Your dad only turns 80 once...

[Capn Ron]

Ron, I look at the times you post your stuff, and I have to ask, when do you sleep??

Well, it's now 2:00 in the afternoon and I just woke up... I'm bit of a night owl.   

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Capn Ron]

R&R Paso Robles: San Simeon, CA to Paso Robles (96 miles)

I've been to Paso Robles on many occasions over the years, but never on the FJ.  There's something about riding a motorcycle that puts you closer to your surroundings.  Maybe it's the unrestricted view...maybe it's the feel of a twisty road...maybe it's the feeling of freedom that makes everything seem just a little bit better.  I was enjoying the thought of exploring the hills around Paso Robles and San Simeon and set out to see where the day takes me.  My day's adventures had me running this route:



I first went north up the coast to San Simeon Bay...San Simeon is best known as the location of Hearst Castle.  The William Randolf Hearst castle was built starting in 1919 and continued through 1947.  It's technically not considered "finished" even to this day.  I've visited the castle on many occasions and enjoyed every one of them.  Today, I was treated with a sighting of some of the direct descendants of the original Hearst Castle zoo:



Yep...Zebras in California...Pretty cool!

I rode back down PCH and took the road that runs behind the campground just to see where it goes.  It was very nice...tree-lined with lots of rolling hills and ranches.  I stopped to take a shot of these hay bales that seemed to be put there just for my picture taking:



The road started gaining altitude and gave me a nice view out to the ocean:



As I worked my way east, I found myself at Justin Vinyards.  This was no accident...I have been enjoying Justin's wines since my first trip to the area in 1999.



This time, I wanted to take a tour of their caves:



I could definitely spend some time in here!  The caves lead to a gated tasting room:



Behind the gates, there's a tasting area set up for around twenty people:



This is where people put together tasting notes on the different vintages of Justin's flagship wine, "Isosceles"  They keep every vintage stored in the cave as wines will have different tasting notes as they age.



This is a magnum (1500 ml) of the 2001 vintage:



This is what's left of the 1999's...I would LOVE to get a taste of that!!



I thoroughly enjoyed my Justin Winery visit!  I picked up a couple of bottles and had a case shipped to the house.

It was getting late in the afternoon and I wanted to get back to camp well before sunset.  I found more back roads that jut begged to be explored!  On the way, I ran into these three gals and a young buck who didn't seem a bit bothered by a curious traveler on an FJ1200!



What a great day!  Paso Robles is always memorable, but the FJ made it even that much more special.  One more night of camping on this trip...I'll have a nice fire and grill a steak I picked up for dinner.  Tomorrow, I'll run the 200 miles to home.

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Firehawk068]

Just how many cases of wine were waiting for you when you got home? 

Awesome adventure! I've enjoyed every bit of it.......

[Capn Ron]

Just how many cases of wine were waiting for you when you got home? 

Awesome adventure! I've enjoyed every bit of it.......

Ummm...errrr...Let's just say, I'm well stocked up!   

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Capn Ron]

Eighth Leg - home: San Simeon, CA to Los Angeles (216 miles)

With just a little over 200 miles to go, this trip was coming to an end.  I was sad it was almost over, but was happy to be getting back home!  Today's ride would be a very familiar one...heading down the 101 south through San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and finally, to my house in Woodland Hills.  Today, I know where I'll be sleeping at the end of the day...and that was nice for a change.



I was still nursing the bike along with little to no brakes, but that proved to be uneventful.  The miles came easy...I stopped off for lunch in Buellton and my last fuel stop.  In a few hours, I rolled into my driveway and backed the bike into the garage.



What started out as just a way to get myself to New York for my dad's 80th birthday, turned into a truly epic journey.  What was originally intended to be a 6,000 mile bike ride grew into so much more.  I met amazing people...I saw places that I had never even imagined...tasted some great food...drank good wine...rode through wind and rain and perfect sunny days...  I learned what the FJ1200 is made of...and learned what I'm made of.  Through the events and experiences of nearly three months on the bike, I developed a relationship with my FJ.  I always looked after her...and she always came through for me.  I couldn't be happier with my choice of motorcycle:





I have been posting daily maps throughout this ride report, but at some point after I returned, I sketched out a rough map of the entire trip.



Some of the statistics of the trip:

* What started out as a 6,000 mile idea, ended up totaling 17,286 miles (27,819 kilometers)
* I spent 85 days away from home (54 riding days and 31 R&R days)
* I spent 345 hours in the saddle averaging 326 miles per riding day
* I stopped 128 times for fuel with an average of 44.5 MPG
* I boarded 9 ferries
* I weighed in at just over 1,000 pounds (bike, gear and me included)

I Went through 389 gallons of gas, 2 sets of tires, 5 oil changes, 3 oil filters, 2 fuel filters, 1 low-quality chain, 3 headlight bulbs, 1 ignitor, 1 full set of brake pads and a "few" bottles of wine. 

I visited 26 States:  California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

I rode through 8 Canadian Provinces from east to west:  Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

I woke up every morning wanting nothing more than to ride SOMEwhere each day...what I miss the most about the trip is not really knowing where that would be.



Cap'n Ron. . .

[FJmonkey]

That is truly epic and awesome... 

[paulfj03]

That is truly epic and awesome... 

+1

The pictures and reporting are amazing, Ron!  Thankyou for having us along!!

[FeralRdr]

Well done Ron!

You definitely had an adventure.   

[1tinindian]

I really were living the life, Ron.
Good that you took us along for the ride!
Thanks.
Leon

[CanDman]

The ultimate personification and embodiment of why I joined this site......great report brother and truly an incredible journey .......thank you   

CanDman

[Bminder]

Thanks Ron!  You put many, many hours into telling us your journey, and it was awesome!  It was inspiring! Thanks again!

[The General]

Ron, thanks so much for.....The Journey, the effort, the adventure, the narrative, opening us into a little of your personal life, the excellent summary and pics, ...for being you!...and for so modestly and unintentionally, giving this global campfire a conscise snapshot of what really makes your Country great!   Congratulations!

[CanDman]

Some of the statistics of the trip:

* What started out as a 6,000 mile idea, ended up totaling 17,286 miles (27,819 kilometers)
* I spent 85 days away from home (54 riding days and 31 R&R days)
* I spent 345 hours in the saddle averaging 326 miles per riding day
* I stopped 128 times for fuel with an average of 44.5 MPG
* I boarded 9 ferries
* I weighed in at just over 1,000 pounds (bike, gear and me included)

I Went through 389 gallons of gas, 2 sets of tires, 5 oil changes, 3 oil filters, 2 fuel filters, 1 low-quality chain, 3 headlight bulbs, 1 ignitor, 1 full set of brake pads and a "few" bottles of wine.  

I visited 26 States:  California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

I rode through 8 Canadian Provinces from east to west:  Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

I woke up every morning wanting nothing more than to ride SOMEwhere each day...what I miss the most about the trip is not really knowing where that would be.



Cap'n Ron. . .

Ron....you may find this interesting....but your journey took you almost 3/4's  of way around the planet at the equator.........what do you say we plan a ride around the globe starting from Scotland and head East to Australia.......then over to South America...then home.......3 months......40,000 miles......I'm in !!!!   

[Capn Ron]

Wow...I'm humbled by all the kind words!

It was fun doing this write-up...and it has changed the way I think about taking pictures on a trip.  As I was writing about a particular day, I realized there was something great I saw, but didn't take a picture of it.  I remember with utter clarity conversations I had with people I met, but I should have asked if I could take their picture.  I think I should come up with a guideline like, "If I'll smile about this tomorrow, I should get out the camera!"  As it is, I have over a thousand shots...just not enough! 

CanDMan...when I got home I realized I was only a couple thousand miles short of the "Long Way 'Round" trip.  Really puts that into perspective.  If you have the desire to do something great...just go do it.

Many thanks to all who came along for the ride!   

Cap'n Ron. . .

[CanDman]

Hey Ron....I do hope you do the rebuild !!!!