American Heat – Palms to Pines Highway
Posted on 03. Nov, 2009 by Coach in Open Road
A warm breeze blew through the trees a little early for an October morning. But hey, who am I to complain when the rest of the country is diving headlong into winter! But if it is warm here in Corona, it ought to be really warm at the American Heat Palm Springs Motorcycle Rally. But I have to ride while the riding is good.
Panman & I started out early for the rally. We decided not to go by way of the 10 Freeway, but rather take the scenic route over Idyllwild on highway 74, the Palms to Pines Highway.
As we began our ascent, the big 96 v-twins rumbled effortlessly. Is it just me, or does our bikes seem to know when they are going on a road trip? We rolled through the 25 miles of the San Jacinto Valley, a collection of empty spaces, rolling hills, remote towns, and quickly rising temperatures. Just as it started getting uncomfortable, we found ourselves rising straight out of the desert floor and into the cool San Bernardino National Forest.
The Palms to Pines Highway (Highway 74) is a great ride for bikers on their way to Palm Springs. And this morning was no exception. Enjoying the late summer warmth of Southern California, many other bikes were heading the same way, no doubt on their way to the American Heat Rally.
The rapid rise from the desert floor gives rise to a wide range of sweeping curves and switchbacks. A motorcyclist’s dream! In mere minutes the surrounding topography morphs from a stark desert to a full on, pine tree covered forest. The temperatures drop rather noticeably as you sweep through the many twistys towards Lake Hemet.
Once into the area of Lake Hemet, the road stops twisty around itself and becomes a series of long straightaways that take you from one end of the woods to another.
Just as you start to get complacent riding through the long straightaways, the forest begins to once again morph back into a desert. The trees give way to desert rock formations and plants, and the road once again begins twisting around itself as you begin to hurtle towards the Palm Desert floor. Big sweepers and wild switchbacks challenge you as the well maintained asphalt challenges you. The canyon walls rumble from the sound of V-Twin Harleys, letting us know that there are others chasing the same road.
As we emerged out of the mountain canyons and into the flats of Palm Springs, the heat immediately slapped at us reminding us that we were now in the heart of the desert. American Heat Rally, this is why we came in the first place.
We are reminded everyday of our economy. Our friends, neighbors, and often times even we are becoming victims of the economic morass that has hit so hard the many small businesses that we have come to rely on and enjoy. The Love Ride was canceled, many other small rallies are following the same suite. And although not canceled, the American Heat Rally was no exception.
Although we saw several bikes on the road, Panman and I were disappointed to see the lack of bikers at the rally. The vendors were small, few, and mostly selling small nick nack items. The big vendors were suspiciously absent, as were the Harley-Davidson dealership. The band was on the stage located on a corner street in the middle of the “vendor row”. No one paid much attention as they tried to rally some enthusiasm.
Panman and I decided that the best course of action would be to wander over to the Hair of the Dog and have a couple of beers. We sat with our cold ones and watched the rally play itself out. It is easy to visualize the demise of the small rallies, leaving us with only the Sturgis/Reno/ROT sized rallies as survivors. That would be a shame.
A couple of beers and a cigar later, it was time to get back into the wind. Still relatively early yet, we decided to return the way we came. Back over the Palms to Pines Highway. The rally was disappointing, but at least the ride was spectacular!
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