CSC Blog

So my girlfriend and I are in northern Nevada tonight…we’re staying in Minden, which is in the Carson Valley.   We rode up in the Corvette on Highway 395.  It’s the same road Arlene took on her California Scooter ride last month, and it’s one of the great ones.   Actually, it’s also one of my favorites.

Carson Valley is a nice area with wonderful roads.  I first became familiar with it when doing some work with North Sails, an outfit that manufactures sails for ocean racing yachts. 

Sylvain, outrunning the serpents while setting the 150cc world speed record

Carson Valley is also where I met my good buddy J, who you all know well from the Baja trip.  J is a friend of the CSC family, and in addition to providing super support in Baja, J helped CSC at the MSILSF speed trials (when Sylvain Binau set the world 150cc speed record on a California Scooter) and at the International Sportsmen’s Expo in Sacramento.  He’s a good guy.

We just got back from a great dinner at Saletti’s with J, Cathy, and John.   I go back a long way with John and Cathy, too.  John and I worked together at a company that manufactured aeriel refueling equipment, and then at another company that manufactured main rotor blades for the Apache helicopter.  Cool stuff.

Susie and I arrived a little earlier than I had planned, so we stopped in Genoa.  Genoa is the first recorded settlement in all of Nevada, and it’s specialty is antiques.  Lots of photos in that town, folks, and the photos that follow show just a few of them.   

First, though, check out how I spent my day…tooling up to Minden on the 395, skirting the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains…and yep, that’s snow you see off in the distance…

Arlene had the right idea when she made this run last month on her CSC motorcycle.  I want to do it on my California Scooter.  It’s on my list.

My car averaged exactly 28.0 miles per gallon on the run up here, which ain’t too shabby for a 12-second, 405-horsepower, 173-mph rocket ship.   American engineering.   It’s still the best in the world.  Just like my California Scooter…designed and built in the USA.

On the way up, Susie and I stopped in Lone Pine for a cup of coffee, and then again in Bishop to check out the Galen Rowell gallery.   Galen Rowell’s skills with a camera are still almost incomprehensible.  He was one of the best nature photographers there ever was.  If you happen to find yourself in Bishop, folks, you gotta stop in to see the photography on display in the Mountain Light Gallery.  

I’m no Galen Rowell, but I grabbed a few shots today, and here they are…

This poor butterfly and the critter next to it caught an inadvertent Corvette ride up the 395

A bike taking a break in Genoa, Nevada, earlier this afternoon

A former Genoa resident, perhaps? This was on display in an antique shop in Genoa...

Hmmmmm.....

This was in front of one of the Genoa antique shops

Genoa hats...

The scenery on the way up was great.  In addition to the magnificent 395, the Marine Corps has a mountain training base up here, and we were treated to an impromptu air show as we saw several Marine combat helicopters being put through their paces.  Cool stuff.

That’s it for now.  Tomorrow it’s on to the loneliest highway in America.  Gonna be fun…

Yep, the plan is in place…and our 12-14 Aug road trip is gonna be a hoot. No freeways, boys and girls. It’s surface streets all the way, it’s gonna be great, and I promise you some of the best riding in California!  I stopped at the Auto Club to pick up some fresh maps this morning, and I’ve spent a big chunk of the morning plotting our path.  All I can say is this:  It’s gonna be great!

Well, okay, I can say more, and I will…

Here’s the summary, and a description of the good stuff we’re gonna see along the way… 

Day One 

Yep, they're out there!

This is our big mileage day (245 miles total), and the only tough part is going to be the 40 miles or so until we get to motorcycling’s ultimate road, the Angeles Crest Highway. 

We’ll buzz along the twisties and breathe the pine-scented air to Angeles Forest Highway, hit a bit of surface street traffic in Palmdale, and then get on the great Elizabeth Lake Road to Lake Hughes and beyond. Beyond, in this case, being the little town of Lebec, and from there, we’ll wind through the magnificent Frazier Park area. We may even see a bear or two. Or deer. Maybe even some snow still in the mountains. 

Whoa, the Cerro Noestre Road – you guys and gals are gonna love it! We’ll be buzzing through the Los Padres National Forest, Cuyama, New Cuyama, and lots more.   Might be a little hot that day, but that’s okay…we’ll be generating our own wind chill factor.   

Jocko's!

The best part of the day is coming up, and that’s our first night’s destination:  Nipomo.   It’s a tiny little town that’s inland a short way from the coast.  There’s not much out there, but it has the best barbeque dinner in California.  Trust me. 

Nipomo means Jocko’s for dinner.  

Boys and girls, it just doesn’t get any better than this!   Jocko’s has the best barbeque in the world.   Seriously.   

Our first day is gonna be our longest ride of the trip, but you’ll love every minute of it. 

Day Two 

The Pacific Coast Highway!

Day Two is going to be a bit more relaxed, with the emphasis on the Pacific Coast Highway, seeing a few sights, visiting a very cool original California mission, grabbing a few photos, and enjoying the cool coastal air. 

We may stop for a snack in the little town of Guadalupe, where we’ll pick up the Pacific Coast Highway.  It’s a wonderful road. 

I know a burrito place along the Pacific Coast Highway that puts all others to shame.  It’s Chacho’s, it’s not fancy, and it’s the best.  I once rode all the way up to Guadalupe just to get one of their burritos.  Chacho’s is that good. 

We’ll meander along the Pacific Coast Highway and then head inland to the La Purisma Mission, which (in my opinion) is the coolest mission of any that we have here in California.  It’s the only one owned by the State of California, and it’s still a working ranch (just like it was back in the days when the Spaniards first settled Alta California).  I think you’ll really enjoy it. 

Guadalupe - home of the world's best burritos!

On to Solvang for pastries and a cup of coffee.  Or more…hey, it’s up to you!   Solvang is one of California’s pearls…it’s a little touristy place with a Danish flair.  The roads in the area are the real story, though.  They are awesome.   Lance Armstrong used to ride these roads when he was training for the Tour de Lance (oops, I meant the Tour de France).  

Then we’ll cruise more great mountain roads up to Lake Cachuma (incredible riding), and the twisties to Montecito tucked away above Santa Barbara.  But we’re not done yet…it’s on through more great twisties to Ojai, where we’ll spend the night.  Ojai is a fun town, too…you’ll see! 

We’re only gonna cover about 100 miles on Saturday, but every inch is gonna be fantastic! 

Day Three 

Santa Paula motorcycle heroes!

Day Three is gonna see us from Ojai to Santa Paula. There are great wall murals and one great restaurant, in particular, in this wonderful little town. It’s where the petroleum industry started in California, and it’s a very cool place.  A couple of motorcycle police officers literally saved the town when the dam broke about 80 years ago, and the town erected a monument to them.  We’ll get to see it! 

On to Fillmore, and we may stop for coffee at their local Chevy dealer…they’ve got a cool vintage Corvette in their built-in restaurant. We’ll shoot down Highway 23 to the Pacific Coast Highway, we’ll pick up the PCH at Leo Carrillo State Park, and we’ll tool along the PCH for a bit until we get to Malibu. 

The Rock Store, where you can be a rock star!

Yep, Malibu. It’s cool. We’ll turn inland at that point and climb up through the twisties to the Rock Store, where you’ll get to be a rock star.  Believe it; it’s gonna happen. 

You’ll see zillions of motorcycles, you may see a celebrity or two (please, no Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonations), and you’ll watch people ignore $85,000 Ducatis to get a better look at your California Scooter. Trust me on this; I’ve done it before.  The Rock Store is one of the coolest motorcycle hangouts on the planet.  It’s in our itinerary.   Bring your cameras! 

Boys and girls, from there it’s a surface street slog back to La Verne, and a lifetime of great stories you can tell others.  

I’m off to northern Nevada early tomorrow, but I’ll be posting on the blog while I’m looking for men from Mars along the Extraterrestrial Highway.   And don’t forget…it’s not too late to sign up.  Just give us a call if you are interested! 

Oh, it’s gonna be fun!   I’m counting the days…

I grabbed this shot at the Rock Store a few years ago. Recognize this guy? We might just see him again!

Steve and I have been planning the route for our August California Scooter road trip, and it’s gonna be a good one. We’re going to keep the mileage relatively low (less than 200 miles each day) because we want to take it easy and have a good time. 

We’ll be spending a lot of time close to the coast to keep things cool, and you can bet we’re going to stop at either the Rock Store or Neptune’s Net for lunch on Day One.   It’s gonna be cool.  And you never know who you’re going to bump into on these kinds of trips!  In my travels here in the Golden State, I’ve bumped into Jay Leno, Donald Sutherland, Marty Allen, Flip Wilson (remember him?), Tony Randall, Peter Fonda, Liza Minelli, George Burns (no kidding!), Dustin Hoffman, and Ed Begley, Jr.  You just never know!

I’ve covered lots of miles on a motorcycle, and I’m here to tell you that pushing the daily mileage numbers too high on a motorcycle can be tough.  My personal motorcycle record is 1000 miles in one very long day, and I felt the effects of that day for a solid week (we’re not gonna do that on this run).   We’re gonna make this a fun ride, with lots of time for sightseeing, picture taking, and relaxed riding.  Our thinking is we’re here for a good time, and that’s what we want everybody to have. 

So, where exactly are we gonna go?   Well, we’re still working that out, and like always, planning the trip is half the fun.   We’ll have the details posted late tomorrow.   Trust me, it’s gonna be good.   And we’ll post some guidance about what to bring and all of that good stuff early next week.  We are gonna have fun!

What do you guys think? If we could get this crew on California Scooters, wouldn't it solve a lot of problems?

But I love getting on the road in my car, too.  There’s something about a road trip that’s just sort of mentally and emotionally cleansing.  And that’s what I’m going to be doing later this week.  I’m gonna leave the constant bad buzz bombardment about the economy in my rear view mirror, where it belongs.  I don’t know about you, but I sure would like to see some real leadership in our nation’s capital.  

You know what?  I think I have the answer to the DC dilemma.   Listen to this…

My economic stimulus and recovery plan would have every member of Congress and our president riding a California Scooter.  We could take them on a California Scooter road trip.   It’s pretty hard to not get along when you’re out riding motorcycles with your buddies.  Our elected officials would feel better, they’d get along better, we’d have a budget, and we’d create a few more US jobs in the process. 

Ah, what do I know…

My ride for this week's ET Hwy road trip...hey, who is that in my 'Vette?

My sweetheart Susie and I are hopping in the Z06 and heading north early Thursday morning to explore northern Nevada.  My objective is to get great photos of loneliest highway in America (that’s Hwy 50) and the Extraterrestrial Highway (that’s Hwy 375, and it runs right by the famous Area 51). One of the magazines I write for wants a couple of articles and photos of this beautiful part of the country, and hey, I’m happy to oblige.  I’m gonna post a few right here on the CSC blog for you, too.  We’ll be having dinner with our good buddy J (from the Baja trip) and our good friends Cathy and John up in Gardnerville. It’s gonna be fun.

Oh, and there’s more good stuff coming up, too.  We’re only one weekend away from the Lake Arrowhead Endurance Rally. That one’s gonna be a lot of miles…close to 400 miles in one day. But it’s a different kind of ride, and the point of it is to pile on a lot of miles.   It will different than our 12-14 August CSC road trip, but it will still be fun.   The worst day on a motorcycle is still better than the best day in an office.

Ah, gotta run.  My wife is telling me some guy who follows the CSC blog is on the phone and he wants to know about the next Baja ride…what’s his name?  Barack?  Barack who?

Stay tuned, folks!

Yep, that’s our new good buddy Lin from Banning, California, on his soon-to-be-very-own black CSC Classic.   I asked Lin if I could grab a shot of him on the bike in our showroom today, and he graciously  consented.   I told Lin he looked great on the Classic, and when he saw the photo, he agreed!

Lin, making the California Scooter look good!

Tony and Michael getting Dan checked out on his new California Scooter!

I guess the sight of Tony, Michael, TK, me, and the rest of the crew test riding new CSC motorcycles in front of Dan’s shop in La Verne every day was just too tempting, and he decided to take the plunge.

Nice going, Dan!

They scare us, they fascinate us, they’re beautiful, and sometimes they’re deadly.  Snakes evoke strong reactions.  Most of us are terrified of snakes.  No less a mythical character than Indiana Jones feared snakes above all else.  Even though they scare the bejeesus out of us, they’re fascinating.   That’s why they’re in the news so much, I guess. 

Here in southern California, we live near one of the top snakebite treatment centers in the world…that’s the Loma Linda Medical Center.  We get a lot of rattlesnakes out here, and occasionally, people get too close to them.  Dr. Bush (no relation to either of the former presidents) is the snakebite expert at Loma Linda, and I remember his television interview a few years ago.  The good doctor said the typical victim is characterized by the three Ts:  Testerone, tattoos, and Tequila.   The reporter interviewing Dr. Bush followed him into the treatment ward, and sure enough, everyone of the patients there were young guys with tattoos, and all admitted to being drunk when they attempted to pull a Steve Irwin.

All that aside, I’ve been fascinated by snakes ever since I was a kid, and maybe you’ve been, too. It seems to be a universal trait, especially among guys who ride motorcycles.   Love ’em or hate ’em, when we see a snake we gotta get a closer look.  Maybe it’s that testosterone thing creeping in.  Do you recall the YouTube video we showed a month or so ago of our ride up on Glendora Ridge Road, and the snake we encountered?  Here it is again, and watch what we all do…

There are only four species of poisonous snakes here in the US, and lately, it seems that copperheads have been hogging the headlines. I saw a news story about a guy in Georgia who was bitten in his backyard by a copperhead, and after a hospital stay, a television news team was interviewing him. In his backyard. Yep, the same backyard where he had been bitten. You can guess where this story is going…

Whaddaya know, another copperhead slithered up to these folks right on camera during the interview. It might have even been the same snake! The guy went back into his house, came out with a Glock 9mm, and proceeded to get a little payback. It took him 30 shots to finally hit the thing (I would have been embarassed with that kind of marksmanship), and the cameras were rolling the entire time! It was kind of a “man bites dog” story. Folks, I can’t make up stuff like this!

Another Georgia copperhead, this time found hiding in the laundry

And then yesterday I came across a story that really gave me the creeps. This also happened in Georgia, and it also involved a copperhead. Seems a woman went to take a load of laundry out of the dryer, and when she opened it, a copperhead was nestled on top of the warm sheets. It had evidently slithered in through the dryer vent, found a nice warm spot, and settled in. I’ll bet her husband picked up a new duty after that one…taking the clothes out of the dryer! I read about this one on another forum (www.Rugerforum.com), and Tyrone Phillips (the animal control officer who removed the copperhead shown here) allowed me to use his photo. What is going on in Georgia with all those copperheads?

When I got out of the Army back in the mid-1970s, one of the companies I interviewed with was US Gypsum in Sweetwater, Texas. The company was cool, and so were the people who interviewed me. When I asked what folks did in Sweetwater for entertainment, they lit up. “We got the Rattlesnake Roundup!”

It was the first time I had ever heard of the Rattlesnake Roundup.  My Sweetwater friends explained to me that it was kind of like a bass fishing contest, and it lasted 4 days.  Whoever bought in the most rattlesnakes was the winner.

Hmmh.   How about that?  I thought about it for a couple of seconds, and I guessed that the the guy who won it would catch maybe three or four snakes.  When the US Gypsum folks told me that last year’s winner had bought in over 1200 pounds of rattlesnakes, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

I told that rattlesnake roundup story at dinner one night to my friend and riding buddy Marty, and he was mesmerized by it.  Ten minutes after he left, Marty sent me an email.  Marty found the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup on the Internet, and he wanted to make a motorcycle trip out of it.  Hey, we’re guys, we didn’t need much of an excuse for a motorcycle trip, and a few weeks later we droned from southern California to Sweetwater (a 1200-mile freeway ride, one way).  I was on my big 1200cc Triumph Daytona, and Marty was on his big 1200cc BMW K1200RS.   A couple of geezers on big roadburners on their way to see the snakes…

The Rattlesnake Roundup was cool. It was different. It makes for a great story, and I shot a lot of great photos there (you can read more about that trip here).  I used to live in the great state of Texas, and I enjoyed being there again.  And the Roundup?  Well, let’s just say it was unlike anything I had ever seen…

A scene from a horror movie...one of many pens holding western diamondbacks in Sweetwater, Texas!

Closer than I should have been...one of the handlers told me the snake could hit me from where I shot this photo...I jumped back sharply!

More stuff for bad dreams...check out those fangs!

We had a lot of fun, as you might imagine from the above photos.  The ride back was a hoot, too.  We actually got snowed in when we were coming home through New Mexico, and we had to wait a few hours for the snow to melt before we hit the road again.

Caught by a snowstorm in Lordsburg, New Mexico

So that’s it for today, boys and girls.   I’m gonna get back to detailing the route for our 12-14 August California Scooter Road Trip.   No snakes.   I think.   We’ll see…

Lake Arrowhead is coming up!

Yep, I am, and I’m sure enjoying it.

Lots more riding coming up, too, folks!  We have the Lake Arrowhead Endurance Rally just around the corner, and right after that, we’ve got our 12-14 August CSC Road Trip!   Woo hoo!

I was out sick with a nasty cold yesterday…you know how that goes.  I caught up with a few things at the house and laid around feeling poorly, but I’m back in the saddle again today.   The guys in the shop let me test ride a few bikes when I came in this morning, and it was great.   I took one through the awesome road around Puddingstone Lake, and then I popped up to the 210 Freeway for a quick 60 mph blitz to the next exit, and then I rode back to the CSC plant on surface streets.  It reminded me once again just how great it feels to be, well, back in the saddle again.  

Hey, check out this video of some of the goings-on at your favorite motorcycle company…I put it together this morning after my ride…

Our August Road Trip is coming together nicely…we’ve got 6 or 7 riders so far, and I am really looking forward to riding around in the mountains and along the coast.   If you haven’t signed up, you might want to come along…this trip is going to be one of the great ones.  We’ll be running at a real moderate pace, there won’t be any freeway riding, and the roads will be super.  I’ll keep posting the details right here as our planning progresses!

A CSC Military Series with orders to ship out!

Like I promised, I got out on the Baja Blaster a bit tonight with my Nikon for some evening beauty shots.  The last few days in So Cal have been awesome…great weather and nice nights…perfect riding weather!

If you’ve been following the news, we’re going through what the news media is calling “Carmeggedon” right now.   Cal Trans shut down the 405 freeway for the weekend (it’s the major north/south route though west Los Angeles) and everybody’s staying home.    What better time to get out for a cool summer night’s putt on my California Scooter!

I had visions of riding all the way over to the Donut Man in Glendora for one of his incredible strawberry donuts, but that’s a story for another time.  I instead burbled along on the Baja Blaster to Corina’s Pizzeria, a relatively new place not too far from where I live that has already made a name for itself as the best pizza joint in the valley. 

Corina's Pizzeria in Upland...the best pizza in the valley!

My good friend Johnny runs Corina’s, and it’s a favorite of ours. I always like buying from local businesses, and Corina’s sure fills that bill. Good food, great service, and not too shabby for a night time photo shoot, either!

My next stop was The Hat, an iconic pastrami palace offering this planet’s perfect pastrami dip.  I’m not exaggerating, folks!  And you better come to The Hat with an appetite, too, because each sandwich could easily feed three people!

Another So Cal icon...The Hat (nobody beats these guys for a pastrami dip!)

So, the particulars…I used my Nikon D200 and the Nikon 24-120 lens, I set the ISO at 800, and I shot everything with the camera in the manual mode.   A tripod, a bit of tweaking in PhotoShop, and a couple of great photo subjects made for a fun evening.

I actually didn’t eat at either of these places tonight (I don’t think anybody could eat at both places in one evening), but I’m a regular at both restaurants and I knew they’d make great backgrounds for my CSC motorcycle.

I sure enjoyed getting out tonight.  There’s something about riding a motorcycle on a cool summer evening that’s just super, and it’s really special on my California Scooter.  Folks came out of both Corina’s and The Hat to get a better look at my bike, and the compliments flowed.  Everybody loves these bikes.  One guy in a Chevy pickup truck stopped just to tell me my Scooter was the most beautiful bike he’s ever seen.  Everybody wants to know…how much was it…what kind of fuel economy does it get…how fast does it go…and on and on.   We’re still relatively new in the motorcycle world, and a lot of folks haven’t seen a California Scooter in person yet.   Everybody tells me my bike is beautiful.  I know that, but I don’t mind hearing it again.  I like that other folks recognize it.  When you ride a California Scooter, you just become a rock star.  But those of you who ride CSC already know that…

The President's Motorcycle: CSC One!

Jim Claeyssen is a guy who knows all about economic stimulus packages, creating US jobs, and going green.   That’s why he turned to California Scooter!  We’re a US manufacturer building a US motorcycle that gets 98 miles per gallon!   You guys in Washington need some advice?  Hey, take a look at Jim Claeyssen, who’s showing you how to have fun and be frugal, stylish, and green at the same time!  There’s no deficit spending here!

The President’s bike sure looks good…Jim called us and asked about the yellow Classic, which is a beautiful bike.   He grabbed the last one we had in stock, but don’t worry, we’re going to be building more next week.   The whitewall tires, luggage rack, and engine guard really work on this bike, too…the colors are perfect!

Mr. President, your new ride ships next week, sir!

Hey, just a short note with a couple of photos today, folks.   Many of you may remember the Mustang fuel tank with the chrome trim piece that ran down the center.   Here’s a shot of our 1953 Mustang Pony that shows the original trim piece to which I’m referring…

Our unrestored 1953 Mustang Pony, Steve's inspiration for the California Scooter Company

Steve was playing around out in the shop last week and he came up with a very similar look on a brand new maroon Classic, and folks, it works!  

Check this out…

A bit of chrome reminiscent of the original Mustang!

I like it!  Watch the blog and our website, because we’re going to be offering this as a factory accessory in the near future!

Keep an eye on the blog, too, folks, because I’m feeling photogenic tonight.  I may fire up my red Classic and try for a bit of night time photography…you know, some beauty shots of my motorcycle with neon and other cool night time stuff in the background.   We’ll see how it goes!