BluepoofBikes Motorcycle Adventures

Burninating the Eva Bash!

Yesterday was Eva Bash, a fun mini-tournament that Eva of the Big Fat Flying Pigs put on to raise money for the AIDS LifeCycle ride.

There were four teams in the tourney; all local to the Bay Area: the Burninators, the Black List, the Bucktooth Angry Dolphins, and of course the Big Fat Flying Pigs.    So many people that I knew! :D

Peter also had a game yesterday -- the Team Danger game that was rescheduled from last Monday -- but in a different city, so I was on my own for getting to the rink.  Bwa ha ha.

Heather passes out team bandanas before the first game...I chose a cute one with frogs all over it.  I wore it in both games and it seemed to serve me well!

Game 1: Burninators vs Black List: 2-2.

Our first game was at 4:15pm against the Black List.  I played center with Jean and Jen Schwartz.  It was my first time playing center in at least a couple of months, so I was a bit rusty....and exhausted after a couple of end-to-end runs!  Being sick for six weeks apparently takes a bit of endurance outta ya...who'd'a'thunk it?

I think I might have actually knocked over Nora in this game....whether it was me or gravity, we both went down in front of the Burninators net.  I narrowly avoided being smoooooshed and Nora laughed at me that it would be my own fault if she landed on me.  ;)

We spent the whole game being even-steven for shots on goal. I think the Black List finally eked out a couple more SOG than we had, but we finished the game tied, 2-2.  

Between-games goofing off

There were four games in the tournament; we had game 1 and game 4.  That left a couple of hours in-between the games for general mayhem.  Most of us stuck around the rink and chatted, tried to find some food, and watched NHL playoff games.

Kim (who was on the Black List and thus only had a one-game break) demonstrates the height of must-dress-quickly hockey fashion:

The Big Fat Flying Pigs team mascot and...I think the pig is actually an MP3 player:

Our locker room, complete with Trogdor and his thatched-roof cottage.  Amazingly, women's locker rooms generally don't smell that bad, even during tournaments.  Boys, don't you ever wash your gear??

The Sharks game started about 20 minutes before we had to go back to the locker room and get dressed for our second game.  That was enough time to see Joe Thornton's goal, though! Welcome to the playoffs, Joe, nice to finally see you.

Game 2: Burninators vs Bucktooth Angry Dolphins: 4-2.

Our first time beating the Dolphins! Hooray!  :D 

Playing the Dolphins is always really fun.  I know almost everyone on the team and they're good, strong players.   Luckily for me, a couple of them are even on the Drunken Pirates, my normal NCWHL team! :)

I played left wing for this game, with Jean on right wing and Becky on center.  Becky is all kinds of awesome to play with; she can play any position quickly, smartly, and damn well.  My hero!  

I had my best play of the tournament at the end of game 2; Becky brought it into the zone and passed to me; I deked around a defenseman then brought the puck way over to the righthand side of the net to get around the other D.  I had a wide open backhand shot, which the goalie was able to get, but it was a decent shot on goal, at least!

Liz commented after the game that she saw our line doing some nice things; hopefully that means we'll play together again.  That was a fun line.  

After-game revelries.

After our game, everyone got dressed and reconvened in the sports bar for raffles, food, and Sharks-watching.

Lots of cool raffle prizes -- I won an iPhone cover. :)

Andrea wasn't sure what to make of winning a funny beefcake guys-in-funny-drag calendar....

Jennie and Graham scored the women's golf clubs:

Sharon's going to have to take up scrapbooking now...we expect a beautiful montage of our next Burninators game!!

Fortunately Tracy's new purse matches her Dolphins orange tracksuit.  Whew.

Liz and Cara hang out and represent our team during the raffle:

We all hung out until Marleau's game winning goal in overtime, when the entire bar went totally batshit and yelling and screaming and cheering.  Sharks in 7! ;)

A great mini-tournament for a great cause with great people.  Thanks, Eva, and everyone else! 

Summer 2009 team: Drunken Pirates!

Our Summer 2009 team is chosen and named! I think this is going to be a really fun team (I say that every season, don't I? It's always true, too).

Tonight was our second game of the season but the first game that most people were there for.  It was also my first game since March 8!  Yeesh.  But I've been cleared by all of my doctors to get back on the ice and it felt really good.  I'm a bit sore now but had no heart or lung problems on the ice.

I think my favorite thing about tonight's game was that EIGHT different people had points!  Jeannie, Alice, Nancy, Jennifer, Teresa, Bridget, Lindsay, and I all got points.  Holy crap.  The final score was 6-3 and obviously a lot of those goals had assists.  It was truly a team game.

I had a great time on a line with Jenny and Teresa.  :)  I'm putting myself at wing this season (though I may play D some, too, depending on the game) and am looking forward to it.

Farkle is mostly complete...for now.

The Beemer is looking a lot less stock these days!

So now, we've got:

• F800GS windscreen 
• SW-Motech skidplate
• SW-Motech engine guards
• Moto-Sport Panniers luggage brackets
• Givi topcase rack 

That's looking more like one of my bikes, wouldn't you say?

I'm heading up to Rick Mayer Cycle tomorrow to have a custom seat made -- I absolutely love his saddles -- and then I think my wallet is done for a while.  Whew.

100 mile review of the F650GS

Yesterday was my last day of vacation, so I put it to good use by trying out the new bike.  

I was a little apprehensive at first since I wanted to head to the city for some bridge shots, but break-in procedure states to keep the bike under 5000 rpm.  That wound up being no problem -- I'd forgotten (how? dunno!) that the twin has SIX gears instead of the thumper's five.  Highway cruising at 75mph in 6th gear kept the bike happily under 5k rpm.

Obviously this isn't an ideal freeway ride review since I did have to watch the rpms, but I can confidently say that the bike will work out for those inevitable long hauls.  Downshifting into fifth had enough power to pass people with ease and cruising in sixth was comfortable.  Once the bike can go over 5k rpms, it'll go all day at 80mph, by which of course I mean the safe and legal freeway speed.

I had a little bit of wind buffeting -- not as bad as the taller riders whose reviews I'd read -- but I'm going to hold off on that because I do have a F800GS windscreen on order from the dealer.

30 miles of freeway later, I was in sunny San Francisco.  Time for 19th Avenue and the "stop and go traffic" test! 

Once again, the bike did great.  No overheating (or even warming), no complaints from my clutch hand, no problems putting a foot down every block on the San Francisco hills.

And then I was at Fort Point; time for bike porn!

After a few dozen pictures, I had some unintentional U-turn practice as I got hopelessly lost in the Presidio.  This happens every time I'm in the Presidio and you'd think that I'd remember my way out eventually, but no.  However, I can now say for certain that the twin F650GS is good at parking lot U-turns. ;)

Can't complain, though, as the Presidio district gives photos like this:

Baker Beach:

OK, enough Golden Gate Bridge!

I turned southwest, towards the Sutro district, to pick up the Great Highway south along the coast.

There's not much to review about this bike from this section of road; it's about 40mph and fairly straight, with enough stop lights tossed in to make you have to watch the traffic.

I did entertain myself at said stoplights by spotting myself in duplicate in the F650GS's cockpit.  Hey, look, it's me!  Hi, me!

The Great Highway does, of course, offer more opportunities for bike porn.  So here ya go.

I need to do a separate entry about the onboard computer on this thing -- one of the "non-optional options" that hiked up the MSRP.  I'm a gadget lover, so I confess to loving it, but I swear the thing is probably smarter than I am.

I do wonder why they gave the largest amount of real estate to the single most useless piece of information.  Does anyone ever really need to know what gear they're in?

Not surprisingly, the F650GS handles long sweepers really frickin' well.  The Devil's Slide area was pretty free of traffic and toodling along at about 50mph was fun and easy.   The bike holds a line really well in these conditions and I barely had to think about lane placement at all.  Yum.

Lunch at Cameron's in Half Moon Bay: spinach and artichoke soup with garlic fries.  Nom nom nom!

Time to hit some tighter twisties!  I kept going down the coast for a while, then peeled inland at San Gregorio to hit Stage Road.  Time for some one lane, 1st or 2nd gear curves!

Once again, the bike did great.  There were some times that I wanted "1st and a half" gear, but I think that was mainly because I was still keeping the bike under 5k rpm.  If I could have gone higher in 1st gear, I don't think I would have even noticed the gearing "problem".  Clearly I'll just have to go back to Stage Road over and over to retest. ;)

Along this section, the bike also hit triple-digit mileage! Woo!

I kept on the one-lane curvy theme back up through the Santa Cruz Mountains, turning onto Old La Honda and winding and weaving over the summit back towards Portola.

Once again, the bike was a ton of fun to ride.....and to photograph. :)

The forested portions of Old La Honda even gave me some wet-and-pine-needly curves to play on.  Not a slip nor a slide from the Beemer!  I didn't take many photos of this section as the lighting was bad and there were just enough cars so that I didn't want to block the road, but here's the idea.

So that was my shakedown ride of the new bike.  I really had no complaints at all -- none that won't be nonexistent once I can go above 5000 rpms, at least.  

New toy!!!

Yum.  Yum yum yum yum.  :) :) :)

This is the low suspension model and it fits me perfectly.  Yay!  This one also doesn't have any of the engine twitchiness that the demo bike I rode had.  I don't know why that one was so super-abrupt, but the bike I wound up with has a wonderful engine and wasn't spazzy at all.

20 miles on the odometer and counting!

Another day ride, this time to the coast!

Another free afternoon; another nice ride on the XT! I went south again, but this time went straight west to the coast.

My first photo stop was at Pescadero Beach, a beautiful little sandy beach. It's part of the Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve, which contains over 500 acres of coastal wetlands.


 

But for the real photography stop of the trip, I went a few miles south to the Pigeon Point Bluffs, which is my favorite place for photographs along the peninsula coast. It always amazes me that this little section is open to vehicles, but I've read the signs many many many times and apparently it's A-OK. No camping, though.

Too bad I'm allergic to all those yellow flowers! ;)

 

Pigeon Point is a neat little historical spot. The surrounding area was named after the Carrier Pigeon clipper ship which shipwrecked there in 1853. Unfortunately for the Carrier Pigeon, the lighthouse itself was first lit in 1872 and at 115' is one of the tallest lighthouses in America. 

The lighthouse itself is closed to the public; a piece of the exterior fell off in December 2001 and the state is taking its sweet time to evaluate the building for safety. Visitors can still wander the ground, though, or even stay at the on-site hostel.

The bluffs facing away from the lighthouse:


 

What's a photo stop without some bike porn?


 

 

In a couple of weeks, there should be more ice plants blooming; I'll probably go back and retake those last two photos.

OK, OK, enough Pigeon Point bluffs. I could spend hours there on a clear day. 

I kept heading south on Hwy 1 until my next stop: Año Nuevo State Reserve.

I'd always wondered why the point was named for the new year; turns out that it was thus christianed by Spanish explorer Sebastién Vizcaíno on January 3, 1603 because it was the first point sighted in that year. 

Año Nuevo is best known for its seasonal habitants: elephant seals! The reserve has one of the largest mainland breeding colonies in the word for northern elephant seals. The breeding season lasts from mid-December though late March, so when I visited, there were a few adult females left and a lot of weaners. A sign at the visitors center reported just over 2000 weaners as of February 28, 2009.

To get to the seals this time of year, you need a permit from the ranger when you first enter the park. No one checked mine after I entered the park, but you do need to carry it with you. Other times of the year, the seal area is only accessible via guided tours, but starting April 1 -- coincidentally, the day I visited! -- self-guided tours are fine (provided you have your permit!).

The main seal viewing area is a 1.6-mile walk from the visitors center. It's a very easy hike along some marshlands, though bring water if it's a warm day as the only drinking fountain on site is back at the vistors center.


 

The marsh area is home to the red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake -- I didn't see any frogs but I was momentarily surprised when a twig on the path slithered away from me. 

Just after a little info kiosk on the path, you'll come across the sand dunes. I didn't have any trouble with the dunes even when wearing motorcycle boots, but I wouldn't go out there in stilettos or anything.

 

Can you spot the seal?

 

She wasn't too happy that I was taking her photo!


 

We really are lucky to have two breeding colonies within a day's ride. There are only about seven principal breeding areas in the world, most of which are on the California Coast. Other ride reports of mine have had many photos of seals from another big colony, Piedras Blancas down near Cambria.

Does this video work? Sorry for the background noise; it was super windy!




After my hike, I was running a little late for retuning home, so I didn't stop for photos on the return trip. 

Here are a few on-board pics, though...you can tell it was a gorgeous day to cut home through the Santa Cruz Mountains!

 

Why was I rushing home? Peter's hockey team was playing in the league championship game! I'm proud to announce that The Sahara Deserts won the Winter 2008-09 Stanley Keg!

 

Trip odometer: 102 miles
Moving Time: 2 hours, 56 minutes
Average Moving Speed: 34.6 mph


 

Day ride through the Santa Cruz Mountains

Thanks to a couple of weeks off of work, I'm finding myself with a few free days in which to play around on the XT. On this particular day, I decided to head south into the Santa Cruz Mountains. Better bring some Kleenex -- the spring pollen is already out with a vengence!

My first destination was Lexington Reservoir. Alma Bridge Road was nearly empty except for a couple of bicyclists. Even the dam workers were nowhere to be found. It was a nice smooth ride around the reservoir. Warning: skeletal hands!

It looks like there's some big construction going on at the Summit Store! The store was still open for business, but the parking lot was full of trucks and dirt.

I took Mt Bache over to Highland Way. Highland has some nice new pavement on it now that they're almost done with the construction from the most recent landslides. Yum! At the intersection with Ormbsy Trail/Buzzard Lagoon, I decided to finally take the latter. I've been riding the XT in the Bay Area for 4 years and I'd never been on Buzzard Lagoon...pfffft, and I call myself a dualsporter. The sign at the road says access is restricted until mid-April, but it was open all the way through on March 31. Partway down Buzzard Lagoon is a fork in the road; heading left continues down Buzzard Lagoon and heading right took me to a road that my GPS called Hinckley Creek Road but that Google Maps calls Aptos Creek Road. So there ya go. This mystery road twists and winds through the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. The park was originally built on land that was clearcut between 1883-1923, so it's neat to see so much forest regrown.

It wasn't a difficult road but it was definitely the most technical of the random dirt roads I've stumbled across in the Bay Area. I had fun with deep washouts, large chunks of slate, some sand, and of course twisty elevation changes.

Unfortunately, the road ended at a gate which looked impossible to get around. But that's OK; that just means backtracking on the same fun road. I retraced my steps back to the Buzzard Lagoon intersection, then took the latter down towards Corralitos. Buzzard Lagoon is a fun, easy dirt road that has beautiful scenery both within the forest and once it bursts out on the mountain ridge, overlooking Monterey Bay. Tall redwoods:

A fun little downhill section:

One of the open ridgetop sections:

Buzzard Lagoon winds up on Rider Road, which almost immediately intersects with Eureka Canyon. I headed south down into Soquel to top off my tank and have a Clif bar, when I received some bad new via email. I wasn't much in the mood to be a tourist and take photos after that, so I pointed north along East Zayante Road until Hwy 35. I took 35, also known as Skyline Blvd, all the way north to Hwy 92, then cut east to go home. I did stop along the way to pick up the current Sport-Touring.net photo tag:

Skyline offers a great view of Crystal Springs Reservoir, Hwy 280, and San Francisco:

Trip odometer: 147 miles Moving Time: 4 hours, 57 minutes Average Moving Speed: 29.7 mph