Half Day Ride Through Coalinga and Los Gatos Creek Park

[Smithers]

Today was a very nice ride up through Coalinga and then on up through Los Gatos rd. Once I came out on the other side and hit the HWY25 I cruised down to King City and hit the 101. I thought I would ride back on the 101 but I got bored out of my mind so I turned off on the 198 off-ramp and headed back toward Coalinga or rather the turnoff which would put me back on the Peach Tree / Indian Valley Rd. This worked out pretty well and made for a great half days work on board the Aprilia.

Here is a Tiny URL showing the whole loop with a route mapped out on Google Maps: http://tinyurl.com/los-gatos-loop

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/streetbikestuff/06_09_Los_Gatos_03w.jpg

[Smithers]

I took a couple pictures of Indian Valley Rd. on the way back down to show everyone what they are missing out on. I would rate this road as a road for only experienced riders. Why? Well you need to be very familiar with your motorcycle in all situation. There are a LOT of squirrels that can wreck your day. It's not that they will make you crash if you hit them but they are a HUGE distraction. They like to play chicken with you as it's the most exciting thing in their lives. The worst part about it is that you are focused on them and not the road. You have to do your best not to look at them!

Then there are turkey vultures that are snacking on road kill. Sometimes they just DON'T get out of your way! These are big ones too. They just kinds scoot to the side and might pop up off the ground just as you come upon them. I had to duck at least one today that couldn't make up his mind when I closed in on him.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/streetbikestuff/06_09_Los_Gatos_02.jpg

[Smithers]

The road is a very narrow path through the valley and oncoming trucks and trailers need to be given room. It takes a lot of control to dodge all types of imperfections in the road surface. Sometimes the road will drop out from under you in a rolling bump that you might not notice or there will be a chunk missing out of one side. This road needs to be respected at all times. Plus I have seen a lot of sand and asphalt patches that have a lot of material left on the road around them. It's a workout.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/streetbikestuff/06_09_Los_Gatos_01.jpg

[Smithers]

A couple of wide shots showing the road winding in the distance.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/streetbikestuff/06_09_Los_Gatos01wsm.jpg

To the right near the old barn you can see the road winding around in the distance. As I was taking this picture a couple of bikes with a man and a woman came around the turn and waved on by me. Those were the only bikes I saw for the whole 50 miles on they way back. Other than that there was a Toyota truck that was out checking on their livestock for the day.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/streetbikestuff/06_09_Los_Gatos02wsm.jpg

[Smithers]

This pic was over the top of a few mountains on my way back headed West towards the HWY 198. You can imagine how nice and twisty the road was further on down past the top of this mountain. It was ideal as long as you were expecting the occasional patch of sand. I highly recommend simply slowing down for any patches of sand. The sand will cause the bike to slide to the outside of any turn just enough to throw off your line. If you just coast through it while decelerating and letting the bike run it's coarse you will be better off.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/streetbikestuff/06_09_Los_Gatos_03.jpg

[Smithers]

This is the HWY 198 seemingly in the middle of nowhere. But after this long long valley you climb up a mountain pretty fast and once over the top the fun begins on the way down the East side of it. Then you can continue on straight to Coalinga or you can take a right onto Peach Tree / Indian Valley road which leads back to San Miguel.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/streetbikestuff/06_09_Los_Gatos_07.jpg

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[Smithers]

And back on the Valley Road headed South just taking my time. Since I'm usually in a group there is no time to stop and smell the roses. But today on my own I had all the time in the world. Some pictures were in order. The Canon SD1000 sure is showing its limitations out in the bright sunlight! But it's a great compact camera that get's the job done I guess. I wish I could take my Canon G5 at least but the rough road would surely punish that poor camera if I would have taken it along.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/streetbikestuff/06_09_Los_Gatos_05.jpg

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