On June 23 2010, I made a trip down to the Los Angeles area for just a one night stay. This trip definitely was not as fun as when I went to Venice Beach along the coast. But I figured I'd write about it anyway.
Now of course there is no comparison taking the Interstate to a Highway running along the coast but I wanted to capture the beauty of it all. Soon after leaving my home, I made a quick stop at a Vista Point along Interstate 5.
Once I got to the top of the Vista Point, not only did I notice the calming views of the Interstate but the Hills in the distance were amazing. I stood there as if I was looking at a painting of the Golden State, and trying to imagine what this would have looked like a hundred years ago. All the years that I have drove along Interstate 5, and never took a chance to stop here and enjoy this view. To my surprise, sitting on top of that hill watching traffic race by was very relaxing.
Once I got back on the Interstate, it was long and very boring. I didn't realize they raised the speed limit. I was doing 85mph trying to keep with the flow of traffic and people were still passing me at a high rate of speed. I even passed several California Highway Patrol Officers and they didn't even bother looking at me. I made a stop at a rest area along the way to give my butt a rest and have a smoke because the ride without music was making my eyes heavy. While taking my break, I met a guy named Jason who was from Oregon. We began talking, about motorcycles, work and travel ... we stood there talking for about 20 minutes before we both decided we should both get back on the road.
So back on the road, once I hit the grapevine I started to get tired again...so as I was looking for a place to pull over and take a break...I got hit with a strong scent of fresh lemons. I was thinking to myself "self you must be really tired now if your smelling things" but soon after I noticed a truck carrying a trailer full of lemons had tipped over on the northbound lane of Interstate 5. There was stopped traffic for about 3 miles on the northbound lane, I figured I'd pull off at Pyramid lake. Everyone is so busy and in such a hurry, barely anyone stops here just to enjoy the view. I think this was the most scenic part of the trip.
I kinda wish I could have gone down the the beach area and spend some time there, but I didn't feel like paying the entry fee and hanging out by myself lol. After sitting here for about 30 minutes, I got back on the boring road and headed for El Segundo.
Once I got to El Segundo, I didn't do anything but get a room and rest. Next morning after sleeping in till about 9am, I checked out and got on the bike for the trip home. But for some strange reason, I got the urge to get some Hungarian food before heading home.
I found a Hungarian restaurant near Hollywood, so I decided to stop there and give it a try. Csardas restaurant, was nestled at 5820 Melrose ave. in Los Angeles. The service was good and the food tasted even better. Authentic and a good variety of foods and wines. I had what is called spatzle in Hungarian, its small dumplings and pork with a tasty Hungarian sauce, normally served with bread. They also had a buffet with a small variety of food for about 8 bucks, which I thought was a very good deal. After enjoying my food, since I was near Hollywood, I thought I'd take a stop and walk around for a bit. On the way their, I noticed an area where you were able to view the airport.
I was literally watching the planes taking off and landing, and the whole time I was singing in my head "I'm leaving on a jet plane". It was kinda cool to watch the planes, so I sat on the bench and watched them for about 20 minutes and after doing so... I forgot about Hollywood and just got back on the freeway to head home. I decided to take Hwy 99 back home, although there was literally nothing to special to see along the Highway, there was an abundance of rest areas and places to stop for fuel. Since I had nothing to take pictures of...I took pictures of myself, and yes while I was riding ...
It was a very hot day and the wind felt good on my bare arms. I didn't get sun burnt this time, because I was smart and used some sun block. The ride home was long and boring and the whole time I thought to myself "self I need to get a stereo system for the bike". Obviously traveling for 6 hours with no music and nobody to talk to can get pretty boring. Although I always have fun hanging out with my bike, I was relieved to be home.
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