Memorial Day 2026 weekend (May 23–25). Anushka was home from college for a few weeks before heading to Austin for her summer job, so we wanted to make the most of it. We rented a seaside villa with some of our closest family friends. We’ve known them for 19 years now, and since our kids are the same age, they’ve grown up just as close as the adults.
I rode solo up to Sonoma while the rest drove. Shruti and the kids grabbed pizza from Cheeseboard in Berkeley and met us at Amista Vineyards.
After relaxing and walking around the winery, Shruti hopped on the back of the ST1300. We headed out to the coast on Skaggs Springs Road. The fast, open section at the start was incredible, and Shruti loved feeling the bike lean through the corners. Once the road got narrow and rough, we slowed the pace down.
The ST is just an excellent comfortable two-up machine. With the screen all the way up, turbulence was basically zero.
On Monday, I took the freeway straight home solo. Did the whole 155 miles in one shot, totally comfortably—no gas or break stops required.