To break out of my self-imposed temporary blog retirement, I contacted B.B. and decided to ride to Salinas this weekend and find Dave's coffee shop since I was only 45 minutes away and had been dying to meet them for a while. The weather here in Santa Cruz has been record-breaking warm the past week. I had to ride.We arranged to meet at the shop and I found out that Willy D and his wife Carol would also be there. I was excited as I started out that morning, not sure of where I was going and remembering that Salinas had already had 6 murders this year. I didn't want to end up in the wrong part of town.
My ride took me through fields of artichokes, which is one of the most beautiful sights there is. The central coast of California grows much of the nations strawberries, brussel sprouts, leeks, and many artichokes. It was a lovely sight to see fertile black soil plowed in rows for as far as you can see, ready for the next crop to be sewn.
I did get lost as I got into Salinas, so Dave and Willy D came and found me, then escorted me back to the coffee shop.
The girls were waiting to ride so we started out towards Monterey.
It was a very fun ride, and it seemed like I was riding with people I already knew. They were all very comfortable and fun to talk to. We ended up going along the coastline to Pacific Grove, and then back towards Salinas for another coffee drink. I loved it!
By the time I was ready to head back to Santa Cruz, the group decided they hadn't had enough riding for the day. Everyone rode together back to Santa Cruz to my exit off the hiway, then they gassed up and turned back towards home. My total miles for the day on the Vulcan were 129.
It was a memorable day and real pleasure to meet everyone. As B.B. said, it seemed like we were old friends in a way. I had enjoyed Dave's humor on his blog, and was not disappointed that he was a very funny guy. B.B was real down to earth and fun. Willy D. and his wife Carol were so cool I felt like I'd always known them. We plan to ride again and I look forward to spending more time on the road with all of them.