Closure of over 200 California State Parks

I normally do not get political here, but I think for me and millions of other Californians this is an issue that cannot be ignored. The State government is proposing the closure of 200+ of California's state parks, I really think this is an unacceptable option. As a life long resident I have used the parks from going to the beach, camping, or just spending the day with family and friends. The state parks are such a big part of our lives in this state, that with the closures there are many places that we go on a regular basis that will not be open to us anymore.

I hope the state leaders re-think this option and keep our parks open, I just don't understand the state's thinking process, we have uncontrolled spending and out of control taxes, perhaps we should hold our "leaders" accountable for their spending and make them live within a budget like every other American must do to survive each and every day.

You may want to check out this link http://www.calparks.org/takeaction/ to get a good understanding on what is going on and what exactly is being proposed by our government. We owe it to ourselves and our kids to keep these parks open for all to use today and for the future.

I am in no way affiliated with this organization, nor do I have any ties at all. I just think that we should do what is necessary to keep our parks open for the enjoyment of all who wish to use them. We have really let our state get into a mess and the time is coming where we must hold someone accountable for the nonsense that has gone on for entirely too long.

I am going to be following this story closely and will give updates on how it is playing out. I really don't to have to tell mey kids we can no longer use the parks they grew up playing and camping in because the state has been irresponsible with spending our money.

Here is a list of the parks slated for closure, http://www.calparks.org/takeaction/may2009_closedparks_leg-match.pdf some of these parks I grew up going to on a regular basis. Morro Strand State Beach, Hearst State Beach (San Simeon Beach), & Pismo State Beach are just a few of the sites that will close. Look closely, you may find some you recognize, very sad indeed.

New Digital Camera

I just picked up a new Digital Camera for the motorcycle trip I took on Hwy 49. You can check out the camera specifics here: http://exilim.casio.com/products_exz29.shtml. I really like this camera, I needed something to take along with me that was light & easy to carry, this really hit the mark. It takes pretty good pictures and takes video as well, the Nikon D80 I have is just too bulky to carry on a motorcycle. I am making a mount for it so I can put on the handlebars and record some riding video, coming soon, I hope. I sold another camera to pay for this one and I am very happy with it, it does well outdoors and not too bad indoors when the light is low. After finding this camera I found another Casio, that has some awesome video features. It is the EX- FC100 and is a high speed video camera, which means it takes super slow motion video. The super slow motion is rated at 1000 frames per second, 420 FPS, and 210 FPS. That is just unbelievable performance for any camera, so I ordered it yesterday and should have it on Monday. It cost $289, not bad for a high performance camera, the 1000 FPS video is not real high quality, but should be fun to play with. The other settings, the 210 and 420 are pretty good, I have seen many videos made with these two settings, and they look good. They are not super high quality, but for under $300 that is hard to beat. I had to sell off some things on e-bay to get it, but I think it will be worth it.
Back to the EX-Z29, I picked that one up at Radio Shack. They were having a promotion on it and I got the camera, a leather carry case, camera neck strap, and a 4GB SanDisk card for $119. This is a great camera for the price, it is not as good as some of the other P&S cameras out there, but it is not priced like them either. I don't think you will find a better P&S for the price, so if you are in the market for a camera that performs well and won't put a huge dent in your wallet this is a great choice. The picture is a stock photo, but mine is the same model and color, I like it alot and I am very picky about photo my equipment, it took me 3 years to find the right P&S camera, yeah, I've been looking that long.

New Video Player-Check this OUT!

Time For Change

As with any hobby, money becomes a big part of ownership. Over the last two years i have made some changes to the KLR, so I thought I would list some of the changes and show some pictures of the metamorphisis. The top picture is after, of course the bottom is before, but first a list of the changes.

Fresh paint on the side panels and the windscreen.

Modified carburetor; drilled slide and put a KLX needle in.

Opened up the airbox, installed PCV valve.

Pro Taper Handlebars-ATV Hi.

1.5" lowering kit.

Acerbis Supermoto front fender.

SuperTrapp IDS2 Quiet Series exhaust.

Mini Dash installed.

Happy-Trails side racks.

Pelican 1430 Side Cases.

Pelican Top case.

Tengai Side decals.

KLR Roundrel Reflective decals.

Custom KLR License frame.

New Pirelli Scorpion front tire.

New Rear Dunlop 607 rear tire.

New chain, New handgrips.

The Golden Chain Hwy (SR49)

I just finished a trip along the Golden Chain Hwy, AKA Hwy 49. It runs through the Mother Lode of California, including the communities of Jamestown, Sonora, Auburn, Colombia, and the famed Calaveras County (Made famous by mark Twain). The road is 295 miles from end to end, and some beautiful country, I made the trip, with many stops, in 3 days. Really 3 days was not enough time to see everything, I would recommend 7+ days. Yes, there is that much to see and do.


Many of the communities are like going back into time 100 years, very well preserved and worth seeing. They are not ghost towns, but many of the buildings are abandoned, while the homes are currently occupied. The small towns litter the entire length of the Hwy, and have survived fire, flood, and earthquakes, they have truely stood the test of time.


The towns of Coloma and Columbia have been into State Parks and are both a must see. They have been preserved and restored to their original state for the most part. Both have camping nearby and there is more to do than can be done in a day, plan a couple of days for each park, and bring your gold pan, there is and area set aside for panning in Coloma State Park.





Here are some photos, enjoy.

Some Pictures From around the Coast and Desert

For your viewing pleasure, not sure why they are aligned like this? But OK.

Some New Pictures

Nothing like staying up to date, huh? I have been doing a lot of riding and actually added to the stable. I bought a 1992 Honda XR600R CA plated and yes, street legal. It is very fast and lots of fun. It has the HRC power up kit which makes the displacement to 628 cc's.

I have also bought and sold another bike it was a 1987 Honda CR 125 with a big bore kit in it, it was fast as hell, but with most of the close trails closed or closing, keeping it was just not worth it. No time or place to ride it, and my neighbors, I think did not like me riding it around the neighborhood. The cops started showing up from time to time, luckily when I was not riding. They don't show much mercy and like to write tickets.

The First Post

This was taken in San Simeon, CA in front of the old school. Above the school is Hearst Castle which is not visable in this picture.

I spend alot of time riding on the Central Coast of California, mostly from Morro Bay north to Big Sur. This area is one of my favorite anywhere.

Most of my photos will be in this area, but I do travel to other places. I will post more pictures soon.