Route Map
500 miles. We're going to split the complete route into a 2-day ride. There will be no rush and no specific destination. It's just that time of the year that we all need a long ride to cleanse our soul...
Just the open roads, the wind and the loneliness and solitude that we all thrill...
5 of us will go, but only I and Vu will continue onto the 2nd day. It will be me, Vu, Russ, Kevin and Mike. Eugene bailed out again!
01-MAR-2008
Pala Casino
Our 1st stop was Pala Casino at the Pala Indian Reservation, which is about 90 miles from Los Angeles. Russ, Kev and Mike will head back home from here, while I and Vu will continue our trip.
We were surprised that there was a huge designated motorcycle parking at Pala Casino. It was right by the main entrance and far from all other cars. Pala definitely gets points for this.
05-MAR-2008
Pala Indian Reservation
This is the view from the large back patio area.
01-MAR-2008
Pala
It was a great wild view from the back of Pala. I intentionally over-saturated the colors to produce an oil painting look (I hope)
01-MAR-2008
The cute little town of Julian
It was getting very cold (under 50F) when we passed the town of Julian so we decided to stop and get a cup of hot coffee. This is a lovely little town, with fogs hanging low, giving us the feeling of a sleepy European town.
01-MAR-2008
The town of Julian
The architecture was lovely, people were nice and we found some strong French pressed coffee!
01-MAR-2008
Foggy Julian
It was cold, fresh and foggy... just the way I like it!
01-MAR-2008
Yours Truly...
Watching the world go by...
01-MAR-2008
Highway 78
We continued on highway 78 East bound. It was getting warmer and warmer so we had to stop and remove some layers under our jackets.
01-MAR-2008
Full leathers...
First time I worn full leathers (instead of Cordura) on a trip longer than 1 day and they were surprisingly comfortable.
02-MAR-2008
Best Western Hotel, Indio
We stayed the night at a Best Western Hotel in Indio that we reserved. It was an excellent hotel with a big swimming pool and hot jacuzzi, great location.
02-MAR-2008
The hall way was spotless...
02-MAR-2008
Parked for the night
Locked them up to keep honest people...honest
02-MAR-2008
My friend Vu...
was doing all the leg works to make reservation, check in and out...
02-MAR-2008
Road to Salton Sea...
The 2nd day, we headed out to see Salton Sea. We found a road leading to the beach.
The road was deserted and it seemed that it was abandoned years ago. This was getting better and better. We were off the beaten path...
02-MAR-2008
Abandoned building...
Then we got to a cross road with an abandoned building. We couldn't really tell what kind of building was it as all signs were removed. Both I and Vu had the feeling of being in one of those science fiction movie where one day all the residents just took off and left everything behind...
02-MAR-2008
Abandoned Motel...
Then we saw an abandoned motel on the other side of the bushes. This was getting weird. We were exciting and at the same time wondering why there were so many abandoned buildings around?
02-MAR-2008
Vu was obviously exciting...
02-MAR-2008
Salton Sea was right behind...
We turned left here and Salton Sea and the beach were right there...
02-MAR-2008
The abandoned motel
We decided to stop and check it out...
It was located on the beach front but all rooms were boarded up. We walked around and went inside but there was absolutely nobody. There was a swimming pool in the back but it was all dry. This place can be a back drop for a horror movie, like "Vacancy Part II" or something... (for those who don't know, I'm referring to the horror movie 'Vacancy')
02-MAR-2008
Ghost Motel
Weeds were everywhere, the parking lot was all broken... What exactly happened?
02-MAR-2008
Let's check out upstairs...
02-MAR-2008
Upstairs...
Got to check out the 2nd floor... it was also deserted and looked like it could collapse in any moment...
02-MAR-2008
The back was just as scary...
Debris and weeds were everywhere, some of the rooms were opened and we walked in. It was dark and looked freaky...
02-MAR-2008
It definitely has seen better days...
02-MAR-2008
Wondering...
I was still wondering what it was. The beach is right behind. This is a premium property here but it was just abandoned? I need to check out squatter laws... :-)
02-MAR-2008
Cargo train...
A cargo train passed by, broke the silence and the monotony of the freaky air...
02-MAR-2008
Beach
We found a road leading to the beach. That was as far as we could go on our street motorcycles without getting into trouble. The abandoned motel was right behind us. We just loved the solitude and the isolation...
02-MAR-2008
Love the solitude...
and this is what motorcycling was all about.
02-MAR-2008
My friend Vu and his BMW R1200R
02-MAR-2008
An abandoned bait and fishing shop that was long gone...
02-MAR-2008
Calm sea, warm sun, white sands, solitude and bikes...
02-MAR-2008
Road to Yoshua National Park...
02-MAR-2008
Salton Sea is right behind in the background
02-MAR-2008
Desert flowers started to bloom...
02-MAR-2008
Entrance to Yoshua Tree National Park
It was $10 per car and $5 per motorcycle...
02-MAR-2008
How Desert People lived in the past...