Father's Day Morning Ride?!
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Albo, have you ever been up to Wentworth Springs Rd? Doesn't sound like it. If your interested in going I will be more than happy to meet up and act as an unofficial tour guide. Its great to be with another rider on his/her first ride up there. 3 to 4 years ago we used to meet at a cafe off El Dorado Hills Blvd and hgwy 50, called the Bella Bru Cafe. We would sit outside and have a cup or two before heading down El Dorado Hills Blvd to Salmon Falls Rd. Salmon Falls is a very fun stretch of roadway as long as we respect the speed limits in the rural residential section. From there its off to hgwy 193 and eventually the deli mart in the town of Georgetown, another rest stop. After a 20 minute stop we head out and ride up higher into the Sierras and eventually catch the legendary Wentworth Springs Rd. Truely a road designed by a motorcycle enthusiast and thats the truth. I have no clue how long the road is until the stopsign, another rest stop. Its either continue on to hgwy 50 where we go for about 5 miles then stop at Sly Park for Mexican food, excellent restaurant there. Or, we U-turn and traverse Wentworth again before heading home. Magnifico ride.
I didn't answer your question regarding distances or time. Its not that long nor does it take up much time. I never really paid attention to that because I was having too much fun.
Brian Davis from Santa Rosa area will be coming up with his Fila on the 26th and 27th to go riding with a few of us. You know where I'll be taking him, thats right, Wentworth Springs Rd.
COUNT ME IN
I didn't answer your question regarding distances or time. Its not that long nor does it take up much time. I never really paid attention to that because I was having too much fun.
Brian Davis from Santa Rosa area will be coming up with his Fila on the 26th and 27th to go riding with a few of us. You know where I'll be taking him, thats right, Wentworth Springs Rd.
COUNT ME IN
John,
You folk's keep it down on the straight aways between G / Town and the lake. There are two M/C CHP and a car out there on the weekends now.
There's been 32 tickets given out in the last two weeks with a group that I have been riding with.
Was up there last Thursday and ran across 12 CHP M/C training group on WWS rd.
They are also staging at Uncle Tom's Cabin.
It's about 16 miles to the lake from G/Town. Another 14 miles to Icehouse road from the lake.
Kurt
You folk's keep it down on the straight aways between G / Town and the lake. There are two M/C CHP and a car out there on the weekends now.
There's been 32 tickets given out in the last two weeks with a group that I have been riding with.
Was up there last Thursday and ran across 12 CHP M/C training group on WWS rd.
They are also staging at Uncle Tom's Cabin.
It's about 16 miles to the lake from G/Town. Another 14 miles to Icehouse road from the lake.
Kurt
I'd be interested. Pick a time and start point. Perhaps a Starbucks in Folsom? There's one at the corner of Natoma and Blue Ravine/Green Valley....
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Thanks Kurt,
Is that info regarding the two M/C and a patrol unit from an official source? If thats the case it will become CS alley until things mellow. The 12 MC training may have been Academy motorcycle trainees, that is the number in a class and they usually ride as one group on a last day big ride into the Sierras. However, its usually up to Columbia and back to the West Sac Academy.
Can't do the Father's Day ride, but planning on doing a Saturday ride.
If anyone is interested...I will post up the details as I firm them up with my buddies, but figuring a salmon falls into wentworth springs run (within the limits, of course), meeting at Starbucks in El Dorado Hills ~9 with stands up at 9:30. Should make for a fun quick run. The problem is that I don't know the route very well and am hoping that one of the more senior riders can lead us through?
If anyone is interested...I will post up the details as I firm them up with my buddies, but figuring a salmon falls into wentworth springs run (within the limits, of course), meeting at Starbucks in El Dorado Hills ~9 with stands up at 9:30. Should make for a fun quick run. The problem is that I don't know the route very well and am hoping that one of the more senior riders can lead us through?
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Bad timing again. Your referring to Sat the 20th that is the day of Motowheels 10th anniversary. However, the event starts at noon and runs til 3PM. You could do an early run and still make it to the event.
Senior riders? That sounds like me, but I can't squezze that loop and do the Motowheels thing at the same time.
You have a PM
John, Ya I have seen the training group's up there during the week.
The info comes from the CHP that was up there last week after they scaped off a sport rider off the canyon up there. This last weekend they had a HD go down.
CHP said the Salmon Falls and WWS is going to get lots of attention. There has been alot of call's from home owners in these area's about bikes racing up the roads.
To find this info out I had to listen to a 45 min speach just for being in the area and with a couple riders that where doing over the speed limit.
Mind you I was up there by myself and was stop just because I was on a Sport bike.
It's the reason I have slowed down riding with groups. The first 5 or so take off at tripple diggies, get stoped and than they stop (CHP) every rider coming up behind them on a sport bike.
Kurt
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Typical. Rider riding way over his head crashes. The CHP come in for some selective enforcement and hold everyone to the letter of the law and hopefully discourage them from ever going back up there. Its the one idiot who ruins it for the rest of us. Likely some squid showing off. HD people crash up there too, mostly due to innattention and possibly "impairment". They cruise along at safe enough speeds most of the time but are drawn away from the road by the beautiful scenery. There are about 4 spots that can grab you, but if you know where those spots are then no problem. The first is the other side of the dam, near the end of the dam on the east side. The roadway takes a little jog so if your not paying attention you can find yourself heading for the guard rail. At that point of recognition most riders react by grabing a handful of front brake, toast. Quite a few accidents there, looks tame and is tame if your paying attention. Just pass the end of the dam the roadway takes a left to right uphill sweep. The turn is tighter than what it appears as you near the end of the dam. All of a sudden you find yourself drifting left as the roadway is dissappearing and your crossing the double yellow. The end of the dam draws people in to start accelerating because it is the official start of the "run" on Wentworth Springs Rd. I see that turn as an off camber uphill. Just go a little slower as you exit the dam and every thing is good. There are others up there, but its just like any other road really, just alot smoother without a bunch of tight turns. One last popular crashing spot, we call it the "culvert" or the "granite boulders". There are a number of granite boulder culverts up there, but this particular one has claimed a number of riders. I recall in a span of two weeks three riders crashed there, two of them hard. Apparently the roadway makes people enter a downhill S turn whereby they get out of whack and target fixate on the boulders. The second crasher is buddy of mine, slower rider not that confident on the bike. He used to ride in the back and stayed there, not the big ego rider. However, this time he apparently tried to play "catch up" and got caught in the above trap and crashed hard on the boulders.
He was airlifted out with a broken back in a couple places and a badly broken wrist. The first guy was on a Harley or such and the buddy I just mentioned witnessed this guy crash into the boulders in front of him. Talk about a self fulfilling prophecy. The cruiser just left the road and the rider was super lucky because he crashed hard right into the boulders and his funky nazi helmet took the hit, not the side of his face or neck or anything. When I got there he was laying in the creek water and wallowing around trying to move himself out of there. No one wanted to physically drag him out due to liability, but we made sure he didn't drown. He was shaken up, but I don't think he had any serious injuries, but you never know. Many people, including myself thought they were OK but didn't realize they were bleeding out The last guy was on a sportbike in our group. For some reason he left the road at the same culvert and based on his tire tracks, he lucked out because he missed the boulders by less than a foot. His bike went down in the soft shoulder and he fell onto soft dirt. For the longest time he more or less laid there and was quiet. He was consious and all that but reluctant to talk. I left the scene and found out later a CHP helicopter transported him because there were no medi vac choppers available. He was lucky there because the CHP chopper apparently was a free ride whereas the others are at least $10K and more. The dude got transported to Sutter Roseville and upon landing he got off the gurney and walked away. Completely unhurt and it was our opinion from those that were there his at scene behavior was simply a sympathy act. I couldn't believe it, what a nimrod.He showed up a couple months later at a coffee meet up on a new bike, people there heard the story and shined him on.
I always keep an eye on bikes going the oppisite direction. They will often give the "tap helmet" signal as a courtesy.
He was airlifted out with a broken back in a couple places and a badly broken wrist. The first guy was on a Harley or such and the buddy I just mentioned witnessed this guy crash into the boulders in front of him. Talk about a self fulfilling prophecy. The cruiser just left the road and the rider was super lucky because he crashed hard right into the boulders and his funky nazi helmet took the hit, not the side of his face or neck or anything. When I got there he was laying in the creek water and wallowing around trying to move himself out of there. No one wanted to physically drag him out due to liability, but we made sure he didn't drown. He was shaken up, but I don't think he had any serious injuries, but you never know. Many people, including myself thought they were OK but didn't realize they were bleeding out The last guy was on a sportbike in our group. For some reason he left the road at the same culvert and based on his tire tracks, he lucked out because he missed the boulders by less than a foot. His bike went down in the soft shoulder and he fell onto soft dirt. For the longest time he more or less laid there and was quiet. He was consious and all that but reluctant to talk. I left the scene and found out later a CHP helicopter transported him because there were no medi vac choppers available. He was lucky there because the CHP chopper apparently was a free ride whereas the others are at least $10K and more. The dude got transported to Sutter Roseville and upon landing he got off the gurney and walked away. Completely unhurt and it was our opinion from those that were there his at scene behavior was simply a sympathy act. I couldn't believe it, what a nimrod.He showed up a couple months later at a coffee meet up on a new bike, people there heard the story and shined him on.
I always keep an eye on bikes going the oppisite direction. They will often give the "tap helmet" signal as a courtesy.
Nice analysis John and this is MY 1 of 4. You guys gave me the heads up on the boulders, so those were no problem for me, I saw them, acknowledged they were there and motored on. The uphill right hand sweeper got me TWICE! It IS deceiving where it doesn't look as tight as it is and I found myself TWICE going over the double yellow and it has been haunting me since, so now I'm more aware. Great heads up on the CHP Moto's patrolling up there also, thanks guys.
So...is anyone interested in doing this run after all that's been said and law enforcement, enforcement? I think I'm opting to hold on this for now and wait till we hear that they have loosened up a bit. Not that I do anything over the speed limit, but I just find that I would not be happy being pulled over, just because I'm on a sportbike. Thoughts? If anyone really needs to get a ride out of their system, I can definitely be talked back into it. I have "new" leather pants purchased back in November hanging in my closet with the pleasant dainese leather smell and want to bust those babies out along with my riding boots.
Okay, the ride is on and an open invitation. We're meeting at 7:30 here:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.71....71006,-121.091695&spn=0.018351,0.045319&z=15
at the Safeway gas station and then promptly leaving. One of my friends (trying to get him on this forum) has to be home by 10:00 a.m., so the plan is to ride to Georgetown and then hop onto the road that takes you to Placerville. Have breakfast in Placerville and then hop onto 50 for home or MotoWheels for a quick stop! Hope to see a couple of ya!
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.71....71006,-121.091695&spn=0.018351,0.045319&z=15
at the Safeway gas station and then promptly leaving. One of my friends (trying to get him on this forum) has to be home by 10:00 a.m., so the plan is to ride to Georgetown and then hop onto the road that takes you to Placerville. Have breakfast in Placerville and then hop onto 50 for home or MotoWheels for a quick stop! Hope to see a couple of ya!
but in no way a reflection of age!
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You mean your going all the way up to Georgetown and not do Wentworth Springs? Road is boring up till that point, at least it looks like your gonna catch Salmon Falls Rd enroute to Georgetown. Since your on a time constraint, theres always another day. Hope to see you at Motowheels.
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