[JimB]

A few weeks back, my wife and I did an 11 day trip starting in San Diego, north to Lake Arrowhead, west to Santa Barbara, north to Big Sur, then south back to San Diego.
My wife's on the CTX700:

Although Big Sur (along the spectacular central coastline of California) was breathtaking, my favorite part of ride was down the Angeles Crest Highway, through the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains. Our second day of riding started at Lake Arrowhead (5000 ft elevation) and went northwest on hwy 138 which took us to the intersection with Hwy 2 (the Angeles Crest Hwy) at 6000 ft. You ascend a bit further on Hwy 2 and pass a cluster of ski resorts in Wrightwood. From then, it is a joy ride down the mountains.

Of course, we had to pull over for the obligatory selfie.

We had to hole up at Lake Arrowhead the day before, because of a rather powerful (and rare) rainstorm. The upper third of Hwy 2 had been closed during the storm due to potential mud and rock slides. So when we started from the top of Hwy 2, there was just no one around...anywhere. We had the most amazing highway all to ourselves. The only vehicle we saw in the first half hour was a bulldozer pushing boulders off the highway.

If it weren't for the large turnout, we wouldn't have been able to stop for that photo. Over the next several miles, far more and much larger boulders littered the highway.

Over the span of the next 20 minutes, I was in 5th gear and going downhill, watching the mpg meter showing better and better readings until it actually read 99.9mpg!

We eventually arrived at Newcomb's Ranch, a famous biker restaraunt/bar. This was a weekday but on a weekend, the place looks like this:

There were only 5 other bikes parked out front when we arrived, and by the time we left, every other rider had come to check out the CTX1300. Apparently, they'd heard about it, but had never seen one in person. I was happy to show it off.

As the elevation dropped, the surroundings changed from alpine-like forest to desert'ish.

Anyway, if you've ever got an opportunity to go downhill for an extended period of time, see if you can join the 99.9 club!

 

[flytrap]

I'm sooooooo jealous. Time to start planning. Thanks for sharing.

 

[bob]

Haven't been that high yet... that I know of. I have seen 89 mpg on the instant meter. It's way too flat around here to go very far downhill and definitely not steep when there is a downhill. I assume that's what you were looking at. But then again, you were downhill a long ways so maybe the average for that tank?

Er, How did the CTX handle going over those boulders?!

 

[Firenzen007]

Hey there Jim, Thanks for posting this. *Gave me a pretty powerful flashback, actually. *Or rather a flood of them!

Up until very nearly a quarter century ago (man doesn't time sure fly!), the San Gabriels were one of my favored "Stomping Grounds" in So Cal. *During the years I lived in the extended area I kept moving closer and closer to the Ocean, then further and further south, due the traffic and air, finally ending up across from the Ritz near Dana Point, prior to moving north to the Seattle area. *Early on I lived in the foothills right next to the winding road up to Mt Baldy - which pretty much every year would claim a carload or two going over the side. *One time a pickup truck load of kids who were neighbors celebrating high school graduation, over celebrated. *The only survivor was a girl who fell hundreds of feet and landed on someone camping in their sleeping bag. *Both were injured badly but the camper clearly saved the girl's life; those are the kinds of things you see or sometimes even experience and figure, "even atheists might reconsider!"

The list of outstanding motorcycle roads is extensive all across So Cal and hitting them on week days and ideally not during summer rush, is obviously optimal in terms of traffic. *Anza Borrego Desert State Park, especially as the Spring Flowers Bloom and riding from the west over the mountains and down into the basin that is largely below sea level, is well worth trying to time a ride. *Although the spring flowering in the deserts can be finicky and very quick! *But worth it when you pull it off at peak time. *Even without a California Condor buzzing you and your squeeze on the back, clearly wondering what those large funny looking colored eggs are (helmets); amazing how large they are that close (as the sun got blocked out) and ugly, too! *Always fun when your heart goes cold from a blood curdling scream from your squeeze and you hadnt *quite yet* realized it wasn't a glider that had blotted out the sun (been there, too), but she had!

Your prompting my "Flood of Flashbacks" reminds me how truly Blessed I've been, including for having spent so much time roughly a mile high to a mile and a half and sometimes closer to two mikes high in the So Cal mountains. *As I also hiked and climbed a lot in the area and as you know besides the roads going quite high, the trails really get up there. *If you want to go the top of Mt Baldy or either of San Jacinto or San Gorgonio, both of which "guard" the pass toward Palm Springs and the Colorado River, you can get above 10,000 feet pretty readily, but you're hiking then. *Few things as good for helping build your stamina I managed to learn! *Easily qualified as some of the best investments into my longterm health and vigor, of any I've done.

Lastly, this Flood of Flashbacks makes me realize I probably should write down much of it. *Some folks would find it interesting, even if only some of my own family one day. *Or maybe even just myself when too many of the details have gotten a bit too fuzzy? *

Again,

Thank You!

Sent from my iPad