West Coast Run Ride Report

[SoCalCruisin]

This is specifically for ChicsterMG and his coming up trip to California, but also just a summary of my recent ride.

Day 1
I left Wednesday morning just before 6:00 with my girlfriend en route to Monterey via Hwy 1. Getting out of LA wasn't too bad which was nice. We got off the freeways and onto Hwy 1 in Santa Monica. Weather was pleasant with quite a marine layer keeping the temps down. We had our first stop for breakfast in Carpenteria just south of Santa Barbara.

We headed northeast on Hwy 154 in Santa Barbara, an inland alternative for about 50 miles or so. When you reach the peak of the climb, look for Stagecoach Road, a left turn. This is an older road that includes the old stagecoach route in the area with a nice little original stagecoach stop. The road is not kept up and narrow, but a nice little route anyhow. It rejoins the 154 after about 6 miles or so. They seem to stay away from the road, but keep your eyes open for deer along 154/246. Turn left on 246 to go through Solvang, a touristy Dutch town. There's a small motorcycle museum in town with a lot of vintage bikes.

You can continue on the 246 across Hwy 101 and through farm land to Hwy 1. This part of Hwy 1 is inland though, and I suggest taking Hwy 101 for this stretch. Either way you'll end up in Pismo Beach back on the coast. Continue on 101 up to Morro Bay. Look out for Hwy 1 after Morro Bay (another nice stop by the way), as this is where you choose staying right on the coast on Hwy 1 or taking Hwy 101 which is four lane divided highway inland. Gas up in Morro Bay also. There are gas stops between there and Monterey, but very expensive.

The roads are great condition so far, and getting into the sweeping curves now. North of San Simeon is Hearst Castle off to the right. I had never been there and pulled over to at least get a closer look at it this time. Turns out you park just of the road and shuttle it to get any closer. We passed. The road becomes twisty not long after San Simeon. We stopped at a kind of rest stop at Ragged Point. You will normally find other bikers there, plus gas, food and bathrooms.

I did this same route coming south in June, and the road conditions are considerably worse now. About 3 miles north of Ragged Point there's a stop, and traffic is one lane for a mile or so. The curves and switchbacks are the tightest for the next 30 or so miles. Watch for some gravel and rock in the road. There are a few scenic turnoffs all along here; try to stick to the paved ones. We had the marine layer the entire route, sometimes worse than others. It was not bad enough to affect visibility, but it did hinder the views.

As I've said, the road conditions were not as good as they were in June, but they are not that bad. Rougher areas are marked. With the marine layer we had, the temps were very pleasant for riding. If we hadn't had the low clouds, I'm sure it would have been on the warm side.

Approaching Monterey, we went through Big Sur. We went inland just a little a couple times, and the forestry look is a nice change of scenery also. Carmel Highlands, Carmel and Monterey are all good stops. I like the little beach after going through downtown Carmel. Cannery Row in Monterey is a nice place to walk around.

We reached our hotel at 3:30, so had been on the road for 386 miles and 9 hours.

Day 2
We left Monterey Thursday morning at 8:00 en route to Incline Village which is north Lake Tahoe. Our goal was to stay off the freeways and go through Yosemite. We went through Salinas, Hollister, Merced, Mariposa. I'm at work now and can't remember all the routes and towns, but it was a good route. We were on the 99 for about 40 miles, and that was the only divided highway.

You would normally enter Yosemite from Mariposa on the 140, but we went south on the 49 to Oakhurst, and then north up the 41, entering the park at Fish Camp. I had read that the 49 is like the Dragon of the west coast and wanted to check it out. It must be farther north, cause I wasn't real impressed with the little of it I was on.

I've been in California since 1986, and my brothers have always loved Yosemite and go all the time, but I had never been there. Now I've been there, and as pretty as it was, it's been there done that for me. First of all $20.00 just to get in and go through, bikes being the same as cars. Then there's the speed limits. The highest is 45mph, but that's rare. It's mostly 35mph, and at some places 25mph. And those roads are just screaming at you to going faster than that. Not crazy fast of course, but in way too many places 35mph is painfully slow. The views are a must see. I don't even remember all the names, but it is breathtaking. The Village is sort of a must stop, but not for long. We took the 41 north to the 120, then east through the park. The 120 was the nicest riding except .... the flashing lights of the park ranger. I was ticketed for 61mph in a 45mph.

I'll take my ticket like a man and all that, but I must admit, that's what put a sour taste in me for Yosemite. I was going along with traffic. The ranger basically admitted they target bikes. I'm a 46 year old on a touring motorcycle going along with traffic. First of all, he needs back up to pull me over. Then they both stand there with their hands on their guns as I'm getting my registration out of the trunk. We had already removed our helmets and jackets, and all the profiling in the world showed that we were just average joe and jane, not bada$$ biker hoodlums. I was conversing very friendly with them. It was suggested I keep my registration in a more accessable location for law enforcement. I thanked him for the suggestion, but told him I have not had to show my papers to law enforcement in many years, and don't plan on making a habit of it. I'll keep it in the trunk where it belongs. So my $20.00 trip through Yosemite turned into $225.00. Like I said already, it was the anti-bike comments that really got me. I had about 15 miles to go to get out of Yosemite; I kept to the 45 and 35 limits, and I was passed over and over again. Like I said to Tina (my girlfriend), for me with these trips, it's the ride and the scenery, with the ride itself being my priority. At those speeds, it is just not enjoyable at all. Enough ranting about getting caught speeding, and back to the ride.

We exited Yosemite on the east end of the 120 and hit the 395 north. I've been on this route before, and it's a pleasant ride. There are some nice sweeping curves north of Bridgeport, and a lot of wide open road. In June we discovered Hwy 50 off the 395 to get over to Lake Tahoe and loved it. It's about 12 miles of smooth road and constant sweeping curves that are great at between 60 and 75mph. We made it to the 28 north along the east side of Lake Tahoe. This was Tina's first time to Lake Tahoe, and she was awed by the beauty.

We made our hotel just before dusk. After 496 miles and eleven and a half hours on the road, we were ready to relax.

Day 3
As everybody else was heading out for the long holiday weekend, we were heading home. We got a late start and didn't leave til just after 11:00 Friday morning. Our route was the 395 all the way to I15 which is just north of the LA area. We left in a thunderstorm which lasted almost an hour off and on. I had not ridden the big Yamaha in the rain yet, and found that it handled it just fine, even on the sweeping curves and in traffic through Carson City, Nevada. My only gripe was that the temps were in the 90's and that rain gear was hot. We stopped in Bridgeport to remove the rain gear, and met up with some other bikers. I was able to give my Yosemite pass (it's good for a week) to a couple on Harleys from Colorado heading to Monterey to see their Air Force son at the Naval Postgraduate Warfare school there. Whereas we did not see a lot of bikers the previous day, we passed many of them Friday. Groups, couples, single riders, even a pair of scooters packed to the max. We hit rain off and on all day, but the heat dried us off real quick. Once we got to the I15, the relaxing stuff was over, and had to get the speeds up just to stay safe in the carpool lane.

This day was 523 miles and eleven hours on the road. After dropping Tina off, I got home about 10:30pm. I unloaded the bike, greeted my kids, showered, dressed for work and hopped back on the bike to get to work. Being a holiday weekend, I had not been able to get Friday off. I had to switch with someone and do a graveyard shift cause I knew I wouldn't be back early enough for my usual evening shift. The things we'll do just to get a good ride in.

Chic, I hope you enjoy your ride up the coast later this week, and I hope Day 1 of this long-winded summary proves useful for you. As for the marine layer we experienced, you could have clear sunny skies just as easy.

[SoCalCruisin]

Before I get yelled at, I'll be adding some photos soon.

[ChicsterMG]

Great summary! Sounds like you had a great time, minus the ticket.

Thanks for the heads up on the road conditions, too. I'm packing up and getting ready for Wednesday.

[SoCalCruisin]

I'm adding a couple photos of our SoCal - Monterey - Lake Tahoe loop ride. Most of the photos are on my girlfriends camera, maybe I'll add more when I check them out. One of my favorites is the "curves" sign. It's just south of Carmel heading south, so I had to turn around and stop for the photo. The one with Tina and the rocks shows the marine layer we had most of the day.

[SoCalCruisin]

A couple more photos in Yosemite.