Mark in Hollister

I recently bought a Quest 2 also for use in cars as well as on the bike. Very small size but full functionality, waterproof, and good screen. I chose the Quest 2 over the original Quest because it comes with the entire N. America pre loaded vs having to load other regions if you go there. Since I travel for work and use rental cars, I didn't want to have to remember to download a different region before I went there. If I had it to do over again, I would have chosen the Original Quest for several reasons: Because it has all maps preloaded, they don't send you the maps on disk for your pc, which I thought I was getting. Garmin sent them to me at no charge, but I have been unable to unlock them. Tech support is super but it's been a month now and I still don't have them working. I have also discovered that Garmin admits that the Q2 is slower at calculating, redrawing the screen etc., because of the larger memory. This can be a real pain if it happens to be thinking when you're coming up to a turn in your route. The original Quest can be found for about half the price.

Order will go in on 6/26 so last day to receive order in the mail would be the 24th. I'm currently taking orders for a second run of a tee shirt I had printed about a year ago. Details available at the following link: Link to shirt details and order form PM me if you have any questions. A few people have emailed me via the list and in some cases, my reply has come back undeliverable. The emails have all pertained to shipping outside the US. If you are one of them, please see below. For the number of folks who have asked about shipping abroad. We can do this a couple of ways. It seems Paypal is a possibility and I can do it with my normal account. They do have a 3.9% service charge, so that would need to be added. The second option would be to wire transfer the funds. From what I hear, most banks have a fee that makes a small transaction impractical, but your situation may be different. I don't think there is any charge on my end so whatever your bank charges, that is what you have to deal with. Someone also suggested just sending cash. I guess if you can get US dollars and don't mind sending them in the mail, that works OK as well. In terms of shipping, cost would be actual minus what is already factored into the price of the item. If folks outside the US would like to go ahead, just send me the order form without payment. After the stuff comes, I'll prepare it for shipment and find out what the cost is. Then we'll figure out what the total is and you can make payment by whichever method you choose. I would like to enter the order around the 26th of this month. That would mean that orders need to be received no later than the 24th.

If you like to get an early start, you may experience big temp changes during the day. Also when by the Ocean be prepared for anything from 50 to 90. "The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco" Mark Twain Last year I lead a ride from Hollister down 25 and through Fort Hunter Ligget to the coast. Went from mid 60's to over 100 degrees and then down to about 55 (with a cold ocean breeze) near Big Sur. The 100 to 55 part happened in less than 30 miles. I often wear 3-4 thin layers under my jacket and peel them off as things warm up. Long sleeve tee made of the fancy moisture wicking material as a base layer makes a big difference.

Glad you could make it Joe. If you haven't been over Nacimiento-Ferguson Rd. we should do that sometime. It's quite a nice ride with beautiful ocean views and some nice curves through Fort Hunter Liggett. Carmel Valley Rd, Nacimiento-Ferguson, and Hwy 1 would make a really nice loop.

Leading up to this it appeared that there was going to be a fairly large group of people descending on Parkfield, but our seemingly endless winter gloom scared off quite a few. The forecast was for a chance of showers with cloud cover and mid 50's to mid 60's temps. It turned out to be low to mid 50's most of the day and we had but one very brief (~2 minutes) sighting of the sun all day. Despite the gloom, the ride down from Hollister was great and the roads were all in much better condition than I expected given the rains we've had. The only folks that came from the south were Lex, who lives not too far away, and Truong who made it all the way from the LA area. They were already done eating when we showed up (late) and left soon after. The rest all bailed at the last minute to go ride in the San Diego area where it was warmer. Here is a pic of the Norcal contingent out in front of the Parkfield Cafe. Left to Right we had John who is serving his country at the Presidio in Monterey (Cafe Sport), Diane and her Husband Marty (750 Breva and one sweet Daytona), Greg (another Breva), Hal (Loveley Coppa with those awesome Ti Pipes), Marina our fearless moderator (seldom washed Stone), and Mike Stewart who was getting in his first good ride since being injured on the track months ago (Lemans Rosso Corsa) Although it was a smaller turnout than expected, I did get to meet 4 more local Guzzi riders who will hopefully join us for future rides.

10:00 is the planned departure from Starbucks, but we have adequate time that we can dawdle a bit if need be. Unfortunately, Steve and his mighty Blue EV will not be able to make it. Hollister forecast says 45% chance of rain before 8 AM. After that it's 35% chance. In my experience in this area if they say less than 50% it means its not going to rain. Let's hope it holds true. Temps call for mid 50's to mid 60's later in the day. If we stay dry it ought to be a fantastic day for riding.

Here's a map to Starbucks for those coming from the north.

I guess I'm not the only one thats anxious to get out for a ride. At least you know for sure where the Starbucks is. See you next week.

58 is indeed a fine road but beware of the decreasing radius turns. They are in abundance on the east side of that road. Dropped my bike there coming back from the San Diego Rally in 04. Mostly cuz I was riding all day (trying to go from LA to Hollister without Freeway) and not focusing on the task at hand. Very nice deserted road. Soda Lake Rd is also supposed to be good.

Glad to here you guys are coming. I'm expecting a better turnout than last year. sound like a fair number of so cal folks will be there. I sure hope it doesn't rain that weekend, but I'll do it regardless. It seems that I've been out of town or had commitments just about every nice weekend this winter and I'm really itching for a decent day to ride. If you've only been down here in summer or fall, you're really in for a treat. Green hills are much nicer to look at than brown ones. Tom, Hope your nerve thing heals up. make sure you've got some tread before making the trip. And don't worry about what you're riding. I've never seen anyone unwelcome at a Guzzi event, no matter what they rode.

Just a bump since it's getting closer.

If you are only going to use it once or twice a year, pick up something inexpensive as long as it has a rainfly. I had a 3 man coleman I got for my son in Boy Scouts 10 years ago and it has lasted quite a while with minimal use. Recently I've been using it more and getting ready to get something better. I'm thinking of one of the Mountain Hardwear tents or possibly a Big Agnes. Both pack small, have decent sized vestibules, and are highly rated. On the sleeping bag, I picked up a warm weather down bag that packs super small and I also carry a polar fleece bag liner. The two together pack smaller than any regular bag I've seen and provide more options for differing temperatures. And always have a decent sleeping pad. Critical to staying warm.

Return to Parkfield NorCal/SoCal Lunch Meet Saturday April 22nd at the Parkfield Cafe Lunch around 1 PM Parkfield is a small remote central coast town that is just about smack dab in between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Mostly what goes on there is Earthquake research, but there is a cafe that serves an excellent burger and fries. About 16 folks made it to the first Parkfield run last fall with fairly short notice so I thought we should do it again and Springtime makes for great riding in this area. For those who want to spend the night and explore some of the great roads in the area, there is the Parkfield Inn in town, a few Motels in San Miguel (20 miles) and many of them in Paso Robles (30 miles). For NorCal folks wanting to ride down from Hollister, meet at the Starbucks, which is in the strip mall next to Nob hill Foods just south of Nash Rd on Hwy 25. At the corner of Nash and Hwy 25, you can gas up at Chevron or the Safeway. It's important to get gas here because there is no gas for about 100 miles. Plan to leave Starbucks by 10 AM. The route will be via Hwy 25 to Peachtree/Indian Valley Rd to San Miguel for Gas, then inland to Parkfield. We'll make a few stops on the way to keep from getting too far apart so I expect it will take about 2.5 hours. San Miguel is on Hwy 101 so people can get back in much less time if they wish. I'll be working on a different route to get back to the Hollister area for those that have time and wish to avoid the slab. If your coming from the South, check the socal guzzi board to see about meeting up with others. Hope to see you there !

Wow! That last pic looks like more than 18%. The east side of Sonora Pass here in CA has a section marked 26% and it didn't seem as steep as the one in your pics. Hate to be on it when it was snowing. According to this, the steepest in the world is 38%. Yikes! Steepest road in the world

Ride out Panoche Rd to the Panoche Inn and stop for a soda. Then do some slab to Coalinga. Northwest from there on Los Gatos road to hwy 25 and then back into Hollister. It's about a 200 mile ride if I remember correctly. I plan on leaving from the Flapjacks restaurant in Tres Pinos around 10:00 AM. If you want to have breakfast, I'll be there around 9:15. For those that are not familiar with the area, Tres Pinos is a small town about 5 miles south of Hollister on Hwy 25. Every business in town is on the highway so you can't miss Flapjacks. There is one gas station in Tres Pinos, but I suggest you get gas in Hollister when you pass thru. There is no gas for about 100 miles after Tres Pinos. For those not familiar with our typical rides, we go at our own pace, as fast or as slow as we are comfortable. The roads are mostly desolate so there is no problem stopping occasionally to regroup. Weather prediction looks fabulous so come on out and burn off some turkey.

It seems like there are plenty of Guzzisti in the bay area. I have about a dozen on an email list, but it does seem hard to get folks together. I never went to the Alice's night because it's about 90 miles from where I live and just too much hassle for a work night. Likewise for the Breakfast in Winters. 3 hours of slab each way is not that appealing to me. My only suggestion is when you plan on going for a ride that you think others would enjoy, post about when you plan to go and where you are leaving from and see if someone shows up.

It's always been my impression that MGNA doesn't support much in the way of Guzzi activities outside of the National, but hey maybe the new regime will be more responsive. I'm up for it anyway. Besides an organized event, there are occasional guzzi rides here in the bay area that usually involve either breakfast or lunch and some deserted backroads. Haven't had one in a while and I think it's about time. Maybe this Sunday. Anyone game? Route suggestions?

Yeah the 80's was the decade of the chick band, but also brought us Romeo Void.

Nevada campout was great, but not a single sport or modern lemans showed up. 3 mountain passes in one weekend, Good Food, Good Beer, and good company. See some select pics here. link to pics

If I do this again next year, I think I'll have to find somewhere other than down Hwy 25. Lots of policeman out yesterday. Thought for sure we would be pulled over by the one hiding over the crest of a hill. I guess he was waiting for someone going really fast. A completely unrelated observation; Riding back from the coast coming through Prunedale it was 60 degress with a cold ocean wind and a bit uncomfortable with a few layers. But I'm seeing all these HD guys riding south with T-shirts and beanie helmets. You know they were probably out in the hot sun in Hollister all day. Don't they feel cold?

Bummer Tom. Glad to hear that you weren't hurt. Amazing that you were able to ride the bike home after plunging down a hill like that. I'll bet you were going pretty slow. Your incident sounds like it happened similar to mine on Hwy 58. Unfamiliar road....been riding a long time....feeling good in the turns and then along comes one of those decreasing radius turns....add some rocks or sand and its low side city. I was fortunate that mine stopped in the gravel shoulder before going down the hill. Once again, glad your alright. BTW, make sure to keep all your gear if its damaged. You may be able to get it replaced via insurance.

We'll we get to see that sweet new ride of yours Sunday?

Consider it cross posted. BTW, did you mean east to west?

Don't forget the spare spark plug.

Last year was a good time despite almost being beheaded by a giant vulture...so why not do it again. Here are the details: