Between the heavy garlic overtones and the heavy biker overtones of
Hollister, SR 25 is 7 miles of boring straight. And also very dangerous, as
there is no passing lane, and most of it, although straight, has no passing
zones. So it becomes a dangerous road and the site of many accidents when the
impatient, or the frustrated get stuck behind Mr. RV, who should be bedridden
instead of driving his wobbly box at 45 in a 65 zone, under the influence of
wife and grandkids, looking for the next McDonalds. A road I always avoid,
taking the long way around may take longer, but has some curves and I also avoid
the 101. But heading south from Hollister, SR 25 takes on a different
personality. The first 7-8 miles past Bolado Park, and through the expanding
community are straight, but wide open. But where civilization ends, and the
road begins, for the next 60 miles it takes on the personality of a planned race
course across the valley. Not a road for the faint of heart, although Harley
riders manage to maintain 55 for most of it, some sections are tight and
technical, then suddenly open up into 100 mph straights. But don’t get too
comfortable, as suddenly another 25 mph sharp turn may appear, opening up
another set of turns, then for no reason, wide open road. A road that follows
the topography, with turns, elevation changes, sweeping curves, and all the good
things that make a great motorcycle road. Sparsely traveled, with no gas or
food stops, for 60 miles you are on your own....
Now at least once a year since 1997 the Hollister Rally brings in thousands
of bikes from all around, and many will ride 25, enjoying the break from the
101, the ever present wind and fog in Salinas, and the perpetual back up of
traffic waiting to turn off to go to Monterey, where no light helps or hinder
the northbound riders wanting to turn left. So many get off in King City at SR
198, which has its own set of curves to negotiate, or come up through Indian
Valley Road, not a place to make time, but a nice peaceful ride paralleling the
101, just look out for farmers, and locals using it as an escape route. It
meets SR 25 at the 198, and we have ridden it many times. But 25 has now become
our standard route to Hollister, for even in a car, you are tempted to become
Ricky Racer. But back in the 1990’s, Car and Driver, let the secret out about
SR 25, naming it one of the best sports car roads in America, and now it is
travelled more than before, but still not heavily. And on a ride from Monterey
to Hanford last week, riding it, I came upon a sight made just for the road, and
the ride. Ever hear of a Bugatti Veyron? Don’t feel bad, just finding a
Bugatti dealer may be beyond your means, but for those who can write the check
for this $2 million dollar supercar, it is worth the trek. A car that will go
over 250 mph in its stock form, it is both poetry and beauty in motion. A car I
had never seen at any car shows, with the most exposure on Top Gear, where James
May drove one at the Nurburgring to over 251 mph, and they call him Captain
Slow. But last Thursday, after leaving Carmel, still in overload with the cars
from the Pebble Beach Ride Experience, I was greeted by not one, not two, but
seven Veyrons! Driving together, yet apart, with a Bentley in the mix, enjoying
25 way above the posted limit. A feast for my eyes, I had earlier passed a
group of Porsches enjoying the curves, but these cars had no illusion of speed.
Fast but not too fast, they look fast when parked, they were out for a ride in a
car that will cruise at Indy 500 speeds, on a public road. Wanna bet at least
one reads Car and Driver? And no cops in sight....
But 25 can also be a lonely and dangerous road. On one ride to the Rally,
we came upon a Harley rider who had used too much rear brake, and overshot a
curve. He would be OK after a stay in the hospital, his bike fixed again to
avoid using the front brake,which would have saved him from crashing. But in
this area, and on this road, there is no cell phone service, and I had to go to
a few farm houses, the first ones were open, but nobody home, farmers work all
day. But some 20 miles later I found a neighbor who had a land line, was able
to reach the CHP, and soon our new found friend was off to the hospital, pretty
dinged up but he would heal. So lonely roads can be as dangerous as crowed
ones, and take on a new danger of their own because of being remote. Something
to consider when riding them, maybe why the Veyrons rode in a pack. “Just seven
of my closest friends out for a ride in the country...” on a day of everlasting
love of the road.
God tells us of his everlasting love for us, we can only go back as far as
our memories, God goes back before the beginning. And into eternity...try to
explain that to a 5 year old. And his love is not bound by our boundaries of
finiteness, but by his boundless, everlasting love. Words that definitions fall
short of fully describing, only in the spirit do we see how everlasting he
really is. Go beyond the vanishing point of the future, or back before time,
and that is everlasting, that is the Lord. When we go beyond what we can
imagine or comprehend, everlasting is just beginning. And we have been given
Jesus as the portal to immortality, to the road that never ends, to a ride with
enough thrills to last a lifetime, into eternity. Jesus is everlasting, he has
always been, and always will be. But what of the rough roads of life, what if
your ride is an old rental car instead of a super car? What if your life is
mimicking your ride, does that mean his everlasting love is failing? Or is that
where it begins, as through the trials our character is being built by him. Is
it possible that in the midst of hardships, that this everlasting love is
showing us real love, of the ever presence of a loving God in our life, and who
through the tough times is drawing us closer to him? Why is it that we wish to
escape the consequences, yet God wants to lead us through them?
When we are out of control, a situation we usually relate to just before we
crash and burn, God has total control over your situations. It is his perfect
plan for us, and despite our poor choices, or even our good ones, still loves us
the same with his everlasting love. Instead of independence from God, you are
independent in/on the spirit, who never leaves you, no matter the road, the
conditions, or the top speed. He is with us always, we don’t have to find him,
we are lost, he isn’t. And right there in the toughest of times, waiting to be
turned to. Everlasting. Never changing. Only our lives are different.
Despite all the wrong turns, detours, and bad decisions, you are on the
right road. God is taking you through, not around, and will bring you through.
Sometimes kicking and screaming, sometimes alone, but never without him. One
ride down 25 last week reminded me that no matter what you ride or drive, there
is always a better way. Faster, newer, and more expensive. But fleeting. Only
God is everlasting, and at prices you can afford. The gospel is still free, and
easy to get, so we all can get it. But it is like where the bike and the road
meet together, a perfect combination. A road with no one on it may lead
somewhere, but is useless until someone rides it. A Veyron is pretty to look
at, but until driven is just another car. Religion can be like that, just
another road, until Jesus comes into it. then it becomes the ride of your life,
everlasting. And church and religion will never be the same. Nor will Cruisin’
Grand....for I have found the better way to go, and his name is Jesus. Life in
him is meant to be lived, to be out on the road and alive, not parked and
watching the crowds. SR 25, curves, straights, and not a cell phone in
sight....may the road you are on be as everlasting. And as rewarding. You may
be stuck in traffic and not know it....until a Veyron passes you by.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com