The sun is already setting over the horizon as we get off our bikes at an Indian casino parking lot. We are all feeling tired, but smiles are on everyone’s faces reflecting a very enjoyable ride we had today. I mumbled something about how good we had it today. While most are starting their Monday bent over doing work, we’re on our bikes riding some of the best roads in the San Diego County area. Enrique, our lone BMW rider responded to me with a smile, “Parang walang mga utang ano.” Ha! Ha! Ha!

I’ve seen Jojo Medina’s posts at MCP many times, but never had the pleasure of meeting him. Funny how we tell our kids to be careful who they “meet” through the internet, but here we are, making connections through the same medium and creating lasting relationships. I saw the invitation through MCP for the Southern California ride on a Saturday and it only took a second for me to decide. Work will always be there, but Jojo can’t wait. He’s only here in the U.S. for a few days on vacation with family.

This ride became possible through Greg’s generosity by offering Jojo his Honda 1800. Greg lives in La Verne and he also has a Harley-Davidson Softail. Greg calls me Monday morning to say that they will be a little late. Jojo needs to bond with the 1800 and riding side streets will be better than facing the morning rush of SoCal freeways. I compounded that delay by giving them wrong directions to my house. Sometime at 9am, both finally arrive. This is all a first meeting for everyone. It’s funny how we imagine what a person looks like only to be surprised to see a different person from what we imagined.

Our next meeting point is the city of Temecula, approximately 45 miles (72 kilometers) from Ontario. I took the lead and negotiated our way through morning traffic commute on the freeway. Greg took the backdoor, sandwiching our precious visitor between us. We arrived at Temecula Harley nearly an hour later. The dealership is closed on Mondays. No opportunity to touch and feel some eye candy. But where are the San Diego boys? A quick call tells us that they are finishing breakfast and are on their way.

Three bikes come rumbling in. Ramon is on a 2007 Sportster, Salvador is riding a 100-year anniversary Deuce and our ride captain is Gery, also on a Sportster. Greetings and handshakes are exchanged between riders who are all meeting each other for the first time. It’s amazing how our common interest - bikes - makes a powerful catalyst to develop camaraderie between strangers.

Jojo tells us that another couple is coming to join us, but they are an hour away. What to do? Gery decides to give us a short tour of the Fallbrook area and return to Temecula an hour later. We pump gas and rode off heading south past Morongo Indian Casino.

Although we are all riding cruisers, there are no freeways on Gery’s riding agenda today. We started off slow as we wind through narrow and clean asphalt roads between hills and orchards the dot the countryside. The morning started cold, but as the hour nears noontime, we are greeted with a pleasant 70F something degrees (21C).

Fallbrook is one of those little cities you only see from a sign on the side of the freeway as you head south to San Diego on the 15 Freeway. Having done financing for real estate development and construction in this area, I know enough that the area is very affluent. In the mid-2000, celebrities discovered the area and made Fallbrook a place of residence - Rita Coolidge, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Tori Spelling, Sarah Michelle Geller, to name a few. What I did not know are the beautiful roads hidden in these hills that can only be appreciated on a motorcycle or driving a fine handling automobile.

For over an hour, Gery took us up and down the hills, side to side, leaning into the curves of these narrow asphalt ribbons. Along the way, we see orchards of Avocado trees, Orange trees and many other fruit trees clinging on hillsides. We barely saw cars, people or animals on the road. It’s as if the road was made open just for us to enjoy for the day. We stopped for a break in a section where tree canopies cover the road. A creek is nearby. For over half an hour we enjoyed the quiet, took pictures and made small talk. One of the guys noticed that for all the time we spent enjoying the break, no other vehicle passed us by. Gery reminds us that this is Monday. On a weekend, this is a favorite haunt of sportbike riders and none of this quiet can be had when they are around. Hear, hear from a Harley rider.

Afterwards, we continued the ride heading north, over a large hill, which presented us an awesome view of the city of Temecula. We headed to “Old Town Temecula” and parked our hungry bodies at a place called Texas Lil’s. I don’t know what everybody else got, but Shredded BBQ Pork Sandwich with fries did it for me. Whew, that was good! We are joined by Lilia and David riding a Fatboy. Lilia is an old friend of Jojo. Her husband David is a Marine who just got back from Iraq. A few minutes later, another rider joined us – Enrique, riding a very well maintained BMW R60. One of the amazing thing about his bike is the sound it made. It has the deep base sound of a Harley, but with a different loping cadence that is unique with this brand and age. The darn has open pipes. At the end are curved extension he fashioned himself to produce the proper sound. He says this is quite common practice in the Philippines.

While being served, Lilia noticed the tank top our waitress is wearing. Is it available? What colors do they come in? How much? A few minutes later, out comes Lilia looking like one of the beautiful waitresses, offering all of us her best waitress imitation of service. Pictures were taken with the real and ‘our own’ waitress and soon after, we are ready to go for another ride. Lilia and David left us to return home. Enrique joined the pack to make it a ride for the “Magnificent Seven”. Five Harleys, one Honda and one BMW.

Gery took us back past Morongo Casino. This time around, we are riding on the east side of the 15 Freeway, versus Fallbrook earlier, which was on the opposite side of the 15. Along the way, we encountered a section of dirt road. Gery, who seem to have a lot of dirt riding experience (having been to Mike’s Sky Ranch in Baja and the Racetrack at Death Valley) took it slow in consideration of others who might not have his experience. A little dust on the chrome never hurts. After a little gas, next on the agenda is the Palomar Observatory, located strategically on top of Palomar Mountain, which is over 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) high. This observatory is privately owned by California Institute of Technology. The Observatory is as large as the Parthenon in Rome and is still used on every clear night of the year.

What makes the Palomar Observatory a destination point for riders is not its scientific contribution, but its roads that climb all the way up to the top. Gery cautions us to ride with care due to the numerous curves. That’s like telling a young man to avoid the internet because there are numerous distracting porn sites. Off we go and the ride began at a boring pace as we follow other vehicles on the road. This pace changed quickly when the road broke off and began to climb steadily on its way up the summit. Gery picked up the pace and right behind him is the devil himself riding a Road King. We slowly pulled away from the rest of the pack as we weave left and right, constantly picking up elevation. The asphalt surface is smooth and clean. The sweepers are real tight when making right turns, while the left turns can be taken at double the speed. The radius are all well engineering and constant. No decreasing radius to force a rider to tighten up a line when fully leaned over. Gery makes short work of the bends. He is very smooth on the Sportster, showing all the proper characteristics of a fast rider – very little drama. I’m just the opposite. The Road King, lacking in ground clearance was scraping everything below the floorboards like a snowplow after a winter storm. I figure that I can only get lucky a few times doing this scrape job, so I begin riding the Fat Pig like a sportsbike, hanging my body off to keep the bike more upright. What a rush! Near the summit, Gery gives me a break by slowing down near the summit and parking to the side. We exchanged high fives as the adrenalin buzz continues to give us the feeling of elation after a good run. We waited for the rest of the Magnificent Seven to arrive, stuck behind a slow moving car.

It was already late in the day and the Observatory was closed. We did more picture taking at the parking lot in front of Mother’s Kitchen and enjoyed each others company talking about our two favorite subjects - bikes and women. Jojo continues to heap praises to his newfound ride. Jojo says the bike is quiet, powerful and stable. The rider and bike are truly bonding. Jojo wants to adopt the big lug. Greg gives Jojo a knowing smile. He loves the big Honda also. Maybe that is why is HD Softail only has 4,000 plus miles on it. He’s too busy riding the Honda.

Coming down the Palomar Mountain was a more relaxed affair than earlier. Gery knows of a casino that offers free coffee to bikers so that where we went. At the parking lot, before we can get our gear off, Greg topped that offer by offering dinner at Pala Casino a few miles away. Yehey to that!

At Pala, we enjoyed live band music, hot soup and good company to end the day. I just wish all Mondays are like this. We just have to find a way to get Jojo to visit us more often.