We are planning to truck our bike down the passes to CA for a week at xmas.
Anyone live there?

Anyone live there?

Not us, but make sure to wave as you pass by the SF area! :wave:

Hit up Palm Desert, it's right next door. Head up to the look out, it kinda makes your head spin looking down on the road. Like one of those old afx tracks laid out at your feet :thumbup:

Riding Ortega Highway? :)

It is about 45 min to 1 hour from me. Shoot me some details and we can try and hook up for a ride.

When are you coming down? Maybe we can ride.

I will have my laptop with us it will be the 23rd to 29th.

I will have my laptop with us it will be the 23rd to 29th.

That will work! I will be off at least a few of those days, so a ride is a must. keep me in the loop as time gets closer.

We are planning to truck our bike down the passes to CA for a week at xmas.
Anyone live there?


Yes, my home base is about 25 miles from Palm Springs. :)

Yes, my home base is about 25 miles from Palm Springs. :)

Hey, I was just at Lake Cahuilla (sp) yesterday

That would be fun to get together.

Warning,,, We're kind of slow poke conservate riders, for sure not caynon chasers. but as long as you wait at the next turn haha! Are there alot of roads where it is not necessary to be going highway speeds? We have crazy 2 lane highways aka( death highway) here and do out best to get to the next back road.

highway 10 looks insane on the map. I bet that is balls out. ( if you had them :) which I don't ,last time I looked.)
I love cruzing back roads. We will both be on our Ninja's .I am so excited to get hopefully some warm weather.

Hey, I was just at Lake Cahuilla (sp) yesterday

What was up? On a ride or something else?

That would be fun to get together.

Warning,,, We're kind of slow poke conservate riders, for sure not caynon chasers. but as long as you wait at the next turn haha! Are there alot of roads where it is not necessary to be going highway speeds? We have crazy 2 lane highways aka( death highway) here and do out best to get to the next back road.

highway 10 looks insane on the map. I bet that is balls out. ( if you had them :) which I don't ,last time I looked.)
I love cruzing back roads. We will both be on our Ninja's .I am so excited to get hopefully some warm weather.


There's a couple of back road destinations around here. And my wife and I don't take an agressive pace going up to Vista Point either.

What was up? On a ride or something else?


something else.

something else.


My wife and I went by there a couple of weeks ago. We were just looking around the area, killing time on an afternoon cruise.

:cbrsmiley: :cbrsmiley:

My wife and I went by there a couple of weeks ago. We were just looking around the area, killing time on an afternoon cruise.

:cbrsmiley: :cbrsmiley:


I was there pre viewing a course for one of my other hobbies, just a little less HP...but not much ;)

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n79/Sir-Lanceimnot/BB2008-1.jpg

For those that cant make it to Palm Desert! :)

For those that cant make it to Palm Desert! :)

is that 74?

is that 74?

Yes, hwy 74 :)

Yes, hwy 74 :)

Oretga Highway?

Oretga Highway?


Ortega hwy is 74, but its from I-5 San Jaun Capistrano to Lake Elisnore I-15. Then 74 goes on for a long way east, before ending up in Palm Desert.

Last time we rode Ortega it was "HOT AS HELL", like opening your oven door on broil. We got to a stop lite I could hardly put my feet down. :eek: < Never went back after that one :rolleyes: Not saying I love the desert temps, just one of those things you never forget.

Ortega hwy is 74, but its from I-5 San Jaun Capistrano to Lake Elisnore I-15. Then 74 goes on for a long way east, before ending up in Palm Desert.

Last time we rode Ortega it was "HOT AS HELL", like opening your oven door on broil. We got to a stop lite I could hardly put my feet down. :eek: < Never went back after that one :rolleyes: Not saying I love the desert temps, just one of those things you never forget.

I drove from Palm Desert to San Juan Capistrano a few years back on that exact route. I purposely mapped my return through there as I loved the twisting roads on the map. Actually driving the road was another matter... too many bikes and cars to make it fun as everyone wants to be faster than the other guy. :(

I was still glad I took that route, though... beautiful, awesome scernery!!! :eek:

Last time we rode Ortega it was "HOT AS HELL", like opening your oven door on broil. We got to a stop lite I could hardly put my feet down. :eek: < Never went back after that one :rolleyes: Not saying I love the desert temps, just one of those things you never forget.

Good pictures Kerry. Nicely shows the sweeper switchbacks below Vista Point. :cool:

Yep, those desert temps keep a lot of local riders off their bikes for the summer. The winter temps are usually perfect, but that's why we get so many "snow-birds" too. :wheelchair:

I drove from Palm Desert to San Juan Capistrano a few years back on that exact route. I purposely mapped my return through there as I loved the twisting roads on the map. Actually driving the road was another matter... too many bikes and cars to make it fun as everyone wants to be faster than the other guy. :(

I was still glad I took that route, though... beautiful, awesome scernery!!! :eek:

The Ortega Highway portion definately falls into the shortcut catagory, where there's a lot of people that actually commute on that road. :ohno:

The Palm Desert part of 74 is pretty nice and it isn't a good shortcut to anywhere. I think the only regular traffic our part gets is the people that live "on the mountain" but work down here. Other than that, there's a fair amount of site seers, enough so that there always seems to be a newbie in the crowd, keeping the pace at a crawl. :(

Not that I'm trying to get there first or anything. It's just like you said, "... too many bikes and cars to make it fun, as everyone wants to be faster than the other guy."

Other than that, there's a fair amount of site seers, enough so that there always seems to be a newbie in the crowd, keeping the pace at a crawl. :(

Yep, and that would have been me when I went through there. I can empathize the locals frustrations, so I pulled over whenever I saw that I was holding someone up.... not many though, as I was in the Porsche on that trip. :D

Yep, and that would have been me when I went through there. I can empathize the locals frustrations, so I pulled over whenever I saw that I was holding someone up.... not many though, as I was in the Porsche on that trip. :D

Life's tough... :rolleyes:

a little trailer rant :/

We are still planning the trip. The weather has been crazy so we are just going to take an extra day and not go over the passes and go the coast. We love the coast anyway.

That is if the MONKEYS at the U-haul can pull off getting us the right trailer.
By the way did I mention MONKEYS :)
Now they say I can't have a 5x9 open trailer unless it is a RT (with ramp )because they are the only open ones allowed out of state that can come back to the original place . Which of course is more $

WTF (frick) does this make any sense??

other option is a 6x12 enclosed but that is overkill. ( 5' wide is too tight)

No one has mentioned this at 3 different u-hauls dealers when we visited the past 2 months. I really hate to be nasty but geez folks let me know all the details. I was clear on what I needed. We are extra cold here this weekend and makes for a grumpy zartan.Not to mention I have not had a Vacation for 6 years while I have built my Business. grumpy...

I did finally talk to someone who was not a monkey and very helpful. One guy actually said just "WOW" in a stoned slow drawl when I said we needed to reserve a trailer to take to CA and back.. Wooooowww?? I said "Wooowww what.??" :) Also informed us that there are no 5'x8' Utility trailers and they don't exist. They are right there on the web site..

geez. We saw a beautiful trailer at the Cycle show this weekend but would not use it enough to justify the cost. I am sure it will all work out.


Here are some of the Monkeys we talked to today.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q126/zartan1/monkeytest17.jpg

Since the forecast is even grimmer for this weekend,even on the coast. ggrr, we needed to make a decision to be fair to our pets and House sitters.

So alas we are going to fly to Palm Springs. We don't want to risk our little ninjas lives. :(

So if you locals want to hook up for dinner or something. PM me with your phone and we will holler when we are there. Arriving Monday. :cool:

one good note is we don't have to deal with the trailer monkeys.

Since the forecast is even grimmer for this weekend,even on the coast. ggrr, we needed to make a decision to be fair to our pets and House sitters.

So alas we are going to fly to Palm Springs. We don't want to risk our little ninjas lives. :(

So if you locals want to hook up for dinner or something. PM me with your phone and we will holler when we are there. Arriving Monday. :cool:

one good note is we don't have to deal with the trailer monkeys.

Too bad your Ninjettes can't make it. :(

Trailer Monkeys have the bad habit of throwing their wrenchs into things. :mad: ( Monkey Wrenchs :rolleyes: )

I'll check with my wife about hooking up with y'all. :)

That would be fun. Let us know. I am bummed about the bikes but you know , when you get clear messages over and over from the gods then it is really a good idea to finally listen:) cheers.

Good pictures Kerry. Nicely shows the sweeper switchbacks below Vista Point. :cool:


Thanks! Loved visiting that place, being on bike or in the car.

Is that your house, in your avatar? I always wanted a house with big & little garage door :) :thumbup:


That is if the MONKEYS at the U-haul can pull off getting us the right trailer.
By the way did I mention MONKEYS :)


U-Haul is a pretty funny place! We went to one up in Michigan, wife reserved a truck. Went in to pick it up, they tried for 45 minutes to charge the wifes card so we could leave with it. < They tried everything, just wouldnt take. Kept saying "couldnt charge card for more than balance due", computer said "0" due :confused:

Anyway, wife said we would come back later after we did some other things! So I put on the brakes and said, "HEY" how about you rent me a truck! Well that went thru....... Go figure :rolleyes: Gotta love old U-Haul :p & moving all day in the snow, till midnight in 24deg weather ;)

Too bad you dont get to ride that part of the road :( Theres a tram over there in Palm Springs that kinda cool too, if ya never been before :thumbup:

That would be fun. Let us know. I am bummed about the bikes but you know , when you get clear messages over and over from the gods then it is really a good idea to finally listen:) cheers.

Check your PM :)

got it! TR is PM's you:)