Folks, I thought I’d have a little fun with this one, and if any of you live in Hillside, New Jersey (I know several of our California Scooter riders are from New Jersey), you might want to stop by Route 22 Honda. Tell them about me, if you would.
Here’s the problem. I live in California. I drive a Corvette and a California Scooter.
Well, okay, none of those things are problems. So what is?
Somehow, some way, these folks at Route 22 Honda in Hillside, NJ are convinced that all I need is a little nudge from them to stop by. I’ve been getting junk mail from these guys forever. I’ve written to them. I’ve called them. I’ve used their “unsubscribe” button. Nothing seems to help. That photo to the right is what I keep getting (except that I get it full size). I can’t seem to get it to stop. I’m guessing they don’t work on Corvettes or California Scooters, and I’m pretty sure that even if I had a Honda, I wouldn’t drive 3,000 miles to get the oil changed. Yet the emails keep on coming…
It’s not just Route 22 Honda. Some guy named Dr. Oz keeps writing to me about his weight loss program. When I use their unsubscribe button, it just runs me to their website. These gangsters don’t list a phone number anywhere, so I can’t even call them and yell a little bit. In fact, it seems like the Dr. Oz emails picked up a bit since I ran those photos showing my pastrami dip sandwich from The Hat last week. Maybe they’re trying to tell me something.
And it’s not just Dr. Oz and Route 22 Honda. I’ll get probably 30 junk emails every day. Viagra. Young women from (fill in the blank) who are eager to meet me. Website promotion services. And other folks trying to sell me weight loss programs. I’ll tell you, I’m a popular guy.
Back to this Dr. Oz dude. Folks, if there really was a doctor named Oz, would you visit that guy for anything that ailed you? I wouldn’t care what kind of a wizard he was. Even if I was desperate to get back to Kansas, I paid attention when they told me to pay no attention to the man behind the green curtain. Bring on the flying monkeys…you can rest assured that none of my medical needs will ever be met by some email dude named Dr. Oz.
Maybe these folks should just talk to each other. I mean, what young woman out there in the Internet ether would want to meet me if she know I was fat and my website was not optimally configured for search engine recognition? That seems to be the profile the Internet thinks I fit. Oh, yeah, and that I drive a Honda and live in Hillside, New Jersey.
Ah, I need a break. Time to get out on the California Scooter. I think I’ll ride it up to the Mt. Baldy Lodge for lunch today and maybe have a cup of their chili…
That’s the official title for today’s blog, and we did indeed have a great ride up in the mountains. There were five of us out there today…
Steve (the boss)
Twin Peaks Steve (owner of a beautiful black Bobber)
Bruce (a long time CSC rider and owner of a custom turquoise and white P-51)
Sergio (a good scooter buddy who rode out from Burbank for this ride)
Yours truly (your unrepentant and unrelenting blogmeister)
We had a great ride up Azusa Canyon and then we spun off to follow the San Gabriel River’s East Fork. Along the way, we stopped for coffee at Camp Roberts. Then we were back on the road, carving up the twisties as we climbed into the mountains. In a word, the day was glorious. You’ll see it in the video that’s coming up.
I caught this cool shot of Sergio as we were leaving Camp Roberts…he looks like he is suiting up for a space launch!
Sergio, the V-Strom man...
Here’s a cool shot of Steve on his Sarge…
The Boss
Here’s our good buddy Twin Peaks Steve from the last ride…
Twin Peaks Steve and his beautiful black Bobber
And here’s a shot of my long-time CSC riding buddy Bruce…you gotta love those shades and that helmet!
Bruce, with Twin Peaks Steve and me reflected in his shades...
The unofficial title of today’s blog is “Ride to Eat, Eat to Ride.” You’ll see why in a few moments, but first, you have to watch the video. Enjoy it, folks…it’s a long one with no music. The only sound is the wind rushing by and CSC engines on a magnificent ride. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s go for a ride!
After we came down out of the mountains, Steve wanted to visit The Hat for lunch, so we did. When you get old like I am, going to The Hat is being a bad boy. I’m not supposed to eat there but I take a lot of pills and I figured I was due. It’s the geezer version of stepping out!
If you’ve never been to The Hat, you owe it to yourself to try it. I can’t exactly say it’s been approved by the American Heart Association, and as we were chowing down I wondered if this was what Obamacare was all about. I was going to get something healthy, but then I heard Steve order the pastrami dip. It’s their signature sandwich. Wow…the pastrami dip!
I’m easily led, I guess. This one was mine…
The Hat's Pastrami Dip...Lipitor recommended but not included...
That sandwich probably weighed as much as my California Scooter. I told myself “well, I’ll just eat half…” You can guess how that went.
Twin Peaks Steve and Bruce ordered fries and onion rings with their sandwiches, and the serving size on those side dishes was similarly outrageous…
Low calorie onion rings...if you only have 1/8 of an onion ring!
French fries...real ones!
And just so you know, I shot those photos of the onion rings and the fries after we had our fill. It sure was good!
The conversation was a hoot, too. Turns out these guys are into a lot of the same things I am (besides motorcycles and eating stuff I shouldn’t, that is). I sure enjoyed our time together.
There was an old guy at the next table who kept looking at us and then glancing out into the parking lot. I could tell he wanted to talk to us but he was holding back. Finally, his curiosity won whatever was going on upstairs and he asked…
“Are those Mustangs?”
We all smiled. Steve’s original dream of bringing the Mustang back to life was having its intended effect.
We told that old boy about the California Scooter Company and our modern Mustangs. He’ll be by the plant, I’m sure. The same thing happened to me at a stop light on the way home today. A guy in his pickup truck rolled down his window and told me the bike was awesome. I know. This is the sort of thing you get used to when you ride a California Scooter.
We had a good chat, a great lunch, and we were all stuffed. After lunch it was a quick adios to my good friends, and it was time to head back to the ranch!
Twin Peaks Steve, me, Bruce, and The Hat!
What a great day this was. More to follow, my friends. Stay tuned and ride safe…
About the ride this Friday, that is. We are certainly lucky having the San Gabriel Mountains right in our back yard, with great roads like Glendora Mountain Road just minutes away…
Yep, we’re blasting out of the plant this Friday morning for a putt up through the San Gabriels and lunch at the Mt. Baldy Lodge. Folks, put yourself in this video…
We’ll be leaving at 9:00 a.m., so give us a call if you’re going (just in case you’re a few minutes late). Show up with a full tank!
I mentioned meeting San Marino Bill a few blog entries down. I bumped into him at the factory when he was getting wire wheels for his new Bobber. Bill is a guy with cool toys, and we had a great conversation. He’s got a Vette, a Willys Jeep, and of course, two California Scooters. All cool stuff.
Bill showed me a few photos on his iPhone and I asked if he would send them to me so that I could put them on the blog. You know where this story is going, folks….here they are!
One of Bill's bikes in front of the Rose Bowl
Bill's Bobber with his new wire wheels
Bill mentioned that he also had a Willys that he was bringing back to life, and he promised a photo of it, too. It sure looks good, especially with his fleet of CSC motorcycles!
Bill's toys...a lot of fun!
Bill, this is all great stuff…thanks so much for sharing it with us! I know you want to get a shot of your Willys with Steve’s Sarge, so swing by any time you want…or better yet, why not buy another CSC motorcycle? We’ve been thinking about this, and maybe you need an OD green Military Series bike to round out your collection!
Later folks…keep your eye on the blog, because there’s lots more coming your way!
TT250 Enduro
SG250 San Gabriel Cafe Racer
RX1E Electric Motorcycle