I’m a little late on this post as this ride took place in September. But here it is complete with photos.
It was on! We packed it up and headed out of Mtn View at 2pm Friday afternoon. It was my first multi-day trip on the Beemer. It was great weather with the California Sunshine warming my spirit and promising that a fantastic ride on unexplored roads was ahead.
We used Pashnit.com to roughly plan some of the routes. This site is great for finding amazing roads around California. It costs 20 bucks to subscribe and it is well worth it IMO.
The Ride
Temps in South Bay were in the 90’s and as we headed towards Gilroy on Friday afternoon it got increasingly hotter. 96… 98…. …100…. 102…. we stop at the exit for Hollister and temp showed 103. So we decided to head towards the coast to HWY 1 and cool off. Off we went down thru Salinas and over to Monterrey where we instantly hit fog and cooler temperatures. Much cooler in fact. As we headed down HWY 1 the fog got thicker and the condensation was building up on my visor. At Carmel we hit dead stopped traffic and squeezed our way through the line of cars that was probably about 2 miles long. Once we broke free from the traffic we made our way down towards Big Sur and the fog and Sunshine played hide-and-seek.
We stopped off at a few pull outs and stretched our legs a bit and took in the scenery. The ocean was super calm that day – almost like a smooth lake. It is quite something to take a trip like this and to be able to experience the scenery like this. It feels raw and un-cluttered. It’s just you and the road.
We continued down the coast and past all those little tiny towns/pullouts with the really expensive food and lodgings. The Sun was getting low and as we cruised by Piedras Blancas we stopped to see the elephant seals. Not too many there right now but I guess it’s the off season for them.
We continued to cruise down with little traffic and we were able to keep good pace while enjoying the scenery. We cruised past Cambria and turned inland on 46 which was a great road and I regret not pulling over to get some pics of the Sunset and the tarantulas crossing the road. It was really cool to see them creeping across in the setting Sun.
It was full dark by the time we arrived in SLO and we gassed up and went across the street got a room (no camping for us, maybe next time). We thought we’d hit the town and find some cool nightlife to welcome us. No such luck, SLO closes down pretty early. It was dead. We walked for a few blocks and came across this great little micro-brewery that was still open and serving tastings for 5 bucks! Central Coast Brewery has some amazing beers.
Then next day went down to the Vintage Motorcycle Museum in Solvang and we snapped a bunch of photos of some rare bikes. They’ve got a Crocker and even one of those Brittons along with a bunch of old AJS, BMW, Ducati, Gilera, Matchless, Moto Guzzi, MV, Norton, Triumph, Velocette and a few Vincents. I’ve put only a few of the pics from the museum below.
Then we cruised through town and made our way to a bunch of roads all over the Santa Ynez hills. Really cool road up at top of Santa Barbara hills – don’t remember the name of it. Then down to 101 and back to Buellton where we stayed at the same hotel that the movie Sideways was filmed. The Windmill. Pretty cool, we sat in the hot tub and relaxed. Luckily my friend recommended the nicer motel than my choice of Motel 6. The hot tub came in real handy after day of riding.
Next day we awoke to a heavy drizzle and fog and we wiped down the bikes and hit the road. We took off north on 101 and it was pretty much clear sailing from that point to 198. 198 is an amazing road. Those beautiful wheatie hills with long straights and 90 degree, completely visible, turns. We took that to 25 where we headed towards the Pinnacles and Hollister. This is truly a dream road for bikes. The asphalt was brand new. Very light traffic and great landscape. After a bite to eat we continued on towards home and ended what was a great weekend.
This is addicting and now I can’t wait until the next adventure. Enjoy the pics!
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Dude! You need to let me know when you are down this way. Love that museum, the cool thing is only about 1/4 of the total bikes the dude has are on display. He rotates them. Nice picts. Let me know next time you hit up this way and come to the shop for free coffee
Thanks for the kind offer Dave! I will swing by the shop for sure next time I’m in the area and ask for that greasy red headed kid that inspired all the boys of Betlo Ave to get motorcycles.
That museum was mind blowing. I can’t believe some of those bikes. He’s a lucky guy for sure. I remember reading your post about it too a while back.
Nice ride! Was it East Camino Cielo you guys were when you were looking down over Santa Barbara and out towards the Channel Islands? You hit some great roads for sure. Santa Rosa Creek Road and Old Creek road are fun options when going south from Cambria too. Did you guys swap bikes during your ride? I would be interesteed in hearing a comparison between the R1100S and the F800ST if so. Cheers!