Veni, vidi, vici

I woke up bright and early, too early. The sun was out and used as a natural alarm clock around 0530. I woke up without falling out of my bed camping chair or letting go of the support pillow.

This is what peak performance looks like after a night of uninterrupted beauty sleep and a month on the road. I woke up relatively well between the late night assholes, heat, wind, and sleeping in a chair with a pillow. My friends woke up around the same time and we briefly discussed the lovely evening. Apparently my friend counted about or a little more than (16) sixteen vehicles to my count of more than (8) eight. All those vehicles were outfitted well with roof-top tents. Annoying and well off or something. Surprisingly they were awake as well considering their late night.

We packed up our campsites to prepare for our separate journeys home. First stop the visitor center so I could send a postcard to thank the dealership for getting me this far.

The visitor center was not open yet though so it would have to wait for another drop box. It did provide us with some temperature data and luckily the sun was hiding behind some cloud cover. We went on our way around 0800 and we agreed I would follow until it was time to part ways. My "final" stop the Santa Monica Pier so we decided we would split at Trona. As we exited the valley the temperature dropped (20) twenty degrees so a bit more comfortable. We turned down the junction towards Trona and Ridgecrest and it triggered memories from a trip years ago with these friends. This road was not completely paved the last time we went down it which could pose problems such as an extended detour or time on the route. I was worried because I had a lunch date planned in Santa Monica around 1230. To my benefit the road had been finished at some point over the last few years.

As we neared Trona the GPS claimed there were no gas stations in the area...but I saw a sign for a Shell as we entered Trona. We finally made it and to my friends first stop, Trails Drive In. Unfortunately it was not open yet and I would need gasoline soon. The GPS was also correctly reporting some nearby fuel stops. We went to the nearest one so I could relieve myself and fill up on fuel. Once I was done we went our separate ways. My next stop Santa Monica Pier and their next stop Trona Pinnacles for more adventure.

It is a good thing I did not plan on going to Shell. The faded sign could have been an indicator it was no longer in service along with the boarded up Family Dollar I saw on the way. To top it all off I did not have cellular service in Trona while I did in Stovepipe Wells. I finally made it out of Trona and eventually acquired cellular reception. I made a few phone calls to provide status updates and confirm lunch plans with my estimated time of arrival.

While I was providing status updates the GPS decided to reroute my through Bakersfield adding hours/miles to the trip. I ended the call so I could check on the route again. I had no intention of going through Bakersfield, if I could avoid it. I restarted the route and I was back on track with an expected lane closure at some point on SR 14. There was still a bit of travel on some back roads near some designated areas for off-highway vehicles.

I followed the route through California City, Mojave, Lancaster, Palmdale, and other fun cities. I stopped to fuel up in Santa Clarita to cover me the rest of the way through Santa Monica and eventually home. I was finally in areas where lane sharing is required as I rode down the 5 and 405 freeways. The traffic was good welcome back to the harsh reality of living Southern California. We have weather, diverse landscapes, conveniences, and people. I carefully maneuvered through traffic to avoid sitting still. The weather was not as great as it was on the way in and there was a marine layer or something. I decided to cruise down Wilshire instead of whatever the GPS wanted. I finally made it to Santa Monica. Maybe I should have cruised down Santa Monica Blvd? I wanted to make it to the coast of the West Coast again before dying passing out at home. Another friend mentioned Route 66 and the pier which nudged me towards this location.

I was on the phone with my friend meeting me for lunch and my ride home. We were approaching each other from opposite directions on Ocean Ave towards Colorado Ave to meet at Santa Monica Pier. I had seen the pier entrance first and let them know it was closed to thru traffic so we would need to find a location to park. As they approached the light I saw them but they quickly disappeared behind a vehicle before seeing me. My friend pulled into the first open parking structure while heading north passing Colorado. I made a u-turn a couple blocks away to meet them. Thankfully they covered the $25 parking charge and the attendants let us park up front so our gear should be somewhat safe.

I had two goals in Santa Monica today: lunch and taking a picture with the bike in the ocean at the coast. One problem at a time. We decided on lunch and tacos sounded good. A few minutes of searching and we settled on Lanea a few blocks away on Broadway. I ordered (6) six tacos with (2) two of each meat: asada, cesina, and pollo. While delicious not quite filling for me. I rushed my friend to finish their beverage so we could take my picture(s) and get out of the area. As we exited the restaurant I broke away from them in the crowd and we walked towards the pier.

We passed the structure on the way and all our gear was still where we left it. Once we were at the pier it was mayhem. There were so many people and the sky cleared up too. I knew there was a sign somewhere and I eventually saw it over the sea of people. We took a couple photos and wandered the general area to find a photo op with the motorcycle. This was the difficult part since this was my first time here, but fortunate for me my friend was familiar with the area. We walked around to scout different locations with none seeming ideal. We walked back to our bikes after agreeing on a couple potential locations.

We made it back to our bikes and exited the structure with my friend as lead. I wanted them to decide on the final location as they would also take the picture. I was quite pleased with the final location and I am glad they decided. They took quite a few pictures from different angles for the gram.

I snapped this quick selfie before we headed out towards The Shire home. Since the weather cleared up I wanted to cruise down Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). As I attempted to poorly navigate us to PCH I went the easy route, set destination to Harbor House. I would not be eating there today but I know it is off PCH. Many late night cruises there in my youth with friends. I thought about stopping by to see family on the way home...until I realized they were at an event I thought about going to. We were near another friend though so we set the GPS to navigate us, whether they were home or not. There was a few close calls with one particular close call which could have ended the trip prematurely. Fortunately no rubbing or injuries occurred.

We made it and they appeared to be home. I had this vivid image of The Simpsons (non-English clip) in my head for our entrance. We rode up to their location and I revved the motor a few times hoping to catch their attention while our other friend tapped/called. And then I saw it, they peeked through their blinds. We successfully interrupted their day.

We spent some time catching up and eventually tested out our new headsets for an eventual group ride. Safety in numbers. I was starting to get tired though so we had to end our reunion and we took the quicker way home instead of finishing our PCH cruise. My ride home also had their own responsibilities to tend to so we split on the freeway when it was time.

Veni, vidi, vici translated as: coast to coast to coast I came, I saw, I conquered. I left California April 30th and returned to California on May 26th after 8863 miles. I finally returned home on May 29th with 9738 miles. More miles than planned with detours and day rides. This trip has been made possible from viewers like you.

A big takeaway from this short-lived retirement is seeing a fraction of The United States:

Have you ever seen anything so full of splendor?

The trip? Regrettably, it is done. Stay tuned in the coming week(s) for a recap including cost, supplies, route, and other data. Please feel free to message me using your available contact method to subscribe for cat facts final post(s) or check back periodically.

Am I still employed?