Today was our last practice day and our first venture out on to LA’s freeways!  Natalie woke up with a bad cold and took the day off riding to make sure she was on top of it for the start of our ride tomorrow.

Once again the weather was kind, and we took off in our group formation along the freeways for one of our favourite dealer stops – California Harley-Davidson at Harbor City.

The freeways posed no major challenges to us and we arrived at our gas stop just before the dealership right on time.

Peter from California Harley-Davidson turned on his famous warm welcome with a marquee set up and lunch waiting for us on the table.  He arranged to take care of minor issues with the bikes – a rear indicator that wasn’t working – and after lunch the girls enjoyed quality shopping time in the dealership!

We decided that the freeway run had gone so well we didn’t need to take them back to the hostel, and could take the time to enjoy the scenic route along the beach and PCH1 again.

Beautiful weather, beautiful bikes, beaches and gorgeous sunshine, and the hills of Malibu in the distance ahead of us.  It was a gorgeous ride and the best of LA.

Back at the Youth Hostel we had another visit from Sergeant Price who dropped off complimentary California Highway Patrol patches for all of our group!

We then had a few hours downtime for the group to explore Santa Monica’s beaches and stores, before a group dinner at Buco Di Beppo next door to the hostel.

Our wonderful and friendly waiter Chris took good care of us and when he learned what we had come to LA to do, he shared that his mother was a breast cancer survivor too.

After a great dinner we headed out for one more look at the sights of Santa Monica, then back to the hostel to be well rested for the start of our ride tomorrow.




The gang with Peter from California Harley-Davidson


Our Van!


Our waiter Chris at Bucca de Beppo