A Day in the Life of Santa Barbara Co, CA

[pashnit]

Well boys and girls, whipped another set of pics from one of my goat trail explorin' adventures on the busa, you know I have to post up for all to enjoy. This was a multi-day solo ride I did a while back during greener days with just a county level map and a highlighter.

Goal was to quite simply ride each and every worthy road going west to east starting at the Pacific Ocean giving further adage that the Hayabusa is a fantastic goat trail explorin' machine. Covered like 25 roads and shot nearly 500 pictures in 3 days for future inclusion in my pages. Enjoy.

The ride went something like this: Up at dawn to a foggy morning, the air moist and wet. The one and only road that's paved, and accessible to the ocean in this region is Jalama Beach Rd. Very cool road, lots of surfer traffic even at the early hour.

 

[pashnit]

Endless twists and turns- were you expecting anything else on a Pashnit Ride?

Looking north- that's Vandenburg AFB in the distance. They test ballistic missles out there launching them over the ocean every once in a great while.

 

[pashnit]

Jalama Beach just south of Vandenburg AFB- there's a great restaurant here that riders make a beeline for the hamburgers. Not a bad view either.

The bike at Jalama Beach- looks good, eh?

 

[pashnit]

Then on over to Santa Rosa Rd which is just outside of Lompoc

Vineyards, orchards and farmland along Santa Rosa Rd

 

[pashnit]

Then on over to Alisal Rd - very cool ride past Nojoqui Falls (another must see) on into Solvang...

...and ride right past the Solvang Motorcycle Museum.

I didn't have the time to stop, but here's a teaser pic from a subsequent ride.

 

[pashnit]

Photography of the bikes at the Museum if you like

Windmill in the Danish town of Solvang

Skip north out of Solvang on Ballard Canyon Rd (might need a county level map to find it- I did. Truth be told, I needed a city street map of Solvang to find it, but then again, I came prepared.)

 

[pashnit]

What dreams are made of. At least my motorcycle dreams that is.

Then a few miles later- it was time to assail the Adventure Ride known as Figueroa Mountain Rd! Had no idea what to expect. And it started off pretty good.

 

[pashnit]

The view back at Solvang as the elevation began to climb.

Although I quickly began to realized it was not for the wimpy wimpy.

 

[pashnit]

Near the summit, a sign pointed to the Summit Lookout. Hmm, okay. Mine as well. Note how steep. What goes up must come down.

Quick detour off the main road to the summit went something like this. Too bad I hadn't brought that Buell Ulysses for this that'd I recently road tested. Where no Hayabusa has gone before. Quickly realized this was a poor choice, and the gravel road was so steep, it was both boots out to catch myself if I lost the front going downhill. I survived dragging the back brake down the hill. There was no lookout, just a picnic area.

 

[pashnit]

However, along the way was this amazing view! I would have missed it if I'd stayed on the main Fig Mtn Rd & hadn't taken this gravel road to the summit.

After my anti-climatic detour- Back on Figueroa Mtn Rd continuing eastward, the view though was incredible!!! We go that way!!!

 

[pashnit]

My own private paradise. Just me n the busa.

Although keep in mind we're riding atop a moutainous ridgeline.
Which of course entails jaw-dropping view!! That's Santa Barbara below the fog. My magazine cover shot.

At the summit

 

[pashnit]

oop! Correction- this would be the Magazine Cover shot!

 

[pashnit]

The descent. Not reccomended for most. An adventure to the rest!! Okay, so 95% was paved. Sort of. The fog got so thick, I could see about 20-30 feet in front of me. Now descending. Road name change to Happy Canyon Rd.

You call that a road? Not so happy. Tepid at best.

Couple water crossings

 

[pashnit]

If you see a sign full of bullet holes that looks like this... You know you're on the right road.

Finally, The happy part

 

[pashnit]

Name change to Amour Ranch Rd - all ranchland (very expensive real estate- lot of local movie stars, even Michael Jackson lives nearby in these parts)

Those hills over there are right by Solvang.

 

[pashnit]

Btw, Busa owners may not want to ride Refugio Rd which heads south out of Solvang up and over the coast range to the Pacific Ocean. Wee bit of water. This was my 6th water crossing by now. Ah, but then again you might want to test out that new VStrom. You can go. Rest of us may have to reconsider.

Finally gave up when a jeep went blowing by with 'Adventure Tours' stenciled on the side. So Refugio Rd may be a bit much, once it started getting rocky, had to re-think my strategy. If you do explore it, rides up and over the coast range, and comes out right at the Pacific Ocean!

 

[pashnit]

Ever heard of a lil ride called Camino Cielo? It goes both east and west along the mountain ridgeline. The western side isn't all paved (San Marcos Pass- major highway- divides it in half). The eastern side, well sort of. Not for the set that wants to ride over to Starbucks and then go home.

Things started off pretty good. Or at least I thought.

Plus gotta sneak a gratuitous Busa shot. Lookin' good there Pashnit!

 

[pashnit]

Then it all went bad. But then again, your wondering just how bad can it get??

How about bad, to worse. Or worser. Which ever comes first.

 

[pashnit]

But then again, you never know where the road might lead. The curiousity, the sense of Adventure. Hayabusa- you didn't know it could be used as an Adventure Sport-Touring Machine? Now you do. Although I left my full knobbies at home.

Name change here to Gibralter Rd.

And always been a sucker for a good view. Welcome to Pashnit California!

 

[pashnit]

And like everything in California, the roads are endlessly twisty, and lined with $5 Million dollar houses. You see that one there, it was for sale- think it was $6 million. No lie. That's the Pacific Ocean beyond the haze.

Last pic - of Hwy 150 outside of Ojai. A day of great roads- fog, ocean & mountains, water crossings, potholes & gravel, but also brilliant fields of green grass, incredible views and endless curves.