Orange County Cook's Corner Ride Report

dirtdad

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Yesterday was a fabulous ride, I must post a ride report. Sorry, no pics. I promise from now on I will take the camera. Locals will appreciate the details of the locations nonetheless.

I left San Clemente at about 8:00 bound for Cook's Corner. Cook's is a local motorcycle hangout/roadhouse and a great spot. Once a rural destination, it clings to the edge of urban sprawl and remains a gateway to some nice rural roads which are full of cyclists, motorcycles, sports cars, etc. on the weekends. Locals line up their motorcycles in a row in front of Cook's for all to see and it is customary to walk down the row looking at all the awesome bikes, talk to the owners, etc. There is also good food, live music on weekends, etc.

As I rode to Cook's I continued my fruitless search for outdoor outlets at any business in Orange County. There must be some kind of code or liability concern that prohibits them. Even when I find them they do not work. My only luck has been parking structures. Maybe vending machines might work, but the outlets are made very hard to reach. When I arrived at Cook's they had a large extension cord hanging in the back and they happily let me use it to charge while I ate breakfast.

After breakfast I cruised the row of motorcycles while riding my bike and got to explain it to many interested motorcyclists. I am happy to report that many motorcyclists at Cooks were friendly and seemed to like EV technology as much as anyone.

Santiago Canyon is a beautiful as ever. It is recovering from the fires quickly. I have ridden the Canyon many times by bicycle and car, but I enjoyed it on my eBike the best. You are open to the outdoors like on a bicycle. But the canyon is hilly and hard work on a bicycle. On a eBike the distraction and veil of pain is lifted and I was able to look around a little more and take it all in. And there is no beating the silence of an eBike. I took a side trip to Irvine like, following the dirt road around the west side of the lake as far as it went and making a huge mess of my bike. Oh well. I took the Canyon all the way to Jamboree where I stopped for a soda and met another motorcyclist and we talked bikes for a while.

I doubled back and rode the canyon back to Cook's where I charged again. I have 2 3 amp chargers, I figure in 1/2 hour I should get like 5AH of charge. A light snack, more hanging out with motorcyclists and I was on my way back home. When I got close to home I still had some battery capacity, so I doubled back along Doheny State Park a bit and visited the San Clemente Pier Bowl area. Unfortunately I overestimated my battery capacity and had to push the last 2 miles home. I even got off early to allow the motor help me push rather than ride, but eventually I even ran too low for that.

All in all I rode 75 miles, including over 4000 feet of climbing. My batteries are 40AH @36V, and with the two recharges I got 53AH total. I am liking Justin's ride, maybe by next spring or fall I will do a Canada to Mexico via PCH ride.
 
I missed this before. Geez, you went right past where I'm at (Coto...). Once I get my Townie back up and running, I'll join you on your next visit to Cook's. As the crow flies, that's only about 3-4 miles from the north entrance of our area. I'm going to need some more capacity, though. :) My 24s6p a123 setup won't be enough, I think, but I can always steal the two 12s LiFeBatt packs off of my wife's Townie. That should be plenty.

-- Gary
 
Very cool report 'dirtdad' 8) I have not tried the "Canyon Run" on my ESR yet, but we have done it many times in both directions on our Stand-Up gas scooters. The bikers always end up giving us a warm welcome, and asking lots of questions as well. Live Oak Canyon is a bit narrow and can be a bit dicy, but a B-utiful ride. Below is a pic of us parked with the BIG BOYS at Cooks Corner.
 

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I love the scoots! The picture of Cooks makes me want to go back again.

We should all meet out there for a ride someday soon. It would be great. I would love it if they would run an extension cord out to the parking lot, we could pose right along with the other bikes. As it is I have to park in the back next to an outlet. But they let me use it, that is the important thing.
 
I used to drive by there once a month on one of my sunglass routes, always loved that tree lined road going up to the general store. Let me know if you guys go out sometime, cuz with more people it will be safer for everybody. I have a feeling there are a lot of us in So Cal, being the perfect climate for our niche.
 
Hey count me in for either Sept 21st or 28th. The 23rd is actually my birthday and I think it'll be great to celebrate either weekend hanging out with a bunch of fellow SoCal Ebikers! I used to love running thru Santiago Canyon and Modjeska Canyon to Cook's Corner years ago with my sports car club on what we used to call our "bombing run thru the canyons". I think it would be different but just as much fun with a bunch of ebikes.

Someone remember to bring a power strip with multiple sockets!!! I have a feeling there'll be a bunch of us plugged in to that one extension cord they got there behind Cook's Corner. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :wink:

BTW... has anybody been to Tom's Farms on Temescal Canyon just off the 15 Freeway? It's another very favorite hangout for lots of Harley motorcycle clubs in SoCal. The place is much bigger and nicer and has better food than Cook's Corner and it's only 12 miles away (as the crow flys) from Cook's.
 
I have a feeling that Cooks will oblige us with power, but I will call ahead and let them know and make sure. As I was hanging out on the deck outside I saw a couple of extension cords laying around.

I have been to Toms Farms, too, I used to live in Yorba Linda, it was a great cycling destination, and the road that parallels the 15 freeway makes a good ride, or it did last I knew, anyway. Maybe we can do a rotation of locations if there is interest.

The sooner the better, I say. How about go for the 21st?
 
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