Santa Monica Mountains
Run
Saturday, August 13, 2005
By
Jim Falk
Once again we toured the scenic mountains
and coastal areas of the Malibu
region, hosted by our friend Craig Dillmann.
Jeff Moore and I embarked on
the 100 mile or so ride from the Inland Empire
just to get to the start! My antiques
were exhibiting serious battery and ignition problems from a recent power
outage, so I took out my modern (10 year) BMW, meeting Jeff about 25 miles up
the road for a brief snack before the trek.
We made it to Canoga
Park, but had quite a
time locating Craig’s shop; by the time we did, they had left only a few
minutes earlier. We caught the group at
a gas station within a few minutes.
The route took us through a few
neighborhoods before embarking on Old
Topanga Canyon,
which eventually brought us to the coast at PCH. From there, we drove along the ocean through
the entire stretch of Malibu, past Pepperdine University
and on northward to Zuma
Beach. Here we stopped at the quaint Italian
restaurant with a terrace, though parking on this trip was at a premium
there. Everyone managed to find a spot
with each other, and we meandered inside for a delicious meal together. After lunch, we continued north to Neptune’s Bar and Grill, not stopping but heading inland
there back into the mountains.
We eventually took another break stop at
the famous Rock Store on Mulholland
Highway; a fairly light crowd on that day, but
always an enjoyable stop. After stopping
for half an hour or so for a deserved rest, we proceeded on Mulholland Highway
back into Woodland Hills, then through other neighborhoods to Craig’s shop in
Canoga Park – the original starting point.
Our group totaled about 8-10 riders and
guests, and the circuit mileage was 80-85 total miles. The weather was spectacular, and everyone
enjoyed the run; thanks again, Craig, for hosting us on this ever-enjoyable run
through such scenic byways!