Patty Melt
Not everyone orders a patty melt whenever they see one of the menu, but I usually do. I know very few people who don’t like a good patty melt, even if they are disciplined enough to not order one whenever its on offer. A patty melt is simply a cheeseburger with fried onions on some grilled toast, but there is something about that combination that just works. Why else would a place that offers cheeseburgers and other sandwiches offer it? I would argue that its that special.
We are closing in on Halloween and the weather is starting to cool ever so little. Today was a sunny day and I had to absent myself for the morning since it was cleaning crew day. Nothing needed doing in the garden and I had absolutely no errands that needed doing. My big decision for the morning was whether to take out the R1250 GS Adventure (my ride of choice) or the RNineT 1200, a street racer version of its bigger brother. I opted for the RNineT and that left me to decide whether to use the cooler Calvary half-lid or the full-face Schuberth helmet. With absolutely no airing or windscreen on the RNineT, it was no contest for comfort. So, I buckled myself into the Schuberth, put my playlist onto the Bluetooth in the helmet and headed out. I knew I had to be gone for 2-3 hours to give the cleaning crew the time they needed and that meant that Mount Palomar was just the right spot for a destination. To be honest, Palomar is my go-to destination most of the time and that’s because it is hard to get tired of it.
The other alternative is to ride up through Fallbrook to Lake Elsinore and then pick up the Ortega Highway over to San Juan Capistrano by the coast. That can be a lovely ride, but its longer than the time I had and the two restaurants where I could get an early lunch and still be able to turn around in time were both out of business the last time I rode this route. That sort of made my mind up for me and so, it was off to Palomar, never a bad choice.
As soon as I got out of the neighborhood, the gas warning light came on, but I estimated that I could make it to the first of the Native American gas stations enroute in Valley View. This ride starts with about 5 miles of warm-up past the Lawrence Welk Resort to Castle Creek Road. The next stretch of fifteen miles heads up the hill and into Valley Center. Its a nice pleasant country road, but there seems to be plenty of construction on it on most days. The good news is that on a sunny Thursday, there was almost no traffic on the roads, so any delays were minimal. After my warm-up ride to the Rincon Reservation, I headed East on 96, heading up to the base of the mountain through the chicane of lead-up switchbacks. The whole while I contemplated whether I wanted to go up into the clouds that were lingering around the top of Palomar. I thought for two nanoseconds about stopping at the Harrah’s Rincon Casino to play a little blackjack, but the truth is that I find riding on a day like today much more invigorating than playing cards. Then, as I approached the S6 turn off to head up the mountain, I wondered if just heading straight on 96 might be a better idea. 96 is a pretty sweet road all by itself, but again, with no cars or bikes in sight, I couldn’t help myself and I veered to the left to head up the mountain. Other than a few hearty bicyclists and a utility truck or two heading downhill, I saw no one else on the 50 or so uphill switchbacks that are some of the nicest riding roads in this area.
When I crested the hill, I just kept leaning in to the right and headed down S7, with its downhill sweepers that make a nice contrast to the uphill switchbacks of S6. This time there was absolutely no one other than two bikes coming uphill. I prefer to ride up S6 and down S7, but what did they know? As I got towards the bottom of the hill, I was still amazed to see Lake Henshaw spreading out across what has been years of dry prairie. This past year’s excessive rain and snowpack has overfilled the lake and made it twice the size I have come to know it to be in the past decade. It is always an adventure figuring out whether the Lake Henshaw Cafe will be open or not on any given weekday. I have driven this route only to find that it was closed. But today, it was open for business. I was one of only three customers there for an early lunch. It was past 11:00, so breakfast was not an option and the lunch menu was what was available.
That’s when my eye stopped on the patty melt. I closed the menu and called the actress over. She almost seemed to expect me to order the patty melt. Everyone else was having the special, which were carne asada tacos, but that would never compete with a patty melt in my book. These days I rarely find that I can finish a lunch sandwich, thanks to my LapBand. But a patty melt deserved a serious effort, and I almost made it all the way through. It was great. Not the best patty melt I’ve ever eaten, but a mediocre patty melt is still a great lunch. I had just enough time to ride 96 back to Valley Center Road and then back past Lilac and Castle Creek to get back home. That’s about a 45 mile ride that goes by very quickly since I know every turn like the back of my hand…and all without traffic.
As I rode back home with all my favorite tunes playing clearly in my ears, I thought about all the good things in my life. First and foremost, I love having Kim in my life to share everything with me, whether for better or worse. We love where we live and find interesting things to keep ourselves busy on any given day, even a loose-ends day like today. We are both lucky enough to have our health (knock on wood) and a mindset able to enjoy and appreciate what we have. As I leaned back and forth into every turn, I also gave good bit of thanks to my chosen sport of riding motorcycles. There are few pastimes that could be more invigorating for a man of my age than counter-steering your way through the mountain roads of Southern California.
All that and a patty melt for lunch. What could be better?