Sad Max
06-07-2008, 02:31 AM
So being between shows and not having done any really enjoyable riding for way too long, I took a ride out to Slab City, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slab_City) and back, a little over 450 miles round-trip (as the outward leg was plotted through mountains and desert and what looked on the map like some fun crazy twisty roads in between).
The first segment of the ride was mostly boring nasty freeway (the 10 and the 60) until leaving the 60 and coming upon this:
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/SharpCurves_Sm.jpg
Sharp Curves? Steep grades? Promise?
In fact off and on, for about 25-30 of the next 44 miles, the curves are indeed sharp and the grades steep. Great fun.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/MountainPan_Sm.jpg
This is about 1500' shy of the road's peak. It's nice. Wildflowers still out, and the hills still green.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/RockyMountainWay_Sm.jpg
Passing the peak it starts getting arid. Scrub pines, boulders, rocks, rocks, rocks.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/DesertRoad_Sm.jpg
Farther down the slope it looks like proper desert. But only a few miles down the road is a green patch, a town with lawns, fountains, golf courses and swimming pools. Wouldn't want to pay their water bills.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/Cows_Sm.jpg
Past town it's pine forests and high pasture. And cows.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/ParadiseCornerCafe_Sm.jpg
The Paradise Corner Cafe. Any place with that many Harleys in the lot obviously serves decent food. And in fact the food was better than decent: they make the for-real-no-foolin' best french fries I can remember ever having eaten.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/SaltonSeaShore_sm.jpg
A long ride on past desert spas and date orchards lies the Salton Sea. You'll smell it long before you see it, and while it is pretty picturesque from a distance, the white sandy beach turns out to be a carpet of sun-bleached marine shells and rotting fish. I can't imagine why the timeshare business here never took off.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/HomesteadPan_sm.jpg
By the shore of the Salton Sea stands this strange, barbed-wire-enclosed little homestead. It's built like a movie set; probably it was one, until someone tucked a little camper into one of the building shells, and perhaps rigged up a drop tank for a shower...
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/CaveArt_02_Sm.jpg
Maybe the person who once lived here, was an artist.
-continued in Slab City II (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=137484)
The first segment of the ride was mostly boring nasty freeway (the 10 and the 60) until leaving the 60 and coming upon this:
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/SharpCurves_Sm.jpg
Sharp Curves? Steep grades? Promise?
In fact off and on, for about 25-30 of the next 44 miles, the curves are indeed sharp and the grades steep. Great fun.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/MountainPan_Sm.jpg
This is about 1500' shy of the road's peak. It's nice. Wildflowers still out, and the hills still green.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/RockyMountainWay_Sm.jpg
Passing the peak it starts getting arid. Scrub pines, boulders, rocks, rocks, rocks.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/DesertRoad_Sm.jpg
Farther down the slope it looks like proper desert. But only a few miles down the road is a green patch, a town with lawns, fountains, golf courses and swimming pools. Wouldn't want to pay their water bills.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/Cows_Sm.jpg
Past town it's pine forests and high pasture. And cows.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/ParadiseCornerCafe_Sm.jpg
The Paradise Corner Cafe. Any place with that many Harleys in the lot obviously serves decent food. And in fact the food was better than decent: they make the for-real-no-foolin' best french fries I can remember ever having eaten.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/SaltonSeaShore_sm.jpg
A long ride on past desert spas and date orchards lies the Salton Sea. You'll smell it long before you see it, and while it is pretty picturesque from a distance, the white sandy beach turns out to be a carpet of sun-bleached marine shells and rotting fish. I can't imagine why the timeshare business here never took off.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/HomesteadPan_sm.jpg
By the shore of the Salton Sea stands this strange, barbed-wire-enclosed little homestead. It's built like a movie set; probably it was one, until someone tucked a little camper into one of the building shells, and perhaps rigged up a drop tank for a shower...
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc24/karljmm/SlabCityRide/CaveArt_02_Sm.jpg
Maybe the person who once lived here, was an artist.
-continued in Slab City II (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=137484)