[elime]

There are other big trees besides the redwoods. Maybe not as big but still big.

 

[Joemama]

That looks like a fun place to ride Tony.

 

[B-dub]

Where's the Koala Bears? Jus' kiddin ya. A nice twisty backroad with some big eucalyptus trees to provide some shade makes for a very enjoyable ride! I like how your bike sounds - sounds like it's running very well and the gearing is just right for that kind of riding. Thanks for taking us along!

 

[elime]

That looks like a fun place to ride Tony.

Joe -- That road is the original Highway 1. In 1941 they built the road we now call Hwy 1. The lanes were widened and the road was straightened out and in many places a new road was made. That is what happened here -- a new road was made about 1/2 mile to the west and the old road was left alone and I really enjoy it.

Where's the Koala Bears? Jus' kiddin ya. A nice twisty backroad with some big eucalyptus trees to provide some shade makes for a very enjoyable ride! I like how your bike sounds - sounds like it's running very well and the gearing is just right for that kind of riding. Thanks for taking us along!

Don't give anyone any ideas! Some overzealous nature lover may decide that Koala Bears is what is needed in the area. As for the sound of my bike, I swear sometimes to me it sounds like it is falling apart. I find ear plugs works wonders! BTW, my gearing is 14/55.

 

[Joemama]

Tony, thanks for the history lesson. When I was a little kid I spent a lot of time with my Granddad when he lived in Watsonville and we rode around all the back roads in the area. Maybe I have traveled that stretch of old 1 before. I will see if I can find old 1 the next time I am in the area.

Joe

 

[admiral]

Neat driving through those great big tree's right next to the road. I wouldn't have thought that was a major highway once upon a time.

 

[elime]

I wouldn't have thought that was a major highway once upon a time.

Not so much a major highway, more like the only highway. I would bet the "new" highway today sees more traffic on a hot July weekend than the old one saw in a year, especially in the first third of the Twentieth Century.

There are other examples of the "old road". Some you can ride on, other you can only look at from afar. Driving a Model T on the old road 100 years ago had to be as much fun as riding a TW on it today.

 

[trailscout]

Watch out for the eucalyptus oil in heavy fog or after a light rain. I almost went down because of it once. Hair raising tank slappers on a new 1982 R80GS.

 

[elime]

My last trip to Highway 1 I discovered a dirt road I had thought in the past was the entrance to a ranch. I followed the road until the end and discovered a place dedicated to some frog that is on the Endangered Species List. I have to go back and take some still pictures. I made a u-turn and filmed my journey on the way back to the highway. The lighting was much better going out than going in.

For your viewing pleasure, more Eucalyptus. (Will it ever end?)

 

[scrambled]

Very nice. I'll be in San Jose for a business meeting in September. Unfortunately, I won't have my TW with me to go Koala hunting.

 

[elime]

This field is on the Stanford Campus across the street from the Stanford Stadium. During football season it is used as a parking lot. It is also covered with Eucalyptus trees.
My TW is at the base of one of the trees.

 

[B-dub]

Wow, you weren't kidding! Those are huge trees! Those pics really help with the sense of scale. Makes me wonder how old that tree next to your TW is.