Northern California

[littleroot]

Great to know. Though I usually do not go for the whole day. The wife and I or my daughter and I will ride two-up for a 2-4 hours but that is about all we can be away as someone has to stay home to watch little Katie!

Hopefully the R/R replacement will fix the charging and I'll be able to go further,

H'lo Bob. I often make the run over to the coast. Ken and I usually take Hecker Pass Road over Mt Madona into Watsonville. Lots of nice wineries to visit in the area. But Hecker Pass is usually clogged with cars. Too bad, as it's a nice road.

That's the big challenge with most of the roads around here. Hey! If you have a "secret" backroad, I want to ride it!

Alum Roc Park is very near my house, and I've made the run over Mt. Hamilton and into Paterson with Ken twice now. I was always reluctant to take this route, as my memories are again loads of 4-wheeler's. But both times we made the trip it was all clear. Watch out for cattle...and uhh, cattle splattle!

Another one of my fav's is Hwy 25 through Hollister & down to the Pinnacles National Monument. Very nice country road with only local traffic. And very little of that. If you want to make a day of it, take Hwy 25 all the way to the end. Make your way to San Lucas, and then back north on the 101. At Greenfield you can make a run to Monterey via the Carmel Valley. A lonely road until you get the Laguna Seca area.

On a recent trip down there this spring Ken & I took a detour at Paicines. This here road heads east. In places it is single lane, and sometimes in poor condition, but you will have it all to yourself. You need to make a left before Panoche. The sign says Mercey Hot Springs. If you make the turn, you'll eventually find yourself at I5. If you miss the turn the road becomes gravel!

[littleroot]

I have to agree with this one !. I lived in the Salinas valley (just off HWY68) for 3 yrs. I didn't have a bike over there, had to settle for a Mustang convertible, but I always have an eye for good cycling roads. Always felt that there were quite a few around those parts and have it on my mind to get back there and ride a few of them. I think Carmel valley would be high on the list and of course Hwy1 down to Big Sur (and beyond) - would have to put up with traffic on those roads most of the time but even so well worth it.
We are due for a visit back in the next couple of years to catch up with friends (our daughter has actually saved up and is on her way for a visit in Jul) and the idea of bringing my GS over has been formulating in my little brain. Have to get it back together and there is probably a pile of rules and regulations to investigate, but reading these posts has really got me thinking.

Anyway hope you enjoy your summer up there in Nor Cal - we just got through the shortest day so I guess it is up hill to summer for us now.

Thanks, Bill. I hope you have a nice, summer, too.

This year is too tight but we go to MotoGP at Laguna Seca around July 4 every year and next year I want to bring my bike and ride south down highway 1 from there, which I've never done. After last weekend I can now say I've covered all of highway 1 going north from there to Stinson beach, except for a small stretch between HWY's 92 and 84 between La Honda and Half Moon Bay.

Have a good one.
-Bob

[Bill Alexander]

Thanks, Bill. I hope you have a nice, summer, too.

This year is too tight but we go to MotoGP at Laguna Seca around July 4 every year and next year I want to bring my bike and ride south down highway 1 from there, which I've never done. After last weekend I can now say I've covered all of highway 1 going north from there to Stinson beach, except for a small stretch between HWY's 92 and 84 between La Honda and Half Moon Bay.

Have a good one.
-Bob

G'day Bob,
Got to the superbikes at Laguna Seca a couple of years - our house was less than 5 miles from the track so it would have been a traversty not to go !!!. Spent many hrs at the corkscrew !!! Great memories.

It is a long time since I did Hwy 1 north of Santa Cruz so I can't picture it really clearly. As I recall it is a pretty scenic drive. From Santa Cruz to Monterey on the other hand I know well and it is pretty ordinary from a motorcycling point of veiw. After Carmel the road and scenery becomes interesting and it would be a nice ride all the way down to San Simeon. One day I will get back to do it !!!!!

[DMorris]

I think some of the best 'jewel' roads in Northern Cal. are between I5 and the coast hiway.
Its been quite a while, but I used to scour the map for any little road that would get me from the central valley to the coast or vice-versa.
I was always amazed at the beautiful places I would find and how the road would twist.

About the only place I don't like riding my bike is on the freeway--bah!!!

[littleroot]

H'lo Bob. I often make the run over to the coast. Ken and I usually take Hecker Pass Road over Mt Madona into Watsonville. Lots of nice wineries to visit in the area. But Hecker Pass is usually clogged with cars. Too bad, as it's a nice road.

I'm sad to say one thing I never seem to do is stop and enjoy where I'm going!

Because I have young family my free time for riding is short, even on the weekends and so I usually limit my rides to 2-3 hours. I know you and I have wanted to ride together for about a month but my riding time is very limited.

What's nice right now in the summer are the long days so I can go out real early in the morning and be back before 10:00 AM. Likewise in the evenings I go out early evening and get back before 9:00 PM. The roads are empty at these times on the weekends so I'm loving it!

Sometimes I work some odd hours which allows me some mornings off to ride on the weekdays. Those mornings are nearly as good as a weekend because I'm fortunate to live where most people are going the opposite direction to where I want to ride - i.e. leaving the valley for Skyline or Santa Cruz.

Don't know if I'm alone here but I really like slow corners, probably because I've got a big heavy L bike. I love the 2nd and 3rd gear corners up to the top of the mountains or even just around the Lexington Res. 30 MPH posted means I can do up to 45 MPH and not get hassled and that is fast enough for me on mountain roads.

My favorite right now is Page Mill Road starting from I280 and riding up to Skyline. Then down Pescadaro to HWY 1 and then back to Skyline (HWY 35) on HWY 84 through La Honda. I can do that round trip in about three hours and only take a couple five minute breaks.

Ecstasy for me. :-)

If anyone ever wants to meet me at the Page Mill Road car pool parking lot off I280 about 7:30 AM Saturday or Sunday, just send me a PM!



-Bob