A big thanks to our friends from CAC, CA2N & CA2W for traveling under less than ideal weather to share some laughs with us. Rodney & Anita Brooks (CDs from CAC) had the largest contingent with a total of twelve. Ray Oeverndiek made time to stop by after coming up from his home in Arizona to visit family in the Bay Area. We also welcomed a new member Steve Pelovsky to the Chapter. Welcome Steve! Because of the threat of bad weather, our after-meeting ride had only four willing riders. Shirley and me along with Larry Heisler and Susie Coles. We opted not to take the scheduled Monterey Aquarium trip and instead did an abbreviated ride to the coast via Hwy 84 to Hwy 1 and down to Santa Cruz for lunch. The excitement didn't happen until the ride home. With the rain starting we decided to take the quickest route and just get on Hwy 17. The rain came down pretty hard as we got on the highway, so much so that I thought it prudent to keep the group speed under 40 up and over the mountains. There was a good amount of water on the road and you can feel the slickness of those tar snakes when your tire makes contact in anything less than a straight angle. The amount of rain and water spray also limited visibility. As we headed up the mountain a biker on a Harley zipped passed us and quickly disappeared. We didn't actually catch-up to him but as we reached the summit I can see that he was several vehicles ahead. It was on the downside of the summit on a right turning curb that I noticed a car stopped at the middle of the turn. Stopping for us did not seem to be the safe action, maneuvering around made more sense. As I moved to the left lane and making my way around the stopped car, I see the Harley rider getting up from the road and start running down the hill towards the remnants of his bike about 50 yards away and on the shoulder. I didn't see what caused him to go down but with no other vehicle stopped ahead, I'm assuming it was rider error. I felt guilty not stopping to render aid, but that would have been a foolishly unsafe thing to do. If you are familiar with Hwy 17 going over the Santa Cruz mountains, you understand how treacherous it can be There's very little to no secure area to park a bike. There were plenty of other folks on four wheels already stopping and in a better position to safely assist him. This episode gave me reason to reflect and review my approach to riding curvy mountain roads. Keep my vision level, let the bike's engine control the speed and braking should mainly be through the rear. When the road is wet, apply the same principal but reduce your speed, minimize your lean angle and avoid any sudden actions. - Alan
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Lynda & Jim Smith |
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Old time 2Q'r Ray Oeverndiek visiting from AZ |
New member Steve Pelovsky |
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CAC ACD Bob Harris and friends |
L to R Wilma, Dodie, Dan & Dirk |
Jack & Sunny |
CAC is everywhere |
Cole & Samantha |
CAC CDs Anita & Rodney Brooks |
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More friends from CAC |
Carrows restauran manager Steve Crowe |
Edie with an arm full of mascots |
Educator Steve Foster delivering this month's message. |
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Linda & Bill Androws with their trophies |
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Parking lot across from Alice's Restaurant |
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Larry Heisler, Susie Cole & Shirley Jarumay |
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