Mid-Week Rides: First report from 2017

Thursday, Mar 2 2017

Chris writes

A called-for Mid-Week Ride took place at Bill’s Cafe in Pleasanton (not Mike’s as reported elsewhere). Bill’s was recommended but the address supplied was not convenient. No, we won’t use that location again! Only three riders appeared, this on the warmest day experienced yet in 2017. So warm in fact, that I switched from cold weather gauntlets to my summer gloves.

Bill’s Cafe is a better’n mediocre chain and the food and service were good. Yes, Russ Danileson made it better by buying breakfast. At the table the CoCo County Sheriff’s Office was called, “Was Morgan Territory Road open?” Nope! still closed due storm damage. It was time for ‘Plan B’. Russ wanted one of the two offered options, ride up to the top of Mt. Diablo. Alberto and yours truly were ‘game’, at least until I reminded them that there was a minor ‘park entry fee’. Russ changed his mind. It’s NOT because he’s ‘cheap’ (he bought breakfast for the three of us), but instead was reflective on the weather and the option in Plan ‘B’. Ride the Tesla-Corral Hollow route out to Hwy. IS#5 and south for Patterson, up Del Puerto Canyon for the Junction House (lunch) and over Mt. Hamilton into San Jose. He then changed his mind and Patterson was selected.

We all had 100 miles worth of gas aboard so Patterson was a designated ‘gas stop’.

Tesla-Corral Hollow route takes the rider past one of California’s largest OHV parks (OHV =Off-Road Vehicle), one that runs for miles parallel to the road. With all the rain we’ve had of late, everything was luscious green. Beautiful!

We hit the hum-drum of Hwy IS#5 north for Patterson but Hwy IS#5 is fast but boring! I turned off at Westley, east bound for HWY #33. Hwy #33 is a N-S two-lane route through agricultural country. We rode into Patterson on #33 for a gas stop, then through downtown Patterson, under IS# 5, for Del Puerto Canyon Road and then for the Junction House. This is CA Rt #130 which takes one to the intersection of Mines Road and the Junction House (read ‘lunch’). ‘Rollo’, the rich kid from Nancy Comics, (aka: Sevilla) bought lunch, included that of the Deputy Sheriff already on-scene.

Russ Danileson, a San Jose resident, was eager to get home and promptly took-off in that direction with our blessing. Alberto, who’d been eyeing Chris’s windshield attached, deflector, wanted to try it. So there, in the Junction House lot, a swap was made. Some of the following photos depict the wind deflector on Chris’ ride, others, on Alberto’s Kawasaki.

Chris stopped e/r to the Lick Observatory to pay respects to his late wife’s scattered ashes while Alberto rode ahead so as to capture Chris climbing the mountain later.(See Alberto’s blog for this video and other pics.)

It was a spectacular day at the observatory but the lack of wind and the advent of haze made it less’n perfect for photography.

We rolled down tube mountain into the valley just east of San Jose proper and then climbed the last range on Quimby Road to connect with IS#280 NB. Alberto peeled-off for home via Hwy #!7 while Chris pushed-on for home.

Spectacular day…soul drawback (beside the number of attendees) was the breakfast location.