Angeles

Another early Saturday morning as I meet up with a gixxer and a 'busa to ride up in the Angeles National Forest. We avoid the ever-popular Angeles Crest Highway and opt for Big Tujunga past the mountains and into the high desert. Some very diverse scenery flies past as both the Duc and I are very happy that the temperature has finally dropped from the triple digits we've been seeing since Labor Day. The fast sweepers in Tujunga give way to sage and cactus dotted straights in the desert, followed by some really fun twists. We stop at the "postoffice" in the middle of nowhere and continue on for brunch up in Wrightwood. It's a small town that I've never visited and the country store/cafe we stop at is nice and homey.

With full stomachs we bid adieu to one riding partner who heads back to Fort Irwin, and head back the way we came. My gas light comes on at the bottom of Tujunga (excellent timing) so the group says goodbye for today. I gas up and slab it home, thankfully making it back before the hottest part of the day.

Time: 7 hours
Miles: 200 (a new one-day record!)

Reading Recommendations

I recently got some online advice to pick up the following two books:

Total Control by Lee Parks
Twist of the Wrist II by Keith Code

Both books are incredibly helpful. The Parks book is much more general, with excellent tips for the street rider. Code's book is very technical and provides specific, focused advice primarily intended for the track racer, but the concepts are still applicable every time you get on the bike.

I can wholeheartedly pass on the recommendation that anyone serious about their riding pick up both books. I have a feeling that I'll be going back to them many times over the coming years.

First time for everything...

6:00am - It's still dark as I drag myself out of bed, get out all my gear, and force myself to eat breakfast.
6:45 - Take off in a hurry because I'm supposed to be in Thousand Oaks at 7:15 and my bike's out of gas.
7:15 - After a quick freeway run, show up at the gas station to meet up with some other riders I originally met online.
7:30 - Route plan established, full tanks of gas, and we head out for a day of cruising the canyons!
12:00pm - Arrive home, peel off leathers, take shower.

Low point: Accidentally tipping the bike over when trying to pull off onto a dirt shoulder. Lesson learned: Don't drop the front tire off a 3 inch dropoff when the bike is still almost parallel to the road.

High point: 5 hours of riding with some really really awesome people!

Time: 5 hours
Miles: 140 miles