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Posts Tagged ‘Highway 101’

Michael McDermott on La Gloria Road where it meets Highway 25.

A damn good and affordable breakfast got us ready for the road. We leave the town of Greenfield heading north on Highway 101. Motorcycle trips are filled with opportunities to adjust plans. The landslide on Highway 1 and our inability to find the detour through Fort Hunter Liggett created such an opportunity. We had lost a bit of time and decided to ride north into San Francisco to make time.

The map showed that the Pinnacles National Monument in the near distance. A few miles north of Soledad and about 15 miles south of Salinas, we turn off Highway 101 onto Gloria Road. The narrow paved road first winds along heavily watered and worked crop fields. Before long, the pavement ends and the dirt portion of Gloria Road climbs fast. Views of the Salinas Valley and the many fields of grapes fill the vista to the brim beyond the cliffs that butt against the road. Now called La Gloria Road, there is a pitch toward the right, into the hillside. This causes the rainfall to rush down the right side of the roads. A wide and deep ditch runs on the right to manage this water flow. To the left of the dirt roads are cliffs.

The Pinnacles National Monument is the eroded leftovers of an extinct volcano.

This is a fun road, but certainly not one for breaking tires loose in power slides. The ground squirrels and lizards constantly scramble inches from the front wheel. Before dashing into burrows and grass on the other side of the road. Everything joins together for one of those special motorcycle moments.

La Gloria Road joins with State Route 25 which takes us south to the Pinnacles National Monument. The decision to ride out to the Pinnacles led us down a fantastic dirt road along the paved Highway 25 with nice sweepers to bring us to the east entrance of the park. After paying to enter the park, it only takes a couple minutes to ride to the end of the road. The Pinnacles National Monument is what remains of an eroded volcano. The area is very popular with rock climbers seeking very technical rock faces to belay and nudge their way to the top. For us on our motorcycles, the east entrance didn’t allow us to see much from the seat of our bikes. It was rather unmoving. It seems that he west entrance holds the better views of the Pinnacles Monument.

No worries, we still get to ride Highway 25 again on our route into San Francisco. Eventually we connect with US 101, which takes us through the city and across the fog-shrouded passage of the Golden Gate.

Golden Gate Bridge fades into fog.

The Golden Gate Bridge is not named for its color, no sir, it is named for the water gateway below that leads to the protected water of the San Francisco Bay. The tall pillars climb into the low clouds for which the Bay area is known. Looking up at the pillars as you ride under them makes each one seem to move. We crawl along with traffic, barely faster than the other tourists walking along the bridge. As we move, each pillar stands up tall into the clouds.

When the bridge meets the land of the Marin Peninsula on the north side of the bay, we find our way onto Highway 1. Traffic immediately lightens up and we trace the mountain side to the coast.

The Pacific Coast Highway north of San Francisco is a true delight for motorcyclists. In all reality, the BMW R1200 GS motorcycles from MotoQuest are perfect for the PCH.

Keeping the boxer engine in the mid range of RPMs allows engine braking to slow for each corner. The clearance of the bikes allows steep angles at the apex of the turns. Then the intoxicating power as your roll on the throttle picks the bike up for the straightaway. There is just enough time between corners to focus on the incredible coastal views before preparing for the next tight corner. All the while the BMWs suspension soaks up the numerous imperfections of a road under constant assault from the barrage of rocks that fall from the hills. Be ready for the debris in the corners. Don’t push it too hard until a good sight line allows it.

Coastal Highway winds upon itself along Northern California coastline.

We probably should have stopped more for photos along the NorCal portion of the PCH. The sheer joy of the hours of constant cornering took over and photos were shot by Monica while dad and I kept the wheels turning and the bike swaying from coast to land and back to coast. this is truly a road to mark off the bucket list.

Monica and I took an anniversary trip along this portion of the PCH several yeas ago. The rental car was fun, but didn’t do it justice. If the PCH is “too far” for you to ride to it, then rent a bike and make a memory.

The sun sets and we were too into the groove to notice. We were lucky to find an exceptional room at the Jenner Inn in the small township of Jenner, California. The room had a window that looked out over a small bay. For $145 per night we had a queen bed, a day bed and a hide-a-bed in our room. The morning breakfast and coffee included in the price of the room makes the price quite affordable.

The next day started out the same way it ended the day before. Twisty roads and the rising sun warmed up us the bikes’ tires. It was just the way that us motorcyclists like to warm the soul.

Fuel for both us and the bikes was needed as we rode into Fort Bragg. North Coast Brewing was the ticket to happy taste buds. One would be missing out on a joy in life if they passed through Fort Bragg without sampling North Coast’s fine micro brews. Of course, this being a midday stop, we sampled and then walked the town a while to let everything settle. The town has a few nice galleries and retail shops.

After leaving Fort Bragg, Highway 1 jumps over the coastal range, climbing to 4,000 feet and then connects with the much wider and less exciting Highway 101 in Leggett, California. The Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree, one of the famous tourist traps of the Redwood National Forest, is just a mile from the intersection of Highway 1 and 101. It is worth the $5 to check out the drive-thru tree as there aren’t too many trees grow large enough to put a driveway through them. The gift shop isn’t anything special.

Monica holds up giant (dead) Sequoia along Avenue of the Giants.

Highway 101 takes us north 30 miles to Avenue of the Giants (State Route 254) which runs through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The scenic road winds along the Eel River and passes under incredible groves of immense trees. The vast amount of wood in each tree along Avenue of the Giants is something to see. Riding through the area and learning how little is preserved is both educational and sad. It required several groups and many attempts to save the more than 50,000 acres of these majestic trees. The Sequoia grow to nearly 300 feet height. The tallest of which is the Stratosphere Giant measuring 371 feet tall. There just isn’t anything like it that makes man feel so small under the canopy of Mother Nature’s grandeur.

After Avenue of the Giants, chimney Tree, Immortal tree and House Tree we ride into Eureka, California find a room and unpack the bikes.

The California portion of our trip is mostly complete. Tomorrow we ride into Oregon.

This article is part of a series chronicling a father, son and wife motorcycle adventure along the Pacific Coast Highway from Long Beach, California to Seattle, Washington. Sean McDermott and his father, Michael, rented BMW R1200GS motorcycles from MotoQuest Tours, which recently began offering one-way rentals. Contact them and make your dream trip happen.

Enjoying the proximity to the beach, dad and I exit the hotel room while Monica sleeps. We let her sleep as we grab a cup of coffee across the street and make our way to the Pismo Beach pier to enjoy crashing of the waves on the dark, creosote coated pilings of the pier. Surfers caress their way along the waves. Some fall as soon as they stand. Others ride the wave a great distance.

Sean and Monica posing at an overlook in Pismo Beach.

We admire the skill of the surfers. Some surfers look at a wave and see opportunity. While others hold out until the surf dies down never finding the right wave. This becomes a metaphor for us about life. Some people look at a wave and never find the opportunity or skill to ride it. As the same wave crashes toward the shore, others are ready and ride it as far as it will carry them. Sipping on our hot coffee from the comforts of a bench above the water, we discuss events in our lives and explore the success and failures thereof.

After a long walk along the pier, we head back to the hotel. Monica is rearing to go. The smell of cinnamon wafting through the cool morning air finds our noses. With the side cases packed on the BMW motorcycles, we saunter up the block to see if the taste matches the smells.

The origin of the incredible smells was Old West Cinnamon Rolls (861 Dolliver Street, Pismo Beach, CA). This is an old fashioned bakery that cranks out cinnamon rolls in many varieties. Add a cup of decent coffee to your order and it is a great way to start the day. I highly recommend Old West Cinnamon Rolls if you find yourself in Pismo Beach.

Still licking the frosting from our lips, we saddle up and head north along Highway 1.

The bathroom at the Madonna Inn is worth the stop. It is strange, but true.

Just minutes up the coast on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo is an intriguing place called the Madonna Inn. With 110 uniquely designed rooms, restaurant, coffee shop, bakery and events area on 2,200 acres, the Madonna Inn is an incredible place. The converging architectures would seem odd on any other building. The Madonna Inn somehow ties it all together in a way that keeps your jaw dropped. It was the men’s room downstairs that really caught my attention. A large cascading water feature comprises the urinal. Large sea shells and wood make the double sink basin. Alex and Phyllis Madonna created a charming place that has hosted famous and normal folk alike for more than 50 years.

Never would I have guessed that a picture of a urinal would be part of this site. The urinal at the Madonna Inn is a large casading wall of water. This is an incredible bathroom.

We ride further into town to see the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. Founded nearly  240 years ago, the only “L” shaped mission in California is a quiet and beautiful place to visit. The California missions show how easily history could have been written in a different light. The Spaniards had certainly made a strong investment in developing this area before it was the United states. Built in 1772, the mission shows the direction we could have gone. The strength of the old structure is an indication of how strong a foundation they had built.

A short 35-mile ride up Highway 1 and we satiate our appetites at Linn’s Restaurant in Cambria. I had a very good burger while Monica and my dad devoured the pot pies. The Olallieberry pie was the true winner of the day. A blend of berries gives it a sweet, yet tart flavor that will remain in my memory. It was very good.

A landslide on Highway 1 blocked our route. A quick visit to the Hearst Castle visitor center brings to life the true excess of a man who rode many waves to success. Despite his material success, it seems to me that he was searching for something in his vast purchases of art, furnishing and property that never filled an emotional void within the newspaper magnet. We view the Hearst Castle from afar. It is prominently displayed on a ridiculously grand scale. The detour of our route keeps us from spending $30 per person of the 2.5 hour tour of the actual estate.

Monica and her Aerostich Roadcrafter seem fitting riding the tank.

The locals tell us that a detour along Highway 46, 101 and into Fort Hunter Liggett would get us back to Highway 1 in the Bug Sur Area. This is when I wished that I had brought my Benchmark Road and Recreation Atlas for California. We ride onto the base, pass many training camps and beyond the main protected gate. Let’s just say that the detour may have been there, but after roaming around the dirt roads for quite some time, the US Army had their new recruits playing war games and ended up playing a game on us. They had dug a trench across the road that didn’t allow us to reach the coast.

Stopping to ask a few new recruits along the road didn’t yield much help. They had arrived there a day earlier from North Carolina and didn’t know where Highway 1 was or how to get there. With the sun setting we doubled back along our path and headed north to the city of Greenfield for the night. It was not our intended route, but at the end of the day we toasted to a fun day of riding.

We rode many waves throughout the day. Some proved to be more successful than others. Greenfield is nothing to write home about. The cheap hotel room with cheap and cramped beds were worth their cheap cost. We crashed into bed and fell right asleep.

View the entire gallery of images from this leg of the trip.

This article is part of a series chronicling a father, son and wife motorcycle adventure along the Pacific Coast Highway from Long Beach, California to Seattle, Washington. Sean McDermott and his father, Michael, rented BMW R1200GS motorcycles from MotoQuest Tours, which recently began offering one-way rentals. Contact them and make your dream trip happen.