorcycle in this one, okay honey?

After talking to Phil (the nicest British car mechanic EVER) and vowing to someday buy an MG sports car from this place, we walked around the block, bought a Jamba Juice for me, a peanut butter shake for Peter, and an order of onion rings to share. We sat out in the sunshine and savored our mid-day snack and chatted about where to go today. We decided that it was wise to keep heading north, rather than linger so far from our destination. This meant that we would tackle the 100 miles of Highway 1 that runs along the coast between Morrow Bay and Monterey. We'd aim to stop just short of that in Carmel-by-the-sea. This would be a new place for me to visit, but I knew it had a reputation for art and high-brow shopping. Since Peter and I have turned walkable downtown window-shopping into a pastime on this trip, Carmel seemed like the perfect place to stop next.

But first, we had to drive the notoriously winding and narrow Highway 1 to get there. I had done this before. Peter had not. I knew it would be a treat for him, and I was right. However, it took a renewal of faith, on my part, in his driving ability as we started to navigate the 20 mph turns. I had gotten used to my lack of visibility several days ago, but when you have to follow the bike as it leans side to side around tight corners atop 100 meter cliffs above an endless ocean and you can't see those turns coming...well, it takes some new getting used to. If you haven't ridden a motorbike, the rule is: lean with the bike, not against it. I know this rule and am comfortable with it, but Peter had to get comfortable with it again too. My added weight and all the gear on the bike made it a lot heavier than he was used to. More than once he went into a corner leaning too far and had to straighten out and correct our line because we turned too sharp. But we soon got a rhythm and then we thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine, spectacular ocean views, and the best motorcycle riding of the whole trip. The following photos give a glimpse. Oh, and before I forget, we saw elephant seals, too. Big, loud, blubbery, dirty elephant seals. Picture giant slugs with flippers. And, for them, it's all about the ladies. Male elephant seals keep harems of females and the younger males are always trying to sneak in the back door, if you know what I mean (wink, wink). So, the boys chest bump and bite and flop around chasing each other while the girls try to keep the kids out of the way and catch some shut-eye when they get a chance. It's like a daytime drama for animals.