After our San Simeon excursion, we headed toward Big Sur for a bite to eat. Once in close proximity to Big Sur, the Cross Roads’ performed very well in this section of PCH’s incredibly sharp corners, ascending and descending hairpins, and oh yeah, sheer cliffs where one would surely plummet to an impending doom if not careful.
The Cross Roads’ frontend features inverted telescopic 43mm fork tubes with 5.1 inches of travel. But more importantly, the rear monoshock features 4.7 inches of travel, but is air adjustable, which can be fine-tuned by a Schraeder valve (hidden underneath the left-side cover) for weight adjustments and riding conditions. After loading the bike back home, we were definitely bogged down, but never once bottomed out after some PSI was added to the shock. For quick halts before the tight turns, dual 300mm floating discs and four-piston stoppers up front, and a single 300mm floating disc with two-piston stopper in back do the trick, especially with the added weight.
After about an hour traversing the ber-scenic stretch of PCH, we’d arrived in Big Sur. Lunch time. The Burton Inn concierge recommended Nepenthe restaurant for its organic gourmet menu and incredible views of Monterey Valley and Pacific coastline. The concierge got one thing right: the views were spectacular. The grub? Not so much. Living up to its namesake, Nepenthe is a magical potion to quell all sorrows with forgetfulness taken from Homer’s Odyssey. Its positive, stress-relieving aura overcame my senses (maybe they spike the water with Peyote) and my unsatisfied belly could be satisfied later. Time to hit the road. Had a quick smoke, jumped on the Cross Roads, hauled ass to Monterey to catch a glimpse of Pebble Beach before dusk. No such luck. Since the fog was rolling in, we kept moving in order to keep our Hotel Sausalito reservation. No worry; I’ve done Monterey plenty of times with the folks since they lived there when my pops was in the army. Monterey and Carmel are beautiful and worth at least a night or two if you have some time.
Arrived in Sausalito, a quaint little town just across the Golden Gate Bridge, around 8:30 p.m. Checked into Hotel Sausalito, a cozy boutique hotel loaded with charm and character, unloaded the bike, had a smoke, took a shower, hit the town for dinner. Went to two different restaurants that literally stopped serving the second we walked in. I knew it was a sleepy town, but what’s one more table? I was disappointed. Made lemonade out of lemons since 7-11 was open. Loaded up with hot dogs, a six-pack of beer, and other munchies and headed back to our hotel room.
Day Three: Sausalito to San Francisco to Dixon and Back
Woke up refreshed from a good night’s sleep at the Hotel Sausalito. It’s a small boutique hotel that’s cozy and soothing to the soul. Was ready to start the day since I had to get to Dixon for the Fort Sutter meet and peep cool bikes. Also had to check in to Kensington Park in San Francisco’s Union Square, so we grabbed some coffee and a pastry from a cool little caf next door to the hotel, watched the boats in the bay, loaded up the bike, had a smoke, and headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge. Crossed the bridge, took some video doing so, and arrived in Kensington Park. It was too early to check in so we checked our gear with the front desk.