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.
Country Waffles
845 W. Pacheco Boulevard
Los Banos, CA 93635
(209) 827-0805
