Sunday outing

[duke900ssd]

Last Sunday met several riders from the Southern CA Ducati Riders Group (Met through the Meetup site) for a ride. I only had 38 hours in LA so I had to make the most of it. I am in the luck position to travel regularly to LA with work. I keep an 05 999s there to use when in town.
Left my Newport Beach location early for the meeting point at the beginning of the Ortega Hwy. The ride there was a little tough. Pea soup thick fog and rain made me think this may not be a good idea considering I'd arrived early the morning before, had little sleep, was in a totally different time zone and by this stage wet and cold.( I'd flown in from Sydney)
Arrived at the meeting point to find Phil and his group waiting for myself and others.
A short time later we set off. The rain gone, but still plenty of fog. Having never ridden this road before I was keen to take it easy, not forgetting I was also riding on the wrong side of the road for me. It was a beautiful sight and sound, all those Ducati blasting along.
Much to my relief, the fog vanished after a couple of miles and crystal clear vision lay ahead. Before too long it became all too obvious just how popular this road was with bikers. Motorcycles of every make and description were every where. Our first stop was the Hells Kitchen Cafe where we stopped and refreshed our selves. As I mentioned earlier I was taking it very easy. The road ahead was fantastic. Lots of 30 mph corners, mostly at this stage going uphill and lots of long bends where the Ducati was well at home.
We got to the top of the Ortega Highway and i couldnt believe how quickly we had climbed and how great the descent look from the top. I have ridden many miles in Europe when I was younger and this road equaled the best of them in terms of twists, bends and corners.
There were also hundreds of motorcycle riders watching from every vantage spot along the way.
The descent was slowed by car traffic but still a blast.
From there we rode down route 15 to the turn off to Mount Palomar. I was warned about this road in terms of the number of corners with decreasing radius and how easy it was to end up on the wrong side of the road. The first few miles were easy with long straights and smooth sweeping bends, however when the mountain began it all changed very quickly.
Mile after miles of advisory signs, 20, 30, 35 mph corners. I was very conscious of the fact of keeping on my side of the road and allowing enough room for those who were more familiar with the mountain to pass me at will.
On a few bends photographers were clicking away as each bike sped or just got around each of those bends. It was a physical work out getting the bike lined up for each corner as they quickly approached one after the other.
I was was amazed how fast some of the other riders were coming down the mountain. (and actually a little afraid).
As I neared the top of the mountain my fears had been vindicated when one rider coming from the opposite direction slid across the road and into the barrier just ahead of me. His Honda was wedged under the railing and the rider had somehow bounced off and was OK. Along with other riders I stopped and gave a hand. His bike a mess, the rider a litter better I continued on. We regrouped at the cafe atop of Mount Palomar before descending and lunch. I was really appreciative of the long break.
A good lunch behind us we set off again for the ride back. It was much quicker with the terrain flattening out, speeds up and the sun on our backs.
For those of you lucky enough to live in that part of the world I would say get out and give this area a good look. You wont be disappointed.
I can wait to get back there myself. My next trip back is in about 10 days time, but the Duke is booked in for service. Will just have to wait a little longer to do it again.