An afternoon on my favorite road

SAN SIMEON, Calif. - I waited until noon to head for the coast and still was in fog all the way to Nepenthe. I took so long to clear the room that my magnetic room key timed out and I had to get it reset to get my helmet and jacket out of the room.
I felt tight and tense all afternoon and never did relax into the ride like I wanted. Even so, it was fun.
I had a mocha and a pastry at the Cafe Kevah, chatted with a Canadian MotoGP fan and a guy from Arizona and his son on a Harley. “Did you ride all the way from Arkansas?” the kid asked. “Well… yeah,” I said.
The massive bell that’s been a feature of the Phoenix for as long as I can remember remains unsold at $3,595 but the price tag has been amended to say, “1/2 price if you can haul it away yourself.” At $1,797.50, it’s almost a bargain.
I pulled over at the turnoff just south of the Big Creek Bridge to take pictures and enjoy one of the best views on the road. While I was there, a father and son on BMWs rode in. The son had just broken the clutch cable on his red K75S and they asked if I had a set of vise grips. Sorry, don’t carry them. I suspect they had to call for road service. While you can shift a motorcycle without a clutch, it would be a nightmare to try it on that road.
As I expected, there was a steady stream of northbound sportbikes and not much southbound traffic. The winter storms appear to have beaten up several parts of the PCH south of Lucia. I encountered three places where traffic narrowed down to one lane and was regulated by stop lights. The southernmost one advised motorists to “Expect 5 minute delays.”
I spent the last 12 miles or so behind a slow moving truck, descending at last to Ragged Point where I treated myself to the first chocolate malt I’ve had in years.
The rest of the ride was coastal sweepers as I cruised on down to San Simeon and the Motel 6.
I just consulted my GPS and find that it’s supposedly a 6 hour and 25 minute ride from here to Steve’s place in Las Vegas. It’s also supposed to hit 111 there tomorrow.