Roll Call Laguna Seca 07/11/14 - 07/13/14 - hwy 1 too

GreenMachine · June 24, 2014, 09:33:36 AM

This is the big overnight we've waited all year for. Post up if you plan on going. We should have two camping spots, thanks to RG500nut & RenoRider75. PM me for camping, as I don't know if there is room left or not for those.

I plan on riding Hwy 1 down to San Simeon on Friday and just enjoying riding the coast. RG and I did one day's ride on a similar route last year, getting lost going over the mountains on our way back and finding some little known goat roads back to civilization. I'll be riding into Monterey in the evenings too, so the bike is coming. You should bring yours too if you have the wherewithal.

If you wimp out of this one because it's too far or too much money or too difficult to plan, then you're missing out on life and memories that'll last you a lifetime. These events are 100% awesome, from the minute you leave your house to the minute the races end. Barring rain in July, it's a guaranteed winner. I wish we could do this twice a year, that's how stupid crazy I am about these events.

Mel · June 24, 2014, 06:31:33 PM

You guys will have a blast! I grew up 35 miles from Laguna Seca and started going there from the first AMA National Road Race in 1972 when Cal Rayborn won on the Harley

! I was out of work at the time, didn't have any transportation, so I hitchhiked over to the track. I got dropped off on Highway 68 at the entrance and walked down the road a ways and then headed into the hills to sneak in. I had never been to the track and didn't realize it was quite the hump back in there over the hills

! Had a great time and hooked up a ride from the track all the way back home! Damn, those were the carefree days

! After that, I've been to countless AMA Nationals, Superbike, and MotoGp there over the years and it was always good times! We used to do group rides there all the time and stake out an area up in the Corkscrew as a basecamp and then cruise all over the track and pits. I've been there so many times that it is not that special anymore for me, otherwise I would be all up for heading down there. If Nickey Hayden was running World Superbike, then I would probably have to go for sure

!

Mel

dub · June 24, 2014, 06:40:21 PM

Funny thing about that weekend...

I was planning on going to the race when the WSBK schedule was announced. Then AFM scheduled round 4 for the same weekend, so my plan was to race instead. Then everybody complained that AFM and WSBK conflicted so they rescheduled it to the following weekend. So my plan was back to WSBK. Then I got invited to a college buddy's bachelor party bash up in Lake Chelan, Washington, so I took the Friday off work and planned that instead. Then I found out that some family from the East Coast was planning a California trip, (LA, Coast, Yosemite, etc) and was going to be in Tahoe that weekend. So now my plan is to stick around here with them. Long story short, WSBK is now third in line for my plans that weekend. Exhausting, huh?

GreenMachine · June 24, 2014, 09:19:02 PM

I'd be more tempted by the bachelor party than by family. Sorry ma and pa, got priorities.

GreenMachine · July 08, 2014, 07:18:20 AM

*bump*

GreenMachine · July 08, 2014, 10:23:49 AM

RG500nut asked me if anyone else was interested in going. We have a campsite, maybe two, with room for one or two more for Thursday - Sunday. Anyone interested would just need a general admission pass and their own food/water.

GreenMachine · July 12, 2014, 08:23:57 AM

Awoke this morning to partly cloudy skies. Thought it was a nice change for the normal marine layer fog. But now that it's later in the AM, the sun has gone and we're back to foggy & damp.

Having blueberry pancakes, sausages, eggs and oj. Stop on by.

So many Ducati's here, you'd think the factory was just up the road.

And we have some campsite bandits, dressed in blue and gray feathers. They found RG's shelled peanuts and poked a hole in the bag. It wasn't a big deal at first, but then I discovered they were caching them, stealing, caching, stealing, caching, etc. Little bandits, away with you!!

RichVee4 · July 12, 2014, 08:37:15 AM

Sounds like you are having fun and hope the fog burns off so you have a sunny ride down the coast, beautiful area. Guess the ride down the coast was yesterday, anyway have fun at the races!

GreenMachine · July 12, 2014, 05:41:31 PM

The main afternoon event was a HD class race, so I changed my plans and rode into Monterey to go to the acqurium. RG and two others are riding in also for dinner tonight; some place RG says is gr8.

Being a member of the MBA means I can come and go as I please. Pretty cool if Ur into sea life. Not cool at all if U cannot sceaming crying brats slapping glass everywhere they go. I'm in the auditorium acquarium, the one with tuna and hammerheads. I get to kill another hour. Not a bad way to do it.

Gonna scope out bike night quickly before heading out.

Mel · July 12, 2014, 05:44:46 PM

Bubba Gumps on the water on Cannery Row...the best ribs period

!

Mel

GreenMachine · July 12, 2014, 11:16:32 PM

RG took us to the Fishopper, one of the other big resturants there. We parked our bikes on Cannery Row with about 300 other bikes of all makes and models. Law enforcement was very tolerant. Couldn't ask for more than that. And talk-talk boy made friends with an Irish guy who told some great stories about IoM and Joey Dunlap. Food was prety good, a sea otter was clamming not far fom our outside seating and the temps were fairly mind. Tonight's a little chilly, but my camp fire is doing the trick. The wind seems to be calming down. Beers are especially good for some reason. Damn that's good! That one too.

Tomorrow's three superbike events are shaping up to be battles in the waiting. We'll have to wait to see if we have a race as exciting last year's MotoGP event.

Racing, camping & riding. I wish I could take a couple more days off and ride some more. Sea-level power is exciting, to say the least.

nvgixxer · July 13, 2014, 04:56:46 AM

You're still sleeping GM? Up and Adam lad, it's almost 5AM!!

I remember back in the late 80s doing what you're doing, only I slept in the back of my Corona station wagon in one of the parking lots. Got up about this time to wander around the paddock and damn near froze to death in the early morning fog.

Jimbo

GreenMachine · July 13, 2014, 12:29:04 PM

It was a wet one last night. RG was on an absolute tear last night. After wearing out a group of campers in another site, he stolled his way back to our site and didn't skip a beat. I finally had to tell him I couldn't stay up any longer. That was at 1:30 AM. Whomever put a nickle in him got their monies worth.

He was giving me grief yesterday for hiding under cover as much as possible during the day This morning he awoke to rock lobster neck and legs. Ouch! I'm a little burned too, but not to the point I'm going to have blisters. I can see some color on my cheaks.

So granted, I slept in and it felt good.

It must be hot everywhere else, because today has started out clear and warm. Race one down already.

GreenMachine · July 14, 2014, 03:31:52 PM

I'll try to post up pics from this weekend tonight, but had to pass on one little tidbit. I mentioned RG was Mr. talk-talk on Saturday night. It was a cold windy night, so we were both standing very close to the campfire ring, trying to take on as much of the heat as possible. Like with any campfire, as soon as you get in a nice spot, the wind shifts and now you're the object of the fire's exhaust. Boy I guess so! Even after two showers people can still smell the smoke on me and to be honest, so can I. Not a bad thing really, apart for the negative health impact, I like that smokey smell otherwise, but it must be embedded in my skin or hair. My eyes still sting too.

$:-\$