San Diego, CA: Sanctuary

The sun tried hard to break through, but struggled with the marine layer over San Diego all the day. 75 degrees clearly beckoned Katie Scarlet and Blackbird to the asphalt, promising joy in the nearby hills.


Outside of Rancho San Diego, Highway and I found sanctuary from the clogged city streets and tiresome freeway slab. When we hit the twisties stuck behind a Volvo station wagon, I sighed with frustration. A few miles into the curves, the Volvo turned off and the road ahead was all ours. Second gear, third gear, second gear, hairpin turn to the right, third gear, second gear, sweeping curve to the left, "S" turn, third gear. . . we rolled from side to side. Being my first time of attacking true twisties, I focused hard, remembered all I had been taught and did my best to lean in and relax. With only a few harmless mistakes, I arrived at Lyons Valley Trading Post unscathed, rolling into the tiny parking lot behind my mentor Highway.

Lyons Valley Trading Post in Jamul, CA, serves as a short-term breather, attracting riders throughout the day. Taking a seat on the carved wooden benches on the rustic deck, we chatted with riders for an hour or so, as they came and went.

Sipping our drinks we enjoyed the quiet of the hidden outpost. Talking with Ed as he leaned against his Harley, he told us of his trip last year from San Diego to Chicago along old Route 66 in the dead of summer.

Soon after, Dustin and Lillianna, a young German couple rolled in on their BMW, sharing tales of riding from Germany, through Austria into Italy. We told them of our Road Pickle Motorcycle Bohemia and shared our postcard with them, complete with Asphalt Annie's photo.

Justin, a young Marine stationed at Miramar, cruised in on his Kawasaki in search of cigarettes, a cold beverage and a pit stop. He and Highway rested on the bench, swapped tales of California side roads, seemingly feeding off one another's stories.

For us, this is the destination we seek. Meeting other riders, swapping stories, sharing roads, with no schedule to adhere to. Upon feeling refreshed, we could hear the road calling again. Away we cruised, through even tighter turns than before, dumping off finally onto Highway 94 and back into San Diego proper. Just because we are held up in San Diego for a couple of weeks, we have found that we can still enjoy the hidden roads here, finding other riders who seek sanctuary of their own.


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Posted by Sash Johnson at 7:22 PM

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Labels: California