In light of last night's “kitty” experience, it seemed only fitting to present Russ & Ron with this:     Our day started in Arroyo Grande, CA and ended in Camarillo, CA. Between the two points we had a FULL day... touring the Hearst Castle, riding along the Pacific Coast Highway, and even watching 5,000lb Elephant Seals on the beach.  Here is a map from today's ride....   Last night we heard there was a chance we could be facing heavy coastal fog this morning near our destination.  So, we planned our departure time accordingly in order to make our 10:20am tour reservations at the Hearst Castle.  Just before entering the scenic Pacific Coast Highway to head towards Cambria I flipped my helmet up to asked Russ if he wanted to stop at a beach on the way.  He replied he didn't think we had enough time.  I nodded and rode on as the boys followed me.  As I rode in the exhilaratingly fresh morning coastal air the words “we don't have enough time” rang confusingly loud in my ears.  It just seemed odd, especially since the night before we had all discussed adjusting our departure time to allow for delays due to fog.    So, I re-consulted both my GPS units, which showed the distance to the Hearst Castle, approximate arrival time, etc.  I was shocked!  We had 63 miles in front of us and just over an hour to get there.  I recalculated the route to ensure there wasn't an operator input problem and each GPS glared back the same info.  I decided it was irrelevant at that point where our planning went wrong, and so I started riding, um, well, more “spirited” shall we say.    (I'll also take this opportunity to state that in my 15 years and myriad of miles riding on two wheels that I have never had a ticket.  Zero.  Zilch.  Nada.  Oh yeah, it baffles my friends too).  Scott was behind me and stayed up with me but for whatever reason Russ and Ron became specks in my mirror and then disappeared.  I kept thinking surely they're wondering why I'm riding like a bandit and will figure out the time problem we had.  With Scott following my spirited pace and as we got closer to the Hearst Castle, the more evident it became to me that he and I were indeed going to make it but with only a few minutes to spare.  I visualized pulling into the parking lot, jumping the FJR up on the centerstand, then throwing Scott the covers to both bikes while I sprinted inside to get our tickets.  I was also convinced Russ and Ron would be late and miss the tour (which begins promptly by boarding a bus).  When Scott and I arrived the parking lot of the Hearst Castle my GPS said we had 6 minutes before the tour started.  I whipped the FJR in place and as I was yanking off my helmet and preparing to fling the bike covers toward Scott I yelped that those who rode hard were going to be rewarded with getting on the tour bus and that I was going to run up and get the tickets at Will Call since we only had 6 minutes.  Scott, who strangely was dismounting the V-Strom at a snail's pace, looked at me very confused and says “You mean an hour and six minutes.”  Huh?    Well, I had forgotten to change both my GPS units to Pacific time when we crossed into CA yesterday.  I felt so relieved that we were all going to make the tour I did a victory dance in the middle of the parking lot (which, of course, Russ further instigated once he arrived).    In my defense of the GPS oversight, I have to say that residing in a state that does not recognize daylight savings time (AZ) doesn't exactly encourage one to remember such details, especially since half the year AZ is on the same exact time as CA!   As for the morning fog, it was non-existent until a few miles before the castle where we hit rather thick conditions.  Since I was riding at a blistering pace and had no “time” to stop and take any photos of the fog, I was only able to take this one while at the Hearst Castle... and did so during the HOUR and six minutes we had before our tour: Entrance to the Hearst Castle Visitor Center with the hilltop castle in the background: Everyone who tours the castle starts their tour from the Visitor Center by getting on a bus that makes a 5 mile trek up to the castle.  This being my third time on the bus, I was ready with my camera to try and capture the stunning scenery the bus ride affords... ...as well as views of the Hearst Castle itself: The “road” to the far right in the pic isn't a road...it's part of Mr. Hearst's private landing strip: Wonder how many motorcyclist will see this and drool?  (Not a bad front driveway, eh):    Today is Sunday February 1, 2009.  This was on the front page of the newspaper in a stand at the Hearst Castle Visitor Center.  If you are a football fan then you likely know that Russ, Ron, Scott, and I are not: If you're an Arizona Cardinal football fan you may even think it should be illegal for Arizonans to not be in front of a TV today cheering for a Super Bowl victory over the Steelers.    (Ok, seriously, did anyone think a month ago the Cardinals would be in the freakin' Super Bowl??!).  Nevertheless, by choosing to tour on the same day as Super Bowl Sunday we enjoyed uncrowded conditions (at the Castle, on the highways, etc). After the scenic bus ride up and after being reminded several times by the guide that flash photography was not allowed anywhere inside, we de-boarded and started our tour at the outdoor Roman Pool.  Here's a shot poolside from the back of the pool looking towards part of the Castle.... ... and a view from the top looking back down: ***JOURNEY REPORT TO BE CONTINUED..... Continued On Next Page ..... Copyright © 2006-2009, All Rights Reserved.