"To ride or not to ride. That's a stupid question."
When I created my Updated Bucket List for YEAR 77 I listed a Harley day-ride on the 7th of each month. The idea was to do a monthly ride to a place that had an interesting history and a fun route to ride on a motorcycle. The 7th doesn't always work, but in December, Sunday the 23rd was a perfect day to go for a ride and I selected the Rock Store near the ocean in Malibu Canyon.
The following is from the Rock Store's website: "The Rock Store is one of the most famous motorcycle and biker hangouts in the world. Frequented by moto lovers as well as celebrities and nice people of all types, the Rock Store is an amazing place to get away from the city without going too far. Located along famous Mulholland Highway halfway between Malibu and Calabasas, it's the prefect place to come by bike or by car for breakfast or lunch and a drink on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays."
I can reach the Rock Store using two primary routes as shown below. My morning route is on the left and went through downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica (freeway riding), then along CA-1 (the Pacific Coast Hwy), then inland on Malibu Canyon Road to Mulholland Hwy, then north to where the Rock Store is located. Malibu Canyon is a beautiful and a fun ride on the winding canyon road. This was a 61 mile ride and since I left home early, with no traffic it only took about 1 hour, 15 minutes. The temperature was a little chilly 50 degrees when I left Monrovia, but dropped to a cold 37 degrees through Malibu Canyon. (I know that doesn't sound cold to my Utah friends, but moving along on a motorcycle, 37 degrees is definitely cold).
The route on the right shows my return to the Ventura Freeway. I went back down Malibu Canyon Road to the Coast Highway, then south about 20 miles to Topanga Canyon Road, then north through Topanga (I didn't know it was such a mountainous community), stopping at Topanga State Park and the Top of Topanga Overlook, and to the Ventura Freeway. Topanga Canyon was a wonderful ride, narrow and winding and longer than the ride I took on Malibu Canyon Road - a really fun ride. It was freeway riding from there to Monrovia. The ride home was 75 miles, making the round trip a 136-mile very enjoyable ride. I arrived back home in time to take Bonnie to lunch.
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The Rock Store is an interesting place with many friendly people hanging out. As you can see by the photos below, there were not too many bikers there when I arrived a little after 8:00 am. By the time I had finished breakfast there were many more there. The bikers all seem friendly - I ask some guys who were standing outside by a warmer having coffee if one of them would take my photo (proof that I was there). One volunteered to do it for a quarter, another wanted 50 cents.
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As usual when I'm on a solo ride, I read the Business section of the L.A. Times and the Wall Street Journal, while having a good "greasy spoon" breakfast (I had a veggie omelette which was quite good). The first two photos show the lower level of the eating area; the second row shows the much larger upstairs eating area.
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The first photo below is in Malibu Canyon on my way back to the ocean (I always feel like I have to explain that my photos never look as good as what my eyes are seeing). It's a great ride through Malibu Canyon. The next two photos were taken at the Visitors Center for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Although it looked a little unkempt from the outside, the information, exhibits, and the on duty Ranger were all exceptional. It was the visit with this Ranger that convinced me I should ride the length of Topanga Canyon Road from the ocean to the Ventura Freeway, and it turned out to be a great recommendation.
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From the left: 1st row -The first photo is from the Coast Highway with the ocean off to the middle right - it looked as smooth as ice. A few miles up Tapanga Canyon Road is the Topanga State Park. I rode into the park and checked out the Trippet Ranch where there is parking and arrangements can be made for free guided hikes. The park features 36 miles of hiking trails, as well as areas for mountain bikers and equestrians. There are also group camp sites.
2nd row - Before heading down the north side of the canyon, I pulled into the Top of Topanga Overlook. I took the second photo from the Overlook looking north to San Fernando Valley. The high-rise buildings (better seen when photos are enlarged) are at the Warner Center.
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A Little History: The Rock Store is located in Cornell, which is an unincorporated community in the Santa Monica Mountains. It is located 5 miles west of Agoura Hills and around 2.5 miles east of Malibu. The Rock Store originally held a hot springs resort. During the 1930s it had become a stagecoach stop. During the Great Depression and Prohibition, the owner was allegedly a bootlegger. The resort attracted celebrities such as Cecil B. DeMille and Rudolph Valentino, who "came up here and laid in the hot water baths, and they drank the whiskey." In the 1940s and 1950s, it was home to a gas station. Ed and Vern (Veronica) Savko stumbled across this building, made entirely out of volcanic rock, and purchased it in 1961 creating a small town grocery store out of it. As the years rolled by, the area started growing in population, which forced the development of major roadways connecting Mulholland Highway to the Pacific Coast. As people started flocking to this area, more and more people started taking notice of this small town store. Not only were carloads of people stopping by for cold refreshments, but motorcyclists began pouring in from all directions. They were drawn to the winding canyon roads and the opportunity to test out their riding skills.
Ed and Vern have built a reputation for the Rock Store as one of the top tourist destinations, and a hang out for the "who's who" of the motorcycling world. Among the attractions are the rustic settings, celebrity sightings, hundreds of bikes to look at and the food and drinks. The Rock Store is most popular for their hefty breakfasts, BBQ tri-tip sandwiches, teriyaki chicken sandwiches, homemade chili, and ice cold beverages. Celebrities that frequent the Rock Store include Jay Leno, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Matt LeBlanc, Tommy Lee, Harrison Ford and others.