Dave39 Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 On Monday, April 27, I embarked on my first motorcycle tour. My wife was in Europe visiting her cousin and it was a chance to take off. I decided to do a four day loop south down the coast. On day one I headed out of Sacramento down I-5 with Pinnacles National Monument, 175 mi away, as my first destination. South of Stockton serious westerly winds picked up, and the further south I went the worst the crosswinds became. As I approached my turn-off onto Hwy 33, the winds were almost unbearable. The gustly crosswind had become downright terrifying and I was struggling to keep the 620lb beemer on the road. As I turned off on the Hwy 33 ramp I spied a warning sign, "CAUTION! SEVERE WIND GUSTS ON PACHECO PASS". I pulled into a McDonalds for lunch to decide what to do. I considered going home or changing my route. As I ate I saw big rigs heading west towards the pass. I decided if they could do it so could I, and, going west, we'd be heading into the wind. I took off, following an 18 wheeler past the San Luis reservoir and over the pass. Down to Hollister the winds eased. A quick stop for gas, and a run south on Hwy 25, a beautiful riding road, took me to Pinnacles. I found a nice quiet camp site, and after dinner, taking pictures of some California Condors souring overhead, I retired and slept well that night in my little tent. The next morning I continued down Hwy 25 to G13 and over to King City for breakfast at a Denny's. A run up Hwy 101 took me to G16, Carmel Valley Rd. The road is a beautiful winding, isolated 30 mile meander over the coastal range up and over to about 2,500 ft and down to Carmel on the coast. I had done ridden this road a couple of times on a bicycle so knew what to expect. It is a great motorcycle or bicycle route, very isolated, but nice scenery, and many wild flowers this time of year. Field of Wild Flowers on Carmel Valley Rd After a gas stop at Carmel I started down Hwy 1 along the very scenic coast with a brisk wind at my back. This was the high point of my tour, and I strongly recommend this ride whether on a motorcycle or bicycle. I had no desire to ride fast, taking in all the scenery. It was just as well because the road was filled with nervous flatlanders and RVs crawling along the twisty hiway. The Coast Line Sea Lions Sunning North of San Simeon Lazing Around I ended the day at the San Simeon State Park and found a nice camp site in the trees sheltered from the winds...203 miles for Day 2 The next morning I whizzed a few miles down Hwy 1 to Cambria for breakfast and then headed inland over the coastal range on Hwy 46. On through Paso Robles and up Hwy 41 took me to Kettleman City for gas and a coffee break. I was now in the Valley and headed for the western Sierra foothills via Fresno. At Oakhurst I connected with Hwy 49 and continued to Mariposa, my destination for the day. Even after 223 miles, I was there at 2:00 pm. I found a cheap, quiet motel and then explored Mariposa, a historic mining town. Old Miner in Mariposa I collect old belt buckles so visted the antique shops on main street. I found one neat old buckle with a porcelain horse head. I indulged in a big steak dinner that evening and retired sipping wine and watching a movie on my room's Viseo. How decadent! Later that evening I heard a lot of rumbling in the parking lot and the windows rattled. What was that? An earthquake? The next morning I discovered about 12 huge, garish, shiney HDs parked by my unassuming quiet little beemer. Lots of Chrome in Parking Lot A quick gas up and I continued north up Hwy 49 headed for home. Hwy 49 north of Mariposa is a very nice road, especially for those who like twisties, definetley not a fast road unless you're on a crotch rocket. At about mile 15 the road twists and turns from 2,300 feet to quickly descend 1,300 feet to the Merced river and then climbs back up the other side. Merced River I continued on over the Melones Reservior to Angel's Camp for lunch. A turn west onto Hwy 12 back into the Valley took me home. The tour was a great success, and the beemer as always performed flawlessly. Total distance 751 miles.
algover Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Nice pix, Dave. Thanks for sharing. It sounds like a nice trip. I'd love to see some of the pix of the condors also. Maybe we can do that offline?
10ovr Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Nice job Dave,,I cant wait to get to the calif coast this july,,Thanks
Dave39 Posted May 2, 2009 Author Posted May 2, 2009 Regarding Condors pics, I didn't include because they were pretty fuzzy. I had trouble getting camera to focus on the big birds in flight.
skyskier Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Dave, Nice ride and thanks for taking us along. I was just up hwy 49 and couple of weekends ago, (Oakhurst to Diamond Springs), a great road. BTW, the seals were elephant seals not sea lions, they've just finished up their breeding season are getting ready to return to the arctic where they will spend the next eight months. They'll return in Feburary to have their pups.
Kathy R Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Thank you for sharing Dave. I really enjoyed those photos. I have never gone off camping by myself on a bike and I plan to rectify that omission.
Dave39 Posted May 2, 2009 Author Posted May 2, 2009 Doing a camping tour with friends has its advantages, but going solitary does too. I've done both now. When alone, one can do what one wants and when one wants. I like to stop and take photos and see the scenery, while some want to just push on. When alone, I can stop when I want and get up when I feel like it and ride at any pace I feel like. One of the concerns for me when alone is riding some of the more seldom traveled, isolated roads. One could have a long wait for help in case of a break down or accident, especially since there's usually no cell phone access in such areas.
ESokoloff Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Even after 223 miles, I was there at 2:00 pm. Hi Dave It's a LOT easier to rack up those miles on a two wheeler with some decent horsepower Nice story & images. Hwy 25 is one of my favorites. I was up your way last weekend & rode the 57 mile section of the Sierra Century pre-ride. Were you there?
Dave39 Posted May 3, 2009 Author Posted May 3, 2009 Yeah, I know 223 isn't all that much, but I guess I still have a cycler's brain. I sometimes don't appreciate how one can gobble up the miles on a good motorcycle and often misjudge how far I can go in a 1/2 day's riding. That 223 miles would be 3 long days of riding on a pedaler.
Dave39 Posted May 3, 2009 Author Posted May 3, 2009 Oh, Esokoloff, missed your SC pre-ride question. Yes, I was there. I did the middle ride which turned out to be 61 miles. I'm SAG captain this year.
Couchrocket Posted May 4, 2009 Posted May 4, 2009 Congrats on your first tour! You had a great route. Nice photos. Nothing like that first successful tour... Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Here's a photo from one of my trips down Route 1, during my RT days . . .
Couchrocket Posted May 4, 2009 Posted May 4, 2009 Yeah, I know 223 isn't all that much, but I guess I still have a cycler's brain. I sometimes don't appreciate how one can gobble up the miles on a good motorcycle and often misjudge how far I can go in a 1/2 day's riding. That 223 miles would be 3 long days of riding on a pedaler. Don't let the BMW "gotta do a zillion miles in a day or I'm a wimp" syndrome set in. If you do, you'll regret it. Touring at your own pace, taking time to actually see the area you're riding through, and having enough time at the end of the day to explore your destination is a wonderful thing. Heck, you might even relax doing it that way! I'd say this is especially true on the kind of route you chose. Might be different if you were droning on the slab all day going from ugly point A to ugly point B just to get somewhere beautiful like the CA coast and the Sierra foothills.
ESokoloff Posted May 5, 2009 Posted May 5, 2009 Oh, Esokoloff, missed your SC pre-ride question. Yes, I was there. I did the middle ride which turned out to be 61 miles. I'm SAG captain this year. Did you see a tall lanky character wearing a Sundance jersey/shorts & riding an OLD Trek steel frame with friction shifters & a humongous rear fender bag? (The bike is my buddy Doug"s commuter). I left the winery with a large pack & got back to the park about 1:30 [/hijack]
Dave39 Posted May 5, 2009 Author Posted May 5, 2009 ESokoloff, I didn't see you, but my companions and I were near the rear, lazying along taking pics ( see: http://www.eons.com/groups/topic/1622837-Sierra-Century-Pre-ride ). I slightly miss-stated my Big Sur tour. It was my first tour this year. I've been on others last year, but thanks to all for nice responses.
Paul_Burkett Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 It looks like you did it right the first time out of the box. Taking time to really see things is better than clicking off the miles watching the white lines go by and looking out for ticket vendors.
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