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[JCZ]

Nor Cal, Cen Cal and So Cal were represented for a great weekend of riding some great back country roads, great meals and the lodge at the V-6 Ranch.

The plan was for everybody to meet for breakfast Sat. morning in Hollister, Ca. (birthplace of the American biker and home of the Corbin factory).

Come on......you can go on this ride with us, too.........






parking lot business meeting....

[JCZ]

OK, we're burnin daylight.....it's time to roll.  A great route laid out, very little traffic and some great scenery.  Let's do it!












The road behind....



and the road ahead....

[JCZ]

Now that's a crowd of bikes......and this is where we're supposed to hook up with the Cen Cal and So Cal riders.......





Nope.....wasn't them.  That was a group of Christian Motorcycle Club riders just takin a break.



We'll only have a short wait for the CVO riders from Cen Cal and So Cal....

[JCZ]

We're off for the next leg of the ride down  (there's not many back country places like this in California and we all really enjoyed this ride)....



Much of this road was one lane however, the asphalt was in surprisingly good condition....this is California cattle country....

[JCZ]

The last gas stop before we descend in to the valley that holds the V-6 Ranch....



We arrive at the V-6 Ranch and we're mightly hungry....it's time for lunch! 

Here's a link to the V-6 Ranch website.....  http://www.parkfield.com/

[JCZ]

Thought I'd give you a sneak peek of what the rooms look like in the lodge (across the street from the cafe)....easy to get a sense that you're on a cattle ranch.....































Have to take a break.....I'll post more tomorrow.  Hopefully, some of the others will post their pics.

By the way...........several members here will warn you................to be careful of the log rafters in the upstairs lofts if you end up with an upstairs bed.   They're hard, they don't move and they're very low.

[JCZ]

There seems to be a lot of free range animals on this ranch.  Here's a donkey and a horse......on the outside of the fence



As noted by the sign above, John & Barbara Varian, owners of the ranch and much else in this part of Calif. seem to have their hands into everything.  For their home (a glimpse of it in a minute), the cafe, the lodge and other buildings, the logs were cut right on the property using their portable saw mills...





the cafe from the back.....and a beautiful example of a valley oak (very common at the edges of the California valleys and up in to the foothills)....

[JCZ]

[Eagle Eye]

Thank you for organizing this JC. Even a police escort up I-5.  Deedee and I enjoyed it very much and look forward to Coulterville. 

[JCZ]

This building was drug here by a team of 12 horses in 1906 from another location and was the town's post office until 1991 at which time it became a suite for rent along with the lodge next door.  This was the dulux unit....king size bed, jacuzzi tub, t-stat controlled fireplace....and for ombionce, the mailboxes are still in the wall.  
 
What is now just a western style water foutain feature at one time was the only well in town and this is where everybody had to come to get their water.




Terrie and Yolanda loungin on the porch....

[JCZ]

The pool boy had a full time job trying to keep the cottonwood out of the pool.  The spa was hopeless....



Van.....he thought it was visiting hours.....wanted to know if he had any visitors.....



Proof.....it really was a great ride and a very relaxing weekend....

[JCZ]

All the beef is grass fed and raised right there on the ranch...of course.  It was great.....lunch and dinner.  Service was a bit slow but the ranch has kind of a laid back atmosphere.....even when the horses and donkeys get out.....just nobody in to big a hurry to do anything about it.  Of course everything for miles and miles and miles in all directions is part of the ranch.

a wood carving in front of the cafe...a cowboy and his dog (and yes, the ranch had it's share of dogs.....they all had a laid back attitude, too )





the dinner table....






and just in case you were inclined to saddle up to the bar.....

[JCZ]

The super moon was supposed to be at it's peak at 8:35 p.m. here on the west coast.  Just a few minutes late due to the mountains to our east.  It was brighter but we didn't notice much of a difference in size.  And while Calif. had a quake......it wasn't in the Parkfield area so we didn't get to feel a shake with the super moon.









Jeff, many of you will remember, provided the entertainment on the riverboat on the Tahoe cruise at the Tahoe GTG.  He's a man of many talents.....plays the piano quite well....

[JCZ]

Sunrise on the ranch....chickens crowing, doves cooing, birds chirping, woodpeckers pecking, horses whinnying.....it was definately a sunrise on the ranch and I didn't want to miss any of it.....



OOoooppppppsssss......another horse outside the corral.  She started following me everywhere.  I think she'd have followed me back across the street to the lodge if I'd of let her....



She had a pick and shovel brand.....




I had an employee point me in the direction of John and Barbara Valarian's log home up on a hill.  I found another rise high enough that I got a peek of it....their view overlooks the whole Chalome valley and their ranch....

[JCZ]

The post office suite.....



The ol' water tower stands next to the ol' town well....







the back side of the lodge....