MyRidz.com: Get out there™ |
California South to North - 6 Days of Heaven
 Want to know what to do when you have 6 days on your hands and you're within spitting distance of Northern California -with some of the finest motorcycle roads on the planet. Try this. Day 1: Encinitas, CA to Pismo Beach, CA Day 1 - Encinitas to Pismo Beach ( about 275 miles) My old Harley Fat Boy was loaded up with a tent, sleeping bag and enough socks and underwear to last me 2,500 miles or 6 days, whichever came first. I was so ready for a road-trip. My right wrist was flexing all by itself and I was swatting imaginary bugs off my face. That's always a sure sign. Time to hit the road. Didn't get away from home (Encinitas, CA) until about 3 pm, but since it was a Sunday, I wasn't worried about getting through the LA traffic crush. A word to the wise - if you ever have to ride through the Los Angeles area, avoid morning and evening rush hour. Yeah, there is lots of traffic congestion on the streets and freeways, but the real problem is that is lasts for 30, 40, or even 50 miles. After more than 30 minutes of that crap, you either get frustrated or restless, or spaced out - none of which is a good frame of mind when you're on a bike surrounded by multiple lanes of cars and trucks. I-5 to I-405 - crap! (Encinitas to Santa Monica) Anyway, I took I-5 north to the I-405 split in Irvine, and continued up to Santa Monica. Nothing interesting on this road - just 4 or 5 lanes of concrete. The 405 can be the ultimate in high speed efficiency (cruise along at 80 mph), or it can be bumper to bumper traffic. Never seems to be an in-between. Highway 1 - PCH (Santa Monica to Oxnard) Once I got to Santa Monica though, I decided to switch from the freeway crap to the scenic route - along PCH (old Highway 1) from Santa Monica, through Malibu and up to Oxnard. This might take a few minutes longer than the main highway (# 101), but it is incredibly scenic. Even has a few big wide sweepers with nothing but ocean on one side and steep hillsides on the other. Side note: Check out Neptune's Net Seafood in Malibu - a roadside biker/surfer restaurant/ It's a pretty funky place - lots of bikes to gawk at on weekends. 42505 bar/hangout. Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu www.neptunesnet.com
And if you're so inclined, you can take a side trip into one of the canyons. This part of PCH is a classic California coast road! But watch for cops with radar - especially as you're coming into Oxnard on PCH near Las Posas Road. I saw three guys on bikes pulled over at the same time. Felt like I should have stopped to offer moral support, but hey, not much I could do at that point. After a few stop lights, PCH brings you back to the 101 (aka Ventura Freeway) in Oxnard. Highway 101 (aka Ventura Freeway) (Oxnard to Pismo Beach) Grin and bear it through the traffic up past Santa Barbara on Highway 101.
The sun was starting to drop, so I cranked up the throttle and did a quick time-check - I could make Pismo Beach by dark. Lots of campgrounds there - so should be no problem finding a place for me, my bike, and little tent. (Little did I know!) Given the approaching nightfall, I decided to stay on 101, rather than do a side jaunt on old Highway 1, which stays a bit closer to the coast, meandering past Lompoc and Vandenburg Air Base before rejoining the 101 just south of Pismo Beach. (And gives you access to the amazing approach road to Point Sal - read about that one in another ride). Big surprise in Pismo Beach - it's some kind of annual race/rally thing for racing trucks and dune buggies on the beach. Just my luck. I struck out at the first 3 campgrounds - "No Vacancy, sir." Finally I pulled in to the Avila Hot Springs RV Resort, about 2 miles north of downtown Pismo Beach. Check them out: http://www.avilahotsprings.com Sure enough, the guy said "We're already full." At this point, it's dark and cooling off, and I'm more than ready for beer and food, but I need to unpack my bike and gear first. I'm desperate. "There's got to be room in your campground for one little tent and a motorcycle, behind a tree, anything..." He saw my plight and replied: "Most of the campground is rented out for a Mexican family reunion, and is pretty crowded, but I think you can fit in a little corner by site #49. " Done deal. It was the most crowded camping conditions I can remember, and was full of screaming kids running everywhere, but hey, I have to lay my head somewhere after Harry's bar closes at 2 am. (That's called advanced planning). Best thing about the Avila Hot Springs Resort - there really is a "hot spring". Actually I think it's a cold spring and the water is heated. But you can lounge around in these very hot pools - very therapeutic for hangovers (compliments of the infamous Harry's Bar in Pismo - see Cool Places). Day 2 Pismo Beach to Truckee (about 450 miles) Highway 101 North (Pismo Beach to San Jose) There are some horrible roads to travel North from Southern California (I-5 and Highway 99 for example), and a couple of awesome ones (Highway 1 through Big Sur for example). Good old Highway 101 is kind of in the middle. Parts of it are gorgeous, with 2-lane divided banked roadway (yes, such a thing really exists), while other parts are flat an monotonous. Overall, though it's my favorite route to get from the Los Angeles area to the San Francisco Bay area. Highway 680 (San Jose to Cordelia) Not a nice route - trucks, traffic, etc. Just a way to get from Point A to Point B. [thumbs down] Oh hell, why did I take this road!! Highway 680 (San Jose to Cordelia) Not a nice route - trucks, traffic, etc. Just a way to get from Point A to Point B. [thumbs down] Oh hell, why did I take this road!! Highway 80 East (Cordelia to Sacramento) Though I was hopeful, this isn't much better than the last couple of hours from San Jose - hope my luck changes soon. Highway 80 East (Sacramento to Truckee) Yeah - that's what I'm talking about!! Just a few miles east of Sacramento, the landscape starts to change as you start climbing into the western Sierra Nevada range. You're getting into Gold Rush country here, with lots of towns built in the mid-1800's and many of them not looking all that different now than a century ago. Road is great - nice wide climbing turns, pine trees, fresh air - YEEHAW!
I'm wearing an extra big grin as the towns go by: Gold Run, Dutch Flat, Midas, Blue Canyon, Cisco grove, Soda Springs, Donner Lake, and then my destination for the day - Truckee. I love the feeling of hitting the mountains after sweating though heavy traffic and flat, ugly landscape. It's suddenly all worthwhile. Ooops - I'm still about 40 miles from Truckee when I get a nasty surprise. My rear brake has almost disappeared on me. Shit - this is not good! I'm on mountain roads and need all the braking power I can get. Quickly pull over for a visual check - can't see anything wrong, so I keep going, leaving myself lots of margin of error for breaking and with my right hand ready to honk on that front brake lever. A little scary for the ride into Truckee, but I'm still holding on to that dumb grin as Mr. Fat Boy cruises through the Sierras. Truckee is an "interesting" place. I spent the evening at the Pastime Club, which seems to be a biker bar frequented by transvestites and transsexuals in town for the next step in their surgical transformation. (See Cool Places). What was I doing at the Pastime? Nursing my beer at the bar while trying to figure out if I was hallucinating after a long day on the road. Talked to a nice young lady (?) and heard her sob story about the boyfriend running off in the middle of the night with her Harley as she was riding from Arkansas to California. This was 2 years ago, and she's still stuck in Truckee waiting for him to come back, I guess. Also - awesome campsite about 5 miles out of town - Prosser Creek (see Cool Places). But froze my butt in my skimpy sleeping bag. Cold up here at night at 6,000 feet in August. Better look for another one . Day 3 Truckee to Shasta Lake (about 400 miles) Still have that non-existent rear brake. Ask around town for a bike shop and get the usual: ".... Yeah, there's a guy .... Garage behind his house.... Does great work.... Don't go before noon..." kind of thing which I've heard lots of times before in small towns. I'm sure some of these guys are OK, if they're awake, sober, and their dog doesn't bite you, but I opted to drop down the East side of the mountains into Reno, where there are real shops with real mechanics.
Highway 80 (Truckee to Reno) Didn't really want to drop down out of the gorgeous Sierras, but I figured a rear brake would come in handy in the coming days of riding, so I headed East from Truckee. It's only about 40 miles down to Reno, but with a drop from 5,800 feet down to Reno or so with only a front brake, let's say I wasn't grinning as much as the night before. Kudos to Road Rider of Reno: They took my bike right in, bled the rear brake and had me back on the road in minutes.
Thanks guys!! And the mechanic told me this thing happens from time to time on certain Harleys - that the rear brake line would take on air at a certain altitude. (Sure enough - this same problem happened like clockwork several times after this first incident - never did figure out how to fix it for good, but learned to carry a small wrench and a piece of plastic tubing to bleed it on the side of the road). Highway 395 North (Reno to Hallelujah Junction) Dilemma - do I ride back up to Truckee or ride north a bit then cut back East and go into the mountains? Luckily the guys at Road Rider in Reno know all the nearby Cool Roads and point me in the right direction. I was hesitant, since I know the southern section of the 395 real well (From Victorville to Bishop) and it's definitely not on my list of favorites. But up here, a couple of hundred miles further north, the 395 is a really nice road! Sure it's still a highway, but one with nice turns, dips, and incredible scenery all around. Not bad! Highway 70 (Hallelujah Junction to Blairsden) Yeah - back into the Sierras. Nice windy road with good twisties here and there (remember, I'm riding a big pig of a Fat Boy, not a sport bike).
If you get a chance to stop in Portola, check out the Kehoe Pharmacy (yeah, same last name as my MyRidz colleague). It has an old fashioned lunch counter, with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the menu. (See Cool Places) Highway 89 (Blairsden to Lassen Volcanic National Park) This is biking heaven!!! Incredible scenery, nobody on the road, way up in the mountains. Forget the Pearly Gates and Vestal Virgins - if I make it to heaven, this is what I want. A perfect road under me and wide open mountain roadways. YEEHAAAAWWW !
Cool stops along the way - Quincy - Sierra Mountain Sports. Indian Falls - awesome swimming hole. Great place to cool off in the middle of a 300 mile day!
And to quench your thirst - what better than a cold beer at the Way Station Lounge and Tiki Bar in Greenville? Yes the inside looks exactly the way you'd expect. There was even a guy at the bar who looked like John Wayne. Highway 36 West (Lassen to Red Bluff) Pulled over for a pee in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and ended up talking to 2 guys on Harleys who were looking for directions. They were on their way to the annual Sturgis Rally, and seemed to be taking the slow scenic route. Hey, at least they were riding their bikes, not trailering them. Hope they made it. Somehow, after giving these guys directions, I took a wrong turn and headed Southeast instead of North. Ended up on Highway 36 going west. Oh well!
This is another incredible road. Northern California is blessed with them. Biker heaven again!! Highway 5 North (Red Bluff to Shasta Lake). Yeah, this is a major interstate highway, but...... it is running through incredible mountains and lakes. If you can deal with the occasional truck, RV, etc., this is about as good as it gets on an interstate. At least, once you get north of Redding. Called it a night and camped at Shasta Lake. Lots of campgrounds all around this area: Whiskeytown Shasta Trinity National Recreational Area. (Damn good use of federal tax dollars!) Day 4 Shasta Lake to Trinidad (about 280 miles) Highway 5 North Shasta Lake to Weed Somewhere along this stretch of I-5, I stopped for breakfast and asked one of the locals for a suggestion on a good route West toward the coast. Told them I wanted nice mountain roads, with little traffic. Ended up regretting that about an hour later. Either they thought I was on a dirt bike or I made a wrong turn. Read on.
Incredible views of Mount Shasta as you get close to Weed. Something about huge volcanic peaks with snow on top in the middle of summer - I just can't stop staring at them. Stewart Springs Road through Scott Mountain Summit (I think!) Weed to Highway 3 (the long way around) I'm not sure what happened here, but I guess all's well that ends well. Headed west on Stewart Springs Road off the 5 just a couple of miles north of Weed. About 10 miles in the road seems to end at Stewart Springs Resort, where I stopped to check my map and get my bearings. As I looked up, I had my first hallucination of the day. Right in front of me were 2 or 3 naked women lounging around in a stream running beside a deck of some kind of restaurant/spa kind of place. I must have lost my focus on direction at that point, because a few minutes later I found myself on an unmarked 1-lane road heading west and climbing into the mountains.
I spend the next hour covering 30 miles at very low speed, dodging chipmunks, boulders, washed out streambeds, potholes, and the occasional missing sections of asphalt.
On the bright side - no traffic. I didn't see a single car or person on this road. But it sure was nice when I got back to something that looked like a real road again. Highway 3 Southwest to Weaverville I loved this road! Hardly anybody on it, nice turns, beautiful scenery. Yeah! Glad everybody else is standing in long lines at Disneyland while I'm enjoying the great outdoors on a bike. Doesn't get much better than this guys. Get Out There!
Weaverville - Funky little restored (and somewhat touristy) Gold Rush town.
Highway 299 Weaverville to Willow Creek The good times keep rolling on - this is A+ stuff. Scenery, mountains, rivers, no traffic.
Highway 96 to 169 Willow Creek to Orick It's getting damn cold. Been riding for 9 or 10 hours, it's foggy and getting colder by the minute as I get close to the coast, cruising through these big wet redwood forests. I could have taken the direct route from Willow Creek, staying on the 299 to Arcata. But for some reason (maybe the lingering effect of the hallucination with the naked women earlier in the day?), I took the long way around. Nice road, but I'm hungry, thirsty, and cold. Ready to call it a day.
Overnight - Camped at the Emerald Forest campground (see Cool Places) in Trinidad. Beautiful spot - set up my tent under giant redwoods, then headed out for a big night on the town.
Little did I know what was in store for me that night .... friendly women, pool tables, and lots of fun (see Cool Places - Ocean Grove Restaurant / Lounge). Day 5 Trinidad to San Francisco (about 350 miles) Shit - big bad hangover this morning. Good thing I found the Big Blue Café on the town square in Arcata. They have serious coffee, great omelets , and friendly service. Highway 101 South (Arcata to Fernbridge) A few uneventful miles headed south as the caffeine does battle with my fogged-in brain cells. I focus on the task at hand - keeping both hands on the handlebars and pointing in the right direction. Going to be a long day. Highway 211 (side trip from 101 to Ferndale) Decided to explore a bit.. Ferndale is a touristy little place with big Victorian houses and quaint B & B's. Filed this one away for future trip with my wife, Claire. She'd like it.
The road not taken (this time) - Highway 211 Ferndale to Capetown Saw a little road with a sign at the south end of town. Capetown 14 miles. Next to it was another one, Curves next 14 miles. Enough to get my blood flowing again! So of course I go for it, like a dog after a skunk - some things just can't be helped. But after 2 miles of 15 mph tight twisties , my breakfast is churning in my stomach. I wimp out and turn back to Ferndale. (Note: I did this road (aka Mattole Road) on another trip - it is gorgeous!!) Check it out on google maps: Ferndale, CA to Capetown, CA . The road comes back to the 101 at Weott. Highway 101 (Weott to Leggett) http://www.avenueofthegiants.net/Zoom/map.htm
Highway 1 (Leggett to Petaluma) Yeah, I know, Highway 101 runs from Leggett to Petaluma. Nothing wrong with this stretch of 101 either, but I opted for the long and scenic route along the coast. Crashing waves, sweeping coastline vistas and a fair share of twisties. Yes this sign says twisties next 76 miles!!!
Another reason to Get Out There!
Day 6 San Francisco to Encinitas (about 520 miles) Highway 280 South (San Francisco to Campbell) Hey, if you have to get from downtown San Francisco down to the San Jose area, this is my favorite choice. Less traffic and more scenic than 101 by a long shot. Highway 17 South (Campbell to Santa Cruz) Nice little side trip with some twisties and ups and downs. Good way to get the blood flowing this early in the morning. Keep your eyes out for deer though! Highway 1 Big Sur Coast from Santa Cruz to San Louis Obispo Aha - this is the California coast road made famous in all those postcards. Breathtaking views with mountains rising on one side and steep cliffs down to the Pacific on the other.
I love this road, but you sure can't relax on a bike, not if you want to take in the scenery and ride safe at the same time. Slow down, soak it in, and stop every few minutes to look around. This is one of the prettiest coastlines on the planet, period.
Highway 101 South (San Louis Obispo to Sherman Oaks) Back to traffic and reality - getting progressively worse after Oxnard as you come in to the San Fernando Valley. Lots of cars and trucks and those bumpers are close. Stay focused! Highway 405 & 5 South (Sherman Oaks to Encinitas) Blah - back to concrete, at least until reaching San Clemente, when there is a 20 mile open road down to Oceanside. And rarely any cops. Yes, my old Fat Boy still runs up to 100 mph, even with all this camping gear on board. Just like a horse on its way home - it smells the barn and picks up the pace. |
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