February 8

Home Up

No kids this weekend.  It had rained Friday, but it is clear now.  I decide to head out on the ½ day trip, leaving the house at 11:00.  I get to the Santa Monica Mountains NRA Visitors Center and locate the stamp.  This is easy.  I have been all around the country and had been to many of the parks that I will be revisiting, but I hadn’t really noticed the stamps before.  This is also a ‘two-fer’ location.  The Juan Bautista de Anza NHT stamp is also there.    Since I will be following the trail up to Ventura, I also collected that stamp.  After a quick glance around since I hadn’t been there before (I ride all over the NRA – the Rock Store is within the boundaries, but never went to the visitors center), I head on out.  Just as I am getting on the freeway, I remember Ayres losing his receipts and reach up and check that my jacket pocket had the passport book.  I resolve to make photocopies of the page on Monday at work.  I then went on to the Channel Island NP Visitor center in Ventura Harbor.  A beautiful day, you can see the closer islands very clearly.  Usually the ocean haze is blocking the way.  I started reminiscing about the time when my parents lived nearby and had a boat.   We would sleep just offshore of the islands.  I’ve been to the VC before, so it is a quick walk in, get stamps (J B de A NHT is also here), and get out.    I come home via a number of back roads that I haunt regularly.  Total of 132 miles, 4 stamps, 3 parks, and one state.  I am keyed up for another ride, so I spend the evening planning another day trip and loading the waypoints into the GPS.  My ZRX1200R is only good for 120-170 miles on a tank full, so I carefully plan gas stops.

 

Click to see map (157Kb).  Microsoft Streets & Trips File (200K)