June 15, Los Angeles, California and Orange Country California. Fresh Air.
My first Califonia break from touring since I started in early May. Since most of the touring this time of year consists of fairs and festivals in the south and midwest, I have been hot, sweaty and dirty for most of the summer. When I got the chance to fire up my Triumph for a mad dash through Los Angeles traffic and the beaches of Orange County it felt like a clean shower after the first month of summer touring. The first goal of the day was to visit Southern California Motorcycles in Brea, They sell the only three motorcycle brands that matter, Victory, Triumph and Ducati. The store has plenty of knowledgeable staff and a great layout. The Ducati dealer in Nashville will not let you test ride anything, so I was very surprised when I was offered a test ride on a Ducati Streetfighter. It is undeniably the hottest streetbike around this year, I declined, but on my next trip down there, I will take that magic carpet ride in a second. After that I spent 10 orgasmic minutes inhaling a complete meal from the California staple In-And-Out Burger. Finsihed with a strawberry shake, gazed over at my Triumph in the parking lot with the California sun in my face and pondered life’s gloriousness for a second. Hopped on the freeway out to the coast again from the hilly country around Brea toward my second goal for the day, Huntington Beach. Pictures are from the pier. The weather was as perfect as Southern California gets and I stayed on the coast until Long Beach. The traffic was getting heavy, the redlights too frequent and so I hit the Interstate back to my temporary home in Hollywood.
