It is a start
With a little help from a friend 2012 will start out a bit different, with something loosely labeled as a vacation. I vaguely recall actually taking a real vacation 5 or so years ago, a real go somewhere nice week-long vacation. This is more a get me outside doing something borderline foolish for a weekend, with a few nice bits thrown in.
Ok, the foolish bit is I will be driving 3 hours to pick up a spare Buell (motorcycle) to meet up with the North Fresno chapter of HOG (Harley Owner’s Group) and ride at O’dark early Saturday the 14th to Buellton (another 3 hours + stops). Or about 4 hours from where I live in a car with music and heated seats. Temperature at the start will be ~ 32F (0 C) +/-, though it will be just a touch warmer if it starts to rain. It’s their “Freeze Your Buns Run”. It’s an overnight trip so I’ll get to do that again the other way the next AM.
The nice bits are a central coast style BBQ (can’t be called Santa Maria style now unless it’s in Santa Maria), a visit to the Mendenhall Museum and some free time to putter around the Santa Ynez Valley and Solvang (a Danish community).
For my own self I would like to divert in a couple of places if possible, Splash Café, Pismo Beach for Clam Chowder and Dr. Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab, Arroyo Grande for a sundae. Season hasn’t started at Santa Maria Speedway yet so no one will be there; it’s unlikely anyone remembers me racing there anyway. The motorcycle and sports car clubs are gone now at Cal Poly so nothing interesting to me going on there on a weekend. It would be fun to have the entire group ride through Mustang Village (off-campus student housing) but only if Black Belt Security still patrols the place. Never did like their attitude. ;-)
Ok, the foolish bit is I will be driving 3 hours to pick up a spare Buell (motorcycle) to meet up with the North Fresno chapter of HOG (Harley Owner’s Group) and ride at O’dark early Saturday the 14th to Buellton (another 3 hours + stops). Or about 4 hours from where I live in a car with music and heated seats. Temperature at the start will be ~ 32F (0 C) +/-, though it will be just a touch warmer if it starts to rain. It’s their “Freeze Your Buns Run”. It’s an overnight trip so I’ll get to do that again the other way the next AM.
The nice bits are a central coast style BBQ (can’t be called Santa Maria style now unless it’s in Santa Maria), a visit to the Mendenhall Museum and some free time to putter around the Santa Ynez Valley and Solvang (a Danish community).
For my own self I would like to divert in a couple of places if possible, Splash Café, Pismo Beach for Clam Chowder and Dr. Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab, Arroyo Grande for a sundae. Season hasn’t started at Santa Maria Speedway yet so no one will be there; it’s unlikely anyone remembers me racing there anyway. The motorcycle and sports car clubs are gone now at Cal Poly so nothing interesting to me going on there on a weekend. It would be fun to have the entire group ride through Mustang Village (off-campus student housing) but only if Black Belt Security still patrols the place. Never did like their attitude. ;-)