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+ Week Those Were the Days My friend.

Shortly after getting the Venture we went on an overnight trip on it. Ray and Sandra, introduced a few posts back, were headed to a camp in the mountains north of LA. I don't remember the details but one of them had a relative who ran a church camp and had invited them to come up, spend the night, and eat at a cookout the next day. They invited us to come along.

We decided to ride up to Big Bear Lake and then head over to the camp. the road up to Big Bear Lake has some spectacular scenery and views. We stopped along the way to take some pics.

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Unfortunately I picked up a nail in the rear tire. I tried using some fix-a-flat but the hole was in the sidewall and it didn't work. Ray took me to Big Bear Lake where we found a Yamaha Dealer and tow truck. We had the bike towed to the dealer and then had a new tire installed. We were real lucky they had a tire in the correct size in stock. I wonder what the odds of a dealer having a tire in stock would be today? Most don't carry much inventory anymore.

We were now behind schedule so we didn't have the time to enjoy all the scenery and headed off to our destination which was to the west on the other side of I-15. I had a map (remember those paper things we used to use before GPS?) that showed a short cut from the back side of Lake Arrowhead. We tried to find it with no luck. I think it was probably a dirt road not suitable for our big heavy touring bikes.


So we had to back track down to San Bernadino and then north and west. I do remember it seemed like a big adventure riding into the fading light with strange mountains all around us. I had no idea where we were and still don't today. We finally got there well after dark and spent the night in a cabin. We got some more pics the next day.

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I remember the first day of the trip pretty well. I barely remember the second day and I no recollection of the ride back home but we must have made it. It must not have been very memorable.
 
In November of 1986 I finished my flight training at HC-3 and checked out of the squadron. Since Debbi and I didn't have a real honeymoon we decided to take some leave and do it now while I had the time.

So we loaded up the Venture and headed North. The plan was to ride up the coast to San Francisco, spend some time in San Francisco and then ride back. We also planned on getting back a few days early and going sky diving. Sky diving was something Debbi had always wanted to do.

I don't remember much from the first days ride. We just got on the interstate and headed through LA. Somewhere past LA we picked up the Pacific Coast Highway. We stopped and spent the night in Carpenteria. This was at the motel.

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It was the Best Western Carpenteria Inn.

I think the next two pics were also taken there but might have been the following night. Keep in mind that all these pics were taking with a really cheap 35mm camera and they were taken in the 80s. I didn't organize then all that well so it is sometimes hard to remember all the details about the pics.

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The one thing I do remember is that we had shark for dinner. I believe that was my only time eating shark.

So what does shark taste like? If I remember right it tastes like chicken
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The next morning we got back on the road. We went north through Santa Barbara and then picked up 154 through the mountains. I don't know if we got any pics of this part of this ride so I'll just throw in this pic of Debbi and the bike. I have no idea exactly when and where this pic was taken but it might have been taken on 154
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Then we headed north on 101. While riding I noticed a sign for a place called the Apple Farm in San Luis Obispo. A little later we stopped and talked about getting something for lunch. Debbi had also noticed the sign and thought the same thing that I had. It looked like a good place for lunch. We had to go a little past our planned exit to get there but it was worth it. I don't remember what I ate but I stuffed myself to the point that I didn't have room left for desert. That almost never happens. the food was so good that if you were to ask Debbi or I today what our favorite restaurant is we'll both say the Apple Farm. Although we have never lived anywhere close to San Luis Obispo, we would end up eating there a few more times.

I didn't take any pics so I'll just steal one off the internet:

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So now we were stuffed and continued our ride. We picked up Hwy 1 and rode past Morro Bay and then stopped in in the town of Cambria. It was only early afternoon an we had no plans of stopping that early but Debbi and I both thought that Cambria was such a cool place that we decided to stop there. We found a motel that was right across the road from the ocean. It had a fireplace in the room and a Hot tub towards the back of the motel. They had a vacancy and I don't remember it being all that expensive so we got a room.


We unloaded our stuff from the bike and Debbi decided to take a nap. I think that the enormous lunch made us both tired and probably influenced us into stopping so early.


So I went and rode around a little. I found some really scenic houses up on the side of the mountain overlooking Cambria and the ocean. I also found a really unusual house that I knew I would have to show Debbi.


I took Debbi up to this place.

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This house is known as Nitt Witt Ridge. It was built by an eccentric man known as Captain Nitt Witt over a 50 year period starting in 1928. Although much of it was made of stone, it had all kinds of unusual things in the walls such as car parts, appliances and even a TV.


Here's a quote from wikipedia:


"Nitt Witt Ridge, one of California's remarkable twentieth-century folk-art environments, is the creation of Arthur Harold Beal (Der Tinkerpaw, or Capt. Nitt Witt), a Cambria Pines pioneer who sculpted the land using hand tools and indigenous materials, inventiveness and self-taught skills. A blend of native materials and contemporary elements, impressive in its sheer mass and meticulous placement, it is a revealing memorial to Art's cosmic humor and zest for life.
California Registered Historical Landmark No. 939.
Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation for saving and preserving arts and cultural environments with the Art Beal Foundation, non-profit and educational corporation. June 26, 1986."

After that we headed into town for one of Debbi's favorite activities.

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That activity would be looking at all kinds of junks in little shops that bored me to death:D
 
We had dinner in town and then headed back to the motel. The ocean was just across the street and we could hear the waves crashing on the shore from inside our room. We walked over to the shore to enjoy the view.

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And since it was our honeymoon
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A selfie.

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So we were out on this rock taking these pics and enjoying the view and we didn't notice that the tide was coming in. We nearly had to swim to get back to shore but managed to jump for it and stay dry.

It ended up being a very memorable day for us.

The next day would be as well.....


Oh, I almost forgot. That evening Debbi, the conservative one who I had to talk into getting a Bikini to replace her one piece, wanted to go skinny dipping in the motel Hot Tub
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The next morning we headed north on Hwy 1 and soon came to the town of San Simeon. This town seemed to exist mainly to cater to tourists visiting the Hearst Castle. Debbi wanted to take a tour so we did. I'd like to mention that my idea of vacation is basically
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and more
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. Debbi has always been more into the touristy stuff. In this case I'm glad we did the tour. It was something I'll always remember. I didn't take any pics but I'll just steal a few off the web:

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This place was built by William Randolph Hearst who must of had an obscene amount of money. I'm not talking about winning the lottery kind of money. This was on a whole other level. Besides the pool pictured above there was also a giant indoor pool. We toured a "small" guesthouse of 4000 square feet.

Despite how huge and impressive this place was the two thing that really stood out to me where the impressive view from on top of the hill and the twisty "driveway" that lead up the hill. I was thinking it would have been a blast to ride
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............as I was going up it in a tour bus
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Then we got back on the bike to do what I came here for. To ride the famous section of highway 1 that was coming up.

I believe this was just before getting to the good part:


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Then we got to the good part. The road started to twist it's way up with a drop off to the Pacific on the left and mountains to the right. There is a reason that this road is one of the most famous rides/drives in the country. The curves make it a blast to ride but at the same time you want to enjoy the view. My solution; ride fast
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and stop a lot to enjoy the view. I did get a few pics at those stops.

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We decided to take a break at a really beautiful spot. There was a dirt driveway leading down to a dirt parking area. We rode down, parked and took a pic.

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Then we climbed out on the ridge to the right side of the picture, took a break and enjoyed the view.

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I even worked on my tan
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Eventually we went back to the bike and headed off. As we started going there was a jolt as the bike grounded out on something. I stopped and looked back
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We were leaving a trail of oil
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Crap!!!

Now we were stranded in the middle of nowhere with a broken bike and our vacation/honeymoon was just starting
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To say we were bummed is an understatement.


The scene of the incident. We took these pics after the fact, several days later.

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Putting on my best unhappy face.

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I wasn't on an Adventure Bike and adventure riding wasn't a big thing like it is today but this definitely qualified as an adventure! We were in the middle of nowhere with a broken bike and no cell phones:yikes

We hitched a ride to the nearest town. I use the term loosely. The "town" was Gorda, Ca. There were three things in Gorda, a Gas Station, a small store and a restaurant. There were some houses somewhere around although we never saw them. The population of Gorda was somewhere in the 20s.


There were also two very important things there, a pay phone and a phone book. Remember, no cell phone or internet back then. I made some calls trying to get a tow truck. I do remember that it was not easy. The first few places I called either wouldn't come that far or couldn't handle a motorcycle. I finally found someone in Salinas, about 75 miles away that would come get us. So we waited around for a while.


And we waited.

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It was getting late. I did get a pic of the restaurant:

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Finally the tow truck showed up and took us to where the bike was, loaded it up and we headed up Hwy 1. I was glad we had a ride but it would have been much more fun on the bike. It was well after dark by the time we got to Salinas. At this point our luck started to change. Right next to the Towing garage was a small motel and we were able to get a room. There was a Yamaha dealer a block away. The next morning we got the bike and pushed it to the dealer. The dealer looked at the bike and had some good news and bad news.

The bad news. The motor would have to be removed to replace the crank case which would have to be ordered. Then, they might have to order new bearing to fit the crankcase. It would be a lengthy and expensive process. Luckily, since this was technically an accident, not a mechanical failure, my insurance would cover this minus my deductable.

Now for the dealer's good news. They had a wrecked 84 Venture with only 900 miles on it in the back. It had been totaled by the insurance company but there motor was good except for the water pump. They could replace my motor with this one, replace the water pump from my motor, and do it all in less time and lower cost than fixing my motor. So that's what we decided to do. However, it would still take some time so we decided to rent a car and continue on. Luckily there was a car rental place nearby as well.

We drove to San Francisco and played tourist for several days. I really don't remember that much from those days. The things I do remember are:
  • San Francisco has real steep hills::eekers
  • Lombard Street
  • The golden gate bridge
  • We saw the play "Greater Tuna."
  • We went to the Muir Woods just across the Golden gate bridge.

We did get a pic of me at the Muir Woods by a redwood tree;

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Soon it was time to head back home. The Venture was not ready yet so the plan was to drive the renta car home and then when the bike was ready I would drive back to Salinas and pick it up. We decided to drive down Hwy 1 and see what we missed. We took a few pics.

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The renta car was better than the tow truck but not nearly as fun as the bike would have been. We stopped in Cambria and stayed in the same motel.

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I did a google search for this place a few years ago. It's still there although it looks like it's been rebuilt and the room prices have gone up just a "little".

The next day we stopped by the Apple Farm again for lunch. This time we decided we would eat a light lunch so we would have room left for desert. This place had an awesome desert menu. We both got a veggie plate. We figured this would make a light and healthy lunch to make up for the decadent deserts we planned on getting. The waitress brought out these big plates with a HUGE pile of cheese covered veggies on them:
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So much for a light lunch. We should have split one plate, it would have been more than enough. We restrained ourselves and then decided to get an apple dumpling A La Mode and split it. So we ordered one and asked the waitress to bring two spoons. A little later she came out with these two plates covered with apple dumpling and ice cream:
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We only ordered one we said. She replied: "I had them split it and put it on two plates." I don't normally take food pics but I wish I had taken a pic of this. To use a famous old saying: " I can't believe we ate the whole thing". But we did
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. They were that good.

Then it was an uneventful drive except for one thing. We stopped at a fast food place somewhere, ate and headed off. A little later Debbi realized she had left her purse there::( So we drove back but it was gone
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Besides some cash she would have to cancel and replace her credit card and replace her drivers license among other things. This was the second bad thing that happened on this trip. We had planned on going sky diving when we got back but with the way our luck was going, we figured the chutes probably wouldn't open.
 
When the Venture was ready, I drove up to Salinas and picked it up. I don't remember that much about the ride. I do remember that riding Hwy 1 was much more fun than driving it. I also remember that the new motor ran much stronger AND got more MPGs than the old one.

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I wanted to ride some different roads on the way back so I followed 101 south a bit then took a left on 166 then south on 133 to Ojai. 133 was an awesome ride
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. I don't really remember 166. The next two pics were taken somewhere one that part of the ride.

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Then I don't remember the route home after Ojai.


This was my, and OUR, first long vacation on a motorcycle. Well, part of it was on a motorcycle. Despite the bad things that happened, it was a trip that I will never forget. Parts of it were getting pretty fuzzy but recording it all here helped me sharpen up my memory. If I had not bought a full dress touring bike I don't know we would or could have done a trip like this two up. So this was our first big trip but it would not be our last.

More to come........
 
In 1986 another movie that involved the Navy was released. That movie was Top Gun. 1986 was also the year that I moved to California and where this story is at this point.

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There are some similarities between this movie and my life at this point. Like "maverick" I was a Naval Aviator who rode a fast sport bike. After that it's hard to find any more similarities. Maverick flew a supersonic F-14 fighter jet. I was flying something just a "little bit" slower. I did however, probably have more landing on the USS Enterprise than Maverick did.......and I didn't have to use a tail hook as a crutch....
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After returning from the vacation to San Francisco and back. I checked into my first Fleet Squadron, HC-11 and was flying the H-46 Sea Knight Helicopter.

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I checked in well after Top Gun was filmed but some many of the guys had been in there when the movie was filmed. I heard an interesting Top Gun story from some of them:

The primary mission of the Navy H-46 was to haul people and stuff from ship to ship and ship to shore. All passengers carried on the helicopter had to wear a inflatable life vest as well as a cranial. The purpose of the cranial was to provide hearing protection and head protection in case of a crash. Here's a pic of someone you may recognize wearing one.

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During the filming of Top Gun HC-11 was used to carry members of the film crew as well as crew to and from the USS Enterprise which was off the California coast. Tom Cruise was going on one of those flights but refused to put on a cranial because it would mess up his hair. The aircraft commander gave him the choice to put on the cranial or stay behind. He ended up putting it on. I wonder if his hair stylist had to work overtime that day.
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In the movie, maverick spends all his time doing glamorous things like flying F-14s and romancing his love interest. The reality of the life of a naval aviator is that you spend most of your time doing your ground job. My first ground job was squadron legal officer. It was not nearly as interesting as flying. In the movie maverick has to bail out of his fighter and his RIO in the mishap. That is one aspect of the movie (one of the few) that is fairly truthfull. Being a naval aviator is not the safest job in the world. During my first year in the squadron, one of our helos deployed on a ship in the western pacific auto-rotated into the water due to a mechanical malfunction. All four crewmembers managed to get out. It was the second H-46 crash for one of them.

Other than flying, most of my time spend at work at that time was pretty boring. The exciting stuff happened on the weekends. The next few installments of this report will be about the adrenaline pumping, high speed world of sport bike riding in Southern California and my introduction to and participation in that world.

To get into the mood for that, this soundtrack from the movie is just about perfect:

 
Highway to the Danger Zone

You may want to replay that soundtrack I posted earlier. It fits with what I'm about to post.

The world of sport bike riding is a foreign world to most people. The idea of going out and riding as fast as you feel like riding or as fast as you feel safe with only casual regard for posted speed limits is just not what most people do. Most people couldn't imagine going 120+ MPH on public roads. While most of my riding was not done at that speed, I rarely went for a ride on my FJ without hitting triple digits at least once. It really didn't seem that big of a deal doing this way out in the mountain with no one around. Most of the time however, speeds where in the 50-80 MPH range depending on the roads we were on and sometimes less on really twisty roads. This was not just me, the people I rode with did the same. Most of us were smart enough not to ride this fast in traffic or near civilization. As a result tickets and accidents were rare.

Many of my early group rides in CA were with guys I knew in the Navy. Here are three of my riding friends:

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They were introduced in a previous post. I am on the left followed by Phil, Chuck and Chris. Chris was a Marine H-46 pilot. He would ride down from the southern LA area to ride with us. The marines required all their motorcycle riders to wear reflective vests at all times. Before going riding he would brief us that if he were to crash, we should pull out his vest and throw it over his body to make it appear he had been wearing it. He didn't want to get into trouble for not wearing it.

I had some great rides with this group. We rode all over the mountains outside of San Diego as well as down into the desert. 250+ mile days where the norm. We would often ride up to Julian for breakfast or lunch and then have dinner somewhere else before the ride was over.

So how dangerous where these rides? I don't remember any crashes even though we were pushing pretty hard. One day Chris was out riding, not with us. He was going around 100 and realized that a corner was coming up too late and ended up crashing at pretty high speed. I don't remember the details except that he walked away, bruised and sore but with no serious injuries.

He totaled his bike in a high speed crash. What do you think he did next? If you guessed that he went and bought a faster bike you would be correct. He got a Honda VFR700. He had been fast on the Vision but now he was really fast.

One day we rode through Borrego Springs and then up S-22, the4 Montezuma grade. We stopped at and scenic turnout and then took turns taking each others pictures.

Here's me and my mighty FJ:

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Chris and Phil:

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Phil came up with this idea:

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We were pushing so hard that one of us crashed
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I wish I had taken more pictures. Both of the riding as well as my friends. At that time I just didn't think ahead to the time when I wouldn't see these guys again.

Unfortunately that day came sooner than I ever expected.

Not too long after this ride we got the word that Chris had been killed
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No, it wasn't the fast bike that got him. He died in a Helicopter crash. It may have been peace time but flying military helicopters really was a ride into the danger zone.

One more pic of with Chris in it:

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Not long after Chris's death we got more shocking news. Andy, had been my roommate and was a good friend had also been killed in an H-46 helicopter crash in the Phillipines
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I'm not trying to through a wet blanket over the mood of this ride report but Chris and Andy were an important part of my life and I will never forget them. All this happened nearly 30 years ago so I am over the pain I felt at the time. However, I will never forget them nor do I want to.

A pic of Andy and his Girlfriend.

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One important lesson I took from these deaths is that life is short and can end at any time. Don't waste the time you have. From what I knew of Chris and Andy, they took full advantage of the time they had and were both living the life of their dreams.


Going back to the riding part of this report, I really was living the dream when I was in California. Those really were the days... I'm not sure I fully appreciated that at the time but as I write this report and look back at all that I did and all that I had at that time, I can fully appreciate it now.

There is more to come on sport riding in the Southern California but for the next installment I will take a break from that and cover our second vacation and big trip on the venture. Would the bad luck that followed us on the first trip follow us on this trip as well?

An advance pic from that trip:

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Having loaded many a 46, 53, cobra on a c5, I never understood what the Navy vs Marine mission difference was for the 46?

You do your friends and their families honor when you mention them, thanks.

Anyone that passed in service to their country deserves the utmost respect and honor.
 
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