Intro/West Coast trip

[NinjaTourer]

Hey Everyone, as suggested I'm re-posting my intro here,

Just want to introduce myself as this is my first post here.  I bought a 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 in April last year and have over 10,500 miles on it so far and haven't had a lick of issues.  My big trip for this year is the west coast: San Diego-Portland (or Seattle not sure yet) with my wife on back starting Memorial Day weekend for 2 weeks.  I've got a lot of planning to do before then and will need some help gearing up (new seats, hard bags/trunk, GPS, route etc) so I'm really hoping that some vets who have done the trip before me will be able to help point me in the right direction as I've never been to the western states before.

Thanks!

[Orson]

From San Diego, the Pacific Coast Highway doesn't get spectacular until after Morro Bay.

In my opinion, the best part is highway 1 is north of the Golden Gate  

others will argue there are better roads to ride, but I'm not having any of that. Highway 1 is the one road every motorcyclist should ride before kicking the bucket  

[NinjaTourer]

Thanks we will certainly be doing that section.  The big question with regards to route that i really need help with is whether to just stay on the coast or is Sequoia National Park a must see?  I really want to see the giant redwoods but are the trees in Humboldt state park and surrounding area the comparable to those in Sequoia?

To do Sequoia I would need to take a day to ride from the coast to the park, a day to explore and then another day to get back to the coast.  Those 3 days are the difference between ending my trip in Portland or making it all the way to Seattle.

[Orson]

You could ride thru Sequoia National Park then on up the CA-49 thru the foothills of the Sierras before hitting the coast near San Francisco.

I only rode thru Sequoia National Park once, and it seemed a wee bit more arid than the fern and moss covered forests to the north.

The Giant Sequoias may be bigger, but the redwoods are no less impressive, in my opinion

[Rob707]

Unless you want to include the Sierras as part of your route I would do "Avenue of the Giants" and or Redwood National Park instead for the big trees.  Lots of trails and side roads to explore and if you're really up for an adventure there's always the Lost Coast.

[NinjaTourer]

So in order to do the Sequoias it sounds like I could give up the section of PCH from Morro Bay to San Fran and still make it to Seattle.  

Option 2 is I could zig from Santa Barbara to Sequoia and back to to say Cambria in order to hit up Big Sur but this would force me end my trip in Portland.

and finally option 3 would be to forget the Sequoias, go up the coast all the way to Seattle and use the Avenue of the Giants as my redwood fill.

Personally I'm leaning towards option 3 unless someone was to tell me that nothing can compare to the Sequoias and there's no way I can do California without seeing them.  If Avenue of the Giants is just as mindblowing then I'm settled.

[Rob707]

Avenue of the Giants June 2011

[bluepoof]

My vote is for Avenue of the Giants.  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Option 3, FTW!  


(keep in mind that the 1150 GS is a big bike but looks pretty 'average' in this shot)

The road surfaces may not be pristine, but you'll be too busy being awed by the scenery to even care  

This being said, I haven't seen the sequoias, but I am positive that you'll be happy with the redwoods...

[Explorer]

First welcome to the board. There is a lot of good info here for ya. But to relay help ya, We need a little more info to help ya maximize you time here.
1. how many day's are planing to cover the distance from San Diego to say Oregon?
2. How many miles are you planning to do a day.?
3. Are you camping or doing the motel thing.?
4. What kind or roads do you prefer?
5. Oh where are you starting your ride from?

[DogBoy]

First welcome to the board. There is a lot of good info here for ya. But to relay help ya, We need a little more info to help ya maximize you time here.
1. how many day's are planing to cover the distance from San Diego to say Oregon?
2. How many miles are you planning to do a day.?
3. Are you camping or doing the motel thing.?
4. What kind or roads do you prefer?
5. Oh where are you starting your ride from?

Answer this man's questions and you will get all the info you need. We don't call him the human GPS for nothin'.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Ok, going out on a limb here and just spamming Googlemaps with this, but this is my first line-of-thought:


View Larger Map

Some pointers:
- I really don't know much about California south of San Luis Obispo
- Hearst Castle is a worthy sight-seeing stop (near Cambria, I think?)
- north of there to Monterrey is the best part of Hwy 1 (IMHO, of course   )
- north of Santa Cruz I looped the route inland to take you to Alice's Restaurant
- Halfmoon Bay has excellent fish and chips at Cameron's
- Golden Gate Bridge! (remember that there's a toll - be prepared)
- Stewarts Point - I dropped the route inland because Skaggs Spring Rd is a real hoot. It starts out as a goat path but comes out onto 101 as an engineering marvel  
- I really like 128 back out to the coast. There are a number of nice wineries to pass and some redwoods just as you come back to the coast
- Take the turnoff at Redway for the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Follow this out through Honeydew and Portolia. There's a small store in Portolia if you need refreshments, but not much else is to found until you get to Ferndale
- Ferndale - if you like well-preserved Victorian houses and shops, this would be worth a stop
- Fortuna - home of the WCRM and the Eel River Brewing. Good food and beer
- Eureka - I threw the route inland again to Willowcreek. I LOVE Hwy 96. It is my #1 road. EVER. Follow it through Happy Camp (limited fuel along this route. Willowcreek and Happy Camp have fuel). Come out at O'Brien
- Winchester Bay - Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area - ever wanted to ride on the sand?  
- Tillamook - CHEESE! Tour the factory and eat some cheese!
- Heading inland past Portland. Find the signs for "Old Hwy 30/E. Crown Point Hwy/E Historic Columbia River" (get on near Corbett) and enjoy the original pre-interstate road along the Columbia. http://dantesdame.smugmug.com/MotorcycleTrips-1/West-Coast/Fossil-OR-2007/3-1-rowena/992509648_Cy8RK-L.jpg
- Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia - metal grating, high winds and a toll
- Mt Rainier National Park. Usually frost-heaved north of Carson (FS 25) but I hear that they paved it recently
- Take the one-way detour to see Mt St Helens. Excellent road, beautiful scenery and a great look at nature's recovery http://dantesdame.com/2006/06sbnw/1-windy-4.jpg
- Enjoy Alder Lake at Elbe, as its the last bit of fun until you hit Seattle. There is really no good way into the city from here  


So.... there you have it! Take it or leave it, as you like    I love the west coast and encourage others to explore it as I have  

[MuddDawg]

Ok, going out on a limb here and just spamming Googlemaps with this, but this is my first line-of-thought:


View Larger Map

Some pointers:
- I really don't know much about California south of San Luis Obispo
- Hearst Castle is a worthy sight-seeing stop (near Cambria, I think?)
- north of there to Monterrey is the best part of Hwy 1 (IMHO, of course   )
- north of Santa Cruz I looped the route inland to take you to Alice's Restaurant
- Halfmoon Bay has excellent fish and chips at Cameron's
- Golden Gate Bridge! (remember that there's a toll - be prepared)
- Stewarts Point - I dropped the route inland because Skaggs Spring Rd is a real hoot. It starts out as a goat path but comes out onto 101 as an engineering marvel  
- I really like 128 back out to the coast. There are a number of nice wineries to pass and some redwoods just as you come back to the coast
- Take the turnoff at Redway for the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Follow this out through Honeydew and Portolia. There's a small store in Portolia if you need refreshments, but not much else is to found until you get to Ferndale
- Ferndale - if you like well-preserved Victorian houses and shops, this would be worth a stop
- Fortuna - home of the WCRM and the Eel River Brewing. Good food and beer
- Eureka - I threw the route inland again to Willowcreek. I LOVE Hwy 96. It is my #1 road. EVER. Follow it through Happy Camp (limited fuel along this route. Willowcreek and Happy Camp have fuel). Come out at O'Brien
- Winchester Bay - Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area - ever wanted to ride on the sand?  
- Tillamook - CHEESE! Tour the factory and eat some cheese!
- Heading inland past Portland. Find the signs for "Old Hwy 30/E. Crown Point Hwy/E Historic Columbia River" (get on near Corbett) and enjoy the original pre-interstate road along the Columbia. http://dantesdame.smugmug.com/MotorcycleTrips-1/West-Coast/Fossil-OR-2007/3-1-rowena/992509648_Cy8RK-L.jpg
- Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia - metal grating, high winds and a toll
- Mt Rainier National Park. Usually frost-heaved north of Carson (FS 25) but I hear that they paved it recently
- Take the one-way detour to see Mt St Helens. Excellent road, beautiful scenery and a great look at nature's recovery http://dantesdame.com/2006/06sbnw/1-windy-4.jpg
- Enjoy Alder Lake at Elbe, as its the last bit of fun until you hit Seattle. There is really no good way into the city from here  


So.... there you have it! Take it or leave it, as you like    I love the west coast and encourage others to explore it as I have  

Looks like a great route.

I would follow the coast a little farther, hit Sea Side and cross the Astoria Bridge (unless your afraid of heights), then hang a right and cross back over into Oregon at Longview/Kelso another cool very high bridge.

[Blunder]

North bound on the Golden Gate Bridge is toll free. South bound into the City has the admission and two drink minimum entrance cost.  

Personally, at that time of year I'd skip the Sierra Nevada mountains. There's a drought right now but all that could change and snow can close the passes for months on end.

For travel from San Diego to the LA area I'm sure someone from that part of the state can direct you to the interesting roads. HWY 1 doesn't really get interesting until you pass San Luis Obispo and even then it's crowded and congested. North of Cambria is where it gets good until you hit Monterey. From there until you get north of San Francisco HWY 1 it's blah. Take Dante's advice about the roads out of Santa Cruz. There are many ways to get to Alice's and all are good.

As stated, HWY 1 north of SF is the best. Many small town with B&Bs and cool motels. Google up Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt County tourist sites for more.

[NinjaTourer]

Wow this is GOLD!  Thanks so much!!

[heinee]

Ave of the Giants !! ... the North Coast just can't be beat

[yotes65]

Wow this is GOLD!  Thanks so much!!

I agree.... great information! I'll have to bookmark this for future planning...  

[Lawn Dart]

Break the ride into two segments:  NorCal (which is Monterey & San Fran North) and SoCal.  

I'm not going to bother to touch NorCal - It's covered.  And trust me, those roads are gold beyond any definition.  Colleen, Jimmy, Da Boys - you can get a tour guide whenever you need up there.

SoCal though - nah.  Scratch that route.  

What you NEED to find is these roads:  El Camino Ciente, Foxen Canyon, Cerro Noreste, Parkfield Grade, Nacimiento-Fergusson, Fort Hunter Leggit over PCH (dear Lord, that is HEAVEN SENT!), then PCH to Monterey.  There's 500 miles of goodness there and barely a straight road over 10 miles to be found.

Oh, and come into the Los Angeles area, spend the night at my place.  We'll get a few SoCal'ers to give you a proper send-off!  18 year old MacAllen good enough for ya?  

Seriously though, Cali is riding Mecca.  You will never, EVER find a better place to ride than Cali.  In December.
  

PS:  Spent the better part of 80,000 miles with my wife on the back.  You'd be well welcomed here!

[Mr Sunshine]

I think straight up I-5 would be the most fun.  Be sure to travel only at night though.  

[joe in calif]

My vote is for Avenue of the Giants.  

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