Courtesy of Al Soboleski:

Thanks to Al and Elsie Soboleski, and a route by new Paso Robles resident John Button for the Saturday ride to and from Parkfield, a good crowd of HSTA members had a terrific weekend of riding and socializing.  Even the large dinners were walked off, getting from the Adelaide Inn to the restaurants.  Thanks to Bob Burns for finding the path to Senior Sanchez Saturday evening.

Several from Northern California met for breakfast Friday morning at the Sunrise in Gilroy, a regular starting-off point for northern California HSTA members.

Al planned a high energy route south via Salinas, Laurels Grade, Carmel Valley Road, and Naciemento-Ferguson road over the coastal mountains to Hwy 1, taking a staircase of hairpins in full view of the blue Pacific -- always a thrill.  Spectacular Hwy 1 was not crowded with offending traffic, so the group had a rare free time of it all the way into Paso Robles.

Those who had taken other routes were waiting at the Adelaide Inn.  The group continued to grow all Friday afternoon.  Look, it's Don Clark, up from Victorville on his new SV650, barely home from Ride the Rio in Texas.  The man never stops.  And to think, some of us feel old at times.  Don is a non-stop inspiration.

Friday dinner was at locally popular F. McClintock's in downtown Paso Robles -- well reconstructed since the earthquake.

Saturday morning, new Paso Robles resident John Button showed the group the way to new and smooth pavement up and down, over and around, better than a roller coaster (route).  The lack of rain seems to be keeping the wildflowers to a minimum this year, but at least we did not encounter herds of cattle in the free range sections.

After no discernable earthquake, John showed the way on pavement that had been patched upon patch.  A young calf tried to outrun the motorcycles, poor guy.  A local rancher was notified by Phil and Gale Brownell before the calf ran itself into a ditch.  Rescued!

The scenery made the rough ride worthwhile, while the sharp turns on poor pavement kept us all on our toes.  A stop for fuel back in Paso Robles concluded the ride for most, while others went exploring on their own.

Sunday morning arrived with early riders having already left for home.  Al prepared a route home that headed west directly from the hotel onto Interlake Road to Jolon, then San Lucas, east on Hwy 198 to State Route 25 north (a regular favorite) with a mix of twisties, hills, and straight ahead roller coaster dips.  In Hollister, Al heads west for pie in Watsonville.

As the group enters Hecker Pass, we catch up with weekend traffic, but the road along Uvas dam, with less weather than usual, is free of obstacles.  At Almaden Expressway the group separates.

Checking email at home reveals praise and appreciation for a great weekend and calls to return.  Many thanks to all.

A few additional pictures from the ride can be viewed here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ajs943/CentralCoastRide42007