A Silly Grin in LA - #2

Well what an adventure my first full day in LA turned out to be.

Had a great sleep and went down to my new favorite shop "The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf" for the closest equivalent to a Flat White (but still not as good as Willie makes), and an 'oatmeal' with two topping choices and complimentary brown sugar. I had banana & sliced almonds. I thought we I was getting a Meuslie type thing but hey, it was good.

After putting it off for long enough it was time throw my legs over the bike and 'just do it'... Off I went onto the Lincoln Blvd and headed to Malibu and up into the canyons to the Rock Shop; a legendary cafe (made of rock oddly enough). But talk about luck, Vern the owner with his wife, had just died two days before and the store was closed. I signed the card that was left there with flowers on the steps on behalf of all New Zealand riders anyway. This place is a legend with bikers trying out their skills in the canyon roads. Beautiful up through the hills. Talking to local Dan he tells me this is the country that Mash was filmed in: and you can see why. The rock formations, cliffs and canyons were perfect. Dan also said that Mel Gibson has just spent $82 million dollars doing up a Catholic church just for him and his family, he lives just next door to the Rock Shop and you can see the top of the church from the bike park. Jay Leno goes there on most Sundays with one of his 'collectables'. Dan was a nice ole guy, filled me in on all the local history. So I got a photo of the Rock Shop but no pin! Bugger! :)

Down the beautiful Kanon Canyon road to the Pacific Highway and back to LA, me and my hog riding as one, onto the E405. Fantastic! Going along at 70MPH some times,(that's 120kms to you Kiwis) and cars still going past me like I was standing still! And what cars, all new shiny, fast & big! Man, you've got to be playing your A-game on these roads! Talk about keeping your wits about you.

Anyway, long story short, here's where it all went wrong! The E405 divides into East to Sacramento or South to Long Beach. Guess who got in the lane for Sacramento, oh you guys are good! Right first time! Hey these freeways aren't like Auckland where you can just duck around and head back, oh no, LA is much crueler than that. I had no idea where I was and apparently wrote through Compton and Watts which is just where you do not go, AND to top it all off I stopped at a garage operated by someone who I could not understand. How hard is 'maps' in the universal language I ask you. White boy on shiny Harley in wrong part of town with map spread over bike. Not are good look! An interesting lady of darker skin tones came over and said 'nice bike, can you take me for a ride' after wondering whom would be taking whom for ride I politely declined and got on the bike and got 'out of Dodge' as quick as my shiny wheels could go.

Well, at least until the next set of lights. After two anxious hours I got to F&P Huntington Beach. Tired and sweaty. I am NEVER coming to LA again without a GPS!! I got a lovely hug from Terri & Leanne and dropped my payload of NZ Pineapple Lumps and licorise allsorts, had a pee and some more water and listened to Nicks instructions for geeting back to hotel.

I was keen to get back because the boys would have arrived by now and I was needing a beer! TWO hours later I arrived back at the Hotel with a raging headache and sore muscles from all the gear changes! Two hours! That beer didn't even touch the sides. I needed to hydrate fast.

It was good to see some familiar faces and have a laugh or three! Mind you Nev, Murray & Phil looked shattered. Apparently Phil didn't sleep the whole flight. They are keen to pick their bikes up in the morning and tried mine on for size! They are big bikes! It was one tired boy that got into bed after dinner at the Bar & Grille across the road. I am getting this tipping thing down now, I look like I've been doing it all my life! Well maybe the way I have to look at the notes does give it away a wee bit! Anyway! I survived my first day on the bike in the busiest city on the West Coast. That's a bonus? The adventure continues tomorrow!