I'm Another Statistic

There have been alot of changes in my life in the last 6 months. One of them is that I have found myself blogging less and less because it requires me to stay inside on the computer (I don't have a laptop) when I really want to be out in the sun, walking on the beach or riding my motorcycle on unfamiliar roads.

I moved to Santa Cruz, CA and have a new job which I really love. Until today..... I was laid off as well as a few others. The company is small and so it was a big impact on the number of people still employed there. The downtrodden economy has affected orders for our equipment, so it was necessary to downsize, for now. If orders do pick up in the near future I am assured that they will call me back to work. For now, I am another statistic.

I don't know what the future holds for me. Today, I want to continue living in Santa Cruz and see if there is another job out there for me locally. I did take a quick look at Craigslist and was amazed at the scarcity of job postings, compared to 5 months ago when I was actively looking.

I apologize in advance if I don't post as frequently as in the past. On the other hand, I guess I will have alot of free time on my hands for a while. Sounds like alot of daytime rides in the near future. This unemployed business might not be so bad after all.......

My First Ride to Pescadero

When I first arrived in Santa Cruz the weather was warm compared to the Seattle area I had left behind. One of the sunny weekends my brother decided to ride with me north up Hiway 1 to Pescadero. The town is a tiny crossroads a couple of miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. I found out later that the town has a wonderful bakery that produces artichoke bread, which has artichoke hearts throughout the bread. Now, as a native Californian, I grew up eating artichokes and have always had an emotional attachment to anything artichoke. I will go back one day specifically to find the heavenly bread.

We started out making our way up Hiway 1 by passing through the town of Santa Cruz. Once you head up the coast the towns are few and far between. It is the loveliest stretch of coastline I have ever ridden on, although the Oregon Coast was just as gorgeous.

We stopped and rode up alot of side roads off of the Hiway. My brother has covered all of them on his motorcycles over the years. This day he was riding his '69 Honda.

We stopped at ano nuevo lighthouse for a moment. The iceplant covering the tops of the cliffs is a sight to behold. When it blooms it is a sea of hot-pink flowers.

We continued our round trip back towards Santa Cruz and stopped for a last look at Greyhound Rock. This particular day there were minus tides, which means the sea was much further out than usual. This made the Rock accessable and you can see there are a few people who made it to the top. Any other day you cannot reach Greyhound rock.

It was a fun day of warm temps and comfortable riding. Next time I go north will be heading to Half Moon Bay. I am hoping B.B., Dave, Willy D. and Carol can go along for the ride. As soon as things dry out and warm up again, we are off.

This coastal living is good for the soul.

Since I've Been In Santa Cruz.....

Since I arrived in Santa Cruz around Thanksgiving time I have been nothing but busy. I began a new job, which I liked from day one. I am starting to like it more each day and becoming more sure that I am doing good work and more comfortable with all the new people I work with.

I've always liked to take a little walk after eating lunch during my work day. The second week on my new job I was out for a walk and not paying attention to where I was stepping. I stumbled and fell face down on the sidewalk which seemed unavoidable at that moment. I really banged myself up and had to go back to work with blood running down my face and a stupid look on it as well.

I lived with this colorful eye for 3 weeks!


Living near the beach lends to lots of outdoor activity and exciting sight-filled walks. There is always something to see that is new or unusual.

I was finally pleased when my husband, 2 cats and my motorcycle arrived just before Christmas in a moving truck. All made the trip safely amid heavy snow storms between Seattle and Santa Cruz. Things are good.


Here is my Vulcan safe and sound in her new little garage.

Now that the Vulcan is here and the weather has been unseasonably warm (sorry everyone in the freezing climates) I have been riding to work a little and every weekend I'm on the road. There are endless places to go and new roads to discover. Stay tuned.

Biker Bloggers Meet-up in Salinas

To break out of my self-imposed temporary blog retirement, I contacted B.B. and decided to ride to Salinas this weekend and find Dave's coffee shop since I was only 45 minutes away and had been dying to meet them for a while. The weather here in Santa Cruz has been record-breaking warm the past week. I had to ride.

We arranged to meet at the shop and I found out that Willy D and his wife Carol would also be there. I was excited as I started out that morning, not sure of where I was going and remembering that Salinas had already had 6 murders this year. I didn't want to end up in the wrong part of town.

My ride took me through fields of artichokes, which is one of the most beautiful sights there is. The central coast of California grows much of the nations strawberries, brussel sprouts, leeks, and many artichokes. It was a lovely sight to see fertile black soil plowed in rows for as far as you can see, ready for the next crop to be sewn.

I did get lost as I got into Salinas, so Dave and Willy D came and found me, then escorted me back to the coffee shop.


The girls were waiting to ride so we started out towards Monterey.


It was a very fun ride, and it seemed like I was riding with people I already knew. They were all very comfortable and fun to talk to. We ended up going along the coastline to Pacific Grove, and then back towards Salinas for another coffee drink. I loved it!


By the time I was ready to head back to Santa Cruz, the group decided they hadn't had enough riding for the day. Everyone rode together back to Santa Cruz to my exit off the hiway, then they gassed up and turned back towards home. My total miles for the day on the Vulcan were 129.

It was a memorable day and real pleasure to meet everyone. As B.B. said, it seemed like we were old friends in a way. I had enjoyed Dave's humor on his blog, and was not disappointed that he was a very funny guy. B.B was real down to earth and fun. Willy D. and his wife Carol were so cool I felt like I'd always known them. We plan to ride again and I look forward to spending more time on the road with all of them.