{"id":602,"date":"2016-09-30T20:05:06","date_gmt":"2016-10-01T03:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lennysride.com\/recent\/?p=602"},"modified":"2021-11-29T04:40:53","modified_gmt":"2021-11-29T12:40:53","slug":"september-east-west-camino-cielo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lennysride.com\/recent\/?p=602","title":{"rendered":"September – East & West Camino Cielo"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple weeks ago I hauled out my 2000 Fat Boy and got her all cleaned up for a trip down to Manhattan Beach to meet some of my fellow LAX retirees for lunch.\u00a0 We met at the North End Caffe<\/a> which just happens to have been featured Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.\u00a0 If you’re ever in the area, there are a couple things on the menu that I highly recommend.\u00a0 The Kahlua Pig Monte Cristo Egg Rolls are as tasty as they are unique and more of a meal than an appetizer. The Fettuccine\u00a0 Carbonara (one of their signature dishes) is fantastic.\u00a0 Great food and awesome friends – I always look forward to our ExLAX get togethers.\"north-end-caffe\"<\/a>The ride back and forth to lunch reminded me of just how much fun I have on this bike.\u00a0 Right away, I started thinking about where and when I could go for a blog post ride.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Along the ridge line of the Santa Ynez Mountains, just above the town of Santa Barbara, California you’ll find a seldom traveled stretch of asphalt aptly named Camino Cielo or “Sky Road”.\u00a0 Hwy 154 separates East Camino Cielo from West Camino Cielo.\u00a0 From hwy 154, “West” is 4 miles of paved road that turns to dirt at the Winchester Canyon Gun Club.\u00a0 If you have a dirt bike and some skills, I’m pretty sure you can take the dirt road down into the town of Santa Ynez; someday I’ll do that… \u00a0 “East” takes you along the mountain ridge and if you’re here during the week, you’re likely to be the only one on the road.\"\"<\/a>This whole area is a great place to ride, tree lined roads, beautiful mansions, polo grounds, flower farms, and perfectly manicured golf courses are just some of the things you can expect to see.\u00a0 In addition, if you take the back roads (the only way to go) you can have lots of fun going through the turns along the way.<\/p>\n

It’s been plenty warm here over the past couple weeks, so although it was cool just after dawn this morning, I was enjoying the chill knowing it would be a fond memory by the time the afternoon rolled around.<\/span>\u00a0 The back road into Ojai goes through the town of Santa Paula, and right past their vintage train station.\u00a0 Southern Pacific put the railroad through in 1887 but in 1904 a shorter route through the Santa Susana Pass relegated this stretch of track (between Saugus and Ventura) to local use.\u00a0 Up until 1950 it was used to haul citrus back and forth to packing houses and communities along the Santa Clara River.\u00a0 These days, the track is owned by the Fillmore & Western<\/a> and the only trains that run are involved in filming (over 400 movies and commercials) or for entertainment and tourism.\"szp\"<\/a>Forged in steel by Santa Paula artist Eric Richards, The Warning<\/i><\/strong> commemorates the heroism of the Santa Paulans who worked to save lives during the St. Francis Dam Disaster<\/a>.\u00a0 The newly completed 200-foot tall St. Francis Dam, was located five miles northeast of Newhall and collapsed\u00a0 just before midnight on March 12, 1928.\u00a0 As the deluge approached, two Santa Paula police officers rode their motorcycles through the low lying areas of town, warning residents to evacuate.\u00a0 The floodwaters swept down the Santa Clara River valley to the ocean, claiming 425 lives.\u00a0 It remains the second-greatest loss of life in California’s history, after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake<\/a> and fire.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>After a stop at Don Lalo’s for breakfast I was back on hwy 150 out of Ojai and was quite surprised when I saw just how low Lake Casitas is.\u00a0 Look at the boat launch ramp (white paint on asphalt for comparison).\u00a0 Sure will be nice when we start getting some rain again.<\/p>\n

Gibraltar Road leads you up from Montecito to East Camino Cielo.\u00a0 Imagine my surprise when I came up on these two near the top, getting ready to launch a hang glider off the side of the mountain.\u00a0 They were very kind and allowed me stand around while they prepared and then document their departure – looked like fun, a little scary<\/em> but fun.<\/p>\n