Starvin' Arvin's

This is Gary's latest breakfast eating adventure on the road to his Colorado destination and from the sound of things, he's probably glad. Its no wonder he didn't bother taking pictures of the food!! Let's face it--not all restaurants can have an "off the charts." I would have issues eating in a place where a dead animal is mounted on the wall, but that's just me...but combine that with a bad meal and well, it just wouldn't be pretty). Any real biker knows its tough enough being on the road dealing with cages (cars), wandering animals (in this case, cows), and all the other challenges, but bad food???..perish the thought! In this case, I would be starvin' at Arvin's...lol...

Good Morning.    After riding 525 miles yesterday and starting the day with a hotel continental breakfast, I was ready for some really good food this morning. Yesterday’s ride took me from Tonopah, Nevada on the 6 east to the 318 east to the 93 east all the way to the 15 north. I started out in Nevada and ended in Green River, Utah. There is not much in-between those two places except high desert and cows. In fact, I had to ride 200 miles on one tank of gas before finding a station in Caliente, Nevada. Thank God my bike has a 6 gallon tank because I arrived with just a half gallon left, so if you’re riding a bike with less capacity, don’t take this route or you’ll be pushing your bike allot of miles. These are open range roads, which means cattle roam free in-between grazing areas and they can be found on the road and they get an attitude when you ride up to them. They look at you and its like there saying, “Fuck you pal, this is my road and I will move when I am good and ready”. LOL. Anyway, I did make it to Green River without incident and arrived at the motel safely.

So today, I got up a little late for me, 6am and loaded the bike. I was going to my sister’s house in Monument, CO which is a modest 390 miles of mainly major highways. So I was in no rush to get started and took my time getting ready. I had already done my routine of gas, oil, loose parts check the night before so I just walked up  to the only sight in Green River which is ‘the river’ and finished a horrible Motel 6 cup of coffee.  I thought about the day’s ride because your mind-set for major highways is different than back roads. You can fall into a false sense of security on these highways so you need to prepare for the ride mentally. Trucks in these states can go the same speed limit as cars, which is not the case in California, so you need to be totally aware of their presence. That being said, I got on the 15 north to the 70 east. Now the 15 north is not much to talk about but the 70 is a different story altogether. I actually rode my 100 mile rule (107) before stopping to have breakfast and wound in a little town called Clifton, CO. I pulled in to get some gas (I always top off when I stop for breakfast, you never know when the next gas stop will be) and while I was filling up, I asked a local to direct me to a good breakfast place. Now I know this is taking a chance but what the hell, live dangerously. I was told that ‘Starvin Arvin’s has really good food. Since I will probably never see this person again, I can say their taste buds must be in their ass.

Now, I must say, when I walked in I was greeted immediately and directed to a table which of course is not where I really want to be, but their counter which has only 5 seats was full. I was promptly attended to by a waitress whose name escapes me but she was very nice and asked me what I wanted to drink. I ordered coffee and orange juice but I did notice her uniform blouse was so wrinkled it looked like it sat in the dryer a day or two before being put on. It’s interesting that the restaurant let that go. Oh well, I looked over the menu and decided on their special, which was rib-eye steak and eggs with hash brown potatoes.  Since I was still a little pissed off at those cows on the road I wanted a little revenge by eating their cousins. LOL. When I ordered, the waitress asked me would I like toast, English muffin, biscuits or a cinnamon bun. I wanted toast with my breakfast (sourdough of course) but I love cinnamon buns so I ordered that for an appetizer.  The meal started off well; the orange juice was freshly squeezed, the cinnamon bun was really tasty and the coffee was excellent but that is where it stops. I had asked for the hash brown potatoes to be cooked a little extra because I like them crispy and by the way, there is no other choice of potatoes. The eggs were cooked right, but the steak was so filled with fat, that I had to cut away a quarter of it before eating it. (The cows are getting back at me.) The hash browns were deep fried and although crispy, oozed in grease. This is only the second time since Hope and I have been doing this that I left my food at the table and not because I was full, but because it was awful. To be fair, the service here was very good, the people very nice and the restaurant very clean, including the bathrooms and all of these things are important but without good food who gives a shit. I finished what I could stomach because I still had a long ride ahead of me and got back on the road. Now, I have a choice… I can let this bother me and ruin my ride or just chalk it up to being an experience. Since I am a biker, I let nothing ruin my ride. Life is full of experiences and this is one that will make me laugh when I think about the wrinkled waitress and oozing hash browns.

I got back on the road to complete my journey to Colorado. Now the 70 is a major highway but it is still a beautiful ride. You ride through mountain passes with abundant pine trees, fantastic rock formations that are awe-inspiring and scenic view stops that allow you to see for miles. You pass all the major ski resorts, including Vail where even a gas stop is scenic. All in all it was a wonderful day, the weather was less than perfect with rain every now and then, but who cares. It becomes a game to beat the scattered thunderstorms that you can see coming at you and they are gone as fast as they come so if you get a little wet, you’re dry in the next 10 miles. It makes for exciting riding and intensifies the feeling of freedom that motorcycle riding affords us. I arrived at my sister’s house in Monument safely and I am now visiting family and friends. What a way to finish this leg of the journey. The only thing is, avoid Starvin’ Arvin’s in Clifton, Colorado. This place is definitely a ‘don’t bother’ place.  This is one time I am relived Hope was not with me. Her tolerance for bad food and wrinkly waitresses is not quite the same as mine. She would have recommended an iron to the waitress and a new cook to the manager. LOL.

Safe riding.

Gary

Starvin’ Arvin’s                                                                                                                            3247 F Rd
Clifton, CO 81520                                                                                                                      (970) 434-0777

  

Country Waffles, Los Banos, CA

Gary is still on the road and finding some pretty great places to eat. Mind you, the guy is on vacation, but he's still taking the time to take photos and tap out a story on his i-phone, send it to me, and have me post the blog. I, in his absence, am desperately trying to lose some weight..but after reading his story and looking at the plate of waffles with blueberries, and bacon and eggs, screw the diet--I know I want to eat at this place...   

Good Morning. Today’s ride is the kind that biker’s long for. My plan was to leave Salinas and ride the back roads all the way to Tonopah, Nevada. Going west to east in California, especially the central part is a bit of a challenge. I wanted to get an early start so I woke up @ 6AM to be on the road by the latest, 7AM. Now even though I am a slow poke at home, that is not a fact when I am on the road. The night before, I fill up the bike with gas, check the oil, look for any loose parts and clean the windshield. This saves time in the morning so I am able to just put my stuff in the bags and get going.  I was able to leave the motel @ 6:45AM. I had checked the weather report earlier and was expecting a perfect day.

The route was programmed in my I-Phone and my reservations were already made at my next stop. With all this done I can just concentrate on the ride in front of me and I don’t have to rush or worry if I will be able to find a place to sleep for the night. I can take my time, look at all the sights and stop for photos when I want and take as long as I want. The mileage I am doing today is a modest 385 miles but it will take me about 10 hours because of the roads and stopping to have some breakfast. I like putting on about 100 miles first before I eat so I can take my time and enjoy the meal. The route I have chosen will take me to, I feel, one of the most beautiful spots on this planet, Yosemite National Park. So I started with getting back on the 101 North, which in itself is a very scenic ride, to the 156 East, which winds through rolling hills of California oaks and vast wine vineyards. You also ride by the famous town of Hollister, where the road changes to the 152 East, which took me to the town of Los Banos. I was hungry by now and I rode only 70 miles. My stomach was not listening to the 100 mile rule. LOL. Hope has taught me that to find a good mom and pop place, don’t look at the obvious places. That means, stay away from the hotel and gas station areas and look in the central part of the town, where all the small shops are so that is what I did and she was not wrong.

In a little strip mall of small shops I spotted ‘Country Waffles’. There weren’t that many cars in front of the place but this is a Monday morning so there wouldn’t be your usual weekend crowd to contend with. I guess I just liked the look of the place from the outside and with a name like ‘Country Waffles’ I knew it was not a chain restaurant.  (Besides, Hope has trained me well in the art of finding these places)

I walk in and immediately I was asked where I would like to sit by a smiling waitress named Kathy. Of course I choose the counter. This is where you get to watch all the inter-action of waitress and cooking staff plus you get a firsthand glimpse of all the food being served. Sometimes it helps me order, other times it makes it almost impossible to choose. Or it makes a pig out of me because I want to taste so many different dishes. Kathy (the waitress) put a hot cup of coffee in front of me, some water and was ready to take my order. I, on the other hand, wasn’t ready for any of this yet but welcomed the coffee. After looking over the menu, which had many meals that I would have enjoyed, I decided to stay with the namesake of the restaurant. I ordered waffles with blueberries, easy over eggs, bacon and sourdough toast. I have to say, this breakfast was outstanding, because everything was prepared perfectly. The eggs were exactly over-easy. In fact, Kathy warned me that when you order over-easy they will be just that. She told me that people order over-easy then complain they are too runny. What is there to say to that? That there are a lot of stupid people in this world? (lol)  I just thanked her for the warning and kept ordering.

The waffle was huge and very tasty with fresh blueberries (I asked) and real whipped cream on top. The bacon was crisp yet not over cooked. The sourdough bread was toasted just the way I like it (a little dark) and the coffee was outstanding and I never had to wait for my cup to be filled.  Kathy informed me that the chef was also the owner. He was very fast and really interested in what the patrons thought. Not really but he had a great sense of humor. Hope would have had a lot of fun with this guy since she is a smart ass too.  His name is Dave and he is a very cool person. They also make the waffles with fresh strawberries if that is what you prefer. The restaurant was spotless clean, with very old fashion decorations that allow you to feel welcomed immediately. The bathrooms were just as clean as the restaurant and of course the service was great. Thank you, Kathy. There is ample parking for whatever you’re riding or driving and it is a spacious place that can easily handle large groups. I was also told, by Kathy, that they use to get allot of bikers when the Hollister run was still happening but not so much now. So if you are in this part of California, definitely go to the ‘Country Waffles’, I know you will enjoy the experience.

After this wonderful breakfast, I got back on my bike and headed east on the 152 to the 140 to the 120 right into Yosemite National Park. Along the way there are many little towns that have interesting history so don’t hurry. There is wine tasting and farms that sell their goods at roadside stands.  Now if you have never ridden through the whole park it is a must. This is truly God’s country that is just one of nature’s marvels. With all the lakes, rivers, waterfalls and pine trees of every sort it takes most of the day to ride thru. I must have stopped at least a dozen times for pictures or just to sit and look at all the flowers, plants and conifers that surround you.  There is still snow on the highest peaks and this is the end of July. You go from warm to cool to cold from 1000 feet above sea level to well over 8000 feet. I do have one caution for you about riding in Yosemite. It’s the damn motorhomes. They are all over the place and they think the road belongs to them. They don’t look before changing lanes or before turning. They don’t pull over to let you pass even though there are places made along the road for them to do so. Be patient, figure out which finger to use and proceed cautiously.

Upon exiting the park I continued on the 120 east to make a quick stop at Mono Lake which has a good amount of water in it from all the snow and rain that California has had this year. The real surprise was the 120 east of the 395. This is all high country and you never get below 4000 feet. The road was wonderful and still full of pine trees. When you finally arrive at the 6 east you are now in the high desert which in itself has its own beauty. I finally arrived at Tonopah around 7PM and checked into a Best Western Hotel.

Like I said at the beginning of this article, this is the kind of day bikers long for. I had a grin from ear to ear the whole day but it wouldn’t have been the same without that wonderful breakfast at ‘Country Waffles’. This place gets an ‘Off The Charts’ rating. Stop in and tell them, Hope & Gary sent you. Well, at least Gary.

Ride safe. 

Country Waffles

845 W. Pacheco Boulevard

Los Banos, CA 93635

(209) 827-0805

                   

                                                                                                                                                                            

Margie's Diner

As you know, Gary is out of town for 3 weeks, but he will continue to report as he finds good breakfast joints on the road. Here's his first one and truth be told, I would have loved to found myself on this side of the counter facing that pile of fruit!  Enjoy!!

Good morning. After 3 long days of camping on a mandatory run with my club brothers at Lake San Antonio near Paso Robles, Ca., I was looking forward to a good breakfast. The food at the campground was less than thrilling. In fact, breakfast was either old Costco muffins or instant oatmeal, neither of which I am particularly fond of. Lunch and dinner were no better, so by the time Sunday morning came around, I was starving. Now mind you, this was another club’s run that we were supporting so the food was their responsibility, and as far as breakfast or any other meal for that matter was concerned, they almost forced to me lose some weight. Lol.

The ride up here from Los Angeles was a pleasant enough ride. We took the 101 fwy, which once you get out of LA, is very scenic. We rode about 200 miles and exited at 24th street to Nacimiento Lake Road to Interlake Road to San Antonio Road to the lake. The ride on these back country roads is outstanding. They are rolling hills filled with oak trees and flowering meadows. We camped the weekend, laughed a lot, and since I am not a fan of camping, slept little. So when Sunday rolled along, I was ready to get the fuck out of there. Even though I was backtracking about 40 miles, I wanted to have breakfast with my club brothers. But when we arrived in Paso Robles, none of the restaurants were able to handle 40 bikers, so after saying goodbye to my club (they were going to a Denny's by the 5 fwy, yuck), I went to Margie's Diner on main street Paso Robles. It was recommended to me by our road captain, Tom. I owe him one for this.

This is not exactly a mom & pop place (there are 4 of them in Northern CA ) but the food is outstanding. Even though there was a line outside waiting for tables, I decided to sit where Hope and I always prefer, the counter. The action in this place is fast and furious and as soon as I sat down I was offered a cup of coffee and some water. Ahhhh…finally, some real service and by the looks of the meals coming out of the kitchen, real tasty food.

                                                                                                                           
The decor of this place is like a 60's diner and it is spotless clean. The parking is a bit of a challenge but being on a bike makes it tolerable. I ordered their Sunday special, Eggs Benedict with country potatoes and a side of fruit. I waited only a few minutes when the waiter refilled my cup of coffee, which was excellent, and after a few minutes more my food was in front of me. I had a smile from ear to ear and it took all of my patience that I had left, to take a photo.

As soon as I put the I-phone down, I dug in. The eggs were cooked perfect and the hollandaise sauce was just delicious. The country potatoes were full of wonderful spices, all of which Hope would have known, and also cooked to perfection. The fruit was fresh, juicy and chilled just right. The portions were huge and even though I was starving when I got there I couldn't finish all of the potatoes. Hope would have loved this place because she would have 3 meals of leftovers.                                                                                                                                         
After sitting there for a few more cups of coffee, it was time to hit the road. I got back on my bike to head north on the 101 for Salinas to find a hotel where I could get a shower, do laundry and enjoy a real bed, to prepare for my next leg of my journey to Colorado.  This place was a perfect stop for my ride and I would recommend it to anyone.  The service is top notch, the bathrooms clean and full of some sort of air freshener. It is an ‘off-the-charts’ place and no more expensive than any other restaurant Hope and I have been to. If you’re up in this neck of the woods make sure to stop at Margie's diner. You will love it.

Logsdon's Restaurant

Hope:    Good Morning!!  First off, I owe you all a big apology, as my attempt to estimate our return was off by a week. I still can’t figure out how I made that mistake, but rest assured it was not intentional. Truth be told, in the interim, I frequented Allison’s Country Café as well as Pete’s Breakfast House…for some yummy food with excellent service!

Gary:     Well, mistakes happen and it probably did me some good to have another weekend off of stuffing my face. I did miss it though because this is truly a fun thing to do. We have a blast and even when the meal is less than perfect we still find time to laugh and enjoy our experience. Plus, we are on our bikes so how bad can it be no matter how the meal turns out.  We do have a remedy for a bad meal though... It’s called dessert. 

Hope:    Gary & I texted briefly yesterday and because we both had things to do on Sunday, we decided to take a short ride to Logsdon’s at the Santa Paula Airport for our Breakfast for Bikers review. Santa Paula is a whopping 10 miles from me (in Fillmore), but time constraints being what they were, it was all we could offer. Despite the proximity, it was a nice ride, with temperatures being in the high 80s, a full sky of sun, and very little traffic on the 126.

Gary:     Well, it’s a short ride for Hope but in this instance I got the better of the deal. I live in Northridge so I get to ride out to Fillmore (45 minute ride) and the morning weather was outstanding. Not too hot or too cold. If you’re a biker, you know the weather I am talking about, with the right amount of cool air with a warm sun hitting you. Because this was the weekend of ‘carmageddon’ in Los Angeles, in which the 405 was closed for the weekend for a 10 mile stretch between two other freeway exchanges, the traffic going north was non-existent on the 405. This is a very rare moment in the greater Los Angeles area so I enjoyed every minute of it. The 126 was the same, so the ride was really enjoyable and besides that, getting out of ‘the Valley’ is always worth it.

Hope:    Gary & I have both eaten at Logsdon’s before and were hoping that we would experience the good service to which we have grown accustomed. There are several places to choose to eat..in the coffee shop, the main dining room (please note that in a previous visit, we sat in the dining room and were very disappointed with the inattentiveness of staff) or outside on the patio next to the adjoining airport. Being that the coffee shop offers counter seating, you KNOW where we headed! We were immediately greeted and started scouring the menu, as we both had tremendous appetites, so ordering was quite effortless. I went with country fried steak (drowned in country gravy), eggs scrambled with onion, home fries with onions and peppers and an English muffin and I was not disappointed.

Gary:     As Hope has stated, we have both eaten here before with mostly good results (with one exception) and I looked forward to their corned beef hash because it is outstanding. Then Hope reminded me of the pork chops that a club brother of mine ordered once before so now I have a dilemma. What do I order? I want both, so I had a solution. Pork chops, poached eggs (I am a pain in the ass with eggs, so it took them twice to get it right) home fries, sour dough toast with a ‘side’ of corned beef hash.

Hope:    Staff was friendly, attentive to our regularly nearly-empty coffee cups, and was very accommodating to our finicky ordering. My food arrived in massive quantities and was delicious. My chicken-fried steak was the size of Kansas, the eggs were tasty, and the potatoes were perfect.  I ate as much as I could, while sampling Gary’s pork chop and corned beef hash and soon called it quits. My to-go boxes were amply stuffed and will be used for several future meals! The food, coffee, and service were all above average, but I caught a waitress eating in plain view, which is one of my pet peeves and a complete turn-off.  Mind you, I’m not against feeding the staff, but sit down like a normal person and enjoy your food instead of standing with your back to the customers while you inhale your food out of a to-go box.

Gary:     I really enjoyed my meal and didn’t really leave that much for Hope to put in her ‘to go’ boxes. The pork chops were tender and juicy, the eggs (the 2^nd batch) were cooked perfectly and the potatoes were outstanding. I was totally full but I did manage to finish my toast with some strawberry preserves. The staff kept my coffee cup full and was very friendly. Yea, a waitress was stuffing her face with some meal behind the counter, but I was too full to care. She did look like a chipmunk though because she was really shoving it in. The pictures and newspaper clippings on the walls tell you the history of this very small airport, which is quite interesting. After our meal, we walked outside and checked out the airport which is for small one or two seated planes. You can even walk on the tarmac to check them out. It is a very cool spot.

Hope:    After breakfast, we rode up to a local campground with an amazing new of endless orchards and then headed back to Fillmore under blue skies and with very full stomachs.  

Gary:     This campground is a KOA where my club has its annual family campout. It is south of Santa Paula off the 150 hwy and it is a beautiful ride. Hope and I have ridden this road many times but we never tire of it. It is just too beautiful. We dropped off a ‘plaque’ of appreciation from my club to the campground for being very understanding and patient with 200 bikers and their families. There is another thing worth mentioning and that is the people who live in this area. They are extremely nice and very hospitable. My point being that after breakfast at the airport, there is a full day of riding, sightseeing and being very welcomed wherever you go.

Hope:    Gary is going to be out of town for the next few weeks, but has agreed to frequent some mom & pop restaurants on the way to and from Colorado and I will do my best to tell you all about them! Ride safe & eat well!!!

Gary:     Yep, riding my bike to Colorado to visit family and friends, but along the way I will try to find some spots to tell you about. Breakfast for Bikers is now expanding its borders!!!!! Come along with me on my journey (let’s see if Hope can figure out how to post my adventures on our website, as that job is mine, while she posts to our blog).

Logsdon's Restaurant at Santa Paula Airport                                                        824 E. Santa Maria Street, Santa Paula, CA 93060                                         805.525.1101