One of the must-see places for motorcycle enthusiasts in southern California is the Rock Store. Rather than a store that sells rocks, it’s a restaurant and gift shop made entirely out of the local volcanic rock. Originally built as a stagecoach stop in the 1910s, Ed and Vern Savko bought it in 1961 and turned it into a small-town grocery store. Over the years, it became an extremely popular stop for motorcyclists, being right on Mulholland Highway in the Santa Monica mountains with excellent riding in the area. Ed and Vern have passed on, but the Rock Store remains a popular restaurant, gift shop, and attraction today, including among many celebrities who ride. The likes of Jay Leno, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others have been known to stop by from time to time. The gift shop is filled with autographed celebrity photos.
Last year, Reuben brought me up here on the one sunny day we got to ride, but it was closed on a weekday, so I didn’t get the full experience. Carolyn connected me with her friend Donald, and we took a ride to the mountains on Sunday to visit the Rock Store for real.
We met at a gas station on the Pacific Coast Highway at Sunset Boulevard. Does it get any more California than that? I had to keep picking my jaw up off the ground because of all the exotic cars I saw driving by. Lamborghinis and Ferraris were common, including the first Ferrari F40 I’ve ever seen in my life. That’s the stuff of bedroom wall posters from my childhood right there.
I honestly couldn’t tell you what route we took from there. I was just following Donald on his BMW R1200GS — or, at least, trying. He knows these roads well and is a good rider on a faster bike, so once we got into the twisties he left me and my V-Strom 650 behind. It’s better to ride at my own pace and not take chances trying to keep up with him. But he always waited up for me at intersections so I didn’t get lost. I certainly could’ve navigated to the Rock Store on my own, but it was more fun to take his more circuitous routes, and he was good company as well.
Again, I couldn’t tell you where this overlook is. All I know is that the views were spectacular in all directions, as well as the roads.
The motorcycle meetup itself reminded me very much of the bike nights I used to go to in Milford, New Hampshire. All kinds of bikes were there, new and old, Harleys and sport bikes and everything in between. All were welcome. It goes along with the increasingly common philosophy that it doesn’t matter WHAT you ride, only THAT you ride. I took a bit of time to wander around and check out all the bikes, of course.
I don’t think I’d ever seen a Vincent outside a museum, yet someone had clearly ridden this one there under its own power. I wish I could’ve heard it run.
I’m not much of a breakfast person, but I had to eat something to get the full experience of being here. Donald had mentioned wanting a coffee, but I didn’t expect him to break out his camp coffee kit, which he always carries on his bike, and make his own right there! The Rock Store’s coffee was good, but Donald’s coffee was better.
While it’s mainly a motorcycle hangout, a few sports cars were parked nearby as well. This Lotus 7 replica caught my eye. It’s different colors, but I recognized it from the beginning of The Prisoner. It ended up following Donald and I for a while after we left.
As people started to clear out, we did the same and enjoyed some more hilly, twisty roads in the area. If it wasn’t on the other side of LA from Carolyn’s house, I’d come out here to ride all the time when I visit. We pulled over at another spectacular view, overlooking the ocean, the Pacific Coast Highway, and the surrounding area. Donald led me back to the PCH, which we rode for a while before parting ways. I headed back to Carolyn’s. Rain was no longer in the forecast for the day, but the clouds were starting to roll in for the predicted week of rain we were about to get. After the roads we’d ridden in the morning, I was happy. Nothing else I might find on my own would measure up to them, so I was fine parking it for the day, or even the week, and let that experience be what lingers in my memory.
I didn’t meet any celebrities at the Rock Store, but that’s okay. It would’ve been fun to talk about Boston with Jay Leno if he had been there, but that’s not why I went. I’ve met enough celebrities to not be star-struck by them anymore. If they show up at a place like the Rock Store, they’re going for the same reasons I did, for a good ride and a good time with other motorcycle enthusiasts, and that’s what I got.
Smokey Da Van 