Short afternoon ride to the coast

I spent most of yesterday in the garage with my F650GS, trying to troubleshoot an annoying stumbling that it developed. Around 4pm I thought, to heck with this, it’s gorgeous out and I’m going to get some riding in! 😀

I took the XT on I-280 for about 10 miles and then hopped onto Hwy 84 to cross the Santa Cruz Mountains over to the coast

At Pescadero Beach, I stopped to watch the ocean for a little while.

The last time I was in this area, I had seen a dirt road leading off into the distance but hadn’t had time to investigate. Yesterday, I was determined to do so! From Hwy 1, I headed slightly inland and up into the hills.

A turnout gave a beautiful view of the town of Pescadero and its nearby farmland. There’s never any traffic on this road (Bean Hollow Road); even though it’s paved, I find it very relaxing and fun on my dualsports.

I turned onto the dirt road and almost instantly felt very ill at ease. Just around the corner from the paved road was an abandoned car that had very clearly been dumped and then picked clean by human vultures…it was perched up on a makeshift jack, its wheels ripped off. The doors hung open and the upholestry peeled out; the windshield was smashed in with rocks. A sign nearby saying “NO DUMPING” was practically covered in trash. A sign a bit further down the road reported it as being a “Rural Crime Watch Area” and promised that the residents — none that I could see — would essentially take matters into their own hands if any trespassers were found hunting/loitering/etc.

I continued on a little bit and took some pictures, but I felt very uncomfortable and turned around before the road ended.

Back on Highway 1 along the coast, I got a psychic pick-me-up when I stopped for a photo in a gravelly turnout. While walking around photographing flowers, I noticed some 4×4 tracks leading past a small drop off behind the turnout. I walked over and it looked PERFECT for the XT!

I was pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to be there, so I only played for a minute, but it was great fun. Lots of whoops and off camber tire ruts and some fun and steep up and downhills. Just the thing to get my mind off of rural crime.

I then continued south on Hwy 1 until Santa Cruz and took Hwy 17 back home. About 110 miles round trip and I was home just as the sun was setting. Good stuff!

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